Candida tropicalis infecting the respiratory tract of turkeys in Israel.

A Candida tropicalis epidemic is described that affected the respiratory tract of turkeys receiving antibiotics in their food and drinking water. When the antibiotics were stopped and Io-vine given, the disease was cured.     

Spontaneously occurring alimentary osteofluorosis associated with proliferative gastroduodenopathy in rabbits

Growing rabbits from two rabbitries, fed with commercial concentrates and hay, developed painful thickenings of the extremities. Four rabbits from each farm were clinically examined and necropsied. All animals showed multiple moderate to severe osseous proliferations of extremities and mandibles and a mild to severe proliferative gastroduodenopathy. Histologically, periosteal and endosteal hyperostosis and a mild to severe proliferation of the gastric and duodenal mucosa were noted. Bone analyses revealed 12,700 and 15,000 microg fluoride per gram of bone ash in affected rabbits, compared with 550 microg fluoride in a control animal. A highly elevated fluoride content was found in concentrates. Vitamin A levels were moderately increased only in one concentrate, and copper levels were normal. Results indicate that alimentary fluoride intoxication caused prominent bony proliferations in the examined rabbits. Whether the proliferative gastroduodenopathy is related to the elevated fluoride intake or represents an incidentally occurring secondary disease remains to be determined.     

Infection and decontamination of citrus canker-inoculated leaf surfaces

Citrus canker (Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, Xcc) is now considered endemic in Florida and continues to spread. Various surfaces, including plant material, personnel and equipment can become contaminated. Decontamination is practiced in both disease-endemic and disease-free areas to reduce the risk of bacterial spread by man or machinery. We used grapefruit leaf surfaces to explore the efficacy of a commonly used personnel sprayer system applying a quaternary amine decontaminant. In three experiments, plants in flush (leaves ¾ expanded) were inoculated (∼10⁵ CFU ml⁻¹). Immediately after inoculation, plants were passed through the sprayers 0, 1, 2, 3, or 6 times. Leaves were sampled at 0.5, 10 and 20 min after decontamination and tested for viable Xcc by dilution plating. There was a large and rapid decline in the quantity of live bacteria with one pass through the decontamination sprayer (>80% decrease in CFU ml⁻¹), and multiple sprays (2-6) resulted in up to 100% mortality of surface Xcc. Presumably more thorough coverage with multiple sprays killed remnant bacteria, although the first spray invariably caused the highest proportion of population mortality. The effect of the decontaminant spray was immediate (within 0.5 min only 3-11% of surface bacteria survived, and by 20 min <1-3% survived). Based on these results, use of a personnel sprayer with a quaternary amine compound is highly effective for reducing surface inoculum. A single spray kills a high proportion of the population, but multiple sprays increase mortality of Xcc. All the Xcc-inoculated plants subsequently developed symptoms of citrus canker. No significant difference in incidence or severity of grapefruit leaf infection was detected among decontamination treatments or compared to the untreated control. This finding indicates that infection occurred at, or very soon after, inoculation, and that Xcc was in protected sites inside the leaf before exposure to the decontaminant spray.     

A comparison of UP‐PCR and RAPD markers to study genetic diversity of Fusicladium effusum (G. Winter), cause of pecan scab

