The future use of cytogenetics in the manipulation of domestic animal populations

Extract

Although the dairy industries of most countries have improved production consider-ably by the use of classical genetics applied through artificial breeding, the application of genetics to veterinary problems is now being somewhat dogged by the same concept. It is said frequently that a certain condition has a genetical cause or basis but beyond the rather primitive steps of removing the sire or the dam from the particular flock, herd, stable or kennel we are unaware of the potential of highly accurate techniques which are becoming available for genetical “therapy”. Many of these techniques could soon be finding everyday application to livestock problems.     

Endosperm protein synthesis in maize mutants with increased lysine content

The endosperm proteins of the maize mutants, opaque-2, opaque-7, floury-2, brittle-2, and the double mutant of opaque-2 and brittle-2, were separated into five soluble fractions by the Landry-Moureaux method. As compared to their isogenic normal counterparts, the mutant endosperms had higher concentrations of albumins, globulins, and glutelin-3, and lower concentrations of prolamines. The combination of the opaque-2 and brittle-2 genes enhanced this difference. Although the four mutant genes are located on three different chromosomes, they exert a similar effect on endosperm protein composition. Five other starchmodifying mutants with high lysine content resemble the brittle-2 mutant in endosperm protein composition, when the gene is present either singly or combined with opaque-2. Therefore, the pattern of protein synthesis in all maize mutants with high lysine concentrations may be either identical or very similar. Because no synergistic effect on lysine concentration is obtained when floury-2 is combined with opaque-2, different pathways leading to reduced zein synthesis may exist in the floury and starch-modifying mutants with high lysine concentrations.     

Investigation of field outbreaks of turkey haemorrhagic enteritis in Hungary

Epidemiological, pathological, serological and virological investigations are reported on turkey haemorrhagic enteritis virus (THEV) infection in Hungarian turkey flocks. The pathogenesis of infection in experimentally infected turkeys and chickens, as well as the usefulness of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/sequencing method for epidemiological investigation and for the differentiation of vaccine and field strains of THEV was also studied. Since the first recognition of the disease in Hungary in the late 1970s, until recently the disease has been diagnosed sporadically in its mild form. In the last few years (2000-2005), however, the number of outbreaks and the severity of the disease increased (9-23 affected flocks/year). Most of the outbreaks occurred at the age of 6 to 8 weeks and was complicated with Escherichia coli infection. The antibody levels to THEV in turkey flocks gradually declined till 5-7 weeks of age, and then they increased sharply due to natural infection with THEV. The immune response to vaccination (at 5 weeks of age) showed no significant antibody level increase one week postvaccination, but four weeks later the antibody level reached high values and then remained at this high level. The agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test to detect turkey adenovirus A (TAdV-A) antigen and PCR methods for THEV-specific DNA gave similarly positive results if spleens with pathognomonic lesions were tested; however, PCR proved to be more sensitive in cases with less characteristic pathological lesions. Nucleotide sequence alignment of PCR products amplified from Hungarian field strains and the Domermuth vaccine strain and that of the published THEV hexon sequences in GenBank database revealed slight differences between the sequences.     

Clinical features of inflammatory liver disease in cats: 41 cases (1983-1993)

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical and clinicopathologic findings in and prognosis for cats with lymphocytic portal hepatitis (LPH) versus cats with acute or chronic cholangiohepatitis (CH). DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: 25 cats with LPH; 16 cats with CH (7 acute, 9 chronic). PROCEDURE: Cats with LPH and CH were selected by evaluating records from liver biopsy specimens submitted to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Teaching Hospital during a 10-year period. Clinical and clinicopathologic data were retrieved. RESULTS: Cats with CH had higher segmented and band neutrophil counts, alanine aminotransferase activities, and total bilirubin concentrations than did cats with LPH. Cats with acute CH had higher segmented and band neutrophil counts and lower serum alkaline phosphatase activities and total bilirubin concentrations than did cats with chronic CH. Twelve of 14 cats with LPH or CH had coarse or nodular texture to the liver on ultrasonography, with loss of portal vein wall clarity noticed in 4 of 8 cats with LPH. Sixteen of 23 cats with LPH and 8 of 15 cats with CH survived > 1 year. Of those cats living < 1 year, all cats with LPH and 5 of 7 cats with CH had a serious concurrent illness that may have been responsible for their deaths. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: LPH and CH can be detected and tentatively differentiated through evaluation of clinical laboratory test results, but histologic evaluation of liver specimens is necessary for definitive differentiation. Survival time was good regardless of the type of inflammatory liver disease.