Prevalence and genetic diversity of Anaplasma marginale strains in cattle in South Africa

Bovine anaplasmosis, caused by the tick-borne rickettsia Anaplasma marginale, is endemic in South Africa and results in considerable economic loss to the cattle industry. This study was designed to characterize strains of A. marginale at the molecular level from cattle raised in communal and commercial farms in the north-eastern and south-western regions of the Free State Province, South Africa, that varied in rainfall and vegetation. Seroprevalence to A. marginale was determined in 755 cattle by an Anaplasma spp. competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and ranged from 44% to 98% and was similar in both regions. While Anaplasma centrale was not targeted in this study, A. marginale infections were identified by species-specific msp1alpha polymerase chain reaction in 129 of 215 of the samples studied. Similar genetic diversity of A. marginale strains was found in both the north-eastern and south-western regions. The sequences of 29 A. marginalemsp1alpha amplicons from South African strains revealed considerable genetic diversity providing 14 new repeat sequences. However, 42% of MSP1a repeat sequences were not unique to this region. These results indicated the presence of common genotypes between South African, American and European strains of A. marginale. Cattle movement between different parts of South Africa was suggested by the presence of identical A. marginale MSP1a genotypes in north-eastern and south-western regions of the Free State Province. Control strategies for anaplasmosis in South Africa should therefore be designed to be protective against genetically heterogeneous strains of A. marginale.     

加快信息化建设 服务怀来农业

从搭建服务平台、延伸服务通道、服务怀来农业三个方面,阐述了怀来县＂8＋1＂农业农村信息化服务模式,为解决农业农村信息传递＂最初一公里＂和＂最后一公里＂问题进行探索,促进了全县农业增产和农民增收。     

Commercial agriculture as creative destruction or destructive creation: a case study of chili cultivation and plant‐pest disease in the southern Yucatán region

Agricultural change encompasses both social and ecological alterations, some negative, some positive. Studies of land change and land degradation treat plant pest and diseases triggered by agricultural change in an inconsistent fashion. A study of the southern Yucatán region of Mexico reveals that the shift to commercial chili cultivation yields both positive and negative consequences, akin to the concepts of creative destruction and destructive creation. The negative consequences are dramatically amplified by persistent plant pest and diseases apparently triggered by the means of cultivation and by the inclusion of the region into a national marketing structure. Thus, while providing economic benefits to some of the farmers of the region the short‐ and long‐term impacts of chili cultivation on farmer households is mixed. Studies of agricultural land‐use change and household economics will benefit by incorporating plant pests and diseases as one of the suite of factors involved in land degradation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

茄子新品种沪茄二号和沪茄三号选育

沪茄二号和沪茄三号是适宜国内外茄子设施栽培地区和露地种植的优良茄子杂交一代。沪茄二号单果重153.0 g，每株座果数18.7个。沪茄三号单果重166.5 g，每株座果数16.1个。以上两个杂交一代均表现早熟，果实长棒形，果皮深紫黑色，光泽强，果形直，商品性优良，果实干物质含量和可溶性总糖高，持续结果能力强，前期产量和总产量高等优良综合性状。     

microRNA-124-3p调控H1N1亚型猪流感病毒致小鼠肺损伤的研究

为研究microRNA-124-3p（miR-124-3p）对H1N1亚型猪流感病毒（swine influenza virus,SIV）感染小鼠所致肺损伤的调控作用,本试验构建miR-124-3p腺病毒表达载体,通过小鼠尾部静脉注射法构建miR-124-3p差异表达小鼠模型,试验分3组：过表达组、抑制组和对照组。48 h后,各组小鼠鼻腔接种H1N1亚型SIV,每只10⁵ EID₅₀（50 μL）。连续观察14 d,计算小鼠平均体重变化率、观察病理切片并测定相关炎症因子IL-1β、TNF-α和IL-6 mRNA相对表达量。结果显示,已成功将pre-miR序列及其sponge序列插入腺病毒的穿梭质粒,并将其共转染293A细胞。实时荧光定量PCR检测证实,与对照组相比,过表达组和抑制组小鼠黑色素瘤细胞miR-124-3p表达水平分别极显著升高（P<0.01）和显著降低（P<0.05）,表明成功构建腺病毒表达载体。过表达组、抑制组和对照组小鼠体重变化率分别为－5.5%、－12.4%和－8.6%。抑制组和对照组均可见肺泡壁增厚,其间有多量淋巴细胞浸润,部分肺泡内出现纤维蛋白渗出,且抑制组病理变化更为严重,肺泡中还有大量的红细胞浸润;而过表达组仅有少量的淋巴细胞浸润,肺脏组织较正常。与对照组相比,过表达组检测的炎症因子IL-1β、TNF-α和IL-6 mRNA表达水平均显著降低（P<0.05）;抑制组炎症相关炎症因子mRNA表达水平均显著升高（P<0.05）。本试验结果表明,miR-124-3p对H1N1亚型SIV感染小鼠所致的肺脏炎症因子的表达具有抑制作用,同时能减轻肺脏病理损伤。     