Fusicladium effusum infects pecan causing yield loss, but no information is available on the genetic diversity of F. effusum. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) and universally primed polymerase chain reaction (UP‐PCR) were compared to detect polymorphisms on a group of 20 isolates of F. effusum from 11 geographical locations in the southeastern USA. Two tests (run 1 and 2) of both the RAPD and UP‐PCRs were conducted to assess the repeatability of the methods, and the markers scored on agarose gels. In addition, the UP‐PCR markers from run 1 were scored using an automated capillary system. Both RAPDs and UP‐PCR markers detected a high level of polymorphism among the scored markers (92 and 91% of RAPD markers, and 86 and 87% of manually scored UP‐PCR markers in run 1 and 2 were polymorphic, respectively; 93% of UP‐PCR markers were polymorphic when scored using the automated system). Unweighted paired group method of arithmetic averages (UPGMA) analysis showed both RAPDs and UP‐PCR markers individually identified each isolate, producing three groupings, but only the groupings based on run 1 and 2 of the UP‐PCR contained the same isolates. Bootstrap analysis based on the Dice coefficient produced phenograms from the UP‐PCR data with weak to moderate node support (≥54) for the primary branch, but no support for the RAPDs data (≤34). A Mantel test of runs 1 and 2 using RAPDs or UP‐PCR showed good agreement (r = 0.8761 and 0.8289, p < 0.0001), but poor agreement between RAPDs and UP‐PCR. UP‐PCR results based on the interisolate Dice coefficients showed a weak to strong association with distance. Based on these results, both RAPDs and UP‐PCR markers were capable of demonstrating polymorphisms and identifying relationships among isolates of F. effusum; however, UP‐PCR markers appear to be more reliable.     

Selected nutritional and quality analyses of tomatillos (Physalis ixocarpa)

Proximate composition, total dietary fiber and pH of tomatillos (Physalis ixocarpa) grown in Baja, California were analyzed. Moisture content averaged 92%. On a dry matter basis (DMB), tomatillos contained 11% protein, 18% fat, 13% ash and 5% total dietary fiber. On an as consumed basis (ACB), tomatillos contained 1% protein, 1.5% fat, 1% ash and 0.4% dietary fiber. Carbohydrate (CHO) content was calculated by difference resulting in an average adjusted CHO (excluding dietary fiber) of 53% on a DMB and 4% on an ACB; total CHO (including dietary fiber) was 58 and 4.8%, respectively. Average kcalorie content was calculated to be about 31 kcals/100 g. The average pH of tomatillos was 3.76.     

Influences of altered phytohormone use on endogenous ABA and mRNA populations during white spruce (Picea glauca) somatic embryo culture

We examined endogenous abscisic acid [(+)-ABA] amounts and mRNA populations in white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) somatic embryos in liquid suspension culture during a pretreatment prior to induction of maturation with exogenous (+)-ABA. The pretreatment consisted of removal of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) from the multiplication medium for 7 days. The removal of 2,4-D resulted in a slight increase in endogenous ABA in pretreated tissues compared to nonpretreated tissues at the end of the 7-day pretreatment period (42.4 versus 20.0 pg mg(-1) lyophilized tissue). Altered gene expression patterns were observed as early as one day after the start of the pretreatment, with more than 17 new polypeptides found in pretreated tissues. The influence of pretreatment continued to be observed after tissues were transferred to ABA-containing maturation medium. By comparing mRNA populations in pretreated and nonpretreated tissues cultured on either ABA-containing or ABA-free maturation medium, at least 12 mRNAs were observed to be induced by ABA, among which three polypeptides were ABA inducible only in pretreated tissues.     

Occurrence and significance of bacteria in living trees of Populus nigra L.

On the occurrence and significance of bacteria in living trees of Populus nigra L. Eleven strains of bacteria were isolated from sapwood and heartwood of living poplar trees (Populus nigra L.) and identified mostly as Erwinia, Xanthomonas, Agrobacterium and Acinetobacter. Most of them were able to attack milled wood and the wood components pectin, hemicelluloses and holocellulose; α-cellulose and lignin were not consumed. The capillary liquid in the xylem of poplar served as a nutrient for the isolated bacteria. The significance of these bacteria for wetwood formation is discussed.     

