Eroding diversity away: Impacts of a tetrapod breakwater on a subtropical coral reef

1. Artificial barriers for coastal protection have been deployed across numerous tropical and subtropical islands in the Pacific, including Okinawa Island, southern Japan, where artificial defences have been installed along a large part of the coastline.
2. Although artificial barriers can lead to beach narrowing or loss and can exacerbate erosion, their effects on coral reef ecosystems remain understudied.
3. This study investigated the impact of a tetrapod breakwater in Ogimi Village, Okinawa Island, Japan, comparing the area affected by the presence of the barrier with a nearby natural coastline, and examining differences in physical parameters (depth profiles, sediment granulometry, and erosion on plaster balls) and benthic community composition.
4. Significant differences in depth profiles, sediment granulometry, and erosion were found, suggestive of alterations in water energy levels (lower than controls on the landward side of the barrier, and higher on the seaward side).
5. The benthic community was also clearly affected, with almost no living corals growing over the blocks or in their proximity.
6. Overall, the data show how breakwaters can affect the physical environment and benthic communities in a subtropical coral reef ecosystem, with negative consequences for coral survival.

     

Preliminary validation of a point‐of‐care ethylene glycol test for cats

Objective – To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a newly available, semi‐quantitative, cage‐side test for the detection of ethylene glycol (EG) toxicosis in cats. Design – Prospective, laboratory study. Setting – University teaching hospital. Animals – This study utilized samples from 57 cats, whose blood had been anticoagulated with EDTA and submitted to the hospital's laboratory for a complete blood count. Samples were centrifuged, and the plasma separated, aliquoted, and immediately frozen at ?30 °C. Interventions – Samples were randomly divided into 2 primary groups (Group 1: no EG added, Group 2: EG added). Twenty microliters of plasma from each of the Group 1 samples was applied directly to the test strip. Plasma samples from Group 2 had EG added at different concentrations to achieve approximate final concentrations of 20, 60, or 80 mg/dL. These samples were then applied to the test strip. Measurements – Two readers who were blinded to the sample preparation procedure and isolated from each other were asked to categorically interpret the colorimetric reaction on the randomly presented test strips. Main Results – The agreement of the 2 reviewers at the 3 different levels of EG concentrations (20, 60, 80 mg/dL) were 0.7, 0.7, and 0.5, respectively. Thus, the readers demonstrated substantial agreement while reading the 2 lower concentrations, while at 80 mg/dL the level of agreement was moderate. Overall, the sensitivity of the assay increased as the concentration of EG increased (reviewer 1: 67%, 67%, 86%; reviewer 2: 56%, 89%, 100%), while the specificity of the assay decreased with increasing concentrations of EG (reviewer 1: 77%, 45%, 50%; reviewer 2: 77%, 53%, 25%). Conclusions: Because of the likelihood for false negatives and false positives, results from this test must be viewed in light of clinical data and should not be relied upon as a lone diagnostic test.     

Subtropical goats ovulate in response to the male effect after a prolonged treatment of artificial long days to stimulate their milk yield

The objectives of this study were to determine (i) if in subtropical goats that gave birth during mid‐December, the exposition to an artificial long‐day photoperiod consisting in only 14 hr of light per day can increase the milk yield and (ii) to test whether these females can respond to the male effect at the end of the prolonged photoperiodic treatment. In experiment 1, 17 lactating goats were maintained under natural short days (control group), while another 22 goats were maintained under artificial long days (treated group) consisting in 14 hr light and 10 hr darkness starting at day 10 of lactation. The continuous exposition to an artificial long‐day photoperiod produced an increase in the milk yield level during the first 110 days of lactation (time × treatment interaction; p = .01), while none of the milk components were modified due to the photoperiodic treatment (p > .05). In experiment 2, all control and treated anovulatory goats were submitted to the male effect using photostimulated males. All females showed oestrous behaviour within the first 10 days that were in contact with males (100% in both groups; p > .05). Thus, the latency to onset of oestrus did not differ between females from control (58.2 ± 3.0 hr) and treated (62 ± 4.6 hr) groups. Male exposition provoked ovulation independently if females were previously under long days or natural photoperiod (96 vs 100%, respectively; p = .79). It was concluded that exposure to 14 hr of light per day in subtropical goats that gave birth in late autumn stimulates milk yield without preventing the ovulation in response to the male effect at the end of the prolonged photoperiodic treatment.     

Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo is not a major cause of bovine abortion in Victoria

The aim of this study was to determine whether evidence could be obtained of foetal infection with Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo in aborted foetuses collected from dairy farms. Material from 197 abortions occurring over a wide area of Victoria was collected over 3 years. None of 195 foetal kidney cultures or 7 cultures from membranes was positive for leptospiral organisms. Immunogold silver staining for leptospires was performed on sections of kidneys, lungs or heart from 156 foetuses, with negative results. Evidence of transient leptospiral infection in 11 of 123 foetuses was obtained by foetal heart blood serology. Two isolates of L. interrogans serovar hardjo were obtained from the urine of milking cows. These strains were examined by restriction endonuclease analysis and both were shown to be of the genotype Hardjobovis, as have been all Australian isolates studied so far. It appears that foetal infection with serovar hardjo is not associated with any substantial proportion of bovine abortions in Victoria, in contrast to the situation in Northern Ireland. The apparent absence from Victoria of the pathogenic genotype Hardjoprajitno is a possible explanation.     

Evidence for absence of equine arteritis virus in the horse population of New Zealand

AIM: To summarise investigation and laboratory data collected between 2001 and 2011 to provide evidence that equine arteritis virus is not present in the horse population of New Zealand.

METHODS: Analysis was carried out on results from laboratory tests carried out at the Ministry for Primary Industries Animal Health Laboratory (AHL) for equine arteritis virus from horses tested prior to being imported or exported, testing of stallions as part of the New Zealand equine viral arteritis (EVA) control scheme and testing as part of transboundary animal disease (TAD) investigations for exclusion of EVA. Horse breeds were categorised as Thoroughbred, Standardbred or other.

RESULTS: A total of 7,157 EVA serological test records (from import and export testing, EVA control scheme testing and TAD investigations) were available for analysis between 2005 and 2011. For the three breed categories a seroprevalence of ≤1.6% at the 95% confidence level was determined for each category. Between 2001 and 2011, as part of the EVA control scheme, the EVA status of 465 stallions was determined to be negative. During 2005–2011 EVA was excluded from 84 TAD investigations.

CONCLUSIONS: There was no evidence of equine arteritis virus being present in the general horse population outside of carrier stallions managed under the EVA control scheme.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Equine arteritis virus is absent from the general horse population of New Zealand.     

Activated coagulation times in normal cats and dogs using MAX-ACTTM tubes

Objective  To establish reference values for activated coagulation time (ACT) in normal cats and dogs, by visual assessment of clot formation using the MAX-ACT^TM tube.
Subjects  We recruited 43 cats and 50 dogs for the study; 11 cats and 4 dogs were excluded from the statistical analysis because of abnormalities on clinical examination or laboratory testing including anaemia, prolonged prothrombin time (PT) or activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), or insufficient plasma volume for comprehensive laboratory coagulation testing.
Procedure  Blood samples were collected via direct venipuncture for MAX-ACT, packed cell volume/total solids, manual platelet estimation and PT/APTT measurement. Blood (0.5 mL) was mixed gently in the MAX-ACT tube at 37°C for 30 s, then assessed for clot formation every 5 to 10 s by tipping the tube gently on its side and monitoring for magnet movement. The endpoint was defined as the magnet lodging in the clot. The technique was tested with 10 dogs by collecting two blood samples from the same needle insertion and running a MAX-ACT on each simultaneously.
Results  In normal cats the mean MAX-ACT was 66 s (range 55–85 s). In normal dogs the mean was 71 s (range 55–80 s). There was no statistical difference between the first and second samples collected from the same needle insertion.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance  In both cats and dogs, a MAX-ACT result >85 s should be considered abnormal and further coagulation testing should be performed. Additionally, failure to discard the first few drops of the sample does not appear to significantly affect results.     

Intracytoplasmic Glutathione Levels in Heifer Oocytes Cultured in different Maturation Media and its Effect on Embryo Development

The present study was carried out to study the effect of different maturation media on embryo development of heifer oocytes and on their glutathione (GSH) synthesis during in vitro maturation (IVM). Immature heifer oocytes were matured in parallel in one of four maturation media: (i) Tissue Culture Medium (TCM)-199 supplemented with 10 ng/ml of epidermal growth factor (EGF); (i) TCM-199 supplemented with 10 ng/ml of EGF plus 1 microg/ml of FSH; (iii) TCM-199 supplemented with 10% of foetal bovine serum (FBS) and (iv) TCM-199 supplemented with 10% of FBS plus 1 microg/ml of FSH. Cow oocytes were used as control and were matured in TCM-199 supplemented with 10 ng/ml of EGF. No differences were observed in blastocyst rate among the different heifer oocyte groups (8.8, 7.5. 8.4 and 6.8%, respectively) however, the percentage of blastocysts obtained from cow oocytes was significantly higher (30%; p < 0.01) than those obtained from heifer oocytes. De novo GSH synthesis during oocyte maturation of heifer and cow oocytes was detected. No significant differences in intracytoplasmic GSH levels were observed among the experimental heifer oocyte groups or between heifer and cow oocytes both before and after IVM. In conclusion, the blastocyst yield obtained from heifer oocytes was lower than that from cow oocytes and this fact could not be explained by significant differences in intracytoplasmic GSH contents of oocytes before or after IVM.