Poor serologic response to upper respiratory infection with Mycoplasma synoviae in turkeys

Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) was isolated from a flock of commercial tom turkeys in which a small percentage of the birds exhibited clinical signs and lesions typical of MS synovitis. However, serologic testing of such flocks revealed poor to inconsistent reactivity by agglutination, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or hemagglutination inhibition; isolation of MS from such flocks proved to be very difficult. Turkeys were challenged with one of the isolates (K4463B) either by aerosol or systemically by a combination of intravenous, foot pad, and eyedrop routes. Turkeys challenged by the systemic route responded normally to all serologic tests, whereas those challenged by aerosol either responded very poorly on all serologic tests or were seronegative up to 6 wk postchallenge even though they were positive for MS by tracheal culture. These results suggest that turkeys may harbor an upper respiratory infection with MS while remaining serologically negative.     

Client donation program for acquiring dogs and cats to teach veterinary gross anatomy

A donor program for procuring dogs and cats to meet the needs of anatomical instruction was initiated six years ago at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. The program was initiated in order to comply with state regulations that preclude the use of shelter animals and to satisfy ethical objections of students and faculty. The donor program has successfully met the animal needs for teaching gross anatomy and, in addition, provides opportunities to integrate clinical perspectives and ethics beginning from the first year of veterinary education.     

转基因植物疫苗研究进展

众多研究表明,病毒的抗原决定簇及细菌毒素亚单位均能在转基因植物中成功表达,并保持良好的免疫原性.与现有的疫苗生产体系相比,植物生产疫苗具有安全、经济、稳定、高效等优势.本文概述了利用不同受体植物生产疫苗的研究现状、免疫原性评价及免疫原基因的优化表达策略.     

Inheritance of resistance to lindane in a laboratory-selected strain of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst)

Studies on the inheritance of resistance to lindane in a laboratory-selected strain of Tribolium castaneum, by making crosses between the resistant and a susceptible strain, showed that resistance in this strain is controlled by an autosomally inherited single gene which is incompletely dominant.     

TREATMENT OF DIAPHRAGMATIC HERNIA IN BUFFALOES

The surgical treatment of diaphragmatic hernia attempted on 19 lactating buffaloes is described. Thirteen cases recovered uneventfully, 1 recovered after developing brisket oedema and 5 died, 3 during surgery and 2 postoperatively. The desired depth of anaesthesia was achieved by the administration of 6% chloral hydrate followed by 5% thiopentone sodium. A postxiphoid approach and the use of a continuous lock stitch suture were preferred to repair the vent in the diaphragm. Pre- and post-operative use of hydrocortisones and fluids and sufficient tissue oxygenation by controlled positive pressure respiration are believed to be keys to the success of the treatment adopted.     

Resistance to early blight of tomato with respect to various parameters of disease epidemics

Resistance to early blight in the tomato was assessed by examining various parameters of the progress of the disease. Artificial inoculation and the scoring technique were standardized. Test plants were inoculated with 125cfu/ml of a 12-day-old culture of a pathogenic isolate of Alternaria solani. Screening under artificial conditions was more informative than that under natural epidemic conditions. Tomato cultivars CLN-2071-C, CLN-2070-A, BSS-174, and DTH-7 with resistance expressed as slow blighting against four pathogenic isolates of A. solani, were selected for cultivation in disease-prone areas. Disease intensity increased with the age of plants under the same inoculum load. The area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) was positively correlated with the percentage disease index and negatively with resistance. Calculation of the apparent infection rate (r) was more informative for natural epidemics than for artificial conditions. The sequential apparent infection rate between observation periods was better correlated with disease progress than was the total apparent infection rate between the first and last observations. A double sigmoidal disease progress curve during the same cropping season was characteristic of some varieties when fungal infection took place during the vegetative phase of crop growth.     

The effect of topical tripeptide-copper complex on healing of ischemic open wounds

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of topical glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine tripeptide-copper complex (TCC; Iamin 2% Gel; Procyte Corporation, Redmond, WA) on healing in ischemic open wounds. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. SAMPLE POPULATION: Twenty-four adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. METHODS: Rats were divided into 3 groups: topical TCC, topical TCC vehicle (hydroxypropyl-methylcellulose), and no treatment (control). Six-mm-diameter, full-thickness wounds were created within an ischemic bipedicle skin flap on the dorsum of each rat. Each day, for 13 days, wound margins were traced, and the TCC and TCC vehicle groups were treated topically. Tracings were scanned, and wound perimeter and area were calculated. On days 6, 10, and 13, selected wounds were biopsied and analyzed for tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) 2 and 9. RESULTS: A significant decrease in wound area was seen in the TCC group, but not the vehicle group, when compared with the control group on days 3 to 5, 6 to 9, and 11 to 13 and when TCC was compared with TCC vehicle on days 3 and 9. On day 13, initial wound area had decreased by 64.5% in the TCC group, 45.6% in the vehicle group, and 28.2% in the control group. On days 6, 10, and 13, TCC-treated wounds contained significantly lower concentrations of TNF-alpha and MMP-2 and MMP-9 than control wounds. CONCLUSION: Topical TCC resulted in accelerated wound healing in ischemic open wounds. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Topical TCC is an effective stimulant of healing of ischemic open wounds in rats and may have an application for the treatment of chronic wounds in other species. Clinical evaluation of topical TCC is warranted.