Antitumor activity of compounds isolated from leaves of Eriobotrya japonica

In a search for possible antitumor agents from natural sources, megastigmane glycosides and polyphenolic constituents isolated from the leaves of Eriobotrya japonica (Rosaceae) were found to inhibit the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced activation of Epstein-Barr virus early antigen in Raji cells. Roseoside and procyanidin B-2 were among the active compounds found in an in vitro assay; these compounds were further assessed for antitumor activity in vivo in a two-stage carcinogenesis assay on mouse skin. Roseoside significantly delayed carcinogenesis induced by peroxynitrite (initiator) and TPA (promoter), and its potency was comparable to that of a green tea polyphenol, (-)-epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate, in the same assay.     

Productivity characteristics of high-performing commercial swine breeding farms

OBJECTIVE: To determine productivity characteristics of high-performing swine breeding herds in the United States and to determine associations among number of litters per mated female per year (LMFY), number of pigs weaned per sow (PWS), and lactation duration. DESIGN: Cohort study. SAMPLE POPULATION: 1997 productivity records for 685 herds. PROCEDURE: Herds were ranked on the basis of number of pigs weaned per mated female per year, and herds in the upper 10th percentile of this ranking were designated as high-performing herds. Productivity measurements for these herds were compared with values for the remaining herds. RESULTS: High-performing herds had shorter lactation durations and higher mean breeding female inventories than did the remaining herds. High-performing herds also had better reproductive efficiency and used farrowing facilities more efficiently than did the remaining herds. For the high-performing herds, lactation duration was significantly associated with PWS but was not significantly associated with LMFY. In contrast, for the remaining herds, lactation duration was not significantly associated with PWS but was significantly associated with LMFY. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that high-performing commercial swine farms could increase PWS by improving preweaning mortality rate and number of pigs born alive, but that LMFY was already maximal. For other herds, however, shortening lactation duration would likely decrease farrowing interval and improve efficiency of the reproductive cycle without reducing litter size.     

Study on some molecular characterization of Babesia orientalis

The study on buffalo babesiosis indicated that its pathogen was different from other Babesia on many aspects such as morphology, transmission and pathogenicity. Therefore, it was named as a new species—Babesia orientalis. In order to prove the validity of this taxon, molecular taxonomic study on the pathogen was done in this experiment. The complete 18S rRNA gene sequence of B. orientalis was determined by PCR. It was sequenced and blasted. The results indicated that the classification of the parasite belonged to the genus Babesia. The 1700 bp complete sequence was compared with 15 other Babesia sp. available in GenBank. The data were analyzed and a phylogenetic tree was established. The results indicated that the hereditary distance of the parasite was close to that of Babesia sp. from South Africa and Babesia ovis, and the hereditary distance was far from Babesia bigemina and B. bovis.     

Canine adenovirus type 1 infection of a Eurasian river otter (Lutra lutra)

A 10-year-old female Eurasian river otter (Lutra lutra) died after prolonged anorexia and weight loss in the Seoul Grand Park Zoo, Seoul, Republic of Korea. On necropsy, the liver was found to be swollen and friable with 1 lobe enlarged and necrotic. The other organs showed no significant alterations except for mild atrophy of the right kidney. Microscopically, there was multifocal hepatic necrosis. The hepatocytes around the necrotic areas were swollen and contained large basophilic intranuclear inclusions. Periportal infiltration by plasma cells and lymphocytes was also evident. Transmission electron microscopy revealed characteristic hexagonal virus particles sized approximately 70 nm in diameter in the nuclei of the hepatocytes, which were consistent with an adenovirus. Polymerase chain reaction of the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver sections was used to determine whether the virus was either the canine adenovirus type 1 (CAV-1), canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), or some other viral agent. The results of these tests showed that the virus was CAV-1. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a CAV-1 infection in an otter.     

An epidemic of parapoxvirus infection among cattle: isolation and antibody survey.

A disease characterized by papules, nodules, vesicles and, rarely, pustules and ulcers on teats was seen among cattle on a farm in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. A virus was isolated by inoculation of fetal bovine lung cell cultures from a vesicle on a teat of an infected cow. The virus was subsequently passaged in fetal bovine lung and muscle cells in which it produced complete cytopathic changes. The virus was identified by physicochemical examinations and electromicroscopic observation as a parapoxvirus. A seroepidemiological survey was performed on antibody to the isolated virus by the agar gel immunodiffusion test. The isolated virus formed a precipitation line which cross reacted with other parapoxviruses isolated previously in Japan. The positive rate was more than 50% among cattle in the Kanto district. The positive rate increased with age. It was suggested that parapoxvirus infection might have already been prevalent among cattle in Japan.     

Epidemiological study on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactococcus garvieae</Emphasis> isolates from fish in Japan

In Japan, Lactococcus garvieae infection has been the main fish disease in aquaculture. Although commercial oral and injectable vaccines have been used to prevent L. garvieae infection in Japan, L. garvieae has been isolated not only from unvaccinated fish but also from vaccinated fish in which immunity induced by vaccination had diminished. In order to obtain epidemiological information on this fish pathogen, we conducted biased sinusoidal field gel electrophoresis (BSFGE) pattern analysis and phage typing of L. garvieae isolates (n = 427) from fish in Japan. These isolates were obtained from 13 different fish species between 1980 and 2007. In the BSFGE analysis, L. garvieae isolates were classified into 17 groups (S1–S17) based on the SmaI digestion patterns and into four groups (A1–A4) based on the ApaI digestion patterns. Phage typing revealed five different phage susceptibility profiles (A–E) in L. garvieae isolates. Since 2005, comparisons of the results of phage typing and BSFGE have indicated the presence of a novel genotype (S16/A4) with phage type E. All the strains belonging to this type showed lincomycin sensitivity.     

Poxvirus infection in Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus)

An outbreak was encountered of numerous yellowish cutaneous nodules in one- to two-year-old farmed Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) in Kasaba Bay Crocodile Farm at Lake Tanganyika in Zambia during 1988. Out of 4000 crocodiles of different age groups, 300 yearlings were affected and 82 of those affected died. The lesions were prominent on the head, especially around the eyelids, the nostrils, both sides of the mouth, ventral neck, ventral pale belly, limbs and the root of the tail. Histologically, the epidermal lesions revealed large focal areas of marked acanthosis accompanied by hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis. In the prickle cells, there were multiple small neutrophilic granular inclusions and large eosinophilic homogeneous cytoplasmic inclusions. Electron microscopically, there were numerous poxvirus particles and matrices in the cytoplasm of many prickle cells. Dark blue homogeneous cytoplasmic inclusions in toluidine blue sections consisted of an electron opaque matrix with mature viral particles (160 x 200 x 230 nm). Furthermore, there were clumps of granular matrix containing immature viral particles (200 x 399 nm) in the cytoplasm. Various features of viral developing processes were observed.