Determination of sulfamethazine and trimethoprim in liquid feed premixes by HPLC and diode array detection, with an analysis of the uncertainty of the analytical results.

Sulfamethazine (SMZ) and trimethoprim (TMP) are antibacterials used in veterinary practice. This paper describes a method for their determination in veterinary liquid feed premixes that is based on liquid chromatography with diode array detection. Gradient elution with methanol and ammonium acetate achieved excellent separation of the two analytes within 15 min without any interference from the matrix. Absorbance of the column effluent was monitored at 264 nm for SMZ and at 230 nm for TMP. Detailed analyses of the uncertainties of determinations afford estimated expanded uncertainties of, respectively, 0.2 and 0.1 w/v % for typical SMZ and TMP concentrations of 10.7 and 2.1 w/v %, respectively. At the lower end of the calibrated range of the method, the dominant source of uncertainty is the preparation of standards and the construction of the calibration line.     

Dynamics of chlorinated pesticide residues in long-term storage of canned food

Meat tins denoted as pork in natural juice, beef with bacon, luncheon meat and liver paté, all produced in a food-processing plant, were stored under definite conditions (temperature 21 degrees C, relative humidity 73%) for three years. Before the long-term storage and then in half-year intervals, the contents of the residues of chlorinated pesticides, including HCB (hexachlorobenzene), gamma-HCH (gamma isomer of hexachlorocyclohexane) and pp'DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis/p-chlorofenyl/-ethylene), were determined in the above-mentioned final products by the method of gas chromatography. As suggested by the records of the changes in the pesticide residue contents in the meat tins during their long-term storage, the average contents of all chlorinated carbohydrates gradually decrease with the length of storage and the "reduction" of residues varies with the kind of final product and with the pesticides. In HCB the reduction ranged from 18.4 to 34.4%, in gamma-HCH from 36.2 to 80.4% and in pp'DDE from 23.9 to 48.9%.     

Characterisation of a maize-infecting potyvirus from Spain

In order to characterise and classify an unknown maize-infecting potyvirus isolated from fields in northeast Spain, the entire coat protein gene and the C-terminal twothirds of the large nuclear inclusion protein (NIb) gene were cloned and sequenced. Protein sequencing enabled the cleavage site between the two proteins to be deduced and also revealed that on storage the viral coat protein undergoes a specific degradation in which the N-terminal 39 amino acids are removed. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence of the 3 non-coding region of the viral RNA and the predicted amino acid sequence of the coat protein with the equivalent regions of other members of the potyvirus group revealed that the Spanish virus is closely related to maize dwarf mosaic virus strain A.     

Identification ofTomato Mottle Taino Begomovirus strains in Cuban potato fields

The presence of a begomovirus in potato plants with yellow mottle symptoms was determined for the first time in Cuba. The incidence of typical begomovirus-like symptoms in potato plants in some regions of Havana province (Güira de Melena, San José de las Lajas, Güines and Boyeros) during the growing seasons from 1992 to 1998 was in general low. However, in some cultivars belonging to the National Program for Potato Genetic Improvement, the incidence reached 100%. Yield losses, determined in 1992 and 1994, ranged as high as 19% to 56.33% depending on the cultivar. Characterization of the causal agent was done by light microscopy, host range (graft and mechanical transmission), DNA hybridizations, polymerase chain reaction, and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Nucleotide sequence of the amplified fragments revealed the presence ofTomato mottle Taino virus. The virus was transmittedvia tubers and has been detected in mixed infections withPotato virus X and withPotato leaf roll virus. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Oct. 20, 2003. The first two authors contributed equally to this work.     

Altitude effects on technology and productivity of small bovine farms (milk meat) in Veracruz (Gulf of Mexico)

The dual-purpose bovine system represents 98.4% of the bovine livestock of Veracruz, the main cattle-producing state of Mexico. This system supplies calves to meat companies, a sector in which Veracruz has been the national leader in the last decade. The objective of the present study was to analyze the effect of the altitudinal zonation of farms on livestock technology and productivity in a microbasin of the Gulf of Mexico where small farms predominate. Structured interviews were applied to producers located in three altitudinal zones (at average altitudes of 50, 140, and 450 m, respectively, for lower, middle, and upper zones). Sample size was 135 farms having similar land surface (within a range of 15–22 ha). The results indicated multiple differences among farms located in the three zones. Farms in the middle and lower zones presented higher productive indicators than those in the upper zone. Differences in herd structure and management resulted in important differences in productivity, income, and profits in milk and calf production. We concluded from this study that altitudinal zonation in Veracruz had a clear effect on the differentiation of small farms, which are representative of dual-purpose cattle. The upper zone performs cattle activity under conditions with greater disadvantages in the analyzed region.