Feline herpesvirus

Feline herpesvirus (FHV-1; felid herpesvirus 1 (FeHV-1)) is an alphaherpesvirus of cats closely related to canine herpesvirus-1 and phocine herpesvirus-1. There is only one serotype of the virus and it is relatively homogenous genetically. FeHV-1 is an important cause of acute upper respiratory tract and ocular disease in cats. In addition, its role in more chronic ocular disease and skin lesions is increasingly being recognised. Epidemiologically, FeHV-1 behaves as a typical alphaherpesvirus whereby clinically recovered cats become latently infected carriers which undergo periodic episodes of virus reactivation, particularly after a stress. The primary site of latency is the trigeminal ganglion. Conventional inactivated and modified-live vaccines are available and protect reasonably well against disease but not infection, although viral shedding may be reduced. Genetically engineered vaccines have also been developed, both for FeHV-1 and as vector vaccines for other pathogens, but none is as yet marketed.     

COLLAGENASE CHEMONUCLEOLYSIS—A LONG TERM RADIOGRAPHIC STUDY IN NORMAL DOGS

Five clinically normal five year old dogs were used in this study. From a randomised table inter ver tebral discs were each injected with either collagenase or calcium chloride diluent. The surgically exposed cervical discs were injected with 50 units whereas thoracic and lumbar discs were injected under fluoroscopic guidance with 100 units of the enzyme. Postinjection radiographs revealed significant (p ≤ .05) disc space narrowing in enzyme injected discs. The cervical discs had the highest frequency of radiographic narrowing (87%) followed by the thoracic (70%) and lumbar (53%) discs. Spondylosis deformans developed at the sites of cervical enzyme injections. None of the dogs had neurologic abnormalities one year postinjection.     

Survey of potato spindle tuber viroid in seed potato growing areas of the United States

Fourteen United States (U.S.) seed potato certification agencies surveyed all U.S. seed potato growing areas for presence of the potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd). The survey included general surveillance, which involved searching for the occurrence of PSTVd in state seed potato certification records from 1990 through 2000, and a field survey, which involved testing selected crops for PSTVd infection by nucleic acid dot blot hybridization during 1999 through 2001. No PSTVd incident was documented in any of the state certification records, nor was PSTVd detected in the field surveys. All U.S. seed-growing areas were determined to be free of PSTVd. It is concluded that PSTVd has been eradicated and freedom from potato spindle tuber viroid has been successfully maintained in all of the seed potato growing areas in the United States.     

Oil concentration and fatty-acid profile of naturalized <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helianthus annuus</Emphasis> populations from Australia

Although wild annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is indigenous to North America, it has been both inadvertently and intentionally introduced into other countries, such as Australia, where it has become naturalized. Prior to this research, there were no collections of naturalized H. annuus from Australia in the USDA National Plant Germplasm System gene bank. The possibility exists that naturalized Australian populations may contain distinct traits, such as oil content and fatty-acid composition, differing from their North American progenitors due to the different environments, diseases, and insect-pest complexes. The objective of this study was to collect naturalized H. annuus populations from the five states of Australia and to analyze them for oil content and fatty-acid composition. Fifty-six populations were collected throughout the broad distributional range of this species and then analyzed for oil content and fatty-acid composition. The mean oil content of the H. annuus populations was 28%, ranging from a low of 19% to a high of 31%, similar to populations of this species in its native North American habitats. Fatty-acid profiles were also similar for North American wild populations, Australian naturalized populations, and improved cultivars. Oil concentration of hybrids can be rapidly increased to acceptable levels by backcrossing with cultivated sunflower. Based on this fact, there should be little concern about the relatively low oil content of these naturalized populations when they are used as a source of other unique traits for cultivated sunflower improvement.     

Evaluating evaporation from field crops using airborne radiometry and ground-based meteorological data

Summary Airborne measurements of reflected solar and emitted thermal radiation were combined with ground-based measurements of incoming solar radiation, air temperature, windspeed, and vapor pressure to calculate instantaneous evaporation (LE) rates using a form of the Penman equation. Estimates of evaporation over cotton, wheat, and alfalfa fields were obtained on 5 days during a one-year period. A Bowen ratio apparatus, employed simultaneously, provided ground-based measurements of evaporation. Comparison of the airborne and ground techniques showed good agreement, with the greatest difference being about 12% for the instantaneous values. Estimates of daily (24 h) evaporation were made from the instantaneous data. On three of the five days, the difference between the two techniques was less than 8%, with the greatest difference being 25%. The results demonstrate that airborne remote sensing techniques can be used to obtain spatially distributed values of evaporation over agricultural fields.     

