Age-related Variation of Plasma Concentrations of Skatole, Androstenone, Testosterone, Oestradiol-17β, Oestrone Sulphate, Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulphate, Triiodothyronine and IGF-1 in Six Entire Male Pigs

This study describes the age-related variation in boar taint compounds, skatole and androstenone, and testosterone, oestradiol-17 beta (E17 beta), oestrone sulphate (ES), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), triiodothyronine (T(3)) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in six boars. Three pairs of littermates of crossbred entire male pigs (from three Yorkshire x Duroc dams and one Hampshire sire) were included. Blood samples were taken at the age of 9-15 weeks and thereafter at weekly intervals from the age of 20-32 weeks. Plasma concentrations of skatole, androstenone, testosterone, E17 beta, ES, DHEAS, T(3) and IGF-1 were measured. We found that skatole levels in boars increased at the age around puberty after an increase in the levels of testicular steroids. Levels of skatole were not associated with the levels of sex steroids, T(3) and IGF-1. However, the increased level of testicular steroids is probably the underlying factor needed for high skatole levels to occur although the specific mechanism leading to increased skatole levels remains unknown.     

Perivascular wall tumour presenting as pastern mass in a Standardbred gelding

A 2-year-old Standardbred gelding was referred for a mass on the palmaromedial right front pastern which was accompanied by progressively worsening lameness. The mass was firm to palpation and covered by normal skin. Ultrasonographically, a smooth encapsulated mass was present, medial to the flexor tendons and palmar to the neurovascular bundle. Because of a poor prognosis for future athletic performance without surgical or chemotherapeutic intervention and economic constraints preventing further diagnostics and treatment, the horse was euthanised. Post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging, histopathology and immunohistochemistry revealed the mass to be a perivascular wall tumour, the first record of such a neoplasia in the horse.     

Competition and interactions among stripe rust pathotypes in wheat-cultivar mixtures

A series of experiments was conducted with wheat stripe rust to analyse competition between simple and complex pathotypes in host mixtures. Two different pathotype combinations were tested, with different host components. Each combination included a complex (able to infect two host components) and two simple pathotypes. For one of the combinations, induced resistance was tested in a separate experiment as a possible interaction among pathotypes. Disease severity and pathotype frequencies were measured three times during the epidemic, on each host component grown in pure stands and in mixtures. In one of the experiments, pathotype frequencies were also measured within secondary foci. One of the complex pathotypes appeared to have a low fitness on one of the host components and did not significantly increase in frequency in host mixtures relative to pure stands. The average frequency of the other complex pathotype increased during the first epidemic cycles, but remained stable afterwards, below expected values. The results suggest that the development of complex pathotypes in host mixtures may be influenced by differential aggressiveness on the host components, by induced resistance and by random effects resulting from the formation of disease foci, and depends on pathogen autoinfection rate and dispersal mechanisms.     

Immunohistochemical Expression of Growth Factors in the Follicular Wall of Normal and Cystic Ovaries of Sows

The expression of growth factors was evaluated immunohistochemically in normal and cystic ovaries of sows. The immunohistochemically stained area (IHCSA) was quantified by image analysis to analyse the expression of these proteins in the follicular wall of secondary, tertiary and cystic follicles. IGF‐I immunoreactivity was strong in the granulosa cell layer (GC), moderate in the theca interna (TI) and mild in the theca externa (TE) of the normal follicles. There was severe reduction of the labelling to IGF‐I in the GC of the follicular and luteinized cysts. In the normal follicles, the reactivity for IGF‐II was very similar to pattern noted in IGF‐I. There was reduction of the IHCSAs in the GC of the follicular and luteinized cysts, but the decrease was not significant. The staining of the IGF‐II in the TI and TE of the cysts was increased, in comparison with normal follicles. The IHCSAs for VEGF were higher in the GC and TE of the normal follicles in contrast to TI, but this difference was noted only in the tertiary follicle. The VEGF reactivity increased in the GC of the cysts, in relation to normal follicles. The results of the current study show that the formation of ovarian cysts in sows is associated with alterations in the immunohistochemical expression of some growth factors.     

Risk assessment and surveillance for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Argentina

An assessment was made of the risks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) occurring in Argentina. Most of the factors associated with the origin and development of the BSE epidemic in the UK are essentially absent. For example, Argentina's large sheep and cattle industries are based on low-cost production systems using grass. Concentrated feeds are not used for sheep, rarely for beef cattle and to a comparatively modest extent for dairy cows. Particularly important are the facts that scrapie (and BSE) has never been reported in Argentina—very small amounts of waste tissues from sheep are rendered to produce meat and bone meal (MBM)—and MBM is not used in concentrated feeds for cattle. We conclude that Argentina has an exceptionally low risk of BSE due to scrapie. There is a very small risk of BSE having been introduced via live animals imported from countries with BSE, but this could only give rise to isolated cases because MBM is not fed to cattle.

