Specific identification of Pasteurella multocida serogroup-A isolates by PCR assay

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting the hyaC-hyaD gene was developed and used to identify strains of Pasteurella multocida belonging to serogroup-A. A set of serogroup-specific-PCR primers amplified a 564 bp product from genomic DNA prepared from bacterial cells or directly from bacterial colonies. This method detected as low as 10 ng of bacterial DNA and had a specificity of 100% for P. multocida serogroup-A. A nested PCR method yielded a single 374 bp product. All fifty isolates were also shown to be identical by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the PCR products after digestion with BglII.     

Prevalent Serotypes of Pasteurella multocida Isolated from Different Animal and Avian Species in India

Identification and estimation of the prevalence of Pasteurella multocida organisms in different animal and avian species in India during November 2000 to July 2003 was carried out. Out of 418 samples collected from different outbreaks suspected to be caused by P. multocida, a total of 206 bacterial cultures were identified as P. multocida on the basis of cultural, morphological and biochemical characteristics. All the 206 cultures were isolated from different domestic animal species (cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, pig and rabbit), avian species (chicken, duck, quail, turkey, goose) and wild animals such as leopard and deer. Serotyping of P. multocida cultures revealed the presence of various serotypes (A:1, A:3, A:1,3, A:4, B:2, D:1 and -:1) among the livestock population. P. multocida polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay applied on different forms of bacterial cultures (bacterial culture lysate, direct bacterial colony and mixed bacterial culture lysate) yielded an amplified product of approximately 460 bp specific for P. multocida. The results of PCR assay correlated well with conventional methods of identification. The present investigation revealed the presence of varied serotypes among livestock and PCR assay was found to be useful for rapid, sensitive and specific diagnosis of pasteurellosis in animals and avian species.     

Neurological trypanosomiasis in quinapyramine sulfate-treated horses—a breach of the blood–brain barrier?

Trypanosoma evansi infection typically produces wasting disease, but it can also develop into a neurological or meningoencephalitis form in equids. Trypanosomiasis in horses was treated with quinapyramine sulfate, and all the 14 infected animals were recovered clinically. After clinical recovery, four animals developed a neurological form of the disease at various intervals. Two of these animals treated with diminazene aceturate recovered temporarily. Repeated attempts failed to find the parasite in the blood or the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), but all of the animals were positive in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The calculation of the antibody index (AI) in the serum and the CSF and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of the CSF and brain tissue were carried out to confirm the neuro-infection. We found PCR and AI analyses of the CSF to be useful tools in the diagnosis of the neurological form of trypanosomiasis when the organism cannot be found in the blood or CSF. The increased albumin quotient is indicative of barrier leakage due to neuroinflammation. The biochemical changes in the CSF due to nervous system trypanosomiasis include increases in the albumin quotient, total protein, and urea nitrogen. It seems to be the first report on relapse of the nervous form of trypanosomiasis in equids even after quinapyramine treatment in endemic areas.     

Surgical Correction of Uterine Torsion and Mare–Foal Survival in Advance Pregnant Equine Patients

This article describes the surgical management of uterine torsion by midline celiotomy and cesarean section on 12 mares presented with signs of colic to a teaching veterinary hospital. The mares were either in full term of gestation (n = 7) or in advanced stage of pregnancy (n = 5). Six mares were in first parity. Uterine torsion was diagnosed by per rectal and per vaginal examinations. For surgical intervention, mares were anesthetized using a combination of xylazine (1.1 mg/kg) and ketamine (2.2 mg/kg), intravenously. After intubation, the animals were maintained on halothane (n = 4) or isoflurane (n = 8) inhalation anesthesia. Midline celiotomy was performed, and foals were delivered by cesarean section. In 11 mares, before closing the abdominal wound, the uterus was detorted manually and confirmed for its normal position. Both anesthetic protocols using halothane and isoflurane were found satisfactory for surgical correction of uterine torsion. After long-term follow-up, the study reported 75.0% (9/12) survival rate for mares. One mare was euthanized because of devitalized, necrosed, and adhered uterus to the abdominal wall. Of the nine surviving mares, seven were successfully bred. Three foals were born alive, and only one could survive on long-term basis. Of the nine dead foals, two had umbilical cord torsion.     

