Evaluation of resistance to Phytophthora cinnamomi in seed-grown trees and clonal lines of Eucalyptus marginata inoculated in lateral branches and roots

Seed-grown trees and six clonal lines of 3·5–4·5-year-old Eucalyptus marginata (jarrah) growing in a rehabilitated bauxite mine site in the jarrah forest were underbark-inoculated on lateral branches (1995) or simultaneously on lateral branches and lateral roots (1996) with isolates of Phytophthora cinnamomi in late autumn. Individual seedlings from which the clonal lines were derived had previously been assessed as either resistant (RR) or susceptible (SS) to P. cinnamomi . At harvest, the acropetal lesion and colonization lengths were measured. Overall, the length of colonization in roots and branches was more consistent as a measure of resistance than lesion length, because colonization length recorded the recovery of P. cinnamomi from macroscopically symptomless tissue ahead of the lesion which, on some occasions, was up to 6 cm. In both trials, one RR clonal line was able to contain the P. cinnamomi isolates consistently, as determined by small lesion and colonization lengths in branches and roots. In contrast, the remaining two RR clonal lines used in both trials were no different from the SS line in their ability to contain lesions or colonization. These latter two RR lines may therefore not be suitable for use in rehabilitation of P. cinnamomi -infested areas. Differences in lesion and colonization lengths among P. cinnamomi isolates occurred only in the 1995 trial. Colonization and lesion lengths in branches were up to eight times greater in 1996 than in 1995, but the relative rankings of clonal lines were consistent between trials. Although colonization was always greater in branches than roots, the relative rankings of the lines were similar between branch and root inoculations. Branch inoculations are a valid option for testing the resistance and susceptibility of young jarrah trees to P. cinnamomi .     

Conduct,Oversight, and Ethical Considerations of Clinical Trials in Companion Animals with Cancer: Report of a Workshop on Best Practice Recommendations

Development of effective and safe treatments for companion animals with cancer requires the collaboration of numerous animal health professionals and the full engagement of animal owners. Establishing ‘Best Practice Recommendations’ for clinical trials in veterinary oncology represents an important step toward meeting the goal of rigorous clinical trial design and conduct that is required to establish valid evidence. Likewise, optimizing patient welfare and owner education and advocacy is crucial to meet the unique ethical obligations to both owners and animals enrolled in these clinical trials and to ensure trust in the team conducting the research. To date, ‘Best Practice Recommendations’ for clinical trial conduct have not been reported for veterinary oncology. This document summarizes the consensus of a workshop held in November, 2014 to identify relevant ethical principles and to ensure responsible conduct of clinical research in companion animals with cancer. It is intended as a working document that will be updated as advances in science and ethical considerations require. To the extent possible, existing guidelines for the conduct and oversight of clinical trials in humans have been adapted for veterinary trials to avoid duplicative effort and to facilitate integration of clinical trials such that translational research with benefits for both companion animals and humans are encouraged.     

Floristic diversity and vegetation patterns along disturbance gradient in arid coasts in southern Mediterranean: Case of the Gulf of Gabès,southern Tunisia

Knowledge about vegetation patterns along disturbance gradients is essential for conservation and management of coastal habitats in arid regions. This study focuses on the floristic diversity and the factors controlling the vegetation structure in the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia). For this purpose, the floristic diversity of 120 relevés belonging to three coastal sites with different disturbance levels (40 relevés per site) was analyzed in relation with 10 environmental and anthropogenic factors. Therophytes constitute 54% of the 237 plants species belonging to 44 families identified in the present study. The species richness and floristic diversity indices exhibited a similar trend and peaked in the slightly disturbed site (H′?=?3.38; S?=?176). The similarity between sites was relatively low and reached its maximum between the little and the highly disturbed sites. Two-way indicator species analysis and detrended correspondence analysis applied on the floristic data resulted in groups mainly determined by disturbance level by explicitly segregating the three sites. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that the spatial pattern of species composition was mainly influenced by anthropogenic variables. Partial CCA revealed that the effect of anthropogenic variables on floristic composition was thrice higher than the effect of environmental variables (57.5% vs. 18.4%, respectively). Overall, this study provides a broad understanding of the floristic diversity and vascular plant richness in the Gulf of Gabès. The obtained results reflected a disturbance–diversity pattern and thus revealed the obvious importance of maintaining the intermediate disturbance for biodiversity conservation and monitoring.     

