Sample size in incubation experiments

1. The relationship between necessary sample size and between‐treatment differences in hatchability experiments was examined using arc sine transformations and an equation for prediction of minimum replication numbers.

2. The solution enables the experimenter to calculate the necessary sample size at predetermined probabilities for type 1 and type 2 errors.     

Release of some staphylococcal enzymes and toxins under the influence of size of inoculum and time of incubation

With increasing size of inoculum (0.025, 0.25, 2.5 g of wet Staphylococcus aureus per 100 ml broth) maximal coagulase-activity (256–512 U/ml) was detected in the supernatant after 30 min-2 hr of incubation at 37°C. Alpha- and beta-hemolysins appeared later (after 8–24 hr of incubation). Acid/alkaline phosphatase could be demonstrated from the beginning of incubation, but their maximal activity in culture supernatant could be demonstrated after 8–24 hr of incubation (Table 1). Thus, size of inoculum and time of incubation have a greater significance in the optimal production of some staphylococcal substances than generally assumed.     

The influence of size on the biology of the dog

Many morphological and physiological characters adhere to quite rigid patterns of variation with bodyweight across the 35-fold weight range of dog breeds. The ways in which these characters correlate with weight are thought to be due largely to constraints acting during development, and the rates at which they alter with weight among breeds of dogs often differ from those seen between mammals as a whole. Because of this difference in scaling, the dimensions of several morphological and physiological features (e.g. organ sizes, gestation period and pup size) tend to deviate in toy and giant breeds from the mammalian averages. Equations describing a variety of parameters in relation to weight are presented. These are of practical value in predicting properties from bodyweight, but may also help to explain some pathological conditions seen in toy and giant breeds.     

导盲犬的选择及其训练方法

一、犬的选择 （一）品种选择 比较常见的犬种有拉布拉多犬、金毛猎犬，也有德国牧羊犬及其它一些品种。这些犬的体型适中，一般身高在50～60厘米，便于牵引。     

The adequacy of sample type/weight and incubation period on detection of Salmonella spp. in slaughter cattle.

The purpose of this study was to examine the adequacy of different sample types (fecal and rumen content), rumen-content sample weight (1, 10, and 25 g), and incubation period on the detection of Salmonella spp. in grass-fed beef cattle at slaughter. The culture technique was the same for all samples and followed the Australian Standard (AS 1766.2.5-1991). Sample adequacy was defined as the ratio between the overall prevalence, as obtained from samples identified as positive by any sample type/weight, and the estimated prevalence, as obtained from samples identified as positive by a particular sample type/weight. Sample adequacy reflects the likelihood of a sample of a particular type and weight to contain the organism of interest and hence is related to the sensitivity of the diagnostic test. It was found that sample adequacy differed between sample types and weights: 37.5% for both a 10-g fecal sample and a 1-g rumen sample, 77.1% for a 10-g rumen sample, and 79.2% for a 25-g rumen sample. On this basis, it is strongly recommended that sample type and weight be considered in the design of studies that aim to quantify Salmonella contamination in cattle.     

Effect of sample volume size and sampling method on feline longitudinal myocardial velocity profiles from color tissue Doppler imaging

ObjectivesThe aims of this study were to compare the effect of sample volume (SV) size settings and sampling method on measurement variability and peak systolic (s′), and early (e′) and late (a′) diastolic longitudinal myocardial velocities using color tissue Doppler imaging (cTDI) in cats.AnimalsTwenty cats with normal echocardiograms and 20 cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.MethodsWe quantified and compared empirical variance and average absolute values of s′, e′ and a′ for three cardiac cycles using eight different SV settings (length 1,2,3 and 5 mm; width 1 and 2 mm) and three methods of sampling (end-diastolic sampling with manual tracking of the SV, end-systolic sampling without tracking, and random-frame sampling without tracking).ResultsNo significant difference in empirical variance could be demonstrated between most of the tested SVs. However, the two settings with a length of 1 mm resulted in a significantly higher variance compared with all settings where the SV length exceeded 2 mm (p < 0.001). There was an overall significant effect of sampling method on the variability of measurements (p = 0.003) and manual tracking obtained the lowest variance. No difference in average values of s′, e′ or a′ could be found between any of the SV settings or sampling methods.ConclusionWithin the tested range of SV settings, an SV length of 1 mm resulted in higher measurement variability compared with an SV length of 3 and 5 mm, and should therefore be avoided. Manual tracking of the sample volume is recommended.     