Structural Modifications of Gluten Proteins in Strong and Weak Wheat Dough During Mixing

The network‐forming attributes of gluten have been investigated for decades, but no study has comprehensively addressed the differences in gluten network evolution between strong and weak wheat types (hard and soft wheat). This study monitored changes in SDS protein extractability, SDS‐accessible thiols, protein surface hydrophobicity, molecular weight distribution, and secondary structural features of proteins during mixing to bring out the molecular determinants of protein network formation in hard and soft wheat dough. Soft wheat flour and dough exhibited greater protein extractability and more accessible thiols than hard wheat flour and dough. The addition of the thiol‐blocking agent N‐ethylmaleimide (NEM) resulted in similar results for protein extractability and accessible thiols in hard and soft wheat samples. Soft wheat dough had greater protein surface hydrophobicity than hard wheat and exhibited a larger decrease in surface hydrophobicity in the presence of NEM. Formation of high‐molecular‐weight (HMW) protein in soft wheat dough was primarily because of formation of disulfides among low‐molecular‐weight (LMW) proteins, as indicated by the absence of changes in protein distribution when NEM was present, whereas in hard wheat dough the LMW fraction formed disulfide interaction with the HMW fraction. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated formation of β‐sheets in dough from either wheat type at peak mixing torque. Formation of β‐sheets in soft wheat dough appears to be driven by hydrophobic interactions, whereas disulfide linkages stabilize secondary structure elements in hard wheat dough.     

Self-incompatibility reactions in wild species of the genusBeta and their relation to taxonomical classification and geographical origin

Summary The expression of self-incompatibility (SI) rejection patterns in 29 accessions of wildBeta species was studied at the anatomical level. Three different SI-related pollen tube rejection patterns were observed: (1) The pollen germinate from many pores and the pollen tubes are very short, often with swollen tips. (2) The pollen germinate and grow along the stigmatic papillae, where the self-incompatibility response takes place at the basis of the stigmatic papillae. (3) The pollen germinate and the pollen tubes grow with a distinct direction towards the style; the self-incompatibility response is observed at the border between the stigma and the style. In general the patterns observed inB. vulgaris L. subsp.vulgaris sensu lato seem to be in accordance with an ongoing microevolutionary process that has given rise to the largemaritima complex (viz.B. trojana Pamuk?uoğlu,B. atriplicifolia Rouy, andB. maritima (L.) Arcangeli), in which it seems that the variation is related to geographical origin. The data support the idea that the endemicB. vulgaris subsp.adanensis (Pamuk?uoğlu) Ford-Lloyd & Williams forms a distinct, self-compatible group separated from themaritima complex and also thatB. macrocarpa Gussone should be retained as a separate self-compatible species. For the sectionCorollinae Ulbrich the rejection patterns are in accordance with a division into two subsections (viz.,Lomatogonae andTrigynae) previously suggested on the basis of phenotypical and molecular data. The results fromProcumbentes Ulbrich are interpreted as evidence forB. procumbens Smith andB. webbiana Moquin being more related to each other than toB. patellaris Moquin, reflecting also a similar taxonomic relationship.     

Nutrient composition of some newly bred high protein and/or high lysine grains and their digestibility determined on growing pigs

With the view to complementing the feedstuff data store and, consequently, to further improving the GDR Feed Evaluation System, some newly bred high-protein and/or high-lysine cereal varieties and strains (spring barley, winter wheat, maize) were studied for their nutrient composition and digestibility. Apart from from WEENDER's feed analysis technique, more recent methods were applied to determine total fat (after HCl treatment), carbohydrates (enzymatic method), lignin and amino acids. The digestibility of the nutrients was determined using growing pigs of different live weight, the test rations being made up of the cereals under and supplementations of limiting amino acids as well as vitamins and minerals. In comparison with the values from currently applied tables, the newly bred strains and varieties proved to have markedly higher contents of crude protein, digestible crude protein, lysine and energetic feed equivalents. Compared to crude fat, the total fat values proved markedly higher in the barley and wheat samples. The readily soluble and easily hydrolizable carbohydrates found with the new analysis procedure suggested, were 100% digestible in all cereal samples used. Lignin proved the constituent most difficult to digest and must be regarded as virtually undigestible in the case of pigs.