A review of antimicrobial peptides: defensins and related cationic peptides

Cationic antimicrobial peptides are present throughout the plant and animal kingdoms and bear striking structural and functional similarities across species lines. They provide primitive, nonspecific means of combating a variety of bacteria, fungi, enveloped viruses, and protozoa. Some are also cytotoxic against host cells, including neoplastic cells. Cationic antimicrobial peptides may play various roles in inflammation and tissue repair. Antimicrobial peptides are found in epithelial tissues regularly exposed to microbial attack as well as in cells whose primary function is defense against potential pathogens. They constitute an important part of the nonoxidative antimicrobial arsenal of leukocytes. They are preformed and/or readily synthesized when the cells are stimulated by exposure to pathogens. They exert their effects directly by inserting into membranes of target cells and forming ion channels which increase membrane permeability; however, antimicrobial peptides can also act as opsonins to facilitate phagocytosis. Resistance to defensins is a virulence factor for organisms such as Salmonella sp. The study of cationic antimicrobial peptides is increasing our understanding of innate immunity, inflammation, and the pathogenesis of genetic diseases such as specific granule disease in humans. Therapeutic applications of antimicrobial peptides are currently under investigation.     

Effects of storage time and freezing temperature on clinical chemical parameters from canine serum and heparinized plasma

To assess changes in 24 blood constituents in frozen serum and heparinized plasma, blood samples were drawn from 10 clinically normal German Shepherd army dogs. The storage characteristics of nine enzymes (ALP, ALT, amylase, AST, CK, GGT, GLDH, LDH, lipase), and 15 metabolites and minerals (albumin, bile acids, bilirubin, calcium, cholesterol, creatinine, fructosamine, glucose, magnesium, phosphate, potassium, protein, sodium, triglycerides, urea) were studied. Parallel samples of serum and heparinized plasma were stored for 90 and 240 days at two different storage temperatures, -200 degrees C and -700 degrees C. Sixteen of the 24 analytes (ALP, ALT, amylase, AST, CK, GGT, GLDH, LDH, bile acids, calcium, cholesterol, creatinine, fructosamine, magnesium, phosphate, urea) showed statistically significant (p < 0.05) changes during the storage period related to storage time, storage temperature, and sample type. Seven of the analytes (amylase, GGT, GLDH, LDH, bile acids, fructosamine, magnesium) showed changes of possible clinical importance with mean differences from baseline larger than 20% for the enzymes and 10% for the metabolites and minerals during the storage periods.     

Scale of heterogeneity of forage production and winter foraging by elk and bison

The relationship between fine-scale spatial patterns of forage abundance and the feeding patterns of large ungulates is not well known. We compared these patterns for areas grazed in winter by elk and bison in a sagebrush-grassland landscape in northern Yellowstone National Park. At a fine scale, the spatial distribution of mapped feeding stations in 30 m × 30 m sites was found to be random where there were no large patches devoid of vegetation. In areas similar to the mapped sites, the underlying spatial distribution pattern of biomass was also determined to be random. At a broad scale, forage biomass differed among communities across the northern range but forage quality did not. These results suggest that ungulates are feeding randomly within forage patches (fine scale) but may select feeding sites based upon forage abundance at broader, landscape scales. Contrary to what has been suggested in other systems, ungulates were not overmatching at finer scales.     

Evaluation of the efficacy of doramectin against an artificial infection of Dictyocaulus viviparus in calves

Three groups of eight Friesian calves, reared parasite-free, were experimentally infected with 1000 infective larvae of Dictyocaulus viviparus. Two groups were injected subcutaneously with 1% doramectin at 0.2 mg/kg body weight, one group 5 days after infection and the other 25 days after infection. A third group served as untreated controls. Faecal samples were examined for lungworm larvae on days 28, 32, 33, 34 and 35 after infection; the calves were killed and necropsied 39 or 40 days after infection and any lungworms present recovered and counted. Doramectin proved 100% effective against both 5-day-old and mature D. viviparus infections.     

Identification of tissue hypoxia in the livers of ascitic and hypoxia‐induced broilers using trypan blue

1. The perfusion of livers with the vital dye trypan blue was performed to test for evidence of tissue hypoxia in 3 groups of young broiler chickens, namely, ascitic, hypoxia‐induced and controls.

2. Hepatocytes that stained with trypan blue were considered to be dead or dying before fixation and represented damaged cells.

3. The proportion of trypan blue‐stained hepatocytes in the livers of ascitic birds was slightly less than half that observed in the hypoxia‐induced birds but significandy more than the proportion of stained cells observed in control birds.

