Recombinant viruses of poultry as vector vaccines against fowl plague

To help in the control of fowl plague caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza A viruses of hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes H5 and H7 several vaccines have been developed. A prophylactic immunization of poultry with inactivated influenza viruses in non-endemic situations is questionable, however, due to the impairment of serological identification of field virus-infected animals which hinders elimination of the infectious agent from the population. This problem might be overcome by the use of genetically engineered marker vaccines which contain only the protective influenza virus hemagglutinin. Infected animals could then be unambiguously identified by their serum antibodies against other influenza virus proteins, e.g. neuraminidase or nucleoprotein. For such a use, purified HA or HA-expressing DNA vaccines are conceivable. Economically advantageous and easier to apply are modified live virus vaccines in use against other poultry diseases, which have been modified to express influenza virus HA. So far, recombinant HA-expressing fowlpox virus (FPV) as well as infectious laryngotracheitis and Newcastle disease viruses have been asssessed in animal experiments. An H5-expressing FPV recombinant is already in use in Central America and Southeast Asia but without accompanying marker diagnostics. Advantages and disadvantages of the different viral vectors are discussed.     

Djerfisherite, alkali copper-iron sulfide: a new mineral from enstatite chondrites

A new mineral, essentially a potassium-copper-iron sulfide, occurs in accessory amounts in the enstatite chondrites Kota Kota (a find) and St. Marks (a fall), and has been identified visually in the enstatite achondrite Pena Blanca Springs (a fall). The x-ray diffraction pattern, electron-microprobe analysis, and its appearance in polished sections all serve to identify it.     

Genetic structure and pathogenicity of populations of Phytophthora infestans from organic potato crops in France, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom

Genetic variation and pathogenicity of Phytophthora infestans isolates collected from organic potato crops of the susceptible cv. Bintje and the moderately resistant cv. Santé were assessed in France, Norway, and the United Kingdom in 2001 and in Switzerland in 2001 and 2002. Population structures differed considerably between the four P. infestans populations. Those from France, Switzerland and the UK were mainly clonal populations showing restricted levels of genetic diversity, whilst those from Norway were mixed A1 and A2 mating type populations with high levels of genetic diversity, suggesting periodical sexual reproduction. Isolates collected from cv. Bintje were on average more aggressive than or comparable to isolates from cv. Santé. Race complexity varied considerably between the regional P. infestans populations, with isolates from France and Switzerland showing the highest number of virulence factors. In all pathogen samples but the French, isolates collected from cv. Santé were more complex than isolates collected from cv. Bintje. No directional selection towards increased aggressiveness towards the more resistant cultivar Santé was observed. This suggests that there is no shift towards increased levels of pathogenicity in P. infestans populations following the large-scale introduction of more resistant potato varieties in organic production systems in Europe.     

Metabolism of radioactively labeled quinic acid and shikimic acid in healthy and Fusarium-infected tomato plants

Radioactivity from quinic acid-U-¹⁴C was readily incorporated into chlorogenic acid and shikimic acid in healthy andFusarium-infected tomato plants of two varieties, Bonner Beste (susceptible) and Moneymaker (resistant); radioactively labeled shikimic acid, on the other hand, was converted neither to quinic acid nor to chlorogenic acid.Infection led to increased incorporation of¹⁴C inton-butanol extractives, and alcohol-soluble and insoluble esters, except in the resistant variety after feeding of shikimic acid-U-¹⁴C. After infection incorporation into the non-hydrolyzable fraction—which a.o. contains lignin—decreased in the susceptible variety, but it increased in the resistant variety, particularly after administration of shikimic acid-U-¹⁴C.Samenvatting Radioactief kinazuur werd in gezonde en metFusarium geïnfecteerde tomateplanten behorende tot twee variëteiten, Bonner Beste (vatbaar) en Moneymaker (resistent), in chlorogeenzuur en shikimizuur omgezet; laatstgenoemde verbinding werd echter noch in kinazuur, noch in chlorogeenzuur omgezet.Infectie leidde tot een toegenomen incorporatie van¹⁴C in metn-butanol extraheerbare verbindingen, en in alcohol-oplosbare en onoplosbare esters, behalve na toediening van radioactief shikimizuur in de resistente variëteit. Incorporatie in de zg. niethydrolyseerbare fractie, die o.a. lignine bevat, bleek in de vatbare variëteit na infectie geringer te zijn, maar in de resistente variëteit na infectie toe te nemen, vooral na toediening van shikimizuur.     

Serological Cross-sectional Study of Paratuberculosis in Cattle in Austria

From 1995 to 1997, the prevalence of serum antibodies against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (M. av. ssp. ptbc.) – the causal agent of paratuberculosis (Johne’s Disease) – was examined in 11 028 Austrian cattle. Samples from the four oldest cattle on 2757 farms were collected according to a specific sampling schedule for this epidemiological study. District, age and breed of animals were included as variables in this study. For antibody screening against M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis, a modified, commercially available ELISA (ALLIED Monitors, Fayette, USA) was employed. A total of 2253 samples that were found to be positive or questionable were subjected to further testing with a more specific ELISA (Institute of Microbiology and Infectious Animal Diseases). Results of this study were used for statistical analysis. The average prevalence of antibodies to M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis was 1.99 % in Austria. The highest prevalence was seen in 6-year-old cattle (2.84 %) and Holstein Frisian cattle (3.51 %). Sero-positive animals were found on 6.96 % of farms tested, and the prevalence was highest in Vorarlberg, followed by Salzburg, the Tyrol, Styria and Carinthia. This study is unique in Europe in the use of an adequate random sampling plan for an investigation of this magnitude.     

Toxicity of 2,3,7,8-TCDD and short-term bioaccumulation by earthworms (oligochaeta)

The earthworms Allolobophora catiginosa and Lumbricus rubellus were used to study the toxicity of 2,3,7,8-TCDD (dioxin) for earthworms. The earthworms were exposed to soil containing concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 5.0 μgg^?1. No worms were killed or showed any other observable toxicological effects when exposed to concentrations up to 5 μg g^?1 for 85 days in soil. The lethal threshold concentration for TCDD to earthworms falls between 5 and 10 μg g^?1 in this study. In soils containing 0.05 μg g^?1 earthworms accumulated TCDD up to 5 times the original soil concentration within 7 days. Worms were also exposed to TCDD on filter paper to study the behaviour of earthworms and the uptake of TCDD after surface contact. The earthworms did not avoid TCDD in their environment, indicating an indifference to it. No active penetration of TCDD into the body occurred where earthworms were exposed to surface concentrations. No indication was found of possible biological breakdown of TCDD on passing through the earthworm gut, although the search for metabolites was limited to the mono-, bi- and trichlorinated dioxins. There was a steady decrease (a T_{$\text{1}\text{2}$}-value of 80–400 days) in the amount of TCDD recovered from worm-worked soil compared to soil without worms.