Microbial community indigenous to the earthworm Eisenia foetida

 Microbial populations of the earthworm Eisenia foetida, their casts and farmyard manure (FYM) in which E. foetida had lived were enumerated with the dilution plate method using several media. The microbial community of earthworms appeared to be similar to that of the FYM in which they had lived, while that of earthworms starved in distilled water for 24 h greatly differed from that of the FYM. The community of the starved earthworms consisted exclusively (more than 90%) of fast growers, which were defined as those that formed their colonies within 2 days, unlike that of the FYM (10–30%). About 30 isolates were randomly chosen and some physiological properties were examined. The community of starved earthworms consisted exclusively of Gram-negative, oxidase-positive, fermentative bacteria, whereas bacteria from the FYM were much more diverse and there were no fermentative bacteria in the FYM. The predominant bacteria species of the starved earthworms were identified as Aeromonas hydrophila and considered to be indigenous to the earthworm E. foetida. Received: 18 June 1999     

Anaphylaxis after vaccination for cats in Japan

Severe adverse reactions in cats after vaccination were examined from 316 cases reported to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in Japan during 15-year period from April 2004 to March 2019. We found that 130 (41%) showed anaphylaxis, and 99 (76%) of the 130 cases of anaphylaxis resulted in death. Veterinarians should be well prepared to deal with vaccine-associated anaphylaxis in cats. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) as indicator of purification was detected at high levels in commercially available feline vaccines. BSA might derive from fetal calf serum in culture media. This study provides useful information about anaphylaxis including critical details of the potential clinical signs associated with adverse events to feline vaccination.     

Involvement of microaerophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria in the iron-oxidizing process at the surface layer of flooded paddy field soil

Journal of Soils and Sediments - To reveal whether microaerophilic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) participate in the Fe(II) oxidation at the oxic-anoxic interface in flooded paddy field soil,...     

Quantitative assessment of muscle mass and gene expression analysis in dogs with glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy

The present study aimed to quantitatively evaluate muscle mass and gene expression in dogs with glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy. Five healthy beagles received oral prednisolone for 4 weeks (1 mg/kg/day), and muscle mass was then evaluated via computed tomography. Histological and gene expression analyses were performed using biopsy samples from the biceps femoris before and after prednisolone administration. The cross-sectional area of the third lumbar paraspinal and mid-femoral muscles significantly decreased after glucocorticoid administration (from 27.5 ± 1.9 to 22.6 ± 2.0 cm² and from 55.1 ± 4.7 to 50.7 ± 4.1 cm², respectively; P<0.01). The fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibers were both atrophied (from 2,779 ± 369 to 1,581 ± 207 μm² and from 2,871 ± 211 to 1,971 ± 169 μm², respectively; P<0.05). The expression of the growth factor receptor-bound protein 10 (GRB10) significantly increased after prednisolone administration (P<0.05). Because GRB10 suppresses insulin signaling and the subsequent mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 activity, increased expression of GRB10 may have resulted in a decrease in protein anabolism. Taken together, 1 mg/kg/day oral prednisolone for 4 weeks induced significant muscle atrophy in dogs, and GRB10 might participate in the pathology of glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy in canines.     

Sporadic endemicity of zoonotic Paragonimus in raccoon dogs and Japanese badgers from Miyazaki Prefecture,Japan

Paragonimiasis is a zoonotic trematode infection caused by Paragonimus spp. To determine the recent status of Paragonimus infections in wild animals, this study investigated Paragonimus spp. in 39 raccoon dogs and 54 Japanese badgers from March 2019 to January 2021 in Miyazaki Prefecture, and examined metacercariae in freshwater crabs. Triploid P. westermani was found in one raccoon dog (2.6%), and metacercariae were recovered from Eriocheir japonica captured near the infected animal collected. One Japanese badger (1.9%) harbored P. skrjabini miyazakii; this prevalence was lower than the approximately 30% that was reported in the 1970s. Results indicated that zoonotic Paragonimus was sporadically prevalent in wild animals. Further investigation in various animals is awaited to elucidate current wildlife reservoirs for those Paragonimus.     

Quantitative real‐time PCR monitoring of Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens with oral administration of Lactobacillus plantarum strain Lq80 to weaning piglets

Levels of fecal or intestinal lactobacilli, Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens, and the prevalence of clostridial alpha toxin gene and heat‐stable toxin (ST) gene of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) were monitored in weaned piglets before (day 0) and during (days 7, 14, and 21) the administration of Lactobacillus plantarum strain Lq80. Lactobacilli were enumerated in a culture‐dependent method. The remainders were determined by quantitative real‐time PCR. In this quantitative real‐time PCR method, the detection limit was proved to be as low as 10³ cells/g feces or intestinal contents. Number of lactobacilli increased from day 0 to day 7 (P < 0.05), to day 14 (P < 0.05), and to day 21 (P = 0.07) in the Lq80‐administered group. L. plantarum contributed to as low as 10% of the lactobacillal population in the Lq80‐administered group. The number of E. coli and C. perfringens, and the prevalence of alpha toxin gene in feces or intestinal contents of the Lq80‐administered group decreased, at least in the first week of the postweaning period. Oral administration of L. plantarum strain Lq80 can stimulate the growth of indigenous lactobacilli and decrease ST‐producing ETEC and C. perfringens in the intestine of postweaning piglets.     

