Design and evaluation of primer pairs for efficient detection of avian rotavirus

The use of molecular methods for rotavirus characterisation provides increased sensitivity for typing and allows the identification of putative reassortant strains. Reagents and methods for genotyping the virus need constant modification because of the reassortant nature of the virus. This study was aimed at designing and evaluating new oligonucleotide degenerate primer pairs that provide increased sensitivity and specificity for detecting avian rotavirus. Gene-specific primer pairs were designed by analysing different rotavirus strains isolated during the last decade by downloading them from the GenBank. The alignments were generated using clustal analysis from the BioEdit program. Degenerate nucleotides were included due to the reassortant nature of rotavirus. The consensus sequences were aligned using the BioEdit program and then treated with the Fast PCR software to derive the primers. The derived primer sequences were submitted for a BLAST search to ensure alignment was exclusive to the desired target genes. The designed primers had specific bands and were efficient in detecting rotavirus in faecal samples than previously published primers. Thus, a successful surveillance of rotaviruses requires that primer pairs be updated regularly in order to detect the emergence of novel or “unusual types”, which have occurred by genetic drift causing nucleotide changes at the primer binding sites that result in typing failures. We recommend the use of the proposed primers in molecular surveillance studies for efficient detection of avian rotavirus.     

La Sota vaccination may not protect against virus shedding and the lesions of velogenic Newcastle disease in commercial turkeys

The aim of this project is to study the clinical signs and lesion of velogenic Newcastle disease (vND) in commercial turkeys, and also to find out if La Sota vaccination offered protection against these signs and lesions. The cockerels were included as positive controls. One hundred and twenty turkey poults and cockerels were divided into eight groups as follows: unvaccinated unchallenged turkeys (UUT), unvaccinated challenged turkeys (UCT), vaccinated unchallenged turkeys (VUT), vaccinated challenged turkeys (VCT), and along the same lines, the cockerel groups were UUC, UCC, VUC and vaccinated challenged cockerels (VCC). Vaccination was at 3 weeks of age while challenge was at 6 weeks of age. The unvaccinated turkeys and cockerels (UCT and UCC) showed different degrees of depression, diarrhoea and later paralysis at challenge. Total mortality was 100% in cockerels within 6 days, but 60% in turkeys. Similar but milder clinical signs were found in the VCC with a total mortality of 13.3%. The VCT showed mild drop in feed and water consumption, and no mortality. All the challenged groups had significant (p < 0.05) loss of weight when compared with their controls. Necropsy showed that while the UCC had severe proventricular haemorrhages, intestinal and caecal tonsil ulcers, the UCT had no digestive tract lesion. There was severe atrophy of the lymphoid organs in all the challenged groups. Histopathological sections of the bursa, spleen and thymus in all the challenged groups with special emphasis on the vaccinated and unvaccinated turkeys with mortalities of 0 and 60%, respectively, had very severe necrosis and depletion of the lymphoid tissue. Virus was isolated from the cloacal swabs. The haemagglutination inhibition antibodies were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the challenged groups than the unchallenged. The above observations in the intestinal tracts of UCT are of diagnostic significance while the gross and microscopic lesions in the UCT and VCT show that La Sota vaccination may not protect turkeys against the destruction of the lymphoid organs by vND as earlier reported in chickens. This may lead to immunosuppression and production problems in areas where vND is enzootic.     

Virulence traits of avian pathogenic (APEC) and fecal (AFEC) <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli</Emphasis> isolated from broiler chickens in Algeria

Avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) is the etiologic agent of avian colibacillosis, the most common disease responsible for chicken morbidity in the world. Although multiple virulence-associated factors were identified, their prevalence in Algeria is still poorly known. In the present research, 92 avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) isolates were recovered from broilers with clinical signs and lesions of colibacillosis. In addition, 32 E. coli isolates collected from feces of healthy birds (AFEC) were included for comparison. All isolates were investigated by PCR for the presence of a total of 11 virulence-associated genes described for avian pathogenic (iroN, ompT, hlyF, iss, iutA, and fimC) and diarrheagenic E. coli (eae, stx, elt/est, ipaH, and aggR). The sensitivity of 39 APEC isolates to 16 antibiotics was also determined using antimicrobial pretreated microplates. Here, we report that 98% of the examined isolates host at least one of the tested virulence factors. The most prevalent genes in APEC were iutA (90.6%), ompT (86.9%), and iss (85.8%); whereas, iutA (78.1%), fimC (78.1%), and iroN (68.7%) were the highest prevalent genes in AFEC. Our data showed that none of the AFEC isolates harbor any of the tested diarrheagenic genes. Moreover, only elt/est (5.4%), stx (2.1%), and ipaH (2.1%) genes were carried by APEC isolates. We further established that ceftazodime, ceftiofur, mequindox, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and meropenem were the most efficient antibiotics against the analyzed APEC isolates. Overall, our findings provide more insights about APEC and AFEC virulence potential in Algeria which could participate in the fight against colibacillosis.     

Genomic characterization of the first oral avian papillomavirus in a colony of breeding canaries (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Serinus canaria</Emphasis>)

Papillomaviruses are non-enveloped, DNA viruses that infect skin and mucosa of a wide variety of vertebrates, causing neoplasias or simply persisting asymptomatically. Avian papillomaviruses, with six fully sequenced genomes, are the second most studied group after mammalian papillomaviruses. In this study, we describe the first oral avian papillomavirus, detected in the tongue of a dead Yorkshire canary (Serinus canaria) and in oral swabs of the same bird and other two live canaries from an aviary in Madrid, Spain. Its genome is 8,071 bp and presents the canonical papillomavirus architecture with six early (E6, E7, E1, E9, E2, E4) and two late open reading frames (L1 and L2) and a long control region between L1 and E6. This new avian papillomavirus L1 gene shares a 64% pairwise identity with FcPV1 L1, so it has been classified as a new species (ScPV1) within the Ethapapillomavirus genus. Although the canary died after showing breathing problems, there is no evidence that the papillomavirus caused those symptoms so it could be part of the oral microbiota of the birds. Hence, future investigations are needed to evaluate the clinical relevance of the virus.     

首乌蜜对家蚕幼虫寿命的影响

用５％、１０％、２０％复方“蜂产品制品首乌蜜浸泡桑叶４小时，对家蚕（ＢｏｍｂｙｘｍｏｒｉＬ．）进行添食试验。结果表明，添食５％、１０％、２０％首乌蜜溶液分别能使家蚕幼虫寿命较对照组（以蒸馏水代替首乌蜜）延长７．７２、７．６８、４．８２小时，统计学上差异极显著（新复极差检验法；Ｐ＜０．０１）。由此证实，首乌蜜具有抗衰老作用。同时，没有发现家蚕因添食首乌蜜而死亡，说明首乌蜜没有毒性。     

2020—2021年湖南省娄底市活禽批发市场市场链调查

为了解湖南省娄底市活禽批发市场活禽来源与流通情况,对2020—2021年娄底市2个活禽批发市场活禽调入、调出情况进行了调查.结果显示:每年调入娄底市活禽批发市场的活禽超过3000批次,数量超过600万羽;调入活禽种类有鸡、鸭、鹅、鸽等品种,其中活鸡比例超过80％;活禽批发市场主要以省内调入为主,还涉及12个省(自治区)...     

