SONOGRAPHY OF THE EQUINE PALMAR METACARPAL SOFT TISSUES

It was hypothesized that ultrasonography may be a sensitive method for identifying pathologic changes in the tendons and ligaments of the palmar metacarpus of the horse. The palmar meta-carpi of equine cadavers and live horses were examined sonographically. The advantages and disadvantages of various ultrasound scanning techniques and the normal appearance of longitudinal and transverse palmar metacarpal sonograms are described.     

Assessment of salt tolerance of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aegilops</Emphasis> L. from the VIR collection

The effect of high NaCl concentrations on accumulation of biomass and change in content of sodium and potassium ions in 17 accessions of nine species of Aegilops L. is studied. Three salt-tolerant accessions (Ae. tauschii k-677 and 674 and Ae. cylindrica k-676) containing the D genome and having a high K/Na ratio are identified.     

BSE in the Netherlands: an update

Up to 2006, there have been 82 cases of BSE in cattle born in the Netherlands. This article reviews the current situation regarding BSE in the Netherlands and summarizes the clinical symptoms of the disease. Data from the Netherlands show that a passive surveillance system, by which farmers and veterinarians have to report suspect clinical cases, has a low sensitivity. The epidemiology of, and risk factors for, BSE are discussed. All the Dutch cases of BSE can be attributed to cross-contamination of feed with meat-and-bone meal. On the basis of information about the epidemic and the cases reported to date, it is anticipated that the number of cases of BSE will continue to decline in the Netherlands and Europe. The European Commission has presented a road map that describes how the European BSE policy can be changed in the short and long term if the current favourable trend in BSE cases continues. It is time for a new phase in the management of BSE but with continued protection of the public's health and eradication of BSE.     

An evaluation of the nutritional value of alternative lipid sources to juvenile southern rock lobster, Jasus edwardsii

Experimental lobster feeds are currently based on fish meal and fish oil formulations, and although survival and growth similar to that of lobsters fed fresh blue mussels has been achieved, varying the protein level in previous experimental feeds has not increased growth beyond that of lobsters fed natural food. This experiment assessed the growth performance of lobsters fed pelleted feeds containing constant amounts of protein, lipid and energy where the lipid was provided by a range of oil-rich ingredients (fish oil, FO; fish oil with added soybean lecithin, FOL; canola oil, CO; tuna oil, TO; mussel meal, MM; and squid meal, SQM). Feed performance was assessed by lobster growth rate, survival, final biochemical composition, nutrient retention and nutrient efficiency. Twenty tanks containing 15 post-larval lobsters each (1.5 ± 0.04 g) were randomly allocated one of six test feeds in triplicate, and the two remaining tanks were fed freshly opened blue mussels (FRM) as a reference feed. Lobsters were fed daily to excess for 10 weeks. Final individual weights of whole body and digestive gland were measured, and tissue chemical composition analysed. There were no significant differences in survival (88.4 ± 3.3%), or specific growth rate (1.3 ± 0.1%.day^− 1) among the formulated feed fed lobsters, which were significantly lower than the survival (100 ± 0.0%) and SGR (2.2 ± 0.1%.day^− 1) of FRM fed lobsters. The SQM fed lobsters had a significantly lower lipid efficiency ratio and lipid productivity value than lobsters fed TO, FOL and MM feeds. The digestive gland lipid content (g.100 g wet tissue^− 1) of lobsters fed the feeds TO (3.7 ± 0.4), FO (3.5 ± 0.3) and SQM (2.2 ± 0.2) were significantly lower than lobsters fed feeds MM (9.9 ± 1.1), FOL (9.0 ± 2.3) and FRM fed lobsters contained most digestive gland lipid (12.3 ± 1.5).     

