Mitigation of pyrexia by a Th-1-biased IgG subclass response after infection with equine herpesvirus type 1 in horses pre-immunized with inactivated vaccine

The immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclass response was investigated in horses with or without pyrexia after natural infection with equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) in the field. All horses were kept at the training centers of the Japan Racing Association and were immunized with an inactivated EHV-1 vaccine before EHV-1 infection. An IgG subclass response dominated by IgGa and IgGb was induced in horses without pyrexia after EHV-1 infection. In contrast, horses that developed pyrexia showed increased IgGc and IgG (T) subclass production in addition to IgGa and IgGb. Although inactivated EHV-1 vaccines are considered to induce a mainly Th-2-biased response, these results indicated that the responses in horses inoculated with inactivated EHV-1 vaccine were not uniform, and that horses with a Th-1-biased response were likely to be protected from pyrexia.     

Resistance in leaf blades assessed by counting conidia correlates with whole-plant-specific resistance in leaf sheaths in a compatible rice–Magnaporthe oryzae interaction

Resistance in the leaf blades of rice plants against a virulent race of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae was quantitatively examined using a modified spot inoculation method. Numbers of conidia produced in the lesions were affected by plant age and paralleled the frequency of resistance infection types, which is indicative of whole-plant-specific resistance (WPSR), in the inoculated leaf sheaths of the corresponding plants. Exogenous abscisic acid treatment, which suppresses WPSR, also increased the susceptibility of the leaf blades. These results indicate a correlation between the resistance of the leaf blades and the WPSR in the leaf sheaths.     

Simultaneous detection by multiplex PCR of the high-temperature-growing Pythium species: P. aphanidermatum, P. helicoides and P. myriotylum

The objective of this study was to develop a multiplex PCR detection method for the high-temperature-growing pathogens Pythium aphanidermatum, P. helicoides and P. myriotylum. Species-specific primer pairs were designed that targeted the rDNA ITS regions. The multiplex PCR was constructed with a universal primer pair for eukaryotes directed at the 18S rDNA as a positive control, in addition to the three species-specific primer pairs. When the multiplex PCR was applied to naturally infested soils, the expected species were reliably identified, suggesting that the method is suitable for the detection of the three Pythium pathogens in environmental samples.     

Proventricular dilatation disease associated with avian bornavirus infection in a Citron-crested Cockatoo that was born and hand-reared in Japan

A 5-month-old female Citron-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea citrinocristata) that was born and hand-reared in Japan died with suspected proventricular dilatation disease (PDD). Macroscopic and microscopic examinations of the bird revealed characteristic features of PDD, i.e., distention of the proventriculus and infiltration of lymphocytes and plasma cells in ganglia of various organs and in central and peripheral nerves. A linkage of this PDD case to infection with avian bornavirus (ABV) was documented by RT-PCR amplification of the virus genomes from the affected bird. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the ABV identified in this study clustered into the genotype 2, which is one of the dominant ABV genotypes worldwide. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a natural case of PDD associated with ABV infection in Japan.     

Effects of hydroxy-aluminum on flocculation and permeability of silt and clay fractions separated from paddy soils

Flocculation tests and permeability measurements were carried out for silt and clay fractions separated from surface and subsurface horizons of four paddy soils. There was not much difference in the flocculating power between A1(OH)_2.2C1_0.8 and CaSO₄. Their flocculation value, 0.3 to 3 mM, was attained by adding the reagents at the rate of 0.24 to 2.4 mmol/100 g of the silt and clay. The flocculation with A1(OH)_2.2C1_0.8 or CaSO₄ did not affect the sediment volume of the silt and clay. This sediment volume was smaller for the surface than for the subsurface horizons of each soil, suggesting that soil organic matter and repetition of wetting and drying contribute to the stable aggregation of the silt and clay in the surface horizon. The permeability was higher for the silt and clay fractions separated from the surface horizon than that from the subsurface horizon, and the addition of 2.5 to 4.2 mmol of A1(OH)_2.2C1_0.8 or CaSO₄/100g of the silt and clay increased its permeability by 1.5 to 4 times. The effect of A1(OH)_2.2C1_0.8 was more lasting than that of CaSO₄ and was recognized even after 200 ml of water passed through 1 g of the silt and clay. The effect of the flocculating reagent on the permeability was more or less enhanced by air-drying the treated silt and clay.     

Adsorption of alkali chloride and ammonium halide on halloysite

It is generally accepted that broken bonds are the major cause of cation exchange in kaolin minerals, although the studies of a “fireclay” type of kaolin mineral (8) and hydrated halloysite (12, 15) seem to indicate that lattice substitutions, such as that found for 2 : 1 type of clay minerals, account for the fairly large parts of the cation-exchange capacities of some kaolin clays, particularly with poor crystallinity.