Onchocerca armillata Railliet and Henry, 1909 andOnchocerca gutturosa (Neumann, 1910) in camels (Camelus dromedarius L.) in the Sudan

A study undertaken to determine theOnchocerca species infecting camels that live in the same localities as cattle in the Dinder Region, Blue Nile Province, Sudan revealed concurrent infections with the bovine parasitesOnchocerca armillata in the thoracic aorta, brachiocephalic trunks and brachial arteries andOnchocerca gutturosa in the ventral side of the lamellar parts of theligamentum nuchae. The microfilariae of both species had the same predilection sites in the skin of the ears, head and neck regions. Those ofO. gutturosa outnumber those ofO. armillata but both are smaller than the respective uterine microfilariae. Males and microfilariae of both species are smaller than those of cattle origin.Part of the work was carried out while all the authors were at the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Khartoum, Sudan.     

Variations in Sugar Content and Dry Matter Distribution in Roots and their Associations with Frost Tolerance in Certain Forage Legume Species

Enhancement of cold tolerance is an important aspect in breeding forage legumes in view of increasing interest in extending the cultivation of these crops. Three classes of characters — morphological, morpho-physiological and biochemical — were considered in selection for cold-tolerance between and within forage legume species under contrasting growing conditions in the field and a plastic house.
Significant correlation was found between cold damage and concentration of sugars m roots of various forage legume species which were grown under field conditions and subjected to natural frost. Both morphological as well as morpho-physiological characters were related to cold tolerance in Lathyrus ochrus (L.) DC. This indicated that chemical constituents cannot be used as a sole criterion to select for winter-hardy strains of this species. Root-shoot ratio showed a consistent relationship with tolerance to cold irrespective of the growing conditions and season. Hence, sugar concentration and root-shoot ratio are useful characters in testing species found cold tolerant by other methods. The root-shoot ratio could be used for testing cold tolerance under controlled conditions. The number of primary branches per plant, root weight and shoot weight may be used as morphological characters in selection for cold tolerance in L. ochrus under field conditions.     

Preliminary evaluation of the status of olive-infecting viruses in Syria

Field surveys of 80 commercial groves were made in autumn 2003 in six major Syrian olive-growing regions. A total of 300 olive samples, representative of the main cultivars grown in the country, were collected. As ascertained by dsRNA analysis, 54 out of 125 samples (about 43%) showed visible bands in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. All samples were tested by RT-PCR for the presence of the following viruses: Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), Cherry leaf roll virus (CLRV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Olive latent ringspot virus (OLRSV), Olive latent virus 1 (OLV-1), Olive latent virus 2 (OLV-2), Olive leaf yellowing-associated virus (OLYaV) and Strawberry latent ringspot virus (SLRSV). All these viruses, singly or in mixed infection, were detected in about 51% of the samples. CMV was the most prevalent (22.7%), followed by CLRV (15%), OLYaV (14.3%) and OLRSV (11.5%). Less represented were the remaining four viruses. Infection rates ranged from 44% in Dara'a region to 67% in Latakia and Hama.     

Leonotis nepetaefolia: An important plant virus reservoir in central Mexico

The presence of viruses in the weedLeonotis nepetaefolia in central México is reported from two field surveys.L. nepetaefolia, with viral-like symptoms such as mosaic, leaf deformation and calico, was observed growing next to cultivated fields in the Valley of Atlixco, Puebla, an important agricultural region in Mexico. The viruses harbored by this plant were characterized biologically, serologically and by molecular methods. The viruses detected wereAlfalfa mosaic virus (AMV),Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), a satellite RNA of CMV (CMV satRNA) andTobacco mosaic virus (TMV). This last one was detected only during the first survey. CMV was the predominant virus found in both surveys, and was associated mostly to mosaic symptom. Phylogenetic analysis based on the coat protein gene sequence of CMV indicated that this isolate belongs to subgroup IA and confirmed that it is a mosaic-inducing isolate, whereas AMV belongs to subgroup II. Finally, CMV satRNA was found to be a non-necrogenic ameliorative variant, both by symptomatology and by phylogenetic analysis. Our results suggest thatL. nepetaefolia is a reservoir for several viruses in central Mexico, and given its wide distribution in several parts of the world, its role as a virus reservoir could be more general. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Aug. 31, 2005.     

Fusarium solani f.sp.cucurbitae andF. oxysporum f.sp.niveum inoculum densities in tunisian soils and their effect on watermelon seedlings

Populations ofFusarium solani f.sp.cucurbitae (Fsc) andFusarium oxysporum f.sp.niveum (Fon) in naturally infested soil of watermelon fields were counted by the soil dilution method with subsequent pathogenicity tests. Inoculum density varied within the same region from one field to another, ranging between 9 and 1600 CFU g^?1 soil forFsc and from 0 to 200 CFU g^?1 soil forFon. Fusarium crown- and root-rot-diseased seedlings were observed in most soils (93%); however, Fusarium wilt was observed in only 34% of soil samples. The disease incidence on cv. ‘Giza’ (Y) increased significantly with inoculum density in the soil (X) (P<0.001). ForFsc, the relationship between inoculum density and disease incidence was characterized by the equation Y=0.0005X+0.165 (R²=0.67). ForFon, the equation was Y=0.003X?0.0014 (R²=0.88). Based on these equations, the estimated inoculum densities required to cause 50% disease incidence (DI₅₀) on cv. Giza plants was 670 and 171 CFU g^?1 soil forFsc andFon, respectively.     

