Residues of organochlorine pesticides in broilers from feed fortified with known levels of these compounds

p, p'-DDT, HEOD, endrin, heptachlor epoxide, hexachlorobenzene and lindane were fed in combination to day-old broiler chickens at levels of 0.05, 0.15 and 0.30 part/million in the feed, for a period of about 7 weeks. Birds were killed at regular intervals and samples of abdominal fat and other tissues examined for residues of the chlorinated pesticides by gas-liquid chromatography. The lipid content of each sample was determined and the residue levels calculated for the whole tissue and also for the fat contained in the sample. At the end of the 7 weeks (when in practice broilers are slaughtered) residues were highest for heptachlor epoxide, followed by hexachlorobenzene, HEOD, DDT (total), endrin, and lindane. Heptachlor epoxide residue levels in fat were 13 times the levels in the feed, for lindane the ratio was 3.3. Fat residues of each pesticide reached a plateau level relatively quickly, and these levels were proportional to the fortification rates in the feed. HEOD and p, p'-DDT alone were fed to separate groups of birds. No differences in residue build-up of these compounds were found between these groups and the groups that had received these compounds in combination with the other pesticides. The total amounts of each pesticide in the tissues were reduced when the meat was fried, probably by loss of fat during preparation and frying. For p, p'-DDT and heptachlor epoxide also smaller residue were observed in the remaining fat after frying.     

Sensitive real-time PCR detection of Xanthomonas fragariae in strawberry plants

Xanthomonas fragariae , the causal agent of angular leaf spot on strawberry, is a quarantine organism in strawberry propagation material in the European Union. For the reliable screening of planting material for latent infections, a real-time PCR assay based on Taqman® chemistry for the detection of X. fragariae was developed. Primers and probe sequences were based on a DNA fragment amplified by a previously reported X. fragariae -specific technique. The sequence of this genomic fragment had no significant similarity with any published GenBank sequence. Specificity of the designed assay was tested with an extended range of X. fragariae collection strains and isolates, with other Xanthomonas spp. and with unidentified bacterial isolates from strawberry plants. A nested PCR, which until now was the reference method for sensitive detection in planta , cross-reacted with the reference strain of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris . In combination with an elaborated DNA extraction procedure, the Taqman® PCR enabled reliable detection down to 300 colony forming units in a 100 mg strawberry leaf sample. The assay offers a new tool for epidemiological research and for sanitary control of plant material with low level or latent infections of X. fragariae .     

Nutritional implications of feeding free-living birds in public urban areas

Supplementary feeding can affect populations of birds. It reduces energy spent on foraging and reduces the risk of starvation, but it also increases the risk of disease transmission and predation. Supplementary feeding may reduce species richness if some species are better able to exploit supplementary food resources than others. Feeding may also artificially inflate the carrying capacity of the ecosystem, leading to bird nuisance in the form of droppings and noise. The aim of this study was to characterise and quantify the risk factors and consequences of feeding free-living birds in public areas in the western part of the city of Amsterdam. In seven study areas, the following data were collected: bird population size and species composition, feeding events, and the type and amount of supplementary food offered. Estimations were made of the nutritional energy provided and the number of birds that could be supported by the food offered. Members of the public who fed the birds were invited to complete a questionnaire on various aspects of feeding. Results showed that supplementary feeding attracts juvenile gulls and feral pigeons, which could in the long-term affect biodiversity. Bread was the main category of supplementary food being offered (estimated to be 67% of the total amount of food). The majority of respondents fed birds so as not to waste bread and meal leftovers. In six of the seven areas studied, an overabundance of nutritional energy was calculated. We conclude that the current type and extent of supplementary feeding in the city of Amsterdam is nutritionally unbalanced and affects species diversity at a local level. The overabundance is undesirable for reasons of both animal health, because it can lead to malnutrition, and public health, because surplus food attracts rats and may also have a negative effect on water quality.     

Development and validation of standard area diagrams to aid assessment of pecan scab symptoms on fruit

Pecan scab (Fusicladium effusum) causes losses of pecan nutmeat yield and quality in the southeastern United States. Disease assessment relies on visual rating, which can be inaccurate and imprecise, with poor inter‐rater reliability. A standard area diagram (SAD) set for pecan scab on fruit valves was developed. A set of 40 images of diseased fruit valves with known severity was assessed twice by 23 raters. The first assessment was conducted without SADs, and the second assessment was made using the SADs as an aid. SADs improved rater accuracy (correction factor, C_b = 0·86 and 0·97, without and with SADs, respectively) and agreement (Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient, ρ_c = 0·79 and 0·89 without and with SADs, respectively) with true values. SADs improved inter‐rater reliability (intra‐class correlation coefficient, ρ = 0·77 and 0·96 without and with SADs, respectively). The least accurate and precise raters without SADs improved more using SADs compared to the most accurate and precise raters. Experienced raters had significantly higher accuracy and precision compared to inexperienced raters, but only when unaided by the SAD set. There was no significant difference in time to assess images without SADs, but experienced raters using SADs were faster compared to inexperienced raters. There was a slight tendency for faster raters to assess more slowly, and slower raters to assess faster when using SADs. SADs improve rater estimates of pecan scab severity on fruit, and this SAD set should be useful for assessment where greater precision, accuracy and inter‐rater reliability are required.     

