Molecular survey of Babesia canis in dogs in Nigeria

An epidemiological study of Babesia canis in dogs in Nigeria was performed. Four hundred blood samples collected from dogs in Nigeria were investigated using nested PCR and sequence analysis. On nested PCR screening, nine samples (2.3%) produced a band corresponding to a 698-bp fragment indicative of B. canis infection. Sequence analysis of the PCR products identified eight samples (2.0%) as B. canis rossi and the ninth (0.3%) as B. canis vogeli. This is the first report of the prevalence of B. canis rossi and B. canis vogeli in dogs in Nigeria.     

Rapid Mercury Analysis for the Field: Method Development and Application to Natural Gas Utility Sites

A new technique based on traditional concepts has beendeveloped for rapid, on-site analysis of mercury inenvironmental media. In this method, mercury isanalyzed by integration of thermal decomposition,amalgamation, and atomic absorption spectrometry(TDA-AAS). Sample preparation and analysis areessentially integrated into a single instrumentalsystem; solid samples can be analyzed directly,without chemical pre-treatment, in an analysis time ofapproximately 5 minutes per sample. A wide range ofstandard reference material has been analyzed byTDA-AAS. Agreement with the certified values at the95% confidence interval for all matrices testedvalidates this technique. Subsequent to validation,TDA-AAS has been used in a series of field studies inconjunction with remediation of mercury-contaminatedsoil at natural gas utility sites. Reasonableagreement has been demonstrated between TDA-AASon-site results and laboratory results usingconventional mercury analysis techniques. Independentlaboratory confirmation of the field data is notrequired as TDA-AAS demonstrates lab-quality resultson-site. This field technique has been shown tosurpass traditional laboratory methods in terms ofboth precision and detection limits. A method for theUnited States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Method 7473, has been developed and validatedbased on TDA-AAS methodology (US EPA, 1998).     

Kinetics of water‐extractable zinc release from seaweed (Fucus serratus) as soil amendment

Soil fertilization with trace‐metal rich organic fertilizers such as Fucus serratus seaweed may be an effective way to combat micronutrient deficiency. In this study the kinetics of zinc release from Fucus serratus seaweed was investigated in a packed soil column leaching experiment over 1,776 h. The release of zinc from control (soil only) and treatment (soil + seaweed; equivalent zinc application rate of 1.42 kg ha^?1) columns, measured by ICP‐MS, demonstrated two distinct release stages. The cumulative zinc release data for each phase were fitted to five kinetic models: zero order, first order, Elovich, power function and parabolic diffusion. In the first stage (0–400 hours) the release of zinc from both control and treatment was best described by a parabolic rate law, indicating release of zinc from a soluble soil reservoir. In the second stage (400–1,776 h) zinc release followed a zero order rate law indicative of slow release from an essentially insoluble reservoir. The modelled difference between the amount of zinc released from treatment and control columns in stage 1 (230 ± 11 µg) represented the total amount of zinc added via seaweed. The parabolic rate constant for seaweed zinc release was 12.09 µg g^?1 h^?0.5. In summary, the addition of F. serratus to soil is a viable source of labile zinc and a low cost agronomic option for mitigating zinc deficiency in soils.     

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Fucoidan Extracts In Vitro

Fucoidans are sulfated, complex, fucose-rich polymers found in brown seaweeds. Fucoidans have been shown to have multiple bioactivities, including anti-inflammatory effects, and are known to inhibit inflammatory processes via a number of pathways such as selectin blockade and enzyme inhibition, and have demonstrated inhibition of inflammatory pathologies in vivo. In this current investigation, fucoidan extracts from Undaria pinnatifida, Fucus vesiculosus, Macrocystis pyrifera, Ascophyllum nodosum, and Laminaria japonica were assessed for modulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine production (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and in a human macrophage line (THP-1). Fucoidan extracts exhibited no signs of cytotoxicity in THP-1 cells after incubation of 48 h. Additionally, all fucoidan extracts reduced cytokine production in LPS stimulated PBMCs and human THP-1 cells in a dose-dependent fashion. Notably, the 5–30 kDa subfraction from Macrocystis pyrifera was a highly effective inhibitor at lower concentrations. Fucoidan extracts from all species had significant anti-inflammatory effects, but the lowest molecular weight subfractions had maximal effects at low concentrations. These observations on various fucoidan extracts offer insight into strategies that improve their efficacy against inflammation-related pathology. Further studies should be conducted to elucidate the mechanism of action of these extracts.     

Effect of lignite amendment on carbon and nitrogen mineralization from raw and composted manure during incubation with soil

The application of animal manure as a source of plant nutrients requires the determination of the amount and pattern of nutrient mineralization from manure.A laboratory incubation study was conducted to investigate the influence of lignite amendment and lignite type on carbon(C) and nitrogen(N)mineralization in raw(feedstock) and composted cattle manure following application to soil at 30 and 60 t ha^-1.The mineralization of C and N was determined by measuring changes in CO2 evolution ...     

Infection dynamics of Bonamia exitiosa on intertidal Ostrea angasi farms

Bonamia spp. cause epizootics in oysters worldwide. In southern Australia, Bonamia exitiosa Hine, Cochennac and Berthe, 2001 threatens aquaculture of Ostrea angasi Sowerby, 1871. Bonamia spp. infections can display strong seasonality, but seasonal dynamics of B. exitiosa–O. angasi are unknown. Ostrea angasi naïve to B. exitiosa infection were stocked onto farms in three growing regions, and B. exitiosa was monitored seasonally for one year. Environmental parameters we measured did not correlate with B. exitiosa prevalence or infection intensities. Extreme temperatures suggest O. angasi culture systems need development. Bonamia exitiosa prevalence increased over time. After three months, O. angasi had B. exitiosa prevalence of 0.08–0.4, and after one year, the prevalence was 0.57–0.88. At some sites, O. angasi had >0.5 B. exitiosa prevalence in >6 months, but at other sites, >9 months passed before prevalence was >0.5. Bonamia exitiosa infection intensities were low with no seasonal pattern but were affected by the interaction of site, season and oyster meat:shell ratio. Understanding infection and initiating a breeding programme for resistance would provide benefits for O. angasi industry expansion.     

Inheritance of resistance toFusarium spp. and toPhytophthora infestans in crosses between Neotuberosum and Tuberosum potatoes estimated by seedling tests

Summary Neotuberosum clones with differing levels of resistance toFusarium coeruleum andFurarium sulphureum, and putative resistance toPhytophthora infestans, were selected and used in crosses with Tuberosum clones. The resulting progenies were assessed for their resistance to each of these pathogens and for breeders' preference. There was little correlation between disease scores for the twoFusarium species (r=0.21 and 0.34 for the Neotuberosum and hybrid clones respectively), indicating that resistance to each species is distinct. Statistical analyses revealed differences between the Neotuberosum parents and between the Tuberosum parents for all traits, but the Neotuberosum differences for late blight were not significant (P=0.10–0.05) when tested against the interaction between the two sets of parents. The interaction was significant forF. coeruleum and breeders' preference, but notF. sulphureum. No reciprocal differences were found. The only statistically significant correlation between traits for the 72 progenies was a small one (r=0.33; P=0.01–0.001) between the twoFusarium species; for all other pairs of traits r was less than 0.10. It is concluded that there are good prospects for combinding resistances to the twoFusarium species from different sources and also for achieving high levels of other desirable characteristics.