Transmission of Mycoplasma dispar among calves collected and reared for beef production

Fortytwo calves, 28 to 117 days old, were collected from 23 dairy farms and transported in a lorry, allowing direct contact between the calves, to 8 calf rearing farms. The average transport time per calf was 4.5 h, ranging from 0.3 to 12.8 h. The calves were sampled by nasal swabbing for mycoplasmas first before loading and then immediately after transport. Thirteen of the calves were transferred to farm I. They were placed in individual pens in a separate room to themselves, and were sampled at intervals for a period of 4 weeks.Ten of the 42 calves (23.8 %) originating from 5 of the source farms were found initially positive for M. dispar with titers > 4 log₁₀ ecu; 3 of these 10 calves were delivered to farm I and 7 calves to 6 others of the 8 receiving farms. Three initially infected calved delivered to farms I continued to be positive throughout the follow-up period; among the 10 initially negative calves the frequency of detected infection, and the geometric mean titer (within parenthesis), developed so that on days 1, 7, 14, and 28 the figures were: 2 (2.5), 8 (4.3), 9 (4.7), and 10 (5.5), respectively.After transport 3 initially negative calves were found positive with low titers. Two of them were placed on farm I. In one of them positivity proved to be only transient; the case seems to represent a phenomenon of transfer of mycoplasmas without establishment of infection. In contrast, at least 4 (possibly 7) calves, negative both before and after transport–ascribed above to the group of 10 initially negative calves arriving on farm I–had in all likelihood caught the infection during the transport. Two of the 10 calves most likely caught the infection on the farm; for 3 calves the evidence was equivocal as to the 2 alternatives.Seven of the 42 calves (16.7 %) were found to be initially infected with M. bovir-hinis, 2 of the 42 with Acholeplasma laidlawii. Among the 13 calves transported to an reared on farm I, 8 were found to be positive at least once for M. bovirhinis during the study. Colonisation by this mycoplasma was partly detected only intermittently and the detectable prevalence among the 13 calves at its highest was only 38.5 %.     

Transmissibility of Mycoplasma dispar under experimental conditions

Twenty three 1- to 18-week old Ayrshire calves were exposed to infection by Mycoplasma dispar, 1 or 2 at a time, in a series of consecutive experiments. Exposure took place either at direct contact, i. e. with the possibility of physical contact between susceptible and infected calves (type I), or through separation of susceptibles from the nearest infected calf at a distance of 0.8 m (type II) or 1.3 m (type III). Frequent nasal swabbing was used for the detection of the infection and the measurement of the level of colonisation. Ten, 4, and 9 calves were subjected to type I, II, and III exposures, respectively. When the first positive nasal specimen preceding a rise in titres in the following specimens was used to signify an establishment of infection of a susceptible calf, the medians (ranges) of the times for the transmission of infection (including the latent period of early colonisation undetectable by nasal swabbing) in the 3 exposure groups were: 4.5 (1-27), 8.5 (7-9), and 17 (6-32), respectively. The difference between groups I and III was significant (p < 0.05). The last figures for type III of exposures represent the results of only 5 calves succesfully exposed; the remaining 4 of the 9 calves of this exposure type were not found to pick up the infection within the periods of 2 to 3 weeks of exposure. The results indicate a transmission mode via droplets.Four calves exposed only for 4 h by direct contact were found to be infected on days 0, 4, 4, and 7, respectively. This indicated variability in the length of the latency as regards the detection by nasal swabbing.Four of the 7 calves in the type I experiments sampled at hour 4 showed low titers for M. dispar. Only in 1 of these calves was this early finding of transfer followed by positivity and a rise in titers through subsequent specimens. The other 3 calves became positive anew, with subsequent developing colonisation, first on days 4, 4, and 12, respectively.     

