Prevalence of bluetongue virus antibodies and associated risk factors among cattle in East Darfur State,Western Sudan

Background

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is an insect-transmitted virus, which causes bluetongue disease (BT) in sheep and a fatal hemorrhagic infection in North American white-tailed deer. However, in cattle the disease is typically asymptomatic and no overt clinical signs of disease appear to be associated with BTV infection. Serological evidence and isolation of different BTV serotypes have been reported in Sudan, however, no information is currently available in regard to previous exposure of Sudanese livestock to BTV infection in East Darfur State, Sudan.

Aims

To determine the prevalence of BTV antibodies and to identify the potential risk factors associated with BTV infection among cattle in East Darfur State, Sudan.

Methods

A total of 224 blood samples were collected randomly from five localities in East Darfur State, Sudan. The serum samples were screened for detection of BTV-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA).

Results

Serological evidence of BTV infection was observed in 150 out of 224 animals accounting for a 67% prevalence rate among cattle in East Darfur State. Older cattle (>2 years of age) were six times more likely to be infected with BTV (OR = 6.62, CI = 2.87-15.26, p-value = 0.01). Regarding animal source (contact with other herds) as a risk factor, it was shown that cattle purchased from market or introduced from other herds were 3 times at higher risk of being infected with BTV (OR = 3.87, CI = 1.07-13.87, p value = 0.03). Exposure of cattle to the insect vector increased the risk of contracting BTV infection by six times compared to non-exposed cattle (OR = 6.44, CI = 1.53-27.08, p value = 0.01).

Conclusion

The present study indicated that age, animal source and the intensity of the insect vector are influential risk factors for BTV infection in cattle in the Darfur region. Surveillance for BTV infection should be extended to include other susceptible ruminants and to study the distribution of the insect vectors to better predict and respond to a possible BTV outbreak in the State of East Darfur, Sudan.     

Antibiotic susceptibility of bacteria isolated from infections in cats and dogs throughout Europe (2002–2009)

A monitoring program of the pre-treatment susceptibility of clinical isolates of bacteria from diseased dogs and cats was active between the years 2002 and 2009. Susceptibility of each isolated strain to a panel of nine antibiotics (amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, ampicillin, penicillin, clindamycin, doxycycline, enrofloxacin, marbofloxacin, trimethoprim and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole) was assessed. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of marbofloxacin was also determined by a standardized microdilution technique following CLSI recommendations. In total, 1857 bacterial strains were collected throughout Europe from cases of otitis, respiratory, urinary and dermatological infections. Although bacterial susceptibility varied for each of the antibiotics within the panel, patterns of susceptibility were similar to those described in the literature for comparable time periods and geographical areas. With a clinical resistance varying from 0 to 14.48% against the isolated strains, marbofloxacin susceptibility was very high and remains an effective antibiotic for the treatment of otitis, urinary, respiratory and dermatological infections in companion animals.     

古树名木普查建档及其信息化技术方案的探讨

城镇化进程中大量工程项目建设容易造成古树名木立地环境的恶化,使其面临潜在生存压力。本文从古树名木普查建档及其信息化的内容、技术路线、建设目标和预期成果等四个方面探讨技术方案,为制定古树名木保护措施和加强古树名木资源保护力度提供参考。     

互助县冬虫夏草资源调查

为了更好保护和利用冬虫夏草(Cordycrps sinensis)资源,对互助县冬虫夏草资源进行了调查。结果显示:互助县共有10个乡镇分布有冬虫夏草,分布面积12186hm2,蕴藏量约293kg。其中加定镇和巴扎乡为主产区,另外8个乡镇为零星分布区。     

黑龙江 家兔大肠埃希氏菌污染情况的调查

在自１９９６年至１９９９年的４年中，共从腹泻兔群中分离出１５株致病性大肠杆菌，血清型鉴定表示，这１５株大肠杆菌分属于７个血清型，其中以０６８的频率最高，达２０．０％，其次是０７和０１３０，达１３．３％。用试管凝集试验对１９９６年前自黑龙江省部分兔群中采集的血清进行检查，发现以０１３和０７血清型的污染率最高，分别达４８．４％和２４．３％。结果表明，近年来血清型的菌株流行为主，变为最近两年的以０６８等     

