Responses of immune and nonimmune adult rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) to adenovirus SV-20.

Adenovirus SV-20 (ASV-20) was inoculated subcutaneously into adult rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), and various immunologic parameters were studied. Similar changes were observed in macaques that had anti-ASV-20 serum-neutralizing antibodies prior to inoculation and in those lacking detectable antibodies. There were absolute decreases in numbers of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), erythrocyte-rosetting lymphocytes, complement-receptor lymphocytes, and Fc-receptor lymphocytes. These changes were most significant (P less than 0.05) on postinoculation days (PID) 3 and 7. Mitogenic responsiveness to concanavalin A, phytohemagglutinin, and pokeweed mitogen in cultured PBL from immune and nonimmune macaques was depressed on PID 3, 7, and 14. Ultraviolet-inactivated ASV-20 caused moderate suppression of phytohemagglutinin-induced mitogenesis when viral particles and lectin were added simultaneously to PBL cultures. Plasma cortisol (hydrocortisone) values were not significantly altered following inoculation of ASV-20. High titers of anti-ASV-20 antibody developed by PID 7 in nonimmune macaques, and previously immune macaques showed a booster effect in the same time period. Antibody titers were still increased 120 days after inoculation. There was no clinical evidence of an adverse effect of ASV-20 infection in these macaques.     

Phylogenetic analysis of Myanmar indigenous chickens using mitochondrial D-loop sequence reveals their characteristics as a genetic resource

Myanmar indigenous chickens play important roles in food, entertainment, and farm business for the people of Myanmar. In this study, complete mitochondrial D-loop sequences (1232 bp) were analyzed using 176 chickens, including three indigenous breeds, two fighting cock populations, and three indigenous populations to elucidate genetic diversity and accomplish a phylogenetic analysis of Myanmar indigenous chickens. The average haplotype and nucleotide diversities were 0.948 ± 0.009 and 0.00814 ± 0.00024, respectively, exhibiting high genetic diversity of Myanmar indigenous chickens. Sixty-four haplotypes were classified as seven haplogroups, with the majority being haplogroup F. The breeds and populations except Inbinwa had multiple maternal haplogroups, suggesting that they experienced no recent purifying selection and bottleneck events. All breeds and populations examined shared haplogroup F. When 232 sequences belonging to haplogroup F (79 from Myanmar and 153 deposited sequences from other Asian countries/region) were analyzed together, the highest genetic diversity was observed in Myanmar indigenous chickens. Furthermore, Myanmar indigenous chickens and red junglefowls were observed in the center of the star-like median-joining network of 37 F-haplotypes, suggesting that Myanmar is one of the origins of haplogroup F. These findings revealed the unique genetic characteristic of Myanmar indigenous chickens as important genetic resources.     

Calculation of urinary enzyme excretion, with renal structure and function in dogs with pyometra

The urinary enzyme markers of renal damage, alkaline phosphatase (AP), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG), glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal biopsies were studied to evaluate renal status in dogs with pyometra. After ovariohysterectomy, urinary enzymes were measured daily for 12 days in 55 dogs, and again at a later follow-up visit. Thirteen dogs had high levels of at least one enzyme at initial presentation. Seventeen dogs had a transient increase in urinary enzyme values between one and five days after surgery. Enzyme values usually declined to low activities within 12 post-operative days. Renal biopsies demonstrated tubular abnormalities in many dogs. Mean GFR was 2.4 and 2.0 ml min(-1) kg(-1), respectively on day 1 post-operatively and at the follow-up visit 1-4 months later. High urinary enzyme values often reflected extensive lesions in renal proximal tubular cells and sometimes reduced GFR.     

Fetal and maternal immunologic manifestations of intrauterine adenovirus SV-20 infection

Rhesus monkey fetuses of either immune or nonimmune dams were inoculated in utero with Adenovirus SV-20 (AdSV-20), a virus capable of inducing fetal pneumonia, and studied immunologically at various intervals. AdSV-20 infection at 90–100 days gestational age resulted in absolute lymphopenia in a few fetuses, reduced numbers of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) which formed rosettes with sheep erythrocytes (ERL) and reduced complement-receptor lymphocytes (CRL) in a majority, while Fc fragment-receptor lymphocytes (FcRL) were occasionally increased. There was a tendency for depression of ERL and CRL early in infection of 120–130-day fetuses, followed by stimulation of these populations and FcRL in later phases. Maternal immunity did not protect against these effects of AdSV-20 infection in fetuses. Immune and nonimmune dams were spared adverse clinical effects and had no changes in lymphoid cell populations following inoculation of their fetuses.Despite precocious production of circulating IgM, fetuses of nonimmune dams had little or no demonstrable anti-AdSV-20 serum neutralizing (SN) antibody, indicating that the ability to develop an effective immune response was suppressed or had not been acquired at the gestational ages studied. Nonimmune dams displayed little evidence of seroconversion following inoculation of their fetuses with AdSV-20, except in those dams whose fetuses died in utero, whereby there was a significant antibody response. SN antibody titers of immune dams were not boostered substantially subsequent to inoculation of their fetuses, and fetal SN titers were lower than maternal titers, suggesting absence of an active fetal antibody response in this group also. Direct inoculation of AdSV-20 into 90–130-day rhesus monkey fetuses provided a model system for immunologic study of fetal infection, probably involving complex fetal-maternal interactions, in a situation where the infected, viable fetus and its dam appeared to be microbiologically isolated from one another.     

