Leptospira interrogans at the Human–Wildlife Interface in Northern Botswana: A Newly Identified Public Health Threat

Leptospirosis is the most widespread zoonosis in the world. In northern Botswana, humans live in close proximity to a diversity of wildlife and peridomestic rodents and may be exposed to a variety of zoonotic pathogens. Little is known regarding the occurrence and epidemiology of L. interrogans in Africa despite the recognized global importance of this zoonotic disease and the threat it poses to public health. In Botswana, banded mongooses (Mungos mungo) live in close proximity to humans across protected and unprotected landscapes and may be a useful sentinel species for assessing the occurrence of zoonotic organisms, such as L. interrogans. We utilized PCR to screen banded mongoose kidneys for leptospiral DNA and identified 41.5% prevalence of renal carriage of L. interrogans (exact binomial 95% CI 27.7–56.7%, n = 41). Renal carriage was also detected in one Selous' mongoose (Paracynictis selousi). This is the first published confirmation of carriage of L. interrogans in either species. This is also the first report of L. interrogans occurrence in northern Botswana and the only report of this organism in a wildlife host in the country. Pathogenic Leptospira are usually transmitted indirectly to humans through soil or water contaminated with infected urine. Other avenues, such as direct contact between humans and wildlife, as well as consumption of mongooses and other wildlife as bushmeat, may pose additional exposure risk and must be considered in public health management of this newly identified zoonotic disease threat. There is a critical need to characterize host species involvement and pathogen transmission dynamics, including human–wildlife interactions that may increase human exposure potential and infection risk. We recommend that public health strategy be modified to include sensitization of medical practitioners to the presence of L. interrogans in the region, the potential for human infection, and implementation of clinical screening. This study illustrates the need for increased focus on neglected zoonotic diseases as they present an important threat to public health.     

草地生态系统安全及其评价研究

探讨了草地生态安全及其评价的概念与内涵,认为草地生态系统安全判断与度量准则应该是草地生态系统健康、草地生态系统服务功能及生态风险与管理的科学统一。同时尝试提出了草地生态系统安全评价的"健康-服务功能-风险与管理(health-service-risk and management,HSRM)"模型,构建了HSRM评价模型的指标体系,提出草地生态安全评价中草地生态安全度计算公式和安全状态分级标准。     

Feeding value of pastures for horses

The feeding value of fresh pasture grazed in situ is determined by animal performance or productivity and could be relatively easily established for growing and lactating horses. Despite this, there is a lack of published information on the relative feeding value of different pastures and forages grazed by horses in New Zealand and the world. In addition, for adult breeding or non-breeding and young or adult sport or performance horses, the definition of feeding value and its determination remain problematic.

Limited information suggests that the feeding value of perennial ryegrass-based pasture in New Zealand for young growing horses is high, and growth rates for Thoroughbred horses fed solely on pasture in New Zealand are similar to those reported from the Northern Hemisphere where grain-based supplements are fed in addition to pasture or other forages. Attempts to assess the ability of fresh pastures to meet the nutrient requirements of horses are hampered by problems associated with determination of feed intake by grazing horses and lack of knowledge of the digestibility and utilisation of digested nutrients, including the relative bio availability of macro- and micro-minerals in pasture. A further challenge for future research is to determine the effect of herbage allowance and grazing behaviour, including pasture species preferences, on voluntary feed intake by grazing horses.

Grazing pasture has benefits for equine health and well-being including reduced risk of some nutrition-related disorders and reduced prevalence of stereotypic behaviour. Pastured horses have greater freedom for expression of natural behaviours including social interaction and exercise. However, grazing pasture is also associated with animal health problems, particularly parasitism and diseases related to pasture-associated toxins.     

Management of five stored-product insects in wheat with pirimiphos-methyl and pirimiphos-methyl plus synergized pyrethrins

Hard red winter wheat was treated with pirimiphos-methyl at 4, 6 and 8 mg kg(-1), synergized pyrethrins at 0.38, 0.75, 1.13 and 1.5 mg kg(-1), and combinations of the two insecticides, to conduct laboratory bioassays against four beetle pests of stored grain, red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), rusty grain beetle Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens), lesser grain borer Rhyzopertha dominica (F), and rice weevil Sitophilus oryzae (L), and one moth pest, Indianmeal moth Plodia interpunctella (Hubner). Beetle adults and P interpunctella larvae survived well on control wheat, producing a large number of progeny (65-1037 insects per container). Kernel damage in control wheat among the insect species ranged from 9 to 99%. On pirimiphos-methyl-treated wheat, mortality of R dominica adults was > or =72%, but that of the other beetle species and P interpunctella larvae was 100%. Progeny were not produced on pirimiphos-methyl-treated wheat, and the kernel damage was negligible (< or =1%). Synergized pyrethrins were ineffective against the five insect pests. Pirimiphos-methyl combined with synergized pyrethrins was not superior to pirimiphos-methyl alone against the five insect pests. Pirimiphos-methyl is not registered in the USA for use on wheat, but our results suggest that it could be a viable grain protectant at rates of 4-8 mg kg(-1).     

