Chronic cryptosporidiosis in Australian elapid snakes: control of an outbreak in a captive colony

An outbreak of chronic cryptosporidiosis resulting in hypertrophic gastritis occurred in a captive colony of Australian elapid snakes. Two species of the genus Notechiswere involved: Notechis ***ater(Black Tiger Snake) and Notechis scutatus (Eastern or Mainland Tiger Snake). The infection was eventually fatal in all 9 affected snakes. Typical histopathological findings of the stomach included mucosal thickening with cystic dilatation of gastric glands, moderate oedema and fibrosis of the lamina propria, and a mild to moderate patchy infiltration of inflammatory cells. Procedures implemented to contain the outbreak included the use of a formaldehyde-based disinfectant, prompt removal of faecal matter, uneaten and regurgitated food from enclosures, and examination of faecal specimens for Cryptosporidium oocysts and other pathogens.     

Comparative nucleotide sequence analysis of the phosphoprotein gene of peste des petits ruminants vaccine virus of Indian origin

The nucleotide sequences of the phosphoprotein (P) gene of peste des petits ruminants (PPRV) vaccine virus (PPRV Sungri/96) belongs to Asian lineage have been determined and the deduced amino acid sequences were compared with another vaccine strain PPRV/Nigeria75/1 and with those of the other morbilliviruses. The 1652 nucleotides of the P gene encode a phosphoprotein of 509 amino acid residues (from nucleotide numbers 60 to 1587), which is 91% identical to that of PPRV/Nigeria75/1. The C protein consists of 177 amino acid residues and is 91% identical with that of PPRV/Nigeria75/1. The conserved mRNA editing site (5'TTAAAAGGGCACAG) was present at positions 742-756 in the P gene, which is conserved in all other morbilliviruses. The CTT trinucleotide sequence is present at the N/P and P/M intergenic region, which is totally conserved in morbilliviruses. This will be the third sequence for the P gene of PPRV since that of the vaccine strain and a wild-type Turkish isolate has been published already.     

Analysis of the matrix protein gene sequence of the Asian lineage of peste-des-petits ruminants vaccine virus

The M gene nucleotide sequence of an Indian peste-des-petits ruminants (PPRV) vaccine virus ("PPRV Sungri/96") belonging to Asian lineage was determined. The gene is 1476 nucleotides long with a single open reading frame (ORF). The nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequence was compared with the homologous region of the African Lineage Vaccine virus "PPRV/Nigeria/75/1". The nucleotide sequence of the "PPRV Sungri/96" was 86% identical to that of "PPRV/Nigeria/75/1", while a homology of 93% and 95% could be observed in the ORF and amino acids level, respectively. The M gene encodes a protein of 335 amino acids, with a predicted molecular weight (MW) of 37.8 kDa. The ORF is flanked by a 3' untranslated region of 436 nucleotides and a high level of sequence divergence (approximately 30%) could be observed in this region between the vaccine viruses of Asian and African lineages. A high degree of conservation of several amino acids of this protein observed previously was also confirmed in this study.     

Genetic diversity and population structure of Indian melon (Cucumis melo L.) landraces with special reference to disease and insect resistance loci

This study was aimed to examine the genetic diversity and population structure of Indian melon landraces with special reference to disease and insect resistance loci. Thirty‐six simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers along with seven markers at disease and insect resistance loci were used for this purpose on a panel of 91 accessions available at Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, India. Model‐based structure analysis revealed the presence of four groups that were consistent with the results of principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). The delineation of populations was mostly based on geography with improved varieties as a separate group. Ten accessions have been identified to possess beneficial alleles at all the selected disease resistance loci and shall be useful for incorporating multiple disease resistance after phenotypic validation. The results obtained in the current study demonstrate the importance of the Indian melon group as a valuable genetic reservoir and the need to plan strategies for its conservation and utilization in breeding programmes.     

Micropropagation of red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus L.) using mature nodal explants

In vitro clonal multiplication of Pterocarpus santalinus L. was achieved using mature nodal explants of a 10-year-old elite quality tree. Combinations of serial transfer technique and incorporation of antioxidants (250 mg/l L-ascorbic acid and 50 mg/l citric acid) into the culture medium helped to minimize medium browning and improve explant survival during shoot sprouting. About 70% of explants were sprouted on Murashige and Skoog (MS) liquid medium containing 4.4 μM 6-benzyladenine (BA). The explant harvest period also influenced the bud break and shoot sprouting in nodal explants. The combination of 4.4 μM BA and 2.2 μM thidiazuron (TDZ) was found to be the most suitable growth regulator for obtaining the highest percentage of nodal segment sprouting (74%–75%), the number of secondary shoots per primary shoot (two or three), the shoot length (5–6 cm), the number of new nodal segments generated per active explant (four or five), and the multiplication coefficient (3.5) within 6 weeks. Repeated subculturing of nodal explants obtained from shoot cultures enabled continuous production of healthy axillary shoots. At the end of the sixth passage, about 90% of nodal explants produced five or six healthy green shoots, each being about 6.6 cm long with six or seven nodes. Multiplication coefficient was also increased from the first subculture (5.4) to the sixth subculture (8.3). The best rooting response was achieved on solidified half-strength MS medium supplemented with 4.9 μM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). About 70% of the micropropagated plantlets were established successfully in 20-cm pots containing a mixture of soil and farmyard manure (4 : 1 ratio) and formed new leaflets.