Biotic, molecular, and phylogenetic characterization of bean calico mosaic virus, a distinct begomovirus species with affiliation in the squash leaf curl virus cluster

ABSTRACT Bean calico mosaic virus (BCMoV), a whitefly-transmitted geminivirus from Sonora, Mexico, was purified, and the genome components were cloned and sequenced. Purified viral fractions and cloned genome components were infectious by biolistic inoculation to bean, completing Koch's postulates for both. The B biotype of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci efficiently transmitted both native virus and progeny virus derived from cloned DNA inoculum. Host ranges of native virus and of progeny virus derived from cloned DNA were identical based upon whitefly and biolistic mediated transmission, respectively. BCMoV has a relatively wide experimental host range among begomoviruses known to infect bean, encompassing genera and species within the Fabaceae, Malvaceae, and Solanaceae. BCMoV has a bipartite genome, as do other New World begomoviruses. BCMoV DNA-A shared highest nucleotide sequence identities with squash leaf curl virus-E strain (SLCV-E) and cabbage leaf curl virus (CaLCV) at 80.1 and 80.7%, respectively. BCMoV DNA-B shared highest nucleotide sequence identity with SLCV-E at 70.7%. The common region (CR) sequences of BCMoV and SLCV-E are 73 to 76% identical; however, modular cis-acting elements within the CR involved in replication origin function and recognition are 100% conserved. Phy-logenetic analysis indicated that BCMoV DNA-A shares a most recent common ancestor with the DNA-A of two viruses that also occur in the Sonoran Desert, SLCV-E and Texas pepper virus (TPV-TAM), and CaLCV from Florida. In contrast, a phylogenetic analysis indicated that BCMoV DNA-B shares a most recent common ancestor with SLCV-E; whereas DNA-B of CaLCV clustered in a separate clade with pepper hausteco virus. Collectively, biological and molecular characteristics indicate that BCMoV is a distinct begomovirus species with the northernmost distribution of any begomovirus isolated from bean in the Americas. Furthermore, the phylogenetic relationships of begomovirus cognate components are not necessarily identical, suggesting that DNA-A and DNA-B of some begomoviruses may have different evolutionary histories.     

The Effect of Anthelmintic Capsules on the Egg Output and Larval Viability of Drug-resistant Parasites

Challenge with an equal mix of drug-resistant and drug-susceptible larvae of Teladorsagia circumcincta resulted in infections in groups of lambs (n = 6) either untreated or given controlled-release capsules, containing either albendazole or ivermectin. Lambs treated with albendazole capsules contained similar numbers of adult worms at necropsy to the other groups but had no detectable faecal egg count. Animals treated with ivermectin capsules had similar worm burdens and faecal egg counts to the control group but the worms had significantly higher numbers of eggs in utero. These results provide evidence for suppression of egg production by both anthelmintic treatments. The observation that albendazole caused a significant reduction in the developmental success of parasite eggs also has implications for the use of faecal egg count as an indicator for pasture contamination with resistant parasites. In two further groups of lambs, either untreated or given albendazole capsules, treatment caused a significant reduction in egg count and adult worm burden of Trichostrongylus colubriformis. No significant effects were observed on in utero egg counts or egg viability and the apparent effect on the number of eggs produced in faeces per adult female was not significant (p = 0.077). There was, therefore, no evidence that albendazole controlled-release capsules caused suppression of egg output in this species.     

Safety of a modified-live combination vaccine against respiratory and reproductive diseases in pregnant cows

A combination vaccine (Bovi-Shield FP4 + L5, Pfizer Animal Health) containing modified-live virus (MLV) components against bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1), bovine viral diarrhea virus BVDV), parainfluenza virus-3 (PI3), bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), and inactivated cultures of Leptospira canicola, grippotyphosa, hardjo, icterohaemorrhagiae, and pomona was evaluated for safety in pregnant beef and dairy animals. Heifers vaccinated prebreeding with the minimum immunizing dose (lowest antigen level initiating immunizing effects) of the vaccine's MLV BHV-1 or BVDV components and during pregnancy (approximately 200 days of gestation) with vaccine containing 10x doses of the same BHV-1 and BVDV components delivered live, healthy calves that were determined to be serologically negative (titer less than 1:2) for neutralizing antibodies to BHV-1 and BVDV prior to nursing. Additionally, in three field safety studies, previously vaccinated cows and heifers that received a field dose (vaccine containing antigen levels required for commercial sale of the MLV combination vaccine during either the first, second, or third trimester of pregnancy had abortion rates similar to those of pregnant cows and heifers vaccinated during the same stage of pregnancy with sterile water diluent.     

Evidence of synergy with ‘stacked’ intrarow cultivation tools

Intrarow cultivation efficacy is often low and highly variable. As the mechanisms affecting weed mortality likely vary by tool, several companies have developed cultivators with the ability to use several different intrarow tools at once. We evaluated the potential for such ‘stacking’ of cultivation tools to increase efficacy. We used different sequences of torsion weeders, finger weeders and row harrows in a test crop of maize with surrogate weeds, Sinapis alba and Panicum miliaceum. Most tool combinations resulted in an additive increase in efficacy compared with the individual tools, but the combination of torsion–finger–row harrow demonstrated a synergistic increase in efficacy. In separate experiments, forward speed, soil moisture and weed size were negatively correlated with efficacy, but the torsion–finger–row harrow combination continued to demonstrate a synergistic increase in efficacy compared with the individual tools in 7 of 11 cases. The drawback was high crop mortality (16.0 ± 1.16%); further mechanistic research is needed to reduce crop mortality while maintaining high mean efficacy, through tool design, adjustment and cultural factors.     

