Dry matter and primary nutrient accumulation in soybeans as affected by combined Nitrogen levels

Nodulating and non‐nodulating soybeans were grown on a Alfic Udipsamment and a Typic Hapludoll amended with 10 or 100 kg N/ha. Tissue and grain samples were analyzed to determine N₂‐fixation, dry matter, and N, P, and K accumulation. Highest grain yields were associated with the highest levels of N₂‐fixation and N and K accumulation in grain. The largest dry matter production was by nodulating plants grown on a high soil N regime. Nodulating plants accumulated more grain and tissue N, P, and K than non‐nodulating plants. Nitrogen stress increased P concentrations in both grain and tissue and decreased harvest indices.     

Drinking water treatment processes for removal of Cryptosporidium and Giardia

Major waterborne cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis outbreaks associated with contaminated drinking water have been linked to evidence of suboptimal treatment. Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts are particularly more resistant than Giardia lamblia cysts to removal and inactivation by conventional water treatment (coagulation, sedimentation, filtration and chlorine disinfection); therefore, extensive research has been focused on the optimization of treatment processes and application of new technologies to reduce concentrations of viable/infectious oocysts to a level that prevents disease. The majority of the data on the performance of treatment processes to remove cysts and oocysts from drinking water have been obtained from pilot-tests, with a few studies performed in full-scale conventional water treatment plants. These studies have demonstrated that protozoan cyst removal throughout all stages of the conventional treatment is largely influenced by the effectiveness of coagulation pretreatment, which along with clarification constitutes the first treatment barrier against protozoan breakthrough. Physical removal of waterborne Crytosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts is ultimately achieved by properly functioning conventional filters, providing that effective pretreatment of the water is applied. Disinfection by chemical or physical methods is finally required to inactivate/remove the infectious life stages of these organisms. The effectiveness of conventional (chlorination) and alternative (chlorine dioxide, ozonation and ultra violet [UV] irradiation) disinfection procedures for inactivation of Cryptosporidium has been the focus of much research due to the recalcitrant nature of waterborne oocysts to disinfectants. This paper provides technical information on conventional and alternative drinking water treatment technologies for removal and inactivation of the protozoan parasites Cryptosporidium and Giardia.     

Influence of a mycoplasma respiratory tract infection on sheep erythrocyte and complement receptor-bearing cell composition in the respiratory tract of swine.

Pulmonic and peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations in healthy and Mycoplasma suipneumoniae-infected pigs were compared. The T- and the B-lymphocyte populations were counted, the B cells by the complement receptor (zymosan-complement rosettes) technique and the T cells by the ED-rosette technique (sheep RBC-dextran rosettes). The T cells were found to predominate among pulmonic, as well as blood, lymphocytes. Pulmonic B-cell and blood T-cell percentages were increased after mycoplasma respiratory tract infection. However, blood B-cell and pulmonic T-cell percentages were not significantly affected. A significant (P less than 0.001) correlation between pulmonic and blood T-lymphocyte compositions was found; conversely, no correlation was observed between blood and pulmonic B-cell percentages. These data could imply that pulmonic B cells are predominantly involved in local immune reactions after a mycoplasma respiratory tract infection.     

Milk vetch dwarf virus infection in the Solanaceae and Caricaceae families in Southeast Asia

Milk vetch dwarf virus (MDV) is an important member of the genus Nanovirus and is transmitted by the aphid Aphis craccivora. MDV has multiple single-stranded DNA genome components, each approximately 1 kb, and two or three alpha-satellite molecules. It mainly infects plants of the legume family Fabaceae. Recently, papaya (Carica papaya) collected in Yesan, South Korea, displaying symptoms of leaf yellowing and dwarfism, was identified as a new host for MDV. To examine the geographical distribution of MDV, papaya samples with symptoms were harvested in South Korea, Vietnam, and Taiwan in August 2018, along with tomato and pepper samples grown in adjacent fields in Vietnam. The results revealed the presence of MDV not only in papaya but also in pepper and tomato. This MDV infection in members of the Solanaceae family was confirmed by Southern blot hybridization performed using a PCR product of segment S as a probe. Based on sequence analysis of three MDV components (M, S, and C3), we verified the presence of three different isolates of MDV in these three countries and homology between sequences of isolates from papaya and from members of the Solanaceae from Vietnam. Taken together, our results clearly demonstrate MDV infection in Vietnam and Taiwan for the first time and confirm that MDV can infect economically important pepper and tomato.     

Production and characterization of a monoclonal antibody specific to the M serotype of plum pox potyvirus

A monoclonal antibody to an Albanian isolate of plum pox potyvirus (PPV) was obtained (MAbAL), that specifically recognized strain M of this virus. The specificity of MAbAL, assessed by comparative ELISA on 130 PPV isolates of different geographical origin, 22 of which were also tested by comparative IC-PCR, gave consistent and highly reproducible results. MAbAL seems to be elicited by a stable surface determinant that makes it particularly suitable for successful use under a wide range of conditions. MAbAL is an useful addition to the panel of PPV-specific MAbs available to date.     

Glucose tolerance testing in llamas and alpacas

OBJECTIVE: To determine blood glucose clearance in 2 species of New World camelids after IV challenge and to examine mechanisms of this clearance. ANIMALS: 5 adult female llamas and 5 adult gelded alpacas. PROCEDURE: After food was withheld for 12 hours, camelids received 0.5 g of glucose/kg of body weight by rapid IV infusion. Serum concentrations of glucose, nonesterified fatty acids, cortisol, and insulin, and plasma concentrations of lactate were determined before and 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, and 240 minutes after infusion. Ratios of insulin to glucose and insulin to cortisol were calculated for each time point. RESULTS: Postinfusion glucose concentrations were significantly higher in llamas than alpacas for the first 15 minutes and remained significantly higher than baseline values in both species for 180 minutes. Lactate and cortisol concentrations did not change significantly; nonesterified fatty acid concentrations decreased in both species 30 minutes after infusion. Baseline insulin concentrations were < 6 microU/ml in both species and increased only to 10.1 +/- 0.7 microU/ml in llamas. Insulin concentrations did not change significantly in alpacas. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Llamas and alpacas clear glucose more slowly than other domestic species after challenge, mainly because of a weak insulin response and slow cellular uptake. This response may impair the assimilation of exogenous glucose as well as make llamas and alpacas prone to diabetes-like disorders when an abundance of endogenous or exogenous glucogenic agents are present.     

Simultaneous Flow Cytometric Analysis of Phagocytosis and Oxidative Burst Activity in Equine Leukocytes

This paper describes a method for simultaneously measuring phagocytosis and oxidative burst activity in equine peripheral blood leukocytes by flow cytometry. Opsonized propidium iodide-labelled Staphylococcus aureus (PI-Sa) was used to measure the uptake of bacteria by equine phacocytes and the oxidative burst activity by oxidation of dihydrorhodamine 123. The requirements to achieve optimal activity of phagocytosis and oxidative burst are described. The advantage of the simultaneous technique is that it provides both independent and comparative values for phagocytosis and the oxidative burst, for the detection of impaired mechanisms of microbial destruction. Furthermore, the technique allows evaluation of opsonization activity in this context.