Biofilms and their relevance to veterinary medicine

Bacteria are renowned for their ability to tolerate and adapt to a wide range of adverse environmental conditions. The primary mechanism that facilitates these adaptations is thought to be the capacity to form and maintain biofilms. Within a biofilm, bacteria become attached to a surface where they exist in complex communities which are able to interact with each other through intracellular communication and thus rapidly adapt to changing environments. The organisms within biofilms are notorious for their resistance towards the host immune response and antibacterial agents compared to their free-living planktonic counterparts. Consequently, biofilms are of significant importance to both clinical and veterinary science. However, although bacterial infections are widely reported in animals their association with biofilms is rarely discussed. The aim of this review is to look at the characteristics of biofilm infections in humans and to relate this knowledge to veterinary science in order to assess their relevance in this area.     

Tracking the evolution of a hydrothermal event plume with a RAFOS neutrally buoyant drifter

The migration and evolution of a deep ocean hydrothermal event plume were tracked with a neutrally buoyant RAFOS float. The float remained entrained in the plume for 60 days, and the plume vorticity was calculated directly from the anticyclonic motion of the float. Concentrations of suspended particles, particulate iron, and dissolved manganese in the plume did not decay significantly during the 60 days, which indicates that event plumes would be easily detectable a year after formation.     

Paleolithic population growth pulses evidenced by small animal exploitation

Variations in small game hunting along the northern and eastern rims of the Mediterranean Sea and results from predator-prey simulation modeling indicate that human population densities increased abruptly during the late Middle Paleolithic and again during the Upper and Epi-Paleolithic periods. The demographic pulses are evidenced by increasing reliance on agile, fast-reproducing partridges, hares, and rabbits at the expense of slow-reproducing but easily caught tortoises and marine shellfish and, concurrently, climate-independent size diminution in tortoises and shellfish. The results indicate that human populations of the early Middle Paleolithic were exceptionally small and highly dispersed.     

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 are activated in joint diseases.

A study was performed to identify the activation status of the gelatinase MMPs, MMP-2 and -9, in both normal and diseased equine articular tissues. In addition, the production and activation status of equine MMP-2 and -9 by equine articular cells and tissues in response to increasing IL-1beta concentrations was assessed. The study was performed to test the hypothesis that activation of MMPs is a fundamental step in the pathogenesis of joint diseases; and that this activation is mediated by the cytokine IL-1. Using purified equine MMP-2 and -9, the molecular weights of the zymogen and activated form of equine MMP-2 and -9 were identified by a combination of gelatin zymography and a gelatin degradation assay using aminophenylmercuric acetate as a chemical activator of the molecules. Normal equine articular tissues (cartilage and synovial membrane) maintained in short-term tissue culture produced MMP-2 zymogen alone, while similar tissues obtained from a variety of pathological conditions produce both zymogen and active MMP-2, as well as MMP-9 monomer and dimer. Activated MMP-9 was an inconsistent finding. Normal equine synovial fibroblasts in monolayer culture produced zymogen MMP-2 alone under basal conditions. A mild increase in active and zymogen MMP-2 levels occurred with IL-1beta treatment. Equine synovial membrane explants demonstrated a dose-dependent increase in active and zymogen MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels following IL-1beta treatment. Monolayer chondrocyte cell cultures demonstrated a dose-dependent mild increase in active and zymogen MMP-2 following IL-1beta treatment. Explant cartilage cultures demonstrated a dose-dependent mild increase in zymogen MMP-2 alone following IL-1beta treatment. This study supports the hypothesis that activation of MMPs is occurring in joint disease, and that in vitro stimulation of equine articular cells and tissues causes not only an increase in MMP production, but also an increase in amount of activated enzyme released. Further research is required to investigate the role of MMP activation in joint diseases, and to investigate the potential use of therapeutic agents, which inhibit MMP activation, in the treatment and prevention of joint diseases.     

壳聚糖对动物脂肪代谢及生长性能的影响

壳聚糖(chifosan),是甲壳素的衍生物．又名可溶性甲壳素、脱乙酰甲壳素、甲壳胺、几丁聚糖．是通过甲壳素一定程度的脱乙酰而得到．通常将脱乙酰度55％以上的甲壳素称作壳聚糖,化学名称是(1．4)-2-氨基-2-脱氧-β-D-葡聚糖。在众多的天然多糖中,甲壳素及其主要衍生物壳聚糖是唯一的碱性多糖．具有生物相容性、可食用性、可抗菌性、     

A study of helminth parasites in culled cows from Ireland

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and intensity of gastrointestinal nematode, lungworm and liver fluke infection in culled cows in Ireland. Abomasa, colorectal contents and livers were collected from 30 to 68 culled beef and dairy cows during autumn 2002 and summer 2003, respectively. Ostertagia ostertagi were found in the abomasa of only three (10%) cows sampled in autumn and in 38 (57%) cows examined in summer. The majority of positive animals had low burdens of O. ostertagi but a few individuals in the group sampled during the summer had a moderate infection (5000-10,000 adult worms). A proportion of the cows in the summer group were also co-infected with small numbers of Trichostrongylus axei. Cooperia oncophora predominated in the recoveries from the larval cultures although O. ostertagi were also recovered. The overall prevalence of Dictyocaulus viviparus was 14%, based on larval identification in faecal samples. Liver fluke, or varying degrees of pathology attributable to Fasciola hepatica, were present in 65% of the livers. The results of this study extend those of previous workers, which were largely limited to dairy cows alone and which focussed on gastrointestinal nematodes and did not include simultaneous infections with lungworm and liver fluke. It was concluded, from the level of polyparasitism evident in this study, that adult cattle should be considered in preventative approaches to bovine helminthosis.     

内蒙古草原污染源及对畜体危害分析

随着内蒙古草原牧区工农业、旅游业的发展,草原生态受到了一定影响。工业及生活污染日趋严重,造成放牧场牧草污染,污染残留物的转移和积蓄也影响了家畜正常健康的生长。简单概述了草原牧草的污染源、污染元素及对畜体危害。     

内蒙古苏尼特右旗草原土壤营养元素有效态含量分析

本研究选择内蒙古苏尼特右旗天然草场主要6个草场类,8个草场型,分析了0~30 cm土壤营养元素(全N、P、K、Ca、Mg、S、Fe、Mn、Cu、Zn、B和Mo)有效态含量及与土壤有机质、pH值之间的相互关系。结果表明,1)研究区土壤pH(8.84±0.23),均为碱性土壤;土壤有机质含量与全N含量均较低,平均分别为(9.92±4.65) g/kg和(0.46±0.25) g/kg;营养元素有效态含量积累顺序为:河泛地、湖盆低地盐生草甸草场类>荒漠草原草场区“小针茅+无芒隐子草+葱属”植被型>沙丘植被草场类,河泛地、湖盆低地盐生草甸草场类土壤矿质元素有效态含量显著高于其他草场类。2)土壤富含K元素,B和Mo处于严重缺乏状态;除了河泛地、湖盆低地盐生草甸草场类以外草场类微量元素含量均处于轻度缺乏或缺乏状态。3)土壤pH与土壤N、P、Ca、Mn和Cu元素有效量存在显著负相关性关系;土壤有机质则与土壤N、P、Ca、S、Fe、Mn和Cu元素有效量存在极显著正相关性关系。