Accelerated induction of etorphine immobilization in blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) through the addition of hyaluronidase

ObjectiveTo study the effects of the addition of hyaluronidase (HA) to an etorphine/azaperone drug combination on induction times of immobilization.Study designExperimental part-randomized ‘blinded’ cross-over study.AnimalsEight wild managed blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus).MethodsAnimals were immobilized, on separate occasions separated by two weeks, with one of four treatments. Treatments were; ‘Control drugs (CD), etorphine 0.01 mg kg⁻¹ + azaperone at 0.1 mg kg⁻¹; treatment 1 CD + 5000IU HA; treatment 2 CD + 7500 IU HA; and treatment 3 etorphine 0.007 mg kg⁻¹ + azaperone at 0.07 mg kg⁻¹ + 7500 IU HA. Times to first effect and to immobilization (from darting to possible to approach and blindfold) were measured. anova was used to compare treatments. Results are given in means ± SD (range).ResultsFor control, and treatments 1–3 respectively, times (in minutes) to first effect were 1.58 ± 0.42 (1.02–2.10), 1.64 ± 0.42 (0.95–2.17), 1.12 ± 0.24 (0.80–1.48) and 1.60 ± 0.21 (1.13–1.88) and to immobilization were 5.38 ± 1.53 (3.82–8.07), 3.80 ± 1.14 (2.02–5.50), 3.51 ± 1.08 (2.28–5.52) and 4.46 ± 0.67 (3.30–5.40). Compared to control, time to first effect for treatment 2 was significantly shorter. Time to immobilization was significantly quicker in all three treatments containing HA than that for control.Conclusion and clinical relevanceHyaluronidase can reduce the time to immobilization when used in the immobilizing dart, and might be usefully incorporated into etorphine combinations for darting wildlife.     

Silicon reduces slug feeding on wheat seedlings

Journal of Pest Science - Slugs are a serious pest of cereal crops, and recent emphasis in slug pest management has shifted from solely chemical towards integrated approaches. The objective of the...     

Detection of castor contamination by real-time polymerase chain reaction

Due to the potential for intentional contamination of food with crude preparations containing ricin, a real-time PCR method was developed for the detection of castor plant material in ground beef. One primer pair was identified and confirmed to be castor-specific and efficient for amplification of ricin in DNA extracts from castor or beef matrices. Of three different DNA extraction protocols compared, the hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method yielded the highest quality of DNA for QPCR assay. The detection limit for castor contamination in ground beef samples was <0.001% (<10 microg of castor acetone powder per gram of beef, corresponding to 0.5 microg of ricin), indicating excellent sensitivity for the assay, well below the threshold for oral toxicity.     

PLUS: a regional groundwater assessment and ranking tool

There has been interest within the pesticide regulatory community in developing a tool that can provide estimates of potential pesticide exposure in shallow groundwater across an intended use area. Therefore, industry initiated an investigative project based on the PRZM 3.12 model, which uses regional soils and weather in an easy to use interface. The goal of this proof-of-concept is to facilitate the refinement of groundwater exposure estimates. The focus of this paper is to report the effectiveness of the tool as a regional estimator of potential groundwater contamination.     

Global genotype by environment trends in growth traits for Eucalyptus dunnii

New Forests - Eucalyptus dunnii Maiden (Dunn’s white gum) is a fast-growing tall tree with a restricted natural distribution in south-east Australia and favorable wood properties for pulp...     

Mechanisms and management of acaricide resistance for Tetranychus urticae in agroecosystems

Journal of Pest Science - The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, is a constant threat to sustainable production of numerous economically important crops globally. Management of T....     

Limited host range in the idiobiont parasitoid Phymastichus coffea,a prospective biological control agent of the coffee pest Hypothenemus hampei in Hawaii

Phymastichus coffea LaSalle (Hymenoptera:Eulophidae) is an adult endoparasitoid of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera:Curculionidae:Scolytinae), which has been introduced in many coffee producing countries as a biological control agent. To determine the effectiveness of P. coffea against H. hampei and environmental safety for release in Hawaii, we investigated the host selection and parasitism response of adult females to 43 different species of Coleoptera, including 23 Scolytinae (six Hypothenemus species and 17 others), and four additional Curculionidae. Non-target testing included Hawaiian endemic, exotic and beneficial coleopteran species. Using a no-choice laboratory bioassay, we demonstrated that P. coffea was only able to parasitize the target host H. hampei and four other adventive species of Hypothenemus: H. obscurus, H. seriatus, H. birmanus and H. crudiae. Hypothenemus hampei had the highest parasitism rate and shortest parasitoid development time of the five parasitized Hypothenemus spp. Parasitism and parasitoid emergence decreased with decreasing phylogenetic relatedness of the Hypothenemus spp. to H. hampei, and the most distantly related species, H. eruditus, was not parasitized. These results suggest that the risk of harmful non-target impacts is low because there are no native species of Hypothenemus in Hawaii, and P. coffea could be safely introduced for classical biological control of H. hampei in Hawaii.

     

Correction to: A meta-analysis of factors driving the adoption of precision agriculture

Precision Agriculture -     

Structure and function of antimicrobial peptide penaeidin-5 from the black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon

The gene for penaeidin-5, an antimicrobial peptide comprising 55 amino acids, was isolated from the hemocyte of black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). RT-PCR expression tests revealed that penaeidin-5 was produced in hemocytes, gills, the intestine and muscle. Western blot analysis confirmed the panaeidin-5 was aboundantin hemocytes, the intestine and hemolymph. Immunohistochemistry revealedpenaeidin-5 in the cuticle and gills that are considered primary defense barriers. The deduced amino acid sequence of penaeidin-5 included a proline-rich N-terminal domain and a carboxyl-domain that contained six cysteine residues. Circular dichrosim analysis revealed an -helix in its secondary structure and the predicted 3D structure indicated two-disulfide bridges in the -helix. Based on the sequence of penaeidin-5 peptide cDNA, synthetic penaeidin-5 was prepared to carry out functional tests. The synthetic peptide had efficient bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity against Aerococcus viridans, and also inhibited the growth of two filamentous fungi, Fusarium pisi and Fusarium oxysporum. To measure penaeidin-5 in vivo, black tiger shrimp were challenged with Vibrio alginolyticus and A. viridans. At 3 h post-challenge, penaeidin-5 was induced and bacterial numbers decreased significantly by 12 h and 24 h.     

The evolution of the prevalence of classical scrapie in sheep in Great Britain using surveillance data between 2005 and 2012

After the decline of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic in Great Britain (GB), scrapie remains the most prevalent animal Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) present in GB. A number of control measures have been implemented for classical scrapie, and since 2005 there has been a large reduction in the number of observed cases. The objective of this study is to estimate two measures of disease frequency using up to date surveillance data collected during and after the implementation of different control measures established since 2004, and breeding for resistance schemes that ran from 2001 until 2009. This would enable an assessment of the effectiveness of both the breeding for resistance programme and the compulsory eradication measures in reducing the prevalence of scrapie in GB. Evaluation of the sensitivity of the rapid post-mortem test for scrapie indicated that it detected scrapie in the last 25% of the incubation period. A back-calculation model was developed to estimate the prevalence of infection at animal and flock-level. The results of the model indicated a mean drop of infection prevalence of 31% each year, leading to a 90% drop in infection prevalence between 2005, with an estimate of 5737 infected sheep in GB in 2012.