Can treatment of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachiaria decumbens</Emphasis> (signal grass) improve its utilisation in the diet in small ruminants?—a review

Brachiaria decumbens is an extremely productive tropical grass due to its aggressive growth habit and its adaptation to a varied range of soil types and environments. As a result of the vast availability, treated B. decumbens demonstrates as a promising local material that could be utilised as an improved diet for sheep and goats. Despite the fact that the grass significantly increases weight gains in grazing farm animals, there were many reports of general ill-thrift and sporadic outbreaks of photosensitivity in livestock due to the toxic compound of steroidal saponin found in B. decumbens. Ensiling and haymaking were found to be effective in removing toxin and undesirable compounds in the grass. Biological treatments using urea, activated charcoal, polyethylene glycol, and effective microorganisms were found to be useful in anti-nutritional factor deactivation and improving the nutritive values of feedstuffs. Besides, oral administration of phenobarbitone showed some degree of protection in sheep that fed on B. decumbens pasture. In this review, we aim to determine the effect of B. decumbens toxicity and possible treatment methods on the grass to be used as an improved diet for small ruminant.     

Genomic characterization of the first oral avian papillomavirus in a colony of breeding canaries (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Serinus canaria</Emphasis>)

Papillomaviruses are non-enveloped, DNA viruses that infect skin and mucosa of a wide variety of vertebrates, causing neoplasias or simply persisting asymptomatically. Avian papillomaviruses, with six fully sequenced genomes, are the second most studied group after mammalian papillomaviruses. In this study, we describe the first oral avian papillomavirus, detected in the tongue of a dead Yorkshire canary (Serinus canaria) and in oral swabs of the same bird and other two live canaries from an aviary in Madrid, Spain. Its genome is 8,071 bp and presents the canonical papillomavirus architecture with six early (E6, E7, E1, E9, E2, E4) and two late open reading frames (L1 and L2) and a long control region between L1 and E6. This new avian papillomavirus L1 gene shares a 64% pairwise identity with FcPV1 L1, so it has been classified as a new species (ScPV1) within the Ethapapillomavirus genus. Although the canary died after showing breathing problems, there is no evidence that the papillomavirus caused those symptoms so it could be part of the oral microbiota of the birds. Hence, future investigations are needed to evaluate the clinical relevance of the virus.     

B-mode ultrasound examination of canine mammary gland neoplastic lesions of small size (diameter &lt; 2 cm)

Ultrasonography is a valuable tool for the evaluation of neoplastic lesions in the dog and there is a growing interest in the use of this technique for the stadiation of canine mammary tumours. An accurate assessment of small sized nodules facilitates the stadiation of the mammary lesions and helps the clinician in the choice of the most indicated surgical therapy. The aim of this study was to identify those ultrasound criteria that may be useful in discriminating between benign and malignant lesions of small size (diameter smaller than 2 cm). Sixty-two nodules, < 2 cm in larger diameter, belonging to thirty-five bitches presented between January 2012 and February 2014 were evaluated. Tumours were observed by conventional ultrasound and assessed for: shape (regular-irregular), limit (defined-ill-defined), margins (regular-irregular), echogenicity (hypoechoic-isoechoic-hyperecoic), echotexture (homogeneus-heterogeneus), presence of hyperecoic halo, distal acoustic enhancement or shadowing and surrounding tissue alterations. Among the alterations in surrounding tissues, the disruption of the glandular tissue and the increase in echogenicity of the peritumoral tissues were assessed. Thereafter, bitches were subjected to mastectomy and nodules were evaluated histologically. None of the ultasound criteria considered in the current study showed a statistically significant relation with malignancy, except for the presence of alterations in the tissue surrounding the nodules. According to our results, this characteristic may indicate malignancy, however its subjectivity may affect the applicability in clinical practice. In conclusions, conventional ultrasound in bitches had a limited ability in discriminating benign and malignant mammary gland neoplastic lesions of small size (diameter?<?2 cm).     

Knowledge,attitudes and practices towards <Emphasis Type="Italic">cystic echinococcosis</Emphasis> in livestock among selected pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Uganda

A cross-sectional study was done from March 2013 to May 2014 to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards cystic echinococcosis (CE) or hydatidosis among selected pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Uganda. A structured questionnaire was administered to 381 respondents. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to find the relationship between knowledge about CE and factors such as age, sex, and level of education across all regions. The odds ratio and confidence interval were used to determine the difference in responses across regions. It was shown that age above 36 years was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with awareness about CE in livestock. Likewise, uneducated (p < 0.0001) and agro-pastoralists (p = 0.01) were significantly less knowledgeable than the educated and pastoralists across all regions. The overall knowledge towards CE in livestock was low 17.8% (95% CI = 14.0–21.6). Dog ownership was high and they never dewormed their freely roaming dogs. Dogs shared water with livestock. In conclusion, knowledge about CE in livestock was low across all regions. Therefore, public health education and formulation of policies towards its control by the relevant stakeholders should be done. Also, the true prevalence of CE in livestock needs to be done so that the magnitude and its public health significance are elucidated.     

