DOPPLER ULTRASONOGRAPHIC DIAGNOSIS AND ANATOMY OF CONGENITAL INTRAHEPATIC ARTERIOPORTAL FISTULA IN A PUPPY

A dilated, tortuous blood vessel was identified sonographically in the right medial liver lobe in a puppy with severe ascites. This vessel was thought to represent the dilated right medial portal vein branch. Using pulsed wave Doppler ultrasonography, retrograde, abnormally pulsatile flow was detected in both the dilated right medial portal vein branch and the main portal vein. The right medial liver lobe was surgically resected then fixed in formalin. Silicon rubber was injected and outlined the connection between the portal vein and hepatic artery.     

Bayesian modelling suggests that the sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus,Linnaeus 1758) population is ageing in the middle Danube River

1. In the past, sturgeons played an important role in commercial and recreational fisheries in the Danube River and its tributaries. Human impacts in the Danube River Basin coupled with exploitation of sturgeon stocks led to all species being either locally extinct, critically endangered or of unknown status.
2. Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus, Linnaeus 1758) is the last known sturgeon species occurring in the upper and middle Danube; however, the population of this species is considered unbalanced and decreasing since the beginning of the twenty-first century.
3. The decline of sturgeon stocks has been noted before owing to their economic importance. With commercial fisheries being forbidden in the Slovak section of the Danube River, there is generally no information available about the status of what is considered a local population.
4. Databases containing recreational catch of sterlet (2003–2018) and historical records of commercial harvest (1961–1990) were used to describe the trend in the weight and number of sterlet caught over the following years.
5. Modelling indicated that the number of fish caught each year appears to be lower, while the average weight of each individual is increasing. This might suggest that the population is ageing.
6. Although older individuals can contribute a great deal more to spawning because they produce a greater number of eggs, several problems are apparent. The number of spawners might be decreasing as a result of bycatch or fishing, their ability to spawn might be obstructed, or annual recruitment may fail owing to unpredictable events.
7. Although restocking programmes are in place to help maintain the sterlet population in the Danube River, their efficiency seems to be drastically low. In fact, restocking could be of little value unless studies on the availability of key habitats are conducted and their protection and restoration are ensured.

     

Detection of urease-negative Bordetella bronchiseptica from the field

Four urease-negative Bordetella bronchiseptica isolates originating from pigs were examined by phenotypic and molecular methods. The phenotypic properties of the isolates were in harmony with the data of the literature, except for the lack of urease activity in conventional tube test, API 20 NE and Diatabs? assays. Using genotypic methods, the urease-negative isolates did not differ from the urease-positive reference strain. They were positive in species-specific and ureC PCR, and all strains showed uniform bands in PCR-RFLP studies of flaA genes. The reason for the lack of urease activity, a characteristic considered species specific for B. bronchiseptica, needs to be studied further. The finding underlines the significance of genotyping when the phenotypic identification of B. bronchiseptica seems questionable.     

Interaction of Bordetella bronchiseptica, Pasteurella multocida, and fumonisin B1 in the porcine respiratory tract as studied by computed tomography

The interaction of Bordetella bronchiseptica, toxigenic Pasteurella multocida serotype D, and the mycotoxin fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)) was studied. On day 0 of the experiment, 28 artificially reared 3-day-old piglets were divided into 4 groups (n = 7 each): a control group (A), a group fed FB(1) toxin (B), a group infected with the 2 pathogens (C), and a group infected with the 2 pathogens and fed FB(1) toxin (D). The B. bronchiseptica infection [with 10(6) colony-forming units (CFU)/mL] was performed on day 4 and the P. multocida infection (with 10(8) CFU/mL) on day 16. From day 16 a Fusarium verticillioides fungal culture (dietary FB(1) toxin content 10 mg/kg) was mixed into the feed of groups B and D. In groups C and D, clinical signs including mild serous nasal discharge, sneezing, panting, and hoarseness appeared from day 4, and then from day 16 some piglets had coughing and dyspnea as well. Computed tomography (CT) performed on day 16 demonstrated lung lesions attributable to colonization by B. bronchiseptica in the infected groups. By day 25 the number of piglets exhibiting lesions had increased, and the lesions appeared as well-circumscribed, focal changes characterized by a strong density increase in the affected areas of the lungs. The gross pathological findings confirmed the results obtained by CT. These results indicate that, when combined with dual infection by B. bronchiseptica and P. multocida, dietary exposure of pigs to FB(1) toxin raises the risk of pneumonia and increases the extent and severity of the pathological changes.     

