The relationships between the internal and external pelvic measurements of Schwartzbunt cows]

1118 Friesian cows and 101 Friesian heifers were investigated in internal pelvic measurements and their relationships to external measurements. The mean of the pelvic vertical and the medium diagonally diameter of the pelvis are 19.8 cm and 18.3 cm. 363.9 square centimetres and 76.3 centimetres were found for the pelvic surface and pelvic circumference. The difference between the biggest and smallest pelvis was 295.0 square centimetres. Medium to high coefficiences of correlation were detected between the internal pelvic measurements but relationships between internal and external pelvic measurements were low. From determined external pelvic measurements only the hip breadth provides usefull informations of the pelvic shape.     

Diagnostic value of intestinal alkaline phosphatase in horse serum

Antiserum directed against equine intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) was produced in rabbits and used to develop a sensitive and quantitative assay for the detection of intestinal ALP in equine serum. This assay was then used to measure the half-life of intravenously injected intestinal ALP and to determine if the intestinal ALP was present in normal horse sera, sera from horses presented for lesions not involving the gastrointestinal tract and sera from horses presented with lesions involving the gastrointestinal tract. The results suggest that intestinal ALP is not likely to appear in equine serum even when gastrointestinal disease is present and, therefore, appears to be of no diagnostic value.     

Determination of progesterone directly in milk fat as an improved method for fertility control in cattle

A simple and reliable method for the determination of progesterone in milk fat by radioimmunoassay has been developed. Application of the assay under field conditions has shown that all samples diagnosed " questionable" in the former milk progesterone test (MPT) could be characterized as positive or negative. Thus the total figure of animals daignosed correctly rose from 72.3% to 85.8%. The borderlines (ng progesterone / 10 mcl milk fat) set up for this assay were (1) pregnant and (1) nonpregnant (Day 20) and (.3) in estrus and (.3) not in estrus ( Day 0). Within the application for diagnosis of pregnancy, 81.4% were diagnosed correctly as pregnant while 96.3% were diagnosed correctly as not pregnant. The latter figure is somewhat lower than in the MPT (100%), but under the practical conditions the error lies within the range of false diagnosis due to problems with sample identification.     

30 years of swine health services in Bavaria

A Pig Health Service in Bavaria was established in 1958, there was one veterinary-officer working. The department Pig-Health Service of the "Tiergesundheitsdienst Bayern" has twenty-one veterinary-officers now. They mostly are working in the pig health scheme, doing stress susceptibility test, giving advice and expert evidence.     

Immunohistochemical Detection of CD4-, CD8- and MHC II-Expressing Immune Cells and Endoglin in the Canine Corpus Luteum at Different Stages of Dioestrus

Specific immunohistochemical methods were applied to detect the presence of CD4-, CD8- and major histocompatibility complex II (MHC II)-expressing immune cells and of endoglin in the canine corpus luteum between days 15 and 75, after ovulation. Corpora lutea were obtained from groups of three clinically healthy beagle bitches, ovariohysterectomized at the respective days. For all four parameters, the effect of time was highly significant. Quantitative evaluation yielded high values on day 15, followed by a decrease on day 30 (CD4, CD8 and endoglin) and day 45 (MHC II). While there were no further changes for cells staining positive for CD4 and endoglin, CD8-positive immune cells increased from day 45 to day 60 to drop again on day 75; MHC II-positive staining increased from day 45 to days 60-75. These data suggest an involvement of the immune system in control of luteal function also in the dog that may have both stimulatory and inhibiting effects.     

核苷酸营养(一):核苷酸在动物饲料中的使用

从本期起我们将陆续向读者推出核苷酸的营养作用。本期首先介绍核苷酸是怎样促进年轻动物的生长发育的。     

The Humus Content and Soil Biological Properties as a Function of Organic and Mineral Fertilization

There is a growing recognition for the need to develop sensitive indicators of soil quality that reflect the effects of land management on soil and assist land users in promoting sustainability of agro-ecosystems. Three soil enzymes (dehydrogenase, phosphatase and invertase) microbial biomass as biological variables and soil organic matter content (SOM) were investigated relative to fertilization and soil fertility (estimated by crop yield) at a long-term fertilization trial (Keszthely, Hungary). 0-34.7-69.4-104.1t farmyard manure (FYM) ha m 1 5 yr m 1 and the corresponding amount of mineral fertilizers (NPK) were applied in two different crop rotation systems. There were four straw and/or stalk incorporating treatments in the second crop rotation 'B'. Enzyme activities, microbial biomass and the amount of SOM were generally higher in the fertilized soils than in the unfertilized soils. The type of amendments (mineral, FYM or mixed) had significant effects only on the amount of SOM. The correlations among the biological variables and the crop yield were generally low (r < 0.250. The differences in field management resulted only in the invertase activity.     

Detection of DNA of the finch polyomavirus in diseases of various types of birds in the order Passeriformes

Between 2000 and 2004 a disease occurred in an aviary in Germany affecting various bird species belonging to the order Passeriformes including Collared Grosbeaks (Mycerobas affinis), Eurasian Bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula griseiventris), Brown Bullfinches (Pyrrhula nipalensis), Grey-headed bullfinches (Pyrrhula erythaca) and Yellow-bellied Tits (Periparus venustulus).The major clinical signs included increased mortality of fledglings and young birds, as well as feather disorders and feather loss in adult birds. In addition, adult Eurasian Bullfinches showed in one year a disease course, in which the major symptom was inflammation of the skin beginning on the basis of the beak and spreading over the head occurring a few days before death. Bacteriological and parasitological investigations did not reveal any consistent findings. Using a newly developed polymerase chain reaction protocol, DNA of the recently discovered finch polyomavirus (FPyV) was demonstrated in several affected birds. Because of the consistent detection of FPyV-DNA and the similarity of the symptoms with those observed during infection with the closely related avian polyomavirus in other bird species, an etiological role of FPyV in the observed disease is assumed.     

Ace and ace-like genes of invasive redlegged earth mite: copy number variation,target-site mutations,and their associations with organophosphate insensitivity

Background

Invasive Australian populations of redlegged earth mite, Halotydeus destructor (Tucker), are evolving increasing organophosphate resistance. In addition to the canonical ace gene, the target gene of organophosphates, the H. destructor genome contains many radiated ace-like genes that vary in copy number and amino acid sequence. In this work, we characterise copy number and target-site mutation variation at the canonical ace and ace-like genes and test for potential associations with organophosphate insensitivity. This was achieved through comparisons of whole-genome pool-seq data from alive and dead mites following organophosphate exposure.

Results

A combination of increased copy number and target-site mutations at the canonical ace was associated with organophosphate insensitivity in H. destructor. Resistant populations were segregating for G119S, A201S, F331Y at the canonical ace. A subset of populations also had copy numbers of canonical ace > 2, which potentially helps overexpress proteins carrying these target-site mutations. Haplotypes possessing different copy numbers and target-site mutations of the canonical ace gene may be under selection across H. destructor populations. We also detected some evidence that increases in copy number of radiated ace-like genes are associated with organophosphate insensitivity, which might suggest potential roles in sequestration or breakdown of organophosphates.

Conclusion

Different combinations of target-site mutations and (or) copy number variation in the canonical ace and ace-like genes may provide non-convergent ways for H. destructor to respond to organophosphate selection. However, these changes may only play a partial role in organophosphate insensitivity, which appears to have a polygenic architecture. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.