Bovine fasciolosis: Prevalence, effects of treatment on productivity and cost benefit analysis in five districts of Punjab, Pakistan

The present study reports the prevalence, effects of treatment and cost benefit analysis of bovine fasciolosis in five districts of Punjab Province viz Sargodha, Jhang, Muzaffargarh, Lodhran and Layyah. From each of the five districts, 80 animals were selected and fortnightly screened through standard coprological procedures for a period of one year for the presence of eggs of Fasciola species. Of 4800 faecal samples analyzed, 1222 (25.46%) were found positive for fasciolosis. The occurrence of Fasciola (F.) gigantica (22.40%) was higher (P < 0.05) than F. hepatica (3.06%). Highest month-wise prevalence (P < 0.05) of fasciolosis was found in winter (39.08%) followed in decreasing order by spring (29.50%), autumn (20.33%) and summer (12.92%). District-wise prevalence of fasciolosis was highest (P < 0.05) in Sargodha (40.31%) and lowest in Layyah (11.77%) while other districts were having intermediate values of prevalence of fasciolosis. Species-wise prevalence of fasciolosis was found higher (P < 0.05) in buffaloes (30.50%) as compared to cattle (20.42%). However, there were no age and sex-related differences (P > 0.05) in prevalence of fasciolosis. A strong positive association of grazing (OR = 1.81), mixed farming of small and large ruminants (OR = 1.39), stagnant pond bathing (OR = 2.24) and river/canal bathing (OR = 2.06) was found with the prevalence of fasciolosis as compared to stall feeding, separate farming of small and large ruminants and rivers/canal/ tap water bathing, respectively. Post-treatment average milk increase of 0.62 L per animal per day with 0.35% higher fat was observed in fasciolicide-treated animals with the cost benefit ratio of 3.9. The results provided significant data on the epidemiology of five districts of Punjab province which may be helpful for the planners and small holder dairy farmers for control of fasciolosis in the study districts.     

Molecular identification of Cryptosporidium spp. from fecal samples of felines, canines and bovines in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

The objective of this study was to obtain information of epidemiological nature through genotypic characterization of Cryptosporidium isolates from dogs, cats and bovines from the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The extraction of DNA from oocysts was carried out and polymerase chain reaction was accomplished using specific primers to 18S rRNA gene. The amplicons were directed sequenced. Seven cat samples, nine dog samples and nine bovine samples were analysed. From the seven cat samples the genotypic analyses revealed Cryptosporidium felis in all. These were the first genotypic characterization of Cryptosporidium from domestic felines in Brazil. In nine sequenced samples from dogs, genotypic identities compatible with Cryptosporidium canis were revealed in all samples. The genotypic analyses in bovines revealed Cryptosporidium parvum in eight samples and Cryptosporidium bovis in another sample, the last one being a non-zoonotic species, not related to clinical symptoms and described for the first time in Brazil.     

On the Current Situation of Glanders in Various Districts of the Pakistani Punjab

Glanders is a highly infectious and zoonotic disease of solipeds caused by Burkholderia mallei. Progressive loss of efficiency and fatal outcome resulted in massive economic losses, which forced veterinary authorities throughout the world to implement disease control measures; these measures included mass testing using the complement fixation test and/or malleinization, and the culling of positives. This led to the eradication of glanders from Western Europe and North America in the 1950s. However, in the last decade, the number of outbreaks in Asia and South America increased steadily, and glanders regained the status of a re-emerging transboundary disease. Pakistan has been an endemic country for the past 120 years, but concise data on the presence of disease are not available. A total of 533 serum samples were collected from draught equines, a suspected risk group for glanders, from various districts of Punjab in Pakistan. The complement fixation test and the highly sensitive Western blot technique were used for serodiagnosis. No animal (horse, mule, and donkey) was found to be positive for infection. Glanders seems to be restricted to remote, sporadic pockets of endemicity and may cause outbreaks after being introduced into naive populations by (asymptomatic) shedders.     

Spatial and temporal patterns of bovine anaplasmosis as reported by Illinois veterinarians

Spatial analysis was used in combination with more traditional epidemiologic methods to study patterns of anaplasmosis in a transitional area between anaplasmosis endemic and non-endemic regions. Data were collected using a mail survey from 179 veterinarians with practice areas including 100/102 Illinois counties. The pattern of anaplasmosis reported by practitioners did not follow the general distribution of cattle and was clustered, with two major endemic foci. Endemic counties (22/100 counties) were bordered by areas of intermediate endemicity (36/100 counties) with only sporadic cases occurring in the remainder of the state (42/100 counties). Clinical disease occurred mainly in late summer and early fall with a small number of new herds diagnosed during the winter. Illinois practitioners most commonly identified horseflies and other biting flies as the vectors of anaplasmosis but also believed mosquitos, ticks and iatrogenic means could account for transmission in their practice areas. Ries were most often reported in summer while iatrogenic transmission was more commonly reported with winter outbreaks. Vaccination and low level antibiotics were used in endemic areas but only by a small proportion of respondents (12%). Veterinarians in endemic and marginal areas also used antibiotics to clear infection from herds more often than did those experiencing sporadic cases in non-endemic areas. Many practitioners expressed uncertainty about the actual extent of the problem in their areas. Wooded land area was used as a proxy to test for co-distribution of general vector habitat with anaplasmosis. Significantly more anaplasmosis was found in the more wooded parts of the state (based on the Kappa statistic). Respondents from western Illinois reported carrier cattle to be the source of infection for most new outbreaks while white-tailed deer were considered to be as important a reservoir as cattle in southern Illinois. Spatial analysis did not support an important role for white-tailed deer.     