Long-term study (2005–2010) on the vaccination with BoHV-1 glycoprotein E-deleted marker vaccine in selected two dairy herds in Turkey

A follow-up study from 2005 to 2010 was carried out in two herds where eradication programme for the bovine herpes virus-1 (BoHV-1) infection depends on the vaccination with inactivated glycoprotein E-deleted vaccine that was started in 2001 following the vaccination with inactivated conventional vaccine between 1999 and 2001. For serological screening, a total of 12,976 sera sampled over several sampling times approximately 6 months of interval during 5 years (2005–2010) were tested for glycoprotein E (gE)- and glycoprotein B-specific antibodies using ELISA. According to the serological evidence, the long-term persistence of BoHV-1 antibodies, success of marker vaccine, first vaccination time of the calves in herds regularly vaccinated, etc. were discussed in this paper. In conclusion, the vaccination programme using gE (?) marker vaccines, with making efforts to prevent the other factors about transmission of infection, was suggested for the eradication of BoHV-1 infection in Turkey as many EU countries. This is the first report on the BoHV-1 eradication programme in some dairy cattle in Turkey.     

莲藕中甘薯潜隐病毒实时荧光定量PCR检测技术的建立及应用

甘薯潜隐病毒莲藕分离物(sweet potato latent virus-lotus,SPLV-lotus)在江苏省莲藕产区普遍引起发病,并且该分离物序列与已报道的SPLV甘薯分离物存在较大差异。为进一步监测SPLV-lotus在莲藕上的发生情况,针对SPLV-lotus的CP基因设计并优化特异性引物QSPLV-lotus3-F/QSPLV-lotus3-R,通过优化引物浓度和退火温度条件,构建标准曲线,建立了SPLV-lotus实时荧光定量PCR(Real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction,RT-qPCR)检测技术。该方法特异性强,可以快速检测出SPLV-lotus,灵敏度为普通PCR的100倍,可广泛应用于脱毒莲藕SPLV-lotus的精确检测。     

次黄嘌呤核苷酸脱氢酶(IMPDH)基因在猪链球菌不同血清型中的分布

参照GenBank上已发表的次黄嘌呤核甘酸脱氢酶（IMPDH）基因序列,设计引物,对34个猪链球菌不同血清型（缺12型）国际标准株进行了IMPDH基因的PCR检测及序列分析。结果表明：除17型、24型、32型、33型和34型外,其他29个血清型都为阳性,其核苷酸序列的同源性为88．3％～100．0％,所推导的蛋白质序列的同源性为94．7％～100．0％。为进一步研究IMPDH的生物学特性和功能奠定了基础。     

Antibacterial Mechanism of Chitosan–Gentamicin and Its Effect on the Intestinal Flora of Litopenaeus vannamei Infected with Vibrio parahaemolyticus

To explore the application of chitosan–gentamicin conjugate (CS-GT) in inhibiting Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V. parahaemolyticus), which is an important pathogen in aquatic animals worldwide, the antimicrobial activity of CS-GT and the effects of a CS-GT dose on the intestine histopathology and intestinal flora of V. parahaemolyticus-infected shrimps were explored. The results showed that CS-GT possessed broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and half inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 20.00 ± 0.01, 75.00 ± 0.02 and 18.72 ± 3.17 μg/mL for V. parahaemolyticus, respectively. Further scanning electron microscope and cell membrane damage analyses displayed that the electrostatic interaction of CS-GT with cell membrane strengthened after CS grafted GT, resulting in leakage of nucleic acid and electrolytes of V. parahaemolyticus. On the other hand, histopathology investigation indicated that high (100 mg/kg) and medium (50 mg/kg) doses of CS-GT could alleviate the injury of a shrimp’s intestine caused by V. parahaemolyticus. Further 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis found high and medium dose of CS-GT could effectively inhabit V. parahaemolyticus invasion and reduce intestinal dysfunction. In conclusion, CS-GT possesses good antibacterial activity and could protect shrimps from pathogenic bacteria infection.     

泡椒专用品种--辛红1号的选育

辛红1号是由我所收集的国外辣椒品种“胡椒味辣椒”,采用系谱法,经过多代分离、定向选择获得的一个泡椒专用品种。该品种为半辛辣型,尾味带甜,果实硬度好,特适宜泡制。果实圆柱形,青椒深绿色,老熟时大红色,果面有少许网纹,一般667m2产红椒1400kg。经多点试验和生产示范,适宜在我国西南、长江流域和南方大部分地区种植。     

4种杀虫剂对甘草胭珠蚧的防治效果

甘草胭珠蚧Porphyrophora sophorae(Arch.)是人工栽培甘草的主要害虫。采用灌根、土壤处理法研究了35%吡虫啉悬浮剂、70%噻虫嗪水分散粒剂、48%毒死蜱乳油和5%毒死蜱颗粒剂4种杀虫剂对甘草胭珠蚧的防治效果。结果表明,8月中旬施药各药剂的防治效果均低于50%,但可有效降低翌年春季田间的虫口密度;6月中旬采用35%吡虫啉悬浮剂和70%噻虫嗪水分散粒剂灌根的防效可达80%以上。建议生产中可在6月中旬或之前采用灌溉后进行35%吡虫啉悬浮剂1 500倍或70%噻虫嗪水分散粒剂7 500倍液300mL/株灌根的措施防治甘草胭珠蚧。