Characterization of a lentogenic Newcastle disease virus isolated from broiler chickens in Japan

Newcastle disease virus (NDV), named MET95, was isolated from a non-vaccinated broiler flock in Japan in 1995. The MET95 strain was determined to be a lentogenic NDV. The strain has the properties of eluting rapidly at 4 C and has low thermostability in hemagglutinating activity with chicken erythrocytes. In these studies, no difference could be found between the MET95 strain and the Hitcher B1 vaccine strain. However, the chickens inoculated with the MET95 strain, as well as chickens that they were in contact with, had a much higher hemagglutination-inhibition antibody response than those inoculated with the B1 strain. Accordingly, the MET95 strain is thought to be a promising candidate as a live ND vaccine strain. In Japan, this is the first report on the isolation of lentogenic NDV from chickens since the paper on the Ishii strain isolated in 1966.     

Evaluation of intracranial pressure by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography in dogs with intracranial hypertension

Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) has been used to confirm changes in cerebral hemodynamics. In this study, we investigated whether the parameters for the basilar artery measured by TCD were correlated with the intracranial and cerebral perfusion pressures in extreme intracranial hypertension. An intracranial hypertension model was produced in seven dogs by inflating a balloon inserted into the epidural space. The resistance index was compared with the corresponding intracranial pressure and cerebral perfusion pressure values during intracranial hypertension. A significant correlation was recognized between the resistance index and cerebral perfusion pressure. Therefore, measurement of the basilar artery by TCD in the dog with intracranial hypertension is useful in estimating the intracranial circulation in cases where the measurement of intracranial pressure is not available or not indicated.     

Development of mediator-type biosensor to wirelessly monitor whole cholesterol concentration in fish

We developed a wireless monitoring system to monitor fish condition by tracking the change in whole cholesterol concentration. The whole cholesterol concentration of fish is a source of steroid hormones or indicator of immunity level, which makes its detection important for tracking physiological condition of fish. Wireless monitoring system comprises of mediator-type biosensor and wireless transmission device. Biosensor is implantable to fish body, and transmission device is so light, in that fish is allowed to swim freely during monitoring. Cholesterol esterase and oxidase were fixated on to the detection site of biosensor and used to detect the whole cholesterol concentration. However, cholesterol oxidase incorporates oxidation–reduction reaction of oxygen for detection, which concentration fluctuates easily due to change in environmental condition. Meanwhile, mediator-type biosensor enables monitoring of whole cholesterol concentration by using mediator to substitute that oxidation–reduction reaction of oxygen. Characteristic of fabricated mediator-type biosensor was tested. The sensor output current of mediator-type biosensor remained stable compared to output current of non-mediator-type biosensor under fluctuating oxygen concentration of 0–8 ppm, which implied that this sensor is less affected by change in dissolved oxygen concentration. That biosensor was then implanted into fish for wireless monitoring. As a result, approximately 48 h of real-time monitoring was successful.     

Footpad dermatitis in broiler chickens in Japan

The prevalence of footpad dermatitis (FPD) in broiler chickens in Japan was investigated. In the first examination at slaughterhouses, lesions were commonly observed on the footpads of a total of 8,985 broiler chickens from 45 flocks on 36 farms. In 3 flocks, all the birds examined had lesions. In the other 42 flocks, the incidence of FPD ranged from 31.9% (81/254) to 99.5% (1/222). The footpad lesions were classified into 4 categories according to the severity of dermatitis as follows; score 0, 1,181 birds (13.1%); score 1, 2,992 birds (33.3%); score 2, 3,000 birds (33.4%); and score 3, 1,812 birds (20.2%). The mean scores of the flocks varied widely from 0.31 to 2.69. Males had higher mean scores than females. No significant differences were found between the mean scores of birds reared in windowless houses and those in open-sided houses. On 4 farms, the investigation was carried out in different seasons, and 3 of them showed higher mean scores in winter than in summer. Next, observation of 2,255 birds from 15 flocks on 5 farms during a 4-week rearing period revealed that FPD was already produced at 7 days of age and worsened with age.