Novel and simple approach using synthesized nickel nanoparticles to control blood-sucking parasites

The present study was on assessment of the anti-parasitic activities of nickel nanoparticles (Ni NPs) against the larvae of cattle ticks Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus and Hyalomma anatolicum (a.) anatolicum (Acari: Ixodidae), fourth instar larvae of Anopheles subpictus, Culex quinquefasciatus and Culex gelidus (Diptera: Culicidae). The metallic Ni NPs were synthesized by polyol process from Ni-hydrazine as precursor and Tween 80 as both the medium and the stabilizing reagent. The synthesized Ni NPs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis which indicated the presence of Ni NPs. Synthesized Ni NPs showed the X-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks at 42.76°, 53.40°, and 76.44°, identified as 1 1 1, 2 2 0, and 2 0 0 reflections, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of the synthesized Ni NPs clearly showed that the Ni NPs were spherical in shape with an average size of 150 nm. The Ni NPs showed maximum activity against the larvae of R. (B.) microplus, H. a. anatolicum, A. subpictus, C. quinquefasciatus and C. gelidus with LC₅₀ values of 10.17, 10.81, 4.93, 5.56 and 4.94 mg/L; r² values of 0.990, 0.993, 0.992, 0.950 and 0.988 and the efficacy of Ni-hydrazine complexes showed the LC₅₀ values of 20.35, 22.72, 8.29, 9.69 and 7.83 mg/L; r² values of 0.988, 0.986, 0.989, 0.944 and 0.978, respectively. The findings revealed that synthesized Ni NPs possess excellent larvicidal parasitic activity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on larvicidal activity of blood feeding parasites using synthesized Ni NPs.     

Progress in breeding for resistance to Ug99 and other races of the stem rust fungus in CIMMYT wheat germplasm

Races belonging to the Ug99 (TTKSK) lineage of the wheat stem rust fungus, carrying complex virulence combinations, and their migration to countries in Africa, Middle East and Asia continue to pose a significant threat to global wheat production. The rapid spread of additional races, e.g., TKTTF or the Digalu lineage, in several countries causing localized epidemics reminds us of the vulnerability of wheat germplasm to stem rust disease, a formidable foe referenced as early as biblical times. A global rust monitoring system reflecting increased surveillance efforts has identified 13 races within the Ug99 lineage in 13 countries and unrelated lineages are emerging, spreading and posing serious threats to wheat production. Race TKTTF has caused localized epidemics in Ethiopia and its variants have been recently implicated in stem rust outbreaks in Europe. Concerted research efforts have resulted in the identification of several new resistance genes and gene combinations for use in breeding. Combining multiple adult plant resistance (APR) genes in high-yielding backgrounds and discovery of new quantitative trait loci conferring stem rust resistance has progressed in the recent years, enhancing the durability of resistance. Effective gene stewardship and new generation breeding materials and cultivars that combine multiple race-specific or minor to intermediate effect APR genes, complemented by active surveillance and monitoring, have helped to limit major epidemics and increase grain yield potential in key target environments.     

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia – a comprehensive review

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a serious disease of goats, occasionally sheep and wild ruminants, caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subspecies capripneumoniae (Mccp). The disease is characterized by severe serofibrinous pleuropneumonia, very high morbidity (～100%), and mortality (80–100%). CCPP affects goats in more than 40 countries of the world thereby posing a serious threat to goat farming around the globe. The characteristic clinical signs of CCPP are severe respiratory distress associated with sero-mucoid nasal discharge, coughing, dyspnea, pyrexia, pleurodynia, and general malaise. In later stages, severe lobar fibrinous pleuropneumonia, profuse fluid accumulation in pleural cavity, severe congestion of lungs and adhesion formation is observed. Mycoplasmal antigen interactions with host immune system and its role in CCPP pathogenesis are not clearly understood. CCPP is not a zoonotic disease. Diagnosis has overcome cumbersome and lengthy conventional tests involving culture, isolation, and identification by advanced serological (LAT, cELISA) or gene-based amplification of DNA (PCR, RFLP, and hybridization) and sequencing. The latex agglutination test (LAT) is rapid, simple, and better test for field and real-time diagnosis applicable to whole blood or serum and is more sensitive than the CFT and easier than the cELISA. Moreover, the studies on antibiotic sensitivity and exploration of novel antibiotics (fluoroquinolones, macrolides) can help in better therapeutic management besides preventing menace of antibiotic resistance. Re-visiting conventional prophylactic measures focussing on developing novel strain-based or recombinant vaccines using specific antigens (capsular or cellular) should be the most important strategy for controlling the disease worldwide.     

