Traditional antibacterial activity of freshwater microalga Spirulina platensis to aquatic pathogens

The crude ethanol, methanol and aqueous extracts of Spirulina (Spirulina platensis) have been investigated for antibacterial activity using disc diffusion assays against various strains of fish and shellfish pathogens e.g. Pseudomonas putida (ATCC 49128; PP1, PP2), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 35032; PA1, PA2), Pseudomonas fluorescens (PF1, PF2), Aeromonas hydrophila (ATCC 49140; AH1, AH2, AH3, AH4), Vibrio alginolyticus (VA), Vibrio anguillarum (VAN), Vibrio fluvialis (VF), Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VP), Vibrio harveyi (VH), Vibrio fisheri (VFS), Edwardsiella tarda and animal isolates of Escherichia coli (O115, O1, O156, O164, O111 and O109). The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of crude extracts were determined using the tube dilution method. Ethanolic extract showed comparatively higher antibacterial activity (15.66 mm) than that of methanolic and aqueous extract of S. platensis along with their respective MIC values, ranging from 100 to 150 μg mL^?1. The aqueous extract had no effective antibacterial activity against the test microorganism. The study suggested that S. platensis may have potential use in aqua feed as an antimicrobial agent of pharmaceutical interest.     

Cytoplasmic Systems in Different Male-Sterile Lines of Rice

In order to characterize the cytoplasmic system in seven cytoplasmic-genic male-sterile lines (CMS; A lines) of rice, viz., V 20A, ‘Zhenshan 97A’, IR 46831A, ‘Madhu A’ (cms-WA), ‘Yar-Ai-Zhao A’ (cms-Gam), ‘Pankhari 203A’ (cms-TN) and Wu 10A (cms-bo) and their isonuclear maintainers (B lines), all possible crosses were made between CMS lines and maintainers (A × B) as well as between the maintainers themselves (B × B). Based on F₁ pollen and spikelet fertility the CMS lines V 20A, ‘Zhenshan 97A’, IR 46831 A, ‘Madhu’ A possessing cms-WA cytoplasm were found to be genetically different from ‘Pankhari 203A’ (cms-TN), Wu 10A (cms- bo) and ‘Yar-Ai-Zhao A’ (cms-Gam) cytoplasms. Cms-bo and cms-TN cytoplasms appeared to be identical. Since the cytoplasms of the A lines are different from those of the B lines, the nuclear genes operating to cause the sterility might also be different in (A × B) and (B × B) crosses.     

Effect of restricted feeding and refeeding on compensatory growth,nutrient utilization and gain,production performance and whole body composition of carp cultured in earthen pond

To assess the compensatory growth, a 10‐month pond experiment was conducted in which three species of Indian major carps, viz. Catla catla, Labeo rohita and Cirrhinus mrigala (1 : 1 : 1), were stocked at 7500 ha^?1 and the fish were subjected to different restricted feeding and refeeding protocols, viz. Control (C): Continuously fed for 10 months; Treatment‐1 (T‐1): Initial supplementary feeding for 2 months+ No supplementary feeding for 1 month + Refeeding for 7 months; Treatment‐2 (T‐2): Initial supplementary feeding for 2 months + No supplementary feeding for 2 months + Refeeding for 6 months; and Treatment‐3 (T‐3): Initial supplementary feeding for 2 months + No supplementary feeding for 3 months + Refeeding for 5 months in triplicate ponds. At the end of experiment, 100% growth compensation was achieved in T‐2 for all the three carp species. Among all treatments, higher weight gain, PER and PPV and lower AFCR were also recorded in T‐2, resulting in maximum fish production. The restricted feeding had significant effect (P < 0.05) on whole body chemical composition of fish. From this study, it is concluded that in 10‐month pond culture of carp in fertilized pond, the T‐2 would be the best and most economic feeding strategy.     

