Influence of age on the febrile response to E. coli and S. typhimurium endotoxins in growing pullets.

1. The effect of bacterial endotoxin injection was studied in growing pullets of different ages. Commercial chicks were divided into 5 groups according to age. Bacterial endotoxins (E. coli and S. typhimurium) were injected intravenously and rectal temperature was measured over a period of 300 min. 2. The results showed no significant effect of age on the febrile response induced by bacterial endotoxins, but a slight tendency towards a reduced fever peak was observed with increasing age. The response latency also increased with age.     

Theileria orientalis: a review

Theileria orientalis (also known historically as T. sergenti and T. buffeli) is responsible for benign or non-transforming theileriosis, and exerts its major effect through erythrocyte destruction. The life cycle of T. orientalis is essentially similar to that of other Theileria species, except that the schizonts do not induce transformation and fatal lymphoproliferation. The pathogenesis of anaemia as a result of infection is not clearly established and may be multifaceted. Clinical signs of weakness, reluctance to walk and abortion are early but non-specific indications of disease, particularly if accompanied by a history of cattle being moved. Physical examination may reveal pallor (pale eyes, vaginal mucosa), pyrexia, and elevated heart and respiratory rates. T. orientalis is an economically important parasite of cattle in New Zealand, Australia and Japan, especially where naïve animals are introduced into an endemic area or in animals under stress. Increased awareness of the risks posed by the parasite is required to enable management practices to be implemented to minimise its impact.     

Ultrastructural Characterization of Fresh and Vitrified In Vitro‐ and In Vivo‐Produced Sheep Embryos

The lower results in cryopreservation of in vitro‐produced (IVP) sheep embryos, when compared to the in vivo derived, limits its use. Four groups of blastocyst (BL) were evaluated: fresh IVP (n = 3), fresh in vivo derived (n = 3), warmed IVP cryopreserved in open pulled straws (OPS, n = 3) and warmed in vivo derived cryopreserved in OPS (n = 3). Ultrastructural observation of processed fresh embryos showed a reduced number of microvilli and mitochondria in the IVP ones, as well as a lower number of mature mitochondria, that can be associated with deficient metabolism in IVP embryos, possibly involved in the lower resistance to cryopreservation. Both in vivo‐derived and IVP embryos had a large number of vesicles, with light and dense content. In embryos vitrified by OPS, major changes were observed mainly in IVP embryos with small changes in grade 2 (fair) and high changes in grade 3 (bad) semithin scoring. The main changes associated with cryopreservation included disruption of cellular membranes and poor intracellular preservation, with loss of microvilli and the presence of cellular debris. In conclusion, ultrastructural evaluation of IVP blastocysts cryopreserved in OPS was herein described for the first time, reporting more severe cellular damage in these embryos when compared to those produced in vivo. This is probably associated with a lower cryotolerance that can be related to their lipid content and metabolism.     

Clinical efficacy of diclofenac sodium and flunixin meglumine as adjuncts to antibacterial treatment of respiratory disease of calves

Objective To compare the efficacy of the non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs, diclofenac sodium and flunixin meglumine as adjuncts to the antibiotic treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Procedure We randomly allocated 80 Holstein calves with BRD to three groups. All the calves received a dose of 2.5 mg/kg tulathromycin by single subcutaneous injection and two of the groups received, in addition, either 2.5 mg/kg diclofenac sodium as a single intramuscular injection (diclofenac group, n = 30) or 2.2 mg/kg flunixin meglumine as an intravenous injection on the first three consecutive days after tulathromycin administration (flunixin group, n = 30). All calves were given a clinical score prior to initial treatment (day 0) and after treatment (days 1, 2, 3, 7 and 14) by observing appetite, demeanour, rectal temperature, the rate and type of respiration, presence or absence of coughing, and nasal discharge. Results During the first 48 h, improvement of adverse signs of respiratory disease, such as pyrexia and elevated respiratory rate, and of a high clinical index score was significant in the two adjunct groups compared with the calves receiving antibiotic alone. The reduction in pyrexia was greatest in the diclofenac group. There were no statically significant differences between treatment groups with regard to eventual perceived recovery from respiratory disease in 14 days. Conclusion In this trial, a single intramuscular dose of diclofenac sodium was equally effective as three intravenous injections of flunixin meglumine given on consecutive days as adjunctive therapy for BRD.     

