Single immunization with an inactivated vaccine protects sheep from Schmallenberg virus infection

The arthropod-borne Schmallenberg virus (SBV), family Orthobunyaviridae, emerged in Europe in 2011. SBV is associated with a mild disease in adult ruminants but fetal malformation after an infection during a critical phase of pregnancy. A number of inactivated vaccines have been developed; their efficacy after two injections was demonstrated. To make the vaccination of sheep more efficient and economic the effect of a single immunization with one of these vaccines was investigated in the present study. Five vaccinated sheep and five additional control sheep were inoculated with SBV three weeks after vaccination and the results of a competitive ELISA, a standard microneutralization test and an SBV-specific real-time RT-PCR confirmed vaccine efficacy by demonstrating complete inhibition of viral replication in immunized animals.     

National character does not reflect mean personality trait levels in 49 cultures

Most people hold beliefs about personality characteristics typical of members of their own and others' cultures. These perceptions of national character may be generalizations from personal experience, stereotypes with a "kernel of truth," or inaccurate stereotypes. We obtained national character ratings of 3989 people from 49 cultures and compared them with the average personality scores of culture members assessed by observer ratings and self-reports. National character ratings were reliable but did not converge with assessed traits. Perceptions of national character thus appear to be unfounded stereotypes that may serve the function of maintaining a national identity.     

Kilimanjaro ice core records: evidence of holocene climate change in tropical Africa

Six ice cores from Kilimanjaro provide an approximately 11.7-thousand-year record of Holocene climate and environmental variability for eastern equatorial Africa, including three periods of abrupt climate change: approximately 8.3, approximately 5.2, and approximately 4 thousand years ago (ka). The latter is coincident with the "First Dark Age," the period of the greatest historically recorded drought in tropical Africa. Variable deposition of F- and Na+ during the African Humid Period suggests rapidly fluctuating lake levels between approximately 11.7 and 4 ka. Over the 20th century, the areal extent of Kilimanjaro's ice fields has decreased approximately 80%, and if current climatological conditions persist, the remaining ice fields are likely to disappear between 2015 and 2020.     

Eop1 from a Rubus strain of Erwinia amylovora functions as a host-range limiting factor

Strains of Erwinia amylovora, the bacterium causing the disease fire blight of rosaceous plants, are separated into two groups based on host range: Spiraeoideae and Rubus strains. Spiraeoideae strains have wide host ranges, infecting plants in many rosaceous genera, including apple and pear. In the field, Rubus strains infect the genus Rubus exclusively, which includes raspberry and blackberry. Based on comparisons of limited sequence data from a Rubus and a Spiraeoideae strain, the gene eop1 was identified as unusually divergent, and it was selected as a possible host specificity factor. To test this, eop1 genes from a Rubus strain and a Spiraeoideae strain were cloned and mutated. Expression of the Rubus-strain eop1 reduced the virulence of E. amylovora in immature pear fruit and in apple shoots. Sequencing the orfA-eop1 regions of several strains of E. amylovora confirmed that forms of eop1 are conserved among strains with similar host ranges. This work provides evidence that eop1 from a Rubus-specific strain can function as a determinant of host specificity in E. amylovora.     

A rapid quantitative bioassay for the determination of biologically available bromacil in soils

A simple rapid bioassay is described for the determination of biologically available bromacil residues in soils. A clear aqueous extract was made from a soil fortified with a known amount of the herbicide, and similar extracts were made from samples of soil taken from plots that had been sprayed with a bromacil formulation at a rate of 4 kg ha⁻¹. Samples of these extracts were added to a suspension of the unicellular green alga Selenastrum capricornutum. The net photosynthetic oxygen production by the alga was then measured using an oxygen electrode. The results were expressed as a percentage of the oxygen production by a control suspension. The concentration of biologically available bromacil was determined by reference to a previously established dose-response curve of the percentage reduction in oxygen production against bromacil concentration. The accuracy of this bioassay was determined by comparing the results with those obtained using capillary gas-liquid chromatography. The results obtained by the two different methods showed good agreement.     

The "Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut": past, present and future of research in infectious diseases of animals

The Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, founded in 1910 by Friedrich Loeffler, the discoverer of the first animal virus, foot-and-mouth disease virus, is the oldest virological research facility in the world. Beyond viruses, its area of competence has significantly expanded since its foundation and now also covers bacterial, parasitic and prion diseases of livestock, poultry and aquatic animals. Presently located at four sites within Germany (Insel Riems, Jena,Tübingen,Wusterhausen) the tasks of the institute as delineated in the Animal Disease Act encompass research on infectious animal diseases including zoonoses, import/export examinations, epidemiological studies in case of outbreaks of notifiable animal diseases, acting as reference laboratory for notifiable animal diseases and nationwide quality management of diagnosis of notifiable animal diseases. It is obliged to publish and maintain up-to-date diagnostic regimes for notifiable animal diseases, and it publishes a yearly report on animal health in Germany. With the increasing importance of infectious diseases of animals, in particular those potentially harmful to man (zoonoses), the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut will be moving into new facilities including laboratories and animal facilities up to the highest biosafety level at its main site Insel Riems on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.     

Arbeitsergebnisse aus der Projektgruppe „Krankheiten im Getreide“ der Deutschen Phytomedizinischen Gesellschaft e. V.

Zusammenfassung In den Jahren 1989 bis 1992 wurde in bundesweit durchgeführten Feldversuchen eine Bekämpfungsschwelle für Blatt- und Ährenkrankheiten in unterschiedlich widerstandsfähigen Winterweizensorten überprüft. Nach vergleichbarem Muster lief die Überprüfung verschiedener Schwellenwerte in Winterroggen, Winter- und Sommergerste von 1992 bis 1995 ab.Mit von 1995 bis 1998 ebenfalls mehrfaktoriell angelegten Feldversuchen beteiligte sich die Projektgruppe an dem Vorhaben der Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (BLE) Untersuchungen zum Einfluss unterschiedlicher Pflanzenschutzmaßnahmen auf den Mykotoxingehalt und den Fusarium-Besatz im Erntegut von Getreide (1997–2000). Ergänzt um Beiträge der Projektgruppenteilnehmer aus dem eigenen Forschungs- und Entwicklungsbereich wurden die Erkenntnisse der Projektgruppe zu diesem Themenkomplex im Rahmen eines Workshops im November 2002 vorgestellt und mit ca. 120 Fachleuten aus Ministerien, der Produktionstechnik sowie den vor- und nachgelagerten Bereichen diskutiert.Darüber hinaus wurden in verschiedenen Redaktionsgruppen Bekämpfungsschwellen harmonisiert (1996) und Umfrageergebnisse zu den Ursachen der Entwicklung einer Fungizidresistenz (2001) sowie zum regionalen Ausmaß unterschiedlicher Vorfrüchte und Bodenbearbeitungsverfahren zu Winterweizen im Zusammenhang mit dem Komplex Ährenfusariosen/Mykotoxine (2002) bearbeitet.Als weitere Schwerpunkte wurden Gaeumannomyces graminis, Saatzeitversuche in Winterweizen sowie nichtparasitäre und Ramularia-Blattflecken behandelt. Die Frage nach möglichen Auswirkungen der ab 01.01.2005 gültigen EU-Agrarreform, des Pflanzenschutzmittelreduktionsprogramms der Bundesregierung und des Klimawandels auf den Pflanzenschutz wird aufgeworfen.