Effects of anti-inflammatory drugs on lipopolysaccharide-challenged and -unchallenged equine synovial explants

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of anti-inflammatory drugs on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged and -unchallenged equine synovial membrane in terms of production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and hyaluronan, viability, and histomorphologic characteristics. SAMPLE POPULATION: Synovial membranes were collected from the carpal, tarsocrural, and femoropatellar joints of 6 adult horses. PROCEDURE: Synovial membranes from each horse were minced and pooled and explants were treated with one of the following: no drug (control), drug, LPS alone, or LPS and drug. Treatment drugs were phenylbutazone (PBZ), flunixin meglumine (FNX), ketoprofen (KET), carprofen (CRP), meloxicam (MEL), low-concentration methylprednisolone (METH), high-concentration METH, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), or an experimental COX-2 inhibitor (dissolved in DMSO). Following 48 hours of culture, medium was assayed for PGE2 and hyaluronan concentration. Synovial explants were assessed for viability and histomorphologic characteristics. RESULTS: For the LPS-challenged explants, PBZ, FNX, KTP CRF MEL, and low-concentration METH suppressed PGE2 production, compared with LPS challenge alone. Only MEL suppressed PGE2 production from LPS-challenged explants, compared with unchallenged explants. Synovial explants maintained > 90% viability and there was no significant difference in viability or hyaluronan production among explants. Histomorphologic scores were significantly decreased for explants treated with low-concentration METH or DMSO. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: PBZ, FNX, KTP, CRFP MEL, and low-concentration METH suppressed PGE2 production in LPS-challenged explants. Meloxicam appeared to have more selective suppression of COX-2 activity. Histomorphologic scores suggest detrimental effects of METH, DMSO, and the experimental COX-2 inhibitor. Commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs suppress induced synovial membrane PGE2 production without detrimental effects on synovial membrane viability and function.     

Effect of administration of a phospholipid emulsion on the initial response of horses administered endotoxin

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a phospholipid emulsion (PLE) on the initial response of horses to administration of endotoxin. ANIMALS: 12 healthy adult horses. PROCEDURES: Horses were assigned to 2 treatment groups (6 horses/group). The control group was administered 1 L of saline (0.9% NaCl) solution, and the treated group was administered PLE (200 mg/kg, IV); treatments were administered during a period of 120 minutes. An infusion of endotoxin was initiated in both groups starting 1 hour after initiation of the saline or PLE solutions. Physical examination and hemodynamic variables were recorded, and blood samples were analyzed for concentrations of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin-6, thromboxane B2 (TxB2), 6 keto-prostaglandin F (PGF)1alpha, total leukocyte count, and PLE concentrations. An ANOVA was used to detect significant differences. RESULTS: Administration of PLE resulted in significantly lower rectal temperature, heart rate, cardiac output, right atrial pressure, and pulmonary artery pressure and higher total leukocyte counts in treated horses, compared with values for control horses. The TNF-alpha concentration was significantly less in treated horses than in control horses. The TxB2 and 6 keto-PGFF1alpha concentrations were significantly different between treated and control horses at 30 minutes (TxB2) and at 30 and 60 minutes (6 keto-PGF1alpha). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Prior infusion of PLE in horses administered a low dose of endotoxin decreased rectal temperature, heart rate, pulmonary artery pressure, and TNF-alpha concentrations. Results of this study support further evaluation of PLE for use in the treatment of horses with endotoxemia.     