Natural transplacental infection of dairy calves with bovine immunodeficiency virus and estimation of effect on neonatal health

Many experimental infection studies with bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) have been conducted, but neither virus transmission under natural conditions nor longitudinal clinical effects of naturally occurring infections in non-experimental populations are well explored. We tested the hypotheses that BIV is transmitted across the placenta during gestation and that intragestionally infected calves are at increased risk of neonatal disease. A cohort of 59 dairy cows on one farm were enrolled at parturition and the BIV serostatus of the cows and their pre-colostral calves determined with an indirect fluorescent-antibody assay. Moreover, the enrolled calves were monitored thrice weekly for specific clinical signs through the duration of the 30 day neonatal period and the occurrence of clinical signs analyzed for association with calf pre-colostral BIV serostatus and dam BIV serostatus. Confounding due to calf passive immunity and season of birth were also explored. Forty percent of seropositive cows (14/35) gave birth to seropositive calves but no seropositive calves (0/19) were born to seronegative dams (estimated relative risk 16, 95% exact confidence interval 2.6–5.8×10²⁹). Calf pre-colostral BIV serostatus was not associated with the occurrence or frequency of clinical signs — but dam BIV serostatus was associated with the odds of occurrence of calf hyperthermia and with the frequency of occurrence of calf hyperthermia and hyperventilatory events. This study is inconclusive about the effects of prenatal BIV infection on neonatal health — but it does provide evidence for the natural occurrence of transplacental BIV infection.     

A comparison of the autecology of Quercus robur L. and Q. pyrenaica Wild.: present habitat in Galicia, NW Spain

The biotopes occupied by pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.)and rebollo oak (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.) in Galicia were characterizedusing different parameters, enabling a comparative analysisof its habitats. Thirty-nine plots of pedunculate oak and 40of rebollo oak were inventoried and 25 ecological parameters(physiographic, climatic and edaphic) were measured to describethe biotopes, along with 14 stand parameters to characterizethe structure and the silviculture of these forests; some ofthem were used in previous works about the autecology of bothspecies. Quercus robur was found to occupy a wider range ofecological habitats and their distribution is oceanic; Q. pyrenaicapresents a more Mediterranean phytoclimatic position. The resultsindicated that the distribution of oak forests in Galicia ismore closely related to physiographic and climatic featuresthan to edaphic, because the nature of the substrates that theyoccupy is similar. Analysis of fragility/aggressiveness betweenboth species and chestnut shows that the aggressiveness of bothoaks, mainly pedunculate, was much higher, except at high altitudes,and in areas with a high mean temperature, where rebollo ismore aggressiveness. Comparison of the two Quercus shows formost of the parameters that Q. robur is the more aggressivespecies.     

Effect of fruiting body maturity stage on chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Lactarius sp. mushrooms

The effects of fruiting body maturity on chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the wild mushrooms, Lactarius deliciosus and Lactarius piperatus, were evaluated. Immature and mature samples were analyzed for proximate constituents (moisture, fat, crude protein, ash, carbohydrates), nutritional value, and individual composition in fatty acids and sugars. Protein content, MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids), and PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids) percentages increased with the fruiting body maturity stage, while carbohydrate and SFA (saturated fatty acids) content decreased. The maturity stage did not significantly affect the individual sugar profile. The antimicrobial activity of the mushrooms was screened against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria and fungi, and correlated to the amounts of phenols, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, and lycopene present in the immature and mature fruiting bodies. Mature fruiting bodies with mature spores presented lower antimicrobial activity, which was in agreement with the bioactive compound content found in those samples.     

Microbial origin of the abdominal swelling affecting farmed larvae of gilt-head seabream, Sparus aurata L.

The aetiological agents of the abdominal swelling affecting farmed larvae of gilt-head seabream, Sparus aurata L., were studied. Four Vibrio strains were isolated from larvae of S. aurata affected by this disease, and all strains reproduced the disease in healthy larvae under controlled infection experiments, producing a significant increase of the mortality rates compared to the control (non-inoculated larvae). Several enzymatic properties, which can act as .virulence factors, were demonstrated both in the extracellular products (ECPs) and In live cells of the strains tested. Histopathological examinations of the infected fish larvae revealed important changes of the anterior intestine and liver characterized by a marked hyperthrophy of the intestinal epithelium and hepatocytes, and by a separation of the mucosal and submucosal layers in the digestive tube. These histological alterations were associated with the constant presence of cocobacillar bacteria in the anterior intestine and in the liver. However, the precise pathogenic mechanisms of the strains tested have not been completely elucidated yet.     

Effect of the conservation procedure on the contents of phenolic compounds and organic acids in chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) mushroom

To check the influence of the conservation procedure in the chemical composition of chanterelle mushroom, phenolic compounds and organic acids of samples preserved under four different conditions (drying, freezing, conservation in olive oil and in vinegar) were determined. Phenolics and organic acids were analyzed by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-UV, respectively. The results showed that chanterelle is characterized by the presence of six phenolic compounds (3-, 4-, and 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, and rutin) and five organic acids (citric, ascorbic, malic, shikimic, and fumaric acids). Samples preserved in olive oil also exhibited hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, luteolin, and apigenin, whereas conservation in vinegar led to the detection of hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, and tartaric acid in the analyzed samples. The conservation procedures to which chanterelle samples were subjected seem to affect the qualitative and quantitative phenolics and organic acids profiles.