Vitamin and mineral supplementation and rate of gain during the first trimester of gestation affect concentrations of amino acids in maternal serum and allantoic fluid of beef heifers

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding vitamin and mineral (VTM) supplement and (or) rate of gain (GAIN) during early gestation on amino acid (AA) concentrations in allantoic fluid (ALF) and amniotic fluid (AMF) and maternal serum. Seventy-two crossbred Angus heifers (initial BW = 359.5 ± 7.1 kg) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with main effects of VTM supplement (VTM or NoVTM) and rate of gain (GAIN; low gain [LG], 0.28 kg/d, vs. moderate gain [MG], 0.79 kg/d). The VTM treatment (113 g•heifer⁻¹•d⁻¹, provided macro and trace minerals and vitamins A, D, and E to meet 110% of the requirements specified by the NASEM in Nutrient requirements of beef cattle. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/19014, 2016) was initiated 71 to 148 d before artificial insemination (AI). To complete the factorial arrangement of treatments, at breeding heifers were either maintained on the basal diet (LG), or received MG diet which was implemented by adding a protein/energy supplement to the LG diet. Thirty-five gestating heifers with female fetuses were ovariohysterectomized on d 83 of gestation and maternal serum, ALF, and AMF were collected. Samples were analyzed for concentrations of neutral AA: Ala, Asn, Cys, Gln, Gly, Ile, Leu, Met, Phe, Pro, Ser, Thr, Trp, Tyr, and Val; cationic AA: Arg, His, and Lys; and anionic AA: Asp and Glu. In serum, a VTM × GAIN interaction (P = 0.02) was observed for Glu, with greater concentrations for VTM-LG than VTM-MG. Concentrations of serum Cys, Met, and Trp were greater (P ≤ 0.03) for MG than LG. In ALF, concentrations of Glu were affected by a VTM × GAIN interaction, where VTM-MG was greater (P < 0.01) than all other treatments. Further, ALF from VTM had increased (P ≤ 0.05) concentrations of His, Asp, and 12 of the 14 neutral AA; whereas GAIN affected concentrations of Arg, Cys, and Asp, with greater concentrations (P ≤ 0.05) in MG heifers. In AMF, AA concentrations were not affected (P ≥ 0.10) by VTM, GAIN, or their interaction. In conclusion, increased concentrations of AA in maternal serum and ALF of beef heifers were observed at d 83 of gestation in response to VTM supplementation and rate of gain of 0.79 kg/d, which raises important questions regarding the mechanisms responsible for AA uptake and balance between the maternal circulation and fetal fluid compartments.     

Trace element release from forest floor can be monitored by ion exchange resin tubes

Risk assessment of heavy metal input into forest ecosystems requires information about metal fluxes from the forest floor (organic layer) into the mineral soil. Common methods for the monitoring of element fluxes are generally time‐consuming and expensive. Additionally, the reliability of the results is in part contested especially for trace elements, showing very low concentrations which are sometimes even below analytical detection limit. We used ion exchange resin tubes installed below the forest floor to determine heavy metal and As fluxes at 25 forest monitoring sites in Germany. Chloride tracer experiments and the comparison of our data with throughfall and lysimeter data, determined within the Level II monitoring network, proved the accuracy of our method. Mean trace element fluxes based on the resin method were 50 g As ha^–1 yr^–1, 2 g Cd ha^–1 yr^–1, 168 g Cu ha^–1 yr^–1, 176 g Ni ha^–1 yr^–1, and 186 g Pb ha^–1 yr^–1.The results show that the organic layer may change into a source of heavy metals after emission has decreased.     

Evidence for natural resistance towards trifloxystrobin in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium graminearum</Emphasis>

A collection of 55 Fusarium graminearum (Gibberella zeae) strains isolated between 1969 and 2009 in Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, or the USA belonging to the three known chemotypes (3-acetylated deoxynivalenol, 15-acetylated deoxynivalenol and nivalenol) were screened for their sensitivity towards the fungicide trifloxystrobin using a liquid culture assay. None of the isolates was completely inhibited by trifloxystrobin concentrations up to 3 mM. For comparison, prothioconazole completely inhibited fungal growth of a standard isolate at concentrations as low as 0.007 mM. The maximum level of inhibition, which could be obtained by trifloxystrobin, ranged from 14 to 65% among the strains tested and was not significantly affected by the country of origin or by the chemotype. The absence of significant differences in resistance levels between the countries of origin and chemotypes as well as the fact that strains isolated before the market introduction of strobilurins in 1996 also showed a high level of resistance is evidence that this is largely a case of natural resistance and not primarily related to strobilurin use in agriculture.     