Teaching veterinary clinical pathology to undergraduate students: an integrated European project

BACKGROUND: Veterinary clinical pathology is a relatively new and emerging discipline in Europe that has gained momentum with the recent establishment of a specialty college. In this situation, veterinary faculties may face challenges in understanding and defining what clinical pathology is and how it can best be integrated into existing curricula. In addition, many schools in Europe may not yet have available a critical mass of suitably qualified faculty capable of teaching in all areas of clinical pathology. OBJECTIVE: The main purpose of this report is to describe the goals, procedures adopted, teaching material produced, and proposed future activities of a major European initiative designed to develop a veterinary clinical pathology curriculum. METHODS: Four working subgroups were formed to establish a list of course objectives and topics and prepare a series of lectures. These contents were reviewed and discussed several times at a series of general meetings. RESULTS: An undergraduate course on veterinary clinical pathology was designed with course objectives, a list of topics and a CD-ROM consisting of 24 lectures. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this project could be useful in the establishment or improvement of training programs in veterinary clinical pathology at the undergraduate level in Europe and in other places around the world. The provision of teaching resources for faculty could help to instill in veterinary students a strong understanding of the discipline and promote development of advanced training programs and career opportunities in clinical pathology in Europe.     

Promoting microbial immobilization of soil nitrogen during restoration of abandoned agricultural fields by organic additions

Application of organic materials to soils to enhance N immobilization into microbial biomass, thereby reducing inorganic N concentrations, was studied as a management option to accelerate the reestablishment of the native vegetation on abandoned arable fields on sandy soils the Kiskunság National Park, Hungary. Sucrose and sawdust were used at three different topographic sites over 4 years. N availability and extractable inorganic N concentrations were significantly reduced in all sites. Soil microbial biomass C and microbial biomass N increased significantly following C additions, but the microbial C to microbial N ratio remained unaffected. It is concluded that the combined application of the rapidly utilized C source (sucrose) promoted N immobilization, whereas the addition of the slowly utilized C source (sawdust) maintained the elevated microbial biomass C and microbial biomass N in the field.     

Changes induced by powdery mildew in the salicylic acid and polyamine contents and the antioxidant enzyme activities of wheat lines

Investigations were made on four wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) lines under greenhouse conditions, in order to reveal the role of stress-protective materials, namely salicylic acid, polyamines and antioxidant enzymes in the level of tolerance to powdery mildew infection caused by Blumeria graminis (DC.) Speer f.sp. tritici ém. Marchal. The four lines showed different levels of tolerance, assessed on the Saari-Prescott scoring scale: TC26 and TC33 proved to be susceptible and TC9 and TC19 resistant. In most of the lines, infection caused changes in the activities of antioxidant enzymes, especially in the case of guaiacol peroxidase. Four peroxidase isoenzymes, which responded differently to powdery mildew infection could be detected by gel electrophoresis. Infection had only a slight effect on the levels of salicylic acid (free and bound forms) in inoculated plants; while the levels of polyamines, especially spermidine and spermine increased after infection. Correlation analysis was also performed to examine how close a relationship exists between the parameters investigated. It was concluded that salicylic acid, polyamines and antioxidant enzymes have an important role in plant responses and defence mechanisms during this biotic stress and that in some cases there were significant relationships between them. However the levels of these compounds either initially or after pathogen inoculation, could not explain the degree of tolerance to powdery mildew in the four wheat lines investigated.     

Effect of added barley chromosomes on the flowering time of new wheat/winter barley addition lines in various environments

The heading characters and morphological traits of two partial sets of wheat–barley disomic addition lines, namely Mv9kr1/Igri and Asakaze/Manas, were evaluated under controlled environmental conditions in a phytotron under long-day, short-day and non-vernalised conditions and in field-sown experiments. The winter barley chromosome additions significantly influenced the flowering time of wheat both in the controlled environment test and under field-sown conditions. Of all the barley addition lines, the effect of the 4H and 7H additions was the most characteristic. The 7H addition lines were the earliest in both cultivar combinations in each treatment. In the Mv9kr1/Igri combination the 4H addition was the latest under all the environmental conditions. In the Asakaze/Manas combination 4H addition was the latest under short-day and long-day illumination in the phytotron but the 6H addition was the latest without vernalisation and in the field in 2012. There was 12 and 11 days difference between the flowering times of the 7H and 4H Mv9kr1/Igri and Asakaze/Manas addition lines in the field in 2012, which increased to 52 and 44 days under short-day illumination in the phytotron. In the winter wheat background, the addition of 2H carrying the photoperiod sensitivity gene Ppd-H1 decreased the flowering time under the short photoperiod regime, but had a very strong delaying effect under field-grown conditions. Considering the yield components under field conditions, 4H was the most fertile of the addition lines, while 7H showed the highest tillering capacity, and Igri 3H had good tillering capacity and the highest number of seeds per plant.