Detection of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis in ileocaecal lymph nodes collected from elderly slaughter cows using a semi-nested IS900 polymerase chain reaction

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of subclinical Mycobacterium avium spp. paratuberculosis (MAP) infections at slaughter by testing ileocaecal lymph nodes with a semi-nested IS900 PCR. Tissue samples were available within the framework of a parallel study investigating BSE-susceptibility factors in members of BSE-cohorts in the German Federal State of Lower Saxony. Ileocaecal lymph nodes were collected over a 2-year sampling period from 99 slaughter cattle of a mean age of 6.5 years (5.5-7.5 years). A recently developed IS900 semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (snPCR) assay offering a sensitivity of 1 genome equivalent was used for the detection of MAP-DNA. Based on this snPCR, 17 out of the 99 samples gave positive results, indicating a MAP occurrence of 17.17% in the random sample. All PCR products were sequenced for screening of polymorphisms. Nucleotide homologies of 98.5-100% were found with respect to the MAP K10 reference sequence IS900 (GenBank: AE16958). PCR analysis of ileocaecal lymph nodes collected from slaughter cattle proved to be a suitable technique to determine MAP occurrence in the local cattle population.     

Spatial distribution of Aspergillus flavus and its toxigenic strains on commercial cottonseed from south Texas and its relationship to aflatoxin contamination

The structure of Aspergillus flavus communities associated with south Texas cottonseed was determined by analysing samples from 178 truckloads of commercial cottonseed from 35 gins, extending from Fort Bend County in the north to the Rio Grande Valley in the south, from September 1999 to October 2001. The number of colony-forming units (CFU) of A. flavus on the cottonseed, and the percentage of S strain (%S) were both correlated with aflatoxin contamination of cottonseed. The number of CFU differed between both regions and seasons, while %S differed only between regions. Comparison of maps of CFU and %S revealed that CFU shows a higher variation across years, while %S shows higher spatial variation. The Rio Grande Valley had significantly lower CFU and %S strain than the Coastal Bend and Upper Coast regions. Cottonseed produced in 1999 had significantly more A. flavus than that produced in either 2000 or 2001. Identification of factors dictating geographical variation in S-strain incidence may provide insights that will lead to improved aflatoxin management.     

Ultrastructure of the tubular glands in the isthmus region of the oviduct in laying and natural moulting commercial egg‐type chickens

The study investigated the ultrastructural characteristics of tubular gland and duct cells, as well as luminal gland cells in the isthmus region of the oviduct of laying and natural moulting hens. Tubular glands in laying birds were composed of type 1 and 2 cells. Based on the preponderance of each cell type, in relation to the location of a developing egg in the oviduct of the domestic fowl, these gland cells may represent different functional states of the same cell. The findings of the study on natural moulting birds suggest that autophagy is a process confined to the early stages of degeneration, while necrosis occurs in the terminal stages.     

Lack of effect of recombinant bovine interferon alpha I1 in the treatment of experimentally-induced bovine warts.

Fifteen four-month old calves were inoculated, on five scarified sites on each side of the neck, with a suspension of ground wart tissue from a steer naturally infected with bovine papilloma virus 1. Warts started to appear about one month postinfection and were measurable in ten calves two months postinfection, when the trial started. After stratification on the size of the warts, all fifteen calves were allocated randomly to one of the following treatment groups: twice weekly intramuscular injections of 5 mg recombinant bovine interferon alpha I1 (rBoIFN alpha I1), weekly injection of 5 mg of rBoIFN alpha I1 or placebo, for three weeks. The biggest wart on each calf at the beginning of the trial was measured and photographs of all warts were taken weekly for five weeks. An analysis of covariance on the log of the volumes of warts during the five weeks of the trial showed a significant difference between groups (p = 0.026). Warts in treated groups tended to grow faster than in the placebo group.     

Describing the growth and molt of modern domestic turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) primary wing feathers

The use of feathers as noninvasive physiological measurements of biomarkers in poultry research is expanding. Feather molting patterns and growth rates, however, are not well described in domestic poultry. These parameters could influence the measurement of these biomarkers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to describe the juvenile primary feather molting patterns and feather growth rates for domestic turkeys. The 10 primary wing feathers of 48 female turkeys were measured weekly from week 1 (0 d of age) to week 20. Feathers were manually measured, and the presence or absence of each primary feather was recorded weekly. Generalized linear mixed models were used to investigate if feather growth differed between the primary feathers. The molting of the juvenile primary feathers followed a typical descending pattern starting with P1 (5 wk of age), while P9 and P10 had not molted by the end of the study (20 wk of age). The average feather growth rate was 2.4 cm/wk, although there was a significant difference between the 10 primary feathers (P < 0.0001, 2.1 to 2.8 cm/wk). Over time, feather growth followed a pattern where the growth rate reaches a peak and then declines until the feather is molted. The results of this study provide a critical update of patterns of molting and feather growth in primary wing feathers of modern turkeys. This can have implications for the interpretation of physiological biomarkers, such as the longitudinal deposition of corticosterone, in the feathers of domestic turkeys.     

Poultry science: The next 20 years?

1. The theme of the lecture is that research in poultry science has moved too far in the direction of molecular biology and away from studies with whole animals. This has happened partly because exciting prospects are opening up in the field of gene manipulation but mainly because of the use of inappropriate referees to evaluate research proposals.

2. Agricultural research is defined as work intended to benefit agriculture and directed towards those problems which seem capable of solution. Science research is something else. Too much of the money allocated for agricultural and biotechnology research is being spent on science research. The system of rewarding agricultural scientists needs to be adjusted away from counting papers published.

3. Some examples are given of problems in poultry science which seem likely to be soluble by gene manipulation. These include “essential” amino acid synthesis within the chicken, improvement of shell strength, the prevention of many diseases, but probably not the improvement of quantitative traits or of behavioural adaptation to intensive husbandry.

4. Examples are also given of problems likely to require empirical solutions, such as the benefits of acclimatisation or the long‐term response to a lighting programme. Here the need is to develop better theories to guide modelling activities.

5. The author concludes that there is much research that can and should be done in poultry science in the next 20 years but calls for a recognition that some problems cannot be solved by a “fundamental” approach but will need experiments with whole animals coupled with model‐building activities.