Acute-phase protein response in pigs experimentally infected with Haemophilus parasuis

The acute-phase protein (APP) response to an infection caused by Haemophilus parasuis, the etiological agent of Glässer's disease in pigs, was characterized measuring serum concentrations of pig major acute-phase protein (pig MAP), haptoglobin (HPT), C-reactive protein (CRP) and apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) in colostrum-deprived pigs. They were divided into six experimental groups: non-immunized control group (I); immunized with a non-commercial bacterin (II); with an OMP-vaccine (III); with a sublethal dose (IV); and with two commercial bacterins (V and VI). All groups were challenged intratracheally with 5 × 10⁹ CFU of H. parasuis 37 days after immunisation. The highest levels of the positive APPs (pig MAP, HPT and CRP) and the lowest levels of the negative APPs (ApoA-I) were observed in the animals that died as a consequence of the infection, both those in the non-inmunized and in the immunized groups. However, the surviving animals (all of them in groups II, V and VI, two pigs in group III, and three in group IV) showed a minor variation in APP response, mainly on day 1 post-challenge (p.c.), and then tended to recover the initial values. APP response was still less pronounced in the groups of pigs previously immunized with bacterins. In conclusion, APP response can reflect Glässer-disease ongoing, showing a correlation between the severity and duration of the clinical signs and lesions and the magnitude of changes in the APP levels.     

Equine Sarcoid Associated with Cutaneous Habronemosis

Equine sarcoids are benign fibroblastic skin tumors affecting equids worldwide. Infection with bovine papillomavirus types 1 and 2 has been implicated as a major fact in the disease development; however, the cellular mechanisms underlying fibroblast transformation are still largely unknown. In the present study, a diagnosis of sarcoid was histologically assessed along with eosinophilic dermatitis. The sarcoid lesion expressed the viral oncoproteins E5 and E2, suggesting a causative role of the virus and its replication. Ribosomal DNA of the nematode Habronema muscae was also revealed in the lesion. This is the first report to describe and discuss an association of cutaneous habronemosis with equine sarcoid.     

Radiological investigation of an over 2000-year-old Egyptian mummy of a cat

A radiographical study of a cat mummy from the Egyptian collection of the National Archeological Museum in Parma, Italy was carried out in order to evaluate the content and to describe how cats were wrapped and mummified. The mummy contained the complete skeleton of a 4-5-month-old cat. Radiology revealed the position of the cat's body; it was wrapped to occupy the smallest space possible. In order to better position the cat, the ribs of the thorax were compressed cranio-caudally and the fore limbs were then positioned very close to the thorax. The hind limbs were flexed close to the lumbar spine and the tibio-tarsal joints were subluxated to allow the repositioning of the tarsal, metatarsal and phalanx bones cranio-caudally near the tibiae. A coccygeal vertebra was fractured in order to reposition the tail as close as possible to the body. Atlanto-occipital subluxation and a fracture/hole was present in the occipital region of the skull: whether this was made for draining skull contents as a mummification process and/or to euthanase the cat remains open for discussion.     

Effect of different solarizing materials on weed suppression and lettuce response

The effect of four solarizing plastic materials on weed suppression and yield response of two lettuce cultivars (‘Bacio’ and ‘Moringa’) grown during two consecutive seasons was investigated at Metaponto (40°23′N; 16°47′E; 10 m a.s.l.), southern Italy. All solarization treatments suppressed winter and summer weeds with no significant difference among the plastic materials, although biodegradable film was less efficient in controlling common purslane and common amaranth. Weed infestation at the harvest of both lettuce cultivars was not affected by the solarizing material, whereas fewer weeds were found in the plots grown with ‘Bacio’ than with ‘Moringa’. Lettuce yield in two successive growing seasons was always significantly higher in solarized plots than in nontreated control, without any statistical difference among the plastic materials. Yield and head quality of cv. ‘Bacio’ were higher than ‘Moringa’ in the first growing season, but the opposite occurred in the second crop. Soil solarization was confirmed to be effective for weed management in field lettuce crops in the Mediterranean areas, although weed suppression may be affected also by the lettuce cultivar. Choice of solarizing materials, when similarly effective on weeds and crop yield, should take into account also their cost. Low density polyethylene plastics emerged as the best choice in conventional lettuce crops as highly effective as, and less expensive than the other materials, whereas the use of biodegradable films should be limited to organic lettuce systems.     

Biological and molecular characterization of a recombinant isolate of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Watermelon mosaic virus</Emphasis> associated with a watermelon necrotic disease in Italy

The biological and molecular characterization is reported of a Watermelon mosaic virus isolate, denoted WMV-Le, associated with a necrotic phenotype of watermelon plants grown in the Provinces of Lecce and Taranto (Apulia, southern Italy). The fully sequenced WMV-Le genome consists of 10,045 nucleotides and is 99.1% similar to that of WMV-C05-270, a French isolate from melon of the WMV molecular group 3. Using recombination detection program RDP3, putative recombination breakpoints were identified close to nucleotide positions 42 to 1892, covering the 5′UTR/P1/HC-Pro region. The event represents the insertion of a sequence fragment of an isolate similar to WMV-FBR04-37 in the background of an isolate similar to WMV-FMF00-LL1. The field symptomatology was reproduced in watermelon plants grown in an experimental greenhouse but the virus induced severe symptoms also in Cucumis sativus, C. melo, Cucurbita maxima and C. pepo .     