Effect of a novel microbial phytase on production performance and tibia mineral concentration in broiler chickens given low-calcium diets

1. In a 42-d feeding trial, 264 one-d-old, as hatched, Cobb 400 broiler chickens (6 pens per group, n = 11 per pen in a 2?×?2 factorial arrangement) were fed on two concentrations of dietary calcium (Ca) (9.0 and 7.5 g/kg in starter, 7.5 and 6 g/kg in grower phases) and supplemental phytase (0 and 500 U/kg diet).

2. During d 0–21, the high Ca + phytase diet improved body weight. During d 0–42, feed intake was increased by the low Ca diet and decreased by phytase supplementation. Feed conversion ratio during d 0–21 was improved by the high Ca + phytase diet.

3. At d 42, Ca in duodenal digesta was reduced by low dietary Ca and supplemental phytase. High dietary Ca reduced P in duodenal and jejunal digesta. Phytase reduced digesta P and increased serum P concentration.

4. Relative tibia length decreased with low dietary Ca and increased with phytase. The robusticity index of tibia was improved by the low Ca diet and phytase supplementation. Phytase supplementation increased tibia ash and concentrations of Ca, magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) in tibia. The low Ca diet increased Mg, Mn and Fe and reduced Cu and Zn in tibia.

5. It was concluded that 7.5 g Ca/kg during weeks 0–3 and 6 g Ca/kg during weeks 3–6 sustained broiler performance and bone ash, while phytase supplementation facilitated tibia mineralisation, particularly during the grower phase.     

The effect of five growth regulators on apical dominance in potato seed tubers and on subsequent tuber production

Summary Of five growth regulators applied to seed tubers in January when sprout growth had just started, only gibberellic acid (GA) materially affected apical dominance or subsequent development. GA increased the number of sprouts by one third and induced the production of many stolon-like branches. After planting, the number of main stems was greater with GA, as was the number of branch stems and tubers; total yield was not affected, but the yield of seed-sized tubers was increased by up to 70%.

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Zusammenfassung Frühere Arbeiten über den Einfluss der Keimbildung zu verschiedenen Zeitpunkten deuteten an, dass eine Kombination von früher Keimildung und Verminderung der apikalen Dominanz notwendig ist, um die Knollenzahl pro Pflanzstelle zu erh?hen. Es wurde ein Versuch gemacht, die apikale Dominanz zu verringern, indem Pflanzkartoffeln im Januar unmittelbar nach Beginn des Keimwachstums mit fünf Wachstumsregulatoren in je drei Konzentrationen behandelt wurden. Die Einzelheiten der Verfahren sind im Abschnitt ‘Material and Methods’ angegeben; ihre Wirkung auf das Keim- und Stengelwachstum sowie auf die Knollenzahl und den Ertrag sind in Tabelle 1 aufgeführt. Nur die Gibberellins?ure (GA) beeinflusste die apikale Dominanz oder das nachfolgende Wachstum wesentlich. GA erh?hte die Anzahl der Keime und der Haupttriebe um 1/3, ebenso erh?hte sie stark die Anzahl der stolonenartigen Seitentreibe an den Keimen; einige der letzteren entwickleten sich nach dem Auspflanzen wahrscheinlich in Seitenstengel. Zweimalige Behandlung der Knollen mit Konzentrationen von 50und 100 ppm verursachten ein früheres Auflaufen und eine frühere Knollenbildung; dies im Gegensatz zu Bruinsma et al. (1967) und Lovell und Booth (1967), die fanden, dass GA den Beginn der Knollenbildung verz?gere. Der frühere Beginn der Knollenbildung wurde durch das frühere Auflaufen und das fortgeschrittene Stolonen-wachstum zur Zeit des Auspflanzens erm?glicht. Es waren kein signifikanten Einfluss von GA auf den Krautertrag bei irgendeiner der drei Musterentnahmen (Abb. 1) und keine ungünstigen Symptome, wie z.B. die von andern Forschern beobachtete Chlorose, festzustellen. Unbehandeltes Pflanzgut und solches, das zweimal mit einer GA-L?sung von 5, 50 und 100 ppm behandelt wurde, ergaben 10.8, 13.7, 17.0 bzw. 19.8 Knollen pro Staude und einen Pflanzknollenertrag von 12.4, 15.6, 17.6 bzw. 21.2 Tonnen/ha (Tabelle 2). Diese Unterschiede in der Knollenanzahl waren zur Zeit des Beginns der Knollenbildung schon klar ersichtlich (Abb. 1). Die in der Literatur berichtete Unterschiedlchkeit in der Reaktion der Gibberellins?ure wird im Zusammenhang mit der Anwendungs-methode und dem Zusatand der Pflanzknolle zur Zeit der Behandlung besprochen. Man kommt zum Schluss, dass weitere Arbeiten über Faktoren, die die Aufnahme von GA durch die Knollen beeinflussen, notwendig sind, bevor die Verwendung für die Produktion von Pflanzkartoffeln für den Handel empfohlen werden kann.