Use of continuous renal replacement therapy for treatment of dogs and cats with acute or acute-on-chronic renal failure: 33 cases (2002–2006)

Objective: To describe the indications, clinical features, outcomes and complications associated with use of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in 17 client-owned dogs and 16 client-owned cats with acute or acute-on-chronic renal failure refractory to aggressive medical management.
Series summary: Twenty-nine percent of dogs and 44% of cats had evidence of pre-existing chronic kidney disease (CKD). Median duration of CRRT was 16.3 hours (range 0.3–83.0 hours) in dogs and 11.5 hours (range 1.0–35.5 hours) in cats. Median canine blood urea nitrogen (BUN) improved from 41.0 mmol/L (115.0 mg/dL) to 11.8 mmol/L (33.0 mg/dL) and creatinine from 636.5 mmol/L (7.2 mg/dL) to 274 mmol/L (3.1 mg/dL). Median feline BUN improved from 46.4 mmol/L (130 mg/dL) to 13.9 mmol/L (39.0 mg/dL) and creatinine from 1069.6 mmol/L (12.1 mg/dL) to 291.7 mmol/L (3.3 mg/dL). Metabolic acidosis resolved in 80% of affected dogs and 71% of affected cats. Hyperkalemia resolved in 100% of affected dogs and 88% of affected cats. Complications noted with CRRT included iatrogenic hypokalemia, iatrogenic metabolic alkalosis, clinical hypocalcemia, total hypercalcemia, filter clotting, anemia, hypothermia, and neurologic complications. Forty-one percent of dogs and 44% of cats survived to discharge. No dogs and only 1 cat developed newly diagnosed CKD.
New or unique information provided: CRRT can be a viable option for the management of acute or acute-on-chronic renal failure in dogs and cats that are refractory to aggressive medical management. The frequency of complications associated with CRRT in this study warrants further experience with this modality before its widespread use can be recommended.     

Application of unmanned aerial systems for high throughput phenotyping of large wheat breeding nurseries

Background

Low cost unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have great potential for rapid proximal measurements of plants in agriculture. In the context of plant breeding and genetics, current approaches for phenotyping a large number of breeding lines under field conditions require substantial investments in time, cost, and labor. For field-based high-throughput phenotyping (HTP), UAS platforms can provide high-resolution measurements for small plot research, while enabling the rapid assessment of tens-of-thousands of field plots. The objective of this study was to complete a baseline assessment of the utility of UAS in assessment field trials as commonly implemented in wheat breeding programs. We developed a semi-automated image-processing pipeline to extract plot level data from UAS imagery. The image dataset was processed using a photogrammetric pipeline based on image orientation and radiometric calibration to produce orthomosaic images. We also examined the relationships between vegetation indices (VIs) extracted from high spatial resolution multispectral imagery collected with two different UAS systems (eBee Ag carrying MultiSpec 4C camera, and IRIS+ quadcopter carrying modified NIR Canon S100) and ground truth spectral data from hand-held spectroradiometer.

Results

We found good correlation between the VIs obtained from UAS platforms and ground-truth measurements and observed high broad-sense heritability for VIs. We determined radiometric calibration methods developed for satellite imagery significantly improved the precision of VIs from the UAS. We observed VIs extracted from calibrated images of Canon S100 had a significantly higher correlation to the spectroradiometer (r = 0.76) than VIs from the MultiSpec 4C camera (r = 0.64). Their correlation to spectroradiometer readings was as high as or higher than repeated measurements with the spectroradiometer per se.

