Effect of some repetitive factors on turbot stress response

The stress response of the turbot, Scopthalmus maximus (L.), to repetitive factors including netting, air exposure, blood sampling and hand-stripping, were tested using two different tank sizes as well as two blood sampling techniques. Exposure of juvenile fish to air for 1-4 min had no immediate effect on plasma cortisol concentrations or haematocrit values. Similarly, the serial netting of immature fish from tanks did not significantly modify plasma cortisol concentrations, haematocrit or osmolarity values. Hand-stripping of mature males was more disturbing than air exposure. The cumulative effect on plasma cortisol levels and osmolarity of stress factors such as netting, air exposure, blood sampling and stripping applied simultaneously to mature males in a 16 m3 tank and repeated twice daily for several days was recorded. The level of cortisol increased from 5 ng ml-1 to 300 ng ml-1 after 10 days of treatment, while an osmoregulatory imbalance and fish death were observed. Moreover, adaptation of fish to smaller tanks seemed to improve the increased plasma cortisol levels and death rate. Reduction in the number of stress factors applied greatly decreased both the range of physiological responses and the death rate. In order to avoid a cumulative stress response, handling of fish should therefore be reduced to a minimum.     

人工育苗条件下大黄鱼仔、稚、幼鱼的摄食与生长

在人工育苗条件下,对0到40日龄大黄鱼(Pseudosciaenacrocea,Richardson)仔、稚鱼及早期幼鱼的摄食习性与生长特性进行研究。水温(24±1)℃时,孵化后0～5d属于仔鱼期,6～20d为稚鱼期,第21天起转为幼鱼期。大黄鱼仔鱼孵化3d后开口摄食;开口时平均口径为240μm,40日龄达2480μm;口径的大小变化与日龄的关系是:y=0.2327e0.0682x,R2=0.9492。试验用的生物饵料与实际生产一致,包括轮虫、丰年虫无节幼体、活桡足类和冷藏桡足类。不同生长期的大黄鱼鱼苗的摄食活动具有明显的昼夜节律:在1昼夜(24h)中,仔鱼仅在18:00左右出现1个摄食高峰,而稚鱼和幼鱼除了在18:00左右出现1个显著的摄食高峰外,在10:00左右还有1个相对小的摄食高峰。仔、稚、幼鱼夜间基本不摄食。大黄鱼鱼苗具有较高的摄食率和饱食率,随着生长而迅速升高。仔、稚、幼鱼的生长速度具有明显的阶段性,1～2日龄仔鱼生长较快,5～9日龄生长减慢,21～30日龄生长加快,31～40日龄生长减慢。这与鱼苗的食物转换和饵料生物的营养变化有关:5～9日龄生长减慢是由于鱼苗由混合营养转变为外源性营养所致;31～40日龄生长减慢是因为冷藏桡足类的营养价值较低。鱼体全长与日龄的关系式为y=3.2552e0.0472x,R2=0.9710;体长与日龄的关系式为y=3.3205e0.0374x,R2=0.9777;     

Equine Piroplasmosis

Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne protozoal disease of horses, mules, donkeys, and zebras that is characterized by acute hemolytic anemia. The etiologic agents are two hemoprotozoan parasites, Theileria equi (Laveran, 1901) and Babesia caballi (Nutall and Strickland, 1910) that are transmitted primarily by ixodid ticks. Equine piroplasmosis is found globally where tick vectors are present and is endemic in tropical, subtropical, and some temperate regions. Horses infected with B. equi remain seropositive for life; horses infected with B. caballi are seropositive for several years to life. Economic losses associated with EP are significant and include the cost of treatment, especially in acutely infected horses; abortions; loss of performance; death; and restrictions in meeting international requirements related to exportation or participation in equestrian sporting events. Equine babesiosis–free countries limit the entrance of Babesia-seropositive horses into their countries. In the United States a few sporadic outbreaks have occurred in recent years but have been limited due to implementation of stringent control methods. The cELISA for both T. equi and B. caballi is currently the recommended test for international horse transport. Different therapies for control and sterilization of the parasites are discussed.     

Potential use of Eucalyptus globulus essential oil against Phytophthora colocasiae the causal agent of taro leaf blight

This study was carried out to determine the antimicrobial activity of essential oil derived from leaves of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) against Phytophthora colocasiae, the causal agent of taro leaf blight (TLB). Essential oil was obtained by Clevenger-type water distillation. The major compounds in this essential oil were identified using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was tested in vitro against mycelial growth, sporangia and zoospores germination of P. colocasiae. Additionally, in situ tests were conducted on detached healthy taro leaves discs and evaluating necrosis symptoms of TLB were assessed. Results of the chemical composition of the essential oil analysis showed that, 1.8-cineole (26.4 %), α-pinene (14.1 %) and p-cymene (10.2 %) are the most abundant compounds. In addition, four components could be identified in noticeable amounts (18.1 % in the total): regulator G1/G2 and its derivatives as well as flavesone, a regulator G3 derivative. G is a generic term for a family of 2,3-dioxabicyclo[4,4,0] decane system growth regulators. Here, G-regulators and derivatives are described for the first time in E. globulus. Antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was recorded with total inhibition of mycelia growth and sporangia germination at 0.625 mg/ml, while the complete inhibition of zoospores germination was recorded at 0.156 mg/ml. In situ results showed that essential oil completely inhibited the appearance of disease symptoms, necrosis development and sporulation at 3.5 mg/ml. These results demonstrated that, the essential oil of Eucalyptus globulus has high ability to inhibit the development of P. colocasiae, and might be used for controlling TLB.     

