Detection of Feline leukemia virus in the endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus).

Feline retroviruses are rarely reported in lynx species. Twenty-one Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) blood and tissue samples collected from Do?ana National Park and Los Villares (Sierra Morena) in southern Spain during 1993-2003 were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction to amplify nucleic acids from feline retroviruses. Six samples were positive for Feline leukemia virus (FeLV), but no samples tested positive for Feline immunodeficiency virus. The BLAST analysis indicated that 5 of the 6 sequences were closely related to FeLV strain Rickard subgroup A, whereas 1 sequence was identical to FeLV. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of FeLV in the endangered Iberian lynx.     

Natural variability in bovine milk oligosaccharides from Danish Jersey and Holstein-Friesian breeds

Free oligosaccharides are key components of human milk and play multiple roles in the health of the neonate, by stimulating growth of selected beneficial bacteria in the gut, participating in development of the brain, and exerting antipathogenic activity. However, the concentration of oligosaccharides is low in mature bovine milk, normally used for infant formula, compared with both human colostrum and mature human milk. Characterization of bovine milk oligosaccharides in different breeds is crucial for the identification of viable sources for oligosaccharide purification. An improved source of oligosaccharides can lead to infant formula with improved oligosaccharide functionality. In the present study we have analyzed milk oligosaccharides by high-performance liquid chromatography chip quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and performed a detailed data analysis using both univariate and multivariate methods. Both statistical tools revealed several differences in oligosaccharide profiles between milk samples from the two Danish breeds, Jersey and Holstein-Friesians. Jersey milk contained higher relative amounts of both sialylated and the more complex neutral fucosylated oligosaccharides, while the Holstein-Friesian milk had higher abundance of smaller and simpler neutral oligosaccharides. The statistical analyses revealed that Jersey milk contains levels of fucosylated oligosaccharides significantly higher than that of Holstein-Friesian milk. Jersey milk also possesses oligosaccharides with a higher degree of complexity and functional residues (fucose and sialic acid), suggesting it may therefore offer advantages in term of a wider array of bioactivities.     

A strategy for annotating the human milk glycome

Oligosaccharides in human milk represent a group of bioactive molecules that have evolved to be an abundant and diverse component of human milk, even though they have no direct nutritive value to the infant. A recent hypothesis proposes that they could be substrates for the development of the intestinal microflora and the mucosal immune system. The inability to determine the exact composition of these oligosaccharides limits research and the ability to understand their biological functions. Oligosaccharides isolated from the lipids and proteins of individual human milk samples were analyzed by a combination of techniques including microchip liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC-Chip/MS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (MALDI-FT ICR MS). Accurate mass measurements obtained using an orthogonal time-of-flight (o-TOF) mass spectrometry provided oligosaccharide composition for approximately 200 individual molecular species. Comparison of HPLC-Chip/MS profiles from five different women revealed variations in milk oligosaccharide compositions. HPLC-Chip/MS profiling provides a method for routinely identifying milk oligosaccharides. Tandem MS in combination with exoglycosidase digestion provides unambiguous differentiation of structural isomers.     

A methodology for tracking the “fate” of technological interventions in agriculture

The primary focus of agricultural research and extension in eastern Africa is technology generation and dissemination. Despite prior critiques of the shortcomings of this approach, the consequences of such activities continue to be measured through the number of technologies developed and introduced into the supply chain. At best, impact is assessed by the total numbers of adopters and by the household and system factors influencing adoption. While the diffusion research tradition has made substantive advances in recent decades, attention to what happens to technologies after adaptive, on-farm research trials continues to be limited in practice. While a host of newer approaches designed to correct for past shortcomings in diffusion research is now available, integrative methodologies that capitalize on the strengths of these different traditions are sorely needed. This article presents a more encompassing methodology for tracking the fate of technological interventions, illustrating the potential applications of findings for enhancing the positive impact of agricultural research and extension in the region. Laura German holds a BSc in Agricultural Engineering from Cornell University (2001) and a PhD in Ecological Anthropology from the University of Georgia (2001). Following many years of involvement in Latin America, she took a position in 2002 as Scientist for the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) under the African Highlands Initiative, an ecoregional program of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and a network of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in East and Central Africa. Her current research interests include theoretical and applied work in three main areas: (1) research-development linkages; (2) integrated natural resource management at the landscape/micro-catchment scale; and (3) collective action in natural resource management. Jeremias Mowo holds a BSc in Agriculture (1979) from Dar Es Salaam University and an MSc (1983) and PhD (2000) in Soil Science from Wageningen University. He worked as soil fertility specialist in cotton-based agro-ecosystems for 11 years and coordinated soil research in Tanzania for four years. From 1998 to 2005, he worked under the African Highlands Initiative as Coordinator for the Lushoto Benchmark Site in Tanzania. In May 2005, he took up a two-year contract with the Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Rwanda (ISAR) as Senior Scientist in Soil and Water Management Research where he is currently spearheading the Integrated Watershed Management approach. His research interests include integrated natural resource management, farmer participatory research, methods and approaches for technology transfer, soil and water management research, organic farming and use of indigenous knowledge in soil management. Margaret Kingamkono holds a BSc in Agriculture (1994) and an MSc in Agriculture (1996) from the Sokoine University of Agriculture. Since 1995, she has worked for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Tanzania with a focus on livestock production. She has carried out extensive collaborative work on areas of land resource management, participatory approaches, and crop-livestock-agroforestry interactions. Her research interests include gender and development and integrated natural resource management.     

Use of starting condition score to estimate changes in body weight and composition during weight loss in obese dogs

Prior to starting a weight loss programme, target weight (TW) is often estimated, using starting body condition score (BCS). The current study assessed how well such estimates perform in clinical practice. Information on body weight, BCS and body composition was assessed before and after weight loss in 28 obese, client-owned dogs. Median decrease in starting weight per BCS unit was 10% (5–15%), with no significant difference between dogs losing moderate (1–2 BCS points) or marked (3–4 BCS points) amounts of weight (P = 0.627). Mean decrease in body fat per BCS unit change was 5% (3–9%). A model based on a change of 10% of starting weight per unit of BCS above ideal (5/9) most closely estimated actual TW, but marked variability was seen. Therefore, although such calculations may provide a guide to final TW in obese dogs, they can either over- or under-estimate the appropriate end point of weight loss.     

Avian tuberculosis of zoonotic importance at a zoo on the Bogotá Andean plateau (Sabana), Colombia

Given that exposure to captive wild animals at circuses or zoos can be a source of zoonotic infection, a case and control study was carried out with a collection of exotic fowl at a zoo in Bogotá, Colombia. The presence of Mycobacterium avium-II was directly related to the death of birds kept in the original enclosure, and of 50% of a group of sentinel birds. Failure to detect the organism in a control group of birds outside the enclosure indicated that the infection was limited to the original enclosed area. We demonstrated that M. gordonae-IV was disseminated in all organs from 1 bird with macroscopic granulomatous lesion, a finding which has not been reported previously. We emphasize the importance of establishing handling norms to reduce the risk of zoonotic transmission.