Characteristics of Salmonella isolated from an outbreak of equine salmonellosis in a veterinary teaching hospital

During an outbreak of equine salmonellosis in a veterinary teaching hospital 20 Salmonella isolates were cultured from sick horses (13 isolates) or from the hospital environment (7 isolates). Three serotypes were isolated from the environment including: S. give, S. newportand S. agona. The serotypes isolated from horses included: S. give, S. newport and S. anatum. Examination of antibiotic profiles, presence of plasmids, production of bacteriocins and hemagglutination of erythrocytes implied a common origin for the equine and environmental isolates.     

Preliminary investigation of a possible lung worm (Parafilaroides decorus), fish (Girella nigricans), and marine mammal (Callorhinus ursinus) cycle for San Miguel sea lion virus type 5

Colostrum-deprived neonatal Northern fur seal pups (Callorhinus ursinus) were exposed to San Miguel sea lion virus type 5 (SMSV-5) by feeding them fish (Girella nigricans) infected with virus or fish infected with both the sea lion lung worm larvae (Parafilaroides decorus) and virus. Virus infection was demonstrated in 8 of 9 pups, and 1 of these developed a vesicular lesion on the flipper. In this sequence, P decorus larvae exposed to SMSV-5 were fed to G nigricans held at 15 C in a salt water aquarium; 32 days later, these fish were killed, then fed to the fur seal pups. The vesicle developed 22 days subsequent to this and SMSV-5 was reisolated from the lesion. The SMSV-5 was shown to persist for at least 23 days in infected neonatal fur seals. Attempts to establish P decorus infection in Northern fur seal pups were apparently unsuccessful.     

Hypospadias in rams

In an abattoir survey conducted in south-west England, 15 of 6521 rams aged three to 12 months had hypospadias; in 27 others the scrotum was completely or partly divided, but they had no other abnormalities of the urinary or genital systems. The lesions observed in 11 of the rams in the abattoir survey, and in four young rams and one mature ram found during visits to farms, are described in detail. Five of them had periscrotal openings of the urethra and in the other 11 the openings were in a perineal position, close to the anus. In all of them the penis was underdeveloped, the prepuce had failed to fuse and the galea faced in a caudal direction. They all had completely or partially divided scrotums, and signs of urine scalding of the scrotum were visible.     

Mode of action,crop selectivity,and soil relations of the sulfonylurea herbicides

The sulfonylurea herbicides are characterized by broad-spectrum weed control at very low use rates (c. 2–75 g ha^?1), good crop selectivity, and very low acute and chronic animal toxicity. This class of herbicides acts through inhibition of acetolactate synthase (EC 4.1.3.18; also known as acetohydroxyacid synthase), thereby blocking the biosynthesis of the branched-chain amino acids valine, leucine and isoleucine. This inhibition leads to the rapid cessation of plant cell division and growth. Crop-selective sulfonylurea herbicides have been commercialized for use in wheat, barley, rice, corn, soybeans and oilseed rape, with additional crop-selective compounds in cotton, potatoes, and sugarbeet having been noted. Crop selectivity results from rapid metabolic inactivation of the herbicide in the tolerant crop. Under growth-room conditions, metabolic half-lives in tolerant crop plants range from 1–5 h, while sensitive plant species metabolize these herbicides much more slowly, with half-lives > 20 h. Pathways by which sulfonylurea herbicides are inactivated among these plants include aryl and aliphatic hydroxylation followed by glucose conjugation, sulfonylurea bridge hydrolysis and sulfonamide bond cleavage, oxidative O-demethylation and direct conjugation with (homo)glutathione. Sulfonylurea herbicides degrade in soil through a combination of bridge hydrolysis and microbial degradation. Hydrolysis is significantly faster under acidic (pH 5) than alkaline (pH 8) conditions, allowing the use of soil pH as a predictor of soil residual activity. Chemical and microbial processes combine to give typical field dissipation half-lives of 1–6 weeks, depending on the soil type, location and compound. Very short residual sulfonylurea herbicides with enhanced susceptibility to hydrolysis (DPX-L5300) and microbial degradation (thifensulfuron-methyl) have been developed.     

Between‐site and ‐year variation in the relative susceptibility of native Scottish Pinus sylvestris populations to dothistroma needle blight

Dothistroma needle blight (DNB), caused by Dothistroma septosporum, is currently the disease causing most concern in British pine plantations. Previous artificial inoculation (AI) experiments showed that native Scottish Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) populations vary in susceptibility to DNB. However, it is unclear if the relative susceptibility of Scots pine populations observed in these experiments can be replicated under natural conditions. It is also unknown whether relative susceptibility of Scots pine populations varies between sites or years. To answer these two questions, young Scots pine plants from six native Scottish populations (Abernethy, Allt Broighleachan, Amat, Beinn Eighe, Glen Cannich and Glen Loyne) were exposed to natural D. septosporum inoculum at two Scottish sites (Culbin and Torrs Warren) between 2012 and 2014. DNB disease incidence and severity was assessed each October. Relative susceptibilities of the Scots pine populations varied between sites and across years. In two of the three years at Torrs Warren (2012 and 2014), the relative susceptibilities of the populations were strongly positively correlated with those observed in previous AI experiments. In these years, trees from Glen Loyne and Glen Cannich were the most susceptible. Conversely, there was no correlation between the relative susceptibilities seen in any year at Culbin with those observed in AI experiments. At Culbin, Beinn Eighe was the most susceptible population. Across both sites, there was a strong positive relationship between total summer precipitation and DNB severity (R = 0·93, t = 8·2, P = 0·001).