玉米根系分泌物对烟草黑胫病菌的抑制活性及其抑菌物质分析

目的明确玉米、辣椒单作和间作种植后根围土壤细菌群落的变化与病害发生的关系,解析土壤微生物在玉米和辣椒多样性种植中控制病害的作用。方法比较玉米/辣椒间作和分别单作后根围土壤微生物对玉米小斑病和辣椒疫病发生的影响,并应用Illumina Miseq高通量测序技术比较不同处理根围细菌群落的差异。结果单作玉米的根围土壤微生物能显著抑制辣椒疫病的发生(P<0.05),辣椒单作、玉米/辣椒间作后玉米根围土壤微生物降低玉米小斑病的趋势明显。根围土壤细菌群落分析结果表明：单作玉米根围气单胞菌属、堆囊菌属和固氮螺菌属等的相对丰度显著高于间作玉米和单作辣椒根围(P<0.05);单作辣椒和间作玉米根围土壤中拟杆菌门相对丰度上调,并且其中的拟杆菌属、农研丝杆菌属、鞘氨醇杆菌属和Muribaculum的相对丰度也显著上调(P<0.05)。结论玉米/辣椒间作和间作后有利于帮助彼此降低病害的发生。单作或间作后导致土壤细菌群落的变化是其缓解病害发生的重要机制。     

Effect of owner experience,living environment,and dog characteristics on owner reports of behavior of Argentine Dogos in Italy

Previous research reported contrasting results on the effect of owner experience on dog behaviors. This may be because of dog breed genetic variability, differences in expectations, management choices, and attitude toward their dogs by owners of dogs of different breeds. A study of a single breed may help provide a better insight into this issue. A convenience sample of 94 participants, owners of 181 Argentine Dogos, was recruited to provide information on their dogs' behaviors through a questionnaire. Participants were classified according to their previous general experience or inexperience with dogs and whether they had previously owned an Argentine Dogo (expert vs. naive owners). Reasons for getting a dog (companionship, guarding, hunting, breeding) and attendance at dog-training classes were also explored. Pearson chi-square tests and binary logistic regressions were used to analyze the data. Previous inexperience with dogs was associated with a higher prevalence of dogs that were fearful of children and unknown dogs. Naive Dogo owners perceived that their dogs were more obedient and friendly toward strangers but aggressive toward children, than those belonging to Argentine Dogo experts. It also appeared that living environment and the dog's age are critical predictors of many outcome variables. Kennel living was found to be predictive of car and food protection, owner-directed aggression and aggression toward children, whereas house living was associated with fear of loud noises. Changes related to the dogs' age were probably related to behavioral development in the dogs. Destructiveness, excessive body licking, and protective aggression were more common in younger dogs, whereas aggression to unknown dogs was more common in older ones. Protective aggression was more common in males, and fear of startling noises was more common in females. Intact dogs showed a higher probability of having attention-getting behavior, and neutered dogs were more fearful of traffic. Our findings are correlative. Even if causative links cannot be made, our findings certainly provide direction for further investigation.     

High infection rate of Trichophyton verrucosum in calves from Central Italy

Recent epidemiological features of the zoonotic dermatophyte Trichophyton verrucosum were investigated in 294 calves from 20 farms located in Central Italy. By the combination of microscopic examinations and fungal cultures, the total prevalence rate of T. verrucosum infection was found to be high, with 87.7% of samples yielding positive results and 100% of farms being infected. Farm to farm prevalence of infection varied from 25% to 100% of the examined calves. Prevalence rates were higher in females than males (91.6% versus 84%), in >3-< or =6 than >6-< or =9 month old calves (89.8% versus 85.7%), in purebred than in crossbred (88.5% versus 81.8%), and in symptomatic than asymptomatic ones (95.7% versus 80.4%). T. verrucosum was as prevalent in semi-intensive as in intensive breeding system (88.2% versus 87.6%) but more prevalent in calves raised for meat rather than milk production (91.1% versus 84.9%), and reared under conventional than organic production management system (89.3% versus 82.6%). Prevalence rates were also higher when the cattle present in the farm were of mixed origin, rather than when the whole stock was purchased or was born in the farm (92% versus 88.2% and 85.7%), when other cattle in the farm were showing skin signs (90% versus 84.2%), and at least one case of human ringworm was recorded in the farm (90.9% versus 86.1%). No statistically significant association was found. Therefore, T. verrucosum infection may be more widespread in calves from Central Italy than it was previously thought to be. Calves of any sex, breed, age, and of any of the farm condition considered, are highly exposed to the risk of infection. As calves may play a considerable role as reservoirs of the infection, our results highlight the need to determine the incidence and the importance of T. verrucosum ringworm in personnel involved with cattle care in Italy and elsewhere.     

