Molecular Evidence for Persistence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in the Absence of Clinical Abnormalities in Horses after Recovery from Acute Experimental Infection

Background: Anaplasma phagocytophilum infects several mammalian species, and can persist in sheep, dogs, and calves. However, whether this organism persists in horses or induces long-term clinical abnormalities is not known.
Objectives: To evaluate whether A. phagocytophilum can persist in horses and to document clinical findings for 3 months after complete recovery from acute disease.
Animals: Five clinically normal adult horses that had recovered spontaneously from experimentally induced acute disease caused by a Swedish equine isolate of A. phagocytophilum .
Methods: Horses were monitored for up to 129 days post inoculation (PI) by daily clinical examination and at least alternate day blood sampling for evidence of A. phagocytophilum on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and blood smears. All horses were euthanized and underwent postmortem examination.
Results: All horses were periodically PCR positive after recovery from acute infection. Before day 66 PI 2 horses were persistently PCR negative whereas 3 horses were intermittently PCR positive. Subsequently, 4 of 5 horses were intermittently PCR positive, particularly after stress mimicking interventions. One animal was positive immediately before postmortem examination. Clinical abnormalities related to persistence of anaplasma were not observed. No specific changes were found at postmortem examination, and all sampled tissues from all horses were negative on PCR for A. phagocytophilum .
Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Infection with A. phagocytophilum can persist in the horse for at least 129 days. However, the continued presence of the organism is not associated with detectable clinical or pathological abnormalities.     

中链脂肪酸的生物学功能及其在动物生产中的应用研究进展

中链脂肪酸(MCFAs)是一类含有6～12个碳原子的饱和脂肪酸.除了作为能源物质之外,MCFAs还具有改善肠道形态结构、提高动物生长性能、防治疾病、调节免疫以及抗菌等功能,因此具有作为抗生素替代品的潜力.本文简述了MCFAs的生物学功能和作用机制,并综述了其在动物生产中的应用研究进展,以期为MCFAs在畜牧业生产中应用...     

鸡免疫球蛋白AFc(IgAFc)重链的分离纯化及其抗血清的制备

经硫酸铰盐析、柱色谱分离得到纯化的鸡胆汁免疫球蛋白A(IgA)。然后用木瓜蛋白酶水解IgA,再经DEAE_(52)—纤维素柱色谱纯化得到IgAFc重链。用IgAFc重链免疫家兔制得兔抗鸡IgAFc重链抗血清。     

Canine vector-borne disease pathogens in dogs from south-east Queensland and north-east Northern Territory

Objectives To determine the prevalence of canine vector‐borne diseases (CVBD: Babesia spp., Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., haemotropic mycoplasmas and Hepatozoon) in Australian dogs; namely, dogs from pounds in south‐east Queensland and an indigenous Aboriginal community in the north‐east of the Northern Territory. Design and procedure Blood samples were collected from 100 pound dogs and 130 Aboriginal community dogs and screened for the CVBD pathogens using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All positive PCR products were sequenced for species confirmation. Results In total, 3 pound dogs and 64 Aboriginal community dogs were infected with at least one CVBD pathogen. Overall, B. vogeli was detected in 13 dogs, A. platys in 49, M. haemocanis in 23, Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum in 3 and C. M. haemobos in 1 dog. Co‐infections were detected in 22 Aboriginal community dogs. Conclusions This study found B. vogeli, A. platys and haemotropic mycoplasma infections to be common in dogs in subtropical and tropical areas of Australia. This study also reports for the first time the prevalence and genetic characterisation of haemotropic mycoplasmas in dogs in Australia.     

Transport of nutrients and electrolytes across the intestinal wall in pigs

In recent years, intestinal transport processes have been studied in detail regarding both, functional and structural aspects. For monosaccharides different systems have been demonstrated for apical uptake: this includes the high-affinity SGLT1 as a distinct d-glucose system and GLUT5 for fructose. Specifically in pigs a low affinity, high-capacity system for d-glucose and d-mannose with no preference for Na⁺ over K⁺ and a very low affinity system are suggested as further uptake systems. As in other species, basolateral extrusion is mediated by GLUT2. The distributions of monosaccharide transport along the gastrointestinal axis as well as the potential role of paracellular monosaccharide absorption have not yet been clarified.

