Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri associated with goat respiratory disease and high flock mortality

A high mortality outbreak of respiratory mycoplasmosis occurred in goats in Mexico. The clinicopathologic presentation resembled contagious caprine pleuropneumonia caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subspecies capripneumoniae. By using a battery of polymerase chain reaction assays, the mycoplasma associated with this outbreak was identified as Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri.     

Validation of Diagnostic Methods for European Foulbrood on Commercial Honey Bee Colonies in the United States

One of the most serious bacterial pathogens of Western honey bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus [Hymenoptera: Apidae]) is Melissococcus plutonius, the cause of the disease European foulbrood. Because European foulbrood is highly variable, with diverse outcomes at both the individual and colony levels, it is difficult to diagnose through visual inspection alone. Common lab diagnostic techniques include microscopic examination and molecular detection through PCR. In 2009, a lateral flow device was developed and validated for field diagnosis of European foulbrood. At the time, M. plutonius was thought to be genetically homogenous, but we have subsequently learned that this bacterium exists as multiple strains, including some strains that are classified as ‘atypical’ for which the lateral flow device is potentially less effective. These devices are increasingly used in the United States, though they have never been validated using strains from North America. It is essential to validate this device in multiple locations as different strains of M. plutonius circulate in different geographical regions. In this study, we validate the field use of the lateral flow device compared to microscopic examination and qPCR on larval samples from 78 commercial honey bee colonies in the United States with visual signs of infection. In this study, microscopic diagnosis was more sensitive than the lateral flow device (sensitivity = 97.40% and 89.47%, respectively), and we found no false positive results with the lateral flow device. We find high concurrence between the three diagnostic techniques, and all three methods are highly sensitive for diagnosing European foulbrood.     

High frequency somatic embryogenesis with a pampeana-derived genotype of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

Summary Somatic embryos of genotype R11 of the alfalfa variety Pampeana were produced from embryogenic calli derived from leaf sections. They were induced by an auxin shock and its development was attempted on six different media. The best condition for somatic embryo production was inducing callus on MS medium plus 10 M 2,4-D and 4,6 M KIN and transferring them, after the auxin shock, to MS with 10–20 mM NH₄ ⁺ and 30 mM proline. More than 500 somatic embryos per plate were produced. Embryos were grown to plants on MS or half strength MS media and all regenerated plants resembled the original R11 genotype. This technique could be useful in alfalfa Pampeana improvement using genetic modification.     

Tracking escaped Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) aggregated around Norwegian farms: Considerations for management strategies

To examine site fidelity and potential for ecosystem impacts, 20 escapee cod (Gadus morhua L.) from fjord‐based cod farms were tagged with acoustic transmitters, released in the vicinity of the same farm, and their subsequent behaviour and survival monitored using a fixed array of acoustic receivers. Most individuals demonstrated high fidelity to their farm where tagged, and this increased during the polar night. Only five individuals (25%) were occasionally detected at another farm (4 km distance), and only three cod (15%) migrated out of the fjord during the 6‐month study period. Vertical movements were consistently greater in the hours around noon than at night, a behaviour inconsistent with that observed for wild fish. A high mortality rate (40%) was observed during the first 4 months post‐release, and actual mortality may have been even higher, limiting the potential for negative ecosystem effects from cod escapees. Findings from this study are used to discuss the development of recapture strategies for minimising potential impacts from cod escapees to ensure sustainable farming activity.     

Characterization of intake and effluent waters from intensive and semi-intensive shrimp farms in Texas

Two commercial shrimp farms in south Texas were evaluated for influent and effluent water quality from June to October 1994. The intensive farm, Taiwan Shrimp Village Association (TSV) had an average annual yield of 4630 kg ha^?1 while the semi‐intensive farm, Harlingen Shrimp Farm (HSF), had a yield of 1777 kg ha^?1. The study had three objectives: (1) to compare influent and effluent water from the intensive and semi‐intensive shrimp farms, (2) to show which effluent water‐quality indicators exceeded allowable limits, (3) to indicate inherent problems in farms operated with water exchange and summarize how findings from this study led to changes in farms' management that limited potential negative impact on receiving streams. Water samples were collected and analysed twice a week for the TSV farm and once a week for the HSF farm. Samples were analysed for dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, pH, ammonia‐nitrogen (NH₃‐N), nitrite‐nitrogen (NO₂‐N), nitrate‐nitrogen (NO₃‐N), total phosphorus (TP), total reactive phosphorus (TRP), five‐day carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (cBOD₅), total suspended solids (TSS) and settleable solids (SettSols). Most of the effluent constituents showed fluctuations throughout the sampling period often related to harvest activity. Effluent pH at TSV was lower than influent values but within the regulatory requirements set by Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ), formerly known as Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC). HSF effluent pH values were higher than its influent, but still within TCEQ limits. Effluent DO mean levels were generally below the regulatory daily mean requirement, with values at TSV often below those for influent. Effluent nutrient concentrations and net loads were generally higher at the intensive shrimp farm, with NH₃‐N mean concentrations above the daily mean set by the TCEQ on several occasions. Effluent TSS concentrations were higher than influent for both farms, with daily mean values above the TCEQ limit. The two farms presented similar TSS concentrations despite their different stocking densities. However, TSS total net load and net load per hectare were higher at the intensive farm. The semi‐intensive farm presented higher cBOD₅ concentrations and net loads despite its lower stocking density, with daily mean values above the TCEQ limit. The cBOD₅ net load at TSV presented negative values indicating higher load at the influent than at the effluent. Analyses showed no evidence of self‐pollution between influent and effluent at the two farms. The high feed conversion ratio (FCR) values (2.3 and 2.7 for the intensive and the semi‐intensive farm respectively) suggest that better feed management is needed to reduce nutrient and solid net loads release from the two farms. The data obtained from this study resulted in several modifications in design and management of the two farms that reduced the potential negative impact on receiving streams. A brief summary of the improvement in selected effluent water‐quality indicators at the intensive shrimp farm is provided.     

