Hip dysplasia and dog breeding

Summary

Hip dysplasia is considered to be one of the most serious problems in dog breeding. In the past 20 years the studies of, and the attempts to control, this condition have been directed mainly to the overall picture of the abnormality of the hips. The various efforts have resulted in a decrease in the incidence of HD in several breeds of dogs. For other breeds the results have not been very convincing, however. In some instances they are even said to be conflicting with other aims of breeding. Based on these data some separate studies have recently been performded in respect of the details of the disorders in the hip joints and of the heritability of these elements.

The present study concerns itself with the roots of the disorders as they are observed in the various breeds. A great variety of data indicates that selection within the canine species for specific morphological traits must be considered as one of the most important roots of the occurrence of HD. The collected data strongly indicate that improvements in the HD status in the various breeds can be reached by selection against specific disorders of the hip joints in these breeds.     

水貂细菌性疾病的病原学调查

为调查山东省水貂常发细菌病的病原学资料,分别对患病水貂进行了病理剖检、细菌的纯培养和生化鉴定。经分离鉴定确定致病菌的种类为变形杆菌、大肠杆菌、沙门氏菌、克雷伯氏菌、耶尔森氏菌、葡萄球菌和绿脓杆菌,并对水貂细菌病的发病原因和规律进行了探讨。     

菌根真菌菌剂防治作物土传病害潜力分析

 菌根真菌(mycorrhizal fungi,MF)对植物土传病害有一定的拮抗或抑制作用,能提高植物对土传病害的抗/耐病性。MF菌剂尤其是丛枝菌根真菌(arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi,AMF)及外生菌根真菌(ectomycorrhizal fungi,ECMF)菌剂作为一种生物防治剂在生产实践中的应用也是人们关心和感兴趣的问题。本文对MF菌剂防治土传病害的可能性、MF生态生理学、MF菌剂的生产、MF菌剂应用方法以及今后努力的方向进行了系统分析,并对MF菌剂防治土传病害的潜力和应用范围进行了评价。     

Cardiomyopathy in Dystrophin-Deficient Hypertrophic Feline Muscular Dystrophy

A colony of cats affected with hypertrophic feline muscular dystrophy was used to study the occurrence of cardiomyopathy associated with dystrophin deficiency. Affected male and female cats, obligate carrier females, and unaffected healthy littermates were followed from 12 weeks of age into adulthood. Thoracic radiography, 2-D echocardiography, and 2-D-derived M-mode echocardiography were performed at 3-month intervals until 12 months of age and regularly thereafter. From 9 months of age, all affected cats had larger hearts than normal and carrier animals. Left ventricular wall thickness in systole and in diastole and interventricular septal thickness in systole were greater in affected cats 12 months and older when compared with normal or heterozygous animals (P < .05). The myocardium of affected cats was diffusely hypoechoic and thickened. Multiple hyperechoic foci were in the myocardium and papillary musculature. Shortening fraction was normal in all cats. Changes seen in carrier females included enlargement and hyperechogenicity of the papillary musculature after the age of 2 years. Gross and light microscopic examination revealed left ventricular wall thickening with multiple foci of mineralization in 2 of 5 hearts from dystrophin-deficient cats. Although approximately 10% of the normal dystrophin amount was present in the skeletal muscle, dystrophin could not be detected in the myocardium. Early onset concentric myocardial hypertrophy was present in all adult cats. Lesions were mainly localized in the myocardium of the left ventricular free wall and interventricular septum, papillary musculature, and the endocardium. Clinical signs of heart failure developed only infrequently in cats with hypertrophic feline muscular dystrophy.     

Approaches to modeling intramammary infections in dairy cattle

In this paper, three approaches (Markov processes, discrete-event simulation, and differential equations) to modeling intramammary infections (IMI; focusing on the dynamic changes between uninfected, subclinical, and clinical udder-health states) are described. The objectives were to describe the various approaches to modeling intramammary infections, determine if simulations of the examples of the three approaches yield stable prevalences, and discuss the approaches' limitations. The literature review showed that there is no agreement on the proportion of animals that change health states. The approach of discrete-event simulation modeling included the most cow-level risk factors and udder-health states (hence, was judged to replicated best the dynamics of the infection process) and yielded stable prevalences for all udder-health states. However, there remain parts of the dynamics that need further research. These include the pathogen-specific probabilities and times of occurrence for: regression of clinical IMI to subclinical IMI, flare-up of subclinical IMI to clinical IMI, and incidence of subclinical IMI. Also, the assumption in all current approaches of homogenous mixing is violated because the primary contact structure for contagious pathogens during milking is either between cows through residual infectious milk in the milking machine or within a cow by vacuum fluctuations or teat-cup liner slips. Better contact structures should be incorporated so that the effects of control strategies can be better-estimated. Moreover, the three modeling approaches discussed assumed that all non-infected quarters are susceptible to infection—which might be denied by work in genetic resistance.     

ANGIOGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF BOVINE FOOT ABNORMALITIES

Angiography of normal and diseased feet in cattle was carried out. In osteomyelitis of distal phalanx there was a narrowing of the digital artery with diminished vascular supply to the affected digit. An area of bone necrosis was found to be avascular. With overgrown hooves, narrowing of both the medial and lateral digital arteries with ill-defined laminar vessels was seen. The vascular pattern in cattle with cork screw claws was characterized by a dilated tortuous digital artery and a crowded arterial network resulting in increased vascular supply in the affected claw. Abrupt stricture of common digital artery, a crowded vascular network in the area of the middle phalanx and filling defects of terminal arches were demonstrated in animals with exostosis     

Socio-economic factors influencing control of vector-borne diseases in the pastoralist system of south western Uganda

Research in control of tick-borne diseases and trypanosomosis, and their vectors, namely, ticks and tsetse flies respectively, has been on going for decades. However, very little attention has been paid to the socio-economic factors that are likely to influence the outcome of the interventions in the control of these diseases. Thus, this study was designed to investigate these factors, mainly the intra-household factors influencing decision-making in the control of Vector-borne diseases in the pastoralist areas of Uganda. These factors included: indigenous technical knowledge, household economic factors, and gender. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in the collection and analysis of data. The tools used for data collection included among others, participatory learning and action (PLA), and Case studies. The findings included the following: In pastoralist households, a big proportion of the household budget was allocated to vector-borne diseases control. In the male-headed households, men dominated decision-making on vector-borne diseases control, although the goals and priorities of men and women in these households were not the same. Also, vector-borne disease control was predominantly by use of modern veterinary drugs, and pastoralists treated sick cattle by themselves even in situations where there were veterinary personnel.     

中华蜜蜂保种(资源)分子生物学评价方法

中华蜜蜂是我国独特的东方蜜蜂遗传资源,具有非常重要的利用与保护价值。随着技术的发展,基于分子生物学的保种手段也逐渐展开。本文详细阐述了蜜蜂保种的重要性,介绍了适用于蜜蜂资源评价的常用遗传标记以及适用于遗传资源保护的评价指标,为中蜂资源保护与利用工作提供理论与实践指导。     

白色力克斯兔、哈尔滨白兔及杂交后代血液蛋白多态性研究Ⅱ.用血液蛋白多态性剖析亲本品种与杂种后代的遗传关系

根据所测定的白色力克斯兔(WR)、哈尔滨白兔(HW)及杂种一代(F_1,?WR×?HW)和回交一代[B_1,?WRX×?F_1,包括分离出的力克斯毛型(B_1R)和正常毛型(B_1N)]的5个血液蛋白多态系统——红细胞酯酶(Es—1、Es—2和Es—3)、前转铁蛋白(Prt)和后白蛋白(Po)的基因频率和基因型新率,比较了群体间的基因分布,估算了各群体内的平均杂合度和群体间的遗传距离,并运用类平均聚类法进行了聚类分析.结果表明,白色力克斯兔和哈尔滨白兔基因分布差异最大.亲缘关系最远;杂种一代和回交一代基因分布差异最小,亲缘关系最近;杂交一代和回交一代与白色力克斯兔亲缘关系较近,与哈尔滨白兔较远;回交一代中B_1N和B_1R间基因分布也存在一定差异.各群体平均杂合度大小为0.5223(HW)、0.4182[B_1,0.4846(B_1N)和0.3223(B_R)]、0.1105(F_1)和0.3946(WR).研究结果表明,利用蛋白多态性探讨家兔品种或品系间亲缘关系以及区分家兔品种或品系是可行的.此外,本文还结合各群体的变异性,对白色力克斯免和哈尔滨白兔的选育进行了探讨.