The pathology of natural and experimentally induced Campylobacter jejuni abortion in sheep

We describe here the gross and microscopic lesions in 18 experimentally induced and 120 natural Campylobacter abortions. In natural Campylobacter abortions, gross lesions were reported infrequently; placentitis was recorded in 6% and hepatic lesions in 4% of our field cases. Placentitis was the microscopic lesion identified most consistently in natural abortions (93%) and was often observed in association with abundant bacterial colonies in chorionic villi (54%) and less often with placental vasculitis (13%). In natural abortions, suppurative fetal pneumonia (48%), necrosuppurative hepatitis (16%), and purulent meningitis (7%) were also observed. The better-preserved specimens from experimentally induced abortions were utilized to define placental changes more precisely. Placentitis was identified in all 18 experimentally induced abortions and was observed most consistently in the chorionic villus stroma (100%), often accompanied by suppurative surface exudate (89%). An inflammatory infiltrate was less commonly identified in the cotyledonary hilus (39%) and intercotyledonary placenta (22%). Bacteria were visualized in H&E-stained sections in 89% of placentas from experimentally infected ewes, primarily as well-demarcated bacterial colonies within subtrophoblastic, sinusoidal capillaries (89%), in the cotyledonary villus stroma (89%), and within the cytoplasm of trophoblasts (22%). Transmission electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry confirmed that the vast majority of the well-demarcated bacterial colonies characteristic of Campylobacter abortion were within subtrophoblastic sinusoidal capillaries. The most characteristic microscopic lesions identified in cases of Campylobacter abortion in sheep were placentitis with placental bacterial colonies, placental vasculitis, and fetal pneumonia.     

In vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiviral activities of the essential oil and various extracts from herbal parts and callus cultures of Origanum acutidens

The essential oil and various extracts obtained from Origanum acutidens and methanol extracts (MeOH) from callus cultures have been evaluated for their antioxidative, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties. The essential oil exhibited strong antimicrobial activity with a significant inhibitory effect against 27 (77%) of the 35 bacteria, 12 (67%) of the 18 fungi, and a yeast tested and moderate antioxidative capacity in DPPH and beta-carotene/linoleic acid assays. GC and GC-MS analyses of the oil resulted in the identification of 38 constituents, carvacrol being the main component. The MeOH extracts obtained from herbal parts showed better antioxidative effect than that of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), whereas callus cultures also exhibited interesting antioxidative patterns. Concerning antiviral activity, none of the extracts inhibited the reproduction of influenza A/Aichi virus in MDCK cells. The MeOH extracts from herbal parts inhibited the reproduction of HSV-1, and also callus cultures exerted slight antiherpetic effect.     

Lipase-catalyzed acidolysis of tripalmitin with hazelnut oil fatty acids and stearic acid to produce human milk fat substitutes

Structured lipids (SLs) containing palmitic, oleic, stearic, and linoleic acids, resembling human milk fat (HMF), were synthesized by enzymatic acidolysis reactions between tripalmitin, hazelnut oil fatty acids, and stearic acid. Commercially immobilized sn-1,3-specific lipase, Lipozyme RM IM, obtained from Rhizomucor miehei was used as the biocatalyst for the enzymatic acidolysis reactions. The effects of substrate molar ratio, reaction temperature, and reaction time on the incorporation of stearic and oleic acids were investigated. The acidolysis reactions were performed by incubating 1:1.5:0.5, 1:3:0.75, 1:6:1, 1:9:1.25, and 1:12:1.5 substrate molar ratios of tripalmitin/hazelnut oil fatty acids/stearic acid in 3 mL of n-hexane at 55, 60, and 65 degrees C using 10% (total weight of substrates) of Lipozyme RM IM for 3, 6, 12, and 24 h. The fatty acid composition of reaction products was analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC). The fatty acids at the sn-2 position were identified after pancreatic lipase hydrolysis and GLC analysis. The results showed that the highest C18:1 incorporation (47.1%) and highest C18:1/C16:0 ratio were obtained at 65 degrees C and 24 h of incubation with the highest substrate molar ratio of 1:12:1.5. The highest incorporation of stearic acid was achieved at a 1:3:0.75 substrate molar ratio at 60 degrees C and 24 h. For both oleic and stearic acids, the incorporation level increased with reaction time. The SLs produced in this study have potential use in infant formulas.     

Effects of constant lightness, darkness and parachlorophenylalanine treatment on tail regeneration in the lizard Ophisops elegans macrodactylus: macroscopic, biochemical and histological changes

A better understanding of regenerative growth is very important for the development of new potential strategies. Recently, the pineal secretory product melatonin was shown to stimulate the regeneration process. In this study, we carried out an experimental investigation of tail regeneration in young adult lizards, Ophisops elegans macrodactylus Berthold, 1842, addressing the role of melatonin on the regeneration process. Lizards were divided into three groups: constant light-exposed control group (n = 13), constant dark-exposed group (n = 15) and parachlorophenylalanine (p-CPA) treatment group exposed to constant light (n = 15). Using a tail autotomy procedure, the effects of p-CPA treatment on connective tissue together with neural tissue and vascular tissue in regenerating tail in lizards were investigated. p-CPA (400 microg/kg body mass) was injected from day 0 to 30 days after autotomy. p-CPA treatment produced a significant increase in the length of the regenerated tail compared with light-exposed control and dark-exposed lizards. Total collagen content was found to be higher in p-CPA-treated animals in comparison with other groups. Histologically, a higher percentage of connective tissue and vascular tissue and a lower percentage of neural tissue were found in the regenerated tails of the p-CPA-treated lizards. Importantly, the percentage of neural tissue in lizards in the dark-exposed animals was higher than that in animals of both light-exposed and p-CPA treatment groups. Thus, it is clear that p-CPA has a stimulatory influence on fibroblast collagen production and vascularization of the regenerated tail in the lizards. Furthermore, it seems that the neural regeneration process was markedly enhanced in lizards exposed to continuous darkness. Based on the results of our study, it is suggested that melatonin may be an active factor that speeds up the rate of tail regeneration in lacertilians.     

Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Xanthomonas campestris pv. zinniae Strains

During 1997 and 1998, serious outbreaks of bacterial leaf spot disease were observed on zinnia plants grown in home and commercial gardens in Ohio, USA. Twenty-two strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. zinniae, isolated from diseased zinnia plants and contaminated seeds, were identified based on morphological, physiological and biochemical tests, fatty acid methyl ester analyses and pathogenicity tests on zinnia cv. Scarlet. Host range studies indicated that all of the X. campestris pv. zinniae strains were pathogenic on zinnia and tomato, but not on cabbage, lettuce, pepper and radish. The phenotypic and genotypic relationships among the strains determined based on serological reaction pattern, fatty acid profiles, repetitive extragenic palindromic-polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) fingerprints and sequence analysis of the 16S–23S rDNA spacer region suggested that X. campestris pv. zinniae strains were closely related to each other, but clearly distinct from other Xanthomonas species including X. campestris pv. campestris, X. axonopodis pv. vesicatoria, X. vesicatoria and X. hortorum pv. vitians tested in this study. The results also demonstrated that rep-PCR fingerprinting is rapid, reliable and the most practical method for routine detection and identification of X. campestris pv. zinniae strains.     

Effects of untreated and treated wastewater irrigation on some chemical properties of cauliflower (Brassica olerecea L. var. botrytis) and red cabbage (Brassica olerecea L. var. rubra) grown on calcareous soil in Turkey

The use of wastewater for irrigation is increasingly being considered as a technical solution to minimize soil degradation and to restore nutrient content of soils. The aims of this study were to test if wastewater irrigation could improve soil fertility without affecting the quality of soils and plants. A field experiment was conducted in 2006 to investigate the effects of irrigation with untreated, and preliminary and primary treated wastewater on macro- and micronutrient distribution within the soil profile, yield and mineral content of cauliflower and red cabbage plants grown on a calcareous Aridisol in eastern Anatolia, Erzurum province, Turkey. Wastewater irrigation affected significantly soil chemical properties in the 0–30 cm soil layer and plant nutrient content after harvest. Application of wastewater increased soil salinity, organic matter, exchangeable Na, K, Ca, Mg, plant available phosphorus and microelements, and decreased soil pH. Wastewater irrigation treatments also increased the yield as well as N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni and Cd contents of cauliflower and red cabbage plants. The highest yield, macro- and micronutrient uptake of cauliflower and red cabbage plants were obtained with the untreated wastewater. Undesirable side effects such as heavy metal contamination in soil and plant, and salinity were not observed with the application of wastewater. It can be concluded that untreated wastewater can be used confidently, in the short term, in agricultural land, while primary treated wastewater can be used in sustainable agriculture in the long term.     

An SMS based system for surveillance of wheat rust diseases: a pilot initiative in Central Anatolia region in Turkey

Rust diseases (Puccinia spp.), namely stripe, leaf and stem rusts, are among the major diseases of wheat. Their management requires integrated approaches including timely surveillance, speedy communication and rapid response. This surveillance system was developed in order to facilitate participation of extension offices (in provinces/districts) in the survey of wheat rust diseases and sharing of information quickly. The SMS based system was tested as a pilot tool in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey connecting 25 districts in 5 provinces through an SMS network during the rust development period (April–July) in 2013. The observations from 268 fields indicated that leaf rust and stem rust development was insignificant in the districts covered, occurring in only 2.3% and 1.9% of the fields respectively. Stripe rust prevalence was higher occurring in 44.8% of the fields. Of the inspected fields 2.5% had infected plant incidences between 15% and 40% requiring control measures. Using the SMS reports received from the extension officers, the system facilitated daily monitoring of rust development and exchange of observations among the relevant institutions, also sending out alert messages to designated authorities as necessary. The study demonstrated that the system can serve as a rapid surveillance and communication tool to facilitate timely decision making and rapid response to prevent wheat rust epidemics.     

Essential and non-essential element composition of tomato plants fertilized with poultry manure

Poultry manure (PM) must be disposed of from poultry farms, but is a potentially valuable source of macro- and micronutrients for plant growth. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of poultry manure on the growth of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) plants. Yields of fruits and vegetative material of plants grown in soil with 0, 10, 20 and 40 g kg⁻¹ PM added were measured. Concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Mo, Cl, Si, Br, Rb, Sr and Ba in leaves at flowering and at final harvest and in fruits were determined by polarized energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (PEDXRF). Poultry manure fertilization improved tomato shoot growth and also fruit yield and increased leaf N concentrations at the harvest stage. In addition, P concentrations of the leaves and fruits were increased as the application rate of PM was increased. Fruit Ca and Mg were significantly reduced by increased rate of PM application, but not to the extent to cause the calcium deficiency disorder blossom end rot. Applied high levels of PM slightly increased the concentrations of leaf Mo and Br at the harvest stage. Poultry manure applications had a positive effect on the concentrations of leaf Zn, Cu, Cl and Rb at both sampling stages, but leaf Si concentration was reduced by PM treatments. The concentrations of Zn and Rb were increased in the fruits by PM treatments, but the concentrations of Br were decreased. Applied PM levels had no significant effects on the concentrations of K, S, Fe, Sr or Ba in tomato plants. It is concluded that the increased fruit yield, and the increased concentration of Zn (an element required in the human diet) and the lowered concentration of potentially harmful Br in the fruit make poultry manure a valuable growing medium for tomato production.