Nucleotide sequence and mRNA expression analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-actin gene in the orange-spotted grouper <Emphasis Type="Italic">Epinephelus coioides</Emphasis>

The full-length cDNA, encoding the orange-spotted grouper β-actin and spanning 1920 bp including a poly (A) tail, was cloned from its brain cDNA library. The open reading frame encodes a protein of 375 amino acids. Sequence analysis indicated that it contained the typical structural features of cytoplasmic actins, and showed higher homology with other vertebrate β-actin than any other members of the actin family. The partial genomic sequence indicated that the organization of the β-actin gene in the orange-spotted grouper might also be conserved. Northern blot analysis indicated that it was expressed at high levels in the brain, spleen, adipose tissue, ovary, and liver, but at low levels in the gill filament and heart, and at a very low level in the kidney. The expression of β-actin gene in the skeletal muscle was barely detectable. These results indicated that the expression of the orange-spotted grouper β-actin gene showed significant variation in different tissues. Therefore, caution should be taken when using β-actin gene as an internal control in the normalization of gene expression among tissues. Whereas, semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that treatment with 17α–methyltestosterone (MT) had little effect on the mRNA expression of β-actin gene in the in vitro incubated hypothalamus, pituitary, and ovary fragments of the orange-spotted grouper, suggesting β-actin can be used as an internal control for RT-PCR analysis of MT effects on gene expression in these tissues.     

Efficacy of moxidectin 6-month injectable and milbemycin oxime/lufenuron tablets against naturally acquired trichuris vulpis infections in dogs

Efficacy of moxidectin injection (ProHeart 6 Sustained Release Injectable for Dogs, Fort Dodge Animal Health) against naturally acquired infections of Trichuris vulpis was compared with that of milbemycin oxime/lufenuron tablets (Sentinel Flavor Tabs, Novartis Animal Health). Eighteen dogs infected with T. vulpis were ranked by egg counts and randomly allocated to treatment with moxidectin (170 micro g/kg), milbemycin (500 micro g/kg)/lufenuron (10 mg/kg), or to an untreated control group (six dogs per treatment). Dogs were euthanized for worm counting 7 days after treatment. Efficacy of milbemycin/lufenuron against T. vulpis was 99.6 %, compared with 67.5 % for moxidectin. The commercial formulation of milbemycin oxime/lufenuron provided excellent control of whipworm infection, whereas moxidectin demonstrated variable efficacy against this parasite.     

Genetic variability within Phaeoisariopsis griseola from Central America and its implications for resistance breeding of common bean

The genetic and virulence variability of 112 isolates of Phaeoisariopsis griseola , collected from various locations in Central America, were studied using seven random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers and 12 common-bean differential genotypes. Broad molecular diversity ( H  = 0·92) among isolates was found using RAPD markers. Fifty pathotypes were identified on 12 differential bean genotypes, 29 of which were represented by only one isolate. Only 18 pathotypes were found in two or more countries. Pathotype 63-63 was the most virulent and caused leaf spots on all 12 common-bean differential genotypes. Comparison of virulence phenotypes and RAPD profiles to known Andean P. griseola isolates confirmed that all isolates belonged to the Mesoamerican group. Pairwise comparison between individual RAPD loci showed that the majority were in gametic phase linkage disequilibrium, revealing that P. griseola maintains a genetic structure that is consistent with asexual reproduction. The molecular and virulence diversities of P. griseola isolates from Central America imply that using single resistance genes to manage angular leaf spot is inadequate and stacking resistance genes may be necessary to manage the disease effectively.     

Salinity stress response in estuarine fishes from the Murray Estuary and Coorong,South Australia

Estuaries are unstable ecosystems and can be changed by the environmental and anthropogenic impact. The Murray Estuary and Coorong were degraded by drought and low freshwater input in the last decade and therefore transformed into the largest hyper-saline lagoon in Australia. This study evaluates the physiological stress of two estuarine fish species (small-mouthed hardyhead Atherinosoma microstoma and Tamar goby Afurcagobius tamarensis) to the induced salinity change in captivity. The test fishes were collected from the Coorong and transported to the laboratory in the water from the Coorong. Each fish species was exposed to different levels of salinity, and a number of enzymes were assessed to measure the stress response of fish to salinity change. The activity of reactive oxygen species was significantly increased with the salinity change in both fish species compared with the fish in the control. Significant salinity effect on superoxide dismutase activity was observed on Tamar goby but not on small-mouthed hardyhead. Conversely, the impact of salinity on catalase activity was detected on small-mouthed hardyhead but not on Tamar goby. The study reveals that the induction of physical stress by salinity changes occurred in both Tamar goby and small-mouthed hardyhead despite the varying response of antioxidant enzymes between fish species. The study provides an insight into the understanding of physiological adaptation in estuarine fish to salinity change. The results could improve our knowledge on stress response and resilience of estuarine fish to hypo- and hyper-salinity stress.