Synthesis of somatic hybrids (RCBB) by fusing heat-tolerant Raphanus sativus (RR) and Brassica oleracea (CC) with Brassica nigra (BB)

Brassica carinata (BBCC), a potential oilseed crop for dry land agriculture, is sensitive to high temperatures during germination and early stages of growth, which thereby restricts the possibility of using the residual soil moisture available after the rainy season for its cultivation. To overcome this problem, a three‐genome hybrid, RCBB, was synthesized using Raphanus sativus (RR) and Brassica oleracea (CC) as donor sources for the desired heat tolerance. Protoplasts of RC hybrids obtained through sexual crosses between R. sativus (female) and B. oleracea (male) were fused with protoplasts of Brassica nigra (BB) to produce RCBB somatic hybrids. The hybrid colonies regenerated with an average frequency of 7.6%. Twelve out of 36 hybrids grown to maturity were characterized for their nuclear and organelle genomes. While all the hybrids showed the presence of B. nigra chloroplasts, 10 of the hybrids showed B. nigra‐specific mitochondria and two had Raphanus‐spedfic mitochondria. The somatic hybrids could be backcrossed to B. carinata.     

Effect of a Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone Vaccine (ImprovacTM) on Steroid Hormones, Boar Taint Compounds and Performance in Entire Male Pigs

The objective of this study, comprising two trials, was to evaluate the effect of a gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH‐vaccine Improvac^TM; Pfizer Ltd) in a sample of the Swedish pig population. The pigs (n = 120) were assigned to three groups: control (entire male pigs), surgical castration and immunization against GnRH. Surgically castrated pigs did not express detectable levels of either testosterone or estrone sulphate (E1S) in plasma, or androstenone in fat and had lower skatole and indole levels in fat than entire male pigs. Immunization significantly reduced testes weight and bulbourethral gland length, plasma levels of the testicular hormones testosterone and E1S, and fat levels of androstenone, skatole and indole. Skatole levels in plasma were significantly lower than in entire male pigs in the second trial, but not in the first due to overall low skatole levels. All immunized pigs and surgically castrated pigs expressed skatole concentrations in fat below the level of 0.2 μg/g, above which meat is regarded as tainted. In contrast, eight entire male pigs exceeded this level. Indole levels in plasma from immunized pigs were lower than those from entire male pigs. Surgical castration caused lower daily weight gain in the suckling period compared with piglets raised intact, whereas in the post‐weaning period no difference was observed. Immunization resulted in higher feed intake and daily weight gain after the second injection. The estimated lean meat content was improved in comparison with the castrated pigs, but was lower than for entire male pigs. Dressing percentage was lower in immunized pigs than in surgically castrated and entire male pigs. The frequency of skin damage did not differ between immunized and entire male pigs or between immunized and surgically castrated pigs.     

Environmental contamination with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in endemically infected dairy herds

Environmental contamination with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is thought to be one of the primary sources of infection for dairy cattle. The exact link between fecal shedding of MAP by individual cows and environmental contamination levels at the herd level was explored with a cross-sectional analysis of longitudinally collected samples on 3 dairy farms. Composite samples from multiple environmental sites in 3 commercial dairy herds in the Northeast US were cultured quarterly for MAP, providing 1131 samples (133 (11.8%) were culture-positive), and all adult animals in the herds were tested biannually by fecal culture (FC), for 6 years. Of the environmental sites sampled, manure storage areas and shared alleyways were most likely to be culture-positive. Environmental sample results were compared to FC results from either the concurrent or previous sampling date at both the herd and the pen level. At the herd level, a 1 log unit increase in average fecal shedding increased the odds of a positive non-pen environmental sample by a factor of 6 and increased the average amount of MAP in non-pen samples by 2.9 cfu/g. At the pen level, a 1 log unit increase in average fecal shedding in the pen increased the odds of a positive environment by a factor of 2.4 and the average amount of MAP was increased by 3.5 cfu/g. We were not able to model the relationship between non-pen environmental sample status and the distance between shedding animals and the sample's location, and neighboring pens did not significantly affect the results of the pen-level analysis. The amount of MAP in pen-level samples and the probability of a pen testing positive for MAP were both positively but non-significantly correlated with the number of animals in the pen shedding >30 cfu/g of MAP. At least 6 environmental samples met the criteria for the U.S. Voluntary Bovine Johne's Disease Control Program on 47 of the 72 sampling dates; of these, 19 of the 47 FC-positive sampling dates were positive by the 6-sample environmental testing method, resulting in a herd sensitivity of 0.40 (95% CI: 0.26-0.54). None of the 3 FC-negative sampling dates produced positive environmental samples. Although environmental sampling can be used as a tool in understanding the level of MAP infection in a herd or pen, it did not appear to be a sensitive diagnostic method for herd positivity in these low prevalence herds, and its use may require caution.     

