Poor maternal nutrition inhibits muscle development in ovine offspring

Background

Maternal over and restricted nutrition has negative consequences on the muscle of offspring by reducing muscle fiber number and altering regulators of muscle growth. To determine if over and restricted maternal nutrition affected muscle growth and gene and protein expression in offspring, 36 pregnant ewes were fed 60%, 100% or 140% of National Research Council requirements from d 31 ± 1.3 of gestation until parturition. Lambs from control-fed (CON), restricted-fed (RES) or over-fed (OVER) ewes were necropsied within 1 d of birth (n = 18) or maintained on a control diet for 3 mo (n = 15). Semitendinosus muscle was collected for immunohistochemistry, and protein and gene expression analysis.

Results

Compared with CON, muscle fiber cross-sectional area (CSA) increased in RES (58%) and OVER (47%) lambs at 1 d of age (P < 0.01); however at 3 mo, CSA decreased 15% and 17% compared with CON, respectively (P < 0.01). Compared with CON, muscle lipid content was increased in OVER (212.4%) and RES (92.5%) at d 1 (P < 0.0001). Muscle lipid content was increased 36.1% in OVER and decreased 23.6% in RES compared with CON at 3 mo (P < 0.0001). At d 1, myostatin mRNA abundance in whole muscle tended to be greater in OVER (P = 0.07) than CON. Follistatin mRNA abundance increased in OVER (P = 0.04) and tended to increase in RES (P = 0.06) compared with CON at d 1. However, there was no difference in myostatin or follistatin protein expression (P > 0.3). Phosphorylated Akt (ser473) was increased in RES at 3 mo compared with CON (P = 0.006).

Conclusions

In conclusion, maternal over and restricted nutrient intake alters muscle lipid content and growth of offspring, possibly through altered gene and protein expression.     

Field evaluation of a commercial M-protein vaccine against Streptococcus equi infection in foals

A double-blind randomized clinical trial was undertaken to determine the value of parenterally administered Streptococcus equi M-protein vaccine in foals during an epizootic of strangles. Weaned mixed-breed foals (n = 664) housed on 2 adjacent feed-lots (A and B) arrived over a 5-day period, 2 weeks before primary vaccination. Foals in lot B (n = 114) were randomly administered vaccine (n = 59) or saline solution (placebo; n = 55) on 3 occasions at biweekly intervals. Foals in lot A (n = 450) were given 1 dose of vaccine (n = 225) or placebo. The following clinical observations were scored blindly by a single observer for all foals in lot B and for 120 (randomly sampled) foals in lot A on a single day, 2 (Lot B) and 6 (lot A) weeks after final vaccination: cervical lymphadenopathy, type of bilateral nasal discharge, and palpable swelling at injection site(s). Bacteriologic culture of nasal swab specimens or lymph node aspirates from selected foals with clinical disease yielded S equi. Cervical lymphadenopathy was observed in 17 of 59 (29%) vaccinates and 39 of 55 (71%) nonvaccinated controls in lot B and in 32 of 60 (53%) vaccinates and 29 of 60 (48%) controls in lot A. Contingency chi 2 analysis confirmed significantly lower cervical lymphadenopathy rate (chi 2 = 18.5; P less than 0.001) and prevalence of mucopurulent nasal discharge (chi 2 = 11.4; P less than 0.01) for vaccinates in lot B only. Swelling(s) at the vaccine injection site were palpated in 44% of lot B and 29% of lot A vaccinates vs less than 2% of placebo controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Actinobacillus (Haemophilus) pleuropneumoniae: use of coagglutination and complement fixation to determine the relationship between presence of organism and antibody titer in slaughterhouse pigs

