Cryptosporidiosis in buffalo calves (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bubalus bubalis</Emphasis>): Prevalence and potential risk factors

The objective of the present study was to describe the prevalence and risk factors associated with cryptosporidiosis in buffalo calves in Middle Egypt. During one year, 458 fecal samples were collected from buffalo calves less than 3 month age in 55 small scale herds and examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts. Data describing age, gender, season, and herd management practices were gathered to assess potential risk factors. Fecal examination showed that 14.19% of the examined calves were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. Calves at 1-15 days were at the highest risk (P < 0.001), and a significant relationship between season and infection (P < 0.05) was recorded. A significant association between infection and hygiene (P < 0.001), type of floor (P < 0.01) and source of water (P < 0.01) was also recorded. Statistical analysis concerning the clinical signs and fecal characteristics revealed a significant association with fecal consistency (P < 0.001), presence of blood (P < 0.01) and mucous (P < 0.01). Moreover, a significant association was found between infection and the desire for suckling (P < 0.05) and tenesmus (P < 0.05). The results of the present study demonstrated the strong relation between infections by Cryptosporidium spp. and diarrhea in buffalo calves.     

Folin-Ciocaileu比色法测定菊苣中多酚的含量

本研究采用Folin Ciocalteu比色法对菊苣（Cichorium intybus）中的多酚含量进行测定。以没食子酸为对照品,检测波长为765 nm。结果表明,在0～5 μg·mL-1范围内,没食子酸吸光度与其质量浓度呈良好的线性关系（R2=0.999 7）;对稳定性、精密度、重现性、回收率进行了试验,相对标准偏差（RSD）为 0.23%～1.60%。该方法简便、快速、准确,是检测菊苣中多酚的可靠方法。根据拟合的线性回归方程进行菊苣各器官多酚的定量测定,结果表明,菊苣根、茎、叶、花和种子中的多酚含量分别为6.71、24.00、32.03、20.34和10.17 mg·g-1。     

家蚕中肠上皮细胞增殖和分化的初步研究

通过分析家蚕自幼虫期到蛹期发育过程中肠上皮细胞的增殖与分化情况,鉴定家蚕中肠干细胞的潜在定位。采用苏木精和伊红(Hematoxylin and Eosin,H&E)染色与4’,6-二脒基-2-苯基吲哚(4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole,DAPI)染色追踪变态和发育时期家蚕中肠的形态结构及细胞组成变化,结果显示,幼虫经历蜕皮及变态时,中肠形态结构以及中肠上皮细胞组成均发生明显变化:在幼虫每个龄期的盛食期肠壁较薄,眠前期(蜕皮前)明显变厚,至眠期其厚度达到峰值;中肠上皮层存在柱状细胞(CC)、杯状细胞(GC)和再生细胞(RC)3种细胞,3种类型细胞随龄期逐渐增多,其中各龄期柱状细胞持续增多,至眠期达到峰值,靠近基底膜的小细胞在眠前期增多。利用5-溴脱氧尿嘧啶核苷(5-Bromo-2-deoxyUridine,BrdU)和磷酸化组蛋白(Phospho-histone H3,PHH3)免疫荧光染色检测到中肠上皮细胞,尤其是中肠上皮层靠近基底膜处的小细胞在幼虫各龄眠前期的增殖率最高。同时通过BrdU滞留标记实验在中肠上皮层靠近基底膜处发现了BrdU滞留阳性信号。研究结果发现家蚕幼虫蜕皮时中肠上皮层靠近基底膜处的小细胞发生快速增殖,推测这些小细胞中存在着潜在的家蚕中肠干细胞。     

羽毛角蛋白降解的研究进展

羽毛角蛋白是一种硬性蛋白,在动物饲料、复合材料、食品包装和医药制品等领域展现出良好应用前景。但因羽毛角蛋白难溶解和降解的特殊性,一般方法很难获得可溶性角蛋白,酶法相对于传统物理和化学降解法具有反应条件温和、环境污染小和降解产物稳定等优点,是具有很高实用价值的羽毛降解途径。文中重点介绍角蛋白酶对羽毛的降解作用,并概述物理、化学方法的降解原理以及角蛋白的综合利用。     

