Detection,characterization, and control of bovine viral diarrhea virus infection in a large commercial dairy herd

Detection, genetic characterization, and control of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) disease in a large commercial dairy herd is reported. Precolostral BVDV serum antibody was detected in 5.3% (12/226) of newborn calves before the test and removal of persistently infected (PI) animals and in 0.4% (2/450) of newborn calves after the removal of PI heifers.     

A Serine12Stop mutation in PB1-F2 of the 2009 pandemic (H1N1) influenza A: a possible reason for its enhanced transmission and pathogenicity to humans

As the scientific community scrambles to define the ancestry and lineages of the eight segments of new pandemic H1N1 strain, we looked for unique genetic events in this virus''s genome to explain the newly found enhanced virulence and transmissibility among humans. Genome annotations of this virus identified a stop mutation replacing serine at codon 12 (S12Stop) of the PB1-F2 protein, a virulence factor in influenza A viruses. Here, we discuss the significance of this finding and how it may contribute to host specialization, explaining the virtual absence of the H1N1 influenza A virus strain in pig populations. This finding is expected to lead to a better understanding of the transmission and pathogenesis of the 2009 pandemic strain.     

Potato apical leaf curl disease: current status and perspectives on a disease caused by tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Potato apical leaf curl disease (PALCD) caused by a unique bipartite virus [tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV)] has emerged as a global threat....     

Leading the pack: Best practices in comparative canine cancer genomics to inform human oncology

Pet dogs develop spontaneous cancers at a rate estimated to be five times higher than that of humans, providing a unique opportunity to study disease biology and evaluate novel therapeutic strategies in a model system that possesses an intact immune system and mirrors key aspects of human cancer biology. Despite decades of interest, effective utilization of pet dog cancers has been hindered by a limited repertoire of necessary cellular and molecular reagents for both in vitro and in vivo studies, as well as a dearth of information regarding the genomic landscape of these cancers. Recently, many of these critical gaps have been addressed through the generation of a highly annotated canine reference genome, the creation of several tools necessary for multi-omic analysis of canine tumours, and the development of a centralized repository for key genomic and associated clinical information from canine cancer patients, the Integrated Canine Data Commons. Together, these advances have catalysed multidisciplinary efforts designed to integrate the study of pet dog cancers more effectively into the translational continuum, with the ultimate goal of improving human outcomes. The current review summarizes this recent progress and provides a guide to resources and tools available for comparative study of pet dog cancers.     

Pressure algometry to quantify muscle pain in racehorses with suspected sacroiliac dysfunction

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Despite the prevalence of orthopaedic injuries to horses, there is no objective means of quantifying the intensity of musculoskeletal pain. HYPOTHESES: Mechanical nociceptive thresholds (MNT) can be measured repeatably by pressure algometry in horses and MNTs are correlated with both severity of clinical signs and subjective scores of muscle pain on palpation in horses with suspected sacroiliac dysfunction (SID). METHODS: The technique of pressure algometry and its repeatability was tested at 4 anatomical sites on either side of the thoracolumbar and pelvic region in 12 Thoroughbreds in training. In a second series of 15 racing Thoroughbreds, using a different set of landmarks, pain on palpation was assessed by pressure algometry. Horses were grouped based on clinical scores of SID as normal (n = 5), mild (n = 5), moderate (n = 4) and severe (n = 1) suspected SID and scored for muscle pain response by manual palpation. RESULTS: Pressure algometry was shown to be a repeatable measure of MNTs. Horses with suspected SID had significantly lower mean MNT when sites and horses were pooled and showed greater differences in mean algometer measurements between left and right sides, compared to control horses. A significant correlation was found between mean pressure algometry measurements and both suspected SID grade and muscle pain response on palpation. CONCLUSION AND POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Horses with suspected SID displayed lower MNTs compared to control horses, especially in the pelvic region. This supports a potential role for pressure algometry in providing an objective means of quantifying musculoskeletal pain reflected as a reduced MNT associated with SID and its response to physiotherapy or other treatments.     

A multilaboratory evaluation of a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test for the detection of antibodies against Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in cattle.

Five laboratories participated in a study to evaluate sources of variation in results from an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for antibodies against Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Each laboratory repeatedly tested duplicates of a negative, positive (P), and high-positive (HP) serum sample, which were supplied by the United States Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service: Veterinary Services, National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Ames, IA, on all 96-well microtiter plates when routinely testing other samples for M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis antibodies. These 3 sera were aliquoted and sent to the 5 participating laboratories. This study focused on variation in test results because of assay reagents and laboratory techniques and did not account for biologic variability associated with the time course of infection in cattle. Overall, results from 868 microtiter plates were used in the study. For each sample a sample-to-positive (S/P) ratio was calculated according to the manufacturer's directions. The S/ P ratio for the P sample ranged from 0.06 to 1.039 (mean = 0.466 and 0.484 for wells 1 and 2, respectively) and those for the HP sample ranged from 2.446 to 8.727 (mean = 4.027 and 3.980 for wells 1 and 2, respectively). The majority of the variation in S/P ratio for the P sample was attributed to kit lot (37.5%), followed by random (unexplained) error (27.0%), laboratory (18.3%), and kit lot by laboratory (11.9%). By eliminating plates in which the separation between negative and positive control ODs was less than 0.4, the proportion of variation attributed to laboratory was reduced markedly. These results confirm that there is variability in M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis ELISA results and that several sources contribute to the observed variability. The study gives a relative estimate of the contribution of various sources to the overall variability observed in the M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis ELISA results with kit lot being a primary contributor. Similar data for other ELISA tests for antibodies to M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis or other antigens also should be developed.     

Efficacy of disinfectants and hand sanitizers against avian respiratory viruses

Disinfectants play a major role in the control of animal diseases by decontaminating the farm environment. We evaluated the virucidal efficacy of nine commonly used disinfectants on a nonporous surface contaminated experimentally with avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), avian influenza virus, or Newcastle disease virus (NDV). Phenolic compounds and glutaraldehyde were found to be the most effective against all three viruses. Quaternary ammonium compounds were effective against aMPV but not against the other two viruses. In addition, efficacy of commercially available hand sanitizers was evaluated on human fingers contaminated with aMPV and NDV. All three hand sanitizers tested were found to be effective against both viruses within 1 min of application on fingers.     

Evaluation of dietary protein requirement for the growth performance of minor carp,Cirrhinus reba (Hamilton, 1822) fingerlings

An experiment was designed to evaluate the requirement of dietary protein for Reba carp, Cirrhinus reba fingerlings using semi‐purified diet. Five isocaloric diets were prepared containing 20%, 25%, 30%, 35% and 40% level of protein using casein, gelatin as a major protein source. The experiment was conducted for 105 days in triplicates to evaluate the growth, survival, feed utilization, carcass composition of C. reba. Mean weight gain was highest (p < .05) in T3. Specific growth rate was highest in T3 and lowest in T1. Similarly, significantly (p < .05) highest net fish yield were recorded in T3. No significant difference was recorded in survivability. Feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio, feed conversion efficiency and protein conversion efficiency were significantly (p < .05) higher for T3 compared with other treatments. Highest carcass protein and lipid values were recorded in T3. So, conclusion can be drawn that 30% crude protein is optimum for overall performance. Furthermore, broken‐line analysis for specific growth rate, final biomass and net fish yield indicated that dietary protein level of 28.148 to 28.253% is optimum for the best growth performance of fingerling C. reba.