Further characterization of dandelion yellow mosaic virus from lettuce and dandelion

A damaging virus isolated in the Netherlands from lettuce was studied and compared with a virus isolated from dandelion orginating from Czechoslovakia. It was found to biologically resemble dandelion yellow mosaic virus incompletely described from dandelion and lettuce in Great Britain (Kassanis, 1944, 1947) and from dandelion in Germany (Hein, 1963). Mechanical transmission was greatly improved by buffer solution and transmission byMyzus persicae seemed to be in the non-persistent manner. Longevity in vitro of the virus hardly exceeded one day. Thermal inactivation was between 60 and 65 °C and the dilution end-point was between 10 000 and 100 000. It was still infectious in leaf material dried and stored over CaCl₂ at 4 °C for 6 1/2 years. The virus was isolated and purified with difficulty and was found to consist of one type of spherical particle of ca 30 nm diameter, with a sedimentation coefficient of 159 S, a buoyant density of 1.42 g.cm^?3 and an A₂₆₀/A₂₈₀ ratio of 1.67. An antiserum was prepared with a titre of 256 in the agar double-diffusion test. The virus could be identified in crude extracts from lettuce andChenopodium amaranticolor by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), but not by agar double diffusion. It could only be visualized in crude sap in the electron microscope after trapping of virus particles on antiserum-coated grids. The virus cannot yet be assigned to any known virus group. It is of potential economic importance to lettuce because of its occurrence in widely differing regions in Europe, its aggressiveness and virulence on 22 out of 23 lettuce cultivars tested (and on endive) and its pathogenicity toLactuca genotypes which are resistant to lettuce mosaic virus and other important pathogens of lettuce. ‘Laibacher Eis’ was the only cultivar showing some tolerance.     

Retention of Selenium in Kidneys,Liver and Striated Muscle After Prolonged Feeding of Therapeutic Amounts of Sodium Selenite to Pigs

Sodium selenite was mixed in a commercial pig food so as to increase the original selenium content (0.126 ppm) by 1.2 ppm. The supplemented food was given to 7 pigs during 78 days. A control group of as many pigs was given the non-supplemented commercial food. The pigs were killed, starting 4 hours after the last selenium-supplemented food had been given and then with intervals during the next 14 days. Small but significant increases of tissue selenium were noticed in liver and striated muscle as compared with the control animals. The kidneys showed no increase.     

Relative efficacy of organophosphorus insecticides against susceptible and resistant strains of the strike blowfly Lucilia cuprina (Calliphoridae) in New Zealand sheep

Four groups of five Romney lambs were treated by plunge dipping with one of four registered organophosphorus flystrike preventatives. Untreated lambs acted as controls. The sheep were challenged at weekly intervals with larval implants of organophosphate-susceptible and -resistant strains of Lucilia cuprina. All four treatments provided 19-21 weeks protection against susceptible larvae but chlorfenvinphos provided the longest protection (16-17 weeks), followed by propetamphos (15-16 weeks), dichlofenthion (10-13 weeks) and diazinon (9-13 weeks), against the resistant strain.     

Environmental unknowns

Among the environmental problems ahead, the most important ones could be those that are still unknown to us. This conceptual article explores this prospect on the grounds that it is important not only to supply answers to recognized questions but to raise appropriate new questions.