新疆乌鲁木齐市犬布鲁氏菌病流行病学调查

为了解新疆乌鲁木齐市犬布鲁氏菌病流行特征,分析犬感染风险因素,初步掌握养犬人员对布鲁氏菌病的认知程度和行为特点,从而提出合理的预防对策和控制措施,采用流行病学横断面研究方法,通过估计流行率计算抽样数量,然后随机抽样,采用IELISA方法检测光滑型和粗糙型犬布鲁氏菌,同时结合调查问卷,获得乌鲁木齐市犬布鲁氏菌病流行率、感染风险因素和养犬人员对布鲁氏菌病认知情况,并对调查结果采用SPSS和Excel软件进行数据统计分析。结果显示:乌鲁木齐市犬布鲁氏菌病总流行率为25.5%(95%CI:20.9%~30.1%),且犬种和牛羊种并存,公共卫生威胁严重;从不同群体看,牧区流行率最高,为41.5%(95%CI:31.0%~52.0%);外购、散养、常接触牛羊、喂生肉、不处理犬粪便等行为是乌鲁木齐市犬布鲁氏菌感染的潜在风险因素,其中"常接触牛羊"(OR=1.97,95%CI:1.47~15.35)、"喂生肉"(OR=5.06,95%CI:1.69~20.74)是主要风险因素;乌鲁木齐市养犬人员对布鲁氏菌病的认知程度低,个人防护意识差。因此,应加强对犬感染牛羊种布鲁氏菌的公共卫生防控,减少犬与牛羊的直接接触,不喂生肉,定期开展犬布鲁氏菌病专项检测,同时加强宣传,提高养犬人员的布鲁氏菌病认知度。     

施肥及生长调节剂对高羊茅种子产量的影响

在辽宁省大连市普兰店地区研究氮肥、氯丁唑和调嘧啶对高羊茅种子产量及其构成要素的影响。结果表明,该地区的气候条件有利于高羊茅的生殖生长和种子发育。施氮后种子产量较对照明显提高,其中以施氮量120kg/hm²(春季施氮量占总施肥量3/4),种子产量最高,可达2473kg/hm²。在抽穗初期使用调嘧啶可显著降低种子的落粒性,减轻收获风险。     

Separating component parts of soil respiration under <Emphasis Type="Italic">Robinia pseudoacacia</Emphasis> plantation in the Taihang Mountains,China

Partitioning the respiratory components of soil surface CO₂ efflux is important in understanding carbon turnover and in identifying the soil carbon sink/source function in response to land-use change. The sensitivities of soil respiration components on changing climate patterns are currently not fully understood. We used trench and isotopic methods to separate total soil respiration into autotrophic (R _A ) and heterotrophic components (R _H ). This study was undertaken on a Robinia pseudoacacia L. plantation in the southern Taihang Mountains, China. The fractionation of soil ¹³CO₂ was analyzed by comparing the δ¹³C of soil CO₂ extracted from buried steel tubes with results from Gas Vapor Probe Kits at a depth of 50 cm at the preliminary test (2.03‰). The results showed that the contribution of autotrophic respiration (fR _A ) increased with increasing soil depth. The contribution of heterotrophic respiration (fR _H ) declined with increasing soil depth. The contribution of autotrophic respiration was similar whether estimated by the trench method (fR _A , 23.50%) or by the isotopic method in which a difference in value of ¹³C between soil and plant prevailed in the natural state (RC, 21.03%). The experimental error produced by the trench method was insignificant as compared with that produced by the isotopic method, providing a technical basis for further investigations.     

中国部分重点地区牛结核病的γ-干扰素试验流行病学调查

为调查部分省份牛结核病(bTB)的流行情况,我们在山东等14个省份34个历史上疫情较重的县共129个场户采集牛全血2 201份,采用CO2培养箱或蜡罐方法进行bTBγ-干扰素检测,结果显示样品的个体阳性率为6.4%,群阳性率为42.6%。饲养模式对bTB感染影响的统计显示较大规模场的个体阳性率(6.9%)和群阳性率(60%)均高于散养户(分别为5.7%和35.6%)。而牦牛样品的检测结果均为阴性。5个牛群的禽型PPD阳性统计结果显示牛型PPD阳性率越高,则禽型PPD阳性牛在牛型PPD阳性牛中的所占比率越低。在所有阳性牛群中,阳性率≥10%的牛群所占比例高达81.8%(45/55),bTB感染呈现出一个"群发性"的特征。