Relevance of feline calicivirus, feline immunodeficiency virus, feline leukemia virus, feline herpesvirus and Bartonella henselae in cats with chronic gingivostomatitis

Despite its common occurrence, the aetiology of chronic gingivostomatitis in cats remains uncertain. Aetiology is likely multifactorial, and several infectious agents may be associated with chronic gingivostomatitis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of feline calicivirus (FCV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline herpesvirus (FHV), and Bartonella henselae (B. henselae) in cats with chronic gingivostomatitis and in an age-matched control group. In addition, other factors, e. g., environmental conditions were investigated. In 52 cats with chronic gingivostomatitis and 50 healthy age-matched control cats, the presence of FCV ribonucleic acid (RNA), and FHV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) (polymerase chain reaction [PCR] from oropharyngeal swabs), and B. henselae DNA (PCR from oropharyngeal swabs and blood), as well as FeLV antigen (serum), and antibodies against FCV, B. henselae, and FIV (serum) were examined. FCV RNA was significantly more common in cats with chronic gingivostomatitis (53.8%, p < 0.001) than in controls (14.0%); a significant difference was also found in the prevalence of antibodies to FCV between the cats with chronic gingivostomatitis (78.8%, p = 0.023) and controls (58.0%). Of the other infectious agents investigated, there was no significant difference in the prevalence between the cats with chronic gingivostomatitis and the controls. The results of this study allow the conclusion that FCV, but no other infectious agents, is commonly associated with chronic gingivostomatitis in cats.     

Effects of planting food crops on survival and early growth of timber trees in eastern Panama

Restoration of degraded pasture lands in the tropics through afforestation is widely supported. The greatest obstacle to afforestation, however, is the long delay before initial financial returns from wood harvesting are realized. Interplanting young trees with food or energy crops has been proposed as a strategy to help overcome this obstacle. We investigated the impact of this practice on the survival and growth performance of young tropical tree seedlings in Panama. Five native timber tree species and the exotic species Tectona grandis were interplanted with four different crop rotations and monitored over 2 years. Survival of young tree seedlings was up to eight times higher when planted in association with Manihot esculenta. Only during the first 3 months after maize sowing was a significant negative effect of intercropping on tree seedling survival found. Here, survival rate of tree seedlings was up to four times lower than in the pure plantation. Tree growth was not adversely affected by crops. In fact, Astronium graveolens, Cedrela odorata and Terminalia amazonia showed significantly superior growth performance in association with both Zea mays and Cajanus cajan. When combined with the latter, the height increment of these tree species was up to four times that achieved in pure plantations. We conclude that intercropping can be an important silvicultural practice to facilitate forest restoration. Multi-purpose shrubby crop species with cropping cycles of more than 6 months are particularly beneficial, as they quickly shade out grasses, thus reducing the need for herbicides.     

Incidence of persistent viraemia and latent feline leukaemia virus infection in cats with lymphoma

In the past, feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) infection, and also latent FeLV infection, were commonly associated with lymphoma and leukaemia. In this study, the prevalence of FeLV provirus in tumour tissue and bone marrow in FeLV antigen-negative cats with these tumours was assessed. Seventy-seven diseased cats were surveyed (61 antigen-negative, 16 antigen-positive). Blood, bone marrow, and tumour samples were investigated by two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays detecting deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences of the long terminal repeats (LTR) and the envelope (env) region of the FeLV genome. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed in bone marrow and tumour tissue. None of the antigen-negative cats with lymphoma was detectably infected with latent FeLV. The prevalence of FeLV viraemia in cats with lymphoma was 20.8%. This suggests that causes other than FeLV play a role in tumorigenesis, and that latent FeLV infection is unlikely to be responsible for most feline lymphomas and leukaemias.     

Rhodesian Ridgebacks have an increased risk to develop benign prostatic hyperplasia

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-dependent primarily non-inflammatory enlargement of the accessory gland in the intact dog. The aim of the present study was to control a previously raised suspicion of a breed-related higher incidence of BPH in dogs of the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed. For this, 18 Labrador Retrievers/LR and 20 Rhodesian Ridgebacks/RR were assigned to the age groups 18–24 months (n = 12), 25–48 months (n = 13) and 49–72 months (n = 13). Prostate gland status was determined by rectal palpation, B-mode ultrasound, calculation of the prostate gland volume and semen analysis regarding haemospermia and was classified according to blood plasma concentrations of canine prostate-specific arginine esterase (CPSE) (normal ≤ 60 ng/ml, increased ≥ 61 ng/ml; Pinheiro et al., 2017). Concentrations of testosterone, 5α-dihydrotestosterone and estradiol were analysed in peripheral blood serum or plasma for detecting breed-specific conditions regarding the endocrine metabolism. Prostatic volume was significantly larger in RR irrespective of the CPSE status. In RR, BPH occurred more frequently and started at an earlier age compared with the LR. Breed-related specificities in steroid metabolism in the RR were indicated by correlations of 5α-dihydrotestosterone and estradiol with age and of testosterone with prostate gland volume. Although the incidence of sonographic signs of BPH and haemospermia did not fit with normal and increased CPSE concentrations, a breed-specific higher incidence of BPH in the RR breed could be clearly verified.     

