Outbreak of acute bovine viral diarrhea in Brazilian beef cattle: clinicopathological findings and molecular characterization of a wild-type BVDV strain subtype 1b

When first described in 1946, bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) was characterized as an acute transmissible disease associated with severe leucopenia, high fever, depression, diarrhea, gastrointestinal erosions, and hemorrhages. Recently the severe acute form has been related only to some hypervirulent BVDV-2 strains. This article reports the detection of BVDV-1b associated with an acute and fatal outbreak of BVD in a Brazilian beef cattle herd. Depression, anorexia, watery diarrhea, sialorrhea, and weakness were observed in six steers. One of these animals was evaluated for laboratorial, clinical, and pathological alterations. Laboratory findings were non-specific; clinically, the animal was weak, with dehydration and erosive oral lesions. Pathological alterations were predominant at the tongue, esophagus, and rumen. A RT-PCR assay using primers to partially amplify the 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR) of the BVDV genome was performed and identified BVDV in all clinical samples analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis of BVDV derived from lymph node revealed that this strain was clustered within the BVDV subtype 1b. This differentiating was only possible to be performed by molecular characterization since both clinical presentation and pathologic findings were similar to BVDV-2 infection.     

Genetic diversity of Bangladeshi native chickens based on complete sequence of mitochondrial DNA D-loop region

ABSTRACT

1. The aim of this study was to explore genetic diversity and possible origin of Bangladeshi (BD) native chickens. The complete mtDNA D-loop region was sequenced in 60 chickens representing five populations; naked neck, full feathered, Aseel, Hilly and autosomal dwarf. The 61 reference sequences representing different domestic chicken clades in China, India, Laos, Indonesia, Myanmar, and other Eurasian regions were included. The mtDNA D-loop sequence polymorphism and maternal origin of five BD populations were analysed.

2. A total of 35 polymorphic sites, and 21 haplotypes were detected in 60 mtDNA D-loop sequences. The haplotype and nucleotide diversity of the five populations were 0.921 ± 0.018 and 0.0061 ± 0.0019, respectively. Both mtDNA network and phylogenetic analysis indicated four clades (four haplogroups) in BD populations (21 haplotypes) along with 61 reference haplotypes. Clade E contained the most individuals (20) and haplotypes (11) of BD chickens, followed by clade D (17, 6), clade C (12, 2) and clade F (11, 2), respectively.

3. The higher number of unique haplotypes found in Yunnan, China, suggested that the origin of BD chickens was in this region. The haplotypes from different haplogroups were introduced in Bangladeshi chickens from India, China and Myanmar. The phylogenetic tree showed a close relationship of BD chickens with the clusters from India, China, Myanmar and Laos, and indicated the dispersion of BD chickens from these sources. The phylogenetic information revealed high genetic diversity of BD chickens because of their origin from different lineages with high genetic variation and distance, which was determined from four cluster and neighbour-joining trees.

4. In conclusion, BD populations had high genetic diversity. The mtDNA network profiles and phylogenetic trees showed multiple maternal origins of BD chickens from India, China, Myanmar and Laos.     

甘肃省不同区域人工草地土壤肥力特征研究

以甘肃省不同区域人工草地土壤样品为研究对象,测定12个不同区域[民乐县(ML1、ML2)、安定区(AD)、通渭县(TW1、TW2、TW3、TW4)、宁县(NX1、NX2)、靖远县(JY1、JY2、JY3)]人工草地土壤的pH值、有机质、全氮、速效磷、速效氮、速效钾。结果表明:AD的p H值最大,JY3的pH值最小;TW2有机质含量最高,AD有机质含量最低,TW2较AD提高了78.95%,在TW2种植陇东苜蓿对土壤有机质影响大;TW2、TW3速效氮含量较高,约为AD速效氮含量的3倍,在TW2、TW3种植陇东苜蓿对土壤速效氮影响大;JY2速效钾含量是AD的3倍,TW2速效钾的含量最低,在JY2种植陇东苜蓿对速效钾影响大;ML1、ML2速效磷含量较高,NX1、NX2速效磷含量较小,在NX1、NX2种植陇东苜蓿对土壤速效磷影响小;TW2全氮含量最高,较AD提高了85.07%,在TW2种植陇东苜蓿对土壤全氮影响大。综合分析结果显示,TW2土样的关联度值最大(0.787 9),综合肥力最好,为最优土样;NX2土样的关联度最小(0.500 7),综合肥力最差。     

Salinity an Environmental “Filter” Selecting for Plant Invasiveness? Evidence from Indigenous Lepidium alyssoides on Chihuahuan Desert Shrublands

