D-Dimer Improves the Prognostic Value of Combined Clinical and Laboratory Data in Equine Gastrointestinal Colic

The discriminating ability of 15 parameters alone or in combinations, including results from analysis of plasma endotoxin, the Nycomed plasma D-Dimer test and phospholipase A₂, were analyzed to predict morbidity and mortality in equine gastrointestinal colic. Endotoxaemia was a characteristic feature of the colic horses. The problem of adequately predicting non-survivors among colic horses required several parameters to be included in the logistic model: if the “classical parameters”, (heart rate, respiratory rate, PCV, anion gap) were included in the model, addition of plasma D-dimer, phospholipase A₂, and Cl^- significantly improved the predictive value of the logistic model. Increasing heart rate and D-dimer together with decreasing chloride was a risk factor for nonsurvival. The sensitivity of this three-parameter logistic model to predict nonsurvival was 78% and specificity 77%. The Nycomed D-Dimer test is recommended as a horse-site test to predict disseminated intravascular coagulation and nonsurvival in equine colic.     

The risk of salmonellae shedding by dogs fed Salmonella-contaminated commercial raw food diets

Twenty-eight research dogs were enrolled to determine the prevalence of salmonellae shedding after consumption of 1 Salmonella-contaminated commercial raw food diet meal. Sixteen dogs were exposed to Salmonella-contaminated commercial raw food diets and 12 to Salmonella-free commercial raw food diets. Seven of the exposed dogs shed salmonellae 1-7 days after consumption of Salmonella-contaminated raw food diets. None of the dogs fed Salmonella-free diets shed salmonellae. No clinical signs were observed in either group. Five of the 7 dogs shed the same serotypes as those recovered from food samples used for feeding. Results showed the same serotypes and antimicrobial resistance pattern in 2 of the 7 shedders. Dogs fed Salmonella-contaminated raw food diets can shed salmonellae and may, therefore, be a source of environmental contamination potentially leading to human or animal illness.     

Genetic diversity of apricot revealed by a set of SSR markers from linkage group G1

Eight polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers located in the G1 linkage group of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) were previously developed and evaluated in a small set of cultivars. Those primers were used for studying variability in 77 apricot cultivars belonging to five different geographical groups, such as Chinese, Asian (Irano-Caucasian and Central Asian), North American, Mediterranean and Western European as well as Middle European cultivars. Six of the markers were polymorphic and revealed a total of 71 alleles ranging from 5 (aprigms11) to 20 (aprigms1) alleles per locus with a mean value of 11.83 alleles per locus. In conclusion, the SSR loci located in the G1 linkage group show a level of polymorphism which is similar to loci dispersed throughout the entire genome. The total number of alleles and the number of unique alleles were the highest in Chinese apricots and the lowest in Middle European cultivars. Heterozygosity also showed a decrease from Asia and China to Middle Europe. No association could have been observed between any SSR markers tested and plum pox virus (PPV) resistant phenotype of cultivars. PPV resistant cultivars did not form a separate clade on the dendrogram obtained by UPGMA cluster analysis. Middle European and Chinese cultivars formed separate clusters while other genotypes formed smaller multiple sub-groups or scattered among different clusters. Our results support previous hypotheses on the origin of PPV resistance in North American apricots. The allele data was also presented in a form that allowed the easy observation of allele frequencies in each geographical group at each locus. Using this data field, differences and similarities between cultivar groups can be easily assessed. The analysis demonstrated the links between the North American and Mediterranean apricot germplasm and confirmed that the Chinese and Eastern European cultivars are distantly related.     

Phosphine resistance, respiration rate and fitness consequences in stored-product insects

Resistance to fumigants has been frequently reported in insect pests of stored products and is one of the obstacles in controlling these pests. The authors studied phosphine resistance and its physiological basis in adult insects of 12 populations of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Tenebrionidae), ten populations of Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Bostrichidae) and eight populations of Oryzaephilus surinamensis L. (Silvanidae) from Brazil, and the possible existence of fitness costs associated with phosphine resistance in the absence of this fumigant. The bioassays for the detection of phosphine resistance followed the FAO standard method. The production of carbon dioxide and the instantaneous rate of population increase (r(i)) of each population of each species were correlated with their resistance ratios at the LC(50). The resistance ratio at LC(50) in T. castaneum ranged from 1.0- to 186.2-fold, in R. dominica from 2.0- to 71.0-fold and in O. surinamensis from 1.9- to 32.2-fold. Ten populations of T. castaneum, nine populations of R. dominica and seven populations of O. surinamensis were resistant to phosphine. In all three species there was significant association (P < 0.05) between respiration rate and phosphine resistance. The populations with lower carbon dioxide production showed a higher resistance ratio, suggesting that the lower respiration rate is the physiological basis of phosphine resistance by reducing the fumigant uptake in the resistant insects. Conversely, populations with higher r(i) showed lower resistance ratios, which could indicate a lower rate of reproduction of the resistant populations compared with susceptible populations. Thus, management strategies based on the interruption of phosphine fumigation may result in reestablishment of susceptibility, and shows good potential for more effective management of phosphine-resistant populations.     

