Fumonisin B1 Metabolism by Bovine Liver Microsomes

Only limited and contrasting information is available about the metabolic fate in cattle of fumonisin B₁, a mycotoxin produced by moulds of Fusarium. This study was carried out to evaluate the hepatic metabolism of fumonisin B₁ by bovine liver microsomes. No biodegradation or metabolization of the mycotoxin by liver microsomes was detectable after incubating fumonisin B₁ with bovine microsomes in the presence of a regenerating system for 1 h. No aminopolyol 1, aminopolyol 2 or aminopentol, metabolites of fumonisin B₁, were detected in any of the incubated samples. The tolerance of ruminants to fumonisin B₁ is apparently not dependent on its detoxification in the rumen.     

The Effect of Management Factors on the Seroprevalence of Anaplasma marginale in Bos indicus cattle in the Mexican Tropics

A cross-sectional study with a two-stage design and proportional distribution was carried out to determine the effect of management factors on the seroprevalence of Anaplasma marginale in Bos indicus cattle in the Mexican tropics. Serum was obtained from 384 cattle aged 1-2 years on 92 farms. The number of samples was proportionally distributed according to the number of farms in eastern Yucatan. Antibody activity against A. marginale was assessed using the card agglutination test. A primary screening using a 2 x K contingency table of the exposed variables with the outcomes was performed. All variables for which p < 0.20 were included in a fixed-effects log regression. The seroprevalence in the cattle was 69.75% (SE +/- 0.02). Sixty-four per cent of the farms had a seroprevalence > or = 75%. The risks related to managemental factors were stocking density ( > or = 1 animal/ha, OR = 10.94), type of acaricide (pyrethroids, OR = 3.8), dipping interval ( > 60 days, OR = 0.13) and type of veterinary instruments used (needles, scalpels, ear tattoos, and dehorners, OR = 0.17).     

Response of Corriedale and Crioula Lanada Sheep to Artificial Primary Infection with Haemonchus Contortus

Clinical, parasitological and biochemical parameters were evaluated in Corriedale and Crioula Lanada sheep after a single experimental infection with Haemonchus contortus. Ten 4-month-old worm-free lambs, of each breed, were infected with 200 L₃ H. contortus per kg live weight and four uninfected animals of each breed were used as controls. Every week, the animals were weighed and blood and faecal samples were collected for measurement of packed cell volume (PCV), total serum protein (TSP) and albumin (ALB), and the number of eggs per gram of faeces (EPG), respectively. Twelve weeks after infection, the animals were slaughtered. The worm burden was determined and samples of the abomasal mucosa were processed for determination of the number of eosinophils, mast cells and globule leukocytes. No significant differences in PCV, TSP, ALB, parasite burden or the cell populations of the abomasal mucosa were observed between breeds, but Crioula lambs had a lower EPG count. The comparison of the infected groups with their respective controls revealed significant alterations in PCV, TSP and ALB in the Corriedale lambs and in PCV, TSP, ALB and the density of eosinophils and mast cells in the Crioula lambs.     

The effects of low doses of Senna occidentalis seeds on broiler chickens

The effects of 0.5%, 0.3% and 0.1% w/w concentrations of Senna occidentalis (So) seed mixed with commercial ration were studied in 18 groups of 32 broiler chicks each, from 1 day to 49 days of age. Three groups were fed one of the rations throughout their lives (TL). Three other groups were fed one of the rations from the 1st to the 28th day of life (starter phase, SP), and the final 3 groups were fed one of the rations from the 29th to 49th day (finisher phase, FP). Each experimental group was matched by a control group fed the same diet over the same period but without the inclusion of So. All the animals were killed at 49 days of age, and blood was collected from 10 birds in each group for biochemical studies (ALT, AST, GGT, LDH, UA). A complete necropsy was performed on 3 birds from each group. No significant differences in the biochemical parameters in the serum were found between the control and experimental chicks, but animals treated with 0.5% So in groups FP and TL, gained less weight and chicks that received 0.3% So or 0.5% So in the ration throughout life (TL) had a larger feed conversion ratio. Besides this, degenerative changes were found in the striated skeletal muscle in the chest, in the myocardium and in the liver in the animals that received the higher concentrations of So seeds.     

Daily basking patterns of the fresh-water turtle

Basking activity in the turtle Pelomedusa subrufa L. apparently is initiated by the presence of a suitable heat source, whereas subsequent basking is largely determined by prevailing environmental temperatures as well as requirements for avoiding overheating.     

Breeding implications of the relationship between competitive ability and pure culture yield in self-pollinated grain crops

Summary The relative efficiencies of pedigree and bulk breeding systems for selection of high yielding genotypes are shown to be dependent on the relationship between competitive ability in mixed culture and yield in pure culture. A critical statistic is the regression coefficient, , of competitive ability (defined as the yield of a genotype in mixed culture minus its yield in pure culture) on yield in pure culture. If is less than –1, competition in mixed culture so supresses genotypes which are high yielding in pure culture conditions that they are eliminated by natural selection in early generations; pedigree selection of the lowest yielding genotypes in the F₂ and F₃ is indicated. If is greater than –1, genotypes which are high yielding in pure culture survive even when they compete less well than low yielding genotypes, and bulk breeding is indicated. An example from two sets of 100 genotypes in pure and mixed culture was analysed and the estimate of fell between 0 and –1, but because exact simulation of a segregating population was not feasible the estimate was biased. The bias tended to give estimates of that were too close to zero.Agricultural Research Council Statistics Group, Department of Applied Biology, University of Cambridge England