Isolation of a herpesvirus serologically related to bovine herpesvirus 1 from a reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)

Serological evidence of exposure of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) to a virus related to bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV1) (Synonym: Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus) has been reported in Canada (El Azhary 1979) and the USA (Dieterich 1981). A serological survey conducted in Finnish Lapland also detected neutralising antibodies to BHV1 in reindeer sera; 23 % of 300 reindeer had detectable antibodies, whereas none of 300 cattle sera from the same region contained antibodies to BHV1 (Ek-Kommonen et al. 1982). There is currently no evidence of BHV1 infection of cattle in Finland, so the isolation and characterisation of the reindeer herpesvirus was of considerable interest. This short communication describes the isolation and preliminary characterisation of a herpesvirus from a reindeer following the administration of dexamethasone.     

Meat colour,fatty acid profile and carcass characteristics of Hereford bulls finished on grazed pasture or grass silage-based diets with similar concentrate allowance

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of grazed grass (PAS bulls) and grass silage-based (UB bulls) diets on muscle colour, intramuscular fatty acid composition and carcass characteristics of Hereford bulls with similar concentrate allowances, ages, growth rates and carcass weights. The carcass fat score of the UB bulls was 14% higher than that of the PAS bulls (P < 0.05). Muscle lightness was 5%, redness 5% and yellowness 8% higher in the UB bulls than in the PAS bulls (P < 0.05). The Longissimus muscle (LM) of the UB bulls contained a higher proportion of 14:1 and 16:0 fatty acids compared to that of the PAS bulls (P < 0.05). In contrast, the LM of the PAS bulls contained a higher proportion of 18:3n-3 fatty acid and 18:2 cis-9 trans-11 CLA compared to that of the UB bulls (P < 0.01). There were no differences in saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid or polyunsaturated fatty acid proportions of the LM muscle between treatments.     

Etiology of respiratory disease in non-vaccinated, non-medicated calves in rearing herds

The aim of this study was to examine the occurrence of bacterial, mycoplasmal and viral pathogens in the lower respiratory tract of calves in all-in all-out calf-rearing units. According to clinical status, non-medicated calves with and without respiratory disease signs were selected of the 40 herds investigated to analyse the micro-organisms present in healthy and diseased calves. Tracheobronchial lavage (TBL) and paired serum samples were analysed for bacteria, mycoplasmas, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza virus 3 (PIV3), bovine corona virus (BCV) and bovine adenovirus (BAV). Pasteurella multocida was the most common bacterial pathogen. It was isolated from 34% of the TBL samples in 28 herds and was associated with clinical respiratory disease (p < 0.05) when other pathogenic bacteria or mycoplasma were present in the sample. Mannheimia spp. and Histophilus somni were rarely found. Mycoplasma bovis was not detected at all. Ureaplasma diversum was associated with clinical respiratory disease (p < 0.05). TBL samples from healthy or suspect calves were more often negative in bacterial culture than samples from diseased calves (p < 0.05). No viral infections were detected in six herds, while 16-21 herds had RSV, BCV, BAV or PIV3. In the herds that had calves seroconverted to BCV, respiratory shedding of BCV was more frequently observed than faecal shedding. This study showed that the microbial combinations behind BRD were diverse between herds. M. bovis, an emerging pathogen in many countries, was not detected.     

Characterization of Vibrio anguillarum Strains Isolated from Diseased Fish in Finland

Characterization of V anguillarum strains (n=109) isolated from diseased salmonids was performed. Eight O serovars were found among the strains. Serovar Ol was predominant (90 %), while serovars O2, O3, O5, O8, O9, and a new serovar Va NT2, were represented by 1 or 2 strains. Two strains remained non-typeable. One of these was cross-reactive with several antisera, but had a LPS profile identical to that of serovar O8. All serovars showed specific LPS profiles. All but 1 of the Ol strains had a plasmid comparable in size to the pJMl virulence plasmid, while plasmids of different sizes were found in O2, Va NT2 and the non-typeable strains. Apart from a single strain resistant to tetracycline, all the strains were sensitive to oxolinic acid, tetracycline, and trimethoprim-sulfonamides. By their biochemical and antigenic properties strains causing vibriosis among salmonids in Finland closely resemble Scandinavian strains. Predominance of the serovars Ol and O2 suggests that commercial vaccines containing these serovars should afford sufficient protection against vibriosis in Finland.     

The potential for soil phosphorus tests to predict phosphorus losses in overland flow

Soil phosphorus tests offer a potentially powerful tool for land managers trying to predict the areas which will contribute diffuse losses of phosphorus (P) to surface water bodies through the overland flow vector – but do they work? We address this question at a range of scales, from patch (< 1 m²), through plot (several m²) to small watershed (several hectares). Our hypothesis is that as we increase the scale, and therefore the complexity of the system, soil P tests will predict P concentrations and losses associated with overland flow less well, and that this is partly due to a shift from dissolved P losses to P losses associated with eroded soil material. At the patch scale soil P tests were used to predict the P concentration and load from 24 European soils exposed to simulated rainfall under controlled conditions in the laboratory. Results showed that soil P tests were generally good predictors of reactive P <0.45 μm, but did less well at predicting total P > 0.45 μm. By combining the soil P test with measured sediment concentrations predictions of total P concentrations improved. Outdoor rainfall simulation experiments on bare soil plots (10 m²) revealed the overwhelming influence of particle bound P losses compared with P losses in the water phase. Soil P tests, which relate primarily to the dissolved P fractions in soil, were not able to predict total P losses, but were related to reactive P < 0.45 μm losses. At the watershed scale soil P tests were able to predict reactive P < 0.45 μm losses, but with considerable uncertainty. We conclude that soil P tests, in combination with sediment concentration provide a useful means of assessing the mobilization of P in overland flow, but should not be expected to provide watershed scale predictions of the movement of P into overland flow.     

