An investigation of Leishmania spp. in Didelphis spp. from urban and peri-urban areas in Bauru (São Paulo, Brazil)

Blood and bone marrow samples were taken from 112 Didelphis spp., collected between March 2005 and February 2006, from urban and peri-urban areas of Bauru, São Paulo State, Brazil, to evaluate the hypothesis that these animals might constitute a reservoir of Leishmania spp. Anti-Leishmania ssp. antibodies were screened in the serum samples using an enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR was performed on fragments of DNA samples from Leishmania spp. using primers 13A and 13B, and showed a positive outcome in 91.6% of the 112 samples tested. Of the 107 samples analyzed by ELISA, 71% were positive. Evidence of epidemiological risk factors such as a circulating parasite and freely moving vectors suggests that Didelphis spp. may participate in the transmission cycle of Leishmania spp. in Bauru.     

Biological control of trichostrongyles in calves by the fungus Duddingtonia flagrans fed to animals under natural grazing conditions

The present study was conducted in the 1993 grazing season with yearling calves exposed to a pasture with a natural mixed trichostrongyle larval infection. It was shown that daily feeding with the microfungus Duddingtonia flagrans during the first 2 months of the season led to a lowered herbage infectivity and a reduced acquisition of Ostertagia sp. and Cooperia sp. later in the season. In addition, the procedure delayed the onset of clinical disease. This was due to the nematode-destroying effects of the fungi in the dung excreted by the fungus-treated calves, as evidenced by results from a parallel in vitro assay on faecal larval cultures. The paper discusses future research needs before practical biological control can be implemented.     

Productive performance of weanling piglets was improved by administration of a mixture of bacteriophages,targeted to control Coliforms and Clostridium spp. shedding in a challenging environment

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of bacteriophages in different environments on growth performance, digestibility, ileal and caecal microbiota, gut morphology and immunity of weanling pigs. Two hundred piglets were randomly assigned to four treatment groups with five replicate pens with 10 pigs per pen. A 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was used to investigate the response of weanling pigs to supplemental bacteriophages (0 and 1.0 g/kg of diet) in contaminated or hygienic environments. Bacteriophages supplementation did not affect average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and gain:feed in phases I and III; however, there was a significant improvement in ADG and gain:feed in phase II. The supplementation of bacteriophages increased the overall gain:feed of pigs. The overall result showed a greater ADG and ADFI in hygienic room. There were reductions in population of both ileal (p < 0.05) and caecal (p < 0.01) Clostridium spp. and ileal coliforms (p < 0.01) with the inclusion of bacteriophages in the diet. Bacteriophages increased ileal Lactobacillus and caecal Bifidobacterium and tended to increase ileal Bifidobacterium (p = 0.08). Contaminated environment decreased ileal Lactobacillus and caecal Bifidobacterium and tended to increase ileal Clostridium (p = 0.08) and coliforms (p = 0.08). Total anaerobic bacteria was tended to decrease (p = 0.06) in contaminated environment. Jejunal villus height increased in pigs received bacteriophages, but they did not affect other morphological items. The interaction between bacteriophages and environment tended to be significant (p = 0.06) for ileal villus height and ileal villus height to crypt depth ratio. The overall faecal score was significantly greater in hygienic environment and bacteriophages groups. The present findings indicate that there is an interactive effect on feed efficiency between bacteriophages and contaminated environment. In addition, bacteriophages improve jejunum morphology, and intestinal microbiota of pigs.     

弧菌属PCR检测方法的建立与应用

根据弧菌属细菌(Vibrio spp.)共有的rpo A基因序列,比对和设计了一对PCR引物,建立了能够快速而准确地检测弧菌属细菌的通用PCR检测方法,该方法对靶标DNA的检测灵敏度为58 fg/μL,对菌液的检测灵敏度为2.7×102cfu/m L,能够区分该属细菌与其它属的细菌,具有极高的特异性。使用建立的方法对分离自南美白对虾的病原菌进行了检验,并结合16S r DNA序列分析,结果显示待检测病原均为弧菌属的细菌,与测序结果一致,说明该检测方法可用于弧菌属细菌的检测和诊断。     

碱茅耐盐性的研究

对碱茅不同生育期的耐盐性试验表明：碱茅成株的耐盐性强，种子和苗期的耐盐性低。种子对硫酸盐土混合盐、碳酸钠单盐和氯化钠单盐室内萌发的耐盐度分别是（溶液浓度）３．４７％、１．０８％、１．５８％。种子出苗期适宜的土壤盐渍度为１．７１２％，临界盐渍度为３．１０％。苗期以后耐盐性逐渐提高，可在２．４７～２．７９％的土壤盐渍度下生长发育正常。成株的耐盐度高达４．２４８％。田间播种碱茅草在０～１０ｃｍ土壤含盐量１．６５％以下时，可以正常出苗。盐分达到１．８５％时，需要加大实际播量，以便全苗。     

防治早熟禾腐霉枯萎病的种衣剂配方与药效试验

针对草坪草苗期腐霉枯萎病菌(Pythium spp.)可由土壤和种子携带的特点,以恶霉灵、甲霜灵杀菌剂和植物生长调节剂等为原料研究草坪种衣剂,并在黑龙江省进行了药效试验。研究结果表明,筛选出的药物型和药肥复合型草坪专用种衣剂对草坪草安全无害,不仅对草坪草苗期腐霉枯萎病防效在80%～97%,而且能促进草坪草生长,与对照相比,2号和5号种衣剂处理的植株增高了1.63～2.73 cm,根长增加1.5～2.5 cm,根质量增加了1.54～1.81 g,分蘖数增加了1.33～2.00个。     

Epidemiological observations on stomach worms of donkeys in Morocco

Over two consecutive years, weekly examinations for the presence of nematodes were conducted on 185 stomachs from donkeys originating mainly from the Rabat, Casablanca and Settat regions of Morocco. All the animals, except one, were infected by at least one of four helminth species.Trichostrongylus axei was found in 93.5%,Habronema muscae in 89.7%,H. majus in 85.4% andDraschia megastoma in 1.1% of donkeys. Most animals were infected by two (23.8%) or three (71.9%) species. High burdens ofT. axei were observed in the winter of both years and in the mid-summer of the second year. Peak burdens ofHabronema were found at various times throughout both years. There were more adultH. majus thanH. muscae. The periods of peak levels of infection by these parasites were related to environmental conditions suitable for the development and survival of infective larvae ofT. axei and for the build-up of muscid fly vectors ofHabronema andDraschia spp.     

牛鞭草种质资源在中国的分布及其人工草地建植技术

牛鞭草为一种高大型C4禾草,其分布较广,主要分布在热带、亚热带和北半球的温带湿润地区。牛鞭草在我国已知的有4种,各种的分布有所不同。牛鞭草由于适应性广、耐刈割、产量高、品质好,被广泛种植,但由于长期单一种植造成草地严重退化,从而影响了该草的产量和品质,因此本文还从牛鞭草的建植和管理技术方面作了一定的论述。