弓形虫分子免疫学研究进展

弓形虫病是由刚第弓形虫引起的一种危害严重的全球性人兽共患寄生虫病,全世界各国学者对此原虫的研究十分重视,尤其是近年来对其免疫学的研究成果对深入了解该原虫的致病机理和进行有效的免疫预防非常重要。从宿主感染弓形虫后的免疫效应、免疫诊断及其疫苗等方面阐述了弓形虫分子免疫学研究进展。     

Further data to the aetiology, pathogenesis and therapy of infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis

Out of a total of 224 bovine eye secretions, 126 Moraxella bovis and 64 Neisseria ovis strains were isolated. The pathogenesis and histological lesions caused by Neisseria ovis have been studied on the eyes of three calves naturally affected with IBK, using electron microscopy.

Neisseria ovis caused in 1–12 weeks old calves acute, transient and mostly benign serous conjunctivitis with only slight affection of the cornea. More rarely erosions and even ulceration of the cornea have been observed.

Moraxella bovis and Neisseria ovis strains proved nearly unanimously sensitive in vitro to chloramphenicol, neomycin, oxytetracyclin, nitrofurantoin, erythromycin and cefoperazone. Other antibiotics and chemotherapeutics inhibited the growth of these agents only partly or were ineffective.

Experimental therapy has been carried out using a single i.m. injection of Terramycin/LA inj. (Pfizer) in a dose of 20 mg/kg body mass, repeated if necessary after 72–96 h. This formulation proved more effective and practical than treatments used earlier.     

Evaluation of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) single cross hybrids under heat stress condition

Sunflower is an important oilseed crop, which shows susceptibility to heat stress. In this study, 63 single cross hybrids were evaluated under heat stress condition for 2 years and compared with the two commercial hybrids. Genotype and genotype × environment (GGE) was used to differentiate single cross hybrids on the basis of multiple traits. GGE biplot showed that several single cross hybrids had higher seed yield potential than standard check. Moreover, seed yield per plant (SYP) was related to pollen viability percentage, showing that achene yield was the product of high gametophytic fertility under heat stress. Hybrids having high seed yield potential under heat stress had lower cell membrane injury. GGE biplot for SYP and its components showed that single cross hybrids were characterized into two major groups. Group I was further characterized into two sub group. Group Ia included hybrids with high 100-SW, while group Ib had the hybrids with high number of seeds per head and head diameter. Group II had the hybrids with high kernel weight and kernel to seed ratio. The hybrids could be recommended according to their potential utilization in the seed industry.     

Live fences – a hidden resource of soil fertility in West Kenya

In the highlands of Western Kenya, intensified land use combined with low use of mineral fertilizers at farm level is driving soil nutrient depletion and declining yield levels. All farms and individual field crop plots are surrounded by life fences and the area under such hedge structure is estimated to cover 3–5% of the total farmland area. The land below the hedges is not tilled and may receive nutrient and carbon inputs by the occasional addition of field crop residues and litter fall. We hypothesized that the areas covered by live fences represent not only an important land resource, but are also largely untapped sites characterized by high soil fertility in an otherwise largely degraded environment. We characterized physico‐chemical attributes of top soils collected on farmland and from adjacent live fences composed of five different fencing species in representative environments of Kakamega district (sandy Acrisol and bimodal rainfall distribution vs. clay Ferralsol and monomodal rainfall distribution). In addition, the maize production potential of these soils was assessed in a supplementary pot experiment. Concentrations and total amounts of soil C, N, N supplying capacity, exchangeable K, as well as aggregate stability tended to be higher in hedge structures than in field crop soil. The amount of labile (permanganate‐oxidizable) carbon and the carbon management index in fence lines on Acrisol were similar to those of the adjacent Kakamega rain forest reserve, while they were reduced by > 50% in crop fields. These trends were reflected in the biomass and N and K uptake by maize in potted soil. Effects were generally larger in Acrisol than in Ferralsol and were most pronounced with Tithonia diversifolia. We conclude that live fences are soil fertility hotspots that may be valorised in the future by replacing the generally unproductive fencing species with economical perennial crops.     

Effects of organic wastes on labile organic carbon in semiarid soil under plastic mulched drip irrigation

ABSTRACT

The objective of this work was to evaluate the variation in labile organic carbon fractions after the application of organic wastes (OWs) in semiarid soil under plastic mulched drip irrigation. The two-year experiment involved six treatments: chicken manure (CM), sheep manure (SM), mushroom residue (MR), maize straw (MS), fodder grass (FG), and tree leaves (TL), with an unamended soil (no OWs) as control. In 2015 and 2016, treatment with OWs led to increased levels of soil organic carbon (SOC), dissolved organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, easily oxidized organic carbon, as well as higher carbon management indexes and yields and lower oxidation stability coefficients. Higher SOC contents (p <0.01) were achieved in both years for TL and MS compared to the other OWs. In particular, the SOC content in 2016 was higher (p <0.05) for TL than MS. Compared to the other OWs, the easily oxidized organic carbon levels and carbon management indexes in both years were higher (p <0.01) for CM, SM, and MS, whereas the oxidation stability coefficients were lower (p <0.01). In conclusion, among the studied treatments, the application of MS was the most effective for improving soil fertility and enhancing soil carbon sequestration.     