Effect of the pH of heating on the qualitative and quantitative compositions of the sera of reconstituted skim milks and on the mechanisms of formation of soluble aggregates

The effect of the pH of heating (6.3-7.3) on the composition of sera in reconstituted skimmed milks was investigated. A combination of SDS-PAGE analysis and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) combined with an original approach to the analysis of the SEC profiles was performed. The composition of the sera varied greatly when the pH of heating was adjusted below and above the natural pH of milk. The formation, composition, and concentration of heat-induced soluble complexes depended on the combination of the effect of adjusting the pH of the milk and the heat treatment. Two types of mechanism for the formation of soluble aggregates appeared to exist, depending on the pH of the milk. The first type results from the formation of WP/kappa-casein aggregates at the surface of the micelle, and these were detached partially into the serum in larger amount as the pH increased up to 6.7, where it reaches a maximum. The second type of complexes, whose amount increased as the pH of heating increased from 6.7 to 7.3, may be formed between caseins (kappa- but also perhaps some alpha(s)-casein) and aggregated WP resulting in complexes that are smaller in size and with a higher kappa-casein/whey protein ratio than the first type.     

Chemical and cellular antioxidant activity of phytochemicals purified from olive mill waste waters

The isolation and identification of a phytocomplex from olive mill waste waters (OMWW) was achieved. The isolated phytocomplex is made up of the following three phenolic compounds: hydroxytyrosol (3,4-DHPEA), tyrosol (p-HPEA) and the dialdehydic form of decarboxymethyl elenolic acid, linked with (3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethanol (3,4-DHPEA-EDA). The purification of this phytocomplex was reached by partial dehydration of the OMWW, followed by liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate and middle pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC) on a Sephadex LH-20 column. The phytocomplex accounted for 6% of the total phenolic content of the OMWW. The phytocomplex and individual compounds were tested for antioxidant capacity by the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) method. The ORAC phytocomplex produced 10,000 ORAC units/g dry weight, whereas the cellular antioxidant activity, measured by the cellular antioxidant activity in red blood cell (CAA-RBC) method, demonstrated that the phytocomplex and all of the components are able to permeate the cell membrane thus exhibiting antioxidant activity inside the red blood cells. Our phytocomplex could be employed in the formulation of fortified foods and nutraceuticals, with the goal to obtain substantial health protective effects due to the suitable combination of the component molecules.     

Usefulness of volunteer data to measure the large scale decline of “common” toad populations

Measuring a species decline is pivotal to evaluate their conservation status, but an accurate assessment of demographic trends requires observations collected across broad spatial and temporal scales. Volunteers can help to collect information over large scales, but their data may be affected by heterogeneity for sampling efforts and protocols, which may influence detection probability. Ignoring this issue may conduct to misleading conclusions. Here we show that data collected by different volunteer groups can be integrated with measures of sampling efforts, to obtain information on large scale demographic trends. We collected data on 33 common toad (Bufo bufo) populations across Italy for the period 1993–2010. We used two approaches (meta-analysis; analysis of average change in population size) to evaluate the overall demographic trend. We incorporated measures of volunteer sampling efforts into analyses, to take into account changes in detection probability. Toad abundance significantly declined in the last decade. From 2000 to 2010, 70% of populations showed a strong decline, and only 10% increased. Trends were heterogeneous among populations, but taking into account sampling effort reduced heterogeneity by 40%. We detected a 76% cumulative average decline of toad populations, despite an increasing mean sampling effort. The widespread toad decline rises concern for its future, also because the causes remain unclear. Volunteer data can be extremely useful to identify large scale population trends, if information on sampling effort are recorded and used to adjust counts.     

Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii isolates in meningo-encephalitis affected striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from Italy

This study reports the occurrence of Toxoplasma gondii in the brain of three striped dolphins (Stenella ceoruleoalba) found stranded on the Ligurian Sea coast of Italy between 2007 and 2008. These animals showed a severe, subacute to chronic, non-purulent, multifocal meningo-encephalitis, with the cerebral parenchyma of two dolphins harbouring protozoan cysts and zoites immunohistochemically linked to T. gondii. Molecular, phylogenetic and mutation scanning analyses showed the occurrence of Type II and of an atypical Type II T. gondii isolates in one and two dolphins, respectively. In spite of the different molecular patterns characterizing the above T. gondii genotypes, the brain lesions observed in the three animals showed common microscopic features, with no remarkable differences among them. The role of T. gondii in causing the meningo-encephalitis is herein discussed.     

Existence of two serological subclusters of Plum pox virus, strain M

A large-scale serological characterisation of Plum pox virus (PPV) isolates was carried out with 19 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), including the universal MAb5B and the following strain-specific MAbs: AL (specific to PPV-M), 4DG5 (specific to PPV-D), TUV and AC (specific to PPV-C), and EA24 (specific to PPV-EA). The study involved 108 PPV isolates of different geographical origin (Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and Yugoslavia) and hosts (almond, apricot, peach, plum and cherry). The inter- and intra-strain serological relationships of PPV isolates were evaluated by DASI-ELISA. High serological variability was detected, not only between strains, but also among isolates of the same strain. Computer-assisted analysis of serological data support the hypothesis of the existence of two distinct subclusters, denoted PPV-M₁ and PPV-M₂, which seem to prevail in Mediterranean and Eastern–Central European countries, respectively.