Further monitoring for Salmonella species and Escherichia coli O86 at a bird table in south-west Scotland

Pooled faeces collected from a garden bird table were screened for Salmonella species and Escherichia coli O86, two recognised causes of garden bird mortality. Dead birds found at the site were also screened for these organisms, and bird numbers and meteorological data were recorded. In the first year of the study, 48.5 per cent of the samples were positive for Salmonella Typhimurium DT56 (variant), decreasing to 38.9 per cent in the second year and 12.8 per cent in the third year. E. coli O86 was not recovered from any of the 288 samples of pooled faeces tested. S. Typhimurium DT56 (variant) was recovered from the carcases of eight birds found dead at the site, and E. coli O86 was isolated from three carcases. The degree of contamination of the bird table with S. Typhimurium DT56 (variant) was positively correlated with the number of house sparrows observed in the garden, but not with the number of blackbirds, chaffinches or greenfinches.     

Outcome of cats with diarrhea and Tritrichomonas foetus infection

OBJECTIVE: To determine the long-term outcome of cats infected with Tritrichomonas foetus and identify treatment and management strategies influencing resolution of infection or associated diarrhea. DESIGN: Prospective study. SAMPLE POPULATION: 26 cats with T. foetus-associated diarrhea at least 22 months prior to the study. PROCEDURE: A standardized survey regarding clinical course and management was administered to owners of cats with T. foetus infection and associated diarrhea. Fecal samples were obtained from each cat; the presence of T. foetus was assessed via microscopic examination of smears, culture in commercial media, and polymerase chain reaction amplification of T. foetus rDNA involving species-specific primers. RESULTS: Survey responses were obtained from owners of all 26 cats. Twenty-three cats had complete resolution of diarrhea a median of 9 months after onset. Analysis of fecal samples obtained from 22 cats revealed persistent T. foetus infection in 12, with a median of 39 months after resolution of diarrhea. History of implementation of a dietary change, treatment with paromomycin, or higher numbers of cats in the household was associated with significantly longer duration of time to resolution of diarrhea. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested chronic T. foetus-associated diarrhea in most cats is likely to resolve spontaneously within 2 years of onset. Chronic infection with T. foetus (without clinical signs) after resolution of diarrhea appears to be common. Although often temporarily effective in decreasing severity of diarrhea, attempts to treat cats with T. foetus infection may result in prolongation of time to resolution of diarrhea.     

Quantitative Models for Describing Temperature and Moisture Effects on Sporulation of Phomopsis amygdali on Peach

ABSTRACT Twigs with constriction cankers were pruned from a Prunus persica 'Jerseyglo' orchard and placed in incubators under high humidity (>95%) at constant temperatures of -6, 1, 10, 17, 24, 31, 38, and 45 degrees C. Cankers were removed for observation after 2, 6, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h incubation. Sporulation was expressed as the percentage of pycnidia producing cirri and the number of conidia per pycnidium or canker. The experiment was first performed during 1998 to 1999 and then repeated in 1999 to 2000 and 2000 to 2001. Sporulation was modeled by fitting the Richards function to each dependent variable with duration of high relative humidity as the independent variable. The asymptote and rate parameters of the Richards model were expressed as Gaussian and quadratic functions of temperature, respectively. Models created from the first two experimental repetitions were validated by statistical comparison to those created independently from the third repetition. When models were fit to the pooled data, temperature and moisture described 69 to 80% of the variation in sporulation. The models specified a temperature ranging from 0 to 37 degrees C (optimum temperatures for cirri formation and conidia production range from 19 to 20 and 22 to 23 degrees C, respectively), and the majority of sporulation occurred between 16 and 48 h from initiation of the high humidity period. These results show that the environmental criteria for sporulation coincide with those that prolong the susceptibility of infection courts during fall and spring.     

Variation in response to neonicotinoid insecticides in peach-potato aphids,Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Laboratory bioassays applying the neonicotinoid insecticides imidacloprid, acetamiprid and nitenpyram against clones of the peach-potato aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) demonstrated that these compounds effectively circumvent the known carboxylesterase, modified acetylcholinesterase (MACE) and knock-down (kdr) insecticide resistance mechanisms in this species. However, some clones showed cross-tolerance (up to 18-fold) of these compounds relative to susceptible standards. A survey assessing the frequency of neonicotinoid tolerance in M persicae in the UK, based on samples collected from the field and glasshouses between 1997 and 2000, showed that such tolerance is still rare. Experiments on neonicotinoid-susceptible and -tolerant populations of M persicae under simulated field conditions in the laboratory showed that, although the latter were well controlled by imidacloprid applied at recommended application rates, they were more likely to survive and reproduce when this compound was applied at lower concentrations. Such conditions are probably periodically present in imidacloprid-treated field and glasshouse crops. Selection favouring tolerant forms of M persicae could lead to increases in their frequency and the evolution of more potent resistance to neonicotinoids.     

Field-simulator studies of insecticide resistance to dimethylcarbamates and pyrethroids conferred by metabolic- and target site-based mechanisms in peach-potato aphids,Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

A range of insecticides was applied at recommended application rates against populations of Myzus persicae (Sulzer) carrying various combinations of three insecticide resistance mechanisms (carboxylesterase-based metabolic resistance and two target-site mechanisms, known as MACE and kdr), supported on either Chinese cabbage or potatoes in field simulator cages. Patterns of response were similar on both host species. MACE conferred extreme resistance to pirimicarb and triazamate (dimethylcarbamate insecticides). The kdr mechanism was associated with resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin and deltamethrin (pyrethroid insecticides). A mixture of pirimicarb plus lambda-cyhalothrin was only effective against M persicae not carrying kdr or carrying kdr and low carboxylesterase-based resistance. None of the insecticides tested was effective against M persicae carrying both MACE and kdr resistance. The implications of these findings for the formulation of control strategies, based on regular monitoring of resistance genotype frequencies, are discussed.     

Acute cortisol responses of calves to four methods of dehorning by amputation

Objective To measure the plasma cortisol response in calves dehorned by four different methods (scoop, guillotine shears, saw, embryotomy wire) for 9 h after dehorning.
Design A physiological study with controls.
Procedure Horn amputation was carried out on calves restrained manually in a race.
Results The four methods of dehorning provoked similarly increased cortisol responses which lasted for 6 h. During the first hour after dehorning the plasma cortisol concentrations were similar to those following ACTH injection. The overall cortisol response to control handling was about 30% of the responses to dehorning.
Conclusions The similarity of the cortisol responses produced by the four methods of dehorning suggests that the distress experienced by calves following dehorning by amputation is similar regardless of method used.