大同市农田杂草调查及防治

对大同市所辖农业 7县 2区的农田进行杂草调查 ,得知全市农田有杂草 16 2种 ,隶属 34科 ;划分出了北坡丘陵区、南山区、平川区及盆地灌区 4种地形型杂草 ;并就调查结果进行了分析 ,提出了防治建议     

Aesthetic preferences of non-farmers and farmers for different land-use types and proportions of ecological compensation areas in the Swiss lowlands

Beyond its traditional function of food production, agricultural land offers public amenities such as the protection of natural resources and landscape scenery. This study investigates the preferences of non-farmers and farmers for nine landscape scenarios in the Swiss lowlands. The nine landscapes were the result of a photo editing process combining three land-use types (arable crops, grassland and a mixture of both) and three proportions of ecological compensation areas (0%, 10% and 30%). The landscape photographs were randomly arranged on one page of a paper-based questionnaire which was sent to a random sample of 4000 Swiss households (non-farmers) and 500 farmers. The respondents (1376 non-farmers and 276 farmers) rated each landscape by attractiveness. Both non-farmers and farmers preferred a mixed land-use type or one dominated by arable crops over one dominated by grassland. Non-farmers’ preference ratings were highly influenced by the proportion of ecological compensation areas (ECAs) in the rated landscape: Non-farmers rated a landscape with a mixed land-use type and 30% ECAs highest, whereas farmers rated a landscape dominated by arable crops and 10% ECAs highest. The results indicate that heterogeneous landscapes (mixed land use, high proportion of ECAs) influence scenic beauty positively. Thus, farming practices and agro-environment schemes such as ECAs can have an impact on the visual attractiveness of a landscape.     

Distribution, status, and conservation needs of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Lampung Province, Sumatra, Indonesia

In the mid 1980s, Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) populations were believed to persist in 44 populations on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Twelve of these populations occurred in Lampung Province, but our surveys revealed that only three were extant in 2002. Causal factors underlying this decline include human population growth, changes in land use, and human-elephant conflict. Nevertheless, our surveys in the Province’s two national parks, Bukit Barisan Selatan and Way Kambas, produced population estimates of 498 (95% CI = [373, 666]) and 180 (95% CI = [144, 225]) elephants, respectively. The estimate for Bukit Barisan Selatan is much larger than previous estimates; the estimate for Way Kambas falls between previous estimates. The third population was much smaller and may not be viable. These are the first estimates for Southeast Asian elephant populations based on rigorous sampling-based methods that satisfied the assumptions of the models used, and they suggest that elephant numbers in these parks are of international importance. While our results suggest that Sumatra’s remaining elephant populations may be larger than expected, they also suggest that the future for these animals is bleak. Human-elephant conflict was reported around all three areas in Lampung and their elephant populations are currently threatened by habitat loss and poaching. Local solutions are possible, but will require much greater commitment by all stakeholders.     

不同来源微粒子孢子间血清学关系的比较研究

应用玻片凝集法和酶标抗体法比较了几种不同来源微粒子孢子间的血清学关系，包括本所保存的家蚕微粒子孢子（ＢｍＮ．ｂ），从安徽绩溪和江苏东台的饲养蚕中收集到的微粒子孢子和从四川收集到的蓝叶虫（ｐｈｙｌｌｏｂｒｏｔｉａｃａｒｍａｔａＢａｌｙ）微粒子孢子。结果表明，绩溪、东台微粒子孢子与ＢｍＮ．ｂ之间具有相同的血清学关系，而蓝叶虫微粒子孢子与ＢｍＮ．ｂ之间无血清学关系。     

河北省失地农民就业·收入及生产劳动适应状况调查

通过问卷调查的方式,对河北省失地农民就业、收入及生产劳动适应状况进行研究。结果表明,失地农民对目前从事工作的满意程度一般;大部分农民在失地后,对生产劳动比较适应;随着文化水平的提高,失地农民对生产劳动活动的适应性越强,不适应感越弱。同时分析了失地农民面临的就业生存困境。