Late clinical expression of lameness related to associated osteomyelitis and tibial dyschondroplasia in male breeding turkeys.

A sudden outbreak of lameness related to transport stress is described in a flock of male breeding turkeys. Most of the affected turkeys exhibited obvious unilateral leg disorders. All were affected with tibial or metatarsal dyschondroplasia with at least one lesion associated with a large focus of necrosis. By histological examinations, bone lesions showed the typical feature of osteomyelitis. The inflammatory bone lesions appeared at only single isolated sites and were always associated with obvious sequestra of dyschondroplastic retained cartilage. Osteomyelitis seems to be an unexpected acute complication of previous dyschondroplasia in relation with different breeding stress situations. The resulting pain of the associated lesions could be the main cause of clinical expression of lameness. The pathogenesis of the phenomenon remains uncertain.     

Effect of trilostane on serum concentrations of aldosterone, cortisol, and potassium in dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of trilostane on serum concentrations of aldosterone, cortisol, and potassium in dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH), compare the degree of reduction of aldosterone with that of cortisol, and compare aldosterone concentrations of healthy dogs with those of dogs with PDH. ANIMALS: 17 dogs with PDH and 12 healthy dogs. PROCEDURE: For dogs with PDH, the initial dose of trilostane was selected in accordance with body weight. A CBC count, serum biochemical analyses, and ACTH stimulation tests were performed in each dog. Dogs were evaluated 1, 3 to 4, 6 to 8, and 10 to 12 weeks after initiation of treatment. Healthy dogs were evaluated only once. RESULTS: Serum aldosterone concentrations before ACTH stimulation did not change significantly after initiation of treatment with trilostane. At each evaluation after initiation of treatment, serum aldosterone concentrations after ACTH stimulation were significantly lower than corresponding concentrations before initiation of treatment. The overall effect of trilostane on serum aldosterone concentration was less pronounced than the effect on serum cortisol concentration. Median potassium concentrations increased slightly after initiation of treatment with trilostane. Dogs with PDH had significantly higher serum aldo sterone concentrations before and after ACTH stimulation than healthy dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Treatment with trilostane resulted in a reduction in serum cortisol and aldosterone concentrations in dogs with PDH, although the decrease for serum aldosterone concentration was smaller than that for serum cortisol concentration. There was no correlation between serum concentrations of aldosterone and potassium during treatment.     

Above- and belowground carbon stocks of two organic,agroforestry-based oil palm production systems in eastern Amazonia

Ecosystem-level assessments of carbon (C) stocks of agroforestry systems are scarce. We quantified the ecosystem-level C stocks of one agroforestry-based oil palm production system (AFS_P) and one agroforestry-based oil palm and cacao production system (AFS_P+C) in eastern Amazonia. We quantified the stocks of C in four pools: aboveground live biomass, litter, roots, and soil. We evaluated the distribution of litter, roots, and soil C stocks in the oil palm management zones and in the area planted with cacao and other agroforestry species. The ecosystem-C stock was higher in AFS_P+C (116.7 ± 1.5 Mg C ha^?1) than in AFS_P (99.1 ± 3.1 Mg C ha^?1). The total litter-C stock was higher in AFS_P+C (3.27 ± 0.01 Mg C ha^?1) than in AFS_P (2.26 ± 0.06 Mg C ha^?1). Total root and soil C stocks (0–30 cm) did not differ between agroforestry systems. Ecosystem-C stocks varied between agroforestry systems due to differences in both aboveground and belowground stocks. In general, the belowground-C stocks varied spatially in response to the management in the oil palm and non-oil palm strips; these results have important implications for the monitoring of ecosystem-level C dynamics and the refinement of soil management.     

Insecticidal,repellent and fungicidal properties of novel trifluoromethylphenyl amides