Equilibria of weak acids and organic Al complexes explain activity of H+ and Al3+ in a salt extract of exchangeable cations

Two sequential extractions with unbuffered 0.1 m BaCl₂ were done to study the release of salt-exchangeable H⁺ and Al from mineral horizons of five Podzols and a Cambisol. Released Al was found to have a charge close to 3+ in all horizons and in both extractions. This finding was supported by the near-equality of the titrated exchangeable acidity (EA_T) and the sum of exchangeable acids (EA = H_e + 3Al_e, calculated from the pH and Al concentration of the extract). The ratio between EA of the second and the first extraction was over 0.50 in the Bs2 and C horizons and smaller in the other horizons. H⁺ was assumed to be in equilibrium with weak acid groups, and the modified Henderson–Hasselbach equation, pK_HH = pH ? n log (α/(1 ? α)), was used to explain pH of the extract. The degree of dissociation (α) was calculated as the ratio between effective and potential cation exchange capacity. Value of the empirical constant n was found to be near unity in most horizons. When the monoprotic acid dissociation was assumed in all horizons, pK_HH had the same value in both extractions. For Al³⁺, two equilibrium models were evaluated, describing (i) complexation reactions of Al³⁺ with soil organic matter, and (ii) equilibrium with Al(OH)₃. Apparent equilibrium constants were written as (i) pK_o = xpH ? pAl³⁺, and (ii) log Q_gibbs= log Al³⁺ ? 3log H^+. The two extractions gave an average reaction stoichiometry x close to 2 in all horizons. Results suggest that an equilibrium with organic Al complexes can be used to express dissolved Al³⁺, aluminium being apparently bound to bidentate sites. The value of log Q_gibbs was below the solubility of gibbsite (log K_gibbs = 8.04) in many horizons. In addition, log Q_gibbs of the second extraction was greater than that of the first extraction in all horizons except the C horizon. This indicates that equilibrium with Al(OH)₃ cannot explain dissolved Al³⁺ in the soils. We propose that the models of pK_HH and pK_o can be used to simulate exchangeable H⁺ and Al³⁺ in soil acidification models.     

Development Phases of Forest Planning on Non-Industrial Private Lands in Finland: Perspective of Planners’ Work

This paper examines the historical phases of Finnish forest planning from the 1960s to the present day in support of the rational future development of forest planning for family-owned forest holdings. The ‘historical types’ of work—craft work, mass production, process enhancement, and mass customization have been recognized in the Finnish planning discourse to date. Indications of mass customization are typical in the present developmental discussion of forest planning. There are some signals in the current planning debate that are calling for the next activity principle, co-configuration. A forthcoming type of forestry extension activity, labelled adaptive planning, is described in this paper to explicate the demands imposed by a future planning system. The present analysis informs also other contexts outside of Finland, where public and private institutions that support family forest owners face post-industrial challenges.     

Seasonal variations in location and population structure of endophytes in buds of Scots pine

We studied the location and distribution of a bacterial isolate, a Mycobacterium sp., in buds of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). Using a probe specific for the 16S rRNA of the Mycobacterium sp., the bacterium was found by in situ hybridization in the meristematic tissues of 40% of all bud samples examined. Because we had previously found other bacterial and fungal endophytes in the meristematic tissues of Scots pine buds, we studied their occurrence in buds during shoot development and dormancy. Using probes targeted to the 16S or 18S rRNA of the endophytes Mycobacterium sp., Methylobacterium spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Rhodotorula minuta, endophytes were found in association with growing tissues, with Methylobacterium spp. being the dominant species. Endophytes were detected in abundance before elongation or differentiation of a bud, but once a tissue was fully developed, endophytes were no longer detected. Metabolic activity of the endophytes was suppressed at the onset of, and during, dormancy of Scots pine, but recovered before the following growing season.     

Growth and interaction of Mycoplasma bovirhinis and Mycoplasma dispar in vitro

Two mycoplasmas were grown in pure and mixed cultures in glucose calf-serum broth with initial pH 7.8. Sensitivity to pH was also tested. The main data for Mycoplasma bovirhinis and Mycoplasma dispar, respectively, in pure cultures were as follows: lag phase, days: <1, 1–2; log phase: 1–2, 1–4; relatively stationary phase: 0–1, 2–4; decline phase (to the extent roughly logarithmic): 2–6, 5–10; maximal titers: 5 × 10⁷ to 10⁹, 5 × 10⁶ to 10⁸ color changing units per 0.2 ml; highest pH, approximately, at which decline started: 7.7 and 7.0; definitely toxic initial pH: 5.6, 6.8; relative production of acidity; less, more. Decline either shortly ended in loss of viability or, correlated with higher pH levels, led to a prolonged maintenance in lower numbers. The decline of M. bovirhinis was postulated to be essentially caused by an autotoxic product/products other than H⁺.