Molecular characterization of canine coronavirus strains circulating in Brazil

To characterize canine coronavirus (CCoV) circulating in diarrheic puppies in Brazil, 250 fecal samples collected between 2006 and 2012 were tested. By using RT-PCR to partially amplify the M gene, CCoV RNA was detected in 30 samples. Sequence analysis of the M protein grouped eight strains with CCoV-I and another 19 with CCoV-II prototypes. To genotype/subtype the CCoV strains and assess the occurrence of single or multiple CCoV infections, RT-PCR of the S gene was performed, and 25/30 CCoV-positive strains amplified with one or two primer pairs. For 17/25 samples, single infections were detected as follows: six CCoV-I, nine CCoV-IIa and two CCoV-IIb. Eight samples were positive for more than one genotype/subtype as follows: seven CCoV-I/IIa and one CCoV-I/IIb. Sequence analysis revealed that the CCoV-I and IIa strains shared high genetic similarity to each other and to the prototypes. The Brazilian strains of CCoV-IIb displayed an aminoacid insertion that was also described in CCoV-IIb-UCD-1 and TGEV strains. Among the 25 CCoV-positive puppies, five had a fatal outcome, all but one of which were cases of mixed infection. The current study is the first reported molecular characterization of CCoV-I, IIa and IIb strains in Brazil.     

Evaluation of different approaches to individual tree growth and survival modelling using data collected at irregular intervals - a case study for Pinus patula in Kenya

Background： The minimum set of sub-models for simulating stand dynamics on an individual-tree basis consists of tree-level models for diameter increment and survival. Ingrowth model is a necessary third component in uneven-aged management. The development of this type of model set needs data from permanent plots, in which all trees have been numbered and measured at regular intervals for diameter and survival. New trees passing the ingrowth limit should also be numbered and measured. Unfortunately, few datasets meet all these requirements. The trees may not have numbers or the length of the measurement interval varies. Ingrowth trees may not have been measured, or the number tags may have disappeared causing errors in tree identification. Methods： This article discussed and demonstrated the use of an optimization-based approach to individual-tree growth modelling, which makes it possible to utilize data sets having one or several of the above deficiencies. The idea is to estimate all parameters of the sub-models of a growth simulator simultaneously in such a way that, when simulation begins from the diameter distribution at the first measurement occasion, it yields a similar ending diameter distribution as measured in the second measurement occasion. The method was applied to Pinus patula permanent sample plot data from Kenya. In this dataset, trees were correctly numbered and identified but measurement interval varied from 1 to 13 years. Two simple regression approaches were used and compared to the optimization-based model recovery approach. Results： The optimization-based approach resulted in far more accurate simulations of stand basal area and number of surviving trees than the equations fitted through regression analysis. Conclusions： The optimization-based modelling approach can be recommended for growth modelling when the modelling data have been collected at irregular measurement intervals.     

Insights into population genetics,connectivity and demographic history of the longnosed skate Dipturus oxyrinchus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the western Mediterranean Sea

1. Genetic information is crucial for the conservation of Dipturus oxyrinchus (Linnaeus, 1758), a threatened large skate with declining populations over most of its geographical range. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the genetic structure, connectivity and demographic history of the longnosed skate in Sardinia (western Mediterranean Sea).
2. Patterns of population structure were assessed in 175 specimens from six sampling sites. Variation in two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and control region) highlighted high genetic diversity and low but significant genetic differentiation among sites, which clustered into three groups corresponding to the north‐west, north‐east and south Sardinian coasts.
3. The observed genetic structuring could presumably depend on a combination of past geological events, contemporary restrictions to dispersal and biological characteristics of the species (e.g. site‐fidelity, no pelagic larval stage, limited dispersal of juveniles and/or adults).
4. Demographic analyses showed signs of past population expansion, but substantial current stability of Sardinian populations. From a conservation perspective, these results are encouraging, and indicate that Sardinian populations are still large and stable, and seem not to have suffered negative side‐effects from the ever‐growing fishing pressure in the region.
5. The occurrence of genetic structuring strongly supported the close monitoring of populations to identify any erosion of their gene pool, and high genetic variability of the Sardinian D. oxyrinchus populations could thus represent priority populations for conservation purposes, providing potential sources for recolonization in cases of local extinctions in other areas of the distribution range of the species.
6. When the sequences from Sardinia were compared with those available from other areas, the data seem to exclude the possibility that the Atlantic and Mediterranean host totally isolated populations or even different species, as recently suggested. However, additional markers and a larger sampling sites are needed to confirm these findings.