Ionising radiation has no influence on scrapie incubation period in mice

Scrapie has an early non-clinical stage when replication of agent occurs in lymphoreticular organs. Whole-body irradiation failed to alter the incubation or neuropathology of the disease. Many experiments were carried out with different strains of scrapie agent and host, doses and timing of irradiation. The results suggest that mitotically quiescent cells are involved in agent replication.     

Effects of aggregation and sample size on composite faecal egg counts in sheep

Composite faecal egg counts (FEC) are increasingly used to support strategic anthelmintic treatment decisions in grazing livestock. However, their accuracy as estimators of group mean FEC is affected by the number of individual samples included, how thoroughly they are mixed, and the underlying degree of parasite aggregation between individual hosts. This paper uses a Negative Binomial model for parasite aggregation, and a Poisson model for egg distribution within faecal suspensions, in order to optimise composite FEC protocol for commercial sheep flocks. Our results suggest that faecal egg density in a well-mixed composite sample from 10 sheep (3g of faeces from each), estimated by examination of four independently filled McMaster chambers, is likely to provide an adequate estimate of group mean FEC in the majority of situations. However, extra care is needed in groups of sheep for which high levels of FEC aggregation might be expected. The implications of statistical error in FEC estimates depend on how they are used. The simulation-based approach presented here is a powerful tool for investigating the risks of error in FEC-driven treatment decisions in different situations, as well as for the statistical analysis of parasitological data in general.     

The fibrinogen concentration in blood of dairy cows and its influence on the interpretation of the glutaraldehyde and formol-gel test reactions.

It has earlier been shown that the formol-gel test on serum and glutaraldehyde test on whole blood are simple and rapid methods for evaluation or the immunoglobulin status in the cow. Both tests function as coagulation tests in which aldehyde groups oross-link basic blood globulins at their NH₂-groups, forming polymerisates. The glutaraldehyde has in whole blood the capacity to polymerize not only immunoglobulins but also fibrinogen.This investigation was made in order to study whether the fibrinogen level may influence the result of the glutaraldehyde test, so revealing any differences between the results of that and the formol-gel test carried out on serum. In 92 cows with a variety of clinical disorders (most of them with inflammatory processes) the total protein, albumin, total globulin concentration and albumin/globulin ratio in serum and fibrinogen concentration in plasma were recorded. The material was grouped according to glutaraldehyde and formol-gel test reactions.It is shown that increases in the fibrinogen level have an effect on the results of the glutaraldehyde test. A positive glutaraldehyde test in more acute processes is ascribed to a heavy rise of plasma fibrinogen in its capacity of acute-phase protein. A positive glutaraldehyde test in chronic diseases may be viewed as a result of interaction between high immunoglobulin concentrations and elevated fibrinogen concentration.In conclusion the fibrinogen and immunoglobulin status of blood is important to assess in many diseases of cattle. The semiquantitative tests described for field use can separately, or especially in parallel use, provide valuable information about the character and development of a disease and may be regarded as good substitutes for the sedimentation rate (SR), which is not demonstrable in cattle. kw|Keywords|k]bovine fibrinogen; k]bovine serum proteins; k]formol-gel reaction; k]glutaraldehyde test; k]acute and chronic inflammations     

The influence of flotation solution, sample dilution and the choice of McMaster slide area (volume) on the reliability of the McMaster technique in estimating the faecal egg counts of gastrointestinal strongyles and Dicrocoelium dendriticum in sheep

The present study was aimed to evaluate the influence of flotation solution, sample dilution, and the choice of McMaster slide area (volume) on the reliability of the McMaster technique in estimating the faecal egg counts of gastrointestinal (GI) strongyles and Dicrocoelium dendriticum in a composite sample of faeces from naturally infected sheep. Fourteen flotation solutions having densities between 1.200 and 1.450, and six sample dilutions, 1:10, 1:15, 1:20, 1:30, 1:40 and 1:50 were used. Each of the six dilutions was divided into 70 aliquots in order to have five replicates of each of the 14 flotation solutions at each of the six dilutions. For each McMaster slide, the GI strongyle and D. dendriticum egg counts were performed under one grid (McM 0.15 ml), two grids (McM 0.3 ml), one chamber (McM 0.5 ml), and both chambers (McM 1.0 ml). Mean eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces of GI strongyles and D. dendriticum were calculated and statistical analyses were performed on the resulting data. The type of flotation solution used significantly influenced the EPG in the GI strongyles and in the D. dendriticum egg counts. All the sucrose-based solutions at density between 1.200 and 1.350 floated more GI strongyle eggs than the others. With respect to D. dendriticum, only six solutions were capable of floating eggs and the potassium iodomercurate solution (density 1.440) floated more eggs than the others. The reliability of the McMaster technique regarding sample dilution was high for both GI strongyle and D. dendriticum EPG at 1:10 and 1:15, and then progressively decreased with increasing dilution. The reliability of the McMaster technique regarding the choice of the McMaster slide area (volume) was high for both GI strongyle and D. dendriticum EPG at the McMaster slide area (volume) of 1.0 ml, i.e. the total area of the McMaster slide. The EPG counts resulting from choosing any of the other three McMaster slide areas (volumes), i.e. McM 0.15 ml, McM 0.3 ml, or McM 0.5 ml, produced unreliable over-estimates. The findings of the present study show that the highest reliability of the McMaster technique for estimating GI strongyle and D. dendriticum egg counts in faeces from pastured sheep is obtained when using flotation solutions based on sucrose for GI strongyles, and potassium iodomercurate for D. dendriticum, dilutions which do not exceed 1:15, and the McMaster slide area (volume) of 1.0 ml.     

