Viral respiratory diseases (ILT,aMPV infections,IB): are they ever under control?

Abstract1.?The use of vaccines is the main approach to control of the economically important poultry viral respiratory diseases infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT), avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) infections and infectious bronchitis (IB). This paper appraises the current methods of vaccine control in the light of the nature of each virus and epidemiological factors associated with each disease.

2.?Infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) exists as a single type with a wide range of disease severity. It is a serious disease in certain regions of the world. Recent work has distinguished molecular differences between vaccine and field strains and vaccine virus can be a cause of disease. Vaccines have remained unaltered for many years but new ones are being developed to counter vaccine side effects and reversion and reactivation of latent virus.

3.?Avian metapneumoviruses, the cause of turkey rhinotracheitis and respiratory disease in chickens exists as 4 subtypes, A, B, C and D. A and B are widespread and vaccines work well provided that accurate doses are given. Newer vaccine developments are designed to eliminate reversion and possibly counter the appearance of newer field strains which may break through established vaccine coverage.

4.?IB presents the biggest problem of the three. Being an unstable RNA virus, part of the viral genome that codes for the S1 spike gene can undergo mutation and recombination so that important antigenic variants can appear irregularly which may evade existing vaccine protection. While conventional vaccines work well against homologous types, new strategies are needed to counter this instability. Molecular approaches involving tailoring viruses to suit field challenges are in progress. However, the simple use of two genetically different vaccines to protect against a wide range of heterologous types is now a widespread practice that is very effective.

5.?None of the three diseases described can claim to be satisfactorily controlled and it remains to be seen whether the newer generations of vaccines will be more efficacious and cost effective. The importance of constant surveillance is emphasised and the testing of novel vaccines cannot be achieved without the use of vaccine-challenge experiments in poultry.     

Quick-cooking beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.): I. Investigations on quality

Soaking three beans cultivars (Phaseolus vulgaris L.: Great Northern, kidney, and pinto) in mixed salt solution (sodium chloride 2.5% + sodium bicarbonate 1.5% + sodium tripolyphosphate 1.0% + sodium carbonate 0.5%) resulted in 80%–85% reduction in cooking time over corresponding controls. Irradiation (-rays) at 500 krads of soaked and dehydrated beans caused a reduction of nearly 50% in cooking time. Water uptake and leaching losses for each treatment during soaking at 22°, 37°, and 45°C were investigated. High temperature (37° and 45°C) and pH (9.0) caused greater water imbibition and total solid loss than at room temperature (22°C). Organoleptic evaluation revealed that quick-cooking Great Northern beans appear to be more acceptable than kidney and pinto beans. Quick-cooking cooked beans had better in vitro protein digestibility than conventionally cooked beans. Phenolic content was found to be inversely related to in vitro digestibility.Utah Agricultural Experiment Station Journal article no. 2481.     

Comparing the value of Southern Oscillation Index-based climate forecast methods for Canadian and US wheat producers

Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) based forecasting methods are compared to determine which method is more valuable to Canadian and US wheat producers. Using decision theory approach to valuing information, the more commonly used three-phase method of El Niño, La Niña, and other is compared to a five-phase system. Because of differences in growing season and yearly SOI classification schemes, two different three-phase methods are used. The five-phase system is based on the level and rate of change of the SOI over a 2 month period. Phases are consistently negative, consistently positive, rapidly falling, rapidly rising, and near zero. As expected, results vary by the method used. Winter wheat producers in Illinois place no value on either of the SOI-based forecasting systems. Producers at seven of the 13 sites prefer the five-phase method over either of the three-phase method (spring wheat producers in Manitoba, Alberta, North Dakota and South Dakota, along with winter wheat producers in Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington). The value of the five-phase approach is up to 70 times more valuable than the three-phase approach. Producers growing spring wheat in Saskatchewan and Montana, along with winter wheat producers in Ohio and Kansas value the three-phase approach more than the five-phase. In this case, the value of the three-phase system is up to two times more valuable than the five-phase system. Depending on expected price and region, the values of the SOI-based forecasts range from 0 to 22% of the value of perfect forecasts. In both absolute and percentage of perfect forecasts, producers in Oklahoma, Texas, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and South Dakota value either system more than producers in the remaining regions. Economic value and distributional aspects of the value of climate forecasts have implications for producers, policy makers, and meteorologists. Finally, the results clearly suggest all producers will not prefer one forecast type. Forecasts need to be tailored to specific regions.