Amino acids can principally be absorbed by the paracellular and transcellular pathway whereas transcellular transport can either be mediated by facilitated diffusion or secondary active Na⁺-coupled transport. This includes different transport systems for neutral, anionic and cationic acids. In addition, the presence of the di-/tripeptides transport system PEPT1 which depends on an inwardly directed H⁺-gradient has also been confirmed for the pig small intestine, its quantitative proportion is still under debate.

Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) are the major end products of microbial carbohydrate fermentation which occurs along the gastrointestinal tract with the highest production rates in the large intestines. At least two uptake mechanisms have to be assumed, i.e., non-ionic diffusion and anionic exchange via SCFA⁻/HCO₃⁻-exchange. Controversial views still exist to what extent SCFA are metabolized within the epithelial tissue.

Segmental differences between small and large intestines have been demonstrated for Na⁺ absorption. Whereas in the small intestines the major part of Na⁺ absorption is mediated by coupled nutrient transport systems, aldosterone sensitive Na⁺ channels and Na⁺/H⁺-exchange are the dominant mechanisms in the hindgut. For Cl⁻ paracellular transport and anionic Cl⁻/HCO₃⁻-exchange are the major absorptive mechanisms. Cl⁻ secretion is mediated by apical channels which may be activated by toxins of different origin. Different types of Cl⁻ channels have been identified, such as Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator (CFTR), Ca-activated Cl⁻ channels (CLCA) and Outwardly Rectifying Cl⁻ Channels (ORCC). Whereas CFTR has clearly been shown for jejunal and colonic epithelial and goblet cells controversy still exists on the relevance of CLCA and ORCC in pigs.

For Ca²⁺ there is evidence that both recently published channels TRPV5 and TRPV6 are also expressed in pig intestinal tissues, however, this has not yet been shown on protein level. From several functional approaches it was demonstrated that phosphate uptake can be mediated by both, a Na⁺-dependent transcellular component and paracellularly. On a molecular basis it is uncertain whether the transport protein of transcellular mechanism belongs to the NaPi-IIb cotransporter family.     

RT-PCR技术检测猪瘟病毒的应用研究

本试验应用反转录-聚合酶链式反应(RT-PCR)对猪瘟进行诊断应用研究.应用RT-PCR对来自广西不同地区的135份疑似猪瘟病料进行检测,84份诊断为阳性,阳性率62.2%.从百色、柳州地区等采集的健康猪扁桃体和淋巴结共276份,经RT-PCR检测,37份为阳性,阳性率为13.4%.其中健康猪扁桃体带毒较高,246份扁桃体中有35份阳性,占14.2%.采自柳州健康猪的26份淋巴结材料全为阴性,只有邕宁县的1份健猪淋巴结阳性.结果表明,RT-PCR技术可应用于猪瘟的临床诊断.     