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Résumé Une étude précédente sur l'effet des variations dans la durée de la germination a suggéré l'hypothèse qu'une combinaison de la germination précoce et de la réduction de la dominance apicale était nécessaire pour accro?tre le nombre de tubercules par touffe. On a réalisé un essai de réduction de la dominance apicale par application de cinq régulateurs de croissance, à 3 concentrations chacun, à des plants de pomme de terre, en janvier, au moment du départ de la germination. Les détails des traitements sont donnés dans le paragraphe ‘Materials and methods’ et leurs effets sur la croissance du germe et de la tige, de même que sur le nombre de tubercules et la production figurent au tableau 1. Seul l'acide gibberellique (GA) influence réellement la dominance apicale ou la croissance subséquente. GA augmente de 1/3 le nombre de germes et de tiges principales et augmente également le nombre de ramifications semblables à un stolon sur les germes; plusieurs de ces derniers se développent probablement en branches de tiges après la plantation. GA pulvérisé deux fois sur les tubercules aux concentrations de 50 et 100 ppm a donné une levée plus précoce, de même qu'une initiation plus précoce des tubercules, contrairement à Bruinsma et d'autres (1967), Lovell et Booth (1967) qui trouvaient que GA retardait celle-ci. Il est possible que l'initiation plus précoce précoce soit due à une levée plus rapide et à une croissance plus avancée de stolons au moment de la plantation. Il ne se révèle aucun effet significatif de GA sur le développement foliaire à aucun des trois arrachages d'échantillons (Fig. 1) et aucun sympt?me nuisible, telle la chlorose signalée par certains chercheurs, n'a été observée. Les plants non traités et ceux traités deux fois avec des solutions de GA de 5, 50 et 100 ppm donnaient 10,8, 13,7, 17 et 19,8 tubercules par touffe, et les productions de plants étaient de 12,4, 15,6, 17,6 et 21,2 tonnes/ha respectivement (Tableau 2). Ces différences dans les nombres de tubercules apparaissent clairement au moment de l'initiation des tubercules (Fig. 1). L'auteur discute des variations dans la réaction à l'acide gibberellique rapportées dans la littérature en fonction de la méthode d'application et de l'état du plant au moment du traitement; il conclut qu'une recherche ultérieure sur les facteurs qui affectent l'absorption de GA par les tubercules est nécessaire avant que l'on puisse recommander son utilisation dans la production commerciale de plants.

     

Nutritional stress as a cause of thymic atrophy in broiler chickens

A study was conducted to examine the effect of nutritional stress on the development of the thymus, bursa, and pancreas of 7-to-14-day-old commercial meat-type chickens. One group of 7-day-old chickens was given access to food for only 30 minutes daily for 7 days. The birds were necropsied, and the thymus, pancreas, and bursa were compared with those of the control chickens fed ad libitum and necropsied at 7 and 14 days of age. The thymuses from birds on the restricted diet were atrophied (0.45 +/- 0.08 g) and congested compared with the thymuses from chickens fed ad libitum (1.32 +/- 0.31 g). The bursae from chickens on a restricted diet were also smaller (0.26 +/- 0.08 g) than the bursae from birds with free access to food (0.74 +/- 0.11 g). The restricted diet did not appear to cause any gross or histological pancreatic changes. The thymic lesions produced by nutritional stress were similar to those observed in the runting/stunting syndrome.     

TREATMENT OF DIAPHRAGMATIC HERNIA IN BUFFALOES

The surgical treatment of diaphragmatic hernia attempted on 19 lactating buffaloes is described. Thirteen cases recovered uneventfully, 1 recovered after developing brisket oedema and 5 died, 3 during surgery and 2 postoperatively. The desired depth of anaesthesia was achieved by the administration of 6% chloral hydrate followed by 5% thiopentone sodium. A postxiphoid approach and the use of a continuous lock stitch suture were preferred to repair the vent in the diaphragm. Pre- and post-operative use of hydrocortisones and fluids and sufficient tissue oxygenation by controlled positive pressure respiration are believed to be keys to the success of the treatment adopted.