孵化温度对肉鸡生产性能的影响

种蛋质量、孵化场环境卫生、孵化温度和育雏措施对保持肉鸡最佳生产性能至关重要,文章着重阐述孵化温度和湿度对7日龄雏鸡死亡率的影响。     

Effect of sampling method and incubation temperature on fungal culture in canine sinonasal aspergillosis

O bjectives : To evaluate the most appropriate sampling procedure and the effect of incubation temperature on fungal culture in the diagnosis of canine sinonasal aspergillosis (SNA).
M ethods : Sixteen dogs with SNA and 20 dogs with non-fungal nasal disease entered a prospective study. Nasal secretions and mucosal biopsies were collected in all dogs. Fungal plaques were also sampled in dogs with SNA. Each specimen was taken in duplicate from each dog and incubated at room temperature and 37°C.
R esults : In dogs with SNA, nasal secretions, mucosal biopsies and fungal plaques yielded fungal growth at room temperature in one, one and seven dogs, respectively, whereas fungal growth was obtained at 37°C in three, 12 and 14 dogs, respectively. No specimen collected from any dog with non-fungal nasal disease yielded fungal growth at room temperature or at 37°C.
C linical S ignificance : The diagnosis of canine SNA is more likely to be confirmed following culture of mucosal biopsies or fungal plaques than nasal secretions sampled blindly with swabs. Incubating cultures at 37°C is more likely to provide a diagnostic outcome than when samples are cultured at room temperature. Fungal culture of nasal specimens has good specificity for the diagnosis of SNA in dogs.     

日粮纤维的营养学功能及对母猪产仔数的影响

母猪繁殖性状主要包括总产仔数、产活仔数、初生个体均重及初生窝重、泌乳力、断奶仔猪数、断奶个体均重及断奶窝重,其中,产仔数是最重要的繁殖力评定指标。日粮纤维对家畜的营养物质的消化率存在负面影响,但是近半个世纪以来由于日粮纤维独特的性质在母猪的营养研究中备受关注。文中将从日粮纤维的定义及分析方法、理化特性着手,阐述日粮纤维添加到母猪妊娠日粮中对产仔数的影响并分析其可能原因。     

Technical variability and required sample size of helminth egg isolation procedures

Measurements of parasite load are often very variable. This implies that little confidence can be attached to single measurements of parasite numbers and egg concentrations, and that many measurements are required for the detection of differences between groups of hosts or parasites. For studies that aim to detect these differences, it is important to increase the precision (closeness of repeated measures to each other) of parasite numbers, because it determines the number of samples that is needed to find significant differences among groups. In this study, sample sizes required to detect group differences were estimated using nematode egg counts of faecal samples of dairy cattle. They were found to be much lower for a centrifugation technique than for the widely used McMaster technique in replicate samples, in spite of a generally similar mean FEC. For example, the sample size required to detect FEC differences between groups of 10, 50, and 250 eggs per gram (EPG) were 46, 25, and 27 for the McMaster technique and 8, 5, and 12 for the SSF method, respectively. Interestingly, sample sizes required for faeces with a relatively high egg concentration (approximately 1000 EPG) were also considerably lower than for the McMaster technique in spite of a higher mean EPG of the latter method. This implies that technical variation can be reduced considerably by simple methods of egg isolation. Given that the range of egg concentration is similar for a number of nematodes of livestock and human helminths, a reduction of technical error will aid studies with many group comparisons such as vaccination strategies against parasites with typically low FECs and studies of the genetics of host resistance. It may also lead to improved guidelines for measures related to public health.