One dose of a porcine circovirus 2 subunit vaccine induces humoral and cell-mediated immunity and protects against porcine circovirus-associated disease under field conditions

This study investigated the efficacy of a one-dose porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) subunit vaccine based on the PCV2 Cap protein expressed in a baculovirus system on two different farms at which a history of porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVD) was present. Morbidity, mortality, average daily weight gain, carcass weight, PCV2 load in serum and vaccine immunogenicity were assessed. Serology to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae was performed. A double-blind, randomised, and controlled field trial was performed distributing 818 piglets between two treatment groups. At inclusion (weaning at 21 ± 3 days of age), 408 animals (group B) received a 2-mL intramuscular dose of Porcilis PCV(?) (vaccinated group). Controls (group A, 410 pigs) received 2 mL of the adjuvant Diluvac Forte(?) intramuscularly. Weights were recorded at inclusion and at 12 and 26 weeks of age, and the average daily weight gain (ADWG) was calculated. The carcass weights of the pigs from farm 2 were recorded at slaughter (274 days old). All dead animals (died or culled) underwent autopsy to classify them as PMWS-affected or not. At each farm, blood samples were taken from 22 pigs/group for serologic studies. A beneficial effect was found after vaccination with a single dose of a PCV2 Cap vaccine against PCVD. The vaccination reduced the mortality rate and morbidity, reduced PCV2 viremia and viral load, improved productive performances (e.g. ADWG: +70 g/day between 12 and 26 weeks of age when viremia and the specific disease occurred) as well as carcass weight at slaughter age (+4.5 kg). These effects were associated with virologic and clinical protection from the immunogenicity of the vaccine measured as activation of both a humoral and a cellular immune response.     

Effects of breed and different lipid dietary supplements on beef quality

Focus of this study was to evaluate the most suitable breed/crossbred and the appropriate nutritional strategies to increase marbling in beef muscle and to improve its healthy properties, in particular the n‐3 fatty acids content. One hundred and seventy‐six heifers of three crossbreed commonly reared by Emilia‐Romagna farmers: 48 Bleu Belge × Freisian (ITA), 48 Charolais × Aubrac (FRA), and 80 Angus (ANG) were used. Animals of each breed were randomly subdivided in two experimental groups that received two diets, differing for the dietary lipid source. Control group (C) received a basal diet containing protected vegetable fats, whereas treated one (T) received the same basal diet supplemented with 0.9 kg/head/day of extruded flaxseed. After slaughtering, a sample of Longissimus thoracis was collected from each animal for meat quality analysis. Our results demonstrated that, in a shorter fattening period, ANG animals obtained the best dry matter intake, average daily gain and the best fattening scores. ITA and ANG meat presented the highest marbling scores. ANG breed had the highest amount of C18:1, the highest unsaturated/saturated fatty acids ratio and the lowest n‐6/n‐3 ratio. The T animals, independently from breed, showed the highest amount of α‐linolenic acid (ALA). In addition, ANG‐T meat presented the highest ALA content.     

Effects of oral supplementation of probiotic strains of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Enterococcus faecium on diarrhoea events of foals in their first weeks of life

Foal first diarrhoea is one of the most prominent problems in the early life of horses. Probiotics might have the potency to prevent or at least diminish neonatal diarrhoea. We hypothesised that the treatment of foals with probiotic strains of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Enterococcus faecium starting early after birth and then daily over 2 weeks would prevent or mitigate foal heat diarrhoea. The influence of this probiotic treatment on diarrhoea incidence and growth and health performance of young foals was investigated. Thirty‐four foals were randomly allocated to two groups. From day 1 to 14 of life, the foals received either placebo (PG, n = 16) or the probiotic treatment (TG, n = 18). Clinical examination was performed, and the faeces consistency score (FCS, 1–5; with diarrhoea defined by ≤3) was recorded once per day in weeks 1 and 2 and once weekly in weeks 3–8 of life (WL). The body height was measured at birth and after two and eight WL. Diarrhoea occurred in the 1st WL in 19% and 61% of PG and TG foals respectively. In the 1st WL, diarrhoea lasted 0.3 ± 0.8 and 1.6 ± 1.4 days in PG and TG foals respectively. In the 2nd WL, diarrhoea occurred in 94% and 84% of PG and TG foals, respectively, and lasted for 3.0 ± 1.5 and 3.7 ± 1.6 days respectively. At least two periods of diarrhoea developed in 33% and 65% of PG and TG foals respectively. The TG foals grew slightly slower than the PG foals. The results indicated that the probiotic treatment of neonatal foals as performed in this study was not suitable to reduce diarrhoea within the first two WL, because contrary to the hypothesis, the TG foals suffered more frequently and for longer periods from diarrhoea than the PG foals.     

