Damping-off of cabbage plug seedlings caused by Pythium ultimum var. ultimum in Japan

In October 2004, Pythium ultimum var. ultimum was isolated from rotten stems of cabbage plug seedlings in a commercial nursery in Mie Prefecture (Japan). The isolated fungus was then used to inoculate seedlings and subsequently reisolated from the seedlings with the damping-off disease, showing that P. ultimum var. ultimum is a new pathogen causing cabbage seedling disease.     

Bacterial wilt of bellflower caused by Ralstonia solanacearum in Japan

A sudden wilt of bellflower (Campanula lactiflora) was observed in Japan in 1997. A bacterium that formed white fluidal and mucoid colonies resembling those of Ralstonia solanacearum was isolated from the infected plants. The bacterium was bacteriologically identified as biovar 3 of R. solanacearum. This is the first report of R. solanacearum affecting a plant species of the Campanulaceae family.     

Effect of microwave decomposition on inductively coupled plasma spectrometry analysis of minerals in oysters

Fisheries Science - Oysters, which can be cultivated in oceans, are rich in nutrients. Recently, our group has reported the rapid analysis of multiple minerals in Crassostrea gigas oysters by...     

Light-chain multiple myeloma in a cat.

A diagnosis of light-chain multiple myeloma was made in an 11-year-old male American Shorthair cat. The cat showed atypical plasma cell infiltration in the bone marrow, biclonal gammopathy caused by polymerization of myeloma protein (M-protein), and Bence-Jones proteinuria. The M-protein in the serum of the cat was analyzed by using 12% sodium dodeyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with Coomassie brilliant blue staining. An intense band with a size of 27 kDa, the size of the immunoglobulin light chain, was clearly observed, whereas the band corresponding to the immunoglobulin heavy chain (59 kDa) was undetectable. The 27-kDa band was confirmed to be an immunoglobulin light chain by Western blotting by using antibodies for feline immunoglobulin. These data suggested that the neoplastic plasma cells produce light chain only, leading to the diagnosis of light-chain multiple myeloma in the cat.     

Knowledge,attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to brucellosis and factors affecting knowledge sharing on animal diseases: a cross-sectional survey in the dry zone of Sri Lanka

Farmers’ lack of knowledge is assumed to have affected the presence of brucellosis in Sri Lanka for decades. This study, carried out in the Ampara district in the dry zone of Sri Lanka, revealed that there is a significant knowledge gap for brucellosis compared to foot and mouth disease (FMD) (p?<?0.001). Only 8.3% of farmers knew that brucellosis causes cattle abortions. Only 2.6% knew that it is zoonotic. The difference in knowledge of the symptoms and transmission of brucellosis and FMD was significant (p?<?0.001). Farmers’ attitudes and practices related to the spread of the disease were poor. Farmers’ education and spoken language had a negative influence on knowledge. Young people and those with strong social relationships were efficient in knowledge sharing. It can be concluded that brucellosis knowledge, attitudes, and practices are poor; thus, there is a need for more attention in disease control policymaking. Backward farmer groups should be the focus in animal health extension programs.     

Induced ovulation using LHRHa and artificial fertilization in devil stinger, Inimicus japonicus

This study indicated that the injection of LHRHa was effective for induction of ovulation, and that artificial fertilization should be carried out immediately after ovulation to obtain good results.     

In-straw cryoprotectant dilution for bovine embryos vitrified using Cryotop

The aim of this study was to develop an in-straw dilution method suitable for 1-step bovine embryo transfer of vitrified embryos using the Cryotop vitrification-straw dilution (CVSD) method. The development of embryos vitrified using the CVSD method was compared with those of embryos cryopreserved using in-straw vitrification-dilution (ISVD) and conventional slow freezing, outside dilution of straw (SFODS) methods. In Experiment 1, in vitro-produced (IVP) embryos cryopreserved using the CVSD method were diluted, warmed and exposed to the dilution solution at various times. When vitrified IVP embryos were exposed to the dilution solution for 30 min after warming, the rates of embryos developing to the hatched blastocyst stage after 72 h of culture (62.0-72.5%) were significantly lower (P<0.05) than those of embryos exposed to the solution for 5 and 10 min (82.4-94.3%), irrespective of supplementation with 0.3 M sucrose in the dilution solution. In Experiment 2, the rate of embryos developing to the hatching blastocyst stage after 48 h of culture in IVP embryos cryopreserved using the SFODS method (75.0%) was significantly (P<0.05) lower than those of embryos cryopreserved using the CVSD and ISVD methods (93.2 and 97.3%, respectively). In Experiment 3, when in vivo-produced embryos that had been cryopreserved using the CVSD, ISVD and SFODS methods and fresh embryos were transferred to recipient animals, no significant differences were observed in the conception and delivery rates among groups. In Experiment 4, when IVP embryos derived from oocytes collected by ovum pick-up that had been cryopreserved using the CVSD and ISVD methods and fresh embryos were transferred to recipient animals, no significant differences were observed in the conception rates among groups. Our results indicate that this simplified regimen of warming and diluting Cryotop-vitrified embryos may enable 1-step bovine embryo transfer without the requirement of a microscope or other laboratory equipment.     

Amino acid substitution at position 95 in rabies virus matrix protein affects viral pathogenicity

We previously reported that rabies virus strain CE(NiM), but not the parental Ni-CE strain, killed mice after intracerebral inoculation. CE(NiM) and Ni-CE are genetically identical except for two amino acids at positions 29 and 95 in the M protein. In this study, to identify which residue determines the pathogenicity, we examined pathogenicities of two Ni-CE mutants, CE(NiM29) and CE(NiM95), which were established by replacement of an amino acid residue at position 29 or 95 in the Ni-CE M protein with the corresponding residue of CE(NiM), respectively. We found that CE(NiM95), but not CE(NiM29), killed mice, indicating that the amino acid at position 95 in the M protein is the pathogenic determinant.