The pathology of disseminated Aspergillus terreus infection in dogs

Disseminated Aspergillus terreus infection was diagnosed in ten previously healthy adult dogs--nine German shepherds and one dalmatian. The disease was characterized by the presence of multiple granulomas and infarcts in a wide range of organs. The kidney, spleen, and skeletal system were most commonly and severely affected. Fungal hyphae were demonstrated in large numbers within granulomas and thrombi, and A. terreus was readily isolated by culture. This disseminated mycosis appears unique; in this series of cases there was no apparent predisposing factor, portal of entry, or primary focus for dissemination of the infection.     

S1核酸酶突变检测法的优化

优化了S1核酸酶突变检测体系,结果表明(1)扩增法比杂交法产生异源双链DNA更节省时间;(2)PCR产物可以直接作为突变检测的底物;(3)适当降低反应温度、适当增加反应缓冲液中的NaCl浓度、适当缩短反应时间可提高突变检测效果。     

益生素预防畜禽腹泻机理的研究

用革兰氏阳性的嗜酸乳杆菌和枯草杆菌的活菌和死菌喂饲了８０只雏鸡，用嗜酸乳杆菌的活菌和死菌喂饲了３７头仔猪和２４头犊牛，观察这些细菌防畜禽腹泻的效果。结果证明这两种细菌的活菌与死菌都有预防腹泻的功能，嗜酸乳杆菌的效果好于枯草杆菌。两种菌的活菌和死菌都有预防作用说明是菌体成分或代谢产物可能是预防腹泻的主要有效成分。     

Evaluation of a Swedish steam-dryer for treatment of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus in pine chips

A steam-dryer, designed and manufactured in Sweden, was evaluated for destroying Bursaphelenchus xylophilus in pine chips from southern USA. In a trial, pine chips were treated at different temperature and pressure regimes for 5 or 10min. The lowest time/temperature/pressure combination was to increase the vessel temperature from 85 to 104°C in 5 min at low pressure. Samples of pine chips were assayed for nematodes in laboratories in USA, Sweden, and Finland. No nematodes of any species were recovered from any of the treated pine-chip samples. Large and heterogeneous pieces of wood in the treated samples were also nematode-free. The apparatus was a prototype capable of handling about 400 kg h^-1. The final version would have to be able to process 100-200 th^-1.     

Association of tumor-associated antigen on the proliferation of bovine leukemia virus-infected lymphoblastoid B-cell lines.

The association of tumor-associated antigen (TAA) on the proliferation of BLV-infected lymphoblastoid B-cell lines (BL2M3 and BL312) was investigated. Flow cytometric analysis of the expression of TAA with monoclonal antibody (mAb) c143 showed high expression of TAA on the surfaces of BL2M3 and BL312 cells. A large amount of TAA was found in the culture supernatant of BL2M3 and BL312 cells as well as in the lysates of BL2M3 and BL312 cells. Culture supernatant but not lysates of BL2M3 and BL312 cells promoted the growth of either BL2M3 cells or BL312 cells. Furthermore, this growth promoting activity in culture supernatants of BL2M3 and BL312 cells was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner when cultured with mAb c143. These results suggested that TAA may be involved in the growth factor-mediated cell growth of bovine B-lymphoblastoid cell lines expressing TAA on their cell surface.     

Skeletal muscle fiber size in untrained and endurance-trained horses.

The mean area and minimal diameter of 3 histochemically determined myofiber types (1, 2A, and 2B; myosin ATPase in acid buffer) were calculated in middle gluteal muscle biopsy specimens from 62 stallions, 47 Andalusians and 15 Arabians, ranging in age from 6 to 12 years. Fourteen Andalusians and 7 Arabians were untrained, and the remainder were actively endurance-trained. The 6-month training schedules involved walking, slow trotting, and cantering. Fourteen Andalusians were moderately endurance-trained, whereas the other 19 Andalusians and 8 Arabians were strongly endurance-trained. Significant differences were not recorded between untrained and endurance-trained Arabians with respect to the area (type 1, 3,194 +/- 869 microns 2 and 3,150 +/- 370 microns 2; type 2A, 3,819 +/- 890 microns 2 and 3,380 +/- 356 microns 2; and type 2B, 4,872 +/- 962 microns 2 and 4,417 +/- 646 microns 2) or minimal diameter (type 1, 52.2 +/- 7.4 microns and 52.8 +/- 3.1 microns; type 2A, 58.1 +/- 6.7 microns and 55.0 +/- 2.8 microns; and type 2B, 65.3 +/- 6.4 microns and 63.4 +/- 4.3 microns) of the 3 fiber types, nor between untrained and endurance-trained Andalusians with respect to the area (untrained, 3,990 +/- 690 microns 2; moderately endurance-trained, 3,882 +/- 347 microns 2; and strongly endurance-trained, 3,758 +/- 510 microns 2) and minimal diameter (untrained, 58.1 +/- 4.7 microns; moderately endurance-trained, 59.7 +/- 2.7 microns; and strongly endurance-trained, 58.7 +/- 4.5 microns) of 2A fibers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Inherited hyperchylomicro-naemia in the cat: Lipoprotein lipase function and gene structure

Hyperchylomicronaemia was identified in a four-week-old Siamese kitten with lethargy, in-appetence, hindlimb ataxia and profound anaemia. The kitten was euthanased and at necropsy a thrombus was found occluding the caudal aorta. Two littermates later presented with lethargy, inappetence and hypertriglyceri-daemia which resolved after being weaned on to a low fat diet. A similar condition was subsequently diagnosed in a kitten born to the same sire but a different queen. The expression of hyperchylomicronaemia in two related litters was suggestive of an inherited, familial defect in the function of lipoprotein lipase (LPL). The activity of this enzyme was reduced in all three parents, the two recovered cases and two related, but apparently unaffected kittens, compared with a control group of unrelated cats belonging to the breeder. This reduction in activity was not attributable to defective activation of LPL by its serum cofactor apolipoprotein C-II or the presence in plasma of a factor that inhibited LPL. The gene that codes for LPL was examined by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis using a human LPL cDNA probe. The results showed that the cat has a similar, but not identical, LPL gene to man. However, there were no differences in the restriction fragment patterns obtained from affected, unaffected and control animals.