Incidence of Verticillium wilt of artichoke in eastern Spain and role of inoculum sources on crop infection

Surveys of 94 artichoke fields throughout the artichoke production areas of Comunidad Valenciana (eastern Spain) were conducted from 1999 to 2002 to determine the incidence and distribution of Verticillium wilt.Verticillium dahliae was isolated from 80.9% of the sampled fields, and detected in all artichoke-growing areas, with a mean disease incidence of 53.8% infected plants. The disease was found to cause severe damage to cv. ‘Blanca de Tudela’, which is the most important artichoke cultivar grown in Spain, and was also observed on the seed-propagated cv. ‘Imperial Star’. In field trials to study the role of infected planting material and soil inoculum on infection of artichoke plants during the cropping season,V. dahliae was transmitted from infected stumps to the plants, confirming that the use of infected stumps could have greatly contributed to the dissemination of the pathogen. Inoculum density ofV. dahliae in soil had an effect on crop infection, in that a higher number of microsclerotia per gram of soil resulted in a higher percentage of infected plants. In addition, yield of cv. Blanca de Tudela was significantly affected byV. dahliae infection, showing that a higher percentage of infection corresponded with lower yield. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting July 21, 2005.     

Postmortem Metabolic,Physicochemical, and Lipid Composition Changes in Litopenaeus vannamei in Response to Harvest Procedures

Ante-mortem stress is recognized as one of the factors that could reduce shelf life in fish, although this topic has been scarcely addressed in crustaceans, particularly in cultivated penaeid shrimp where common harvest practices involves stressful conditions such as chasing, emersion, and confinement. This study analyzes indices of freshness in shrimp in response to such practices before storage in ice for six days. During ice storage, several indicators follow the typical postmortem pattern, although most of them (hypoxanthine, change in pH, and color) did not reach critical levels at day 6. Adenosine-5’-triphosphate (ATP) and degradation products (adenosine monophosphate, AMP, and inosine monophosphate, IMP), as well as several indicators of freshness (pH, expressible water, hardness, color, and the overall fatty acid composition) were not significantly affected by harvest. Other variables such as lower springiness, higher hypoxanthine, lipid hydroperoxides, and 20:4n-6/20:5n-3 ratio were observed in shrimp subjected to common harvest practices. However, under the current conditions of harvesting, these effects were marginal and probably do not substantially affect meat quality for human consumption, but care should be taken at higher environmental temperatures (e.g. harvest in summer) and for a duration of ice-storage over 6 days.     

Pathogenicity of a non-haemolytic Group B Streptococcus sp. in gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis Baird and Girard)

Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) were injected intraperitoneally with different bacterial concentrations and the LD₅₀ were 1.4 × 10⁴ at 96 h and 7.5 × 10 at 168 h. No deaths occurred among fish dipped in the bacterial suspension for different time periods or when the fish were exposed to a 50 parts per thousand hyperosmotic solution prior to dip. Fish became infected when they were injured prior to dipping in the bacterial suspension, but crowding and low oxygen concentration did not precipitate infection. No deaths occurred with oral administration of the bacteria. Bacterial count per gram of tissue was determined for both liver and spleen of infected fish at four, 24-h intervals. There was a significant difference (P > 0.12) between the bacterial counts at the different time periods.     

Treatment of olive oil mill wastewater by Fenton's reagent

Wastewater from olive oil mills has been treated by means of the Fe(II)/H(2)O(2) system (Fenton's reagent). Typical operating variables such as reagent concentration (C(H(2)O(2)) = 1.0--0.2 M; C(Fe(II)) = 0.01--0.1 M) and temperature (T = 293--323 K) exerted a positive influence on the chemical oxygen demand and total carbon removal. The optimum working pH was found to be in the range 2.5--3.0. The exothermic nature of the process involved a significant increase of the temperature of the reaction media. The process was well simulated by a semiempirical reaction mechanism based on the classic Fenton chemistry. From the model, the reaction between ferric iron and hydrogen peroxide [k = 1.8 x 10(15) exp((-12,577 +/- 1248)/T)] was suggested to be the controlling step of the system. Also, the simultaneous inefficient decomposition of hydrogen peroxide [k = 6.3 x 10(12) exp((-11,987 +/- 2414)/T)] into water and oxygen was believed to play an important role in the process. On the basis of stoichiometric calculations for hydrogen peroxide consumption, an estimation of the process economy has been completed.     

Predicting the distribution of harmful species and their natural enemies in agricultural,livestock and forestry systems: an overview

Abstract

Predicting the potential distribution of harmful species to agriculture, livestock and forestry is decisive to prevent their impacts, especially when these are expanding their range due to global change. Recent advances in species distribution modelling (SDM) have made these tools widely used for biosecurity studies. We reviewed the available literature of SDM for pest, weeds, pathogen species and biological-control agents, with the aims of synthesizing and quantifying the available information, and identifying gaps in the knowledge and future perspectives. SDMs for 420 species were collected from 220 publications. Insect pests were the most frequently studied organisms. CLIMEX and MaxEnt were the most commonly used modelling tools, while pure mechanistic approaches were rarely applied. Most studies covered broad scales, and focused on predicting the distribution of invasive species and/or the effects of climate change. The challenge remains for models to include disturbance, resource availability, and biotic factors, as well as to better quantify uncertainty. This future directions will be fundamental to improve the predictive power of SDMs for productive systems in the context of a rapidly changing World.     

