Ecology of Rhodococcus equi

A selective broth enrichment technique was used to study the distribution of Rhodococcus equi in soil and grazing animals. Rhodococcus equi was isolated from 54% of soils examined and from the gut contents, rectal faeces and dung of all grazing herbivorous species examined. Rhodococcus equi was not isolated from the faeces or dung of penned animals which did not have access to grazing. The isolation rate from dung was much higher than from other samples and this was found to be due to the ability of R. equi to multiply more readily in dung. Delayed hypersensitivity tests were carried out on horses, sheep and cattle, but only horses reacted significantly. The physiological characteristics of R. equi and the nature of its distribution in the environment suggested that R. equi is a soil organism.     

内蒙古赛罕乌拉国家级自然保护区陆生野生动物长期监测简报

开展生物多样性动态长期监测,了解生态系统结构与功能变化,探明生物多样性变化过程及影响因素是制定有效保护措施的重要基础。本研究在内蒙古赛罕乌拉国家级自然保护区开展10年野生动物多样性动态监测,新发现保护区分布哺乳动物7种、鸟类98种,内蒙古鸟类新纪录2种,内蒙古蛇类新纪录1种。但也未发现一些以往有记录的物种,需要进一步强化野生动物多样性监测,探明物种变化的原因。后续监测工作引入了非损伤采集动物粪样提取DNA技术,从而深入了解保护区野生动物种群长期稳定的遗传学和空间分布特征,为有效管理自然保护区珍稀野生动物提供科技支撑。     

草地早熟禾品种在北京地区对褐斑病的抗性评价

采用田间目测法对草地早熟禾（Poa pratensis）31个品种的抗病性进行评价。结果表明,不同品种（系）对褐斑病（Rhizoctonia solani）的抗性有较明显差异,抗病程度分别从高感到高抗,其中有9个品种的相对抗病指数与隶属函数值均在0.70～1.00,属褐斑病高抗;有6个的相对抗病指数与隶属函数值在0.50～0.70,属于褐斑病中抗;有1个的相对抗病指数与隶属函数值在0.30～0.50,属褐斑病感病;有9个的相对抗病指数与隶属函数值在0.10～0.30,属褐斑病中感;有3个的相对抗病指数与隶属函数值在0.10以下,属褐斑病高感;有3个品种由于评价结果不一致尚不确定其抗病等级。     

中蜂越夏及秋季繁殖试验

在贵州锦屏进行的中蜂越夏及秋繁试验表明，４框以上的群势越夏较为安全。越夏期间每框足蜂约需补喂白糖１．５公斤。越夏后，蜂群群势约下降１／３左右。蜂群在越夏期间飞逃的主要原因是缺蜜及巢虫危害。当地中蜂在秋季大流蜜初期发生分蜂，分蜂群势均为８框足蜂以上，７框左右不分群。为控制不同起繁群势的蜂群在秋季大流蜜初期正好繁殖到７框左右，不致因分蜂影响秋冬蜜的采集，应分期起步秋繁。根据本试验所建秋季起繁群势（ｘ）与达７框群势所需繁殖天数（ｙ）之间的回归直线方程推算，在起繁群势为１～５框蜂量时，最适的秋繁开始期，１框群为７月３１日，２框群８月１０日……蜂群的基础群势每增加一框，则秋繁开始期应相应推迟１０～１１天。     

Is the metabolic syndrome a useful clinical concept in dogs? A review of the evidence

The metabolic syndrome is a set of risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and stroke in human beings. The term has recently been applied to dogs that exhibit components of the human metabolic syndrome, specifically visceral obesity, hypercholesterolaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia, hypertension and fasting hyperglycaemia. Obese dogs, like obese humans, are known to develop resistance to the glucose-lowering effects of insulin, and develop increased circulating concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol and blood pressure. Unlike humans, however, obese dogs do not develop fasting hyperglycaemia or atherogenic hyperlipidaemia. Importantly, there is no evidence that dogs develop type 2 diabetes. Atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and stroke are rare and not known to be associated with obesity in dogs. On the basis of current knowledge, the use of the term ‘metabolic syndrome’ in dogs does not appear to have merit.     

A survey of mutations in the Cochliomyia hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae) esterase E3 gene associated with organophosphate resistance and the molecular identification of mutant alleles

Cochliomyia hominivorax (Calliphoridae) is one of the most important myiasis-causing flies and is responsible for severe economic losses to the livestock industry throughout the Neotropical region. In Brazil, C. hominivorax has been controlled mainly with organophosphate (OP) insecticides, although the inappropriate use of these chemicals can result in the selection of resistant flies. Changes in carboxylesterase activity have been associated with OP insecticides in some arthopodan species. In this work, we isolated and characterized part of the E3 gene in C. hominivorax (ChE7), which contained the same substitutions responsible for the acquisition of OP hydrolase activity in Lucilia cuprina (Calliphoridae). Digestion of the polymerase chain reaction products with a restriction enzyme that specifically recognized the mutation site unambiguously differentiated wild and mutated esterase alleles. The PCR-RFLP assay therefore provided a fast, reliable DNA-based method for identifying C. hominivorax individuals with a mutation in the esterase gene. Further bioassays to determine the association of this mutation with OP resistance in C. hominivorax should allow the development of more effective strategies for managing this species.     

Fine structure and invasive behaviour of the early developmental stages of Theileria annulata in vitro

The interaction, in vitro, between bovine peripheral blood lymphocytes and sporozoites of Theileria annulata (Ankara) was studied by light and electron microscopy. Beginning five minutes following incubation, samples were taken for Giemsa-stained smears and glutaraldehyde-fixed pellets, for light and electron microscopy, respectively. Sporozoites of T. annulata measure an average of 0.9 microns long, 0.8 microns broad and possess a limiting unit membrane, the pellicle; a round-to-ovoid, eccentrically situated, non-chromocentric nucleus; double-membraned, tubular, acristate mitochondria; varying numbers of anisocytic, densely osmiophilic and pleomorphic organelles, the rhoptries which together with the polar ring form the apical complex; and numerous, loosely scattered, electron-dense ribosomal particles. As early as 5 min of incubation, sporozoites had made contact with, and penetrated, lymphocytes. Sporozoites consistently attached to the lymphocyte plasmalemma by their basal end, possibly at specific receptor sites. Apparently only a proportion of lymphocytes (up to 40% and more commonly 10-20%) were susceptible. Two subpopulations of the susceptible lymphocytes were observed; one which appeared to have receptor sites localized on one pole of the plasmalemma and the other subpopulation in which the receptor sites were distributed evenly around the plasmalemmal surface. Within individual susceptible lymphocytes, the number of interiorized sporozoites increased from 1 to 3 at 5-10 min to as many as 15 or more parasites at around 60 min of incubation. Theileria annulata sporozoites were interiorized by the invagination of the host cell plasmalemma which remained intact throughout the process but later fragmented. Within 30 min of interiorization, each sporozoite underwent dedifferentiation by the loss of its rhoptries and transformed into a trophozoite. Around 24 h, the trophozoite, a uninucleate, motile and feeding stage of the parasite, developed into a schizont by an acentric, closed mitosis.