Effect of hypo- and hyper-saline conditions on osmolarity and fatty acid composition of juvenile shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931) fed low- and high-HUFA diets

Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone) grown in ponds are exposed to salinities of less than 5 g L^?1 during inland shrimp culture or to more than 40 g L^?1 from evaporation and reduced water exchange in dry, hot climates. However, dietary requirements for shrimp grown in low or high salinities are not well defined, particularly for fatty acids. Feeding shrimp postlarvae with highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) enhances tolerance to acute exposure to low salinity, as a result of better nutritional status, or/and specific effects of HUFA on membrane function and osmoregulation mechanisms. This study analysed the effect of HUFA supplementation (3% vs. 34%) on L. vannamei juveniles reared for 21 days at low (5 g L^?1), medium (30 g L^?1) and high salinities (50 g L^?1). Juveniles grown at 5 g L^?1 had lower survival compared with controls (30 g L^?1) or shrimp grown at 50 g L^?1, but no significant effect on survival was observed as a result of HUFA enrichment. In contrast, growth was significantly lower for shrimp grown at 50 g L^?1, but this effect was compensated by the HUFA‐enriched diet. Osmotic pressure in haemolymph was affected by salinity, but not by HUFA enrichment. Shrimp fed HUFA‐enriched diets had significantly higher levels of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in hepatopancreas and gills. These results demonstrate that growth at high salinities is enhanced with diets containing high HUFA levels, but that HUFA‐enriched diets have no effect on shrimp reared at low salinities.     

First results of embryonic development,spawning and larval rearing of the Mediterranean spider crab Maja squinado (Herbst ) under laboratory conditions,a candidate species for a restocking program

The Mediterranean spider crab, Maja squinado, is depleted due to overfishing. The crab has virtually disappeared from areas where it was abundant, such as the Balearic Islands and the Catalan coast. Maja squinado, is economically and ecologically very valuable, and it is essential to obtain information on its biology and rearing conditions to attempt to repopulate the damaged stocks of the species in the Mediterranean basin. Herein, we describe the first successful rearing of M. squinado under laboratory conditions. Our results show that M. squinado is an excellent candidate for restocking using cultured juveniles. Two consecutive broods with a 1–4 day interbrood period were observed in the laboratory in wild‐caught females, the maximum observed duration of embryonic development of the egg mass being 32 days at 18.4 ± 0.9°C, and went through four different stages. The complete larval and first juvenile development was studied in laboratory cultures fed enriched Artemia metanauplius. At 19.6 ± 0.6°C, development from hatching to first crab moult took 17 days, and it comprised two zoeae stages and one megalopa stage. The survival rate at the different stages was monitored, and 7.13 ± 2.3% was achieved at the first crab instar.     

Relation between lipid and fatty acid composition of eggs and larval survival in white pacific shrimp (Penaeus vannamei, Boone, 1931)

In this study, lipid classes and fatty acid composition were determinedin eggs of P. vannamei as a function of survival to zoeaIII stage. Spawns were reared individually to zoea III and grouped, accordingtotheir final survival to this larval stage, into spawns of high and lowsurvival.Eggs of individual spawns were analyzed for lipid and fatty acid composition ofneutral and polar lipids and the results were then grouped according tosurvivalto zoea III. The lipids within each group (high and low survival to zoea III)were pooled for the separation of phospholipids and the analysis of their fattyacid composition.Higher levels of triglycerides, carotenoids, and linoleic (18:2n-6) acid ineggs were associated with improved survival to zoea III. Linoleic acid washigher in spawns from the high survival group in both neutral and polarfractions and in most of the phospholipid classes analyzed. Docosahexanoic acid(DHA) was not related to survival to zoea, probably because its content washighenough (> 15% of total fatty acids) to satisfy embryo and early larvaldevelopment needs. A high content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was found inphosphatidylethanolamine, lysophosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, andphosphatidylinositol compared to other phospholipid classes, suggesting aspecific role of EPA in these lipids. These results describe the specificphospholipid composition of penaeid eggs and could (potentially) be used aspredictive indicators of larval quality for research and production purposes.     