Development of gene expression assays measuring immune responses in the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta)

As scavengers, spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) are exposed to a wide array of pathogens but exhibit low mortality rates due to infectious disease. This suggests that this species exhibits a unique and robust immune response to pathogens. However, few tools exist to measure cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in hyenas and we aimed to develop a gene expression assay to quantify antigen-specific responses. Whole blood from five Mycobacterium bovis- sensitised hyenas was incubated in Nil and TB antigen tubes of the QuantiFERON®-TB Gold (QFT) system. Using qPCR, the relative expression stability of the reference genes ACTB, GAPDH, YWHAZ and TBP in these samples was determined as well as the mean fold change in the expression of IFNG, CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11 in M. bovis-antigen stimulated blood. The expression of YWHAZ and TBP showed greatest stability, and YWHAZ was selected as a reference for further analysis. The expression of CXCL9 and CXCL11 showed greatest upregulation in antigen-stimulated blood and the assay results for these genes were strongly correlated. The measurement of antigen-induced CXCL9 and CXCL11 expression, relative to that of YWHAZ, can be used to measure CMI responses to infectious diseases in spotted hyenas.     

长期施肥对红壤旱地土壤活性有机碳和酶活性的影响

以江西进贤长期肥料定位试验为平台,研究了红壤旱地不同施肥措施对土壤微生物生物量、活性有机C、C库管理指数以及土壤酶活性的影响。研究结果表明:与不施肥和单施化肥土壤相比,施有机肥处理土壤的pH、CEC、有机C、全N、全P、无机N、速效P、速效K及土壤微生物生物量均显著增加,土壤活性有机C和C库管理指数也较试前土壤和其他处理土壤明显提高,此外,土壤的转化酶、脱氢酶、脲酶和酸性磷酸酶活性也较其他处理显著增加。土壤微生物生物量、活性有机C以及4种土壤酶活性之间的相关关系显著,且它们均与土壤有机C、全N、全P、无机N、速效P等土壤养分呈显著正相关。因此,红壤旱地通过长期施用有机肥或与无机肥配施,不仅能显著提高土壤有机质的数量和质量,而且能增加土壤微生物生物量和酶活性,从而显著提高土壤肥力和土壤持续生产力。     

长期不同施肥管理对黑土活性有机碳及碳库管理指数的影响

通过15年长期定位试验,研究了不同施肥管理对黑土活性有机碳库的形成及碳库管理指数(CMI)的影响。结果表明,土壤有机碳、活性有机碳及CMI发生了显著的变化。与原始土壤相比,在东北黑土区经过15年的施有机肥及NPK化肥(NPKOM)与NP2K、NPK处理,土壤有机碳含量显著提高,其余处理间差异不显著。除NPKOM处理外,其余各处理土壤的CMI均呈下降趋势。不同活度的活性有机碳含量比较发现总体趋势为高活性有机碳<中等活性有机碳<惰性有机碳,各处理之间的变化趋势大体相同为NPKOM>NPK>NP≈NP2K>NK≈N2PK>PK>CK。从回归方程的分析可知,土壤中高活性有机碳的变化可以解释阳离子交换量变化的89.5%,交换性Ca含量变化的78%,交换性Mg含量变化的70.6%。从相关分析表明,作物产量,CMI和各处理的土壤中高活性有机碳含量呈极显著相关。     

灌淤土农田土壤有机碳及碳库管理指数对施肥措施的响应

为了探讨施肥对灌淤土水旱轮作农田土壤有机碳和碳库管理指数的影响特征,寻求合适的土壤增碳措施,在宁夏引黄灌区水稻-春小麦-春玉米轮作体系中,通过3 a田间定位试验研究了不施肥(CK)、平衡施用化肥(NPK)、单施有机肥(M)、化肥+有机肥配施(NPK+M)、化肥+玉米秸秆(NPK+S)和农民习惯施肥(CON)6个不同施肥措施对0~20 cm耕层土壤总有机碳、活性有机碳含量及碳库管理指数的影响。结果表明,在同等氮素供应水平下,无论水田或旱地,NPK、M、NPK+M和NPK+S处理都能达到土壤增碳效果,3年的土壤培肥后,其土壤总有机碳和活性有机碳含量分别达10.03~10.60 g·kg~(-1)和3.00~4.35 g·kg~(-1),与试验前(9.92 g·kg~(-1)和2.48g·kg~(-1))相比分别提高了1.2%~6.8%和20.8%~75.2%,M处理显著高于CK。施用有机肥3 a以上,才能显著提高土壤碳库、碳库活度、活度指数和碳库管理指数。因此,从土壤总有机碳及其活性组分提升的角度考虑,应在平衡施用NPK的基础上,提倡水旱轮作农田长期增施有机肥来提高土壤碳库管理指数。     

岩溶区不同土地利用方式对土壤有机质及碳库管理指数影响研究

[目的]研究桂林毛村岩溶地区不同土地利用方式土壤有机碳、活性有机碳及其碳库管理指数。[方法]采用野外调查取样和室内测试分析的相结合的方式,土壤有机碳采用重铬酸钾外加热法,活性碳采用333mmol/L高锰酸钾氧化法。[结果]不同土地利用方式之间的CMI的差异随着有机质活性的增强而增大,灌丛的CMI高于其它三种土地利用方式,具体为灌丛〉林地〉水田〉旱耕地,活性有机质与其它基本理化性质表现为显著或极显著相关关系。[结论]活性有机质可以指示土地利用方式对土壤有机质和CMI的影响。