Reproductive failure in mink and ferrets after intravenous or oral inoculation of Campylobacter jejuni.

Four pregnant mink and seven pregnant ferrets, including five with previous exposure and specific antibody, were injected intravenously with 10(8)-10(10) colony-forming units of Campylobacter jejuni. All 11 pregnancies failed 1-16 days after infection, with results ranging from fetal resorption to expulsion of dead or premature living kits. In every case, uterine contents (placenta, uterine fluid and/or kits) were culture-positive for C. jejuni. Three pregnant mink and nine pregnant ferrets, including four with previous exposure and antibody, were fed 10(9)-10(11) C. jejuni. Two of the mink aborted; kits of all three were culture-positive, but those of one female survived. Seven of the nine ferrets aborted, with two having culture-positive uterine contents. None of 28 uninfected ferret control pregnancies ended in abortion. The most prominent histological feature observed was severe placentitis, which appears to be a more likely cause of Campylobacter-induced abortion than direct pathogenic effects on infected kits. These results suggest that infection of mink or ferrets with C. jejuni during pregnancy poses a serious risk of reproductive failure, even for previously exposed females.     

Red cell population distributions in healthy dogs

Red blood cells population distributions were studied in puppies and in mature beagle dogs using the Coulter Channelyzer C-1000. Weekly measurements over a period of six months indicated that only minor fluctuations in population distribution indices occurred. Normal range studies showed that although mean cell volume was similar in young and older dogs, young dogs showed an approximately 12.5 per cent greater volume range due to an increased presence of both larger and smaller cells. The red cell population distributions conformed to a single log normal distribution. A mild anaemia was induced in mature dogs. Compensation for this led to transient changes from the usual log normal shape of the red cell population distribution.     

Grow-out of sandfish Holothuria scabra in ponds shows that co-culture with shrimp Litopenaeus stylirostris is not viable

We examined the potential for producing the large numbers of sandfish (Holothuria scabra) needed for restocking programmes by co-culturing juveniles with the shrimp Litopenaeus stylirostris in earthen ponds. Our experiments in hapas within shrimp ponds were designed to detect any deleterious effects of sandfish on shrimp, and vice versa. These experiments showed that a high stocking density of juvenile sandfish had no significant effects on growth and survival of shrimp. However, survival and growth of sandfish reared with shrimp for 3 weeks were significantly lower than for sandfish reared alone. Increased stocking density of shrimp also had a significant negative effect on survival and/or growth of sandfish. A grow-out trial of juvenile sandfish in 0.2-ha earthen ponds stocked with 20 shrimp post-larvae m^− 2, and densities of sandfish between 0.8 and 1.6 individuals m^− 2, confirmed that co-culture is not viable. All sandfish reared in co-culture were dead or moribund after a month. However, sandfish stocked alone into 0.2-ha earthen ponds survived well and grew to mean weights of ∼ 400 g within 12 months without addition of food. The grow-out trial demonstrated that there is potential for profitable pond farming of sandfish in monoculture. Further research is now needed to identify the optimal size of juveniles, stocking densities and pond management regimes.     

Is That a Rodent in Your Luggage? A Mixed Method Approach to Describe Bushmeat Importation into the United States

Bushmeat, defined as meat derived from wild animals, is a potential source of zoonotic pathogens. Bushmeat from restricted animals is illegal to import into the United States under US federal regulations. We reviewed US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) port of entry surveillance records from September 2005 through December 2010 and conducted focus group studies to describe trends in and reasons for bushmeat importation into the United States. In total, 543 confiscated bushmeat items were recorded. Half of the confiscated bushmeat items identified were rodents. Africa was the most frequent continent of origin. Seasonality was evident, with bushmeat confiscations peaking in late spring to early summer. Four times more bushmeat was confiscated during an enhanced surveillance period in June 2010 compared with the same period in previous years, suggesting that routine surveillance underestimated the amount of bushmeat detected at US Ports of Entry. Focus groups held in three major US cities revealed that bushmeat importation is a multifaceted issue. Longstanding cultural practices of hunting and eating bushmeat make it difficult for consumers to acknowledge potential health and ecologic risks. Also, US merchants selling African goods, including bushmeat, in their stores have caused confusion among importers as to whether importation is truly illegal. Enhancing routine surveillance for bushmeat and consistent enforcement of penalties at all ports of entry, along with health education aimed at bushmeat importers, might be useful to deter illegal importation.     

Effect of dietary echium oil on growth, fatty acid composition and metabolism, gill prostaglandin production and macrophage activity in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.)

Echium oil (EO) is a vegetable oil in which percentages of stearidonic acid (STA, 18:4n‐3) often exceed those of its n‐6 series equivalent γ‐linolenic acid (GLA, 18:3n‐6). Stearidonic acid is elongated to 20:4n‐3 in fish cell cultures, suggesting that EO could be included in diets for marine fish to increase tissue 20:4n‐3 and 20:3n‐6 and, thereby, modulate eicosanoid metabolism. Thus, the present study aimed to test the hypotheses that dietary EO would increase tissue 20:4n‐3 and 20:3n‐6 and modulate immune function and eicosanoid production in juvenile Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) fed a diet where fish oil (FO) was replaced by EO. Duplicate groups of juvenile cod (initial weight ca. 4 g) were fed for 18 weeks on fish meal‐based diets (55% protein and 16% lipid) that differed in oil source (FO or EO). There were no significant differences in growth and feed efficiency, hepato‐somatic index, percentages of liver and flesh lipids and lipid class compositions for cod fed FO and EO. Percentages of 18:4n‐3, 18:3n‐6 and 20:3n‐6 in the total lipids of flesh and liver were higher, and percentages of 20:5n‐3 and 20:4n‐6 were both lower in fish fed EO than in those given FO. In flesh, the increased 18:3n‐6 and 18:4n‐3 were primarily located in phosphatidylcholine and, to a lesser extent, phosphatidylethanolamine, whereas 20:3n‐6 concentration was highest in phosphatidylinositol. Desaturation of 18:3n‐3 (to tetraene products) and 20:5n‐3 to 22:6n‐3 in hepatocytes was very low but was increased by dietary EO. Echium oil significantly decreased the production of prostaglandin F from gill cells stimulated with calcium ionophore A23187, and reduced head kidney macrophage activity, but had no effect on serum lysozyme activity or basic haematology. In conclusion, dietary EO may have beneficial effects on some immune parameters including eicosanoid metabolism in marine fish although this may be primarily because of decreased 20:4n‐6 rather than increasing tissue levels of 20:3n‐6 or 20:4n‐3.     

Oxidation of glutathione during hydroperoxide metabolism in isolated hepatocytes of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri)

Freshly isolated rainbow trout hepatocytes were exposed to tert-butyl hydroperoxide (BuOOH), a substrate for glutathione peroxidase. BuOOH at a concentration approximately equimolar (1 mM) with intracellular reduced glutathione (GSH) caused a reversible increase in intracellular glutathione disulphide (GSSG) but did not compromise cell viability or damage membrane lipids. BuOOH at 10 mM caused a large irreversible increase in intracellular GSSG followed by efflux into the medium. Considerable leakage of lactate dehydrogenase and loss of highly unsaturated fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid also occurred. Dependence of hydroperoxide removal on flux through the hexose monophosphate pathway was suggested by the increased release of ¹⁴CO₂ from [1-¹⁴C] glucose from hepatocytes incubated with BuOOH.