Photodecomposition of piperazine in water by ‘sunlight’ ultraviolet radiation

A solution of piperazine in water was photochemically oxidised by the dissolved oxygen when irradiated with ‘sunlight’ ultraviolet radiation obtained with a Hanau Q-300 lamp, or with RUL-300 nm lamps. Sensitisers (riboflavin, acetone and benzophenone) did not increase the rate of the oxidation induced by the RUL-300 nm lamps; however, they (especially riboflavin) accelerated the oxidation induced by the Hanau Q-300 lamp. A large number of products were observed in the sensitised oxidation but they were not analysed further. The irradiation mixture of the non-sensitised photo-oxidation, when 65% of the initial piperazine had been transformed, contained piperazine (35%), glycine (approximately 25%) and three unidentified compounds in equal amounts (approximately 13% each); the same products were obtained with both irradiation systems. The photo-oxidation of piperazine, a metabolite of the fungicide triforine, 1,4-bis(2,2,2-trichloro-l-formamidoethyl)piperaerazine, could thus be a way for the latter's biodegradation at a surface, or in plant tissues, this biodegradation having already been observed.     

Type IV secretion and Brucella virulence

The type IV secretion system, encoded by the virB region, is a key virulence factor for Brucella. The 12 genes of the region form an operon that is specifically induced by phagosome acidification in cells after phagocytosis. We speculate that the system serves to secrete unknown effector molecules, which allow Brucella to pervert the host cell endosomal pathways and to create a novel intracellular compartment in which it can replicate.     

Recovery of Fusarium oxysporum Fo47 Mutants Affected in Their Biocontrol Activity After Transposition of the Fot1 Element

ABSTRACT To investigate the biocontrol mechanisms by which the antagonistic Fusarium oxysporum strain Fo47 is active against Fusarium wilt, a Fot1 transposon-mediated insertional mutagenesis approach was adopted to generate mutants affected in their antagonistic activity. Ninety strains in which an active Fot1 copy had transposed were identified with a phenotypic assay for excision and tested for their biocontrol activity against F. oxysporum f. sp. lini on flax in greenhouse experiments. Sixteen strains were affected in their capacity to protect flax plants, either positively (more antagonistic than Fo47) or negatively (less antagonistic). The molecular characterization of these mutants confirms the excision of Fot1 and its reinsertion in most of the cases. Moreover, we demonstrate that other transposable elements such as Fot2, impala, and Hop have no transposition activity in the mutant genomes. The phenotypic characterization of these mutants shows that they are affected neither in their in vitro growth habit nor in their competitiveness in soil compared with wild-type strain Fo47. These results show that mutants are not impaired in their saprophytic phase and suggest that the altered biocontrol phenotype should likely be expressed during the interaction with the host plant.     

Characterisation of bound residues of [3H]triforine in barley grain grown in the field

Barley was grown in an experimental field and at growth stage J (during the stem extension stage when the second node of the stem was formed and the next-to-last leaf was just visible), the aerial part of the plants was sprayed with an aqueous emulsion of a mixture of triforine and [³H]triforine (uniformly labelled in the piperazine ring) at the normal rate of 250 g triforine ha^?1. The barley was harvested when ripe, and the grain was analysed separately. Extraction of the grain with methanol left methanol-insoluble solids containing an amount of radioactivity (the bound residue) which represented 75% of the total radioactivity incorporated into the grain. Methanol acidified with hydrochloric acid extracted a further 7% of the triforine-derived bound residues in the form of radioactive iminodiacetic acid (1.1%), glycine (3.3 %), serine (0.9%), ethanolamine (0.2%) and unidentified compounds (1.5 %); in the grain, these compounds or their precursors had thus been complexed to grain constituents. Aqueous 0.03M sodium hydroxide extracted a further 27% of the total tritium which had been incorporated by means of α chemical bonds into the protein fraction; acid hydrolysis of the proteins yielded radioactive glycine (9.2%), serine (3.9%) and unidentified compounds (13.9%) which could have been a mixture of a large number of other amino-acids. The plant solids (which contained 41% of the total tritium) left after the alkaline aqueous extractions, were processed and separated into tritiated cellulose (4%) and starch (37%) fractions. The starch was hydrolysed and the resulting glucose was converted into the osazone (34%). After being recrystallised several times, the osazone contained a constant specific radioactivity, indicating that [³H]glucose was present. This glucose may be considered as having a carbon skeleton mainly originating biochemically from some metabolites of [³H]triforine; this tritiated glucose may also be considered as indirect evidence of the biochemical oxidation, by transamination, of the metabolites of [³H]triforine; in barley grain, the tritiated glucose (or at least a part of it) was anabolised into proteins. No piperazine was observed in the bound residues in the grain.     

Therapeutic approaches targeting the prion receptor LRP/LR

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies known as prion diseases are a group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders that affect both humans and animals. The generally accepted principle of the disease is that the conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrP(c)) into the disease associated isoform PrP(Sc) leads to spongiform degeneration of the brain and amyloid plaque formation. Until now no therapy leading to potential alleviation or even cure of the disease exists. It is therefore important to develop therapeutic approaches for the treatment of TSEs since these infections are inevitably fatal and, especially in the case of vCJD, they affect youngsters. Besides current conventional therapeutic strategies, this review summarizes new therapeutic tools targeting the prion receptor LRP/LR.