The use of vascular access ports in nonanesthetized green iguanas (iguana iguana) to collect baseline arterial blood gas parameters.

The green iguana, Iguana iguana, is used as a model in reptile anesthesia research because of its size, availability, and the body of knowledge characterizing its physiology. Arterial blood gas values in nonanesthetized green iguanas have not been determined because of the technical difficulty involved. Vascular access port (VAP) placement to facilitate blood sampling has been described in other species, but not lacertilians. This abstract describes the technique for placement of VAPs and the values for arterial blood gas parameters in seven 1 kg adult green iguanas. Using sterile technique, a 1.5 cm incision was made on the lateral side of the neck. Blunt dissection ventral to the external jugular vein revealed the internal and external carotid arteries near their bifurcation. The catheter was inserted into the internal carotid artery and then guided to the common carotid artery. The other end of the catheter was tunneled below the skin to a subcutaneous location, caudal‐dorsal to the iSPSilateral scapula. The skin was closed and the port was flushed twice a week with heparinized saline. Post‐operatively, the VAPs were well tolerated by the iguanas. Difficulties included port disconnection (n = 1), inability to aspirate blood after a few weeks (n = 2), and infection (n = 1). The iguanas were breathing room air prior to and during blood collection. From the five functional VAPs, the blood pH, PCO₂, PO₂, HCO^‐₃, and BE (measured at 37 °C) were 7.45 ± 0.06; 37.5 ± 7.0 mm Hg, 99.0 ±16.6 mm Hg, 25.4 ± 2.5 mmol L^–1, and 1.5 ±2.4 mmol L^–1 respectively (mean ± SD). VAPs can be successfully used to facilitate collection of arterial blood gas samples in green iguanas. These values are similar to those reported for most mammalian species. This technique should facilitate research in anesthesiology and respiratory physiology of iguanas and other lacertilians.     

大蒜素及其在畜禽生产中的应用进展

大蒜素是一种绿色环保药物和环保型绿色饲料添加剂,在畜禽养殖中应用十分广泛.本文综述了大蒜素的化学成分和理化特性、功能特点及其在畜禽养殖中的应用情况,并对其应用前景作了分析.     

磺胺嘧啶原料药生产设备的清洁验证

为验证磺胺嘧啶原料药生产设备清洁方法的有效性，从验证合格标准、取样回收率、检测方法、设备清洁后的贮存期限等方面对清洁方法进行了研究。试验证明，磺胺嘧啶原料药生产设备的清洁方法是有效的，按此方法清洁的设备其贮存期限为14天。     

Can heat‐killed Gordonia bronchialis enhance growth and immunity in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)?

In this study, the efficacy of heat‐killed Gordonia bronchialis on growth performance, immune system and gastrointestinal structure in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was evaluated. Fish (mean weight 30 g) were fed basal diet (control), or treatment diets containing 2.48 × 10⁸ (low dose) or 1.24 × 10⁹ (high dose) cells kg^?1 feed of heat‐killed G. bronchialis on a pulse basis (5 days on treatment diet; 10 days on basal diet) for 95 days. On days 95 and 105, some of the fish were sampled for analysis of mentioned parameters. On days 110 and 120, the remaining fish were injected intraperitoneally with a 20 mL L^?1 suspension of chicken red blood cells. Results showed that growth performance was significantly enhanced in both treatment groups compared with the control group. Serum complement and lysozyme activities and hemagglutination antibody titre were higher in both treatment groups compared with the control group. The length of the intestinal and pyloric caeca folds was increased in the high‐dose group. Meanwhile, the number of goblet cells was increased in both treatment groups. This study suggests that heat‐killed G. bronchialis has the potential to enhance growth, immunological parameters and the gastrointestinal structure in rainbow trout.     

Interactions between landscape structure and animal behavior: the roles of heterogeneously distributed resources and food deprivation on movement patterns

To examine how resource distributions affect the movement behaviors of fed and food-deprived Eleodes extricata Say darkling beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), we experimentally manipulated the dispersion of food to create clumped, random, and uniform distributions in an otherwise homogeneous 25-m² experimental field landscape. Quantitative measures of the tortuosity, net linear displacement, overall path length, and velocity of beetle movement pathways showed that food-deprived beetles generally moved more slowly and over shorter distances than did fed beetles. This effect was mediated by the spatial distribution of food, however; food distributed randomly over the landscape evoked more tortuous paths over larger overall distances. The foraging movements of food-deprived beetles were most different from those of fed individuals in treatments with randomly distributed food resources. These results show that the influence of spatial structure on individuals depends not only on the arrangement of pattern but also on the function that the structure plays. Thus, 'spatial structure' is defined not only by physical characteristics of the landscape but also by how that structure is used by animals.     