Evaluation of a radioimmunoassay for type III procollagen peptide in the dog

Type III procollagen peptide (P-3-P) is a serum marker for hepatic fibrosis in humans. The utility of a commercially available radioimmunoassay for P-3-P was evaluated in the dog. The specificity of the assay was assessed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) of canine serum and purified bovine P-3-P, followed by Western immunoblotting with rabbit aniti-P-3-P serum. The sensitivity was assessed by performing the radioimmunoassay on dilutions of sera from 22 dogs. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of purified bovine P-3-P and sera from two dogs suspected of having elevated P-3-P concentrations revealed no homologous bands of staining. Western immunoblotting showed marked cross-reactivity of the high antisera concentrations with several components of the serum proteins, but none corresponding to the purified P-3-P. All tested sera from dogs had minimal competitive binding with radiolabeled P-3-P in the radioimmunoassay. Dilution curves of dog sera did not parallel either the standard curve or the dilution curve of a known test human serum. There were no statistically different P-3-P concentrations in any of the groups of dogs studied. It was concluded that currently available radioimmunoassay kits for the measurement of P-3-P in the human are not applicable in the dog. Seemingly, the structure or metabolism of canine P-3-P may vary significantly from that of the bovine or human, limiting the sensitivity and specificity of this assay in the dog.     

Cumulative racing-speed exercise distance cluster as a risk factor for fatal musculoskeletal injury in Thoroughbred racehorses in California

Thoroughbred racehorses which suffered a fatal musculoskeletal injury (FMI) while racing or race training at a California racetrack during 9 months of 1991 were studied to determine the importance of intensive, high-speed exercise schedules prior to injury. Seventy-seven horses which sustained an FMI while racing and 45 horses which sustained an FMI while race training were successfully matched by race or timed workout session with one control horse and included in the analyses. Race and timed workout (racing-speed exercise) histories were obtained for the case and control horses. Two-month cumulative, racing-speed cutoff distances were calculated from the control horse sample by two methods. Median racing-speed exercise frequencies and distances of the control horses were used to estimate age-specific (2, 3, 4 and ≥ 5 years), 2-month cumulative, racing-speed distances (Method 1). For the second method, the last race or timed workout for each control horse occurring just prior to, or on the date of injury for the matched case horse was identified. Cumulative racing-speed distances 2 months prior to these exercise events were determined for each control horse and used to estimate median age-specific (2, 3, 4 and ≥ 5 years), 2-month cumulative racing-speed distances (Method 2). The cumulative cutoff distances estimated from both methods were used to classify each matched pair according to the presence or absence of a 2-month cumulative, racing-speed distance which exceeded the age-appropriate cutoff distance (exercise distance cluster) within 6 months prior to injury. Manlel-Haenszel matched-pair odds ratios and 95% confidence limits were calculated separately for the racing and race-training fatal injuries. The relative risk for racing FMI was significantly greater for those horses which ran 2-month, cumulative racing and timed workout distances in excess of the cutoff values determined with Method 1 (relative risk (RR) = 3.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.2, 7.6) and Method 2 (RR = 7.2, 95% CI = 2.6, 20.6). The relative risk for race-training FMI was significantly greater for those horses which ran 2-month, cumulative racing and timed workout distances in excess of the cutoff values determined with Method 2 (RR = 3.4, 95% CI =1.0, 13.2).     

Digital mapping of soil carbon sequestration potential with enhanced vegetation cover over New South Wales,Australia

Digital soil maps of soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration potential resulting from a hypothetical 10% relative increase in long-term vegetation cover are presented at 100-m resolution across the state of New South Wales (NSW) in southeast Australia. This land management outcome is considered realistically achievable for many land managers, using strategies such as revegetation, grazing management or crop residue management. A mean state-wide potential increase of 5.4 Mg ha⁻¹ over the 0- to 30-cm depth interval was derived. Assuming a 20-year period of re-equilibration, this equates to an average SOC increase of 0.27 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Sequestration potential is systematically influenced by a combination of climate, soil parent material and current vegetation cover, for example only 1.6 Mg ha⁻¹ SOC under dry conditions in sandy, infertile soil material with sparse vegetation cover, compared with 15.9 Mg ha⁻¹ under wet conditions in clay-rich, fertile soil material with moderate–high vegetation cover. The outputs could be used to identify locations of highest sequestration potential and thereby help prioritize areas and inform decisions on sequestration programmes. Future application of the method at field scale with high levels of accuracy, together with strategic sampling, may provide statistically reliable estimates of carbon sequestration, for application in carbon trading schemes such as Australia's Emissions Reduction Fund. The modelling involved a conceptually transparent ‘space-for-time substitution’ process. Multiple linear regression (MLR) and random forest (RF) modelling techniques were applied, but only MLR gave consistently meaningful results. The apparent failing of RF in this application warrants further examination.     

Champagne wine polyphenols protect primary cortical neurons against peroxynitrite-induced injury

White wines are generally low in polyphenol content as compared to red wines. However, Champagne wines have been shown to contain relatively high amounts of phenolic acids that may exert protective cellular actions in vivo. In this study, we have investigated the potential neuroprotective effects of Champagne wine extracts, and individual phenolics present in these extracts, against peroxynitrite-induced injury. Organic and aqueous Champagne wine extracts exhibited potent neuroprotective activity against peroxynitrite-induced injury at low concentrations (0.1 microg/mL). This protection appeared to be in part due to the cellular actions of individual components found in the organic extracts, notably tyrosol, caffeic acid, and gallic acid. These phenolics were observed to exert potent neuroprotection at concentrations between 0.1 and 10 microM. Together, these data suggest that polyphenols present in Champagne wine may induce a neuroprotective effect against oxidative neuronal injury.