A status report of veterinary education in Ethiopia: perceived needs, past history, recent changes, and current and future concerns

Ethiopia, which owns the most important livestock resources in Africa, opened its first faculty of veterinary medicine in 1979. In 2003, in response to a government mandate to increase the number of veterinarians, four new veterinary faculties were founded, but these facilities still have very limited resources. Currently, quality standards and controls for veterinary studies are not established in Ethiopia, and the country does not have any type of veterinary council or oversight body to establish such standards or the essential evaluation and credentialing procedures. The veterinary degree, as currently obtained in Ethiopia, is not internationally recognized. A second specific concern for veterinary education in Ethiopia is that it is not well adapted to the special needs of the country. Clearly, quality control of veterinary education needs to be established, and teaching methods and materials need to be adapted to the special needs of the country. So far, the veterinary faculty in Ethiopia has been more interested in partnerships with universities from developed countries than in partnerships and cooperation with other African universities. In 2002, after six years of cooperation with a German university, the Veterinary Faculty at Addis Ababa started its own post-graduate program, with some key contributions from foreign instructors and some foreign funding. While this has been a service to Ethiopian veterinary medicine, the cooperation of the Ethiopian veterinary schools with African universities must also be strengthened. Overall, the good efforts to date in Ethiopian veterinary medicine have only barely scratched the surface of its critical needs. In order to meet Ethiopia's needs for both a reliable and high-quality veterinary education and a trustworthy animal disease surveillance mechanism, it is important that veterinary education in Ethiopia be improved.     

Domoic Acid Improves the Competitive Ability of Pseudo-nitzschia delicatissima against the Diatom Skeletonema marinoi

Because domoic acid, a neurotoxic secondary metabolite produced by marine diatoms in the genus Pseudo-nitzschia, is hypothesized to be part of a high affinity iron uptake system, we investigated whether domoic acid could improve the competitive ability of Pseudo-nitzschia delicatissima, and whether the availability of iron changed the outcome of competition experiments. We found that domoic acid had a slight negative effect on growth of the diatom Skeletonema marinoi when it was grown in monocultures. However, when S. marinoi was cultured with P. delicatissima the presence of domoic acid resulted in a reduction of S. marinoi cells by up to 38% and an increase in P. delicatissima cell numbers by up to 17% under iron replete conditions. Similar effects were not observed in low iron treatments. Domoic acid was not taken up by P. delicatissima cells. Overall, our results indicate that domoic acid can improve the competitive ability of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. and that iron is likely to be involved. This study provides an unusual example of indirect inhibition of competitor growth mediated by a secondary metabolite.     

Congenital infection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum in a calf in northern Germany

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a Gram-negative, obligate intracellular tick-transmitted bacterium that replicates in neutrophils. It causes tick-borne fever (TBF) in sheep and cattle, but also elicits febrile disease in humans as well as in other domestic animals such as dogs, horses, and cats. Although increasingly recognized in Europe, the first laboratory-confirmed case of TBF in cattle from Germany has been published only recently. We here present the unusual case of an intrauterine transmission of A. phagocytophilum in a calf from northern Germany. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such an event occurring under field conditions in cattle.     

Magnetic resonance imaging findings in acute canine distemper virus infection

Demyelination is the prominent histopathological hallmark in the acute stage of canine distemper virus infection. Magnetic resonance imaging is an important diagnostic tool in human beings to determine demyelination in the brain, for example in multiple sclerosis. Five young dogs with clinically suspected canine distemper virus infection were subjected to magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations. Hyperintense lesions and loss of contrast between grey and white matter were detected in T2-weighted images in the cerebellum and/or in the brainstem of three dogs, which correlated with demyelination demonstrated in histopathological examination. Furthermore, increased signal intensities in T2-weighted images were seen in the temporal lobe of four dogs with no evidence of demyelination. Magnetic resonance imaging seems to be a sensitive tool for the visualisation of in vivo myelination defects in dogs with acute canine distemper virus infection. Postictal oedema and accumulation of antigen positive cells have to be considered an important differential diagnosis.     

