Nihon juigaku zasshi. The Japanese journal of veterinary science最新文献

A simple procedure was developed for detection of Theileria sergenti infection on the basis of hybridization of parasite DNA with a specific probe. A genomic DNA library of T. sergenti constructed in pUC-18 was screened to detect clones containing the parasite's DNA sequences by colony and Southern hybridizations. Two positive DNA inserts were purified from the recombinant plasmids and used as probes labelled with 32P or non-isotopic reagent, biotin-11-dUTP. 32P-radiolabelled and non-radioactive probes appear to be sensitive enough to detect 15 pg (equivalent to 1,200 parasites) and 125 pg (equivalent to 10,000 parasites) of purified T. sergenti DNA, and in diluted T. sergenti-infected red blood cells, they are able to detect 8,000 parasites and 16,000 parasites, respectively.

Strains of Staphylococcus species isolated from bovine mastitic milk at 66 dairy farms in Japan during the period from November 1988 to May 1989 were identified, and examined for their drug susceptibility and beta-lactamase production in order to clarify an epidemiological aspect of bovine mastitis caused by staphylococci. The results of bacteriological identification showed that the most predominant species was S. xylosus. Other major species isolated were S. aureus, S. sciuri and S. hyicus. Thirty-eight (71.7%) isolates of S. xylosus, 21 (45.7%) of S. aureus and 5 (71.4%) of S. epidermidis were positive for beta-lactamase production. Most of the beta-lactamase-producers of S. aureus were classified as high producers, although all of the beta-lactamase-positive S. xylosus isolates remained to be low producers. All isolates of S. aureus were sensitive to methicillin and cloxacillin at 6.25 micrograms/ml and 1.56 micrograms/ml, respectively, and none of methicillin-resistant S. aureus were detected. Isolates of other species were considered to be susceptible to 6 beta-lactams, in contrast to human isolates, but antibacterial activities of penicillin G and ampicillin were affected more strongly by beta-lactamase than those of methicillin, cloxacillin, cefazolin and cefoperazone.

Colostrum-deprived, neonatal, 2 days old pigs were inoculated with the attenuated HT-/SK or the virulent 90HS strain of porcine parvovirus (PPV) by the oral or subcutaneous route and sacrificed 2, 4 or 6 days after inoculation. Then, comparison was made on viral multiplication in pigs between the two strains. Pigs inoculated with the HT-/SK strain showed no detectable viremia or HI antibody responses against PPV within 6 days after inoculation. Only in pigs inoculated by the subcutaneous route, a small amount of virus was recovered from the spleen, liver, or mesenteric lymph nodes. These viruses were distinguished from the parental virulent 90HS strain, as examined for rct maker in vitro. When pigs were inoculated with the virulent 90HS strain, viremia appeared in all of them 1 day after inoculation and continued for up to the sacrificed day. Moreover, a considerable amount of virus was also detected from all tissues, including brain, lung, liver, spleen, pancreas, small intestine, and lymph node tissues, in all pigs tested. HI antibodies were first detected 6 days after inoculation.

To study effects of isoprothiolane and phytosterol on dietary fat necrosis, 3 groups of rats were fed hardened-tallow (HT) diet. Two groups of rats received either isoprothiolane (50 mg/kg) or phytosterol (20 mg/kg) orally once a day consecutively for 10 weeks. One group of rats received standard diet (CE-2) as a control. Fat necrotic lesions were observed in epididymal and perirenal adipose tissues from all rats in the 3 groups fed HT diet. Rats with fat necrosis were characterized by visceral type obesity and saturation in fatty acid composition of triglyceride in adipose tissue. The highest glucose conversion to total lipids was seen in adipocytes from the rats given phytosterol. There was no lipolytic response to epinephrine stimulation (1-100 microM) in adipocytes from the rats given only HT diet, while similar response of adipocytes from the 2 groups treated with either drug to those from the rats fed standard diet was observed. The levels of total saturated fatty acids of phospholipid in adipose tissue from the rats given either drug were lower than that of the rats given only HT diet. These data suggest that either drug alters fatty acid composition of phospholipid in fat cell membrane and enhances lipolysis of the cells.

The correlation between haptoglobin (Hp) and mucoprotein or sialic acid in sera from diseased cattle was examined to evaluate the clinical application of serum Hp. First, the ranges of mucoprotein, sialic acid and hemoglobin binding capacity (HbBC) of 46 healthy cattle were determined. Then, levels of these reactants in 35 cattle suffering from various diseases were measured. The frequency of the abnormal values was 94.3% in mucoprotein, 45.7% in sialic acid and 82.9% in HbBC in diseased cattle. There was a significant correlation between mucoprotein and sialic acid, and between HbBC and mucoprotein or sialic acid. Some correlation between mucoprotein and neutrophils or alpha-globulin was also observed. In spite of high levels of mucoprotein and sialic acid, lower HbBC than expected levels were often observed in inflammatory disorders. Such cases might be complicated with some hemolytic disorders such as piroplasmosis. Determining serum HbBC together with other acute phase reactants might be useful for evaluating inflammatory diseases complicated with hemolytic disorders.