A better understanding of site-specific factors such as soil salinity that regulate plant invasions is needed. We conducted a 3-mo greenhouse study to evaluate the salinity responses of three local maternal sources of Lepidium alyssoides, which is an indigenous species shown to aggressively colonize disturbed shrubland sites in the southwestern United States, including those affected by high salinity and sodicity. Results indicated that there were little or no population effects on plant evapotranspiration (ET), growth, and tissue Na and Cl concentrations. Significant reductions in seedling growth and ET were largely independent of various isosmotic saline irrigation solutions that included NaCl, Na₂SO₄, and CaCl₂, each at ? 0.1 MPa and ? 0.2 MPa, suggesting that ET and growth were controlled by solution osmotic potential. The combined Na and Cl concentrations in leaves were 9–10% of dry weight with no visible sign of injury. However, increasing leaf mortality and abscission as a proportion of total leaf production was observed in the high-salt treatments (? 0.2 MPa), with a combined Na and Cl concentration reaching 16% with high NaCl. Under saline conditions, considerable foliage salt loads of this species could deposit high-salt litter to potentially alter a landscape to its own favor and to the detriment of other salt-sensitive species. Results of this study add to a limited quantitative database on site-specific salinity factors governing plant invasions by showing the potential for these populations to behave invasively under saline conditions and, thus, potential for soil salinity assessment to predict incipient populations. However, due to its halophytic traits and indigenous status, L. alyssoides may alternatively provide ecosystem services to salinized shrublands of the arid and semiarid southwestern United States.     

我国著名水土保持专家张信宝研究员

张信宝研究员,男,1946年生于江苏镇江,1967年南京大学地质系毕业后,分配至中科院、水利部成都山地灾害与环境研究所.1992年被中科院特聘为研究员,现任山地农业与侵蚀研究中心主任,兼任中科院西安黄土与第四纪地质国家重点实验室客座研究员,四川联合大学客座教授,中国水保学会滑坡泥石流专业委员会常委、小流域综合治理专业委员会委员,中国地理学会地貌专业委员会委员,中国土壤学会土壤侵蚀专业委员会委员,<土壤侵蚀与水土保持学报>、<第四纪研究>、<山地研究>和<长江水土保持>诸杂志编委.1983～1986年在新西兰森林研究所工作期间,被聘为一级地学科学家.     

运用灰色关联度对棉花区试品种的综合评价

运用灰色关联度对河南省１９９３年参加棉花区试的７个品种,从高产,早熟,抗病,优质４个方面共１２个性状进行了分析,综合评定结果表明,新８７０４表现最优,具有高产,早熟,抗病,优质,适应性广等优良特性;中３８９、豫早５１６分别居二,三位。     

泥河沟试区旱作农业发展对策浅议

通过调查研究提出泥河沟试区旱作农业发展对策是：在充分利用降水的基础上合理施肥,以肥调水;同时,要选用和推广适合试区的抗旱作物和品种,积极推广现代耕作制度和模式。     

内蒙古东北部近十年耕地面积变化及评价

近十年内蒙古东北部额尔古纳市、科右前旗、东乌珠穆沁旗等２４ 个旗市耕地面积增加了５１．０４％ ,由此产生了显著的经济、社会效益。不仅缓解了人均耕地逐年下降的趋势而且满足了林区、工矿、城镇的商品粮需求。但是耕地大幅增加是以开垦大量草地为代价,使部分自然生态环境脆弱地区生态失调,影响了合理利用土地资源和可持续利用土地目标的实现     

中国南方草地现状与生产潜力

中国南方草地区为秦岭、淮河以南、青藏高原以东的广大地区 ,总面积约 2 70万 km2 ,分属淮河、长江、珠江 3大流域。南方草地多山 ,本文涉及的 12个南方省区中 ,山地与平原之比平均为 4 .85∶ 1,比全国平均比值高出 1倍。山地面积之大小与青藏高原距离的远近呈负相关。南方草地大体可以分为云贵高原区、华东区和华南区。笔者提出建立 3类系统耦合经济带 ,即西南岩溶山地系统耦合生态经济带、江淮平原丘陵系统耦合生态经济带和岭南沿海平原丘陵生态经济带。每一生态经济带内包含中心城市 ,农村生产基地和社会支持系统。据初步估算 ,这样的生态经济带蕴藏了巨大的经济潜力     

我国草原牧区划分标准初探

提出了我国草原牧区划分的单元标准、景观标准和经济标准,并对所提出划分标准的实用性和操作性进行了验证。