Occurrence and geographical distribution of Canine Distemper Virus infection in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) of Saxony-Anhalt,Germany

Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) infects dogs and a variety of carnivore species. In Saxony-Anhalt, a federal state of Germany, 761 foxes were examined for CDV infection, using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in the years 2010 and 2011. A prevalence of 30.5% was found for the whole time period without significant changes in prevalence between 2010 and 2011. The relative risk (RR) of a fox to test positive for CDV varied markedly within the area of the state and was significantly increased in some regions. The latter was confirmed by a spatial cluster test that identified a significant cluster (p < 0.001) with a diameter of 44 km in the west of the state. To protect hounds and domestic dogs from CDV infection, vaccination is recommended in Saxony-Anhalt.     

内蒙古地区草地表层土壤容重空间格局分析

本文以内蒙古地区草地表层土壤容重调查测定数据为基础,结合遥感和气候多重数据,进行草地土壤容重与海拔、年均气温、年均降雨、≥10℃积温、湿润度和NDVI等6个生态要素之间的回归分析。根据回归拟合方程,借助ArcGIS平台进行单因素插值,并通过插值预测结果与实测数据的拟合程度进行各因素对土壤容重影响的权重分析,加权叠加并综合插值出内蒙古草地土壤容重1 km×1 km栅格的空间分布图。结果表明：内蒙古地区草地土壤容重平均值为1.45 g·cm^-3,其中温性荒漠类草地的土壤容重最大,为1.58 g·cm^-3,温性草甸草原类土壤容重最小,为1.27 g·cm^-3;空间格局上,草地表层土壤容重自东向西方向呈现由低到高逐渐递增的趋势。综合插值得到的内蒙古草地表层土壤容重空间格局图,通过预测值与实测值之间的复相关性检验,其复相关系数R²=0.6739,均方根误差（RMSE）为0.1424 g·cm^-3,总体偏差为9.77%,平均预测精度达90.23%。综合空间插值结果较好地反映了内蒙古地区土壤容重空间分布情况,与土壤类型和草地类型的分布基本吻合。     

Temporal and spatial patterns of African swine fever in Sardinia

Temporal patterns and spatial distribution of African swine fever (ASF) were studied through the analysis of routinely collected data in the ASF-endemic area of the Province of Nuoro, Sardinia. During 1993–1996, ASF outbreaks were reported from 45 out of the 82 municipalities of the study area. Overall farm-level incidence rate (IR) was 1.3 outbreaks per 100 farms-year. ASF peaked in 1995 (IR=1.8) and declined in 1996 (IR=0.82). Significant (P<0.05) spring peaks of ASF outbreaks and affected municipalities were detected using statistical methods for circular distributions. Spatial clustering of ASF-affected municipalities, as evaluated by join-count statistics, was significant in 1993 (Z_jc=−3.0, P<0.01) and 1994 (Z_jc=−3.2, P<0.01) but not in 1995 (Z_jc=−0.6, P=0.55) and 1996 (Z_jc=−1.2, P=0.23). Extensive pig farming and ASF were spatially co-distributed (κ=0.51, 95% CI=0.33–0.70).     

Spatial analysis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Galicia, Spain (2000-2005)

In Spain, the first bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) case was detected in 2000 in a cow born in the Galicia region (Northwestern Spain). From then and until October 2005, 590 cases were detected, 223 of them in Galicia.

In 1994, meat and bone meal (MBM) was banned on ruminant feed and, in 1996, an EU decision mandating an overall change in MBM processing was implemented. This decision was gradually applied in the territory and not enforced before July 1998. The objective of this study was to explore clustering of BSE cases and estimate the standard incidence ratio (SIR) of BSE in Galicia. Our study was based on the BSE cases detected during the surveillance period 2000–2005 in the Galicia region. These cases were divided, based on birth date, into two periods: animals born from 1994 to July 1998, and those born after July 1998. We tested the role of cross-contamination on the geographical SIR distribution for both periods. Hierarchical Bayesian models were used to model the overdispersion and lack of independence of the SIR estimates. The geographical distribution of the standard incidence ratio of BSE between both periods was different. In the second period, the SIR was reduced in some areas. The reduction in these areas could be attributable to the changes in the processing of MBM. We did not find any statistical link between the poultry population and the standard incidence ratio, but pig population had a positive effect.     

