Isolation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium hirsutum</Emphasis> from spoiled,packaged asparagus spears in Japan

During storage studies on asparagus spears packed in plastic film and held at 15°C, a Penicillium fungus was associated with subsequent spoilage. On the basis of colony characteristics, the isolate was identified as Penicillium hirsutum Diercks. This report is the first of Penicillium hirsutum causing spoilage of asparagus spears in Japan. Inoculation tests showed that among all the Penicillium species tested in this study only the identified fungus was able to infect asparagus spears.     

Relation of Japanese <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xanthomonas campestris</Emphasis> pv. <Emphasis Type="Italic">vesicatoria</Emphasis> with worldwide strains revealed with three specific monoclonal antibodies

Strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria Dye 1978 (Xcv), the causal agent of bacterial spot, have been classified into two groups based on their ability to hydrolyze starch. Three monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), 7AH10, 5HB3, and 4AD2, were produced immunized against the living bacteria and were specific to and could distinguish Xcv strains able or unable to hydrolyze starch (Amy⁺ or Amy^–). The MAb 7AH10, obtained against strain UPB141(Amy^–) reacted in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with all the Amy^– strains (n = 19) and 1 of 11 Amy⁺ strains. Against Xcv 2625, an Amy^– unusual phenotype strain, MAb 5HB3, recognized 97% of our worldwide collection of Xcvs (n = 30). Also against that strain, the MAb 4AD2 reacted with none of the homologous Amy^– phenotypes and with 90% (n = 11) of the heterologous Amy⁺ phenotypes. For all the MAbs, cross reactions with other pathovars or species were less than 4% (n = 67). By assaying a Japanese collection of strains against the three MAbs, the Amy⁺ strains were distinguished from the Amy^– strains, and their relation with other world strains could be demonstrated. All the MAbs reacted with the lipopolysaccharide fraction of the bacterial cell wall during immunoblotting.     

Contributions to the knowledge of conifer aphid fauna in Turkey and their zoogeographical distribution

The Aphidoidea (Homoptera) has 29 species which attack coniferous trees in Turkey. The family Aphididae has 25 (Aphidinae, 1; Lachninae, 22; Mindarinae, 2) species and the Adelgidae, 4. The tribe Cinarini in Lachninae has alone 22 species most of which are important. Especially Cinara cedri Mimeur on Cedrus libani and C. pilicornis (Hartig) on Picea spp. are harmful species. Schizolachnus pineti (Fabricius) is also very important. An Eastern Palearctic species in the tribe Macrosiphini in Aphidinae, Elatobium momii (Shinji), is numerous on Abies bornmülleriana in Bursa-Uluda forests. Pineus orientalis (Dreyfus) in the family of Adelgidae (Chermesidae) is the most destructive in our Picea orientalis forests in Artvin area (Eastern Black-Sea Section). 21 species out of 29 aphids on coniferous trees are of European origin; only 4 are Mediterranean, 2 Caucasus and Turkistan, one Eastern Palearctic and one of Cosmopolitan origin.     

Infection of Tomicus piniperda (Col., Scolytidae) with Canningia tomici sp. n. (Microsporidia, Unikaryonidae)

Canningia tomici sp. n. (Microsporidia, Unikaryonidae) infects the midgut epithelium, the gut muscules, Malpighian tubules, connective tissues, adipose tissues and the gonads of the pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda (L.) (Coleoptera, Scolytidae). The infection is present in populations of Tomicus piniperda in Europe and in the United States. Uninucleate oval single spores occur in two sizes: 2.8±0.4× 1.4±0.4m and 3.8±0.3×2.0±0.2m. The polar filament of this microsporidium is fixed subapically in a flat anchoring disc. The thick posterior lamellae of the binary polaroplast are asymmetric due to the lateral fixation of the polar filament.     

Does <Emphasis Type="Italic">Puccinia hemerocallidis</Emphasis> regularly host-alternate between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hemerocallis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Patrinia</Emphasis> plants in Japan?