Infection of a chimeric simian and human immunodeficiency virus with CCR5-specific HIV-1 envelope to Rhesus macaques

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects lymphocytes and macrophages via CD4 and chemokine receptors. In this study, the infectivity of a chimeric simian and human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) having a CCR5-specific HIV-1 envelope gene was examined. A SHIV strain termed SHIV-JRFL could enter cells via CD4 with a chemokine receptor CCR5, not CXCR4, and the viral replication was suppressed by recombinant human RANTES, one of beta-chemokines. The intravenous inoculation of SHIV-JRFL into two rhesus macaques resulted in a systemic infection, though it was rather weak. During the early infection, the production of RANTES from Con A-stimulated PBMCs of the infected monkeys increased. These results suggested that beta-chemokine has the potential to limit the infectivity of an R5-type SHIV.     

Localization of inhibin alpha-, betaA- and betaB-subunits and aromatase in ovarian follicles with granulosa theca cell tumor (GTCT) in 6 mares

To clarify the morphological and immunohistochemical characteristics in mares with granulosa theca cell tumor (GTCT), the localization of inhibin subunits (alpha, betaA, betaB) and aromatase in the granulosa cell layers and theca layers in the ovarian follicles were determined by immunohistochemical staining. The follicles were obtained from the ovaries of 6 mares with GTCT and 4 normal mares as controls. Immunohistochemically, inhibin alpha-subunit was localized in the granulosa cells of all follicles showing different sizes in all GTCT cases and betaA- subunit was localized in two GTCT cases in all sized follicles. But inhibin betaB- subunit and aromatase were not localized in GTCT cases. On the other hand, inhibin alpha-, betaA-, and betaB-subunits and aromatase were localized in the large and medium sized follicles, but inhibin betaA- and betaB-subunits and aromatase were not stained in the small sized follicles in normal cases. These findings suggest that some mares with GTCT can secrete dimeric inhibin (inhibin A), but all GTCT cases cannot secrete inhibin B. By the results of aromatase staining it is clear that testosterone is not converted into estradiol due to the lack of aromatase in the GTCT follicles.     

Changes in plasma alpha 1-acid glycoprotein concentration and selected immune response in broiler chickens injected with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide

1. Changes in plasma alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) concentration and immune responses following Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection were studied in broiler chickens. 2. Higher plasma AGP concentrations were observed from 12 to 48 h after a single injection of LPS. 3. The highest concentration of plasma AGP was observed on day 2 followed by a gradual decrease in chicks injected with 150 mug/kg body weight of LPS every day for 13 d. 4. Plasma AGP concentration in chicks injected daily with LPS at 900 mug/kg body weight for 13 d increased on day 2, and decreased on day 4 to the concentration found before the injection. The concentration increased again on day 10. 5. Changes in plasma interleukin-1 (IL-1) like activity were similar to those in plasma AGP concentration when LPS was injected daily at 900 mug/kg body weight for 3 d. 6. Responses of blood mononuclear cell (MNC) proliferation to mitogen or concanavalin A, (Con A), and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) were positively correlated with changes in plasma AGP concentration. 7. The results suggest that plasma AGP concentration could be used as a positive indicator of changes in blood MNC proliferation to a mitogen and in plasma IL-1 like activity.     

Allometric model of the Reineke equation for Japanese cypress (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Chamaecyparis obtusa</Emphasis>) and red pine (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus densiflora</Emphasis>) stands

An allometric model that explains the mechanism of the difference in the slope of the Reineke equation (A) among species was proposed based on the allometric relationships of mean tree height (H) to quadratic mean diameter D (H ∝ D ^θ ) and stand density N (H ∝ N ^δ ), i.e., A = θ/δ. The proposed model was fitted to Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa Endl.) and red pine (Pinus densiflora) stands. The allometric exponents θ and δ were, respectively, 0.8995 and −0.5000 for cypress and 0.8612 and −0.6619 for pine. The difference between cypress and pine was significant for δ but not for θ. Inserting the exponents into the model resulted in predicted slopes of −1.7991 for cypress and −1.3011 for pine. The difference in the slope of the Reineke equation between the two species was produced by characteristics related to the tree crown, rather than characteristics related to stem slenderness. The proposed model enables us to estimate the slope of the Reineke equation from commonly measured stand attributes, such as mean tree height and quadratic mean diameter. Therefore, the proposed model is expected to be practical and convenient for estimating the slope of the Reineke equation and for explaining the mechanism of its variation among species. The model should be also accepted as a generalized model of the stand density versus quadratic mean diameter relationship, whereas the original Reineke equation should be seen as a specific case of this model.