Listeria monocytogenes Infection in a Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps) – New Mexico, 2011

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram‐positive, facultative anaerobic, rod‐shaped bacterium that can infect and cause disease in many species. In this case report, we describe a case of L. monocytogenes infection causing sepsis in a sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps). The sugar glider consumed a varied diet consisting of human food items, including cantaloupe. A nationwide outbreak of L. monocytogenes foodborne illness associated with cantaloupes occurred simultaneously with this incident case. In this case, the bacterial strains from the outbreak and glider were genetically distinct. Although rare, veterinarians should be aware of the emergence of foodborne pathogens' ability to infect exotic animals residing in domestic environments.     

Clinical, haematological, biochemical and economic impacts of Trichinella spiralis infection in pigs

The purpose of this work was to assess the clinical, haematological and biochemical responses of pigs experimentally inoculated with Trichinella spiralis. Groups of three pigs were inoculated per os with 100, 500 and 5000 T. spiralis muscle larvae, two pigs were used as control. Clinical evaluation of disease in pigs included daily examination, rectal temperature measurements and cardiac and respiration rates. Haematological studies included: hematocrit (%), hemoglobin (g/dl), and white cell, neutrophil, lymphocyte and eosinophil counts. Blood biochemistry included: bun (mg/dl), creatinine (mg/dl), AST (UI/l), ALT (UI/l), CPK (UI/l) and ALP (UI/l). No significant differences were observed in rectal temperature and in cardiac and respiration rates between inoculated animals and the control group (p> or =0.05). Significant differences were detected (p< or =0.05) in the values of % hemoglobin, and eosinophils, as well as in the values of CK, ALP, AST and ALT. The variations observed in some cases were related to the number of T. spiralis larvae inoculated and varied with the number of days post-infection. Inoculated pigs showed significant differences (p< or =0.05) in weight gain when compared with uninoculated controls. This study has clinical, haematological, and enzyme alterations in Trichinella infected pigs provides a better understanding of acute and chronic trichinellosis in pigs.     

Supplementation strategies for Nellore female calves in creep feeding to improve the performance: nutritional and metabolic responses

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of supplementation strategy on performance, nutritional and metabolic characteristics of Nellore suckling female calves, on grazing Urochloa decumbens during the rainy-dry transition period. Forty-four Nellore female calves, averaging 147.6?±?1.34 kg (4 months), were used. A single supplement 20% of crude protein of dry matter was provided, consisting of daily supplement at 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, or 0.6% of body weight. A positive linear effect (P?<?0.05) on final body weight and average weight gain of female calves was observed with increased supplementation. Supplementation increased consumption, in kilograms per day, of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), digested dry matter, and total digestible nutrients (TDN), all calculated as % of dry matter. There was no effect of supplementation on the consumption in kilograms per day of neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash and protein (apNDF) (P?>?0.05). Supplementation increased, in a quadratic way, the total apparent digestibility coefficient of DM, OM, CP, apNDF, and TDN (P?<?0.05). There was no effect of supplementation (P?>?0.05) on non-esterified fatty acid concentrations. There was a positive linear effect (P?<?0.05) of supplementation on insulin concentrations. In this study, it is concluded that linearly increasing the feeding level of a supplement with 20% crude protein (% of DM) in the range of 0.2–0.6% of body weight improves the performance, nutritional and metabolic characteristics of the animals, considering these pasture characteristics.     

Changes in hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidant activity in relation to their phenolic composition during the chamber drying of red grapes at a controlled temperature

The purpose of this work was to study the variation of phenol compounds, as measured by HPLC, during the chamber drying under controlled temperature conditions of red grapes of the Merlot and Tempranillo varieties in relation to antioxidant activity. Both lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant activities in these grapes increased during the drying process; the former was measured via proton transfer in the coupled oxidation reaction between linoleic acid and β-carotene, and the second via electron transfer in the DPPH assay. The hydrophilic component was invariably greater in Tempranillo grapes, and so was the lipophilic component in Merlot grapes. Only the increase in hydrophilic antioxidant activity obtained a significant correlation with the phenolic compounds during the drying process. However, based on the phenolic fraction analysis, this result was primarily due to phenolic polymers and, to a lesser extent, also to phenolic acids, flavans, and some flavonols and anthocyans.     

Colloidosomes: selectively permeable capsules composed of colloidal particles

We present an approach to fabricate solid capsules with precise control of size, permeability, mechanical strength, and compatibility. The capsules are fabricated by the self-assembly of colloidal particles onto the interface of emulsion droplets. After the particles are locked together to form elastic shells, the emulsion droplets are transferred to a fresh continuous-phase fluid that is the same as that inside the droplets. The resultant structures, which we call "colloidosomes," are hollow, elastic shells whose permeability and elasticity can be precisely controlled. The generality and robustness of these structures and their potential for cellular immunoisolation are demonstrated by the use of a variety of solvents, particles, and contents.     

Precipitation of secondary phases of iron and its role in controlling the mobility of potentially toxic elements in soils in a semiarid river basin in Northwest Mexico

Purpose

Soils have the ability to retain potentially toxic elements (PTEs) through different chemical processes that promote low mobility of these elements, such as the precipitation of secondary phases of Fe, which facilitate the adsorption/co-precipitation of PTEs. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the mobility of PTEs present in an acid solution in two soils with different concentrations of calcite, understanding the role of secondary iron phases in the retention of these elements.

