Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia – a comprehensive review

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a serious disease of goats, occasionally sheep and wild ruminants, caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subspecies capripneumoniae (Mccp). The disease is characterized by severe serofibrinous pleuropneumonia, very high morbidity (～100%), and mortality (80–100%). CCPP affects goats in more than 40 countries of the world thereby posing a serious threat to goat farming around the globe. The characteristic clinical signs of CCPP are severe respiratory distress associated with sero-mucoid nasal discharge, coughing, dyspnea, pyrexia, pleurodynia, and general malaise. In later stages, severe lobar fibrinous pleuropneumonia, profuse fluid accumulation in pleural cavity, severe congestion of lungs and adhesion formation is observed. Mycoplasmal antigen interactions with host immune system and its role in CCPP pathogenesis are not clearly understood. CCPP is not a zoonotic disease. Diagnosis has overcome cumbersome and lengthy conventional tests involving culture, isolation, and identification by advanced serological (LAT, cELISA) or gene-based amplification of DNA (PCR, RFLP, and hybridization) and sequencing. The latex agglutination test (LAT) is rapid, simple, and better test for field and real-time diagnosis applicable to whole blood or serum and is more sensitive than the CFT and easier than the cELISA. Moreover, the studies on antibiotic sensitivity and exploration of novel antibiotics (fluoroquinolones, macrolides) can help in better therapeutic management besides preventing menace of antibiotic resistance. Re-visiting conventional prophylactic measures focussing on developing novel strain-based or recombinant vaccines using specific antigens (capsular or cellular) should be the most important strategy for controlling the disease worldwide.     

First detection and molecular characterization of avian polyomavirus in young parrots in Pakistan

Veterinary Research Communications - Avian polyomavirus (APV) infection, also called as budgerigar fledgling disease (BFD) causes various health problems in many psittacine species which may cause...     

Comparative evaluation of different therapeutic protocols for contagious caprine pleuropneumonia in Himalayan Pashmina goats

Tropical Animal Health and Production - Therapeutic management of contagious caprine pleuroneumonia (CCPP) involves mostly the use of oxytetracycline followed by enrofloxacin and rarely tylosin. In...     

Pharmacokinetics and mammary residual depletion of erythromycin in healthy lactating ewes

The aim of this investigation was to examine the pharmacokinetics and mammary excretion of erythromycin administered to lactating ewes (n = 6) by the intravenous (i.v.), intramuscular (i.m.) and subcutaneous (s.c.) routes at a dosage of 10 mg/kg. Blood and milk samples were collected at pre-determined times, and a microbiological assay method was used to measure erythromycin concentrations in serum and milk. The concentration-time data were analysed by compartmental and non-compartmental kinetic methods. The serum concentration-time data of erythromycin were fit to a two-compartment model after i.v. administration and a one-compartment model with first-order absorption after i.m. and s.c. administration. The elimination half-life (t(1/2beta)) was 4.502 +/- 1.487 h after i.v. administration, 4.874 +/- 0.296 h after i.m. administration and 6.536 +/- 0.151 h after s.c. administration. The clearance value (Cl tot) after i.v. dosing was 1.292 +/- 0.121 l/h/kg. After i.m. and s.c. administration, observed peak erthyromycin concentrations (Cmax) of 0.918 +/- 0.092 microg/ml and 0.787 +/- 0.010 microg/ml were achieved at 0.75 and 1.0 h (Tmax) respectively. The bioavailability obtained after i.m. and s.c. administration was 91.178 +/- 10.232% and 104.573 +/- 9.028% respectively. Erythromycin penetration from blood to milk was quick for all the routes of administration, and the high AUC milk/AUC serum (1.186, 1.057 and 1.108) and Cmax-milk/Cmax-serum ratios reached following i.v., i.m. and s.c. administration, respectively, indicated an extensive penetration of erythromycin into the milk.     

Soil sodicity as a result of periodical drought

Soil sodicity development is a process that depends nonlinearly on both salt concentration and composition of soil water. In particular in hot climates, soil water composition is subject to temporal variation due to dry–wet cycles. To investigate the effect of such cycles on soil salinity and sodicity, a simple root zone model is developed that accounts for annual salt accumulation and leaching periods. Cation exchange is simplified to considering only Ca/Na exchange, using the Gapon exchange equation. The resulting salt and Ca/Na-balances are solved for a series of dry/wet cycles with a standard numerical approach. Due to the nonlinearities in the Gapon equation, the fluctuations of soil salinity that may be induced, e.g. by fluctuating soil water content, affect sodicity development. Even for the case that salinity is in a periodic steady state, where salt concentrations do not increase on the long term, sodicity may still grow as a function of time from year to year. For the longer term, sodicity, as quantified by Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (ESP), approaches a maximum value that depends on drought and inflowing water quality, but not on soil cation exchange capacity. Analytical approaches for the salinity and sodicity developing under such fluctuating regimes appear to be in good agreement with numerical approximations and are very useful for checking numerical results and anticipating changes in practical situations.     

