Pathology of experimentally-induced, acute toxoplasmosis in macropods

SUMMARY Thirteen Tammar wallabies (Macropus eugenii) were dosed orally with 500, 1000 or 10 000 oocysts of Toxoplasma gondii, as part of a vaccination trial. Eleven animals died of acute toxoplasmosis 9 to 15 days after challenge. The lesions were similar in all animals, consisting of foci of necrosis and inflammation in the intestines, lymphoid tissue, adrenal cortex, heart, skeletal muscle and brain, and severe generalised pulmonary congestion and oedema. Free and intracellular tachyzoites of Toxoplasma were associated with the lesions. The remaining 2 animals had shown no signs of disease when euthanased four months after challenge. Small, focal, non-suppurative inflammatory lesions were seen in brain, heart and skeletal muscle of these animals and chronic Toxoplasma infection was confirmed by mouse inoculation.     

Trace gas emissions from soil of the central highlands of Mexico as affected by natural vegetation: a laboratory study

In the central highlands of Mexico, mesquite (Prosopis laevigata) and huisache (Acacia schaffneri), N₂-fixing trees or shrubs, dominate the vegetation and are currently used in a reforestation program to prevent erosion. We investigated how natural vegetation or cultivation of soil affected oxidation of CH₄, and production of N₂O. Soil was sampled under the canopy of mesquite (MES treatment) and huisache trees (HUI treatment), outside their canopy (OUT treatment) and from fields cultivated with maize (ARA treatment) at three different sites while production of CO₂, and dynamics of CH₄, N₂O and inorganic N (NH₄⁺, and NO₃^–) were monitored in an aerobic incubation. The production of CO₂ was 2.3 times higher and significantly greater in the OUT treatment, 3.0 times higher in the MES treatment and 4.0 times higher in the HUI treatment compared to the ARA treatment. There was no significant difference in oxidation of CH₄ between the treatments, which ranged from 0.019 g CH₄–C kg^–1 day^–1 for the HUI treatment to 0.033 CH₄–C kg^–1 day^–1 for the MES treatment. The production of N₂O was 30 g N₂O–N kg^–1 day^–1 in the MES treatment and >8 times higher compared to the other treatments. The average concentration of NO₃^– was 2 times higher and significantly greater in the MES treatment than in the HUI treatment, 3 times greater than in the OUT treatment and 10 times greater than in the ARA treatment. It was found that cultivation of soil decreased soil organic matter content, C and N mineralization, but not oxidation of CH₄ or production of N₂O.     

Vertical induction of the inclusion body hepatitis/hydropericardium syndrome with fowl adenovirus and chicken anemia virus

The hypothesis that fowl adenovirus (FAV) and chicken anemia virus (CAV), transmitted vertically and simultaneously, induce the inclusion body hepatitis (IBH)/hydropericardium (HP) syndrome in progeny chickens was tested. Thus, 35-wk-old light brown layer breeders, showing absence of antibodies against FAV and variable titers against CAV, were intramuscularly singly infected with the FAV serotype 4 isolate 341 or dually infected with CAV (isolate 10343) and FAV. All hens (groups A [FAV alone], B [FAV + CAV], and C [noninfected]) were clinically healthy throughout the experimental period. Both infectious viruses FAV and CAV were isolated from progenies obtained as early as 5 days after infection of their breeders. Hematocrit, serum proteins, and aspartate-aminotransferase values showed a few statistical differences between the progeny groups. Most of these differences were detected in the progeny chickens of group B. However, almost all values met reference values for the species. The pathologic findings showed that progeny chickens obtained from both singly and dually infected breeders developed macroscopic and histopathologic changes of IBH/HP. The pathologic findings shown by progeny chickens of group A (FAV) were not expected because neither synergism nor prior immunodepression by CAV was concurrent. Chickens of group B (CAV + FAV) also developed IBH/HP. Although not many differences in the evaluated parameters between groups A and B were statistically significant, most pathologic findings of group B indicated a more severe manifestation of the disease. However, because FAV alone did reproduce the syndrome, the results shown by group B would not allow a definitive confirmation of the hypothesis that the association of FAV and CAV is necessary for the successful induction of the IBH/HP syndrome in chickens when transmitted vertically.     

Off-axis crustal thickness across and along the east pacific rise within the MELT area

Wide-angle seismic data along the Mantle Electromagnetic and Tomography (MELT) arrays show that the thickness of 0.5- to 1. 5-million-year-old crust of the Nazca Plate is not resolvably different from that of the Pacific Plate, despite an asymmetry in depth and gravity across this portion of the East Pacific Rise. Crustal thickness on similarly aged crust on the Nazca plate near a magmatically robust part of the East Pacific Rise at 17 degrees15'S is slightly thinner (5.1 to 5.7 kilometers) than at the 15 degrees55'S overlapping spreading center (5.8 to 6.3 kilometers). This small north-south off-axis crustal thickness difference may reflect along-axis temporal variations in magma supply, whereas the across-axis asymmetry in depth and gravity must be caused by density variations in the underlying mantle.     

