Eradication of Aujeszky's disease in Germany

Aujeszky's disease (AD) manifested itself in both German states in 1960. Owing to the historical development, in the subsequent two decades, the development of the disease and of its control in the Western and Eastern parts of Germany went different ways. This article describes differences and particularities in the development of AD in Germany leading to the establishment of a national AD eradication programme after re-unification of the two German states at the beginning of the last decade. The basic principles of the German AD eradication programme are described, and the results of 10 years of efforts to control the disease are presented and discussed. Without any doubt, as in other European countries, implementation of the national eradication programme resulted in a considerable progress in the eradication of AD. Since the eradication programme has been established in 1989, particularly in West Germany, the number of AD outbreaks has decreased steadily from about 2000 cases in 1987 to 0 cases recorded in 2001. Recently, Germany has been declared as officially AD-free by the European Commission.     

Identification of Bartonella strains isolated from wild and domestic ruminants by a single-step PCR analysis of the 16S-23S intergenic spacer region

Of the 20 species or subspecies of Bartonella currently known, 7 cause various diseases in humans with many being zoonotic. However, some Bartonella species appear only to cause asymptomatic bacteraemia in their hosts. In ruminants, three Bartonella species (B. bovis, B. capreoli and B. schoenbuchensis) have recently been described. However, limited or no information has yet been published concerning their mode of transmission and their possible pathogenicity for domestic cattle. The phylogenetic relationship of these species with other bacteria of the Bartonella genus has only been recently investigated. It is therefore necessary to develop appropriate tools that will easily allow identification of these ruminant strains for epidemiological and clinical studies. A single-step PCR assay, based on the amplification of a fragment of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer (ITS), was evaluated for identification of Bartonella isolated from domestic cattle and from free-ranging or captive cervids. For each Bartonella species tested, the PCR assay led to a product that was unique either for its length or its sequence. All ruminant isolates tested could be easily differentiated among themselves and from the other Bartonella species. Furthermore, sequence analysis of the PCR products revealed a close relationship between all ruminant Bartonella strains. Therefore, ITS PCR testing appears to be a convenient tool for a quick diagnosis of ruminant Bartonella species.     

Quantitative l-lysine requirement of juvenile grouper Epinephelus coioides

An 8‐week feeding trial was conducted to determine the quantitative lysine requirement of juvenile grouper Epinephelus coioides (initial mean weight: 15.84 ± 0.23 g, mean ± SD) in eighteen 500‐L indoors flow‐through circular fibreglass tanks provided with sand‐filtered aerated seawater by feeding diets containing six levels of l ‐lysine ranging from 19.2 to 39.5 g kg^?1 dry diet in 4 g kg^?1 increments. The diets, in which 250 g crude protein kg^?1 diet came from fish meal and soybean protein concentrate, and 230 g kg^?1 from crystalline amino acids, were formulated to simulate the amino acid profile of 480 g kg^?1 whole chicken egg protein except for lysine. Each diet was assigned to three tanks in a completely randomized design. Grouper were fed to apparent satiation twice daily during the week and once daily on weekends. Weight gain and specific growth rate increased with increasing levels of dietary lysine up to 27.2 g kg^?1 (P < 0.05) and remained nearly the same thereafter (P > 0.05). Feed efficiency was the poorest for fish fed the lowest lysine diet (P < 0.05) and showed no significant differences among other treatments (P > 0.05). Survival could not be related to dietary treatments. Body composition remained relatively constant except for lipid contents in muscle and liver. Total essential amino acid contents in liver increased with dietary lysine level although there was a slight decline for fish fed the highest lysine level of diet. Plasma protein content increased with increasing dietary lysine level (P < 0.05), but cholesterol, triacylglycerol and glucose contents were more variable and could not be related to dietary treatments. Dietary lysine level significantly influenced morphometrical parameters (condition factor, hepatosomatic index and intraperitoneal fat ratio) of juvenile grouper (P > 0.05). Broken‐line analysis of weight gain indicated the dietary lysine requirement of juvenile grouper to be 28.3 g kg^?1 diet or 55.6 g kg^?1 dietary protein.     

Spontaneous vegetative endocarditis due to Enterococcus faecalis in a rottweiler puppy

A 5-month-old female Rottweiler was referred because of a 5-week diarrhea and a sudden onset of a cardiac murmur auscultated by its veterinarian. Definitive diagnosis of bacterial endocarditis was based on ultrasonographic visualization of vegetative cardiac lesions and positive cultures of Enterococcus faecalis in blood and urine. Complicating findings were suppurative nephritis and renal infarction. Despite intensive supportive care, the endocarditis and clinical condition deteriorated and the dog had to be euthanized.     

Genomic diversity of Bartonella henselae isolates from domestic cats from Japan, the USA and France by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis

The genomic DNA diversity of 27 Bartonella henselae and three B. clarridgeiae isolates from 18 domestic cats from Japan, the USA and France was investigated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) with NotI, AscI and SmaI restriction enzymes. A great diversity of genomic patterns was found for all B. henselae, but none for B. clarridgeiae isolates. The DNA size of B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae isolates were 1.7-2.9 and 1.7Mbp, respectively. All 13 Japanese cat isolates were identified as B. henselae type I. Furthermore, three of the four Japanese cats harbored genetically different B. henselae type I isolates, suggesting for the first time co-infection with various type I isolates.One French cat and one American cat were co-infected with B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae. B. henselae type I and type II were mainly grouped in two different clusters by PFGE using SmaI endonuclease in the dendrogram.     

Protection against neonatal Escherichia coli diarrhoea in pigs by vaccination of sows with a new vaccine that contains purified enterotoxic E. coli virulence factors F4ac, F4ab, F5 and F6 fimbrial antigens and heat-labile E. coli enterotoxin (LT) toxoid

The efficacy of a new vaccine against neonatal Escherichia coli diarrhoea in piglets containing purified F4ab, F4ac, F5 and F6 fimbriae and detoxified heat-labile toxin (LT) was tested in challenge experiments by the method described by the European Pharmacopoeia (3rd edn, EDQM, Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France). A group of 11 young sows from a herd without E. coli problems was vaccinated 6-8 and 2-4 weeks prior to expected farrowing and another group of nine young sows were non-vaccinated controls. Escherichia coli antibody titres were determined in serum samples taken from the sows before first vaccination and before farrowing and in colostrum samples. The newborn piglets were allowed to suckle colostrum from their mother immediately after birth. The piglets were marked with individually numbered ear tags. Approximately 12 h after birth, 118 piglets from vaccinated sows and 79 piglets from non-vaccinated control sows were challenged by oral instillation of 5 ml of a freshly prepared culture of one of the challenge strains [O8:K87:F4ab (LT+) or O149:K91:F4ac (LT+) or O9:K30:F5 or O9:K103:F6 respectively]. The challenge cultures contained as a mean 6.8x10(9) CFU/ml. After challenge the piglets were observed for 7 days and mortality and morbidity were recorded. Vaccinated sows developed significant levels of antibody titres in colostrum and serum. Control sows stayed at a low/seronegative level. The protective efficacy was excellent because 66.7-87.5% of the piglets from vaccinated sows remained without clinical signs after challenge. Only 0.0-28.0% of the piglets from non-vaccinated sows remained healthy and more than 47.1% of the piglets in this group died after challenge. It is concluded that the new vaccine is very effective in protection of piglets against neonatal E. coli diarrhoea.