Interannual variation in quantitative relationships among egg production and densities of larvae and juveniles of the Japanese mantis shrimp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oratosquilla oratoria</Emphasis> in Tokyo Bay,Japan

To explore which lifestages affect the stock size of young-of-the-year mantis shrimp Oratosquilla oratoria in Tokyo Bay, Japan, we investigated interannual variations in the quantitative relationships among egg production, larval density, and juvenile density. We collected adult females, larvae, and juveniles during monthly field surveys from 2004 to 2007. The interannual trend for the juvenile density index differed from those for egg production and larval density; although indices of both egg production and larval density were high in 2004 and 2007, the juvenile density index was high only in 2007, suggesting high mortality during the pelagic larval stage or the early phase of the postsettlement juvenile stage in 2004. We found that larval settlement started at the end of August and peaked in October, although larvae from the early spawning season (May–June) should have settled in August or earlier. Juveniles were found throughout the bay except in areas where bottom hypoxia occurred, suggesting that hypoxia restricts the spatial distribution of juveniles. Our results suggest that mortality during the early life history fluctuates among years, probably because of changes in environmental conditions in the bay, resulting in interannual variation in the stock size of young-of-the-year juvenile O. oratoria.     

Changes in reproductive patterns in relation to decline in stock abundance of the Japanese mantis shrimp Oratosquilla oratoria in Tokyo Bay

ABSTRACT:   We investigated changes in the reproductive patterns of mantis shrimp Oratosquilla oratoria concurrent with stock-abundance decline in Tokyo Bay, Japan. Stock abundance was high in the mid to late 1980s but decreased abruptly in the early 1990s. The yearly change in annual mean larval abundance was similar to that of stock abundance. Mantis shrimp in the bay have two spawning seasons, an early season (May–June) for ≥1-year-old individuals and a late season (July–September) for 0–1-year-old individuals. This general reproductive pattern does not differ among different stock-abundance levels. However, the monthly pattern in larval abundance has changed with stock-abundance decline; larval abundance from the early spawning season was highest in the high-stock-abundance period, and it decreased significantly in the low-stock-abundance period, probably as a result of decreased spawning-stock abundance of large female mantis shrimp ≥1-year-old. Correlation analysis on the egg production index and larval abundance suggested that during this low-stock-abundance period the population is supported mostly by late-hatched larvae spawned by small, 0–1-year-old female mantis shrimp. Considering the reproductive pattern and the present status of the fishery, the stock of small female mantis shrimp should be conserved to enhance reproduction of the population for stock recovery.     

Typing of Rhodococcus equi isolated from submaxillary lymph nodes of pigs in Japan

Isolation of Rhodococcus equi from the submaxillary lymph nodes of pigs, with or without caseous lymphadenitis, and typing of the isolates by two serological methods were carried out. The rate of isolation of the organisms from the lymph nodes of pigs was 5 times higher in the lymph nodes with caseous lymphadenitis than in those without the lesion. Of 219 isolates, 146 (66.7%) were typable by the method of Prescott, while all the 219 isolates (100%) were typable by the method of Nakazawa et al. The most frequently isolated were serotype 2 of Prescott (identical to serogroup 16 of Nakazawa et al.), and serogroup 3 of Nakazawa et al., which did not correspond with any serotypes of Prescott. Serotypes/serogroups of R. equi from pigs were thus first clarified in Japan.     

Characterization of classical swine fever virus associated with defective interfering particles containing a cytopathogenic subgenomic RNA isolated from wild boar

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) strain WB82, isolated from a wild boar in 1982, induced a distinct cytopathic effect (CPE) in primary swine testicle cell culture and in most of the porcine cell lines. This strain of CSFV was found to be composed of two biotypes. cytopathogenic (cp) CSFV, as a minor population, and noncytopathogenic (noncp) CSFV, as a major population. The noncp CSFV (designated strain WB82/E+) was obtained by biological cloning, and it showed the exaltation of Newcastle disease virus phenomenon. In Northern blot analysis and RT-PCR assay, CSFV RNA with a subgenomic (sg) length was detected in addition to full-length viral RNA only in the cells in which a CPE had been revealed. These RNAs represent the genomes of typical defective interfering (DI) particles because of the strict dependence on a complementing helper virus and interference with replication of the helper virus. The sg RNA, which exhibits the genomes of the DI particles, lacked the nucleotides of the viral genomic region from Npro to NS2 (4764 bases). When extracted sg RNA was transfected to the cells infected with the WB82/E+ strain, a distinct CPE was observed. Interestingly, the CPE was observed in cells infected with other heterologous noncp CSFV ALD and GPE- strains by sg RNA transfection. The results suggested that these noncp CSFVs act as helper viruses for the replication of sg RNA (DI particles). It was also shown that the cytopathogenicity of strain WB82 is caused by apoptosis.     

The Kidneys of Infant Mice are not Sensitive to the Food Mycotoxin Contaminant Nivalenol

Nivalenol (NIV) is a trichothecene mycotoxin produced by Fusarium fungi that frequently contaminates agricultural commodities. Dietary administration of NIV to adult mice affects the renal glomeruli, but data about NIV toxicity in human infants are limited. To evaluate the effects of NIV on infant kidneys, 3-week-old male ICR-derived glomerulonephritis (ICGN) and ICR mice were administered 0, 4, 8 or 16 ppm NIV in diet for 4 weeks, and their renal status was compared with age-matched or adult ICR mice. In ICGN mice, the number of glomeruli showing mesangial expansion and α-smooth muscle actin (SMA)-positive mesangial cells was higher with 16 ppm NIV compared with controls. No other significant differences were observed in ICGN mice. In infant ICR mice, the IgA serum concentrations were significantly elevated without glomerular morphological changes in the 16 ppm NIV group. There was no difference in NIV sensitivity in the kidneys of infant ICGN and ICR mice. These data suggest that the kidneys in infant mice are not sensitive to nivalenol under the present conditions.     

Enantioseparation of imazalil residue in orange by capillary electrophoresis with 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin as a chiral selector

Chiral resolution of imazalil, a fungicide, was performed by capillary electrophoresis (CE) using 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin as a chiral selector. Factors affecting the chiral resolution and migration time of imazalil were studied. The optimum running conditions were found to be 5 mM ammonium dihydrogenphosphate-50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 3.0) containing 4 mM 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin with an effective voltage of +25 kV at 20 degrees C using direct detection at 200 nm. Under these conditions, the resolution (Rs) of racemic imazalil was approximately 6. The extraction of imazalil from orange samples was done with acetonitrile under basic conditions. The extract was purified with a solid-phase extraction cartridge (Sep-Pak plus PS-2) and was analyzed by the above CE method. Eight orange samples were analyzed, and imazalil was detected in seven samples. In four of these seven oranges, the level of (-)-imazalil was the same as that of (+)-imazalil, but in the other three oranges, the level of (-)-imazalil was found to be lower than that of (+)-imazalil, suggesting that (-)-imazalil was degraded more quickly than (+)-imazalil in oranges.