In mixed cultures an antagonistic effect due to the faster growing M. bovirhinis against M. dispar was recorded. The effect varied according to the initial numbers of organisms and their ratio. Two mechanisms seemed to be active: 1. decrease of pH somewhat below neutrality led to the death of the sensitive M. dispar; 2. M. dispar, when present in relatively high initial numbers, was inhibited by M. bovirhinis during the latter's logarithmic growth at pH-levels above 7.0, the inhibition ending shortly afterwards. A rapidly inactivated product/products of M. bovirhinis metabolism, inhibitory to M. dispar was posited. The results offer an improved insight into diagnostic practices for M. dispar.     

Colonisation pattern of the respiratory tract of calves by Mycoplasma dispar

Eight conventionally reared, 1- to 11-week old Ayrshire calves were naturally infected by a strain of Mycoplasma dispar (M. dispar). The colonisation was quantitatively followed by nasal swab samples, transtracheal aspiration samples and by the examination of the whole of the respiratory tract for mycoplasmas at slaughter after a follow-up period of 7–10 months.The fairly uniform pattern of the colonisation by M. dispar was revealed: A high degree of colonisation, measuring 10⁵–10⁸ colour change units (ccu) per nasal sample, lasted for a period of 2–5 months and was followed by a slow decrease in titres. Seven of the calves still harboured M. dispar in their respiratory tracts at slaughter. Intermittently obtained transtracheal aspiration samples were all positive for M. dispar and the titres were regularly higher than those for the simultaneously taken nasal samples indicating a high ability of M. dispar to continuously colonize the more distal parts of the respiratory tract. It was demonstrated that the sensitivity of nasal swabbing in the detection of M. dispar infection largely depended on the phase of colonisation : The method was good for the detection of a fairly recent infection of M. dispar, but inadequate for detection of low grade carriers.In various phases, the calves also became infected by Mycoplasma bovirhinis and Acholeplasma laidlawii. Their ability to colonize the whole respiratory tract was lower than that of M. dispar.     

Apparent Cation – Exchange Equilibria and Aluminium Solubility in Solutions Obtained from Two Acidic Forest Soils by Centrifuge Drainage Method and Suction Lysimeters

Apparent cation–exchange equilibria and solubility of aluminium were analysed in two acidic forest soils: a Cambisol and a Cambic Podzol. Soil solution was obtained by a centrifuge drainage method from fresh soil samples and with suction lysimeters. The total positive charge of the measured cations as well as the concentrations of the cations were generally much larger in the centrifugates than in the lysimeter solutions, which implies that total charge of soil solution is larger in small pores than in large pores. Hydrogen ion in particular was concentrated in some of the centrifugates, the ratio centrifugate:lysimeter solution being over 10. The total positive charge of the measured cationsdecreased with increasing depth with both methods. Theapparent cation–exchange coefficients K _H-Ca, K _Al-Ca, and K _K-Ca had different values in the methods, and the variation in the cation exchange coefficients was larger in the lysimeter method than in the centrifuging method. The coefficient K _Mg-Ca had similar values in both methods. The results imply that mobile solution could not have cation–exchange equilibria with bulk exchangeable cations in the soils, although solution in small pores seemed to have equilibria. Solubility of Al did not follow the solubility of an Al(OH)₃ phase in the centrifugates, and the centrifugates with a H⁺ activity larger than 60 μmol were undersaturated with respect to the gibbsite. Solubility of Al was between gibbsite and amorphousAl(OH)₃ in the lysimeter solutions. Differencesbetween the centrifugates and the lysimeter solutionsin the ion concentrations and in the apparent chemicalequilibria were similar for both soils studied.     

Constructing forest plans interactively based on owner-driven evaluation of the holding- and stand-level alternatives

In this study, an interactive forest planning process corresponding to the practical demands was developed and further tested in a challenging forest planning situation in northeastern Finland. The process includes prior preparation of alternative stand-level treatments and a small amount of holding-level forest plans; an interactive planning session consisting of the primary choice of the forest owner's profile; the owner's selection of the best holding-level plan; and finally a local improvement of this plan. The method as a whole aims to bridge the gap between the prevailing planning culture that has developed for private forest planning over three decades in Finland and the planning approach suggested by multiobjective forest planning theory. The usability and characteristics of the process were evaluated through an exercise set given to both forestry students and forest professionals. Tests of the process indicated, among other things, that comparison particularly of stand-level alternatives and offering owners the possibility to make changes and truly affect the end-result of the planning process are seen as important characteristics of the process.