Occurrence and present status of coastal dolphins (Delphinus delphis and Tursiops truncatus) in the eastern Ionian Sea

• 1. Boat surveys aimed at studying short‐beaked common dolphins and common bottlenose dolphins in eastern Ionian Sea coastal waters were conducted between 1993 and 2003. During 835 survey days, 24 771 km of total effort was distributed within an area of 480 km², resulting in 428 common dolphin and 235 bottlenose dolphin sightings.
• 2. Individual photo‐identification was performed extensively throughout this study, making it possible to monitor the number of animals seen in the study area each year and their long‐term residency patterns.
• 3. Common dolphins declined across the study period, from 2.18 encounters/100 km in 1997 to 0.40 encounters/100 km in 2003. In contrast, there was a relatively stable presence of bottlenose dolphins, some individuals showing high levels of site fidelity and others using the area only occasionally.
• 4. The local decline of common dolphins and the low density of bottlenose dolphins appeared to reflect the general status of these cetacean species in the wider Mediterranean region, where common dolphins were classified as endangered in the IUCN Red List in 2003.
• 5. Based on the available evidence, we infer that the present unfavourable status of common dolphins in eastern Ionian Sea coastal waters is largely a consequence of prey depletion.

Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparative genome and proteome analysis of Anopheles gambiae and Drosophila melanogaster

Comparison of the genomes and proteomes of the two diptera Anopheles gambiae and Drosophila melanogaster, which diverged about 250 million years ago, reveals considerable similarities. However, numerous differences are also observed; some of these must reflect the selection and subsequent adaptation associated with different ecologies and life strategies. Almost half of the genes in both genomes are interpreted as orthologs and show an average sequence identity of about 56%, which is slightly lower than that observed between the orthologs of the pufferfish and human (diverged about 450 million years ago). This indicates that these two insects diverged considerably faster than vertebrates. Aligned sequences reveal that orthologous genes have retained only half of their intron/exon structure, indicating that intron gains or losses have occurred at a rate of about one per gene per 125 million years. Chromosomal arms exhibit significant remnants of homology between the two species, although only 34% of the genes colocalize in small "microsyntenic" clusters, and major interarm transfers as well as intra-arm shuffling of gene order are detected.     

Early embryonic administration of xenoestrogens alters vasotocin system and male sexual behavior of the Japanese quail

The copulatory behavior and the parvocellular vasotocin (VT) system of the nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) are sexually dimorphic in the Japanese quail. Embryonic administration of estradiol benzoate (EB) induces an organizational effect determining the disappearance of such a dimorphism (male shows behavior and cerebral phenotype of the female). The VT parvocellular system can therefore be considered an accurate marker of the sexual differentiation of brain circuits and a very sensitive indicator of the activity of estrogen-like substances on neural circuits. To test this hypothesis we administered diethylstilbestrol (DES), a powerful synthetic xenoestrogen, genistein (GEN), a phytoestrogen produced by soy, and bisphenol A (BPA). After 3 days of incubation, quail eggs were injected with vehicle, EB, DES, GEN or BPA. Administration of BPA caused an early blockage of development and no further analyses were done on the BPA groups. At puberty, the copulatory behavior of EB- or DES-treated male quail was totally abolished, whereas only the highest doses of GEN determined a significant decrease of the behavior. After the tests, the animals were sacrificed and perfused. The fractional area (FA) covered by VT immunoreactivity was analyzed in BST, medial preoptic nucleus, and lateral septum by computerized image analysis. The FA was significantly reduced after treatment with EB, DES and GEN at high doses. These results confirm that the sexually dimorphic VT system of the Japanese quail is a sensible indicator of the effects of xenoestrogens at the level of the central nervous system.     

Primary ureteral giant cell sarcoma in a Pomeranian

An 8-year-old male neutered Pomeranian dog was presented to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Oregon State University for surgical treatment of hydronephrosis of the left kidney and a left cranial abdominal mass. A primary ureteral mass was found during exploratory surgery, and the mass was resected and ureteral anastomosis was performed. Cytologic evaluation of the mass revealed 3 distinct cell populations, including a large number of multinucleated giant cells, a moderate number of thin spindle-shaped cells, and cohesive clusters of transitional epithelial cells. The cytologic diagnosis was giant cell sarcoma. The diagnosis was confirmed by histologic examination, and immunohistochemical staining was performed. The spindle-shaped cells and multinucleated giant cells were both immunoreactive for vimentin and spindle-shaped cells for S-100. Tumor cells did not express wide-spectrum cytokeratin, broad-spectrum muscle actin, smooth muscle actin, sarcomeric actin, desmin, BLA36, Mac 387, synaptophysin, neuron-specific enolase, glial fibrillary acid protein, or von Willebrand factor. These findings are most consistent with an anaplastic sarcoma with giant cells. This is the first case report of a primary ureteral giant cell sarcoma in a dog.