Evaluation of ovine herpesvirus type 2 infections, as detected by competitive inhibition ELISA and polymerase chain reaction assay, in dairy cattle without clinical signs of malignant catarrhal fever

OBJECTIVE: To monitor ovine herpesvirus type 2 (OvHV-2) infection status and the association between OvHV-2 infection and development of clinical signs of malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) in cattle. DESIGN: Longitudinal study. ANIMALS: 30 mature adult cows and 18 cattle submitted for necropsy. PROCEDURE: Blood and milk samples were collected at monthly intervals from 30 adult cows for 20 consecutive months. Nasal and ocular swab specimens were also collected during months 9 through 20. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for detection of OvHV-2 was performed on blood, milk, nasal swab, and ocular swab specimens. Competitive inhibition ELISA (CI-ELISA) for detection of antibodies against MCF viruses was performed on serum samples obtained prior to study initiation and monthly during the last 12 months. Tissues obtained from herdmates without clinical signs of MCF that were submitted for necropsy were analyzed for OvHV-2 DNA via PCR assay for possible sites of latency. RESULTS: Initially, 8 of 30 cows had positive CI-ELISA results. Seroconversion was detected in 4 cows. Ovine herpesvirus type 2 DNA was intermittently detected in blood, milk, nasal secretions, or ocular secretions from 17 of 30 cows. Twenty-one cows had positive CI-ELISA or PCR assay results. No cattle in the study developed clinical signs of MCF. Results of PCR assays performed on tissue samples from 2 of 18 animals submitted for necropsy were positive for OvHV-2. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE; OvHV-2 infection can occur in cattle without concurrent development of clinical MCF. Ovine herpesvirus type 2 DNA was detected intermittently, suggesting fluctuating viral DNA loads or reinfection in subclinical cattle. A definitive site of latency was not identified from tissues obtained during necropsy.     

Antibiotic resistance among enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli from piglets and calves with diarrhea

In vitro resistance to 8 antimicrobials among enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli from piglets and calves over a 13-year period was evaluated. Least resistance occurred against ceftiofur for all, followed by apramycin and gentamicin for porcine and florfenicol for bovine isolates. No significant differences were found between the first 8 and last 5 years.     

Immunophenotypic comparison of blood and lymph node from dogs with lymphoma

Peripheral blood and lymph node tissue from 12 dogs with lymphoma was immunophenotyped. Additionally, the bone marrow was immunophenotyped in 6 dogs. The lymphomas were characterized as B-cell in 11 dogs and T-cell in 1 dog. Immunophenotypic patterns in the peripheral blood and bone marrow were variable. The trend in dogs with B-cell lymphoma was normal to increased percentage of IgG-positive cells, decreased percentage of pan-T-positive cells, decreased percentage of CD4-positive cells, and decreased CD4/CD8 ratio. Simultaneous immunophenotyping of lymph node, blood and bone marrow cannot be recommended routinely without further studies to document its value as an independent prognostic indicator. However, it is potentially useful for tumor staging and monitoring remission, especially in lymphoma patients with a leukemic phase.     

杨树木材的防腐处理

对采自山东省临沂市１５株杨树的板材和圆木用不同的加压和扩散方法进行防腐处理。依据扩散区的温度,用饱和硼酸溶液对板材进行浸渍—扩散处理６～８周,获得很好的效果;圆木用同样的方法处理,因表面太光滑,防腐剂存留量不足,效果不理想。对己部分干燥的圆木用硼酸进行冷—热槽处理,然后堆垛扩散３周,获得了满意的处理结果,用硼酸进行加压—扩散处理也获得成功。用硼酸和硫酸铜进行双重连续扩散处理,靠瞬间浸渍提供防腐剂,硫酸铜的存留量和渗透量都不足。对气干的板材和圆木用ＣＣＡ进行加压处理,防腐剂的吸收量充分,但渗透不均匀。     

Ultrasonic Investigation of the Effect of Mixing Under Reduced Pressure on the Mechanical Properties of Bread Dough