东大河林区青海云杉林健康评价

以2008年青海云杉（Picea classifolia）林样地调查资料为基础,用主成分分析、聚类分析、森林健康综合评价模型的方法,对东大河林区青海云杉林的森林健康状况进行了综合评价,结果表明,反映青海云杉林健康状况的自然环境、群落特征、恢复力、生产力和生产潜力5个方面19个指标,能够初步构建青海云杉林的健康评价指标体系。影响青海云杉林健康状况的主要指标有群落类型、郁闭度、灌木层盖度、林分蓄积量、土壤吸湿水、土壤含水率6个。将13个青海云杉林样地划分为健康、亚健康、不健康3类,健康样地包括7个苔藓-青海云杉林样地,占53.82%;亚健康林包括1个苔藓-青海云杉林样地和3个草类-青海云杉林样地,占30.77%;不健康林包括2个灌木-青海云杉林样地,占15.38%。     

三种猪繁殖与呼吸综合征疫苗免疫效果评价

为研究不同猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒(PRRSV)疫苗的的免疫特性,分别采用PRRSV变异株(JXA1-R)弱毒疫苗、经典PRRSV(VR 2332)弱毒疫苗、变异株(JXA1)灭活疫苗,免疫接种PRRSV抗原和抗体阴性的健康断奶仔猪,免疫接种后70d用PRRSV变异株强毒攻毒,ELISA检测血清中PRRSV特异的抗体水平及IFN-γ、IL 2、IL 4、IL 8、IL 10的水平,并进行临床症状和肺部病理组织学观察和评分。结果表明,VR 2332、JXA1-R弱毒疫苗对免疫猪攻毒保护效果差异不显著,均为63.6%(7/11),JXA1灭活疫苗免疫攻毒保护效果较差,为36.4%(4/11)。试验还发现病毒感染猪血清中细胞因子IFN-γ和IL-10的比值可以作为评价疫苗免疫效果的一个指标。     

黄瓜根际细菌J352对大豆根腐病菌的作用

J352是从黄瓜根际筛选到的一株对病原真菌具有拮抗作用的细菌。室内培养结果表明,该菌对大豆根腐镰刀病菌有较强的抑制效果。J352发酵液对2种病原真菌孢子萌发有较高的抑制率;细菌与病原菌共培养后发现真菌菌丝和孢子发生畸变,菌丝和孢子内部均发生原生质体凝聚并出现空洞。与其它供试病原真菌的对峙培养发现,对烟草赤星病菌抑制作用最明显,抑菌率达85.5%。     

不同杀菌剂防治烟草赤星病的田间药效评价

试验比较25%嘧菌酯SC、687.5 g/L氟菌霜霉威SC、40%菌核净WP和10%多抗霉素WP 4种杀菌剂对烟草赤星病的田间防治效果。结果表明:25%嘧菌酯SC 600倍液和40%菌核净WP 800倍液防治效果较好,其防效依次为77.33%和70.85%;687.5 g/L氟菌霜霉威SC 600倍液次之,防效为56.96%;10%多抗霉素WP 700倍防效为51.12%。     

Evidence of synergy with ‘stacked’ intrarow cultivation tools

Intrarow cultivation efficacy is often low and highly variable. As the mechanisms affecting weed mortality likely vary by tool, several companies have developed cultivators with the ability to use several different intrarow tools at once. We evaluated the potential for such ‘stacking’ of cultivation tools to increase efficacy. We used different sequences of torsion weeders, finger weeders and row harrows in a test crop of maize with surrogate weeds, Sinapis alba and Panicum miliaceum. Most tool combinations resulted in an additive increase in efficacy compared with the individual tools, but the combination of torsion–finger–row harrow demonstrated a synergistic increase in efficacy. In separate experiments, forward speed, soil moisture and weed size were negatively correlated with efficacy, but the torsion–finger–row harrow combination continued to demonstrate a synergistic increase in efficacy compared with the individual tools in 7 of 11 cases. The drawback was high crop mortality (16.0 ± 1.16%); further mechanistic research is needed to reduce crop mortality while maintaining high mean efficacy, through tool design, adjustment and cultural factors.     

短稳杆菌100亿孢子／毫升悬浮剂防治甘蓝小菜蛾毒力测定和田间试验

短稳杆菌（Empedobacterbrevis）是从罹病死亡的四龄斜纹夜蛾幼虫尸体中分离、筛选、纯化而来的生物农药创制新品种。经初步试验,该农药对鳞翅目害虫有较好的防效。为摸清进一步提高该农药防治甘蓝小菜蛾药效的有效途径,探索光照、温度、湿度、稀释浓度、防治对象不同虫龄与防治效果之间的关系,设置室内和田间药效试验,探析田间应用技术,为合理、科学、大面积推广使用该农药提供科学依据。