A proposal for aluminum tolerance selection in white oat under hydroponic conditions

White oat genotypes were subjected to Al stress in hydroponic conditions in order to verify the viability of methods based on minimum nutrient solution (MNS) in comparison to complete nutrient solution (CNS), commonly used in the characterization and selection for Al tolerance in this species. The experimental design was completely randomized blocks with three replicates composed of 10 seedlings each. Six white oat genotypes subjected to different Al levels in minimum (0, 3, 6, and 9 mg L⁻¹) and complete (0, 10, 20, and 30 mg L⁻¹) solutions were evaluated. In this evaluation, the MNS was efficient in identifying aluminum-tolerant, white oat genotypes under hydroponics. The root growth resumption showed to be the most effective trait in the aluminum-tolerant plant selection. At concentrations equal to or higher than 3 mg Al L⁻¹ in minimum and 10 mg Al L⁻¹ in complete solution, severe damage caused by the toxic element on root development was verified. The white oat cultivars UFRGS 14, ALBASUL, and BARBARASUL showed aluminum tolerance in the tested conditions.     

Effect of dietary conjugated linoleic acid and monounsaturated fatty acids on productive, carcass and meat quality traits of pigs

Three levels (0, 1 and 2%) of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) were combined with two levels (low and high) of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) for pig feeding. Productive, carcass and meat quality traits were studied. Large White ♂ × Landrace × Large White ♀ gilts (n = 288) weighting 70 kg were randomly allotted to 6 different feeding treatments and fed to a final average weight of 107 kg. Loins were taken from 48 animals (8 animals randomly selected from each treatment). No differences due to dietary CLA, MUFA or CLA × MUFA interaction were found on average daily gain, average daily consumption, feed conversion ratio, carcass yield, backfat thickness, loin weight, loin pH and loin colour. A significant increase in intramuscular fat content (p = 0.010) and in saturated fatty acids (SFA) (p < 0.001), and a decrease in MUFA (p = 0.001) and desaturase indices were found as consequence of dietary CLA, regardless the MUFA level. Therefore, dietary CLA, MUFA and their interaction did not influence productive and carcass traits of pigs. However, the use of CLA for swine feeding increased the intramuscular fat content and modified the fatty acid profile, regardless the MUFA level of the diets.     

Development and evaluation of the Kids Count Farm Safety Lesson

The Kids Count Farm Safety Lesson was delivered to nearly 2,000 fifth-grade students in 15 rural schools in Hillsborough County, Florida. The lesson covered animal, machinery, water, and general safety topics applicable to farming in Florida. A staggered pretest-posttest study design was followed whereby five schools received a multiple-choice pretest and posttest and the remainder of the schools (N = 10) received the posttest only. Results of the study showed a significant increase in the mean number of correct answers on the posttests compared to the pretests. There was no significant difference in the mean number of correct answers of those students who received the pretest and those students who had not, eliminating a "pretest" effect. This study fills an important gap in the literature by evaluating a farm safety curriculum offered in the elementary school setting. It also included migrant schoolchildren in the study population. It is strongly recommended that agricultural safety information be included into the health education curriculum of these elementary schools.     

Optimization of the enzymatic deamidation of soy protein by protein-glutaminase and its effect on the functional properties of the protein

The effects of enzymatic deamidation by protein-glutaminase (PG) on the functional properties of soy protein isolate (SPI) were studied. Conditions for the deamidation were evaluated by means of response surface methodology (RSM). Optimal conditions based on achieving a high degree of deamidation (DD) with a concurrently low degree of hydrolysis (DH) were 44 °C, enzyme:substrate ratio (E/S) of 40 U/g protein and pH 7.0. Under optimal conditions, both DD and DH increased over time. SDS-PAGE results indicated that lower molecular mass subunits were produced with increasing DD. Far-UV circular dichroism spectra revealed that the α-helix structure decreased with higher DD, while the β-sheet structure increased until 15 min of deamidation (32.9% DD), but then decreased at higher DD. The solubility of deamidated SPI was enhanced under both acidic and neutral conditions. SPI with higher DD showed better emulsifying properties and greater foaming capacity than SPI, while foaming stability was decreased. It is possible to modify and potentially improve the functional properties of SPI by enzymatic deamidation using PG.     

Ag-ELISA and PCR for Monitoring the Vaccination of Cattle against Taenia saginata Cysticercosis Using an Oncospheral Adhesion Protein (HP6) with Surface and Secreted Localization

A Taenia saginata oncosphere-derived adhesion protein (HP6) with surface and secreted localization was used to successfully vaccinate calves against oral challenge with T. saginata eggs. In contrast, vaccination using a combination of T. saginata oncosphere-derived peptides, selected on the basis of their antigenic index, and including three derived from the HP6 molecule (HP6-1, HP6-2 and HP6-3), was unsuccessful. This either indicated that the wrong peptides were selected or, in the case of the HP6 protein, that the protective epitope is conformational in nature. The protection experiments were monitored using a parasite antigen detection ELISA (HP10 Ag-ELISA), which allowed the early determination of the success of the vaccination protocol, subsequently confirmed at autopsy. PCR assays were used for the first time to confirm the presence of T. saginata DNA in lesions recovered at autopsy and thus verify the parasite origin of the lesions.