Conclusion

The approaches described here for UAS imaging and extraction of proximal sensing data enable collection of HTP measurements on the scale and with the precision needed for powerful selection tools in plant breeding. Low-cost UAS platforms have great potential for use as a selection tool in plant breeding programs. In the scope of tools development, the pipeline developed in this study can be effectively employed for other UAS and also other crops planted in breeding nurseries.

     

Growth,enzymatic glutathione peroxidase activity and biochemical status of juvenile barramundi (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lates calcarifer</Emphasis>) fed dietary fermented soybean meal and organic selenium

Solvent-extracted soybean meal (SBM) was fermented using baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisae at 30 °C for 5 days. Four isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets containing 75% SBM protein, either fermented or non-fermented (SBM and FSBM), and supplemented or not with organic Se (OS) (SBM_OS and FSBM_OS), were fed to triplicate groups of juvenile barramundi (Lates calcarifer) (initial weight of 5 g) for 75 days. A fishmeal (FM)-based diet formulated for juvenile barramundi was used as a reference diet. The growth of fish was significantly affected by either the interaction of SBM type or by the OS level. In fish fed diets supplemented with OS (SBM_OS and FSBM_OS), final weight (FW), specific growth rate (SGR) and weight gain (WG) were higher in fish fed the fermented SBM (FSBM_OS) than in those fed the non-fermented SBM (SBM_OS). The apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) of protein was higher in the fish fed the fermented SBM, either supplemented or unsupplemented with OS. However, there were no significant differences in the ADC of dry matter (DM) and lipids among the tested diets and in comparison to the reference diet. The haematocrit and leucocrit of fish fed the FSBM_OS diet were lower than those of fish fed the FM diet. Furthermore, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity was significantly influenced by OS supplementation in the experimental diets; GPx activity was greater in the fish fed diets supplemented with OS. Creatinine kinase (CK) of all groups of fish was higher than the CK of those fed the reference diet. These results suggest that with a proper nutritional level, OS supplementation may act as an important factor in enzymatic GPx activity and in the haematology and blood biochemistry status of juvenile barramundi fed fermented SBM-based diets, encouraging improvement of the overall growth performance.     

Synbiotic effect of Bacillus mycoides and organic selenium on immunity and growth of marron,Cherax cainii (Austin, 2002)

The present feeding trial examined the effect of synbiotic use of Bacillus mycoides and organic selenium (OS) as Sel‐Plex on marron immunity, growth and survival. The marron were cultured in recirculated tanks and fed test diets consisting of a basal diet; basal diet supplemented with B. mycoides (10⁸ CFU g^?1 of feed); basal diet supplemented with OS (Sel‐Plex) (0.2 g kg ^{? 1} of feed) and basal diet supplemented with synbiotic (B. mycoides at 10⁸ CFU g^?1 and OS 0.2 g kg ^{? 1} feed) diet, in triplicate. The effect of the prebiotic OS (Sel‐Plex) on the growth rate of B. mycoides was also studied in vitro. The results suggested that synbiotic use of B. mycoides and OS significantly improved some immune parameters of marron, particularly the glutathione peroxidase, and to some extent total haemocyte counts. However, the synbiotic feed did not synergistically improve marron growth, in fact the use of B. mycoides‐supplemented diet alone demonstrated significantly higher growth in marron compared with the growth of marron fed on other test diets. Supplementation of the basal diet with host origin B. mycoides significantly increased the intestinal bacterial population (3.399 ± 825 CFU g ^{? 1} of gut) in marron compared with other diets. Organic selenium as Sel‐Plex in Trypticase Soya Broth also confirmed that OS did not increase the amount of growth of B. mycoides and resulted in a lower intestinal bacterial population in the synbiotic diet‐fed marron. In conclusion, synbiotic of OS and B. mycoides may improve a particular immune parameters of marron and to a lesser extent their growth.     

