RESPITE--a computer-aided guide to the prevalence of pneumonia in pig herds

An interactive computer-based guide (termed RESPITE) was developed to demonstrate to pig producers the expected level of pneumonia in pig herds which follow specified management practices known to influence the severity of pneumonia problems. A program was used to evaluate the combined effect of known risk factors present in the particular herd on the prevalence of lung lesions in slaughter pigs. The expected prevalence was estimated using formulae that were derived from observations and data in the published literature. Eleven risk factors considered are the number of pigs in the same room, all-in/all-out versus continuous flow of pigs, closed versus open herd, temperature fluctuation ratio, width of the buildings, space allotted per pig, the type of partitions separating adjacent pens, the presence or absence of diarrhoea as a clinical problem, liquid versus solid manure disposal, ascarid control efficiency, and the presence or absence of active Aujeszky's disease in the herd. Each of the factors can be assessed in the farrowing, nursery and grow-finish stages of production and the appropriate observations are entered. The computer uses the data to calculate the expected prevalence of pneumonia in animals leaving that stage of production. Of the pneumonia developing in the farrowing, nursery and grow-finish stages, 90 per cent, 75 per cent and 25 per cent respectively is considered to resolve before slaughter inspection at 100 kg. Adjusting for this degree of resolution, the program then estimates the expected final prevalence of pneumonic lesions in slaughter pigs. Comparison of predictions with slaughterhouse data from four herds indicated that the guide was realistic in its estimates.     

Discriminant analysis for predicting dystocia in beef cattle. II. Derivation and validation of a prebreeding prediction model

Discriminant analysis was utilized to derive and validate a model for predicting dystocia using only data available at the beginning of the breeding season. Data were collected from 211 Chianina crossbred cows (2 to 6 yr old) bred to Chianina bulls. A proportionally stratified sampling procedure divided females into an analysis sample (n = 134) on which the model was derived and a hold-out sample (n = 77) on which the prediction model was validated (tested). Variables available during the derivation stage were cow age, cow weight, pelvic height, pelvic width, pelvic area and calf sire. Dystocia was categorized as either unassisted or assisted. Occurrence of dystocia was 17.2 and 18.2% in the analysis and hold-out samples, respectively. All data were standardized to a mean of zero and a variance of one before statistical analysis. The centroid of cows experiencing dystocia differed (P less than .01) from that of cows calving unassisted in the analysis sample. Significant variables were pelvic area and cow age (standardized coefficients = .56 and .51, respectively). This model correctly classified 85.1% of the cows in the analysis sample. This was 13.5% greater than the proportional chance criterion. For model validation, prediction accuracy was 84.4% in the hold-out group, which was 14.2% greater than the proportional chance criterion. However, only 57.1% of the cows that experienced dystocia were correctly classified. Examination of the data revealed that those cows misclassified were 3 yr of age or older.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Necrophylactic periderm formation in the roots of western larch and Douglas‐fir trees infected with Armillaria ostoyae. II. The response to the pathogen

Periderm formation was studied in bark samples collected from the roots of western larch (Larix occidentalis) and Douglas‐fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) trees infected with Armillaria ostoyae. Necrophylactic periderms were formed in advance of infection and successfully restricted continued fungal spread in 68 and 45% of the samples collected from 10‐ and 27‐year‐old western larch, respectively. However, all periderms formed in 11‐ and 25‐year‐old Douglas‐fir had been breached by the advancing fungus. In both species, necrophylactic periderms were commonly breached at the junction of the periderm with the vascular cambium. In western larch, stone phellem often comprised the external phellem layer of necrophylactic periderms with multiple bands of phellem. In 27‐year‐old western larch, infection was often confined to discrete lesions bounded by multiple periderms with multiple bands of phellem. In both tree species, phellem production was greater in response to infection than in response to abiotic wounding.     

Detection of a chitinase-like protein in the roots of Douglas-fir trees infected with Armillaria ostoyae and Phellinus weirii

Protein was extracted from root bark of 11- and 25-year-old interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) trees that were naturally infected with Armillaria ostoyae (Romagnesi) Herink. The proteins were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Root bark tissue adjacent to infected areas had a significantly higher protein concentration than healthy tissue (P < 0.05), whereas the protein concentration of infected tissue was consistently lower (P < 0.05) than that of healthy tissue. The SDS-PAGE profiles of healthy, infected, and adjacent-to-infected root bark tissues revealed significant differences in concentrations of a 29.3-kDa protein. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the 29.3-kDa protein displayed significant homology (P = 0.013) to a basic endochitinase. Use of a polyclonal antibody raised against the 29.3-kDa putative endochitinase-like protein (ECP) indicated differences in the quantities of ECP in healthy roots compared with roots infected with A. ostoyae in 11- and 25-year-old interior Douglas-fir trees. The antibody was also used to screen for the presence of the 29.3-kDa protein in roots of 24-year-old coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) trees that were artificially inoculated with and colonized by Phellinus weirii (Murr.) Gilbn. The amount of ECP was elevated in root bark of coastal Douglas-fir in response to P. weirii infection, although in lower quantities relative to those found in the A. ostoyae-interior Douglas-fir pathosystem. The sequence homology of the ECP with a basic chitinase, together with its increased synthesis in response to two fungal pathogens, indicate a possible role for this protein in the defense of Douglas-fir against fungal pathogens.     

