The diagnosis of Neospora abortions in cattle

An indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for specific anti-Neospora antibodies in bovine sera and foetal fluids were compared with histological examination results on aborted foetal material. The agreement between serological and histological examination results was poor, while the two serological tests showed a high degree of agreement. Serological testing of diagnostic serum samples and foetal fluids suggests that the prevalence of anti-Neospora antibodies in cattle which recently aborted is around 40%, in line with previous estimates of the number of abortions in dairy cattle caused by Neospora sp. A sero-epidemiological approach to the diagnosis of Neospora abortions in cattle may be suggested from these data.     

Flow Cytometry Identification of X- and Y-Chromosome-Bearing Goat Spermatozoa

Flow cytometric sorting technology was used to measure the difference in DNA content between X- and Y-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa in bucks. Spermatozoa were analysed by flow cytometry to characterize X- and Y-chromosome-bearing sperm populations and to quantify the DNA difference between them. Two symmetrical, overlapping and clearly separated peaks, corresponding to X- and Y-bearing spermatozoa, were detected. The difference in fluorescence intensity between the peaks was 4.4 +/- 0.03% without any significant inter- or intra-animal variations. Therefore, the identification and selection of high-purity samples of sperm populations for sex sorting is easier in bucks compared with other domestic species.     

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     

Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction: current understanding and recommendations from the Australian and New Zealand Equine Endocrine Group

The purpose of this article is to provide a review of the current knowledge and opinions about the epidemiology, clinical findings (including sequelae), diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, particularly in the Australian context. This information and the recommendations provided will assist practitioners in making informed decisions regarding the diagnosis and management of this disorder.     

Effect of bovine seminal plasma on bovine endometrial epithelial cells in culture

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of seminal plasma (SP) from bulls of known fertility on bovine endometrial epithelial cells (bEEC) in culture. The bEEC from passage 5, approximately 5.0–13 × 10⁵ cells per flask, were challenged with SP from bulls of high or low fertility (n = 3 and 2, respectively) or PBS (control), at 1% (75 μl) or 4% (300 μl) and were incubated for 72 hr (n = 13 per challenge). Total cell number and viability of bEEC after challenge with 1% SP from either high‐ or low‐fertility bulls (75H or 75L, respectively) did not differ from controls. In contrast, challenge with 4% of SP from high‐ or low‐fertility bulls (300H or 300L) negatively affected bEEC cell number and viability. Challenge with 300 L had a greater adverse effect than 300H. These results suggest that the negative effect of bovine SP on bEEC is both dose‐dependent and fertility‐dependent.     

A framework for evaluation of on-farm mastitis diagnostics in Australia

Numerous culture-based diagnostics are available on the Australian and international markets for on-farm detection of bacterial pathogens in milk. Use of such diagnostics may provide an opportunity to improve the prudent use of antimicrobials in udder health management. Farms are low-resource settings in terms of diagnostic microbiology capacity. The World Health Organisation has identified criteria for the evaluation of diagnostic tests in low resource settings based on Accuracy, Sensitivity, Specificity, User-friendliness, being Rapid or Robust, Equipment-free and being Deliverable (ASSURED). Here, we review how those criteria can be interpreted in the context of microbiological diagnosis of mastitis pathogens, and how on-farm diagnostics that are currently available in Australia perform relative to ASSURED criteria. This evaluation identifies multiple trade-offs, both with regard to scientific criteria and with regards to convenience criteria. More importantly, the purpose of testing may differ between farms, and test performance should be evaluated relative to its intended use. The ability of on-farm mastitis diagnostics to inform mastitis treatment decision-making in a timely and cost-effective manner depends not just on test characteristics but also on farm-specific pathogen prevalence, and on the farm enterprise's priorities and the farm manager's potential courses of action. With most assay evaluations to date conducted in professional laboratories, there is a surprising dearth of information on how well any of the diagnostic tests perform on-farm and, indeed, of the on-farm decision-making processes that they aim to inform.     

Spatial pattern and heterogeneity of soil properties in sand dunes under grazing and restoration in Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China

Applying a combination of classical and geostatistical methods, we identified soil properties and their spatial variation in a 5-year grazed sand dune (GSD5) and a 20-year recovered sand dune (RSD20) in Horqin Sandy Land, northern China. The paper assesses the effect of grazing, topography and vegetation restoration on spatial heterogeneity of soil properties. The results showed that soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, very fine sand (0.1–0.05 mm) content and their coefficients of variation were lower in GSD5 than in RSD20, while soil water contents (0–20 cm and 20–40 cm depths) were higher in GSD5 than in RSD20. Geostatistical analysis revealed that the spatial structured variance accounted for the largest proportion of total sample variance in soil properties at the measured scale under grazing and restoration. The spatial autocorrelation ranges were 66.30 m for soil organic carbon and 50.80 m for total nitrogen in GSD5 less than those in RSD20 (70.00 m and 76.10 m, respectively), while the spatial autocorrelation ranges of soil particle size fractions and soil water contents in RSD20 were less than those in GSD5. Kriging-interpolated maps also showed that the heterogeneity of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen and their degree of patch fragmentation were higher in GSD5 than in RSD20. These results suggested that continuous grazing resulted in an increase in spatial variability of soil nutrient and a decrease in spatial variability of soil particle size fractions and soil water content. Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen of sand dunes are associated closely with soil particle size fractions, relative height of sampling site and vegetation cover. Spatial patterns of soil properties are most strongly related to grazing, topography and plant-induced heterogeneity in sand dune ecosystems prone to wind erosion.     

Volatile flavor components of stored nonfat dry milk.

Nonfat dry milk (NDM) is widely used both as an ingredient in other preparations and for direct consumption. Flavor quality of NDM is a critical parameter because it can directly impact final product quality. Flavors can be formed in NDM during subsequent storage. Identification of compounds responsible for storage-induced flavors is necessary to correlate sensory quality with potential sources of the flavors. Six NDM samples were selected for volatile flavor analysis based on sensory analysis and storage time. Volatile components were extracted by direct solvent extraction/high vacuum distillation. Volatile extracts were separated into neutral/basic and acidic fractions and analyzed by gas chromatography-olfactometry (GCO) and aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA). A variety of aldehydes, ketones, and free fatty acids were responsible for generation of flavors in stored NDM. The following compounds exhibited high aroma impact by AEDA: 3-(methylthio)propanal (boiled potato); o-aminoacetophenone (corn tortilla); 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone and 2-methyl-3-hydroxy-4H-pyran-4-one (burnt sugar); butanoic acid (cheesy); pentanoic acid (sweaty); acetic and hexanoic acids (sour/vinegar); octanoic, decanoic, and dodecanoic acids (waxy); p-cresol (cowy/barny); 3-methylindole (fecal); dimethyl trisulfide (cabbage); (E,E)-2,4-decadienal (fried/fatty); furfuryl alcohol (rubber/vitamin); phenylacetic acid (rose-like); and 1-octen-3-one (mushroom).