Microbial protein formation of different carbohydrates in vitro

The aim of this study was to investigate the microbial protein yield of different pure carbohydrates to contribute to a more precise prediction of the microbial protein formed in the rumen. In a first experiment, sucrose, wheat starch, microcrystalline cellulose and citrus pectin were incubated for 8 and 24 hr in the modified Hohenheim gas test (HGT) system (3 runs × 2 syringes) including gas production, ammonia and short‐chain fatty acid concentration measurements. Ammonia values were used for estimation of the microbial protein formation. In a second experiment, the same substrates were incubated for 96 hr in the HGT system (2 runs × 3 syringes) and gas production was measured after 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 30, 36, 48, 60, 72 and 96 hr of incubation to obtain the fermentation kinetics and the time of half‐maximal gas production (t_1/2) of the substrates. The substrates differed considerably in their fermentation kinetics, and therefore, comparison on the basis of t_1/2 was chosen as the most meaningful. At t_1/2, microbial protein yield [g/kg dry matter] was higher for cellulose than for sucrose and pectin and higher for starch than for sucrose. The microbial protein expressed in g/L gas production was higher for starch and cellulose than for sucrose and pectin at t_1/2. Effects of carbohydrates related to ruminal pH may remain undetected in in vitro trials.     

Dissolved and colloidal phosphorus fluxes in forest ecosystems—an almost blind spot in ecosystem research

Understanding and quantification of phosphorus (P) fluxes are key requirements for predictions of future forest ecosystems changes as well as for transferring lessons learned from natural ecosystems to croplands and plantations. This review summarizes and evaluates the recent knowledge on mechanisms, magnitude, and relevance by which dissolved and colloidal inorganic and organic P forms can be translocated within or exported from forest ecosystems. Attention is paid to hydrological pathways of P losses at the soil profile and landscape scales, and the subsequent influence of P on aquatic ecosystems. New (unpublished) data from the German Priority Program 1685 “Ecosystem Nutrition: Forest Strategies for limited Phosphorus Resources” were added to provide up‐to‐date flux‐based information. Nitrogen (N) additions increase the release of water‐transportable P forms. Most P found in percolates and pore waters belongs to the so‐called dissolved organic P (DOP) fractions, rich in orthophosphate‐monoesters and also containing some orthophosphate‐diesters. Total solution P concentrations range from ca. 1 to 400 µg P L^?1, with large variations among forest stands. Recent sophisticated analyses revealed that large portions of the DOP in forest stream water can comprise natural nanoparticles and fine colloids which under extreme conditions may account for 40–100% of the P losses. Their translocation within preferential flow passes may be rapid, mediated by storm events. The potential total P loss through leaching into subsoils and with streams was found to be less than 50 mg P m^?2 a^?1, suggesting effects on ecosystems at centennial to millennium scale. All current data are based on selected snapshots only. Quantitative measurements of P fluxes in temperate forest systems are nearly absent in the literature, probably due to main research focus on the C and N cycles. Therefore, we lack complete ecosystem‐based assessments of dissolved and colloidal P fluxes within and from temperate forest systems.     

Standorteigenschaften und Anbaumanagement erklären regionale Unterschiede im Kohlherniebefall in Deutschland

In the years 2013 and 2014 the presence and the infestation level of Plasmodiophora brassicae in six federal states of Germany were assessed using a bioassay method. Soils were sampled from 237 oilseed rape fields and the farmers provided information about the soil type, the soil pH values and the last year of oilseed rape cultivation. Clubroot was detected in 66 % of the fields investigated with a mean disease severity (BI) of 0.34. Between and within the federal states differences in presence and infestation level of P. brassicae were detected. In Schleswig-Holstein significantly more fields were infected by P. brassicae (90 %) and BI was relatively high (0.49) compared to Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and North Rhine-Westphalia with 50 % infected fields and a mean BI of 0.27. Highly infested fields (BI > 0.8) were prevalent on 15 and 25 % of fields investigated in every federal state. Within the federal states the soil climate regions (BKR) differed significantly from each other. In BKR with light and sandy soils P. brassicae was less widespread compared to neighboring BKR with loamy soils. In addition, BKR with high infestation levels on fields investigated revealed a high presence of clubroot infested fields within this BKR. The infestation level in our study was significantly influenced by soil type, content of sand and soil pH value: soil types with a sand content of 30–35 % and a pH values lower than 5.6 showed high clubroot severity and disease incidences.