The 16MΔvjbR as an ideal live attenuated vaccine candidate for differentiation between Brucella vaccination and infection

Brucellosis brings great economic burdens for developing countries. Live attenuated vaccines are the most efficient means for prevention and control of animal Brucellosis. However, the difficulties of differentiating of infection from vaccine immunization, which is essential for eradication programs, limit their applications. Therefore, the development of a vaccine that could differentiate infection from immunization will overcome the limitations and get extensive application. VjbR is a quorum sensing regulator involving in Brucella's intracellular survival. The vjbR∷Tn5 mutants have been proven effective against wild type strain challenge, implying its possibility of use in vaccine candidate development. To further evaluate this candidate gene, in the present study, the antigenicity of purified recombinant VjbR protein was analyzed. Antibodies to Brucella melitensis VjbR could be detected in sera from patients and animals with brucellosis but not in control ones, implying the potential use of this protein as a diagnostic antigen. Then a vjbR mutant of B. melitensis 16M was constructed by replacing the vjbR with kanamycin gene. The mutant showed reduced survival in macrophage and mice. Vaccination of BALB/c mice with 16MΔvjbR conferred significant protective immunity against B. melitensis strain 16M challenges, being equivalent to which induced by the license vaccine Rev.1. The vjbR deletion mutant elicited an anti-Brucella-specific immunoglobulin G response and induced the secretion of gamma interferon and interleukin-10. The most importance is that, the use of vjbR mutants as vaccines in association with diagnostic tests based on the VjbR antigen would allow the serological differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals. These results suggest that 16MΔvjbR is an ideal live attenuated vaccine candidate against B. melitensis and deserves further evaluation for vaccine development.     

Genome analysis of African swine fever virus isolated in Italy in 1983

An African Swine Fever virus (ASFV) isolated in an 1983 outbreak of the disease in Piemonte, Italy, was related by restriction endonuclease analysis of the viral genome to ASFV strains isolated in the Dominican Republic (1978), Haiti (1981) and Cameroon (1982).     

Partial characterization of a Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 immunodominant antigenic determinant recognized by a monoclonal antibody. Legionella specific antigenic determinant

A monoclonal antibody was used to characterize a serogroup 1 specific Legionella pneumophila Philadelphia strain 1 antigenic determinant. A quantitative fluorometric assay was developed to quantitate the antibody sites (2.7 +/- 0.4 X 10(5)) on Legionella bacteria and to determine the physico-chemical parameters of the antibody-antigen interaction (at 4 degrees C: delta G = -10.9 Kcal X mol-1, delta H = 1.7 Kcal X mol-1, delta S = 45 cal X K-1 X mol-1). The same method was used to study the modification or the removal of the antigen by chemical and enzymatic means (trypsin, papain, lysozyme, acetone, chloroform-methanol and Tris-EDTA); only Tris-EDTA extraction resulted in a significant decrease in antibody binding sites. Inhibition studies of the fluorescein-labelled antibody binding were performed with different sugars of which only L-fucosylamine was inhibitory, and with other monoclonal antibodies to Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 in order to compare their fine specificity and affinity. The results indicate that the epitope recognized was an immunodominant carbohydrate including an aminodideoxyhexose and carried by the lipopolysaccharide.     

古巴非洲猪瘟根除的经验与借鉴

1971年非洲猪瘟首次传入古巴并于当年根除,1980年再次传入并在一年内又被根除。古巴能快速根除非洲猪瘟,主要与防控专业委员会的及时成立,协作机制的快速建立;全面扑杀措施的快速实施,健康猪产品的合理利用;民间团队的积极参与以及政府财政的大力支持密切相关。古巴的根除经验,可为我国非洲猪瘟的防控提供参考。     

红马银花的资源状况及其生长规律的调查研究

目的分析红马银花(Rhododendron vialii)的遗传多样性以推测其濒危原因,为保护和开发利用红马银花提供理论依据。方法利用SSR分子标记技术,对云南省4个红马银花居群共155个个体的遗传多样性和遗传结构进行了分析。结果8个位点共检测到57个多态性位点,平均每个位点有6对等位基因;在物种水平上具有较高遗传多样性(不同等位基因数N_e=2.780±0.166,有效等位基因数N_a=5.563±0.269,Shannon’s信息指数I=1.156±0.057,观测杂合度H_o=0.546±0.038,期望杂合度H_e=0.598±0.025)。AMOVA分析显示：遗传多样性81%来自居群内,19%来自居群之间,并且居群分化系数(F_st)为0.094±0.020。居群内近交系数(F_is)为0.088±0.081;Structure聚类分析将4个居群聚为2组。结论导致红马银花濒危的主要原因是生境遭到破坏,遗传多样性暂时没有受到很大的影响,建议主要以就地保护为宜。     

栽培柳枝稷不同生长时期对伴生杂草生物量及密度的影响

以陕西定边县引种的8个柳枝稷(Panicum virgatum L.)品种(Blackwell,Cave-in-Rock,Dakota,Forest-berg,Illinois USA,Nebraska 28,Pathfinder和Sunburst)及行间杂草作为研究对象,通过计算柳枝稷对杂草的抑制率(RI),分析其生长指标与杂草生长指标的相关关系,判定不同柳枝稷品种在不同生育期对杂草生长的抑制效应,为其引种及田间杂草管理提供依据。结果表明:在生长初期(6月30日),Illinois USA杂草抑制率仅为3.4%,Cave-in-Rock和Forestberg对杂草生长抑制率分别为86.0%和74.9%;经过2次人工除草后(8月30日),Cave-in-Rock和Forestberg的杂草抑制率分别为85.7%和95.7%;生长后期(10月13日),仅Cave-in-Rock对杂草生长有88.5%的抑制率。回归分析显示,生长中后期(8月30日),柳枝稷地上部及根系生物量显著影响对杂草的抑制率(R2=0.31,0.54;P<0.05)。Pearson相关分析发现,Cave-in-Rock的株高、地上及根系生物量均显著降低杂草单株生物量(r=-0.97,-0.99,-0.99;P<0.05);Forestberg的植高与杂草密度显著负相关(r=-0.97,P<0.05)。     

Genetic parameters for body weight, reproduction, and parasite resistance traits in the Creole goat

We estimated the genetic parameters for BW, reproduction, and parasite resistance traits to implement a breeding program for the Creole goat. The traits were preweaning BW at 70 d of age (BW70d), BW at 11 mo of age (BW11), fecal egg count at 11 mo of age (FEC11) for all animals, packed cell volumes of lactating does (PCV), and their fertility (FER) and litter size (LS). We analyzed about 30 yr of data, which included 18,450 records on 11,970 animals from the INRA experimental flock in Guadeloupe (French West Indies). Heritability estimates were low for reproduction traits (0.11 ± 0.02 for LS and FER) to moderate for production traits (0.32 ± 0.03 for BW11; 0.20 ± 0.03 and 0.08 ± 0.02 for the direct and maternal heritability estimates of BW70d, respectively). Heritability estimates for gastrointestinal nematode resistance traits were situated in an intermediate range (0.13 ± 0.05 for PCV and 0.18 ± 0.04 for FEC11). Genetic correlations between FER, PCV, BW11, and the maternal effect of BW70d were altogether positive, whereas LS and FEC11 were almost uncorrelated phenotypically and genetically. These correlations are very favorable for setting up a breeding program, making it possible to improve BW, reproduction, and parasite resistance traits simultaneously.