Preliminary Investigation of the Area Under the l‐Lactate Concentration–Time Curve (LACAREA) in Critically Ill Equine Neonates

Background

A variety of measures of l‐lactate concentration ([LAC]) in the blood of critically ill neonatal foals have shown utility as prognostic indicators. These measures, evaluating either the severity of hyperlactatemia or the duration of exposure to hyperlactatemia, perform fairly well and have correctly classified 75–80% of foals examined in several studies. The area under the l‐lactate concentration versus time curve (LAC _Area) encompasses both severity and duration of hyperlactatemia and should improve correct classification of patient survival.

Hypothesis/Objectives

LAC _Area is larger in nonsurviving critically ill neonatal foals.

Animals

Forty‐nine foals admitted for critical illness to 1 of 4 referral hospitals.

Methods

Whole blood was obtained at admission and 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours after admission for measurement of l‐lactate using a handheld lactate meter. LAC _Area was calculated for: admission–6, 6–12, 12–18, 18–24 hours, and admission–24 hours using the trapezoidal method and summing the 6‐hours interval areas to determine total 24 hours area. Differences between survivors and nonsurvivors were determined using robust regression and Kruskal–Wallis testing, P < .05.

Results

LAC _Area was significantly larger in nonsurviving foals (n = 9) than in surviving foals (n = 40) at all time periods examined.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Differences in LAC _Area between surviving and nonsurviving critically ill neonatal foals are large and support further investigation of this method as an improved biomarker for survival in critically ill neonatal foals is indicated.     

Experimental Infections of Bluegill with the Trematode Ribeiroia ondatrae (Digenea: Cathaemasiidae): Histopathology and Hematological Response

Infections by the digenetic trematode, Ribeiroia ondatrae, cause severe limb malformations in many North American amphibians. Ribeiroia ondatrae also infects fishes as second intermediate hosts, but less is known about the pathology and immune responses initiated in infected fish, even though reports of infected fish date back to early 1900s. To this end, we experimentally exposed juvenile Bluegills Lepomis macrochirus to three doses of R. ondatrae cercariae and monitored the pathology, parasite infection success, and humoral responses over 648 h. All exposed fish became infected with metacercariae, and the average infection load increased with exposure dose. Histologically, infection was associated with acute hemorrhages in the lateral line and local dermis at 36 h, followed by progressive granulomatous inflammation that led to the destruction of encysted metacercariae. Correspondingly, over the course of 648 h we observed an 85% decline in average infection load among hosts, reflecting the host's clearance of the parasite. Infection was not associated with changes in fish growth or survival, but did correlate with leukocytosis and neutrophilia in circulating host blood. Understanding the physiological responses of R. ondatrae in Bluegill will help to clarify the ecological effects of this parasite and provide a foundation for subsequent comparisons into its effects on behavior, individual health, and population dynamics of Bluegill.

Received March 4, 2015; accepted August 9, 2015     

An in vitro method to determine phosphorus digestibility of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) feed ingredients

An in vitro method was developed to assess the digestibility of phosphorus in 12 plant and animal feed ingredients for rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). The method simulates the gastrointestinal tract of the rainbow trout with regard to pH and gastrointestinal enzymes. Phosphorus solubility was measured after acid digestion (pH 3) with and without gastric enzymes, after alkaline digestion (pH 9) with and without intestinal enzymes, and after a two-step process involving acid and alkaline digestion. Commercially available digestive enzymes from mammals were compared with digestive enzymes from rainbow trout. Correlating in vitro digestibility with in vivo digestibility showed that acid digestion with both commercial enzymes ( r ²=0.98, P  < 0.05) and trout enzymes ( r ²=0.94, P  < 0.05) predicted the in vivo digestibility of animal feed ingredients. Alkaline digestion with both enzyme systems (commercial r ²=0.79; trout r ²=0.74, P  < 0.05) or without ( r ²=0.82, P  < 0.05) enzymes predicted the in vivo digestibility of ingredients from animal byproducts but not those from plant products. The in vitro digestibility with two enzyme steps (acid and alkaline) predicted in vivo digestibility of plant and animal ingredients ( r ²=0.79 for commercial enzymes and r ²=0.74 for trout enzymes) better than did one-step acid or alkaline digestion.