Detection of chlamydial antibody by fetal serology--an aid to the diagnosis of ovine abortion.

Two serological tests (indirect immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) were developed for the detection of fetal antibody to Chlamydia psittaci. Fetal blood and thoracic fluid from 126 field cases of suspected ovine chlamydial abortion were examined using both tests. Placenta and fetal tissues (lung, liver, and kidney) from the same animals were also examined by the following conventional diagnostic methods: isolation in McCoy cells, detection of chlamydial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), modified Ziehl-Nielsen staining, and direct fluorescent antibody staining of chlamydia in frozen cryostat sections. Seventy cases were positive by fetal serology, and of these, 68 were also positive by isolation and/or LPS detection. The remaining 56 cases had negative fetal serology, and of these, 39 were positive by isolation and/or LPS detection. Results indicate that fetal serology, although less sensitive than either isolation in McCoy cells or detection of chlamydial LPS antigen, may be of particular use when placenta is not available.     

Prevalence of ovine and bovine respiratory syncytial virus infections in cattle determined with a synthetic peptide-based immunoassay.

Subgroup-specific peptide-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays from the G-protein of the ovine and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), respectively, were used to determine the prevalence of the ovine and bovine subgroup strains of RSV infections in cattle. A total of 1,102 bovine serum samples were obtained from 6 diagnostic laboratories located in the northwestern and the southeastern USA and were tested for antibody to either the bovine or ovine subgroups of RSV. Antibody to viruses from each subgroup was present in samples from each region and all states tested. The Southeast had a higher prevalence of the bovine subgroup strains (69.5%). Then did the Northwest (40.9%). The prevalence of the ovine strain was similar for the two regions (16.7% in the southeast, 14.9% in the northwest). The overall prevalence was 56.6% for the bovine strain and 15.9% for the ovine strain. These results suggest members of the ovine subgroup of RSV circulate in the cattle population but with less frequency than those viruses of the bovine subgroup.     

Interaction of low-pathogenicity reoviruses and low levels of infection with several coccidial species

Various combinations of reoviruses and coccidia were studied to see if interactions would occur. Two reoviruses were used: virus 2035, a moderate to low pathogen, and virus 2177, a nonpathogen. Coccidia used were Eimeria acervulina, E. mitis, and E. maxima at dosages of 10(3) or 10(4) sporulated oocysts/chick and E. brunetti at 10(4) sporulated oocysts/chick. In Hubbard-Hubbard cockerels, a combination of virus 2035 and E. acervulina (10(4) oocysts/chick) or E. maxima (10(3) oocysts/chick) significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) increased the frequency of stunting (% of chicks with body weight less than 80% of controls) and further depressed weight gain over that seen with either virus or coccidia alone. Conversely, virus 2177 ameliorated the same effects in Shaver-Arbor Acre cockerels given 10(4) oocysts/chick of E. mitis or E. maxima. The interaction could not be attributed to changes in the degree of coccidial infection based on oocyst production. Reovirus did not generally change the effect of coccidia on levels of plasma pigment and plasma protein. In Hubbard-Hubbard cockerels, coccidia-induced effects were not ameliorated by virus 2177, suggesting that breed difference in interaction can be expected.     

Fever and associated clinical haematologic and blood biochemical changes in the goat and other animal species

Summary Acute febrile diseases are characterized by specific and non-specific symptoms. The non-specific responses are presented under the headings: fever, inflammation and pain, experimental models for investigating febrile reactions, haematologic changes, blood biochemical changes, cardiovascular effects, changes in gastric function, and the effects of fever upon pharmacokinetics of drugs. It was the purpose of this review to describe present concepts of thermoregulation and fever, the associated reactions produced by bacterial pyrogens and the mechanisms of these reactions. The available data illustrate, that many questions have not yet been clearly answered. However, the entire field of research involving endogenous substances, such as interleukin-1, is now moving ahead with great speed. Furthermore, there is some evidence which suggests that fever and the associated lower plasma zinc and iron levels act together as a co-ordinated non-specific host defence mechanism. Since experimental fever has a distinct effect upon the pharmacokinetics of drugs, more attention should be given to this aspect.     

Prevention of renal carriage of leptospirosis in dogs by vaccination

Dogs vaccinated with a Leptospira interrogans vaccine containing serogroups Canicola and Icterohaemorrhagiae and prepared from cultures grown in a protein-free medium resisted challenge with heterologous representatives of these serogroups. In contrast, control dogs were pyrexic and leptospires were isolated from the blood for nine days following Canicola challenge and six days after Icterohaemorrhagiae challenge. Leptospires were isolated from the urine of controls throughout the post challenge period and from kidneys at post mortem examination of six out of six and four out of six Canicola and Icterohaemorrhagiae challenged controls, respectively. There have been no reports of hypersensitivity reactions to this vaccine since its introduction in 1980.     

Urgency Index Ratios: a Simple Tool for Forest Management

Traditional forest economics deals with regularly-ordered activities.For many reasons, however, choices must often be made amongconflicting operational priorities. In these circumstances,maximizing net discounted revenue per hectare does not maximizeglobal profit. Priorities for action should be chosen in orderof urgency index ratio, defined as the cost of delaying an operationdivided by the units of limited resource needed to undertakethe operation. Forest managers tend to use informal and sometimesconflicting rules to assign priorities among uses of limitedresources. These priorities often differ from those indicatedby urgency index ratio. Urgency index ratio can be determinedby simple calculations based on readily-available data. Theconcept can be extended to include multiple constraints.     

The extent of genetic diversity among Vanilla species: Comparative results for RAPD and ISSR

Vanilla is a large genus of about 110 species in the orchid family (Orchidaceae), including the species Vanilla planifolia from which commercial vanilla flavoring is derived. Since most species of vanilla are considered rare and endangered there is an urgent need to conserve them through genetic analysis and propagation/conservation studies on this crop.The present study investigated the genetic diversity among nine leafy- and leaf-less Vanilla species employing 30 decamer RAPD primers and 10 ISSR primers. The species under study were diverse and displayed a range of variability (0–66% and 0–81% for RAPD and ISSR, respectively). A total of 154 RAPD polymorphic markers (83.24%, h = 0.378) and 93 ISSR polymorphic markers (86.11%, h = 0.363) were used to generate a genetic similarity matrix followed by the cluster analysis. Specific groupings were revealed by each cluster analysis with slight variation between two different markers. Among the nine species studied, V. planifolia, Vanilla aphylla and Vanilla tahitensis revealed very low level of variation within their collections, thus indicating a narrow genetic base. The large genetic distance of Vanilla andamanica from other species suggests its different origin. A close genetic affinity was observed between the pairs V. planifolia, V. tahitensis and Vanilla albida, V. aphylla. These are the first comparative results for RAPD and ISSR reporting inter-relationship among nine cultivated, wild and hybrid Vanilla species.