Cat and dog ownership and management patterns in central Italy

Three hundred and ninety-seven randomly selected households were interviewed by telephone to determine the numbers and management of owned cats and dogs in the Teramo Province of Italy. The households were selected using stratified random sampling for each municipality; municipalities were combined into coastal, central hills and mountain regions for analysis. The interviews were completed during May and June of 2004 with a response rate of 74% (397/536). Forty-six percent of households (n=181) owned pets; 15% of all households (n=60) owned cats and 33% (n=130) owned dogs. Twenty-seven of these households (7%) owned both cats and dogs. Data were provided on 91 cats evenly divided between males and females. The median age was 3 years (range 0.2-10 years). Forty-one percent of cats (36/87) entered the household as strays. Nearly half lived entirely outside. Seventy percent (62/88) had visited a veterinarian at least once; 43% (39/91) were sterilized. About 1/3 had had a litter and all litters were considered accidental rather than planned. Age, indoor/outdoor status, veterinarian visit and region were all associated with sterilization. Age, confined to a yard, veterinary visit and region were associated with allowing the cat to roam freely. Data were provided on 182 dogs. Sixty-two percent (113/181) were male, with a median age of 4 years (range newborn to 17 years) and 40% (72/181) were purebred. Almost half were acquired as a gift. Sixty-two percent (112/180) were kept entirely outside despite the fact that 82% (147/180) were considered companions rather than working dogs. Almost all of the dogs had been to a veterinarian at least once; only 20% (n=29) were sterilized. Male dogs were significantly less likely to be sterilized than females. Almost half the dogs had had at least one litter. Seventy-six percent (137/180) of dogs knew some basic commands. Sex, source and training to sit/stay/come were significantly associated with whether the dog was sterilized. Dog size, confinement to a yard, trained to leash walk, veterinary visit and region were predictors of roaming freely. Source and trained to leash walk were associated with dog registration. For cats and dogs, education about sterilization seemed to be critically important. For dogs, factors relating to training, which may reflect the strength of the human-animal bond, were also important.     

南方山区草地资源的特点及开发利用途径和原则

根据生态学的基本原理，对我国南方山区草地资源的特点进行了分析，从生成学类型上该地区划时进行了划分，进而提出了南方山区草地开发利用的途径和原则。     

重新认识农区山羊放牧饲养

文章从山羊养殖历史、生物学特性、自然社会、经济效益、生态环保、市场消费及国外养殖进展等方面进行研究,认为我国南方农区山羊饲养应回归放牧养羊,可以实现社会生态经济的可持续发展。同时提出放牧养殖的标准化建设思路。     

加速发展社会主义现代化草原畜牧业

目前我国进入“WTO后过渡期”,加快向市场经济和自由贸易制度靠拢。这就要求我国草原畜牧业要改变传统经营方式,从宏观层面合理配置畜牧业资源。通过实施“北繁南育”战略,将北方地区草食家畜的繁殖优势与南方区域的草食家畜育肥优势有机结合起来,生产符合国内外市场需要的绿色畜产品,同时有效解决我国生态环境恶化、畜产品竞争力低下、农牧民增收困难的矛盾,实现我国传统草原畜牧业向现代化草原畜牧业的转变。     

Fine‐scale analysis of heavily invaded Italian freshwater fish assemblages

Inland waters are highly vulnerable to the introduction and spread of non‐native species, due to heavy human use of aquatic ecosystems and the natural linkages among streams and lakes. This is particularly noticeable in freshwater fish communities. To better evaluate how these communities are affected by non‐native species introductions, we conducted a fine‐scale analysis of the changes in Italian freshwater fish assemblages after species introduction. For this analysis, we collected information on fish species present in 44 basins. The present Italian freshwater fish fauna is composed of 48 native and 41 established introduced species, while a further 15 introduced species have been reported but are not yet considered naturalized. The changes in the fish assemblages mostly took place in the past 2 centuries and have increased recently, with nearly 60% of the species introduced in the past 3 decades. The number of species introduced per basin ranged from 0 to 35 (mean 10.85 ± 7.77 species/basin), and in 10 basins the number of species introduced is now equal to or even higher than the number of native species. In the past, introduced species mainly originated from America, but over the past three decades, an increase of introductions from other parts of Europe and Asia has been recorded. Our results show that basins already rich in native species tend to become even richer as a consequence of the establishment of introduced species. This confirms the trend toward a biotic homogenization of ecosystems even at a local scale, due to an increase in the human‐mediated spread of generalist species.     

Unusual localization of Dirofilaria repens (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) infection in the testicle of a dog

This report describes an uncommon localization of Dirofilaria repens in the testicle of a nine-year-old dog from southern Italy. The dog underwent neutring and three adult nematodes were found in the tunica vaginalis. At gross anatomy, no pathological changes were observed on the tunica, in the testicle or epididymis. The parasites, one female and two males, were morphologically and molecularly identified as D. repens. This is the first report of D. repens in the canine testicle in Italy. This case report highlights the asymptomatic nature of D. repens infection, suggesting that dogs living in endemic areas may act as silent carriers. Careful screening and an effective chemoprophylaxis should be ensured for all animals potentially exposed to D. repens infection in order to reduce the risk of infection to humans in areas where the parasite is endemic.