Pharmacodisposition of thiamphenicol in rabbits

The pharmacokinetic parameters of thiamphenicol (TAP) were studied in New Zealand white rabbits. Five rabbits were each given thiamphenicol as a single 30 mg/kg of body weight dosage by intravenous (i.v.), intramuscular (i.m.) and oral routes. Serum antibacterial concentrations were determined for 72 h after dosing. Compartmental modeling of the i.v. administration indicated that a 2-compartment open model best described the disposition of thiamphenicol in rabbits. Serum thiamphenicol concentrations after i.m. and oral dosing were best described by a 1- and 2-compartment model, respectively. Overall elimination half-lives for i.v., i.m. and oral routes of administration were 1.39, 2.45, and 1.44 h, respectively. The half-life of absorption for oral dosing was 1.2 times the half-life of absorption after i.m. dosing (0.49 h vs 0.40 h). The calculated time to maximal serum concentration was 1.25 h after i.m. dosing and 1.17 h after oral administration. The calculated serum concentrations at these times were 80.4 and 69.8 micrograms/ml, respectively. Mean residence time's were 1.89 h for i.v. injection, 2.78 h for i.m. dosing and 4.11 h for oral administration. Thiamphenicol was widely distributed in the rabbit as suggested by the volume of distribution value at steady state of 1.47 l/kg calculated from the i.v. study. Bioavailability was 101.4% after i.m. dosing and 64.2% for oral absorption.     

Incidence and phylogenetic analyses of Armillaria spp. associated with root disease in peach orchards in the State of Mexico,Mexico

Incidence of peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] tree mortality attributed to Armillaria root disease was assessed from 2009 to 2011 in 15 orchards in the State of Mexico, Mexico. Incidence increased gradually every year of assessment, reaching average values of 9.7, 15.3 and 20.3% tree mortality and 23.2, 24.7 and 28.3% disease‐impacted area of the orchards during 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively. The cultivars ‘Nemaguard’ and ‘Criollo of La Goleta’, a local rootstock used in the region, were both susceptible to the disease. To identify species of Armillaria isolated from infected peach trees, two nuclear rDNA regions (partial 5.8S‐ITS2‐LSU D‐domains and partial 3′ LSU‐IGS1) and the translation elongation factor‐1α (tef‐1α) gene were sequenced and compared with sequences of known Armillaria species. DNA sequence analysis from 49 Armillaria isolates revealed that five isolates (10.2%) were Armillaria mellea and eight isolates (16.3%) were Armillaria gallica. DNA sequences from the remaining 36 isolates (73.5%) showed no close similarity to Armillaria sequences in GenBank, and apparently represent an undescribed Armillaria species. This undescribed species was the most widely distributed in the region of study. Separate phylogenetic analyses of the LSU region (D1–D3 domains concatenated with the partial 3′ end) and the tef‐1α region show that the undescribed species is quite distinct from other Armillaria spp. reported in North America.     

Phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of methicillin/oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus intermedius isolated from clinical specimens during routine veterinary microbiological examinations

Methicillin/oxacillin resistance of 10 S. intermedius strains was investigated by conventional and molecular methods. The strains tested had been isolated in Germany during routine veterinary microbiological examinations of specimens from a small animal clinic between May and September 2005. Epidemiological relationships of the strains were studied by macrorestriction analysis of their chromosomal DNA using pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Species identity of the 10 S. intermedius strains was confirmed by conventional methods and by PCR mediated amplification of S. intermedius specific segments of thermonuclease encoding gene nuc. As controls, four methicillin/oxacillin resistant S. intermedius (MRSI) strains obtained from specimens sent by four veterinarians and three selected methicillin/oxacillin sensitive S. intermedius (MSSI), also obtained from the small animal clinic, were tested. The 10 strains, representing approximately 6% of all S. intermedius isolated from the clinic throughout the time period mentioned above, and the four MRSI obtained from veterinarians, were methicillin/oxacillin and penicillin resistant using disk diffusion tests and could be cultivated on oxacillin resistant screening agar base (ORSAB). Both resistances could be confirmed by multiplex PCR detecting the resistance genes mecA and blaZ. The three MSSI were methicillin/oxacillin sensitive in all tests. Epidemiological investigation by macrorestriction analysis of the chromosomal DNA of the strains by pulsed field gel electrophoresis revealed that all 10 MRSI strains obtained from the clinic and the four MRSI strains obtained from veterinarians, in contrast to the three MSSI strains, represent identical or closely related bacterial clones possibly indicating a cross-infection of the animals in the clinic and the distribution of a single MRSI clone in the pet population.