植被指数估算香格里拉地区植被覆盖度的精度对比分析

利用MOD13Q1数据构建多种植被指数,结合像元二分模型对香格里拉县植被覆盖度进行遥感估算,并通过实测数据和TM影像数据相结合,对估算结果进行精度验证。结果表明:（1）构建的4种植被指数NDVI,EVI,RVI,MSAVI均与研究区实际地表植被覆盖度具有较高的相关性,表明使用遥感方法对香格里拉县进行植被覆盖度的估算是可行的;（2）通过与TM影像进行对比分析,4种植被指数中,利用MSAVI估算的植被覆盖度更接近于香格里拉县的实际情况。     

“蚕保一号”防治蚕病药效试验

新研制的防治细菌性疾病的蚕药“蚕保一号”为液体制剂,成品加水稀释给蚕添食可防治蚕病。试验表明：给蚕添食１０００ｍｇ／Ｌ的“蚕保一号”水剂,治疗细菌性疾病效果达９５％以上;一次性给蚕预服５００ｍｇ／Ｌ“蚕保一号”２～４ｈ后,预防细菌性蚕病效果平均为６０％以上。蚕期使用,对蚕的生理以及茧质无不良影响。     

Adaptive conjoint analysis to determine perceived risk factors of farmers, veterinarians and AI technicians for introduction of BHV1 to dairy farms

A study was carried out to determine the possibility of a more-closed farming system for (Dutch) dairy farms. The objective of the study was to provide effective and economically profitable management advice for improving the animal-health status of farms. Management measures will only be successfully applied if supported by farmers and their advisors (such as veterinarians). Therefore, the perception of farmers and advisors of the importance of various risk factors for the introduction of diseases to a farm was determined by using bovine herpes virus type 1 (BHV1) as an example.

As part of the study, an evening-long workshop was organized and run thrice. In total, 49 farmers, veterinarians and AI technicians participated in these workshops. The computerized questionnaire technique was based on adaptive conjoint analysis (ACA). ACA has the advantage that participants can work with a large number of risk factors in a relatively short period of time. Another advantage of ACA (compared with standard questionnaires) is that the answers from each participant can be checked with regard to consistency with respect to the importance assigned to them. Data from participants with inconsistent responses can be excluded from further analyses. The results of the ACA interview were compared with the risk factors reported in the literature as being associated with BHV1 status (e.g. purchase of cattle, participation in cattle shows) and with farmers' actual management to prevent the introduction of diseases.

The workshop participants were all operating in the dairy sector and they seemed well aware of the risk of direct animal contacts for the introduction of BHV1. Farmers thought visitors to be more risky than did AI technicians and (especially) veterinarians. Farmers who purchased cattle or participated in cattle shows were of the opinion that the risks of direct animal contacts were more important than did farmers who were not involved in those practices. Farmers whose farms were BHV1-positive (and participated in cattle shows more often) thought the risk of participation smaller than did farmers with BHV1-negative farms.     

城市土壤特性及其改良

城市土壤是经过人类活动的长期干扰,并在城市特殊的环境背景下发育起来的土壤。它与农田土壤的特性有着明显的不同,对城市森林植物的生长十分不利。文章就城市土壤的特性及改良技术措施作简要介绍。       

The membrane‐type estrogen receptor G‐protein‐coupled estrogen receptor suppresses lipopolysaccharide‐induced interleukin 6 via inhibition of nuclear factor‐kappa B pathway in murine macrophage cells

The female sex hormone estrogen exerts anti‐inflammatory effects. The G‐protein‐coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) has been recently identified as a novel membrane‐type estrogen receptor that can mediate non‐genomic estrogenic effects on many cell types. We previously demonstrated that GPER inhibits tumor necrosis factor alpha‐induced expression of interleukin 6 (IL‐6) through repression of nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) promoter activity using human breast cancer cells. Although several reports have indicated that GPER suppresses Toll‐like receptor‐induced inflammatory cytokine expression in macrophages, the molecular mechanisms of the inhibition of cytokine production via GPER remain poorly understood. In the present study, we examined GPER‐mediated inhibition of IL‐6 expression induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in a mouse macrophage cell line. We found that the GPER agonist G‐1 inhibited LPS‐induced IL‐6 expression in macrophage cells, and this inhibition was due to the repression of NF‐κB promoter activity by GPER. G‐1 treatment also decreased the phosphorylation of inhibitor of κB kinases. Among the mitogen‐activated protein kinases, the phosphorylation of c‐jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) was increased by G‐1. These findings delineate the novel mechanism of the inhibition of LPS‐induced IL‐6 through GPER‐activated JNK‐mediated negative regulation of the NF‐κB pathway in murine macrophage cells, which links anti‐inflammatory effects to estrogen.