UHRF1 plays a role in maintaining DNA methylation in mammalian cells

Epigenetic inheritance in mammals relies in part on robust propagation of DNA methylation patterns throughout development. We show that the protein UHRF1 (ubiquitin-like, containing PHD and RING finger domains 1), also known as NP95 in mouse and ICBP90 in human, is required for maintaining DNA methylation. UHRF1 colocalizes with the maintenance DNA methyltransferase protein DNMT1 throughout S phase. UHRF1 appears to tether DNMT1 to chromatin through its direct interaction with DNMT1. Furthermore UHRF1 contains a methyl DNA binding domain, the SRA (SET and RING associated) domain, that shows strong preferential binding to hemimethylated CG sites, the physiological substrate for DNMT1. These data suggest that UHRF1 may help recruit DNMT1 to hemimethylated DNA to facilitate faithful maintenance of DNA methylation.     

LAND USE/LAND COVER CHANGE ANALYSIS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOIL PROPERTIES IN THE NORTHERN PART OF GADARIF REGION,SUDAN

Several decades of intensive dry land farming in the Gadarif region, located in the Eastern part of Sudan, has led to rapid land use/land cover (LULC) changes mainly due to agricultural expansion, government policies and environmental calamities such as drought. In this paper, an attempt has been made to analyse and monitor the LULC changes using multi‐temporal Landsat data for the years 1979, 1989 and 1999 and ASTER data for the year 2009. In addition, efforts were made to discuss the impact of LULC changes on the selected soil properties. For this, a post‐classification comparison technique was used to detect LULC changes from satellite images. Primarily, three main LULC types were selected to investigate the properties of soil, namely, cultivated land, fallow land and woodland. Moreover, soil samples were also collected at two depths of surface soil from ten sample plots for each of the LULC type. For these soil samples, various soil properties such as texture, bulk density, organic matter, soil pH, electrical conductivity, sodium adsorption ratio, phosphorous and potassium were analysed. The results showed that a significant and extensive change of LULC patterns has occurred in the last three decades in the study area. Further, laboratory tests revealed that soil properties were significantly affected by these LULC changes. The change of the physical and chemical properties of the soil may have attributed to the changes in the LULC resulting in land degradation, which in turn has led to a decline in soil productivity. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Immune complex-mediated glomerulopathy in Marek's disease

Chickens infected with Marek's disease (MD) virus developed immune complex (IC)-mediated glomerulopathy. Fluorescent antibody staining technique using antichicken globulin and antichicken complement was used to demonstrate IC in the kidney glomeruli. During the initial stages of MDV infection, IC deposits were seen on the glomerular basement membrane, but subsequently the entire glomerulus was involved. Mesangial cells also had IC deposits. Chicken complement was demonstrated in the glomeruli which had IC deposits. The number of glomeruli with IC deposition was higher in tumor-bearing birds than in non-tumor-bearing birds. Histologically, kidney lesion were characterized by thickening of basement membrane and proliferation of mesangial cells. It is suggested that IC-mediated glomerulopathy might be one of the major causes of death in MD.