Twenty trifluoromethylphenyl amides were synthesized and evaluated as fungicides and as mosquito toxicants and repellents. Against Aedes aegypti larvae, N-(2,6-dichloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3,5-dinitrobenzamide (1e) was the most toxic compound (24 h LC₅₀ 1940 nM), while against adults N-(2,6-dichloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-2,2,2-trifluoroacetamide (1c) was most active (24 h LD₅₀ 19.182 nM, 0.5 μL/insect). However, the 24 h LC₅₀ and LD₅₀ values of fipronil against Ae. aegypti larvae and adults were significantly lower: 13.55 nM and 0.787 × 10⁻⁴ nM, respectively. Compound 1c was also active against Drosophila melanogaster adults with 24 h LC₅₀ values of 5.6 and 4.9 μg/cm² for the Oregon-R and 1675 strains, respectively. Fipronil had LC₅₀ values of 0.004 and 0.017 μg/cm² against the two strains of D. melanogaster, respectively. In repellency bioassays against female Ae. aegypti, 2,2,2-trifluoro-N-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)acetamide (4c) had the highest repellent potency with a minimum effective dosage (MED) of 0.039 μmol/cm² compared to DEET (MED of 0.091 μmol/cm²). Compound N-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)hexanamide (4a) had an MED of 0.091 μmol/cm² which was comparable to DEET. Compound 4c was the most potent fungicide against Phomopsis obscurans. Several trends were discerned between the structural configuration of these molecules and the effect of structural changes on toxicity and repellency. Para- or meta- trifluoromethylphenyl amides with an aromatic ring attached to the carbonyl carbon showed higher toxicity against Ae. aegypti larvae, than ortho- trifluoromethylphenyl amides. Ortho- trifluoromethylphenyl amides with trifluoromethyl or alkyl group attached to the carbonyl carbon produced higher repellent activity against female Ae. aegypti and Anopheles albimanus than meta- or para- trifluoromethylphenyl amides. The presence of 2,6-dichloro- substitution on the phenyl ring of the amide had an influence on larvicidal and repellent activity of para- trifluoromethylphenyl amides.     

Cost-effective control of a quarantine disease: a quantitative exploration using "design of experiments" methodology and bio-economic modeling

ABSTRACT An integrated approach to control of quarantine diseases at the level of the plant production chain is complicated. The involved actors have different interests and the system is complex. Consequently, control policies may not be cost effective. By means of a bio-economic model for brown rot in the Dutch potato production chain, the efficacy of different control options was quantitatively analyzed. An impact analysis was performed using the methodology of "design of experiments" to quantify the effect of factors in interaction on incidence and costs of brown rot. Factors can be grouped as policy, sector, economic, and exogenous factors. Results show that brown rot incidence and economic consequences are determined predominantly by policy and sector factors and, to a lesser extent, by economic and exogenous factors. Scenario studies were performed to elucidate how the government and sector can optimize the cost-effectiveness of brown rot control. Optimal cost-effectiveness of control requires cooperation of the sector and government, in which case brown rot incidence can be reduced by 75% and the costs of control can be reduced by at least 2 million euros per year. This study demonstrates quantitatively the potential contribution of an integrated approach to cost-effective disease control at chain level.     

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is impaired by the garlic volatile allyl methyl sulfide (AMS) in vitro and in-feed garlic alleviates pleuropneumonia in a pig model

Decomposition products of ingested garlic are to a certain extent excreted via the lungs. If the supposed health-supporting capacities associated with garlic extend to these exhaled sulfurous compounds, they could have an effect on the course of pneumonia. In this study, the garlic-derived volatile allyl methyl sulfide (AMS) as a lead compound of volatile garlic metabolites was shown to exhibit an antibacterial effect against the pig pathogen Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 9. AMS caused a delay in the appearance of the optical density-monitored growth of A. pleuropneumoniae in medium when compared to unaffected growth curves, yet without lowering the stationary phase yield at the concentration range tested. At 1.1mM, AMS impaired the in vitro growth rate of A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 9 by 8% compared to unimpeded growth. In an animal trial, a garlic-fed group of 15 pigs that received a diet with 5% garlic feed component and a control group of 15 pigs that received a diet without garlic were infected with A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 2 via an aerosol and subsequently followed for 4 days. At the day of the challenge, blood AMS in the garlic-fed group amounted to 0.32 ± 0.13 μM. A beneficial, alleviating effect of garlic on the course and severity of an A. pleuropneumoniae infection in pigs was indicated by the reduced occurrence of characteristic pleuropneumonia lesions (27% of the lungs affected in the garlic-fed group vs. 47% in the control group) and a near to significant (p=0.06) lower relative lung weight post mortem in the garlic-fed group.     

French cattle is not a reservoir of the highly virulent enteroaggregative Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli of serotype O104:H4

In May-June 2011, a massive outbreak of haemolytic uraemic syndrome caused by enteroaggregative Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O104:H4 occurred in Europe, which was linked to the consumption of sprouted seeds. As ruminants are known reservoirs of STEC, this study investigated whether cattle could be a reservoir of enteroaggregative STEC O104:H4 and a potential source of transmission to humans. A total of 1468 French cattle were analysed for faecal carriage of the outbreak strain by PCR assays targeting stx2, wzx(O104), fliC(H4) and aggR genetic markers. None of the faecal samples contained the four markers simultaneously, indicating that cattle is not a reservoir of this recently emerged E. coli pathotype.