Evaluation of the ELISA and comparison to the complement fixation test and radial immunodiffusion enzyme assay for detection of antibodies against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in swine serum

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was evaluated for detection of antibodies (Ab) against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and M. flocculare in sera from swine experimentally infected with these agents. In addition, the ELISA was compared with the complement fixation test (CFT), and radial immunodiffusion enzyme assay (RIDEA) for the demonstration of Ab against M. hyopneumoniae. Twenty two 6-week-old swine from a respiratory disease-free herd were divided into five groups. Two or three pigs from each of the four groups were inoculated, respectively, with M. hyopneumoniae or with M. flocculare while two pigs in each group were contact exposed to the inoculated penmates. A fifth group, consisting of three pigs, served as inoculated controls. Pigs inoculated with M. hyopneumoniae began coughing 13 days post inoculation (PI). Antibodies were first detected 2 weeks PI with the CFT, 3 weeks PI with the ELISA, and 5 weeks PI with the RIDEA. With the ELISA and RIDEA, Ab were still detectable one year PI at a very low level. With the CFT, Ab were not detectable in sera from any swine beyond 5 months PI. At necropsy 1 year PI, no lesions were detected in lungs of any of the animals nor were mycoplasmas detected. M. flocculare inoculated or contact-exposed pigs never evidenced clinical signs. Antibodies against M. flocculare were first detected 5 to 12 weeks PI with CFT, and 6 to 12 weeks PI with the ELISA. Peak optical density (OD) values obtained in the ELISA with M. flocculare Ab were as high as the values obtained with peak M. hyopneumoniae Ab titers. Levels of Ab against M. flocculare were at relatively higher OD at 1 year PI than Ab against M. hyopneumoniae. Sera with high levels of Ab against M. flocculare cross-reacted slightly with M. hyopneumoniae antigen in immunoblotting and ELISA.     

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.     

Humoral and cellular immune responses of pigs inoculated with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae

Cellular and humoral immune responses of pigs inoculated with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae were investigated at postinoculation weeks (PIW) 2, 4, and 6. The response of blood lymphocytes (BL) and bronchial lymph node lymphocytes (LNL) to stimulation by M hyopneumoniae antigens was evaluated by a lymphocyte-stimulation test. Specific antibodies in serum and lung washing samples were assayed by ELISA. Immunoglobulin-positive cells in lungs and bronchial lymph nodes were identified by indirect fluorescent antibody test, using isotype-specific monoclonal antibodies. At PIW 0 to 6, BL from control and M hyopneumoniae-inoculated pigs were stimulated by M hyopneumoniae cells; however, BL from inoculated pigs generally had higher stimulation indices, especially at PIW 6. The response of LNL was influenced by previous exposure to M hyopneumoniae, as indicated by higher stimulation indices (P less than 0.01) of LNL from inoculated pigs killed at PIW 2 and 6. Specific ELISA antibodies to M hyopneumoniae in lung washings from inoculated pigs consisted mainly of IgG and IgA isotypes. Examination of lung sections by indirect immunofluorescence revealed that cells producing IgM and IgA were in controls as well as M hyopneumoniae-inoculated pigs, but IgG-positive cells were only in lungs of inoculated pigs. Resolution of pneumonia appeared to correlate with development of increased sensitization of BL, as well as development of marked increases in immunoglobulins, particularly IgG in lung washings at PIW 6.     

Ileocecal intussusception in horses: 26 cases (1981-1988)

The case records of 26 horses with ileocecal intussusception over a 7-year period were reviewed to determine clinical features of the disease and response to treatment. The median age of horses with ileocecal intussusception was 1 year and ranged from 2 weeks to 19 years. There was no apparent gender or breed predisposition to this disease. An acute form of ileocecal intussusception was diagnosed in 19 horses with signs of moderate to severe abdominal pain of less than or equal to 24 hours' duration, and a chronic form was diagnosed in 7 horses with signs of intermittent, mild to moderate abdominal pain of more than 3 days' duration. Horses with chronic ileocecal intussusception had a history of weight loss or failure to gain weight, slow growth, poor appetite, low-grade pyrexia, and postprandial signs of abdominal pain. At surgery, the involved segments of intestine (intussusceptum and intussuscipiens) in chronic cases were 2 to 10 cm long, and the ileum and much of the distal portion of the jejunum were flaccid, dilated, and thick walled. In the acute cases, the length of involved intestine ranged from 6 to 457 cm. Whereas only 1 of 7 chronic intussusceptions (14%) could be reduced, 9 of 19 (47%) acute intussusceptions were reducible. Surgical treatment included resection and jejunocecostomy (6 horses), partial resection through a cecotomy and a side-to-side jejunocecostomy (2 horses), and a side-to-side ileocecostomy or jejunocecostomy without resection (12 horses, 7 of which had chronic intussusception). Six horses with acute intussusception were euthanatized before or during surgery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Quantitative trait loci for phytate in rice grain and their relationship with grain micronutrient content

