BOOK REVIEW

Manual of Canine and Feline Wound Management and Reconstruction. Edited by Fowler D and Williams JM     

Serological characterisation of Haemophilus parasuis isolates from Australian pigs

A total of 31 isolates of Haemophilus parasuis obtained from Australian pigs were serotyped by the Kielstein-Rapp-Gabrielson scheme. The isolates were assigned to serovar 1 (1 isolate), serovar 2 (1 isolate), serovar 4 (4 isolates), serovar 5 (7 isolates), serovar 9 (2 isolates), serovar 10/7 (4 isolates), serovar 12 (1 isolate) and serovar 13 (6 isolates). The remaining 5 isolates could not be assigned to a serovar. Two different serovars (5 and 13) were detected in one herd. The only 2 isolates obtained from clinically normal pigs (from the same herd) were serovar 9. The common serovars were isolated from pigs with pneumonia as well as from pigs with conditions of the Glässer's disease type. The serological heterogeneity amongst Australian isolates of H parasuis has important implications for the use of vaccines to control Glässer's disease.     

A process for controlling intracellular bacterial infections induced by membrane injury

Strategies for inhibiting phagolysosome fusion are essential for the intracellular survival and replication of many pathogens. We found that the lysosomal synaptotagmin Syt VII is required for a mechanism that promotes phagolysosomal fusion and limits the intracellular growth of pathogenic bacteria. Syt VII was required for a form of Ca2+-dependent phagolysosome fusion that is analogous to Ca2+-regulated exocytosis of lysosomes, which can be triggered by membrane injury. Bacterial type III secretion systems, which permeabilize membranes and cause Ca2+ influx in mammalian cells, promote lysosomal exocytosis and inhibit intracellular survival in Syt VII +/+ but not -/- cells. Thus, the lysosomal repair response can also protect cells against pathogens that trigger membrane permeabilization.     

Echinococcus granulosus in the Northern Territory,Australia: hydatid disease reported in beef cattle from the region

Hydatid disease in beef cattle has been reported to be widespread throughout Australia, but cattle bred and raised in the Northern Territory were previously believed to be free of the disease. Between 2010 and 2016, 1061 cattle from the Northern Territory were slaughtered at a New South Wales abattoir and inspected for hydatid disease. The proportion of cattle reported infected with hydatid disease was 3.5%. Individual cattle identification numbers indicated that the cattle included in the study had most likely remained within the Northern Territory from birth until immediately prior to slaughter, so were assumed to have become infected within the region. We suspect that the sylvatic cycle of Echinococcus granulosus transmission could be responsible for infection of cattle in this region.     

Daylight time-resolved photographs of lightning

Lightning dart leaders and return strokes have been recorded in daylight with both good spatial resolution and good time resolution as part of the Thunder-storm Research International Program. The resulting time-resolved photographs are apparently equivalent to the best data obtained earlier only at night. Average two-dimensional return stroke velocities in four subsequent strokes between the ground and a height of 1400 meters were approximately 1.3 x 10(8) meters per second. The estimated systematic error is 10 to 15 percent.     

Age and origin of carlsbad cavern and related caves from 40Ar/39Ar of alunite

40Ar/39Ar dating of fine-grained alunite that formed during cave genesis provides ages of formation for the Big Room level of Carlsbad Cavern [4.0 to 3.9 million years ago (Ma)], the upper level of Lechuguilla Cave (6.0 to 5.7 Ma), and three other hypogene caves (11.3 to 6.0 Ma) in the Guadalupe Mountains of New Mexico. Alunite ages increase and are strongly correlative with cave elevations, which indicates an 1100-meter decline in the water table, apparently related to tectonic uplift and tilting, from 11.3 Ma to the present. 40Ar/39Ar dating studies of the hypogene caves have the potential to help resolve late Cenozoic climatic, speleologic, and tectonic questions.