Oncology Virtual Issue Articles

The following two articles have been published online as part of the EVE Oncology Virtual Issue which is available online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/eve     

Detection of Ureaplasma diversum in the upper airways of Australian feedlot cattle

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) exerts a major impact on the beef cattle industry nationally and worldwide, with a range of aetiological factors impacting its pathogenesis. Previous research has focussed on an increasing number of bacteria and viruses that have been shown to play a role in eliciting disease. Recently, additional agents have been emerging as potential contributors to BRD, including the opportunistic pathogen Ureaplasma diversum. To determine if U. diversum was present in Australian feedlot cattle and if that presence was linked to BRD, nasal swabs were collected from a cohort of 34 hospital pen animals and compared to 216 apparently healthy animals sampled contemporaneously at feedlot induction and again after 14 days on feed at an Australian feedlot. All samples were subjected to a de novo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting U. diversum in combination with other BRD agents. U. diversum was detected at a low prevalence in cattle at induction (Day 0: 6.9%, Day 14: 9.7%), but in a significantly greater proportion of cattle sampled from the hospital pen (58.8%). When considering the presence of other BRD-associated agents, co-detection of U. diversum and Mycoplasma bovis was most common in hospital pen animals receiving treatment for BRD. These findings suggest that U. diversum may be an opportunistic pathogen involved in the aetiology of BRD in Australian feedlot cattle, in combination with other agents, with further studies are warranted to identify if a causal relationship exists.     

Significance for exercise capacity of some electrocardiographic findings in racehorses

Summary Various cardiorespiratory and metabolic indices were assessed during treadmill exercise in Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses with T wave changes in 4 or more leads on the electrocardiogram or second-degree atrio-ventricular (AV) block, and in horses that had no abnormalities on clinical examination, resting electrocardiography or upper respiratory tract endoscopy. No significant differences in heart rate, plasma lactate concentration, arterial blood gases, oxygen uptake, run time, peak velocity, or blood and red cell volumes were found between normal horses and horses with T wave changes or second-degree AV block. These results indicate that some electrocardiographic findings that are considered by some clinicians to indicate cardiac dysfunction, may have little effect on exercise capacity.     

Detection and genetic diversity of porcine rotavirus A,B and C in eastern Australian piggeries

Rotaviruses (RV) have a high prevalence in piggeries worldwide and are one of the major pathogens causing severe diarrhoea in young pigs. RV species A, B, and C have been linked to piglet diarrhoea in Australian pig herds, but their genetic diversity has not been studied in detail. Based on sequencing of the structural viral protein 7 (VP7) RVA G genotypes G3, G4 and G5, and RVC types G1, G3, G5, and G6 have been identified in Australian piggeries in previous studies. Although occurrence of RVB was reported in Australia in 1988, no further genetic analysis has been conducted. To improve health management decisions in Australian pig herds, more information on RV prevalence and genetic diversity is needed. Here, 243 enteric samples collected from 20 pig farms within Eastern Australia were analysed for the presence of RV in different age groups using a novel PCR-based multiplex assay (Pork MultiPath™ enteric panel). RVA, RVB, and RVC were detected in 10, 14, and 14 farms, respectively. Further sequencing of VP7 in selected RV-positive samples revealed G genotypes G2, G5, G9 (RVA), G6, G8, G14, G16, G20 (RVB), and G1, G3, G5, G6 (RVC) present. RVA was only detected in young (<10 weeks old) pigs whereas RVB and RVC were also detected in older animals (>11 weeks old). Interestingly, RVB and RVC G-type occurrence differed between age groups. In conclusion, this study provides new insights on the prevalence and diversity of different RV species in pig herds of Eastern Australia whilst demonstrating the ability of the Pork MultiPath™ technology to accurately differentiate between these RV species.     

Alpha-amylase/subtilisin Inhibitor Levels in Australian Barleys

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the bifunctional alpha-amylase/subtilisin inhibitor (BASI) content of barley grain from 11 cultivars grown in six diverse locations in Australia. The inhibitor ranged from 119 to 254 μg/g in 57 barley samples. Genotype had a significant (P<0·05) effect on BASI content but there was no effect due to environment. Total protein varied independently of BASI and was influenced by environment and genotype. BASI content was higher (P<0·05) in malting barley than in feed barley and was correlated positively (r=0·29;P<0·05) with alpha-amylase activity in corresponding malts. The ELISA used monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies raised against purified BASI. In immunoblot analysis the monoclonal antibody showed high specificity for the inhibitor in barley and also detected the inhibitor in wheat. Low levels of inhibitor (mean 3·2 μg/g) were found in 12 Australian wheat cultivars using the ELISA developed for barley. The assay had a linear working range of 5–50 ng/mL with a detection limit of 2 ng/mL. Reproducibility between assays was good (CV=4·9%) but mean recoveries were high, ranging from 116–129% when purified inhibitor was added to barley extracts. The ELISA may have useful applications in brewing research and barley breeding programmes.     

Development of a forest certification standard compatible with PEFC and FSC's management requirements. A case study from Greece

Greece currently has no national forest certification standard.This paper explains how a draft forest management standard forGreece was developed to be compatible with both the Forest StewardshipCouncil and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certificationschemes requirements. The draft standard was tested in two contrastingforest areas to investigate its ease of operation, to indicatenecessary refinements to the standard and to reveal major areasof weakness in current forest management practices. Field testingshowed that the standard was operationally efficient and thatrelatively few changes to the standard were necessary. Majorweaknesses in current management practices were identified asbreaches of health and safety, poor training of forest workersand inadequate consultation with stakeholders.