The conventional culture method was compared to coagglutination for detection of Actinobacillus (Haemophilus) pleuropneumoniae in 425 sets of pig lungs. Sera from the same animals were evaluated for antibodies to A. pleuropneumoniae by the complement fixation (CF) test. All samples were collected at 2 packing plants in Iowa. In 2 nonvaccinated herds with no history of respiratory disease, the difference between standard culture results and coagglutination was highly significant (P less than 0.001). None of the 57 pigs in this group were positive for A. pleuropneumoniae by conventional culture, but 7 were positive by the coagglutination test. There were 15 animals with CF titers between 1:8 and 1:32. Animals from 6 herds vaccinated for A. pleuropneumoniae and without recent respiratory problems were evaluated. One out of 118 animals tested was positive for A. pleuropneumoniae by standard culture as compared to 9 positive by coagglutination. The difference in positive results between culture and coagglutination was highly significant (P less than 0.001). Twenty-eight animals had CF titers to A. pleuropneumoniae (1:4 to greater than or equal to 1:128). Two hundred fifty lungs and sera samples were collected from 7 herds which had recently experienced varying degrees of respiratory disease. Thirty-nine lungs were positive for A. pleuropneumoniae by culture and 182 were positive by coagglutination. The number of positives detected by coagglutination was significantly different (P less than 0.001) from the number positive by culture. There were 172 animals with antibody titers ranging from suspect to greater than or equal to 1:128. There were significantly fewer positive animals detected by standard culture than with the CF test (P less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

QTL controlling partial resistance to Stagonospora nodorum leaf blotch in winter wheat cultivar Alba

Stagonospora nodorum blotch (SNB) is an important foliar and glume disease in cereals. Inheritance of SNB resistance in wheat appears quantitative. The development of partially resistant cultivars seems to be the only effective way to combat the pathogen. Partial resistance components like length of incubation period (INC), disease severity (DIS) and length of latent period (LAT) were evaluated on a population of doubled-haploids derived from a cross between the partially resistant cultivar Alba and the susceptible cultivar Begra. Experiments were conducted in controlled environments and the fifth leaf was examined. Molecular analyses were based on bulked segregant analyses (BSA) and screening with 240 microsatellites DNA markers. The QTL analysis revealed QTL on chromosome 6AL (designated as QSnl.ihar-6A) and putative QTL on chromosome 6D. The QSnl.ihar-6A accounted for 36% of the phenotypic variance for DIS and 14% for INC. The putative QTL accounted for 10% of the variability in INC and 8% of DIS components of SNB resistance.     

Sodium and chloride distribution in salt-stressed Prunus salicina, a deciduous tree species

Measurements were made over four growing seasons of the Na(+) and Cl(-) content of leaves and woody tissues (twigs, branches, trunk and roots) of mature, fruit-bearing Prunus salicina Lindl. (on Marianna 2624 rootstock) trees irrigated during the growing season with water containing 3, 14 or 28 mM salt (2/1 molar ratio of NaCl and CaCl(2)). At the beginning of the study, the trees were 19 years old. Woody tissues of trees irrigated with water containing 14 or 28 mM salt accumulated Na(+) and Cl(-). Leaves of trees irrigated with water containing 14 or 28 mM salt accumulated Cl(-), but not Na(+), unless they had visible symptoms of salt injury. X-Ray microanalysis of leaf mesophyll cells indicated some ability of the cells to sequester Cl(-) in the vacuole. The data demonstrate a capacity for ion compartmentation among tissues and cell organelles in mature Prunus salicina, which may explain the ability of the species to survive low levels of salinity for several years in the field.     

Development of computational models for the purpose of conducting individual livestock and premises traceback investigations utilizing National Animal Identification System-compliant data

Many of the efforts surrounding the development of the National Animal Identification System have encompassed the identification of livestock production and handling premises as well as individuals or herds of animals, whereas little effort has been directed toward the ultimate goal of animal traceback within 48 h. A mock data set representative of the Colorado cattle population was created for modeling of cattle traceability. Using this data set, algorithms were developed to complete rapid and accurate traceback and traceforward of animals or premises or both. On July 19, 2005, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Agriculture, conducted a test exercise pertaining to homeland security. The exercise team randomly identified animal number 926,583 (of the 2 million total animals) as a potentially infected animal of interest and requested a traceback of this animal. Traceback was accomplished in 215 s, and 540 primary coresident animals were identified. However, due to animal movements, the number of coresidents (animals exposed, directly or indirectly, to the animal of interest) expanded with coresidency level (level 1 = direct contact; level 2 = direct contact with an animal that had direct contact with the animal of interest; level 3 = direct contact with an animal that had contact with an animal that had direct contact with the animal of interest, etc.) to more than 1.2 million coresidents at level 4, and more than 90% of all animals identified as a coresident at some level. In addition to the coresidency results, the premises containing the coresidents were identified and sorted by the number of coresidents. Because of animal movement, all 19,391 premises included in the data set had coresidents at some level. This exercise demonstrated the capability of the developed algorithms to complete rapid traceback and the complexity of the resulting animal traceback output.