Lectin Histochemistry as a Tool to Identify Apoptotic Cells in the Seminiferous Epithelium of Syrian Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) Subjected to Short Photoperiod

Lectins have been widely used to study the pattern of cellular glycoconjugates in numerous species. In the process of cellular apoptosis, it has been observed that changes occur in the membrane sugar sequences of these apoptotic cells. The aim of our work was to identify which lectins, out of an extensive battery of the same (PNA, SBA, HPA, LTA, Con‐A, UEA‐I, WGA, DBA, MAA, GNA, AAA, SNA), show affinity for germinal cells in apoptosis, at what stage of cell death they do so and in which germinal cell types they can be detected. For this, we studied testis sections during testicular regression in Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) subjected to short photoperiod. Several lectins showed an affinity for the glycoconjugate residues of germ cells in apoptosis: Gal β1,3‐GalNAcα1, α‐d ‐mannose, N‐acetylgalactosamine and l ‐fucose. Furthermore, lectin specificity was observed for some specific germinal cells and in certain stages of apoptosis. It was also observed that one of these lectins (PNA) showed affinity for Sertoli cells undergoing apoptosis. Therefore, we conclude that the use of lectin histochemistry could be a very useful tool for studying apoptosis in the seminiferous epithelium because of the specificity shown towards germinal cells in pathological or experimentally induced epithelial depletion models.     

MM3-ELISA evaluation of coproantigen release and serum antibody production in sheep experimentally infected with Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica

During an experimental infection of sheep with Fasciola hepatica or F. gigantica, MM3-SERO and MM3-COPRO ELISA tests were applied to compare the kinetics of antibody production and coproantigen release between the 2nd and 32nd week post-infection (wpi). The Kato-Katz technique was used to measure the kinetics of egg shedding by both Fasciola species (eggs per gram of feces, epg). The kinetics of IgG antibodies for all sheep infected with F. hepatica and F. gigantica followed a similar pattern. Optical density (OD) increased rapidly between the 4th until the 12th wpi, when the highest values were reached and then decreased slowly until the 32nd wpi. Coproantigen levels increased above the cut-off value between 6 and 9 wpi in the F. hepatica group, and between 9 and 11 wpi in the F. gigantica group. The comparison between coproantigen levels and epg indicated that F. hepatica-infected sheep had detectable amounts of coproantigens 4–7 weeks before patency (egg shedding), while F. gigantica-infected sheep had detectable amounts of coproantigens 3–6 weeks before patency. When comparing the kinetics of coproantigen release vs the kinetics of epg, a similar pattern emerged, but with a two-week time-lag in epg, for both F. hepatica and F. gigantica infections. The amount of coproantigen release by each adult was not burden dependent for F. hepatica infection (burden of 33–66 adults), while it was for F. gigantica infection (burden of 17–69 adults). The results demonstrate the usefulness of the MM3-SERO and MM3-COPRO ELISAs as tools for the diagnosis of early as well as long-term fascioliasis infections, and suggest that they can potentially be applied to human fascioliasis even in countries where F. hepatica and F. gigantica co-exist. These tests can be employed not only in the diagnosis, but also in studies on epidemiology as well as pathogenesis and treatment in animals and humans since they allow post-treatment infection monitoring.     

Liver function in cats with hyperthyroidism before and after 131I therapy

BACKGROUND: The clinical significance of high serum concentration or activity of markers of liver damage in cats with hyperthyroidism is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate serum markers of liver function and damage, and ultrasonographic changes in cats with hyperthyroidism and with high liver enzymes, and to determine if abnormalities resolve after treatment with 131I. ANIMALS: Nineteen cats with hyperthyroidism (15 with high serum activities of liver enzymes) and 4 age-matched healthy control cats. METHODS: Serum bile acids, albumin, ammonia, cholesterol, and blood urea nitrogen concentrations, and activities of liver-derived enzymes, and blood glucose concentrations were measured before and after 131I therapy. These values were compared with those of cats that were euthyroid. In addition, gross liver parenchymal changes detected by abdominal ultrasonographic examination, before and after 131I therapy were evaluated. RESULTS: High serum liver enzyme activities were not associated with abnormalities in hepatic parenchyma and liver functional variables, regardless of the degree of increase. Serum liver enzyme activities return to normal after control of hyperthyroidism with 131I therapy. Cats with hyperthyroidism have a significantly higher serum fasting ammonia concentration than cats who were euthyroid (P = .019). Cats with hyperthyroidism also have significantly lower serum cholesterol (P = .005) and glucose (P = .002) concentrations before compared with after 131I therapy. Nine of 19 cats with hyperthyroidism had trace ketonuria. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: These results demonstrate that extensive examination for hepatobiliary disease in most cats with hyperthyroidism is unnecessary.