Rewetting and litter addition influence mineralisation and microbial communities in soils from a semi-arid intermittent stream

Nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) mineralisation are triggered by pulses of water availability in arid and semi-arid systems. Intermittent streams and their associated riparian communities are obvious ‘hot spots’ for biogeochemical processes in arid landscapes where water and often C are limiting. Stream landscapes are characterized by highly heterogeneous soils that may respond variably to rewetting. We used a laboratory incubation to quantify how N and C mineralisation in rewetted soils and sediments from an intermittent stream in the semi-arid Pilbara region of north-west Australia varied with saturation level and substrate addition (as ground Eucalyptus litter). Full (100%) saturation was defined as the maximum gravimetric moisture content (%) achieved in free-draining soils and sediments after rewetting, with 50% saturation defined as half this value. We estimated rates and amounts of N mineralised from changes in inorganic N and microbial respiration as CO₂ efflux throughout the incubation. In soils and sediments subject to 50% saturation, >90% of N mineralised accumulated within the first 7 d of incubation, compared to only 48% when soils were fully saturated (100% saturation). Mineralisation rates and microbial respiration were similar in riparian and floodplain soils, and channel sediments. N mineralisation rates in litter-amended soils and sediments (0.73 mg N kg⁻¹ d⁻¹) were only one-third that of unamended samples (3.04 mg N kg⁻¹ d⁻¹), while cumulative microbial respiration was doubled in litter-amended soils, suggesting N was more rapidly immobilized. Landscape position was less important in controlling microbial activity than soil saturation when water-filled pore space (% WFPS) was greater than 40%. Our results suggest that large pulses of water availability resulting in full soil saturation cause a slower release of mineralisation products, compared to small pulse events that stimulate a rapid cycle of C and N mineralisation-immobilization.     

Malocclusions in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)

Malocclusions are a misalignment or incorrect positioning of the teeth when the upper and lower jaws close. These are poorly described in the koala and can result in irregular mastication which can have lifelong effects on body condition and oral health. A total of 370 koalas from two populations in Queensland (295) and one in South Australia (75) were examined for malocclusions. The prevalence of malocclusions in South Australian free‐ranging koalas, captive Queensland koalas and Queensland free‐ranging koalas was 39% (44), 30% (29) and 22% (29) respectively. Four types of malocclusion were identified based on severity of misalignment of the incisor/canine region, types 1, 2, 3 and 4. Maxillary overbite measurements of the molariform teeth were determined and these anisognathic values were then used to describe malocclusions within familial relationships in captive colonies. Captive koalas with a malocclusion had narrower mandibular width that ranged between 0.5 and 1% less than the normal measurements. The specific malocclusions reported in this study affected individuals by leading to tooth rotation, mobility and erosion with inefficient mastication of food and vegetation compaction. These changes increased the oral cavity pathology, by placing animals at risk of periodontal disease. There was evidence of familial links to malocclusion types in captive animals. Therefore captive breeding recommendations should consider known koala malocclusion traits to minimise their effect on future generations.     

Formation of a Volunteer Harmful Algal Bloom Network in British Columbia,Canada, Following an Outbreak of Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning

Evidence for shellfish toxin illness in British Columbia (BC) on the west coast of Canada can be traced back to 1793. For over two hundred years, domestically acquired bivalve shellfish toxin illnesses in BC were solely ascribed to paralytic shellfish poisonings caused by algal blooms of Alexandrium. This changed in 2011, when BC experienced its first outbreak of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP). As a result of this outbreak, Canada’s first DSP symposium was held in November, 2012, in North Vancouver, BC. Three of the objectives of the symposium were to provide a forum to educate key stakeholders on this emerging issue, to identify research and surveillance priorities and to create a DSP network. The purpose of this paper is to review what is known about shellfish poisoning in BC and to describe a novel volunteer network that arose following the symposium. The newly formed network was designed for industry shellfish growers to identify harmful algae bloom events, so that they may take actions to mitigate the effects of harmful blooms on shellfish morbidity. The network will also inform public health and regulatory stakeholders of potentially emerging issues in shellfish growing areas.