The effect of a catastrophic flood disaster on livestock farming in Nakhon Sawan province, Thailand

In 2011, a catastrophic flood disaster in Thailand affected not only humans but also took animal lives. Data on livestock losses, including death, loss, and decreased production, were collected in Nakhon Sawan province. The time-series map of the flooded area from August to December 2011 was available online from the Geo-informatics and Space Technology Development Agency. To evaluate the high-density areas of livestock loss, a spatial hot spot analysis was performed. The Getis-Ord Gi statistic with weighted zone of indifference and the Euclidean distance measurement were employed to identify spatial clusters of species that were affected by the flood. The results indicated that the majority of livestock losses were from poultry and swine farms. The density of poultry and swine loss was significantly different between sub-districts with clusters of high-density loss alongside the river, particularly in Chum Saeng and Kao Liew. Using spatial hot spot analysis as a tool to classify and rank the areas with high flood risks provides an informative outline for farmers to be aware of potential flood damage. To avoid unexpected loss from flooding, poultry and swine farms in risk areas should be properly managed, particularly during the flooding season between August and December.     

Morphometric analysis of cervical vertebrae in some marine and land mammals

Bones or skeletal remains can be used to answer a number of questions related to species, sex, age or cause of death. However, studies involving vertebrae have been limited as most were performed on skulls or long bones. Here, we have stated the hypothesis that the morphometry of cervical vertebrae can be used for species identification and body size estimation among marine and land mammals. The cervical vertebrae from eight and 14 species of marine and land mammals were used to collect morphometric data. Cluster dendrogram, principal component analysis, discriminant analysis and linear regression were used to analyse the data. The results indicate that, based on an index of C4 to C7, there were 13 out of 22 species for which identity could be correctly predicted in 100% of the cases. The correlations between cervical vertebrae parameters (height, width and length of centrum) in marine (average R^2 = 0.87, p < .01) and land (average R^2 = 0.51, p < .01) mammals were observed. These results indicate that vertebral morphometrics could be used for species prediction and verification of body weight in both marine and land mammals.     

Risk factors of foot and mouth disease in an endemic area on low vaccination rate in Xayaboury province of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR)

Tropical Animal Health and Production - In Xayaboury province, located in the northern region of Lao PDR, the foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccination campaign just began in 2009. Up until now, a...     

RPA-Assisted Cas12a System for Detecting Pathogenic Xanthomonas oryzae,a Causative Agent for Bacterial Leaf Blight Disease in Rice

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is a widespread pathogen causing bacterial leaf blight (BLB) disease, devastating rice productivity in many cultivated areas of Thailand. A specific and simple method for Xoo detection is required to improve surveillance of disease transmission and outbreak. This study developed a recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay assisted with CRISPR-cas12a assay (RAC) for Xoo detection from bacterial cell suspension of infected rice samples without DNA extraction. The efficiency of the RAC system for Xoo detection using either Xoo80 or Xoo4009 locus was optimized to amplify and determine the sensitivity and specificity using a Xoo DNA template from bacterial cell suspension of infected rice samples without DNA extraction. The RAC system using the Xoo4009 locus gave a higher specificity than Xoo80 locus, because only Xoo species was amplified positive RPA product with fluorescence signal by cas12a digestion, which indicated no cross reactivity. Optimal RAC using the Xoo4009 locus enabled diagnosis of Xoo presence from both plant extracted samples of Xoo artificially inoculated rice leaves within 3 d post-inoculation without symptomatic BLB appearance, and Xoo naturally infected rice. Findings exhibited that RAC using the Xoo4009 locus offered sensitivity, specificity and simplicity for Xoo detection, with low intensities of Xoo-DNA (1 × 10³ copies/μL) and Xoo-cell (2.5 × 10³ cfu/mL). This developed RAC system showed significantly potential for Xoo detection at point-of-care application for early signs of BLB disease outbreak in rice fields.