4. Liver damage in the ascitic birds was also assessed biochemically by an altered enzyme profile.

5. The study demonstrated that increased trypan blue uptake in the livers of ascitic birds reared at sea‐level may be the consequence of hypoxia stress caused by reduced oxygen utilisation.     

Evaluation of the effects of enzootic pneumonia in pigs on weight gain and days to slaughter under New Zealand conditions

The effects of enzootic pneumonia on average daily weight gain and number of days taken to reach slaughter weight was studied in 333 bacon-weight pigs. Each 1% of lung volume affected by enzootic pneumonia was shown to reduce average daily gain by 2.2 grams and increase the numbers of days to slaughter by 0.61 days. The cost of these reductions in performance was calculated to be about NZD 1 for each 1% of lung affected.     

Effects of air temperature, air movement and artificial rain on the heat production of brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula): an exploratory study

Two groups of six mature brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpeculu) were housed in two respiration chambers, and their heat production, whole body conductance and lower critical temperatures were measured under a variety of simulated weather patterns. The possums were subjected to ambient temperatures of 30, 20 and 3 degrees C. At 20 and 3 degrees C, the animals were exposed to near still air and light winds (wind speed 0.8 and 6.7 km/h), both with, and without, simulated rain every 8 hours. The lower critical temperature in near still air lies between 7 and 10 degrees C. This temperature increases by about 2, 6 and 8 degrees C respectively for a wind velocity of 6.7 km/h, simulated rain and a combination of the two factors. Weather in New Zealand, especially in the cooler part of the year, will often produce conditions below the lower critical temperature of the thermoneutral zone of possums. This will necessitate significant increases in metabolic rate and hence food consumption or mobilisation of body fat reserves, which if not sustainable will result in the death of possums. Field studies have shown that this is often the case in the wild. It is proposed that this stress may be sufficient to decrease the resistance (especially cell-mediated immunity) of some possums and allow acceleration of the disease process in those infected with Mycobacterium bovis.     

The distribution of gross lesions of tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis in feral ferrets (Mustela furo) from Otago, New Zealand

The distribution of gross lesions of Mycobacterium bovis was examined in 94 tuberculous feral ferrets (Mustela furo) collected from 1992 to 1995 from areas of Otago endemic for bovine tuberculosis. Overall, 56.4% of tuberculous ferrets had single-site lesions, 24.5% had multiple infections and 19.1% had generalised infections. The mesenteric lymph node was the most common site of infection (34.5% of all lesions), with the retropharyngeal (17%) and the prescapular lymph nodes (16.4%) also frequently infected. Only 2.9% of lesions involved the respiratory tract. Of single-site lesions, 60.4% were in the mesenteric lymph node. The high proportion of lesions in the alimentary tract suggests that the ingestion of infectious material, possibly carrion or prey, is an important source of infection. Peripheral lymph nodes contributed to 24.5% of all infections, suggesting that within species transmission by social contact such as fighting and mating also occurs. Open and respiratory lesions were found in 11.7% of tuberculous ferrets, which suggests that ferrets are potentially infectious and therefore may be involved in the transmission of bovine tuberculosis to domestic stock and other mammals. The distribution of gross M. bovis lesions in ferrets is compared to those observed in possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) and badgers (Meles meles).     

A survey of the selenium status of beef cows in Alberta.

An epidemiological survey was conducted in Alberta to measure the selenium status in blood of beef cows during the fall and to determine the risk of selenium deficiency among specific geographic regions of Alberta. Three census divisions of Alberta based on the Statistics Canada Census of Agriculture were chosen as the study areas for the project. Soils and plants in area A (Edmonton area) and area B (Calgary area) were known to be deficient in selenium, while soils and plants in area C (southeast corner of Alberta) were known to have adequate levels of selenium. Blood samples were collected from 335 cows on 29 farms from the 3 study areas. These samples were collected from cows that had recently been removed from pasture in October and November 1992. Answers to a short questionnaire pertaining to various herd characteristics and management practices were also obtained for each herd. The average value of selenium for all cows sampled was 2.20 mumol/L. The average value of selenium of cows in areas A and B was 1.93 mumol/L. The average value of selenium of cows in area C was significantly (P < 0.05) higher at 2.70 mumol/L. Nine percent of the cows in the study were considered marginal or deficient in selenium (< 1.27 mumol/L selenium). Herds located in area C, herds that were provided with supplemental feed on pasture, and herds that were pregnancy checked had higher average herd selenium values than did other herds. Cow-calf producers located in areas with selenium-deficient soils should pay particular attention to selenium supplementation for their cows. Some of the negative "geographic" effects on selenium values can be overcome by more progressive management practices.