Lyophilised bovine serum as a substitute for frozen serum in the cultivation of Babesia bigemina and B bovis.

Lyophilised serum offers significant advantages over frozen serum when it comes to shipping such material over long distances. Babesia bigemina and B bovis were cultured in medium supplemented by either frozen-thawed or lyophilised-rehydrated serum. There were no significant differences between the two types of medium in the growth of parasites and percentage of infected cells during subcultivation for 18 days.     

Free Flying Sparrows as Carriers of Salmonellosis

Salmonella typhimurium was isolated from nine of 60 wild sparrows trapped in the Guelph area. While this organism was isolated from birds trapped at several different locations, the highest prevalence was in sparrows trapped in close proximity to an animal clinic. The significance of these findings in relation to human and animal salmonellosis is discussed.     

Molecular and serological detection of A. centrale- and A. marginale-infected cattle grazing within an endemic area

A reverse line blot hybridization (RLB) one-stage nested PCR (nPCR) for Anaplasma centrale and a nested PCR for Anaplasma marginale were used to detect infected cattle grazing within an endemic region in Israel. A novel set of PCR primers and oligonucleotide probes based on a 16S ribosomal RNA gene was designed for RLB detection of both Anaplasma species, and the performance of the molecular assays compared. The immunofluorescent antibody test (IFA) was used to detect antibodies to both Anaplasma species, whereas, a highly sensitive and specific competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) was used to detect antibodies in A. centrale-vaccinated cattle. The RLB and the nested PCR procedures showed bacteremia with sensitivity of 50 infected erythrocytes per milliliter. Up to 93% of the A. centrale vaccinates carried specific antibodies that were detected by cELISA, and up to 71% of the vaccinated cattle were found to be naturally infected with A. marginale according to the PCR and the RLB assays. Nevertheless, no severe outbreaks of A. marginale infection occurred among vaccinated herds in this endemic region. It appears that both, molecular tools and serology are useful for evaluation of the vaccine efficacy. In the light of wide natural field infection with A. marginale, strong recommendations to continue the A. centrale vaccination program regime will continue until a new generation of non-blood-based vaccine will be developed.     

南方鲇垂体的超微结构

应用透射电镜技术,对产卵前、后性成熟野生雌性南方鲇垂体的超微结构进行研究.结果表明:南方鲇垂体呈背腹型,由神经垂体和腺垂体两部分组成.神经垂体具A1、A2和B型神经分泌纤维以及两种类型的脑垂体细胞.腺垂体观察到了8种类型分泌细胞即:促肾上腺皮质激素(ACTH)细胞、催乳激素(PRL)细胞、生长激素(GH1、GH2)细胞、促性腺激素(GTH)细胞、促甲状腺激素(TSH)细胞、黑色素细胞刺激激素(MSH)细胞和首次在鱼类报道的大型泡状细胞.产卵前、后ACTH细胞超微结构变化明显,参与促进卵母细胞的最后成熟和排卵活动;GTH细胞产卵前、后均存在激素合成和分泌等不同的生理状态,与卵母细胞的发育、成熟和排卵有关;首次在南方鲇观察到了两种超微结构差异明显的GH细胞,具有不同的生理功能,GH1细胞与卵母细胞的成熟及排卵有关,GH2细胞与生长有关.SL细胞由于数量少,未在垂体中间部观察到.