Disease Resistance of Tissue-cultured Seedlings of Rhododendron after Treatment with Streptomyces sp. R-5

An endophytic actinomycete, Streptomyces sp. R-5, which had been isolated from a field-grown rhododendron plant, was used to protect rhododendron seedlings in tissue culture from Pestalotia disease caused by Pestalotiopsis sydowiana. R-5 had intense antagonistic activity against P. sydowiana without adversely affecting the seedlings in glass flasks. A suspension of R-5 was spread on the surface of the multiplication medium in glass flasks in which seedlings were growing. Ten days later, the 4th upper leaf of seedlings was inoculated with P. sydowiana and incubated for 14 days. In controls untreated with R-5, substrate mycelia of P. sydowiana grew on all leaves and stems above and below the 4th leaf within 2–3 days of inoculation. Such growth resulted in the wilting death of 54% of seedlings by 14 days. In contrast, only the inoculated leaves turned brown in ca. 90% of seedlings growing on medium treated with R-5. None of these seedlings died. Thus, treatment of the medium surface with R-5 efficiently protects the seedlings from infection by P. sydowiana. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that substrate mycelia of R-5 grew on and beneath the cuticle of leaves of the treated seedlings. Fluorescent microscopy showed that R-5 was also inside the leaves. Received 8 June 2001/ Accepted in revised form 4 July 2001     

Retention of a European pear aroma model mixture using different types of saccharides

Eight types of microcapsules of European pear (La France) aroma model mixture were prepared, and their retained aroma components and sample microstructures (both surface and cross-section) were compared. The La France pear aroma model mixture was prepared by the mixing of hexanal and five kinds of esters. alpha-Cyclodextrin (alpha-CD), gum arabic (GA), soybean soluble polysaccharide (SSPS), and highly branched cyclic dextrin (HBCD) were used as carrier solids, and spray drying and freeze drying comprised the drying methods. The mean particle size of the microcapsules ranged from 8.34 microm for the microcapsules with alpha-CD to 9.67 microm for those with SSPS. The total aroma contents were different depending upon the microencapsulation systems (1.35 g/100 g of microcapsules for the spray-dried microcapsules with HBCD to 14.1 g/100 g of microcapsules for the freeze-dried microcapsules with GA). The microcapsules with alpha-CD and GA were stable against heat treatment (40, 80, or 120 degrees C for 60 min) under nitrogen gas flow.     

Hyperproduction and application of alpha-agarase to enzymatic enhancement of antioxidant activity of porphyran

The nucleotide sequence of the gene for the alpha-agarase, AgaA33, from Thalassomonas sp. strain JAMB-A33 was determined. The open reading frame for AgaA33 was revealed to encode 1463 amino acid residues. We succeeded in extracellular production of recombinant -agarase (AgaA33) efficiently using Bacillus subtilis as a host. This is the first report of recombinant production of -agarase. Furthermore, we demonstrated that hydrolysis of alpha-1,3 linkages in porphyran, a sulfated polysaccharide from marine red algae, by alpha-agarase is an important step for improvement of its antioxidant activity with regard to free-radical-scavenging capacity and superoxide radical anion scavenging activity, whereas the hydrolysis of beta-1,4 linkages in porphyran by beta-agarase did not increase on the antioxidant activity markedly.     

Association of the amino acid motifs of BoLA-DRB3 alleles with mastitis pathogens in Japanese Holstein cows

The association of the polymorphism of bovine leukocyte antigen ( BoLA-DRB3 ) genes, identified by the polymerase chain reaction sequence-based typing (PCR-SBT) method, with resistance and susceptibility to mastitis caused by Streptococci , coagulase-negative Staphylococci, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was investigated. Blood samples for DNA extraction were collected from 170 Holstein cows (129 mastitis and 41 healthy cows) from 5 districts in Chiba prefecture, Japan. Susceptibility or resistance to the mastitis-causing pathogens was thought to vary by the presence of amino acid substitutions at the 9, 11, 13, and 30 positions. DRB3*0101 and DRB3*1501 had amino acid motifs of Glu⁹, Ser¹¹, Ser¹³, and Tyr³⁰, and they were considered to have susceptibility to all 4 mastitis pathogens. In contrast, DRB3*1101 and DRB3*1401 had amino acid motifs of Gln⁹, His¹¹, Gly¹³, and His³⁰ in these positions, and they also had Val⁸⁶, so these alleles were considered to have resistance to Streptococcal and coagulase-negative Staphylococcal mastitis. However, in the case of Escherichia coli mastitis, amino acid substitutions at the 9, 11, 13, and 30 positions had little effect, but rather substitutions at the 47, 67 positions of pocket 7, and at the 71, 74 positions of pocket 4, Tyr⁴⁷, Ile⁶⁷, Ala⁷¹, and Ala⁷⁴, were associated with resistance. This motif was present in DRB3*1201 .