Materials and methods

To evaluate this phenomenon, intact soil columns of two different types of soils from the Sonora River in Northwest Mexico were exposed to an acid solution with high concentration of dissolved PTEs (mainly Fe, Al, and Cu).

Results and discussion

The Tinajas soil was free of carbonates while the Bacanuchi soil had more carbonate content than the Tinajas soil. Secondary precipitates corresponding to secondary phases of iron (mainly ferrihydrite and jarosite) were identified by X-ray diffraction. Using scanning electron microscopy, the PTEs retained in the soils were identified. The presence of calcite favored the neutral pH values in the collected leachates in the Bacanuchi soil; consequently, the mobility of the PTEs present in the acid solution was nullified. Furthermore, this process facilitated the retention of the toxic elements in the Bacanuchi soil.

Conclusions

The retention of PTEs was 100% in the Bacanuchi soil where the natural acid-neutralizing capacity in this soil was associated with calcite. The formation of secondary phases of Fe, among them ferrihydrite, jarosite, and schwertmannite, mainly in Bacanuchi soil, promoted the retention of Al, As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Pb (elements analyzed in this work). Results of this work can provide key insights to improve cleanup and conservation strategies in mining sites.

     

Transgene-mediated resistance to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Papaya ringspot virus</Emphasis>: challenges and solutions

Global papaya production is severely affected by papaya ringspot disease caused by Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV). Management of this potyvirus is challenging, due to 1) its non-persistent transmission by numerous aphid species and 2) the diversity of PRSV strains that exists within a country or between different geographical regions. Papaya cultivars with transgenic resistance have reduced the impact of the disease. There are no effective alternatives to transgenic resistance available in areas where disease pressure is high. In Hawaii, transgenic papayas such as “SunUp” and “Rainbow” have remained resistant to PRSV more than two decades saving the commercial papaya industry. Following the success in Hawaii, researchers from other countries have focused on developing PRSV-resistant transgenic papaya. These transgenic cultivars often demonstrated an initial transitory resistance that was ultimately overcome by the virus. For other cases, resistance was inconsistent. That is, some transgenic lines were resistant while others were not. Transgenic cultivars are now losing PRSV-resistance for various reasons in China and Taiwan. In this review, we present an update on work with transgenic papaya with resistance to PRSV. The focus is on factors affecting transgenic resistance in papaya and our attempt to explain why the Hawaiian scenario of complete and durable resistance has not been replicated in other regions. The utilization of more recent technologies to the development of virus resistance in papaya is also discussed.     

Tocopherols,Tocotrienols, and γ‐Oryzanol Contents in Japonica and Indica Subspecies of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Cultivated in Brazil

Whole rice contains several fat‐soluble phytochemicals such as tocopherols, tocotrienols, and γ‐oryzanol which have been reported to possess beneficial health properties. This study was conducted to determine whether brown rice belonging to indica and japonica subspecies were distinguishable from each other regarding the concentration of these compounds by analyzing 32 genotypes. The fat‐soluble compounds were analyzed by normal‐phase HPLC in a single run. The variability of the compounds analyzed was high, but the mean content of γ‐oryzanol across all samples was significantly higher (P < 0.01) in japonica (246.3 mg/kg) than in indica rice (190.1 mg/kg). Similar differences were found for total vitamin E contents which were 24.2 mg/kg in japonica and 17.1 mg/kg in indica rice, respectively. In japonica rice, α‐tocopherol, α‐tocotrienol, and γ‐tocotrienol were the most abundant homologs, while in indica rice the most abundant were γ‐tocotrienol, α‐tocopherol, and α‐tocotrienol. A significant Pearson coefficient (0.80, P < 0.001) between α‐tocopherol and α‐tocotrienol levels was found, independent of the subspecies. Both compounds were positively correlated to total tocols and γ‐oryzanol contents. Although more studies are needed to evaluate the interference of growing rice in different environments and multiple years, the present study provided information on natural variations of the vitamin E isomers and the γ‐oryzanol contents in different rice genotypes.     

Giant Galápagos tortoises; molecular genetic analyses identify a trans-island hybrid in a repatriation program of an endangered taxon

Background

Giant Galápagos tortoises on the island of Española have been the focus of an intensive captive breeding-repatriation programme for over 35 years that saved the taxon from extinction. However, analysis of 118 samples from released individuals indicated that the bias sex ratio and large variance in reproductive success among the 15 breeders has severely reduced the effective population size (N _e ).

Results

We report here that an analysis of an additional 473 captive-bred tortoises released back to the island reveals an individual (E1465) that exhibits nuclear microsatellite alleles not found in any of the 15 breeders. Statistical analyses incorporating genotypes of 304 field-sampled individuals from all populations on the major islands indicate that E1465 is most probably a hybrid between an Española female tortoise and a male from the island of Pinzón, likely present on Española due to human transport.

Conclusion

Removal of E1465 as well as its father and possible (half-)siblings is warranted to prevent further contamination within this taxon of particular conservation significance. Despite this detected single contamination, it is highly noteworthy to emphasize the success of this repatriation program conducted over nearly 40 years and involving release of over 2000 captive-bred tortoises that now reproduce in situ. The incorporation of molecular genetic analysis of the program is providing guidance that will aid in monitoring the genetic integrity of this ambitious effort to restore a unique linage of a spectacular animal.