The Effect of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Fertilization on the Nitrogen Absorption by Sunflowers

Little is known about the effect of fertilization on the N uptake of sunflowers. A 4² factorial trial with 0, 60, 120 and 180 kg N ha⁻¹ and 0, 15, 30 and 45 kg P ha⁻¹ was conducted over three years. The N content and concentration of leaves, stems and capitula were determined at three growth stages. High N levels increased the N content and concentration of all plant parts at all growth stages sharply. High P levels increased the N content of all plant components through better growth. P has an inconsistent effect on N concentration but tended to decrease it. After flowering the crop assimilated 20 to 25 % of the total N. This implies that N applied can still be applied and utilized by the crop at a late stage. This should be substantiated by further research.     

Analysis and pharmacokinetics of cimaterol in growing Holstein steers.

Pharmacokinetic parameters for the beta 2-adrenergic agonist, cimaterol (CIM), were determined in growing Holstein steers. Compartmental analysis was used after measurement of CIM in body fluids by affinity chromatography and HPLC using UV detection. Recoveries from spiked plasma and urine standards were 70 +/- 1.2% and 68 +/- 1.1%, respectively. The minimum detection level in plasma was 1 ng/mL and the average CV was 5.1% for concentrations that ranged from 1 to 30 ng/mL. Four steers (276 +/- 24 kg) received 15 mg of CIM by bolus intravenous injection. Plasma CIM levels declined in a biphasic manner with half-lives of 2.5 min for the distribution phase and 54 min for the elimination phase. A two-compartment open model was used to describe the disappearance of CIM and the following pharmacokinetic parameters were obtained: central compartment volume (Vc) = .76 L/kg, apparent volume of distribution (Vd) = 4.1 L/kg, and transfer rate constants from the central to peripheral compartment (k12) = .177/min, from the peripheral to central compartment (k21) = .054/min and elimination from the central compartment (kel) = .074/min. After 8 h, total urinary CIM accounted for only 18.3% of the administered dose. Results suggest that circulating concentrations of CIM in growing steers are influenced by its accumulation in an unidentified peripheral pool and its conversion into unknown metabolite(s) before elimination.     

On the genetic basis of equine allergic diseases: II. Insect bite dermal hypersensitivity.

The horses studied were of the Swiss Warmblood breed and most were ELA-typed to assess a possible association of dermal hypersensitivity to insect bites with the major histocompatibility complex. Firstly, the occurrence of the condition was examined in 304 half-siblings sired by six stallions (A to F). Fourteen cases of dermal hypersensitivity were recognized and all were in the 153 offspring of Stallions C, E and F. Most animals of this group were also investigated for chronic hypersensitivity bronchitis: none of the sires displayed clinical signs of dermal hypersensitivity, but Stallions D, E and F were affected by chronic bronchitis. Among the animals investigated for both conditions only one horse showed coincidence of the two diseases as can be expected when the diseases are not correlated. The frequency of manifest dermal hypersensitivity and/or chronic hypersensitivity bronchitis varied in the half-sibling groups of individual sires. These findings suggest that the allergic conditions are independent entities. Secondly, the occurrence of dermal hypersensitivity was studied in three generations of horses at a stud at which Stallion C had exerted a particularly strong influence. A total of 302 animals, all born and raised at this stud, were surveyed over a period of 12 years. The descendants of Stallion C showed a significantly higher incidence (P less than 0.01) of dermal hypersensitivity (two daughters out of 19; eight second generation offspring out of 103; one third generation offspring out of 85) than did the controls of the same age classes but unrelated to Stallion C at the same stud (0 out of 95).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

斑点免疫吸附试验诊断羊脑多头蚴病的研究

以原头节可溶性粗抗原经Sephadex G-200层析纯化抗原为包被抗原，兔抗羊IgG-HRP结合物为显色剂，建立检测羊脑多头蚴病血清抗体的Dot-ELISA，并以ELISA作平行对照。结果，粗抗原和层析纯化抗原检测86头份羊脑多头蚴病阳性血清，其敏感性分别为94．18％和93．02％，两种抗原的敏感性无显著差异；检测122头份绦虫蚴病阴性血清，18头份棘球蚴病阳性血清，35头份细颈囊尾蚴病阳性血清，其特异性分别为90．29％和95．43％。两种抗原的特异性差异显著。Dot-ELISA和ELISA两种方法的符合率为100％。层析纯化抗原比粗抗原的特异性有了明显提高，而敏感性没有降低。层析纯化抗原和操作术式都具有良好的重复性，Dot-ELISA和ELISA对比试验结果相近，且具简便、快速及不需要复杂设备等优点，是一种检测羊脑多头蚴病血清抗体的理想方法。     

Studies on efficacy and stability of a vaccine bait containing ERA strain of rabies virus propagated in a BHK-21 cell line.

