Evaluation of cross-reactivity of allergens by use of intradermal testing in atopic dogs

OBJECTIVE: To examine cross-reactivity of aeroallergens in Colorado and surrounding states by evaluating concurrent positive reactions of related and nonrelated allergens of intradermal tests in dogs. SAMPLE POPULATION: Intradermal test results of 268 atopic dogs. PROCEDURE: A retrospective evaluation of skin test results for 268 dogs was performed. Pairs of closely related and nonrelated allergens were evaluated. Group 1 consisted of closely related allergens with demonstrated antibody cross-reactivity in humans. In group 2, allergens of the same plant group (ie, trees, grasses, or weeds) that were not closely related were paired. In group 3, allergen pairs were of different plant groups. Plant allergens were paired with dust mite allergens, animal dander, or mold spores in group 4. In the last group, allergens not derived from plants were paired. Data were evaluated twice by use of a different definition of a positive reaction. Significance of the difference between group means of log odds ratios was estimated by use of a boot-strap percentile confidence interval. RESULTS: Significant differences in the number of concurrent positive reactions were not found between related versus nonrelated grass, weed, or tree allergens. Significant differences in the number of concurrent positive reactions were found between plant allergens of different groups (ie, grasses, weeds, and trees) and plant allergens of the same groups, related or nonrelated, as well as between plant-derived and nonplant-derived allergens. Many dogs reacting to a specific allergen did not react to a closely related allergen at the same time. CONCLUSION: These results provide evidence against clinically relevant cross-reactivity and suggest that allergen-specific immunotherapy should be formulated on the basis of single allergen test results.     

Infection prevalence,seasonality and host specificity of actinosporean types (Myxozoa) in an Atlantic salmon fish farm located in Northern Scotland

A total of 28,387 oligochaetes belonging to the families Tubificidae, Lumbriculidae, Naididae and Enchytraeidae were examined at regular intervals for actinosporean infections from October 1996 to August 1998 from a freshwater salmon farm in Northern Scotland. A total of 21 types of actinosporeans belonging to seven collective groups synactinomyxon (three types), aurantiactinomyxon (four types), echinactinomyxon (five types), raabeia (six types), triactinomyxon (one type), neoactinomyxum (one type) and siedleckiella (one type) were found. Synactinomyxon type 1, echinactinomyxon type 1 and raabeia type 4 were most abundant. The overall infection prevalence of oligochaetes was 2.9%. Aurantiactinomyxon, synactinomyxon and neoactinomyxum were most common in summer and autumn. Raabeia was most common in spring and summer and echinactinomyxon in winter and spring. Siedleckiella was found only in spring and triactinomyxon in all seasons except winter. A positive relationship between water temperature and the number of actinosporean types released was observed. Most actinosporean types were found in only one host species.     

Immunophenotypic comparison of blood and lymph node from dogs with lymphoma

Peripheral blood and lymph node tissue from 12 dogs with lymphoma was immunophenotyped. Additionally, the bone marrow was immunophenotyped in 6 dogs. The lymphomas were characterized as B-cell in 11 dogs and T-cell in 1 dog. Immunophenotypic patterns in the peripheral blood and bone marrow were variable. The trend in dogs with B-cell lymphoma was normal to increased percentage of IgG-positive cells, decreased percentage of pan-T-positive cells, decreased percentage of CD4-positive cells, and decreased CD4/CD8 ratio. Simultaneous immunophenotyping of lymph node, blood and bone marrow cannot be recommended routinely without further studies to document its value as an independent prognostic indicator. However, it is potentially useful for tumor staging and monitoring remission, especially in lymphoma patients with a leukemic phase.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation has similar benefits to fertilization for Thuja occidentalis L. seedling nutrition and growth on peat soil over a range of pH: implications for restoration

New Forests - Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are hypothesized to assist growth of northern white-cedar in acid peatlands, yet there is little direct evidence that they can provide sufficient...     

Degradation of Trifluralin in Seawater When Used to Control Larval Mycosis in Penaeid Shrimp Culture

Treflan (trifluralin, Elanco) is among the compounds used in the treatment of larval mycosis in penaeid shrimp caused by the phycomycetous fungi hagenidium sp. and Sirolpidium sp. Some culturists have reported treatments for these fungi with trifluralin to be ineffective while others have found it to be quite efficacious.
To study losses of trifluralin in seawater systems, experiments were conducted under varying conditions of aeration, lighting, and algal biomass using nominal concentrations of 19.3 to 65.5 ppb trifluralin. There was no detectable loss of trifluralin over a six hour period in seawater mechanically stirred and covered to prevent photodegradation. Under varying conditions of aeration and light, the estimated half-life of trifluralin ranged from 30 to 138 min. When diatoms were added to the seawater, trifluralin levels dropped to 4% of theoretical within two to three min. These observations confirm the need for a continuous administration for trifluralin to be effective in treating larval mycoses in penaeid shrimp hatching facilities.     

Factors affecting the distribution of pesticide drenches in soil using the fungicide metazoxolon as a model

The distribution resulting from the drenching of soil with a suspension concentrate of [¹⁴C]metazoxolon was studied in the laboratory and the field. Penetration of soil columns was increased by (a) increasing the drench volume from 1 to 7.8 litres m^?2, (b) changing the original soil moisture content from air-dry to field-capacity, and (c) including 1 % of ‘Renex 30’ surfactant in the drench. Penetration was greatest in soils containing large pores and was reduced when aggregates were broken down by sieving. Leaching the column with 1.56 cm of ‘rain’, 15 h after treatment, did not increase the penetration by metazoxolon. In all experiments, the maximum concentration of metazoxolon occurred in the top 2 cm of soil. Equivalent effects were found when metazoxolon was applied to a poorly-structured sandy clay loam in the field.     

The bathymetric distribution of the digenean parasites of deep-sea fishes

The bathymetric range of 149 digenean species recorded deeper than 200 m, the approximate depth of the continental shelf/slope break, are presented in graphical form. It is found that only representatives of the four families Lepocreadiidae, Fellodistomidae, Derogenidae and Hemiuridae reach to abyssal regions (>4000 m). Three other families, the Lecithasteridae, Zoogonidae and Opecoelidae, have truly deep-water forms reaching deeper than 3000 m. Bathymetric data are available for the Acanthocolpidae, Accacoeliidae, Bucephalidae, Cryptogonimidae, Faustulidae, Gorgoderidae, Monorchiidae and Sanguinicolidae showing that they reach deeper than 200 m. No bathymetric data are available for the members of the Bivesiculidae and Hirudinellidae which are reported from deep-sea hosts. These results indicate that only seventeen out of the 150 or so digenean families are reported in the deep sea.     

Prosorhynchus maternus sp. n. (Digenea: Bucephalidae) from the Malabar grouper Epinephelus malabaricus (Perciformes: Serranidae) off New Caledonia

A new species, Prosorhynchus maternus sp. n., is described from the serranid fish Epinephelus malabaricus (Bloch et Schneider) in the waters off New Caledonia. It belongs to a group of Prosorhynchus species from serranids in which the uterus is restricted to the postovarian region. Its distinguishing features include the vitellarium relatively distant from the rhynchus, the cirrus-sac relatively distant from the posterior testis, the distinctly pre-equatorial mouth and several other somatic ratios. New records of Prosorhynchus longisaccatus Durio et Manter, 1968 from Epinephelus cyanopodus (Richardson) and Prosorhynchoides lamprelli Bott et Cribb, 2005 from Caranx papuensis Alleyne et Macleay off New Caledonia are also included.