Prevalence of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum and their clinical relevance in dogs in Munich, Germany

Although prevalences of antibodies against Borrelia (B.) burgdorferi sensu lato (sl) and Anaplasma (A.) phagocytophilum have been reported to be high in the German dog population, the importance of the diseases caused by both agents is still not well characterized in a field situation.The aim of this study was (1) to determine the prevalence of antibodies to B. burgdorferi sl and A. phagocytophilum in dogs in Munich, Germany, and (2) to assess the clinical presentation and laboratory values of antibody-positive dogs and compare them to a negative control group. In total, 448 randomly selected dogs were screened for antibodies to B. burgdorferi sl and A. phagocytophilum with the SNAP 4Dx assay (IDEXX, Laboratories, Inc., USA). Dogs carrying antibodies against B. burgdorferi sl and/or A. phagocytophilum were classified as "positive"(n=100), the following 100 negative dogs served as control group. In both groups, physical examination and laboratory parameters were compared. 22 (4.9%) dogs had antibodies to B. burgdorferi sl, 78 (19.4%) to A. phagocytophilum, nine (2.0%) to both agents. Bernese Mountain Dogs had significantly more often antibodies against B. burgdorferi sl. Negative dogs were more often diagnosed as "healthy" compared to A. phagocytophilum antibody-positives that showed more often elevated body temperature and poor general condition; beyond that, there were no differences in clinical and laboratory abnormalities between both groups. Although dogs tested negative were more often considered healthy, there were no differences in parameters considered "specific" for both infections between dogs with and without antibodies. Hence, tests detecting antibodies against both agents are not able to detect animals with the clinical disease.     

Distribution and viability of spermatozoa in the canine female genital tract during post-ovulatory oocyte maturation

Background

Unlike other domestic mammals, in which metaphase-II oocytes are ovulated, canine ovulation is characterized by the release of primary oocytes, which may take 12 to up to 36 hours. Further 60 hours are needed for maturation to secondary oocytes which then remain fertile for about 48 hours. Oestrus takes 7 to 10 days on average and may start as early as a week before ovulation. This together with the prolonged process of post-ovulatory oocyte maturation requires an according longevity of spermatozoa in the female genital tract in order to provide a population of fertile sperm when oocytes have matured to fertilizability. Therefore the distribution and viability of spermatozoa in the bitch genital tract was examined during post-ovulatory oocyte maturation.

Methods

Thirteen beagle bitches were inseminated on the day of sonographically verified ovulation with pooled semen of two beagle dogs containing one billion progressively motile spermatozoa. Ovariohysterectomy was performed two days later (group 1, n = 6) and four days later (group 2, n = 7). The oviduct and uterine horn of one side were flushed separately and the flushing’s were checked for the presence of gametes. The oviducts including the utero-tubal junction and the uterine horns, both the flushed and unflushed, were histologically examined for sperm distribution.

Results

The total number of spermatozoa recovered by flushing was low and evaluation of viability was limited. Prophase-I oocytes were collected from oviduct flushing in group 1, whereas unfertilized metaphase-II oocytes were detected in group 2. From day 2 to day 4 after ovulation a significant decrease in the percentage of glands containing sperm (P<0.05) and a marked reduction of the mean sperm number in uterine horn glands were observed. A concomitant diminution of spermatozoa was indicated in the utero-tubal junction accompanied by a slight increase in sperm numbers in the mid oviduct.

Conclusions

Oocyte maturation to metaphase-II stage is accompanied by a continuous sperm detachment and elimination in the uterine horns. Entrance of spermatozoa into the caudal oviduct seems to be steadily controlled by the utero-tubal junction thus providing a selected sperm population to be shifted towards the site of fertilization when oocyte maturation is completed.     