Farmers’ perceptions of the causes of low reproductive performance in cows kept under low-input communal production systems in South Africa

The objective of the study was to determine farmers’ perceptions of the causes of low reproductive performance in Nguni cows raised on communal rangelands in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Data were collected using participatory rural appraisals and structured questionnaires that were administered to 551 randomly selected farmers from ten communities in the Eastern Cape. Cattle herd sizes ranged from 3 to 11 and were mainly composed of cows. Cattle sales were ranked as the most important use of cattle in all the villages. Tick-borne diseases and poor animal condition were reported as chief constraints of cattle production in most communities. More than 60% of the interviewees reported that the age at puberty and age at first calving for their cows varied between 18 and 36, and 24 and 48 months, respectively. About 95% of the respondents reported long calving intervals and low bull numbers as major causes of low reproductive performance in cows in the communal areas. It was concluded that farmers perceived delayed age at puberty and at first calving, long calving intervals and low bull numbers as the major causes of low reproductive performance in Nguni cows raised on communal rangelands in South Africa.     

Ovicidal activity of seven <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pochonia chlamydosporia</Emphasis> fungal isolates on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ascaris suum</Emphasis> eggs

The ovicidal effect of the nematophagous fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia on eggs of Ascaris suum was tested under laboratory conditions. A. suum eggs were plated on 2% water–agar with seven fungal isolates (Isol. 5, Isol. 31, Isol. 1, VC1, Isol. 12, Isol. 22 and VC4) and control without fungus. After 5, 7, 10, 14, 15 and 21 days of incubation, approximately 100 eggs were removed from the plates and classified according to the following parameters: type 1, biochemical and physiological effect without morphological damage to the eggshell, type 2, lytic effect with morphological alteration of the eggshell and embryo and type 3, lytic effect with morphological alteration of eggshell and embryo showing hyphal penetration and internal egg colonization. The isolates effectively destroyed A. suum eggs and all types of effects were observed during the experiment. There was no variation in ovicidal capacity (type 3 effect) among the isolates (p > 0.05) throughout the experiment. After 21 days, isolate 5 showed the highest percentages of type 3 effect (58.33%). The results indicated that P. chlamydosporia (Isol. 5, Isol. 31, Isol. 1, VC1, Isol. 12, Isol. 22 and VC4) can destroy A. suum eggs and is, therefore, a potential biological control agent of nematodes.     

Circulating oxidative stress status in dromedary camels infested with sarcoptic mange

Oxidative stress is an imbalance between radical-generating and radical-scavenging activity, resulting in oxidation products and tissue damage. This study was aimed to evaluate the status of oxidative stress indices in blood of camels naturally infested with S. scabiei. Forty-seven male camels (Camelus dromedaries) were divided according to the extent of the infested area with Sarcoptes scabiei into four groups, mild (MID, n = 12), moderate (MOD, n = 10), severely infested (SEV, n = 10) and healthy control group (n = 15). Blood was used for determination of red cell count (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), serum nitric oxide (NO^•, a free radical), ascorbate and albumin concentrations, and erythrocytic values of malondialdehyde (MDA, a marker of lipid peroxidation), protein carbonyls (PC, an indicator of protein oxidation), glutathione (GSH) superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Decreased levels (P < 0.05) of RBC, Hb, PCV, albumin and ascorbate were noticed in MOD and SEV compared to controls with the lowest values (P < 0.05) in SEV except for ascorbate, where MOD did not differ from SEV. Compared to controls, NO^• gradually increased (P < 0.05) in MID followed by MOD and SEV, whereas MDA and PC were higher (P < 0.05) in MOD and SEV. PC was higher (P < 0.05) in MOD than SEV. In addition, the antioxidants GSH, SOD and CAT were higher (P < 0.05) in MID and lower (P < 0.05) in MOD and SEV compared to controls. GSH was lower (P < 0.05) in SEV compared to MOD. Besides, Hb was negatively correlated with NO^• (r = −0.68, P < 0.001), MDA (r = −0.53, P < 0.001) and PC (r = −0.73, P < 0.001). In conclusion, dromedary sarcoptosis is accompanied by a state of oxidative stress process, which increased by increasing the area of infestation, and may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease.     