A surveillance programme has been carried out based largely on a histological examination of brains from three categories of old dairy cows: animals reported on the suspicion of having neurological disease; animals in poor condition at slaughter; healthy animals randomly selected in the abattoir. No evidence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy was seen in several sections from each of a total of 1019 brains. We conclude that, for most practical purposes, Argentina may be considered to be free from BSE.     

Biomonitoring ozone phytotoxicity in eastern Spain

High ozone (O₃) levels have been recorded in eastern Spain. A project was developed to identify the areas of elevated O₃ and determine if these levels were above critical concentrations for plant damage. Thus, a network of bioindicators was established in two Autonomous Communities of Spain: Catalunya (31.930 km²) and Valencia (23.305 km²) to assess O₃ phytotoxicity. Three tobacco cultivars, (Bel-W3, Bel-C and Bel-B) were used during the 1994 growing season in both Regions. In Catalunya the highest O₃ phytotoxicity was recorded in coastal areas, while the phytotoxicity decreased as plants were grown further in-land. A lower O₃ phytotoxicity was observed in coastal sites of the Valencia Autonomous Community, compared to Catalunya, although the O₃ injury was observed downwind from Valencia city in the most resistant cultivar Bel-B. The results in the Valencian Community were difficult to interpret, since plant viruses were widely distributed, not only in indicator plants, but also in commercial crops grown in the area. The analysis of O₃ concentrations, meteorological parameters and visible injury at the Catalan sites showed that high relative humidity levels could favour O₃ phytotoxicity. Therefore, the interactions between O₃ exposure and environmental conditions on plant response should be further studied for the establishment of sound critical levels.     

Rapid thin layer chromatographic determination of zearalenone in corn, sorghum, and wheat

A rapid method is described for determining zearalenone in corn, sorghum, and wheat. The mycotoxin is extracted with a mixture of acetonitrile and 4% KCl in HCl. The extract is cleaned up with isooctane, evaporated, and redissolved in chloroform. Zearalenone is separated by thin layer chromatography; identity is confirmed with various developing solvents and spray reagents. Zearalenone is then quantitated by the limit detection method. The minimum detectable concentration is 140-160 micrograms/kg when aluminum chloride solution is used as spray reagent, and 85-110 micrograms/kg when Fast Violet B salt is used as spray reagent.     

Susceptibility of adult chickens, with and without prior vaccination, to challenge with Marek's disease virus

Marek's disease (MD) outbreaks can occur in previously healthy adult layer or breeder flocks. However, it is not clear whether such outbreaks are caused by recent challenge with highly virulent (vv and vv+) strains of MD virus (MDV; i. e., new infection hypothesis) or by exacerbation of an earlier MDV infection (i. e., old infection hypothesis). To discriminate between these hypotheses, adult White Leghorn chickens of laboratory strains or commercial crosses with or without prior vaccination or MDV exposure were challenged at 18-102 wk of age with highly virulent MDVs, and lesion responses were measured. Horizontal transmission was studied in one trial. Challenge of adult chickens, which were free from prior MDV vaccination or exposure, with highly virulent MDV strains induced transient paralysis or tumors in 60%-100% of 29 groups (mean = 91%), and horizontal spread of virus was detected. The magnitude of the response was similar to that induced by challenge at 3 wk of age. In contrast, comparable challenge of adult chickens, which had been vaccinated or exposed to MDV early in life, induced transient paralysis or tumors in 0%-6% of 12 groups (mean = 0. 5%), although some birds showed limited virologic evidence of infection and transmission of the virus to contacts. The MD responses were influenced by the virulence of the challenge virus strain, and to a lesser extent by virus dose and route of exposure. Strong inflammatory lesions were induced in the brain and nerves of adult specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens at 9-15 days after infection. The low susceptibility of previously vaccinated and exposed groups to challenge at > or =18 wk of age suggests that late outbreaks of MD in commercial flocks are not likely a result of recent challenge alone and that additional factors could be involved.     

巴西:正在对霉菌毒素问题采取措施

巴西是世界上最大的谷物生产国和禽、猪肉的出口国之一。在霉菌毒素问题解决上,他们又为全世界做了表率。相比而言,在目前资源相对短缺的情况下,如何对原料加以善用,值得我们深思。