In a dose response study in foxes, the median protective dose of ERA BHK21 vaccine in a blister pack bait was 10(6.0) tissue culture infective doses (TCID)/mL, while artificially aged baits with titers of 10(6.3) TCID/mL induced seroconversion in 78% of foxes. There was no significant difference in the development of antibodies in foxes receiving 1, 2 or 3 mL volumes of vaccine in the bait. When baits were exposed to the elements and fed to foxes over a 21 day period, 85% of the animals seroconverted. Age, sex and the way in which the vaccine container was contacted did not appear to be factors in the responses of these animals. Juvenile foxes, approximately six months of age, were marked more readily with the tetracycline bait marker than older animals. Approximately 25% of foxes did not appear to respond well to vaccination and the titer of the vaccine was a critical factor in producing seroconversion in these animals.     

Behavioral and physiological effects of freeze or hot-iron branding on crossbred cattle.

Twenty-seven crossbred calves (1/2 Simmental, 1/4 Hereford, 1/4 Brahman) averaging 257 +/- 11 d of age were either hot-iron-branded (H), freeze-branded (F), or sham-branded (S). Calves were blocked for temperament, weight, and sex and were randomly assigned to day and order in which treatments were applied. To reduce stress from handling at treatment time, each calf was herded through the squeeze chute daily for 5 d before the experiment. Jugular cannulas were inserted in each calf 1 d before application of treatment. Blood samples and heart rate measures were obtained at -5, -3, 0, .5, 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, and 20 min after application of the treatments. Mean concentrations of plasma epinephrine (EPI) were higher for H calves at time .5 min than for either S or F calves (P = .10). To account for individual differences, prebranding heart rates and hormone concentrations were subtracted from subsequent samples and were also used to calculate a proportion for each subsequent sample. Analyses of subtracted values found that EPI concentrations were greater for H calves than for either S or F calves (P = .007) at .5 min postbranding. No other differences were found for the subtracted analyses. Analyses of proportion data also revealed that H calves had greater EPI than did either S or F calves (P = .027) at .5 min postbranding. Only three animals vocalized during branding, one H calf and two F calves. Despite the 5-d acclimation period, handling and restraint elevated plasma cortisol concentrations and heart rate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Occurrence of Staphylococcus intermedius on the hair and skin of normal dogs.

Aerobic bacterial populations were studied on the distal hair coat and at the skin surface of the shoulder, rump and abdomen of 10 healthy dogs. Coagulase negative staphylococci (CNS) were more frequently isolated from the hair than the skin at the shoulder and rump. There was no difference in the isolation rate of coagulase positive staphylococci (CPS) (Staphylococcus intermedius) between the hair and skin. Total skin counts were greatest on the abdomen whereas CNS counts from the hair were least at this site. There were no differences between CPS counts at the three sites on either hair or skin. The populations on the relatively unfavourable microenvironment of the distal hair may represent contamination rather than colonisation. The low populations of CPS at the skin surface also indicate contamination or transient colonisation rather than true resident status.     

Studies on mutlispecific resistance of gastrointestinal nematodes to benzimidazoles on dairy-goat farms

Multispecific resistance to benzimidazoles was studied in three selected farms. These farms had bred dairy goats for more than 15 years. The helminths were introduced with the goats at the establishment of the farms which afterwards remained isolated. Nematode resistance could then be related to their own management practices. Faecal egg count tests and egg hatch assays were performed to assess intensity of resistance. The generic (infective larvae in faecal cultures) and specific richness (adult worms) were assessed. The resistant species were Trichostrongylus colubriformis, Teladorsagia circumcincta, Haemonchus contortus and Oesophagostomum venulosum. Faecal egg count reduction tests and egg-hatch assays did not match exactly. Faecal larval counts after treatments gave a distorted picture of multispecific resistance: Haemonchus and Oesophagostomum were very largely over represented. The number of species found in the three farms was relatively low compared with other reports in goat farms of the area. This reduction of diversity might also be due in part to characteristics of breeding management and history (use of permanent pasture and introduction of goats at the establishment of farm).     

Prevalence of mycoplasmas in the respiratory tracts of pneumonic calves.

The prevalence of mycoplasmas in the respiratory tracts of 148 pneumonic calves originating from 25 herds in the Netherlands is reported. Four types of culture media were used to isolate mycoplasmas: solid modified Edward medium, 2 types of Friis media, and A7B differential agar medium. Mycoplasmas were isolated both from nasal swab specimens and lung lavage fluids collected from live calves and from nasal mucosa and lung tissue specimens collected post mortem. All of the mycoplasma strains isolated could be identified as either Ureaplasma diversum (isolated from 80% of 25 herds), Mycoplasma dispar (92%), M. bovirhinis (88%), M. bovis (20%), M. bovigenitalium (4%), M. arginini (16%), or M. canis (12%). Isolation rates of M. dispar and U. diversum were considerably higher from lung lavage fluids than from nasal swab specimens. M. bovis was detected only in fattening herds and not in dairy herds. The respiratory tracts of 75% of the calves examined contained at least 2 mycoplasma species. In total, 25 different combinations of mycoplasma species were detected in specimens collected from noses and lungs. The pathogenic species U. diversum and M. dispar had not been isolated before in the Netherlands.