Daylily rust fungus, Puccinia hemerocallidis, was proven to host-alternate between a wild daylily, Hemerocallis fulva var. longituba, and a patrinia, Patrinia villosa. No proof was obtained for the early belief that the fungus is pathogenic to plantainlilies, Hosta species, in addition to daylilies, Hemerocallis species. The fungus seems to alternate regularly between daylilies and patrinias in Japan because most daylily species are deciduous, and a vegetatively reproducing stage of the pathogen does not seem capable of successfully overwintering free of the living host tissue.     

Resistance to early blight of tomato with respect to various parameters of disease epidemics

Resistance to early blight in the tomato was assessed by examining various parameters of the progress of the disease. Artificial inoculation and the scoring technique were standardized. Test plants were inoculated with 125cfu/ml of a 12-day-old culture of a pathogenic isolate of Alternaria solani. Screening under artificial conditions was more informative than that under natural epidemic conditions. Tomato cultivars CLN-2071-C, CLN-2070-A, BSS-174, and DTH-7 with resistance expressed as slow blighting against four pathogenic isolates of A. solani, were selected for cultivation in disease-prone areas. Disease intensity increased with the age of plants under the same inoculum load. The area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) was positively correlated with the percentage disease index and negatively with resistance. Calculation of the apparent infection rate (r) was more informative for natural epidemics than for artificial conditions. The sequential apparent infection rate between observation periods was better correlated with disease progress than was the total apparent infection rate between the first and last observations. A double sigmoidal disease progress curve during the same cropping season was characteristic of some varieties when fungal infection took place during the vegetative phase of crop growth.     

Effects of storage time and temperature on pH,specific gravity,and crystal formation in urine samples from dogs and cats

OBJECTIVE: To determine effects of storage temperature and time on pH and specific gravity of and number and size of crystals in urine samples from dogs and cats. DESIGN: Randomized complete block design. ANIMALS: 31 dogs and 8 cats. PROCEDURE: Aliquots of each urine sample were analyzed within 60 minutes of collection or after storage at room or refrigeration temperatures (20 vs 6 degrees C [68 vs 43 degrees F]) for 6 or 24 hours. RESULTS: Crystals formed in samples from 11 of 39 (28%) animals. Calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals formed in vitro in samples from 1 cat and 8 dogs. Magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) crystals formed in vitro in samples from 2 dogs. Compared with aliquots stored at room temperature, refrigeration increased the number and size of crystals that formed in vitro; however, the increase in number and size of MAP crystals in stored urine samples was not significant. Increased storage time and decreased storage temperature were associated with a significant increase in number of CaOx crystals formed. Greater numbers of crystals formed in urine aliquots stored for 24 hours than in aliquots stored for 6 hours. Storage time and temperature did not have a significant effect on pH or specific gravity. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Urine samples should be analyzed within 60 minutes of collection to minimize temperature- and time-dependent effects on in vitro crystal formation. Presence of crystals observed in stored samples should be validated by reevaluation of fresh urine.     

Associations between dry dietary factors and canine calcium oxalate uroliths

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors in dry diets associated with the occurrence of calcium oxalate (CaOx) uroliths in dogs. ANIMALS: 600 dogs with CaOx uroliths and 898 dogs without urinary tract diseases. PROCEDURE: Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed. RESULTS: Compared with diets with the highest concentrations of sodium, dry diets with the lowest concentrations of sodium, phosphorus, calcium, chloride, protein, magnesium, or potassium were linearly associated with increased risk of CaOx urolith formation. Significant nonlinear associations between increased occurrence of CaOx uroliths and urine acidifying potential and low moisture content were observed. Significant nonlinear associations between decreased occurrence of CaOx uroliths and carbohydrate and fiber contents were observed. A significant association between the occurrence of CaOx uroliths and dietary fat was not observed. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that dry diets formulated to contain high concentrations of protein, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and chloride may minimize formation of CaOx uroliths. In addition, comparison of risk and protective factors of various diet ingredients fed to dogs with CaOx uroliths suggests that although similar findings were observed in canned and dry formulations, in general, greater risk is associated with dry formulations. However, before these hypotheses about dietary modifications are adopted by food manufacturers, they must be investigated by use of appropriately designed clinical studies of dogs with CaOx urolithiasis.