Phytate (inositol-hexa-phosphate) has an important role in plants but it also may have anti-nutritional properties in animals and humans. While there is debate within the plant breeding and nutrition communities regarding an optimum level in grain, there appears to be little information at the molecular level for the genetics of this trait, and its association with important trace elements, in particular, Fe and Zn. In this preliminary study, quantitative trait loci (QTL) for grain phytates, Zn and Fe in glasshouse-grown rice lines from an IR64 × Azucena doubled haploid population were identified. Correlations between phytate and essential nutrients were also studied. Transgressive segregation was found for most traits. Phytate and total P concentrations had one QTL in common located on chromosome five with the (high concentration) allele contributed from Azucena. There were significant positive correlations between phytate and inorganic phosphorus (P), total P, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn concentrations for both grain concentration and content. However, the QTLs of phytate were not located on the same chromosomal regions as those found for Fe, Zn and Mn, suggesting that they were genetically different and thus using molecular markers in breeding and selection would modify the phytate level without affecting grain micronutrient density.     

A comparison of constructed and natural habitat for frog conservation in an Australian agricultural landscape

Constructed ponds are an important consideration in the conservation of wetland biota in agricultural landscapes. Twenty-two natural ponds and 22 adjacent constructed ponds (farm dams) were surveyed on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales to compare patterns of use by frogs and develop frog conservation recommendations. Farm dams supported similar numbers of frog species to natural ponds, although differences in frog assemblage were observed between the pond types. Limnodynastes tasmaniensis and Uperolia laevigata were significantly more likely to occur at farm dams while L. peronii was more likely to occur at natural ponds. Results suggest waterbodies with high levels of emergent vegetation cover that lack fish are likely to support a high number of frog species, regardless of origin (i.e. natural or constructed). However, it is important for landholders to conserve natural waterbodies as these environments appear likely to support frog species that do not use farm dams.     

Quantitative relationships between morphology and current soil hydrology in some Alfisols in semiarid tropical Australia

The shallow groundwater hydrology of a sequence of red, yellow, and grey earths (Paleustalfs, Plinthustalfs and Ochraqualfs of “Soil Taxonomy”) was monitored over a 9-year period (1973–1982) along a drilled transect of 30 boreholes near Torrens Creek, in northeastern Australia. Climatic analysis shows an aridic soil moisture regime under which soil water surpluses should not occur, and thus significant hydromorphism would not be expected in the soils. The present study has demonstrated, however, that profile saturation and groundwater tables may be expected to develop at various depths in the soils as often as 1 year in 3. Besides, strong linear relationships were found between a number of morphological features of the soils and various hydrological regimes currently active in the profiles: the depths to the upper limits of brown, brownish red, or red mottles, to the upper limit of ironstone gravels, and to the maximum content of clay are all most closely related to the mean position of the shallowest water tables observed; the depths to grey mottles and to mottles with chromas of two or less are most directly related to the depths at which the soils are saturated for 5 weeks; the depth to the maximum content of ironstone gravels and to the base of the solum are most closely associated with the depth at which the soils are saturated for 10 to 15 weeks; and dominantly grey colours in the strongly mottled subsols are best related to profile saturations for at least 21 weeks. The results indicate that the gley features present in the soil profiles could have developed, at least in part, in response to the current soil hydrological regime.     

Leaf-trait variation explained by the hypothesis that plants maximize their canopy carbon export over the lifespan of leaves

Measured values of four key leaf traits (leaf area per unit mass, nitrogen concentration, photosynthetic capacity, leaf lifespan) co-vary consistently within and among diverse biomes, suggesting convergent evolution across species. The same leaf traits co-vary consistently with the environmental conditions (light intensity, carbon-dioxide concentration, nitrogen supply) prevailing during leaf development. No existing theory satisfactorily explains all of these trends. Here, using a simple model of the carbon-nitrogen economy of trees, we show that global leaf-trait relationships and leaf responses to environmental conditions can be explained by the optimization hypothesis (MAXX) that plants maximize the total amount of carbon exported from their canopies over the lifespan of leaves. Incorporating MAXX into larger-scale vegetation models may improve their consistency with global leaf-trait relationships, and enhance their ability to predict how global terrestrial productivity and carbon sequestration respond to environmental change.