Effect of different levels of dietary sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) peel extract on humoral immune system responses in broiler chickens

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) peel extract (SOPE) on humoral immune system responses in broiler chickens. Three hundred 1‐day broilers (Ross‐308) were randomly allocated to treatments varying in supplemental SOPE added in the drinking water. The experimental groups consisted of three treatments fed for 42 days as follows: a control treatment without feed extract, a treatment containing 1000 ppm of SOPE and a treatment containing 1250 ppm of SOPE. All treatments were isocaloric and isonitrogenous. Broilers were vaccinated with Newcastle disease virus (NDV), avian influenza (AI), infectious bursal disease (IBD) and infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) vaccines. Antibody titer response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) was higher in the group fed 1250 ppm of SOPE (P < 0.05) as well as for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM. Similarly, antibody titer responses to all vaccines were constantly elevated (P < 0.05) by SOPE enrichment in a dose‐dependent manner. Relative weights of spleen and bursa of Fabricius were unaffected by treatments. Dietary SOPE supplementation may improve the immune response and diseases resistance, indicating that it can constitute a useful additive in broiler feeding. Thus, supplying SOPE in rations may help to improve relative immune response in broiler chickens.     

Effect of sex, age, number of bronchoalveolar lavages and quantitation methods on the bronchoalveolar cell counts in rats.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of sex, age, number of bronchoalveolar lavages and method of quantitation on the number of bronchoalveolar cells in rats. Forty Long Evans rats were divided into four age-sex subgroups of ten animals each. Nine consecutive bronchoalveolar lavages were done in every rat and the number of bronchoalveolar cells/mL in lavages 1-3 (L1), 4-6 (L2) and 7-9 (L3) were determined by hemocytometer and electronic cell counts (Coulter Counter). The sex or age of the rats did not show a significant effect (p less than 0.05) in the number of bronchoalveolar cells recovered from the lungs; however, there was a significant difference (p less than 0.05) in the number of cells/mL among lavages 1-3, 4-6 and 7-9 (L1 approximately equal to L2 greater than L3). A discrepancy of approximately 8% in the counts of bronchoalveolar cells was found between the hemocytometer and the Coulter Counter; however, these two methods of cell quantitation showed a significant (p less than 0.01) positive correlation (r = 0.89). No significant (p greater than 0.05) differences were found in the percentage of fluid recovery (overall mean = 94.5%) among lavages L1, L2 and L3. It was concluded that the electronic cell counting of bronchoalveolar cells is as reliable as manual counting. Although sex or age did not significantly affect the number of cells recovered from the lung, caution should be used in the number of lavages done per rat since this variable may significantly affect the results.     

Estimation du stock semencier dans le cadre d'un essai étudiant l'influence de systémes culturaux sur l'évolution de la flore adventice

Estimation of seed stock during a trial study of the influence of cultural systems on the development of the weed flora Twelve plots (12 × 20 m) were sampled at the En Crambade inter-institute station in 1984 before a 9-year trial (3×3 year rotations) was begun to study the influence of weed control methods, soil cultivation and crop rotation on the development of the weed flora. Three hundred cores, 25 per plot, were analysed separately. The weed species were identified and classified in accordance with their size and distribution. Sampling error as a function of the number of cores sampled, the variation and the average number of seeds per core were calculated.     

Cronología de Osificación Postnatal del Autópodo Torócico en el Gato Siamés (Felis catus L.)*

Chronology of the postnatal ossification of the Thoracic autopodo in the Siam cat (Felis catus L.) A study was done by radiological techniques to show the chronology of ossification of the thoracic autopodo of the Siam cat from birth up to the 25th week of postnatal development. For this experiment we used 40 little cats (19 males and 21 females) belonging to 11 litters subjected to different controls: pattern race, healthy, feeding, grow up and radioactivity. The time of the appearance and evolution of the centres that form the basipodo, metapodo and acropodo of the thoracic limb is determined. Likewise it is analized the phenomenon of fusion during that time to define the main ossification sequence in the carpo. The aspects of the postnatal ossification of the thoracic autopodo in the Siam cat are compared with the literature of differents authors about the common cat.