Detection of OvHV-2 from an outbreak of sheep associated malignant catarrhal fever from crossbred cattle of Southern India

An outbreak of sheep associated malignant catarrhal fever in crossbred cattle in a village of Andhra Pradesh, southern India, affected thirteen adult cows and two calves from a population of forty animals. All the affected animals were died between December and January 2013–14. The clinical and gross postmortem findings were typical of MCF in Indian crossbred cattle. Migrating sheep flocks were suspected source of infection for the cattle. The diagnosis was confirmed by heminested PCR in all the affected cattle and the suspected sheep flock. The PCR provided evidence of ovine herpes virus type 2.     

Effect of vegetable fibre on post prandial glycemia

Effects of feeding different levels of vegetable fibre to normal and non-insulin dependent diabetics were studied. Influences of a control diet (diet with no vegetable fibre) and a purified fibre diet (Isapgol) were compared to results achieved with different levels of several vegetables. A negative correlation between the level of fibre and blood glucose levels in terms of mean percent peak rise, AUC, and per cent glycemic response was shown. Bitter gourd was more effective than the leafy vegetables. Even though the trend in post prandial glucose levels was same for both normal and diabetic subjects, the metabolic response varied significantly between the two groups.     

Biocontrol of ammonia pollution in the rearing water of fish by inducing a heterotrophic bacterial-based food chain in the medium

In intensive aquaculture, one of the main problems confronted by the farmers is the ammonia pollution and subsequent disease outbreaks, high costs of quality protein feed, and the labor for periodic water exchange. Ammonia is a major metabolic waste product from fish, which is excreted across the gill membranes and in the urine. Controlling the inorganic nitrogen by manipulating the carbon/nitrogen ratios seems to be a practical and inexpensive means of reducing the accumulation of ammonia. At high carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratios, bacteria will assimilate nitrogen, i.e., ammonia, from water and produce new cell protein. The experiment was designed by adding 0, 10, 20, and 30 g of carbohydrate (rice flour) for each gram of total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) released as a result of feeding metabolism and feed waste decomposition. The ammonia built up in the rearing water showed a drastic decrease in all the carbohydrate added tanks. The heterotrophic bacterial growth was significantly higher in the same. The biochemical constituents and growth rate were higher in fishes in the tanks having C/N ratio 10 and 20. Percentage weight gain was 100% for T₃₀, protein efficiency ratio (PER) was high for T₂₀ and T₃₀ (4.048). The C/N ratios of 20 and 30 worked more effectively. Shifting the aquatic ecology from autotrophic to heterotrophic bacterial-based community can improve water quality and recycle the toxic ammonia waste to heterotrophic bacterial flocs, which in turn can be consumed by the fish, thereby reducing the feed protein demand and subsequently the reduction of feed cost.     

A new prenylated flavanone glycoside from the seeds of Glircidia maculata

A new flavanone glycoside, 5,4'-dihydroxy-6-prenylflavanone 4'-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->2)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside (1), was isolated from the seeds of Glircidia maculata.     

Cypermethrin and ivermectin resistance in field populations of Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (Latrielle, 1806) collected from dogs in south India

Veterinary Research Communications - The abuse of acaricides for control of Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato ticks led to a strong selection pressure for acaricide resistance. Data on acaricide...     

PCR test for detecting Taenia solium cysticercosis in pig carcasses

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was employed to detect Taenia solium DNA in muscle lesions for validation of the meat inspection results of slaughtered pigs. Two sets of oligonucleotide primers, one targeted against the large subunit rRNA gene (TBR primers) and the other targeted against cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (Cox1 primers) of T. solium were used in this study. On reactivity in PCR test, the TBR primers and the Cox1 primers yielded products of 286 and 984 bp, respectively, in cysticercosis positive cases. Both the sets of primers were found to be highly specific, since they did not yield any PCR product in negative controls. A total of 225 pig carcasses were screened for cysticercosis by meat inspection, out of which 25 carcasses with visible cysts (16 viable and 9 degenerated cysts) were also confirmed to be positive for cysticercosis in PCR test. However, out of the 35 carcasses with suspected lesions on meat inspection, only two were found to be positive for cysticercosis in PCR test. The detection limits for both the primer sets were analyzed. The TBR primer set could detect up to 10 pg of cysticercus DNA, whereas the Cox1 primer set could detect only up to 1 ng. It is evident from the study that PCR test is an efficient tool for validation of meat inspection results and also to rule out ambiguity in carcass judgment of suspected cases of porcine cysticercosis.