Sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for measuring the concentration of, and detection of antibodies to, Aujeszky's disease virus

A double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for measuring Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) antigen concentration and an inhibition technique based on the former was developed for detection of antibodies to ADV. The results were checked by determining the cytopathic and serum neutralization titres. The correlation was satisfactory in both cases, with correlation coefficients above 0.8. When measuring ADV antigen concentration, the lower limit of detection was 10(3) TCID 50/0.2 ml. The sensitivity of ELISA in detecting antibodies to ADV was found to be superior to that of the serum neutralization test and, thus, enabled the testing of rabbit and guinea-pig sera.     

Treatment of Neotrombicula autumnalis dermatitis in dogs using two topical permethrin-pyriproxyfen combinations

Few data are available in the literature on the dermatological consequences and treatment of Neotrombicula autumnalis infestation in dogs and cats. In this study, 15 dogs naturally infested with Neotrombicula were affected with moderate to severe pruritic dermatitis. The dermatitis resolved with successful treatment of the parasitic infestation. In 14 dogs, treatment using a topical permethrin-pyriproxyfen combination (pump-spray or 'line-on') was effective within one to three weeks. Two applications were necessary in four dogs. Careful follow-up was conducted in all cases. Statistical analysis was performed to assess the impact of treatment on the parasite population and clinical signs over the three-week study period.     

Environmental conditions and chemical time bomb hazards in Poland

Observations on the state of the environment, soil properties, soil hazards and some possible changes in soil parameters are discussed. Sandy and light loamy soils cover more than 50 per cent of the arable land in Poland. About 58 per cent of soils are acid (pH<5-5) in the surface layer and 25 per cent in the layer from 100 to 150 cm. About 51-3 per cent of soils are very vulnerable to pollution. According to a BIGLEB-SOWEP prognosis, in the year 2000 about 13 per cent of soils will be seriously at risk from chemical degradation. Acidification will proceed due to increases in the emission of SO2 and NOx, and the end of liming. the environmental conditions in Poland favour delayed responses to environmental hazards: chemical time bombs.     

Morphometric and location factors shaping sediment texture in small floodplain reservoirs

Journal of Soils and Sediments - This paper investigates the morphological and location features influencing the sediment texture of small reservoirs located within the embanked floodplain of a...     

Comparison of sulfonylurea herbicide residue detection in soil by bioassay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and hplc

The ability of bioassay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and high-performance liquid chromatography (hplc) methods to detect sulfonylurea herbicides in soil was evaluated as part of a project studying the leaching and persistence of these herbicides in the alkaline soils of south-eastern Australia. Soil samples with known concentrations between 0.1 and 10 μg a.i. kg⁻¹ chlorsulfuron, metsulfuron-methyl or triasulfuron were prepared by an independent laboratory and supplied in coded bags to separate laboratories for testing. The accuracy of the results was analysed, and the merits of each method are discussed. Bioassay was suitable for measuring biologically active residues from 0.1 to 1.0 μg a.i. kg⁻¹. ELISA accurately measured residues in the range of 0.1–10 μg a.i. kg⁻¹, making it the most widely adaptable assay tested. It will be useful for measuring residues in sodic subsoils where bioassay plants grow poorly. There was good reproducibility between the bioassay and ELISA. The hplc technique used in this study was not as accurate as bioassay or ELISA at quantifying residues of 3.0–10 μg a.i. kg⁻¹ and could not detect residues at or below 1.0 μg a.i. kg⁻¹.     

Transmission dynamics of the monogenean Gyrodactylus salaris under seminatural conditions

Tracking individual variation in the dynamics of parasite infections in wild populations is often complicated by lack of knowledge of the epidemiological history of hosts. Whereas the dynamics and development of Gyrodactylus salaris Malmberg, 1957, on Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., are known from laboratory studies, knowledge about infection development on individual wild fishes is currently sparse. In this study, the dynamics of an infection of G. salaris on individually marked Atlantic salmon parr was followed in a section of a natural stream. During the 6‐week experiment, the prevalence increased from 3.3 to 60.0%, with an average increase in intensity of 4.1% day^?1. Survival analyses showed an initially high probability (93.6%) of staying uninfected by G. salaris, decreasing significantly to 37% after 6 weeks. The results showed that even at subarctic water temperatures and with an initially low risk of infection, the parasite spread rapidly in the Atlantic salmon population, with the capacity to reach 100% prevalence within a short summer season. The study thus track individual infection trajectories of Atlantic salmon living under near‐natural conditions, providing an integration of key population parameters from controlled experiments with the dynamics of the epizootic observed in free‐living living populations.     

The effects of gonadal development and sex steroids on growth hormone secretion in the male tilapia hybrid (Oreochromis niloticus × O. aureus)

Profiles of plasma growth hormone (GH) in male tilapia hybrid (Oreochromis niloticus x O. aureus) were measured and compared at different times of the year. The profiles did not appear to be repetitive, however, differences in their nature were observed at the different seasons; the most erratic profiles were seen in the height of the reproductive season (July), while the peaks were more subdued in the spring and disappeared in the autumn. Peaks in male fish were more prominent than in the females when measured in July. Perifused pituitary fragments from fish with a high GSI responded to salmon gonadotropin-releasing hormone (sGnRH) analog (10 nM-1 M), while those from fish with a low GSI barely responded to even the highest dose. Exposure of perifused pituitary fragments from sexually-regressed fish to carp growth hormone-releasing hormone (cGHRH; 0.1 M) or sGnRH (I M) stimulated GH release only after injection of the fish with methyl testosterone (MT; 3 injections of 0.4 mg kg ¹). The same MT pretreatment did not alter the response to dopamine (DA; 1 or 10 M). GH pituitary content in MT-treated fish was lower than in control fish, which may be explained by the higher circulating GH levels in these fish, but does not account for the increased response to the releasing hormones. Castration abolished the response of cultured pituitary cells to sGnRH (I fM-100 nM) without altering either their basal rate of secretion or circulating GH levels. Addition of steroids to the culture medium (MT or estradiol at 10 nM for 2 days) enabled a GH response to sGnRH stimulation in cells from sexually regressed fish. Pituitary cells which had not been exposed to steroids failed to respond to sGnRH, although their response to forskolin or TPA was similar to that of steroid-exposed cells. It would appear, therefore, that at least one of the effects of the sex steroids on the response to GnRH is exerted proximally to the formation of cAMP, or PKC, presumably at the level of the receptor. An increase in the number of receptors to the GH-releasing hormones, following steroid exposure, would explain also the changing nature of the GH secretory profile in different stages of the reproductive season.