内蒙古典型草原物种多样性的空间尺度效应及其分形分析

为研究空间尺度对物种多样性的影响,以内蒙古典型草原为对象,采用样线调查法分析Shannon指数和Patrick 丰富度指数2种α多样性指数随取样尺度的变化特征,结合分形理论和方法,得出2种α多样性指数的分形维数D。结果表明:随着取样尺度的逐渐增加,Shannon指数呈先迅速增加后降低的规律,而Patrick 丰富度指数达到最大值后则保持不变;5 m²(1 m×5 m)是该区域α多样性研究的最佳尺度;在5 m范围内,2种α多样性指数与取样尺度在双对数坐标上均呈极显著线性相关(P<0.01),相关系数(R)都在0.99以上,5 m后未表现出明显的线性规律;D值表明该区域物种组成简单。因此,在植物群落多样性研究中,采用较小的单个或多个样方要格外谨慎,应根据研究目的和多样性指标反应的特征来综合考虑取样尺度。     

Changes of hepatic biochemical parameters and proteomics in broilers with cold-induced ascites

Ascites syndrome is still a problem for chicken industry in various parts of the world. Despite the intensive investigations of this syndrome for many years, its pathogenesis remains unclear. The objective of this study was to analyze the difference in hepatic proteomics between ascites and healthy broilers by two-dimensional electrophoresis （2-DE） and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry （MALDI-TOF-MS）. Changes of biochemical parameters of liver and blood were also determined. The results indicated that red blood cell counts （RBC）, hematocrit （HCT） and haemoglobin （HGB） of ascites broilers were significantly greater than healthy broilers. Hepatic malondialdehyde （MDA） level of ascites broilers was significantly increased, and the activity of total superoxide dismutase （T-SOD） was significantly decreased. Hepatic lactic acid （LD） level of ascitic broilers were significantly lower than healthy ones, Serum glucose and cholesterol level of ascites broilers were significantly increased, and serum globulin level was significantly decreased in ascites broilers. There was no significant difference in triglyceride （TG） and blood urea nitrogen （BUN） level. The activity of liver hexokinase （HK） and succinodehydrogenase （SDH） in ascites broilers was significantly decreased, and there was no significant difference in the activity of liver pyruvate kinase （PK） and Na＋-K＋-ATPase. The hepatic proteomics analysis showed that 18 proteins expression difference were identified between ascites and healthy broilers. These proteins were mainly involved in： 1） cytoskeleton; 2） glucose, lipids and amino acid metabolism; 3） cell secretion; 4） cell apoptosis; 5） signal transduction; 6） immune and inflammatory response; and 7） cellular redox homeostasis. Mitochondrial isoform phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase （M-PEPCK） mainly participates in gluconeogenesis of chicken liver. In conclusion, liver oxidative damage was significantly aggravated, but antioxidant capacity was decreased in cold-induced ascites broilers. Serum glucose level was significantly increased, with liver M-PEPCK expression higher in ascites broilers, which implied that some potential regulatory reagents may reduce ascites susceptibility and mortality under cold temperature by increasing liver gluconeogenesis level.     

Spatial spreading of Echinococcus multilocularis in Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) across nation borders in Western Europe

The occurrence of the fox tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis in Red foxes was studied in Belgium and a neighbouring region in The Netherlands. A total number of 1202 foxes were analysed (1018 in Belgium and 184 in The Netherlands) of which 179 were infected with E. multilocularis (164 in Belgium and 15 in The Netherlands). Further, the spatial distribution of infection among sampled foxes was analysed with an ellipsoidal gradient, demonstrating a decreasing prevalence in northwestern direction. Using this gradient, we showed that the spatial patterns of infection in Belgium and the neighbouring region in The Netherlands correspond, indicating a continuous distribution of E. multilocularis across the nation borders. Part of the Belgian data allowed investigating temporal changes in the spatial distribution of E. multilocularis. This revealed a northwestern spread of E. multilocularis.     

白喉乌头种群空间分布格局初步研究

采用聚类分析方法和邻接格子样方法对那拉提草原毒害草白喉乌头( Aconitum leucostomum)种群格局进行研究,以期探明其种群空间分布格局类型和分布规律,了解种群群落内部结构形成机制及群落分布成因.结果表明:白喉乌头在群落中的优势度在2.174～3.6和6.62～6.983范围内,呈现均匀分布,平均密度为0.58株·m-2;不同样方面积下呈现均匀分布,不同尺度下表现出一定的差异性,样方面积在4 m2和32m2时,白喉乌头格局规模最大;白喉乌头密度与样方面积呈极显著的线性关系.白喉乌头的分布格局在较小尺度上格局规模基本上比较稳定,空间点格局在各尺度上呈现均匀分布,但不同地点还是表现出尺