Antiparasitic activity of the medicinal plant Dillenia suffruticosa against the marine leech Zeylanicobdella arugamensis (Hirudinea) and its phytochemical composition

Zeylanicobdella arugamensis (Annelida: Hirudinea), a marine parasitic leech, is currently affecting different species of cultured groupers, hybrid groupers, snappers and sea bass in Malaysia. Dillenia suffruticosa (Dilleniaceae), a medicinal plant found in Sabah, has been selected in our experiment to kill the leeches as a natural control method. The leech‐infested hybrid groupers were collected from aquaculture facilities, and the isolated leeches were challenged against methanol extract of D. suffruticosa leaves. The experiment was carried out using various concentrations of the extracts such as 25, 50 and 100 mg/ml. The methanol extract showed significant antiparasitic activity against Z. arugamensis with 100% mortality at a concentration of 100 mg/ml in 14.39 ± 3.75 min., followed by 50 and 25 mg/ml in 32.97 ± 9.29 and 41.77 ± 5.40 min., respectively. The phytochemical composition of the extract was determined using GC‐MS analysis to understand the nature of the principal compounds responsible for its antiparasitic properties. The leaves of D. suffruticosa demonstrated the presence of different bioactive compounds of various natures with varying percentages. Thus, it could be revealed that the methanol extract of D. suffruticosa mainly contains vital phytochemical compounds and showed an effective antiparasitic activity against the harmful leeches of hybrid groupers.     

Effect of microalga-based diet on oxidative stress enzymes of African catfish,Clarias gariepinus

Here an indigenously isolated microalgal strain Ascochloris spp. cultivated in synthetic medium was evaluated as an aquaculture feed supplement. The daily dietary supplement includes microalgal feed (AF) and commercial diet feed (CF) (as control), respectively. These diets were fed separately to the juvenile Clarias gariepinus fishes (n = 4) under controlled conditions for an experimental period of 100 days. The protein, glycogen and lipid contents in the muscle extracts were found to be marginally higher in fishes that were fed with CF than AF diet. Similarly, CF fishes showed significantly higher glutathione-s-transferase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and lipid peroxidase activities, except glutathione content. Zero mortality of the fishes with no significant difference in the overall body mass with the two dietary supplements strongly suggests that algal biomass could supplement the requisite nutrients for their metabolic activities. This preliminary investigation helps in exploring algal biomass as a potential alternative feed additive in the aquaculture industry.     

长白山林区主要可燃物类型地表可燃物载量分析

对长白山林区主要可燃物类型地表可燃物载量进行了对比分析和聚类分析。通过可燃物类型载量的对比分析,得出易燃的可燃物类型是云冷杉林(鱼鳞云杉103a)、落叶松林(115a)和云冷杉林(鱼鳞云杉80a),最不易燃的是岳桦林(142a)、白桦林(87a)和岳桦林(115a);释放能量最大的可燃物类型是落叶松林(115a),释放能量最小的可燃物类型是白桦林(87a)。通过各可燃物类型的1h时滞可燃物载量和地表总可燃物载量的聚类分析,可把13个可燃物类型化为6类。     

播期和密度对棉花叶柄和根系硝态氮含量的影响

为探讨大田棉花氮代谢随播期和密度的变化规律,选用华棉3109(G.hirsutum L.)于2014年在华中农业大学试验农场,采用裂区设计:播期(月-日)(S1,05-30;S2,06-14)为主区,密度(株·m-2)(D1,7.5;D2,9.0;D3,10.5)为副区,研究了硝态氮含量在主茎叶柄和根系的分布特点。结果表明:1)随生育进程推进,叶柄和根系硝态氮含量先升高后降低,初花期最高。2)主茎叶柄硝态氮含量随叶位变化,蕾期、初花期由上而下逐渐降低,第1叶最高;盛花期逐渐增高,第1叶和第4叶最高;不同生育时期棉花叶柄硝态氮含量在叶位间的下降幅度随播期推迟而降低,随密度增加先升高后降低。3)播期和密度对不同生育时期棉花叶柄和根系硝态氮平均含量的交互作用均显著,但播期和密度主效应影响不同:见花施肥前,随推迟播期,棉花叶柄硝态氮平均含量显著降低了42.9%,根系硝态氮平均含量显著升高了12.1%,增加密度对叶柄和根系硝态氮平均含量无显著影响。见花施肥后,随播期的推迟,叶柄硝态氮平均含量无显著性变化,初花期平均为5.05 mg·g-1,盛花期平均为2.62 mg·g-1;而根系硝态氮平均含量,初花期S1S2,盛花期S1S2;随密度增加,D1,D2与D3初花期叶柄和根系硝态氮平均含量均显著降低;盛花期叶柄硝态氮平均含量呈先升高后降低趋势变化,而根系硝态氮平均含量则与初花期相反,呈显著递增趋势。综上所述,晚播高密条件下,见花一次施肥后,推迟播期不改变棉花地上部叶柄硝态氮平均含量水平,适度增加密度有利于棉花叶柄维持较高的硝态氮含量,有利于为叶片氮代谢提供充足的底物。     

Exploring genetic diversity for heat tolerance among lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) genotypes of variant habitats by simple sequence repeat markers

The study was carried out to assess genetic diversity among 119 lentil genotypes grown in different habitats for heat tolerance using morpho‐physiological and reproductive traits and SSR markers. High‐temperature stress was applied at seedling (35/33°C) and anthesis stages (35/20°C) to study the effects on morpho‐physiological and reproductive traits under hydroponic condition, which was compared with non‐stressed and stressed field conditions. A set of 209 alleles were identified by 35 SSR markers among the genotypes. Genetic diversity and polymorphism information content values varied between 0.0494–0.859 and 0.0488–0.844, with mean values of 0.606 and 0.563, respectively. Genotypes were clustered into nine groups based on SSR markers. Morpho‐physiological and reproductive traits under heat stress were found to be significantly different among SSR clusters. These findings suggest that heat adaptation is variable among the genotypes and the tolerant materials can be evolved through hybridization using parents from different clusters with diverse mechanisms of heat tolerance.