A recombinant-based feline immunodeficiency virus antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

We have developed an antibody detection enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the identification of animals infected by feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). The ELISA solid-phase antigen consists of recombinant FIV gag proteins expressed in bacteria. The proteins are purified from bacterial lysates as insoluble inclusion bodies. In the case of bacterially expressed p24gag, it is shown that all of the linear, sequential epitopes presented by viral p24 during infection are retained. Purified preparations can be substituted for solid-phase whole virus in the IDEXX PetChektm immunoassay. The antibody ELISA duplicates the sensitivity and specificity of the whole virus based PetChek plate assay.     

Quarantine requirements for the importation of black rhinoceros from Zimbabwe into Australia

SUMMARY The proposal by the Zoological Parks Board of New South Wales to import 10 southern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) from Zimbabwe as part of an international project for conservation of the species presented the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) with a unique challenge. This importation is, at least in the modern era, the first importation of live herbivores from the African continent. Many of the serious animal diseases in the world are endemic in parts of Africa. Knowledge of which of these diseases infect wild species and may be transmitted from the wild species to domesticated species, is limited. This paper describes the strategies adopted by AQIS to facilitate the importation of rhinoceros while maintaining protection of Australian consumers, rural industries, domestic livestock and fauna against the entry and spread of unwanted pests and diseases.     

The agriculture grants program

The Competitive Research Grants Office was established in 1978 by the federal government to encourage and support basic research related to agriculture. The effort has been enfeebled by controversy and continues to teeter on the edge of congressional extinction. The origins of the Competitive Research Grants Office and its first 3 years of operation make an interesting portrait of the problems of science and government in these times.     

Review: The strobilurin fungicides

The original article to which this Correction refers was published in Pest Management Science 58 (7): 649–662 (2002).Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Radiometrische Untersuchungen zu Sorptionsverhalten und Abbau von 14C-PCB sowie 14C-Picloram in verschiedenen Böden

Radiometric analyses of sorption and degradation of ¹⁴C-PCB and ¹⁴C-Picloram in different soils Adsorption - desorption isothermes with ¹⁴C-PCB (2,3,4-trichlorodiphenyl) and ¹⁴C-picloram (4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropyridin-carbonic acid) were determined on 15 different soils. The rates of decomposition were determined on 3 soils. The adsorption of PCB was very intense with K-factors according to Freundlich (soil:solution = 1:20) varying from 16 to 9861. Adsorption increased with increase of organic matter and Fe-content. Picloram showed low adsorption rates, with K-factors varying from 0,01 to 18 (soil:solution = 1:4). The chemical is adsorbed by the organic matter. Decrease of pH increases the adsorption. The correlation of the K-factors with %C, % clay, pH, CEC and %0Fe_o was computed. The decomposition tests were monitored over a period of 183 days (25°C, 80% water capacity) and yielded decomposition rates of < 0,1% PCB and < 2% picloram. This difference might be due to the structure of the substance. The decomposition of PCB depends most likely on the degree of sorption. No relation between the decomposition of picloram and sorption or soil properties was found.     

Monitoring distances travelled by horses using GPS tracking collars

Objective The aims of this work were to (1) develop a low-cost equine movement tracking collar based on readily available components, (2) conduct preliminary studies assessing the effects of both paddock size and internal fence design on the movements of domestic horses, with and without foals at foot, and (3) describe distances moved by mares and their foals. Additional monitoring of free-ranging feral horses was conducted to allow preliminary comparisons with the movement of confined domestic horses. Procedures A lightweight global positioning system (GPS) data logger modified from a personal/vehicle tracker and mounted on a collar was used to monitor the movement of domestic horses in a range of paddock sizes and internal fence designs for 6.5-day periods. Results In the paddocks used (0.8–16 ha), groups of domestic horses exhibited a logarithmic response in mean daily distance travelled as a function of increasing paddock size, tending asymptotically towards approximately 7.5 km/day. The distance moved by newborn foals was similar to their dams, with total distance travelled also dependent on paddock size. Without altering available paddock area, paddock design, with the exception of a spiral design, did not significantly affect mean daily distance travelled. Feral horses (17.9 km/day) travelled substantially greater mean daily distances than domestic horses (7.2 km/day in 16-ha paddock), even when allowing for larger paddock size. Conclusions Horses kept in stables or small yards and paddocks are quite sedentary in comparison with their feral relatives. For a given paddock area, most designs did not significantly affect mean daily distance travelled.     

The theropod ancestry of birds: new evidence from the late cretaceous of madagascar

A partial skeleton of a primitive bird, Rahona ostromi, gen. et sp. nov., has been discovered from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. This specimen, although exhibiting avian features such as a reversed hallux and ulnar papillae, retains characteristics that indicate a theropod ancestry, including a pubic foot and hyposphene-hypantra vertebral articulations. Rahona has a robust, hyperextendible second digit on the hind foot that terminates in a sicklelike claw, a unique characteristic of the theropod groups Troodontidae and Dromaeosauridae. A phylogenetic analysis places Rahona with Archaeopteryx, making Rahona one of the most primitive birds yet discovered.