Productivity of Sargassum linearifolium in potassium fortified inland saline water under laboratory conditions

Growing aquatic species in inland saline water (ISW) is one way to reduce the adverse impact of ISW to agriculture farms. This 84‐day laboratory‐trial was conducted to study the growth of Sargassum linearifolium cultured in ocean water (OW), ISW, ISW fortified with potassium equivalent to 100% (ISW100), 66% (ISW66) and 33% (ISW33) of potassium in OW at 35 g/L. The biomass and cumulative specific growth rate (SGR) of S. linearifolium increased significantly (p < .05) with increased potassium in ISW until 56 days and then declined. The ISW100 and OW resulted in similar growth patterns and yielded peak biomass at day 42, proving static biomass for the next 28 days before declining. The biomass of S. linearifolium cultured in ISW and ISW33 significantly (p < .05) decreased and was lower than in ISW100 and died after day 56. The SGR of S. linearifolium in OW, ISW100 and ISW66 levelled off and showed no difference during the first 56 days. The S. linearifolium biomass and SGR negatively and significantly (p < .05) correlated with the concentrations of nitrate, phosphate in all waters. The increased potassium concentration in ISW similar to its concentration in SW brought the growth of S. linearifolium cultured to a level that was similar in OW.     

Effect of inland saline water ionic profiles on growth,chemical composition and agar characteristics of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gracilaria cliftonii</Emphasis> (Withell,Miller and Kraft 1994) under laboratory conditions

Increase in salinity of inland water sources is adversely affecting aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems around the world including Australia. Inland saline water (ISW) with similar ionic profile to ocean water has potential for culturing marine species. Gracilaria species are commercially important as they are a source of agar. One of the native species Gracilaria cliftonii has been reported for high agar yield of 52%dw. The aim of this research was to investigate the feasibility of culturing G. cliftonii in different ionic profiles of ISW under laboratory conditions. The growth rate of G. cliftonii under different ionic profiles ranged from 0.9 to 2.5 %day⁻¹. Gracilaria cliftonii carbohydrate content decreased while protein content increased in culture conditions when compared to natural populations. Agar yield, gel strength and melting point decreased while gelling temperature and sulphate content increased in culture conditions when compared to natural populations. Strong correlation (R ² > 0.8, P < 0.05) was observed between K⁺, Na⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺ content in tissue and water indicating ionic regulation by G. cliftonii. This research provides basic information and presents supportive arguments for G. cliftonii as a potential species for inland saline water aquaculture.     

Encapsulation capacity of Artemia nauplii with customized probiotics for use in the cultivation of western king prawns (Penaeus latisulcatus Kishinouye, 1896)

The encapsulation capacity of Artemia nauplii with customized probiotics Pseudomonas synxantha and Pseudomonas aeruginosa for use in the cultivation of western king prawns (Penaeus latisulcatus) was investigated. Seven trials were conducted to investigate this encapsulation capacity in terms of Artemia survival and probiotic load in Artemia. Newly hatched Artemia nauplii at 250 nauplii mL^?1 were fed individual probiotics at 0, 10³, 10⁵ and 10⁷ colony‐forming units (CFU) per millilitre, and mixtures of these two probiotics (10⁵ CFU mL^?1) at 30:70, 50:50 or 70:30 v/v in a medium of ozonated water (OW), tryptone soya broth (TSB), and a mixture of these media. The appropriate medium for encapsulation of probiotics by Artemia nauplii was the mixture of OW and TSB at 75:25 v/v; whereas, the use of OW or TSB alone was not effective. Artemia nauplii most effectively encapsulated the customized probiotics at 10⁵ CFU mL^?1. The results indicates that the encapsulation of Artemia nauplii is optimized by using a combination of P. synxantha and P. aeruginosa at 50:50 v/v in a media mixture of OW and TSB at 75: 25 v/v. Artemia should be harvested at 48 h when survival is still high (78%) and the probiotic load in Artemia is high (3 × 10⁴ CFU nauplius^?1).