Prevalence of antibodies to equine viruses in the Netherlands

Summary The prevalence of antibodies to various viruses was investigated in a series of serum samples collected from horses in the Netherlands between 1963 and 1966 and from 1972 onwards. Neutralizing antibodies to equine rhinopneumonitis virus, equine arteritis virus and to equine rhinovirus types 1 and 2 were detected in respectively 76%, 14%, 66% and 59% of the equine serum samples tested. The observed incidence of serum samples positive to equine adenovirus in the complement fixation test was 39%. Precipitating antibodies to equine infectious anaemia virus were detected only in serum samples from two horses imported from abroad. Haemagglutination inhibiting antibodies to Myxovirus influenzae A / equi-1, M. Influenzae A / equi-2, and Reovirus types 1, 2, and 3 were present in respectively 82%, 50%, 10%, 33% and 3.6% of the serum samples tested. The most frequently observed incidence of antibodies to the various equine respiratory viruses occurred in the groups of horses having repeatedly contact with other horses.     

Induction of acquired cellular resistance in mice with viable and macrophage-processed Listeria monocytogenes

Intracutaneous immunization of mice with 10(5) or 10(6) viable listeria resulted in acquired cellular resistance (ACR) of short duration (7 days). The period during which viable Listeria monocytogenes had to be present in order to induce ACR was estimated by killing the listeria at different times after immunization by injecting the bactericidal antibiotic amoxycillin. The killing of listeria within 6 h after injection prevented the induction of A CR completely, between 6 and 12 h partially, while survival of listeria within animals for at least 18 h was required for the induction of complete protection. To determine whether multiplication of viable listeria was a prerequisite for the induction of ACR, the bacteriostatic antibiotic minocycline was injected for four days after immunization. Induction of ACR was only possible if the dose of viable listeria was large enough to permit a proportion of the listeria to escape bacteriostasis. Interaction of peritoneal macrophages of normal mice and viable listeria yielded a supernatant which induced specific ACR in normal recipient mice. No ACR could be induced with supernatant obtained from normal macrophages after digestion of killed listeria. A reduced level of ACR was obtained with supernatant collected after interaction of macrophages from immune mice and viable listeria. The immunogenic material present in the supernatant of normal macrophages after interaction with viable listeria is thermolabile, has a molecular weight of over 300,000, and is not affected by treatment with DNase, RNase, or trypsin.     

Salmonella isolated from feeds and feed ingredients during the period 1982-1988: animal and public health implications

The prevalence of Salmonella in southern Africa in farm feeds and by-products of animal origin during 1982-1988 was determined. Salmonella occurred in 5.18% of the farm feed samples and in 9.54% of the by-product samples. Different serovars were isolated, some only once. The findings underestimate the true prevalence of Salmonella in farm feeds and by-products, and is representative of only the most severely contaminated products. The epidemiology of salmonellosis is discussed with special reference to the importance of multiple resistance to antibiotics, the increase in the number of cases of salmonellosis worldwide and "Salmonella free" feeds and foods. More detailed research on the role of farm feeds in the epidemiology of salmonellosis is required. Efforts should be made to increase awareness of the problem, to improve quality management at farm feed production plants and to develop efficient systems to monitor the hygienic safety of feeds and foods.     

Egg transmission of egg drop syndrome 1976 virus in fowl

Summary Egg transmission of egg drop syndrome 1976 virus (BC14 virus) in fowl was demonstrated in the second and third week after experimental infection. Eggs of BC14 virus infected hens were incubated weekly after disinfection with formaline gas. After 18 days of incubation, eggs with live embryos were homogenized. This egg material was fed to adult hens, housed in isolators. Seroconversion in these birds demonstrated egg transmission. It is suggested that egg transmission occurs as a result of viremia.     

Prepenetration stages in infection of clematis by Phoma clematidina

A detailed study of conidial germination, germ-tube growth and the formation of infection structures in Phoma clematidina , the causal agent of clematis wilt, is described for two clematis varieties differing in disease resistance. On both the resistant and susceptible varieties, the fungus entered leaves and stems by direct penetration of the cuticle, often, but not always, following the formation of infection structures. More germ tubes per conidium were formed on the susceptible host, but these germ tubes were on average shorter than on the resistant host. Although germ tubes regularly entered the plant via trichomes, stomata were not found to be sites of entry. Following penetration of the cuticle of resistant plants, germ-tube growth was sometimes restricted to the subcuticular region, and halo formation occurred at the sites where penetration was attempted. Subcuticular growth and halo formation were not observed on susceptible plants. These observations may partly explain the resistance of small-flowered clematis varieties to P. clematidina .     

在不使用抗生素的肉鸡中发现了抗生素耐药性菌株

禁止在家禽饲料中添加抗生素对于减少对人类健康有潜在威胁的耐药性细菌几乎没有作用。来自美国的一个科研小组通过研究得出了以上惊人的结论。     

饲料加工对家禽生产性能的影响

菊粉(inulin)被认为是饲用抗生素潜在的替代物.在实际应用中不存在任何技术性问题.精细粉碎的全脂大豆和菊粉混合物被证明是幼龄肉火鸡开食阶段一种非常有前途的"提高质量"工具.     

掌握防治黑头病的新方法

由鞭毛组织滴虫(histomonas meleagridis)引起的组织滴虫病(或黑头病)是一种老病新发的禽病,此病除侵害盲肠和肝脏之外,还会侵害其他组织.此病的有效防治药物被禁用促使人们对此进行新的研究,并且已找到了可防止家禽爆发此病的新方法.     

A GIS-based plant prediction model for wetland ecosystems

An existing non-spatial model for the prediction of response of wetland plant species on ecological factors has been transformed into a GIS-based prediction model which produces spatial output at the landscape scale. The input, spatial patterns of the ecological factors, were constructed with geostatistical spatial interpolation (kriging). With this GIS-based model the spatial patterns of presence and absence of 78 wetland plant species are predicted for an area with wetlands in the Netherlands of approximately 500 square kilometers. The GIS-based model has been validated, and the estimated uncertainty of the input has been propagated through the model. At the species level the output shows spatially coherent and non-random patterns. The validation is affected by the propagation of input errors through the model. The number of valid predictions declines approximately 10–20% when 95% confidence intervals are used in the validation. This study shows that it is feasible to use a geostatistical interpolation method to construct spatial patterns of ecological factors on a landscape scale and to use these patterns as input for a GIS-based prediction model. The added uncertainty on the input values however, affects the number of valid predictions of the model.     

Professor Dr. J. Ritzema Bos

Ohne Zusammenfassung

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Professor Dr. J. Ritzema Bos