Myophosphorylase deficiency (glycogen storage disease Type V) in a herd of Charolais cattle in New Zealand: Confirmation by PCR-RFLP testing

AIM: To describe a disease of muscle in Charolais calves and confirm the putative diagnosis of inherited myophosphorylase deficiency.

METHODS: Variously stained paraffin sections of muscle prepared from affected calves were used to describe the lesions. A polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) test was developed and applied to affected calves, their sires, dams and other individuals.

RESULTS: The lesions were those of rhabdomyolysis of skeletal muscles and sub-sarcolemmal spaces in normal fibres. The PCR-RFLP test confirmed the expected mutation for phosphorylase deficiency of Charolais cattle in two affected calves. In addition, sires, dams and other closely-related individuals of four affected calves tested as heterozygous for the mutation. Other apparently unrelated animals also tested as heterozygous.

CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of myophosphorylase deficiency was confirmed. The PCR-RFLP test is suitable for use in controlling this recessively-inherited disorder as it can diagnose heterozygous individuals that are otherwise clinically normal.     

Colluvisols under cultivation in Schleswig-Holstein. 1. Genesis,definition and geo-ecological significance

In Schleswig-Holstein, F.R.G., two typical soil associations from loamy boulder marl and loamy pleistocene sands were mapped and ecologically characterized in order to show the necessity of an adequate classification of Colluvic Cumulic Anthrosols (Colluvisols). More than 50% of the original soils have been altered by erosion. The depth of the colluvic wM horizon ranges between 10 cm and more than 100 cm. The amounts of soil organic matter and plant available nutrients are much higher in the Colluvisols than in the haplic soils. Soil classification does not deal with all these aspects with regard to mapping of colluvic soils. In the German soil classification adequate and ecologically significant definitions and instructions of the nomenclature of colluvic soils are not available. Therefore, a proposal is presented to classify colluvic soils. In addition the threshold value of 0.6% soil organic matter in sandy parent material is too low in order to distinguish a Bv from a M horizon; 1.0% would be a more acceptable value. It would be necessary to investigate yield on erodic, non-erodic and colluvic soils in order to determine the effect of erosion and accumulation on crop yield.     

Identity of mass-flowering crops moderates functional trait composition of pollinator communities

Landscape Ecology - Pollinator declines and functional homogenization of farmland insect communities have been reported. Mass-flowering crops (MFC) can support pollinators by providing floral...     

Production of primary cell cultures on a semi-industrial scale. 1. Modification of the trypsinization procedure--possible means to improve cell yield

To produce large quantities of primary cell suspensions on efficient technique is described which is named "Biomix-Method". By this technique first tissue mince is performed automatically using tissue amounts between 300 g and 500 g. Trypsinization takes place in a three-litre trypsinization vessel using a stirring mechanism according to a defined trypsinization mode. In regard to optimal cell seeding concentration and a justifiable productivity one kidney of newborn or suckling calf yields 6--9 1 cell suspension and that of piglet 1,8-2,3 1, respectively. Proliferation behaviour and effectivity of primary cells are discussed and compared with other cell systems.     

The use of molecular fingerprinting techniques in environmental hygiene

The analysis of epidemiological pathways for the transmission of pathogens via the environment is a fundamental task in the field of environmental hygiene. The task demands for a precise differentiation between isolates. This can be done by sophisticated techniques for differentiation which are based on phenotypic or genotypic features. The fingerprinting of DNA is a powerful tool in this context. A survey is given for different kinds of RFLP-analysis, plasmid profiling, and PCR fingerprinting as well regarding their principles, methodical variations and published applications. Notable limitations of the applications are also discussed.     

SnakeMap: four years of experience with a national small animal snake envenomation registry

SnakeMap is a national cloud-based, veterinary snakebite registry. It was designed to prospectively collect data of the clinical circumstances and temporospatial information on cases of snake envenomation in dogs and cats. We herein introduce the project and summarise the data from the first 4 years of SnakeMap. The registry is a veterinary community-based online database allowing case entry from veterinary hospitals across Australia. Registry data comprise hospital characteristics, patient characteristics, envenoming snake type, treatment and outcome variables, including time and geolocation of the snake bite. We present summative information on select key variables from the SnakeMap registry (1 July 2015 to 30 June 2019). Twenty-eight hospitals from 6 states/territories entered 624 cases into the registry, including 419 dogs (67%) and 205 cats (33%). Bite time was available in 216 animals of which 90 (42%) were reported to be bitten in the 3 hours between 03:00 pm and 05:59 pm; median bite to presentation interval was 60 (interquartile range [IQR] 30, 211) minutes in dogs and 95 (IQR 41, 238) minutes in cats. Bites occurred in the owner's yard in 356 dogs (85%) and 53 cats (26%). A snake venom detection kit was used in 172 cases (28%) and antivenom was administered in 523 cases (85%). Most animals (n = 534, 88%) survived to discharge (median hospitalisation of 25 [IQR 16, 62] hours). SnakeMap effectively collects relevant clinical data from dogs and cats with presumed snake bite and provides locally specific information on the epidemiology of snake envenomation in small animals.     

A review of toxoplasmosis of animals in the U.S.S.R

Information on the serologic and parasitologic prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in domestic and wild animals of the U.S.S.R. is reviewed. Although complement-fixing antibodies to T. gondii were widely prevalent in animals, little information is available on the presence of viable T. gondii in tissues of animals. Reports of epizootics in which T. gondii was suspected to be the causative agent of toxoplasmosis are summarized. Also, the strict economic impact of toxoplasmosis on agriculture in the U.S.S.R. needs evaluation.     

Delivering high-resolution landmarks using inkjet micropatterning for spatial monitoring of leaf expansion

Background  

Inkjet micropatterning is a versatile deposition technique with broad applications in numerous fields. However, its application in plant science is largely unexplored. Leaf expansion is one of the most important parameters in the field of plant science and many methods have been developed to examine differential expansion rates of different parts of the leaf lamina. Among them, methods based on the tracking of natural landmarks through digital imaging require a complicated setup in which the leaf must remain fixed and under tension. Furthermore, the resolution is limited to that of the natural landmarks, which are often difficult to find, particularly in young leaves. To study the fine scale expansion dynamics of the leaf lamina using artificial landmarks it is necessary to place small, noninvasive marks on a leaf surface and then recover the location of those marks after a period of time.