脂肪酸对奶牛乳腺上皮细胞乳蛋白和乳脂合成相关基因表达量的影响

本试验旨在探寻促进奶牛乳腺上皮细胞(BMECs)乳蛋白和乳脂合成的短链脂肪酸(乙酸、β-羟丁酸)和长链脂肪酸(油酸、亚油酸、亚麻酸)的组合添加模式,为调控乳成分合成提供理论依据。BMECs经分离、纯化后,选取第2代细胞,分为5组,对照组不添加脂肪酸,Ⅰ组和Ⅱ组添加的乙酸、β-羟丁酸浓度比例均为2.0(9.60 mmol/L)∶1.0(4.80 mmol/L),油酸、亚油酸、亚麻酸的浓度比例分别为2.0(17.30μmol/L)∶13.3(115.05μmol/L)∶1.0(8.65μmol/L)和9.6(75.20μmol/L)∶7.4(58.00μmol/L)∶1.0(7.80μmol/L);Ⅲ组和Ⅳ组添加的乙酸、β-羟丁酸的浓度比例均为1.0(7.20 mmol/L)∶1.0(7.20 mmol/L),油酸、亚油酸、亚麻酸的浓度比例分别为2.0∶13.3∶1.0和9.6∶7.4∶1.0,各组添加的短链脂肪酸(SCFA)和长链脂肪酸(LCFA)总浓度为14.541 mmol/L,每组3个重复。培养24 h后,检测细胞相对增殖率(RGR)、甘油三酯(TAG)的合成量以及乳蛋白和乳脂合成相关基因的表达量。结果表明:1)试验组BMECs RGR及TAG的合成量均显著高于对照组(P0.05);Ⅰ组RGR最高,TAG合成量最多。2)与对照组相比,Ⅱ组显著提高了核糖体蛋白S6激酶1(S6K1)、κ-酪蛋白(CSN3)基因的表达量(P0.05);Ⅳ组显著提高了CSN3、蛋白激酶B(AKT)、S6K1、真核翻译起始因子4E结合蛋白1(4EBP1)基因的表达量(P0.05);试验组信号转导和转录激活因子5(STAT5)基因的表达量显著降低(P0.05)。3)与对照组相比,试验组二酰甘油酰基转移酶2(DG AT2)基因的表达量显著提高(P0.05),脂肪酸合成酶(FASN)基因的表达量显著降低(P0.05)。综上所述,在培养液中添加7.20 mmol/L乙酸、7.20 mmol/Lβ-羟丁酸、75.20μmol/L油酸、58.00μmol/L亚油酸、7.80μmol/L亚麻酸对BM ECs乳蛋白和乳脂合成相关基因的表达量有较好的促进作用。     

细胞色素C在生物医学方面的研究进展

综合论述了细胞色素C的研究简史和结构性质,探讨了细胞色素C与细胞线粒体呼吸链、生物进化细胞凋亡的关系,并对细胞色素C的应用前景作了展望。     

Identification of lactic acid bacteria in the feces of dairy cows fed whole crop maize silage to assess the survival of silage bacteria in the gut

In order to assess the survival of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in whole crop maize silage in the gut of dairy cows, one representative silage sample and three different feces samples were collected from dairy cows on three dairy farms in Hua Bei, China and three dairy farms in Kyushu, Japan. The composition of the bacterial community was examined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Lactobacillus acetotolerans was detected in all bunker‐made maize silage samples, regardless of the dairy farm or sampling region from which they were sourced. A total of eight LAB species were detected in the maize silage samples, of which three (L. acetotolerans, L. pontis and L. casei) appeared to survive digestion. The populations of L. acetotolerans in silage and feces were 10^6–7 and 10^3–4 copies/g, respectively, indicating that, even for the LAB species showing potential survival in the gut, competition in this niche may be harsh and the population may substantially decrease during the digestion process. It may be difficult for silage LAB to survive in the gut of silage‐fed dairy cows, because marked decrease in population can take place during the digestion process, even for surviving species.     

Azotemia and mortality among Babesia microti-like infected dogs

Babesia microti-like piroplasms are a recently recognized cause of illness in dogs in northwest Spain. Our objective was to describe the clinical characteristics and investigate the risk factors for azotemia and death among 58 B microti-like infected dogs. Twenty-one of the 58 (36%) dogs were azotemic at the time that the infection was diagnosed. The case fatality rate during the following week was 22%. Dogs with azotemia at the time of diagnosis were 10 times (95% CI, 3.26-28.8) more likely to die during the following week. Azotemia was the main cause of death for B microti-like infected dogs (attributable fraction = 90%). Severe anemia was present in 45 of the 58 (78%) dogs. Azotemic dogs also presented with hyperphosphatemia, hypoalbuminemia, hypercholesterolemia, proteinuria, and high urine protein: creatinine ratios, suggesting a glomerular component to the disease. Age was the only factor significantly associated with the risk of azotemia (P = .042): on average, a 4-year age increase doubled the risk of an infected dog being azotemic. The only factor significantly associated with mortality was azotemia (P = .001). We concluded that B microti-like infection is associated with a high risk of azotemia and mortality.