Resorption and incorporation of radioactive-labeled amino acids during administration of various protein carriers in rats. 3. Uptake of radioactivity by blood plasma, liver and muscular tissue and incorporation into tissue proteins after intragastric administration of 14C-leucine and 3H-glycine]

Growing male rats received diets of varying biological value (protein sources: powdered whole egg (V); fish meal (F); yeast (H); gelatine (G); protein-free diet (e)) for a 14-day feeding period. Subsequently, 14C leucine and 3H glycine were administered intragastrically. The level of uptake of 14C and 3H radioactivity into blood plasma, liver and muscular tissue and the rate of incorporation of the radioactive tracers into the proteins of these tissues was examined. A negative correlation was found to exist between the incorporation of radioactivity into liver proteins and the biological value of dietary proteins, the former being mainly dependent on the level of incorporation into the liver. For muscular proteins the rate of incorporation decreases with the decreasing biological value of the dietary proteins. This may be attributed to the fact that with poor protein nutrition the rate of protein synthesis in the skeletal muscles is also reduced. Comparative studies on the specific 14C radioactivity from free leucine made in the group on the protein-free diet and in the group receiving the whole egg diet showed that the leucine pool of the skeletal muscles was markedly redueced in animals fed a protein-deficient diet while the leucine pool in the liver remained comparatively constant.     

Short-term interval baiting to combat the re-emergence of fox rabies in Rhineland Palatinate (Germany) in 2005

In 2005, the final phase of terrestrial rabies eradication in Germany was put at risk by a severe setback due to re-introduction of the disease in Rhineland-Palatinate from neighbouring Hesse after seven years of absence. The rapid westward spread of the disease prompted veterinary authorities to react swiftly and apply a new yet unproven vaccination strategy to rapidly increase herd immunity in an almost unprotected fox population to stop the epidemic. The cornerstones of this emergency oral rabies vaccination strategy, i. e. vaccination intervals, identification of high risk spots, real time epidemiological assessment, capable to eliminate rabies within 13 months after incursion are described here. This strategy may be used as a template to tackle similar emergency situations in Europe in the future.     

Detection of Campylobacter jejuni strains in the water lines of a commercial broiler house and their relationship to the strains that colonized the chickens

Campylobacter jejuni is frequently present in the intestinal tract of commercial broiler chickens, and their drinking water has been proposed to be an initial source of bacteria for newly hatched chicks. We studied three sequential commercial broiler flocks raised in a house from which we had cultured C. jejuni from the nipple waters prior to placement of the first flock. Campylobacter cells were detected by immunofluorescence in the biofilm of the drinking nipples during the weeks when the flock was colonized with C. jejuni but not during weeks when the birds were negative. Campylobacter jejuni was isolated from the drinking water during the growth of the first flock and was present in the birds from all three flocks. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) typing with primer OPA11 indicated that seven distinct strains were present within the broiler house. One strain found in drinking water was similar to a strain found in birds in the second flock; however, RAPD-PCR with primer HLW85 showed that the strains were not identical. These results suggest that although the watering system is a potential source of C. jejuni in broiler flocks, the waterborne strain in this study was not detected in the birds.     

Responses of the parthenogenetic isopod, Trichoniscus pusillus (Isopoda: Oniscidea), to changes in food quality

Long-term observations of Trichoniscus pusillus revealed that chemical composition and microbial activity of the leaf litter serving as food influenced the reproductive success of females and the mortality rates of juveniles as well. Of the food sources investigated, only alder litter, exhibiting high microbial activity, allowed the maintenance of a stable population with frequently reproducing females. This study concludes that the food type is a significant factor for population parameters of this parthenogenetic isopod. Our results on T. pusillus, belonging to the taxon Synocheta, are compared with data on terrestrial isopod species of the taxon Crinocheta.     

Clinical evaluation and prerelease management of American river otters in the second year of a reintroduction study

In the first year (1984) of a reintroduction study, 10 American river otters (Lutra canadensis) from Louisiana were transported to Oklahoma, held for 5 days for clinical evaluation, surgical implantation with intra-abdominal radiotelemetry devices, and then released in Oklahoma. Four of 10 otters released died within 32 days. Clinical evaluation indicated that respiratory tract disease, bacterial and parasitic infections, and inanition may have contributed to the death of these otters. In the second year (1985) of the study, an exotic feline diet was fed, and the holding period for 10 otters was increased to provide time for evaluation and treatment before surgery, postsurgical acclimation to Oklahoma, and reevaluation before release. Although the initial clinical findings on otters in the second year were similar to those found in the first year, otter body weights increased, and the prevalence and severity of clinical abnormalities decreased with treatment during the second-year holding period. Three of 10 second-year otters died during the holding period, and contributing causes of death were determined to be: trauma (hepatic hematoma), inanition, renal disease, pneumonia, salmonellosis (Salmonella anatum), and a retropharyngeal abscess (Klebsiella pneumoniae). Seven healthy otters were reintroduced into Oklahoma in 1985, and postrelease deaths were not experienced.