Spatial and Temporal Variability in Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen Fluxes at the Sediment–Water Interface in Lake Illawarra, Australia

In this study, benthic flux measurements of inorganic nitrogen (i.e., $ {\text{NH}}^{ + }_{4} $ , $ {\text{NO}}^{ - }_{2} $ ?+? $ {\text{NO}}^{ - }_{3} $ ) were made using a batch incubation system at different stations (i.e., shallow sandy macrophyte and unvegetated beds, and deep central mud) over four seasons in Lake Illawarra, NSW, Australia, to study the influence of different primary producers (i.e., seagrasses, microphytobenthos (MPB) and macroalgae) and/or different sediment types (i.e., sand or mud) on the benthic fluxes. In general, nutrient fluxes displayed typical diel variations, with lower flux out of sediments (release) or enhanced uptake by the sediment in the light, due to the photosynthetic activities of the plant-MPB-sediment community in Lake Illawarra during photosynthetic periods. A distinct seasonal pattern of inorganic-N fluxes was also observed (e.g., the marked difference between summers 2002 and 2003). This may be explained by the seasonal variations in the biomass and activity (growing or decay phases) of MPB, seagrass and macroalgae, which may influence their nutrient assimilation and alter the chemical conditions of surface sediments that influence the benthic geochemical processes and thus benthic nutrient fluxes. On an annual basis, unvegetated sediments displayed net DIN effluxes, while seagrass beds showed a net DIN uptake, and the highest DIN uptakes coincided with the largest standing crop of seagrass and/or macroalgae and the highest levels of benthic community production. This may be due to the enhanced denitrification and/or assimilation activity by rooted plants and macroalgae, and the effect is most efficient during periods of net growth (e.g., in Spring 2002).     

The use of a geographic information system in an epidemiological study of pseudorabies (Aujeszky''s disease) in Minnesota swine herds

A geographic information system (GIS) is being developed to study the spread of pseudorabies virus (PRV) among swine herds in the state of Minnesota. This GIS features an interface with a database management system that stores and manages pertinent data. These data include herd size, type of production system, degree of confinement, topographical features surrounding the farm, density of swine herds and distance to the closest quarantined herd. A pilot study was conducted in one Minnesota county with 280 swine herds, of which the PRV status was known in 115. Cox regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with herd PRV status. Relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. No association was detected between the PRV status of the herd and distance to the nearest county road, highway or quarantined herd. However, the following factors were significant: located within 1 km of a river or lake (RR, 0.524; CI, 0.328–0.828); farrow to finish (RR, 2.120; CI, 1.194–3.791); complete confinement (RR, 3.423; CI, 1.639–7.139); density of swine herds within a 5 km radius (RR, 1.036 per herd; CI, 0.996–1.064).     

Polymorphism of the CD4 and CD5 differentiation antigens in cattle.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for bovine CD4 and CD5 antigens have been found to identify polymorphic determinants on these molecules. In the case of CD5, mAb IL-A67 recognises one allotypic form of the antigen while four other CD5-specific mAbs in the workshop (CC17, CC29, BLT-1 and 8C11) recognise a second allotype. The CD4-specific mAbs submitted to the workshop reacted with the cells of all animals tested. However, a further two mAbs (CC26 and IL-A18) specific for CD4 were found to react with cells only from about 85% of animals tested. Sequential immuno-precipitation experiments together with family studies showed that the allotypes of CD4 and CD5 are both inherited in a simple Mendelian manner and are co-dominantly expressed. One of the CD5 allotypes was not detected in Bos taurus animals while the gene frequency of the second allotype was only about 10% in the B. indicus animals tested. The gene frequency of the CD4 allotype detected by CC26 and IL-A18 was similar in the two sub-species.     

A mathematical programming model of a crop-livestock farm system

A whole-farm mathematical programming model has been built for dryland crop-livestock farms in Western Australia. The multidisciplinary approach used for model building is presented and the resulting model structure is described. It is a mixed integer programming model which represents, in some detail, the biological, technological and financial relationships of the farming system and stresses the interdependencies of enterprises. The model is used to investigate the extent to which positive interactions between different enterprises influence the optimal farm plan. The management issue considered is the division of land between crop and pasture production. It is concluded that, for the farming system considered, interactions do have an influence on profit and the optimal farm plan.