Detection of a broad range of potato viruses in a single assay by mechanical inoculation of herbaceous test plants

To optimize mechanical inoculation of test plants as part of the regulated post-entry quarantine testing of stolon- and tuber-forming Solanum spp. (including potato), nine test plant species have been screened for their ability to detect 22 potato-infecting viruses. These included all the common mechanically transmissible potato viruses and most of the viruses found in potato incidentally. The symptoms observed after mechanical inoculation are shown for each combination of test plant species and virus. Under given conditions, Nicotiana occidentalis -P1 and Nicotiana hesperis -67A were found to detect reliably 20 and 18 out of 22 viruses respectively. These and former results on the seed-transmissible viruses and Andean potato mottle virus demonstrate that these Nicotiana species are very suitable for post-entry quarantine testing. Addition of either Chenopodium amaranticolor or Chenopodium quinoa to these two species may slightly extend the range of viruses. Therefore, using C. amaranticolor / C. quinoa , N. hesperis -67A and N. occidentalis -P1 for the biological screening of imported Solanum spp. will improve both the efficiency and the quality of post-entry quarantine testing.     

The pathology of disseminated Aspergillus terreus infection in dogs

Disseminated Aspergillus terreus infection was diagnosed in ten previously healthy adult dogs--nine German shepherds and one dalmatian. The disease was characterized by the presence of multiple granulomas and infarcts in a wide range of organs. The kidney, spleen, and skeletal system were most commonly and severely affected. Fungal hyphae were demonstrated in large numbers within granulomas and thrombi, and A. terreus was readily isolated by culture. This disseminated mycosis appears unique; in this series of cases there was no apparent predisposing factor, portal of entry, or primary focus for dissemination of the infection.