Acute viral hepatitis in California sea lions

Acute viral hepatitis was diagnosed in five California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) stranded along the Los Angeles coast. Light microscopy revealed large nuclear inclusion bodies in hepatocytes. Electron microscopy provided evidence that these inclusion bodies were composed of adenovirus-like virions. Attempts to grow the virus in cell culture systems were unsuccessful.     

Illustration of the maternal animal model used for genetic evaluation of beef cattle

National cattle evaluation programs for weaning weight in most beef breed associations involve implementation of the maternal animal model to predict direct and maternal EPD. With this model, direct breeding values are predicted for all animals with records or pedigree ties to animals with records, or both. Even though maternal genetic value is expressed only in animals that become dams, these effects are transmitted by all parents and inherited from parents by all animals, leading to maternal breeding values being predicted for all animals as well. A small example data set was simulated involving 12 parents, 8 nonparents, and 13 animals with weaning weight records. The pedigree was developed to include paternal and maternal half-sib families, full-sibs, and some inbreeding, similar to field populations of beef cattle. Assembly of the mixed model equations and solutions for the maternal animal model are illustrated explicitly to assist animal breeding students in their understanding of the properties of the maternal animal model and to explicitly implement the model. Model parameters and moments, fixed contemporary group solutions, adjustment of breeding values for merit of mates, interpretation of maternal permanent environmental effect solutions, and alternatives for the assembly of the equations are shown. This example should lead to increased student and producer understanding of genetic improvement programs for weaning weight in beef cattle.     

Dietary supplementation with Acanthopanax senticosus extract enhances gut health in weanling piglets

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of Acanthopanax senticosus extract (ASE) as a dietary additive on gut health in weanling piglets by examining diarrhea frequency, intestinal microbiota and morphology. A total of 96 Duroc× (Landrace × Yorkshire) piglets weaned at 21 days of age with an average initial body weight (BW) of 5.6 ± 0.4 kg were randomly assigned to 3 treatment groups with 4 duplicates of 8 piglets each. The piglets were fed basal diet to which had been added 0 or 1 g/kg of ASE, or 0.7 g/kg antibiotics, respectively. Fecal consistence was monitored twice daily and the frequency of diarrhea was calculated. On day 21 after the initiation of supplementation, 8 piglets were randomly selected from each treatment group (2 piglets per pen) and slaughtered. The jejunum, ileum, colon and cecum were then excised and fixed in 10% neutral formalin solution to determine villus height and crypt depth, after their contents were collected to determine microbiota. The results showed that dietary supplementation with ASE increased (P < 0.05) the density of bacterial populations that co-migrated with Lactobacillus amylovorus, Lactobacillus salivarius, Bacillus subtilis, and Clostridium lituseburens, but decreased (P < 0.05) those co-migrating with Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, Ruminococcus forques, and E. coli O157:H7 in the PCR-DGGE profiling analysis when compared with the control group. The villus height of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum increased (P < 0.05) by 14.8, 13.7 and 10.0%, while the crypt depth decreased (P < 0.05) by 17.9, 9.1 and 12.1%, respectively, in response to dietary ASE supplementation. Additionally dietary supplementation with ASE or an antibiotic decreased (P < 0.05) the frequency of diarrhea by 55.6 and 52.2%, respectively, compared with the control group. In conclusion, these findings suggest that dietary supplementation with ASE could regulate the microbiota composition and maintain a normal morphology of gut mucosa in weanling piglets, thereby decreasing diarrhea that resulted from weaning stress.     

Outbreak of clinical listeriosis in sheep: evaluation from possible contamination routes from feed to raw produce and humans

We report the results of clinical and microbiological investigations on Listeria monocytogenes infections in a flock of 55 sheep and describe the implications for the safety of the raw milk and raw-milk cheeses produced in the on-farm dairy. The outbreak was caused by feeding grass silage, which was contaminated with 5 log10 CFU L. monocytogenes/g. Clinically, although having been fed from the same batch of silage, abortive (nine ewes), encephalitic (one ewe) and septicaemic (four ewes) forms of listeriosis were observed during the outbreak phase. As the starting point of feeding the contaminated silage was known we could calculate an incubation period of 18+/-2 and 26 days for the abortive and the encephalitic form of listeriosis, respectively. Pathologically, the septicaemic cases suffered from Listeria accumulation at comparable numbers in visceral organs but not in the brain. Only a single ewe developed central nervous symptoms and a rhomb-encephalitis was immunohistologically confirmed. In this case the infection proceeded from the nasal mucosa into the brain, with no infections of the liver, spleen and other visceral organs. Sampling of the cheese production chain, the farm environment and the persons living at the farm revealed the exposure of a farm-worker to an isolate genetically indistinguishable from the outbreak clone, obviously through the consumption of faecally contaminated bovine raw milk. The cheese under processing was free of Listeria because, as a result of intensive consultations, the farmer ensured a proper acidification of the cheese. The epidemiological findings suggest that food safety matters should be assessed in any case where infection of food-producing animals with potential human pathogens is observed.     