Parasites of domestic and wild animals in South Africa. XXII. Ixodid ticks on domestic dogs and on wild carnivores

Ixodid ticks were collected from 4 dogs on smallholdings near Grahamstown, eastern Cape Province, on 1 or more occasions each week for periods ranging from 9-36 months. Fourteen tick species were recovered and the seasonal abundance of adult Haemaphysalis leachi and adult Rhipicephalus simus was determined. Complete collections of ticks were made from 50 caracals (Felis caracal) in the Cradock, Graaff-Reinet and Southwell regions in the eastern Cape Province. The animals from Cradock and Graaff-Reinet harboured 13 ixodid tick species. The caracals from Southwell were infested with 11 tick species and the seasonal abundance of Ixodes pilosus on these animals was determined. A small-spotted genet (Genetta genetta), 1 bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis), 1 aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) and 6 black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) from various localities in the eastern Cape Province were examined for ticks and 9 species were collected. Complete tick collections were made from a side-striped jackal (Canis adustus), 2 wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), a spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta), a several (Felis serval), 2 African civets (Civettictis civetta), 2 leopards (Panthera pardus) and a lion (Panthera leo) in the Kruger National Park in the north-eastern Transvaal. Twelve ixodid tick specis were recovered from these animals.     

Elimination of terrestrial rabies in Germany using oral vaccination of foxes

Oral rabies vaccination (ORV) has become the method of choice in fox rabies control in Europe. During the past three decades fox-mediated rabies virtually disappeared from Western and Central Europe. Following Switzerland, Germany was the second European country to launch ORV field trials on its territory in 1983. This paper provides a historical overview on the emergence of fox rabies in Germany; describing the basic principles and milestones of the German rabies eradication programme and presenting results of two decades of efforts to control the disease in foxes. Also, setbacks as well as country-specific differences and particularities on Germany's long way to rabies elimination in comparison to other European countries are addressed. Since the first field trials in Germany the number of rabies cases steadily decreased from 10 484 in 1983 to three cases recorded in 2006. On February 3rd 2006 the last case of terrestrial rabies in Germany was detected in a fox near the town of Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. In 2008, ORV ceased after 25 years and Germany was officially declared as free from terrestrial rabies. The German rabies eradication programme did cost approximately 100 million euro of which 37 million euro were covered by the EU. For the future, efforts should focus on maintaining a rabies free status by implementing measures to prevent reintroduction of terrestrial rabies from endemic countries.     

Hyperadrenocorticism in four cats

Summary

This paper describes four cats with hyperadrenocorticism. Cat 1 showed polydipsia and polyphagia. Diabetes mellitus was initially diagnosed As the animal appeared to be insulin resistant, pituitary and adrenocortical function tests were performed and the diagnosis of hyperadrenocoricism was made. Resistance to the high‐dose dexamethasone suppression test was noticed in this cat. Pathological examination revealed a pituitary chromophobe adenoma.

Cat 2 presented with diabetes mellitus, which was treated with insulin. The animal had a pendulous abdomen and its coat was in a poor condition. The low‐dose dexamenthasone suppression test demonstrated hyperadrenocorticism. Necropsy findings of pituitary tumour and hyperplasia of the adrenal cortex confirmed the diagnosis.

Cat 3 showed clinical abnormalities indicative of hyperadrenocorticism, for instance, muscle weakness, alopecia, multiple abcesses. The diagnosis of hyperadrenocorticism was confirmed by the results of the lowe‐dose dexamethasone suppression test. Pathological examination revealed an adrenocortical carcinoma.

Cat 4 presented with polydipsia. The cause of this symptom was not found initially. One and a half years later additional symptoms, such as nephritis and polyphagia developed Hyperadrenocorticism was diagnosed because of a palpable mass cranial to the left kidney. The diagnosis was confirmed by the results of the lowe‐dose dexamethasone suppression test and the necropsy findings     

Concurrent infection with Theileria buffeli caused depression of parasitaemia in Babesia bovis and Anaplasma centrale infections in splenectomised calves but not in B bigemina infections

In five experiments undertaken in splenectomised calves it was found that Theileria buffeli infections depressed the parasitaemias of superimposed Babesia bovis and Anaplasma centrale infections, but not B bigemina infections. The course of A centrale infections did not appear to be affected by a concurrent Eperythrozoon teganodes infection.     

