Prevalence of feline haemotropic mycoplasmas in convenience samples of cats in Germany

The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the prevalence of feline haemotropic mycoplasmas in Germany, to determine probable risk factors for these infections and to compare the diagnostic value of microscopic examination of blood smears to polymerase chain reaction (PCR). For the prevalence study, convenience samples (Ethylene diamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA) blood) from 262 (64.5% male and 35.5% female) cats were included. A PCR for the detection of Mycoplasma haemofelis (MHF) and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum' (CMH) as well as a feline leukaemia virus (FeLV)/feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) enzyme-linked immunoassay was performed. Blood smears from 224 cats were examined and the sensitivity and specificity of the microscopic diagnosis were determined. The prevalence of CMH, MHF, and CMH/MHF co-infection was 22.5%, 4.5%, and 0.8%, respectively. CMH was significantly associated with male gender (P=0.047), older age (P=0.0015) and both FeLV (P=0.002) and FIV infections (P<0.0001). However, there was no association between the presence of anaemia and CMH/MHF infection. The respective sensitivity and specificity of the microscopic diagnosis were 10.3% and 87.1% for a CMH infection and 0.0% and 98.0% for MHF infection.     

Delineation of management zones with spatial data fusion and belief theory

Precision Agriculture - Precision agriculture, as part of modern agriculture, thrives on an enormously growing amount of information and data for processing and application. The spatial data used...     

Suitability of satellite remote sensing data for yield estimation in northeast Germany

Precision Agriculture - Information provided by satellite data is becoming increasingly important in the field of agriculture. Estimating biomass, nitrogen content or crop yield can improve farm...     

COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF THE VENTRICLES IN THE YORKSHIRE TERRIER AND THE GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG USING LOW-FIELD MRI

MR images provide for the exact assessment of the brain, including ventricular size. Still inter- and intrabreed comparison of ventricle size is difficult due to the varying anatomies in dogs. To compare the ventricle area of different sized breeds, 25 dogs (13 Yorkshire Terriers and 12 German Shepard dogs) were reviewed, retrospectively. Hemisphere and ventricle of each side were outlined manually three times. All measurements were averaged and their percentage (ventricle area by hemisphere area) was defined as the relative ventricle area. This value in Yorkshire Terriers (5.3) was significantly higher compared to German Shepard dogs (1.7). However, on the basis of the neurologically symptomatic sample (7 Yorkshire Terriers) in this study, threshold values of normal and abnormal relative ventricle areas could not be detected.     

Vaccinia virus-induced cell motility requires F11L-mediated inhibition of RhoA signaling

RhoA signaling plays a critical role in many cellular processes, including cell migration. Here we show that the vaccinia F11L protein interacts directly with RhoA, inhibiting its signaling by blocking the interaction with its downstream effectors Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) and mDia. RNA interference-mediated depletion of F11L during infection resulted in an absence of vaccinia-induced cell motility and inhibition of viral morphogenesis. Disruption of the RhoA binding site in F11L, which resembles that of ROCK, led to an identical phenotype. Thus, inhibition of RhoA signaling is required for both vaccinia morphogenesis and virus-induced cell motility.     

Adsorption of the Bacillus thuringiensis toxin (Cry1Ab) on Na‐montmorillonite and on the clay fractions of different soils

The adsorption of the toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt‐toxin), which is synthesized in genetically modified maize, on sterilized Na‐montmorillonite and on H₂O₂‐treated and untreated clay fractions of three soils from different sites were studied. All adsorption isotherms can be described by a linear isotherm. Although all clay fractions from the different soils show nearly the same mineralogical composition, we found different affinities ranging from k = 47.7 to k = 366.7 of the adsorbates for the Bt‐toxin. The H₂O₂‐treated clay fractions show no correlation between the adsorption affinity and the amount of soil organic matter. On the other hand, there is a correlation between the content of organic carbon and the adsorption affinity of the untreated clay fractions. This can be explained by the fact that due to the coatings of soil organic matter on aggregates, the Bt‐toxin polymers are not able to adsorb within the clay aggregates.     

Plasma L-carnitine concentration in healthy dogs and dogs with hepatopathy

BACKGROUND: L-Carnitine has an essential role in lipid metabolism. Disturbances of L-carnitine metabolism can influence the energy supply of the organism. L-Carnitine is synthesized exclusively in the liver. Hence, we hypothesized that liver disease can influence L-carnitine metabolism. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to compare plasma L-carnitine concentrations in dogs with different liver diseases of differing severity with the plasma L-carnitine concentrations of healthy dogs. METHODS: Sixteen dogs with inflammatory liver disease and 12 dogs with liver neoplasia were included in the study. Liver disease was diagnosed by clinical chemistry, ultrasonography, and histology of liver biopsy specimens. L-Carnitine concentration was measured in plasma samples using mass spectrometry, and compared among groups using unpaired Student's t-tests. RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls (24.4 +/- 8.4 micromol/L), the plasma L-carnitine concentration in dogs with liver disease (44.2 +/- 23.7 micromol/L) was significantly higher (P<.0001). The difference in L-carnitine concentration between dogs with moderate (n=8; 33.6 +/- 13.7 micromol/L) and severe (n=8; 57.4 +/- 22.9 micromol/L) hepatitis was also significant (P=.02). No difference in plasma L-carnitine concentration was found between dogs with hepatitis and those with liver tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Liver disease in dogs was accompanied by elevated plasma L-carnitine concentration. The severity of hepatitis appears to influence L-carnitine concentration.