Differential expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors alpha and gamma gene in various chicken tissues

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are the members of superfamily of nuclear hormone receptors. A great number of studies in rodent and human have shown that PPARs were involved in the lipids metabolism. The goal of the current study was to investigate the expression pattern of PPAR genes in various tissues of chicken. The tissue samples (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, intestine, brain, breast muscle and adipose) were collected from six Arber Acres broilers (8 weeks old, male and female birds are half and half). Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Northern blot were used to characterize the expression of PPAR-alpha and PPAR-gamma genes in the above tissues. By semi-quantitative RT-PCR, the results showed the expression level of PPAR-alpha gene was higher in brain, lung, kidney, heart and intestine, medium in stomach, liver and adipose than in spleen, and it did not express in breast muscle. The expression level of PPAR-gamma gene was higher in adipose, medium in brain and kidney than in spleen, heart, lung, stomach and intestine, but it did not express in liver and breast muscle. Northern blot results showed that PPAR-alpha gene expressed in heart, liver, kidney and stomach, and the intensity of hybridization signal was the stronger in liver and kidney than in other tissues, however, PPAR-gamma gene only expressed in adipose and kidney tissues. The results of this study showed the profile of PPAR gene expression in the chicken was similar to that in rodent, human and pig. However the expression profile of chicken also have its own specific trait, i.e. compared with mammals, PPAR-alpha gene can not be detected in skeletal muscle and PPAR-gamma gene can be stronger expressed in kidney tissues. This work will provide some basic data for the PPAR genes expression and lipids metabolism of birds.     

云南干热河谷旱坡地南洋樱植物篱水土保持效益研究

对云南元谋干热河谷旱坡地水土流失和土壤退化严重的地区,引进豆科速生树种南洋樱,以30 cm×40 cm株行距、品字形双行等高栽植快速形成植物围篱。结果表明,南洋樱植物篱在元谋干热河谷旱坡地生长良好,并且在种植3年间,治理区径流发生次数明显减少,年径流模数减少了29.13×104m3/km2,减少率76.90%;土壤年退化减少12 986.8 t/km2,减少率76.02%。研究区降水量与径流量间者的相关系数由建植篱前的显著相关变为不显著;有机质和钾流失减少量高达3 111.64 kg/hm2和3276.57 kg/hm2。南洋樱植物篱在控制旱坡地水土流失、减少土壤侵蚀和改善土壤养分等效益显著。     

尕海湿地区沼泽草甸退化对土壤氮转化酶活性的影响

为探讨高寒湿地退化对土壤氮转化酶活性的影响,以青藏高原东缘尕海湿地未退化（ND）、轻度退化（LD）、中度退化（MD）和重度退化（HD）4种不同退化程度0~40 cm土层沼泽草甸为研究对象,研究不同退化与土层中土壤氮转化酶（蛋白酶、脲酶、硝酸还原酶和亚硝酸还原酶）活性的变化特征及其与土壤理化性质之间的关系。结果表明：1）随沼泽草甸退化程度加剧,土壤含水量、全氮、铵态氮和微生物生物量氮含量均显著降低,土壤温度与硝态氮含量却显著增加。2）随退化程度加剧,各土层土壤脲酶活性增加、蛋白酶活性降低,且仅在20~40 cm土层存在显著差异;硝酸还原酶活性增加、亚硝酸还原酶活性降低,在0~20 cm土层存在显著差异。3）各退化程度中,土壤脲酶、蛋白酶、亚硝酸还原酶活性均随土层深度的增加而显著下降,硝酸还原酶活性仅在HD显著下降。4）退化程度和土层对4种土壤氮转化酶活性均存在显著影响,且对土壤硝酸酶和亚硝酸还原酶活性存在显著交互作用。5）冗余分析表明土壤含水量对土壤氮转化酶活性变化的贡献率高达67.1%,其是驱动尕海沼泽草甸退化演替过程中土壤氮转化酶活性变化的主导因素。研究结果可为高寒湿地生态系统退化中的土壤酶活性变化规律提供理论依据。