Mixing is critical to attainment of a desirable gas cell distribution in dough. By varying mixer headspace pressure, changes in the mechanical properties of dough were investigated as a function of the dough's void concentration using low frequency (50 kHz) ultrasonic techniques. For the mixer used, this allowed the volume fraction of voids (Φ) to be varied from ≈0.01 to 0.08. The ultrasonic attenuation of longitudinal waves increased linearly with increases in Φ. If, as reported, pressure reductions during mixing decrease the number density of the voids but do not affect void size, the change in attenuation is proportional to the number of voids. By contrast, the velocity of longitudinal ultrasonic waves decreased dramatically with increasing Φ in the range 0.012 < Φ < 0.03, dropping from a value near that of water to values well below the velocity of sound in air. At higher Φ, the velocity decrease was less rapid. The longitudinal elastic modulus determined from these ultrasonic results shows that the mechanical properties of the dough are sensitive to the presence of gas bubbles. At low void fractions, the elastic behavior of dough is also influenced by changes in dough matrix properties.     

A review of the biophysical properties of salmonid faeces: implications for aquaculture waste dispersal models and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture

Knowledge of the quantitative and qualitative properties of salmonid faeces is necessary for aquaculture waste dispersal models, and the design of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems. The amount and proximate composition of salmonid faeces can be estimated using a mass-balance, nutritional approach. Indigestible components of salmonid diets have the potential to affect faecal 'cohesiveness' or 'stability'. Nutrient content and density of faeces can vary depending on diet and submersion time. Faecal density has a greater influence on settling velocity than faecal size. Published settling velocity data on salmonid faeces are highly variable due to differences in fish size, rearing systems, collection time, water density, methodology, the mass fraction tested and diet. Most faecal settling data used in published salmonid waste dispersal models are rudimentary and recent information suggests that such models are highly sensitive to this input. The design of open-water IMTA systems and estimation of nutrient capture and recovery from co-cultured filter feeders is difficult due to limited information on particle size, digestibility, settleable and non-settleable mass fractions of salmonid faeces at cage environments. Implications of faecal properties on the accountability for the effects of aquaculture nutrient loading are discussed.     

Acacia plantations in Indonesia facilitate clonal spread of the root pathogen Ganoderma philippii

Ganoderma philippii is a root pathogen of many woody plants in tropical regions and is particularly aggressive to Acacia mangium, which is grown on a 6-year rotation for pulpwood in Indonesia. The disease becomes progressively worse over each rotation and control measures have met with limited success. We studied the population genetics of G. philippii to evaluate the role of sexual and asexual reproduction in its mode of spread. Populations were genetically distinct with high levels of inbreeding, and clonal spread to adjacent trees increased after the first rotation. Despite the high levels of genetic diversity seen at all sampling scales, migration rates appear low. Measures to reduce the underground spread of the pathogen as well as methods to prevent the initiation of new infections from basidiospores will be needed to reduce the incidence of root rot in A. mangium plantations.     

The need for biological realism in habitat modeling: a reinterpretation of Zharikov et al. (2006)

Zharikov et al. (2006: Landscape Ecology 21:107–120) modeled the nest-site habitat use of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) in Desolation Sound (DS) and Clayoquot Sound (CS), British Columbia. They compared known nest sites, located with radio-telemetry, with randomly-located points within the same areas. Their conclusions suggest that murrelets tended to nest in disproportionately smaller fragments within the more disturbed DS landscape; streams, steeper slopes, and lower elevations were selected in both landscapes; murrelets nested closer to recent clearcuts than would be expected in the DS landscape; and survivorship of nestlings was greater in areas with recent clearcuts and was positively correlated with recent habitat fragmentation. These conclusions are contrary to current management guidelines in British Columbia, and therefore require close scrutiny. Our detailed examination reveals flaws in their use of data, application of modeling, and most seriously, interpretation of the results. Problems include: conceptual errors in the interpretation of models; inappropriate spatial resolution; confusing use and interpretation of fragmentation and patch size data; overemphasis of statistically significant but biologically trivial results; and ignoring some contradictory studies. We conclude that it would be risky to apply the results from Zharikov et al. in the selection of murrelet nesting habitat for management purposes in British Columbia. Our review identifies issues that may arise in other ecological modeling studies and stresses the need for biological realism in addition to statistical rigour.