The potential of mycorrhizal inoculation and organic amendment to increase yields of Galega orientalis and Helianthus tuberosus in a spoil‐bank substrate

An agricultural use of reclaimed coal‐mine spoil banks is limited to nonfood crop uses and provides potential for biofuel crops. Two high‐biomass crops—Galega orientalis and Helianthus tuberosus—were cultivated in a greenhouse pot experiment conducted in sterilized and nonsterile spoil bank clay. We aimed (1) to determine the possibility of reducing the applied rate of organic amendments (thus decreasing the costs of spoil‐bank reclamation) and (2) to assess whether the inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can improve plant growth and biomass accumulation of bioenergy crops even in nonsterile soil containing naturally occurring AMF. The spoil substrate was either unamended or treated with a mixture of composted urban waste and ligno‐cellulose at a rate corresponding to 40 t ha^–1. Three native AMF isolates or three isolates from the International Bank of Glomeromycota (BEG) originating from man‐made ecosystems were used for inoculation. Generally, both plant species positively responded to both mycorrhizal inoculation and organic amendment. While G. orientalis did not show any preferences towards the AMF inoculum origin in the nonsterile soil, for H. tuberosus the specific combination of organic amendment and BEG isolates resulted in highest yields of shoot biomass. The study shows that the successful planting of both tested crops requires the organic amendment. However, its dosage can be substantially reduced. The effectiveness of mycorrhizal inoculation can vary for the combination of plant species and the origin of the applied AMF.     

Brown ring formation and streak mottle,two distinct syndromes in lilies associated with complex infections of lily symptomless virus and tulip breaking virus

Brown ring formation in bulbs of lilies, particularly of Mid-century hybrids, is described as a newly recognized disease. Symptoms of streak mottle in cultivars ofLilium speciosum Thunb., not associated with abnormalities of bulbs, are briefly described with reference to the literature. Sometimes the two syndromes occur in the same crop such as in the Mid-century hybrid Enchantment, showing brown ring formation in bulbs and an indistinct mottling in field plants. Severe leaf mottling appears in Midcentury hybrids andL. speciosum when plants are forced under glass. In both diseases tulip breaking virus (TBV) was always found to occur in complex with lily symptomless virus (LSV), which was consistently detected in apparently healthy plants of the Mid-century hybrid Enchantment and in severalL. speciosum cultivars.The part of TBV involved in the complex diseases described has been demonstrated by serological, electron-microscopical, and inoculation studies with lilies and tulips. LSV was sap-transmitted from lily to tulip but it could not be detected in several randomly taken samples of a dozen field-grown tulip cultivars. Suppression of TBV in plants of Enchantment, grown from bulbs with brown ring formation under field conditions, is discussed. TBV was serologically and electron-microscopically detectable only in plants grown under glass. A similar phenomenon was observed inL. speciosum cultivars under both conditions.Samenvatting Bruinkringerigheid in bollen van Midcentury-hybriden wordt beschreven als een nieuw onderkende virusziekte (Fig. 1, 2 en 3). Streperige vlekkerigheid op bladeren vanL. speciosum cultivars (Fig. 4), niet tegelijkertijd optredend met bolafwijkingen, wordt in het kort beschreven, en deed zich voor zoals in de literatuur wordt vermeld.Soms treden de twee syndromen op in hetzelfde gewas zoals in de Midcentury-hybride Enchantment, die bruinkringerigheid in bollen laat zien en een onduidelijke vlekkerigheid in veldplanten. Ernstige vlekkerigheid op de bladeren komt naar voren in Midcentury-hybriden enL. speciosum wanneer de planten in de kas worden gebroeid.Bij de beschreven ziekten was het complex van tulpemozaïekvirus (syn.: tulpebloembrekingsvirus; TBV) en symptoomloos lelievirus (LSV) steeds aanwezig. Het laatstgenoemde virus werd steeds aangetoond in ogenschijnlijk gezonde planten van de Midcentury-hybride Enchantment en van verscheidene cultivars vanL. speciosum.Het aandeel van het TBV in de beschreven complexe ziekten bleek uit serologisch en elektronenmicroscopisch onderzoek en uit inoculatieproeven met lelies en tulpen (Tabel 1 en 2). LSV werd met sap overgebracht van lelie naar tulp (Fig. 5 en 6). LSV kon niet worden aangetoond in verscheidene willekeurig genomen monsters uit planen met mozaïeksymptomen op de bladeren van een twaalftal te velde geteelde tulpecultivars. In planten met bruinkringerigheid te velde werd een teruglopen van de concentratie van het TBV waargenomen. TBV was serologisch en elektronenmicroscopisch lechts aantoonbaar in lelie-planten die in de kas groeiden. Een overeenkomstig verschijnsel werd waargenomen inL. speciosum-cultivars.