Responsible antimicrobial use in critically ill adult horses

Due to increasing antimicrobial resistance, pressure on veterinarians is mounting to adhere to responsible use of antimicrobial drugs. Antimicrobials are frequently included in the treatment of systemically ill horses due to the strong likelihood of an infection and the innate difficulties in differentiating systemic inflammation secondary to noninfectious from infectious causes. In light of increasing antimicrobial drug resistance and the potential negative impact of antimicrobials on equine patients, every attempt should be made to identify noninfectious disease, choose first-line antimicrobials and discontinue treatment as soon as possible. In most cases, a short duration of antimicrobial therapy ranging from a single dose (e.g. preoperatively) to 24–72 h might be sufficient with long-term treatment being rarely required. This article aims to provide practical guidelines for antimicrobial drug usage in critically ill adult horses by describing ancillary diagnostic aids that can help establishing whether or not an infection is present, discussing commonly encountered pathogens and their typical antimicrobial drug sensitivity patterns, and providing some guidance how to safely shorten the duration of antimicrobial therapy.     

Response of soil microbial communities to compost amendments

Soil organic matter is considered as a major component of soil quality because it contributes directly or indirectly to many physical, chemical and biological properties. Thus, soil amendment with composts is an agricultural practice commonly used to improve soil quality and also to manage organic wastes. We evaluated in laboratory scale experiments the response of the soilborne microflora to the newly created soil environments resulting from the addition of three different composts in two different agricultural soils under controlled conditions. At a global level, total microbial densities were determined by classical plate count methods and global microbial activities were assessed by measuring basal respiration and substrate induced respiration (SIR). Soil suppressiveness to Rhizoctonia solani diseases was measured through bioassays performed in greenhouses. At a community level, the modifications of the metabolic and molecular structures of bacterial and fungal communities were assessed. Bacterial community level physiological profiles (CLPP) were determined using Biolog™ GN microtiter plates. Bacterial and fungal community structures were investigated using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) fingerprinting. Data sets were analyzed using analysis of variance and ordination methods of multivariate data. The impact of organic amendments on soil characteristics differed with the nature of the composts and the soil types. French and English spent mushroom composts altered all the biological parameters evaluated in the clayey soil and/or in the sandy silty clay soil, while green waste compost did not modify either bacterial and fungal densities, SIR values nor soil suppressiveness in any of the soils. The changes in bacterial T-RFLP fingerprints caused by compost amendments were not related to the changes in CLPP, suggesting the functional redundancy of soil microorganisms. Assessing the density, the activity and the structure of the soil microflora allowed us not only to detect the impact of compost amendment on soil microorganisms, but also to evaluate its effect at a functional level through the variation of soil disease suppressiveness. Differences in disease suppressiveness were related to differences in chemical composition, in availability of nutrients at short term and in microbial composition due to both incorporation and stimulation of microorganisms by the compost amendments.     

Eubacterial community structure and population size within the soil light fraction, rhizosphere, and heavy fraction of several agricultural systems

The hypothesis that soil light fraction and heavy fraction harbor distinct eubacterial communities and have differing numbers and sizes of bacterial cells was tested in three agronomic cropping systems. This hypothesis would imply that these soil fractions are distinct microbial habitats. Shoot residue and rhizosphere soil were also included in the analysis. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) of 16S ribosomal DNA was used to assay eubacterial community structure. T-RFLP profiles were affected by both soil fraction and cropping system, accounting for 35-50% of the variance in the profiles. T-RFLP profiles separated samples into two distinct eubacterial habitats: soil heavy fraction, which includes the mineral particles and associated humified organic matter, and soil light fraction/shoot residue and rhizosphere, which includes particulate soil organic matter. Differences were not based on organic C content of fractions alone; T-RFLP profiles were also differentiated by cropping system and by rhizosphere versus light fraction/shoot residue. Heavy fraction communities had the least amount of random variability in T-RFLP profiles, resulting in the clearest cropping system effects, while rhizosphere and shoot residue communities were the most variable. Profiles from organically managed corn soil were more variable than for either conventionally managed corn or alfalfa. The log number of bacterial cells per gram fraction was affected by soil fraction but not cropping system, being highest in the light fraction. The percentage of cells >0.18 μm³ was also greater in the light fraction than in other fractions. While bacterial cell density was generally correlated with C content of the soil fraction, heavy fraction did have a significantly greater number of cells per μg C than other soil fractions. The results show that habitat diversity in soil, related both to the amounts and types of organic matter, as well as other potential factors, are important in maintaining the high soil bacterial species diversity and evenness that is found in soil.     

氮磷钾肥对南板蓝穿孔病发生及防治的影响

运用试验设计及数理统计的方法探讨了氮磷钾肥对南板蓝穿孔病危害程度的影响及该病的防治措施。在南板蓝的栽培周期内,南板蓝穿孔病在7月12日前后的危害最重。在尿素、碳铵、硝铵3种肥料中,使用尿素时南板蓝穿孔病的发生率最低,危害程度最轻。氮、钾肥的施用量及氮、磷肥的合理配施对南板蓝穿孔病的防治具有重要作用。     

强化村级终端建设加快信息进村入户

农技110村级终端建设是农技110信息服务网络实现为民服务的关键。衢州市通过确立目标、规范建设标准、出台扶持政策、鼓励各类经济主体牵头建站，在强化农技110村级终端建设方面取得了显著成效，为推进农业信息化、促进农民增收做出了有益的探索。     

落叶松幼苗顶芽萌发过程中内源激素含量的变化

对落叶松幼苗项芽萌发过程中内源激素含量变化的研究结果表明：吲哚乙酸(IAA)、赤霉酸(GA3)、脱落酸(ABA)、玉米素核苷(ZR)在项芽或新梢中含量较高，而新梢形成期幼苗根中IAA、GA3及ZR含量均显著高于其它时期的幼苗，而其ABA含量则与其它时期幼苗无显著差别；项芽将萌发期幼苗叶片中的IAA、GA1及ZR含量高于其它幼苗。     

生命的磨难 灵魂的挣扎

疾病给卢照邻带来了深重的生命磨难, 他在感到空前的人生孤独和痛苦中, 发愤创作。他的病中创作表现出非同寻常的肉体与精神的痛苦, 展示了一个身染沉疴的人丰富复杂的内心世界: 绝境中无可底止的精神苦闷和强烈的痛愤, 绝望中灵魂的挣扎, 以及对社会、人生的思考, 对命运、生命的追问。他将生命的感悟有机地渗透在人生、生命、社会和历史文化的记录中, 为文学史留下了一笔宝贵的精神财富。