Application of enzymes during bulb tissue extraction for detection of lily symptomless virus by ELISA in Lilium spp

Lily symptomless virus (LSV) was readily detected with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in leaves ofLilium Mid-Century hybrids cvs Enchantment and Destiny andLilium speciosum cv. Brabander. In bulbs of cv. Enchantment LSV could be detected without any additional treatment of the extracts, but for reliable results in cv. Destiny it was necessary to pre-incubate the bulb extracts with cellulase or hemicellulase.Samenvatting In de bladeren van secundair geïnfecteerde planten van de leliecultivars Enchantment, Destiny en Brabander kon LSV met ELISA gemakkelijk worden aangetoond. In bladextracten van Enchantment kon nog ca. 100 ng LSV/ml extract worden teruggevonden. Bij toepassing van de standaard-methode van extraheren (2 g weefsel malen in 4 ml extractiebuffer) kon ook in de bolschubben van Enchantment LSV worden aangetoond; bij Destiny gelukte dat aanzienlijk minder goed. Wijzigingen in de extractie-procedure of een speciale behandeling van het standaard-extract (dialyseren, verhitten tot 50°C etc.) leidde niet tot een betere aantoonbaarheid van het virus met ELISA. Enzymen als hemicellulase, cellulase en pectinase, toegevoegd aan het standaard-extract van bolschubben van Destiny vóór de toetsing (incubatie gedurende 18 h bij kamertemperatuur), verbeteren de aantoonbaarheid van het LSV aanzienlijk.     

Long-term effects of experimental forest harvesting on abundance and reproductive demography of terrestrial salamanders

Both observational and experimental studies have documented drastic reductions in salamanders after forest harvesting. Yet, the amount of time until salamander populations rebound and the factors limiting recovery after harvesting are unknown. We compared the effects of six oak regeneration practices to a control, representing a disturbance gradient from no treatment to silvicultural clearcut, on the relative abundance and reproductive demography of terrestrial salamanders through 13-years post-harvest. Following the experimental disturbance, relative abundance of terrestrial salamanders in treatments that opened the canopy were significantly and persistently lower than in either untreated control stands or midstory herbicide treatments. In general, this trend persisted through 9-13 years after treatment. Changes to demography of commonly captured salamanders varied by species, but Plethodon cinereus had a greater proportion of juveniles in unharvested treatments 7-13-years post-harvest, and Desmognathus ochrophaeus had a greater proportion of juveniles and a greater number of eggs/female in unharvested treatments 1-6-years post-harvest. Population modeling of P. cinereus indicated that adult survival had the greatest elasticity of the vital rates. Further, >60 years may be needed before P. cinereus reduced by the observed decline could reach pre-harvest levels of abundance. Of the treatments with canopy disturbance, the group selection harvest had the greatest abundances of salamanders 7-13-years post-harvest, but when coupled with future stand entries, the volume of wood fiber extracted, costs of harvesting, reduced sprouting of oaks, and soil disturbances, this method may not have the best balance of ecological and economic sustainability in central Appalachian hardwood forest.     

Characterisation of gluten-free pasta through conventional and innovative methods: Evaluation of the uncooked products

Formation of a gluten protein network is fundamental for the texture and the overall quality of pasta. Replacement of the gluten network in gluten-free pasta is a major technological challenge, and the conventional technological processes have to be adapted to non-gluten formulations. The wide variety of raw materials and technologies used in the production of commercial gluten-free pasta stems from the – still on-going – search for solutions to these problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of different commercial gluten-free spaghetti currently available on the market, focusing on starch and protein organisation. Taking into account the chemical and biochemical properties of the samples, and their relationships to the physical characteristics of these products we looked at how some molecular properties relate to the final structure and quality of gluten-free pasta. Phenomena related to starch retrogradation were found to play a central role for the final texture of the products. At the same time, the origin of proteins included in the formulation was found to govern the protein–protein interactions, especially in those samples including proteins from different vegetable sources.     

Milk yield,gross composition and fatty acid profile of dual‐purpose Aosta Red Pied cows fed separate concentrate‐forage versus total mixed ration

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of two feeding methods on milk yield, composition and fatty acid (FA) profile obtained from dual‐purpose cattle. Twenty‐four Aosta Red Pied cows beyond peak of lactation were assigned to two groups and fed hay and concentrates in the proportions 0.69 and 0.31 on a dry matter basis for 10 weeks. Concentrates were offered separately from forages 6 times a day (separate ration, SR) or as a total mixed ration (TMR). The feeding method did not significantly influence dry matter intake (16.8 vs. 16.9 kg/head/day for SR‐ and TMR‐fed cows, respectively), milk yield (17.4 vs. 17.5 kg/head/day), milk fat, protein and lactose contents (36.4 vs. 35.2, 33.5 vs. 32.8, and 47.3 vs. 47.4 g/kg) and yields (607.9 vs. 613.4, 567.4 vs. 572.7 and 805.5 vs. 829.7 g/head/day). The overall milk FA profile was very similar between groups. Milk concentrations of FA used as indirect markers of rumen function (C18:2 t10c12, odd‐ and branched‐chain FA) and the extent of ruminal biohydrogenation were comparable (P > 0.05) between SR‐ and TMR‐fed cows, suggesting that ruminal pH did not vary considerably as a consequence of the feeding strategy applied.