一株乳酸片球菌的筛选、鉴定及其固态发酵饲料原料的产酸分析

本研究从猪的新鲜粪便中分离纯化出一株具有较强产酸效果的乳酸菌HF14,综合形态、生理生化、16SrDNA序列分析,初步鉴定该菌株为乳酸菌片球菌(Pediococcus acidilactici)。对HF14固态发酵豆粕、麸皮、玉米粉与稻壳粉等饲料原料的产酸类别进行分析发现,产生的有机酸以L-乳酸与乙酸为主,其中,发酵玉米粉的pH最低,为3.77,L-乳酸与丙酸含量最高,分别为21.91、1.03mg/g;发酵麸皮的pH降幅最大,丁酸含量最高,为0.72mg/g;发酵稻壳粉的乙酸含量最高,为6.15mg/g,L-乳酸含量最低;发酵豆粕的各个指标居中。     

Frequent use of colistin-based drug treatment to eliminate extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> in backyard chicken farms in Thai Binh Province,Vietnam

Reports of livestock infections with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-E) are increasing. Based on interviews conducted over a 6-month period, we found that veterinarians in the Vietnamese province of Thai Binh prefer to prescribe colistin-based drugs (CBD) in chicken farms. We aimed to clarify whether CBD use selects for strains of colistin-resistant ESBL-E. With the cooperation of seven local households, we detected ESBL-E in chickens’ feces after treating chickens with CBD. Phylogenetic groupings and the presence of CTX-M/AmpC genes were determined, and the multi-antibiotic susceptibility of isolates was analyzed. Our results showed that ESBL-E presented in seven chickens’ feces from two households. Seventy-two percent of ESBL-E isolates harbored CTX-M9 and the phylogenetic group A; the colistin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of all isolated ESBL-E ranged from 0.064 to 1 μg mL^?1. Moreover, ESBL-E isolates were used to experimentally select for colistin resistance, and the effect of commercial CBD on ESBL-E was investigated. The results showed that an ESBL-E strain with a colistin MIC of 4 μg mL^?1 was able to grow in media with CBD. Although CBD treatment was effective, in vitro experiments demonstrated that ESBL-E can easily acquire colistin resistance. Therefore, restrictions on colistin use are necessary to prevent the emergence of colistin-resistant bacteria.     

不同采毛方式对长毛兔血清蛋白及含氮代谢物水平的影响

文章分析了3种方式（剪毛、直接拔毛和药物拔毛）对皖系长毛兔采毛前、采毛后0、4、8、24、48 h血清蛋白及含氮代谢物变化规律的影响.结果发现：3种采毛方式均显著上调血清总蛋白和肌酐水平,而血清白蛋白仅受药物拔毛影响而显著上调;药物拔毛显著上调血清总胆红素和直接胆红素水平,同时直接胆红素还受其他两种采毛方式影响而显著下调;两种拔毛方式（直接拔毛和药物拔毛）显著上调血清尿素和尿酸水平,但剪毛对这两个指标没有影响.长毛兔在采毛后48 h内,多数血清指标可恢复到采毛前水平,或呈恢复趋势;该研究筛选获得采毛应激指标血清总蛋白和肌酐,拔毛应激指标尿素和尿酸,同时发现肌酐、白蛋白和胆红素受地塞米松的显著影响.该研究结果可为初步揭示不同采毛方式应激生化机制提供参考.