Oxidation-induced leaching of sulphate and cations from acid sulphate soils

Leaching of sulphate and cations from horizon samples of two acid sulphate soils (0.9 to 1.6% S in subsoil) was studied in the laboratory. Samples were incubated and eluted with water at 20 °C and 5 °C until apparent exhaustion of leachable S resources. The leachates were analyzed for pH, SO₄-S, Fe, Al, Mn, K, Ca, Mg, and Na. Oxidation of sulphide was retarded at the lower temperature. From all the originally water-logged samples the sulphate formed was initially washed out with base cations (mainly with Mg), but the proportion of acid counter ions (predominantly Al) increased with proceeding oxidation and acid formation. In the most acid leachates, pH was 2.6 to 2.8. In the transition layer between reduced and oxidized horizons, sulphide oxidation had been going on for some time, and acid cations were the main counter ions for sulphate already at the beginning of the experiment. In the totally oxidized surface horizons, sulphate was leached only in moderate quantities, and the sum of cation equivalents (mainly base species) exceeded that of sulphate, suggesting some removal of other anions. Leaching losses in the laboratory experiment, corresponding to drainage-induced loading of waters in field experiments during the course of many decades, point out the environmental danger associated with deep drainage of potentially acid sulphate soils.     

Heterogeneous nucleation experiments bridging the scale from molecular ion clusters to nanoparticles

Generation, investigation, and manipulation of nanostructured materials are of fundamental and practical importance for several disciplines, including materials science and medicine. Recently, atmospheric new particle formation in the nanometer-size range has been found to be a global phenomenon. Still, its detailed mechanisms are mostly unknown, largely depending on the incapability to generate and measure nanoparticles in a controlled way. In our experiments, an organic vapor (n-propanol) condenses on molecular ions, as well as on charged and uncharged inorganic nanoparticles, via initial activation by heterogeneous nucleation. We found a smooth transition in activation behavior as a function of size and activation to occur well before the onset of homogeneous nucleation. Furthermore, nucleation enhancement for charged particles and a substantial negative sign preference were quantitatively detected.     

Toward direct measurement of atmospheric nucleation

Atmospheric aerosol formation is known to occur almost all over the world, and the importance of these particles to climate and air quality has been recognized. Although almost all of the processes driving aerosol formation take place below a particle diameter of 3 nanometers, observations cover only larger particles. We introduce an instrumental setup to measure atmospheric concentrations of both neutral and charged nanometer-sized clusters. By applying the instruments in the field, we come to three important conclusions: (i) A pool of numerous neutral clusters in the sub-3 nanometer size range is continuously present; (ii) the processes initiating atmospheric aerosol formation start from particle sizes of approximately 1.5 nanometers; and (iii) neutral nucleation dominates over the ion-induced mechanism, at least in boreal forest conditions.     

Dielectric spectroscopy of Scots pine

Dielectric properties of Scots pine (42 trees) were compared with density, moisture content (MC), and resin acid content (RAC) (of heartwood). The samples were measured in frozen, green, conditioned and non-conditioned dry moisture states to evaluate the potential of dielectric spectroscopy in determining the wood characteristics at different stages of wood processing. Heartwood and sapwood parts of each sample were measured separately, and through-transmission measurement was conducted in longitudinal and tangential direction at frequencies from 1 MHz to 1 GHz. The MC and density correlated significantly with the dielectric parameters in both measurement directions but especially in longitudinal direction. The RAC of the heartwood correlated significantly with tanδ and ε″/(ε′ ? 1) of the green samples measured in the tangential direction at frequencies above 200 MHz. The correlation at 1 GHz was ?0.56 for green samples, ?0.66 for conditioned samples and ?0.61 for non-conditioned samples (P < 0.001, for all). The study suggests that the extractives also affect radio-frequency dielectric responses, which might be used for extractive analyses of pine heartwood.     

Rapid formation of sulfuric acid particles at near-atmospheric conditions

We investigated the formation of new particles in a laboratory study, starting from H2SO4 produced in situ through the reaction of OH radicals with SO2. Newly formed particles were observed for H2SO4 concentrations above 7 x 10(6) per cubic centimeter. At 293 kelvin, a rough estimate yielded a nucleation rate of 0.3 to 0.4 particles per cubic centimeter per second for approximately 10(7) particles per cubic centimeter of H2SO4 (particle size >/= 3 nanometers). These findings are in agreement with observations from the atmosphere. The results demonstrate that under laboratory conditions similar to the atmosphere, particle formation occurs at atmospheric H2SO4 concentration levels.