Characterization of nonenterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains producing F17 fimbriae isolated from diarrheic lambs and goat kids.
(17/3173)
Forty-five ovine and caprine nonenterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains producing F17-related fimbriae were characterized with respect to the fimbrial structural subunit and adhesin subtypes produced. In addition, several characteristics related to the virulence of strains producing F17 fimbriae were studied. Most of the strains (73%) possessed the f17cA structural subunit gene, whereas the f17aA and f17dA genes were detected only on three (6%) and two (4%) strains, respectively. The f17bA gene was not detected. All but one of these strains possessed the f17G genes of the adhesin subfamily II. The only strain having the f17G gene of subfamily I possessed the structural subunit gene f17dA. Sequencing of the f17A and f17G genes of four selected strains confirmed the association of f17cA and f17dA structural subunit genes with the f17G genes of the adhesin subfamily II. These results indicated that adhesins of the subfamily II are prominent among ovine and caprine isolates and that they are indistinctly associated with the F17 structural subunit subtypes on these field strains. CS31A- and CNF2-related genes were not detected. Most of the strains adhered in vitro to ovine intestinal brush borders (36 of 45) and agglutinated the erythrocytes of different species in the presence of D-mannose (39 of 45). F17-positive strains produced colicin V (57%) and were resistant to the bactericidal effect of serum (91%) in significantly higher percentages than F17-negative strains (34% produced colicin V, and 66% were serum resistant). Thus, most of the studied ovine and caprine strains showed phenotypic characteristics of septicemic strains. (+info)
Detection of caprine herpesvirus 1 in sacral ganglia of latently infected goats by PCR.
(18/3173)
A study of the latency of caprine herpesvirus 1 (CpHV.1) was carried out with four latently infected goats. Three goats were treated with dexamethasone and euthanized after 4 and 6 days. PCR and virus isolation allowed us to detect CpHV.1 only in the third and fourth sacral ganglia of the two animals euthanized 6 days after the start of treatment. (+info)
Effect of amino acids on inhibition of lactate dehydrogenase-X by gossypol.
(19/3173)
Gossypol acetic acid (GAA) has been shown to have male antifertility effects, but there are pronounced differences among animal species. In the search of endogenous effector molecules, which interfere with the functions of GAA, we have studied the in vitro effect of various amino acids on the inhibition of the purified LDH-X by GAA. Histidine, cysteine and glycine were shown to block the effect of GAA. The effects of these amino acids were concentration dependent. Histidine and glycine protection was found to be complex type in which both the Km and Vmax were decreased compared to control. Arginine, glutamic acid, phenylalanine and valine were found to be ineffective against the inhibitory action of GAA. (+info)
An antiserum raised against the recombinant cytoplasmic tail of the human CD43 glycoprotein identifies CD43 in many mammalian species.
(20/3173)
Leukosialin or CD43 is a heavily O-glycosylated transmembrane protein expressed on all cells of the haematopoietic cell lineage with the exception of red blood cells and mature B cells. This antigen has been identified in human, mouse and rat with monoclonal antibodies. Although orthologues of many human and rodent leucocyte cell surface antigens have been described in recent years, CD43, despite its abundance on human and rodent cells, remained uncharacterized in other vertebrate species. The comparison of CD43 amino acid sequences from human, mouse and rat indicated a high level of homology in the cytoplasmic domain. A serum, (p.aCD43cp) raised against the recombinant cytoplasmic tail of the human CD43, was shown not only to recognize human CD43, but it bound to putative CD43 orthologues in many mammalian species. CD43 was found to be expressed in the same leucocyte subpopulations and circumstantial evidence suggested that CD43 is also regulated similarly during leucocyte ontogeny in all species investigated. As CD43+ cells were readily observed in fixed tissues, the p.aCD43cp serum may be used as a reliable reagent for the verification of the haematopoietic origin of infiltrations and, used together with other reagents, for the serological characterization of normal and pathological lymphoid tissues and lymphoid infiltrations in experimental work and in animal disease. (+info)
Epidemiological study of paratuberculosis in wild rabbits in Scotland.
(21/3173)
A survey of 22 farms confirmed the presence of paratuberculosis in wild rabbits in Scotland. Regional differences were apparent in the prevalence of the disease in rabbits, with a significantly higher incidence occurring in the Tayside region. Statistical analysis showed a significant relationship between a previous history or current problem of paratuberculosis in cattle and the presence of paratuberculosis in rabbits on the farms. Molecular genetic typing techniques could not discriminate between selected rabbit and cattle isolates from the same or different farms, suggesting that the same strain may infect and cause disease in both species and that interspecies transmission may occur. The possibility of interspecies transmission and the involvement of wildlife in the epidemiology of paratuberculosis have important implications for the control of the disease. (+info)
Passive potassium transport in LK sheep red cells. Effects of anti-L antibody and intracellular potassium.
(22/3173)
The passive K influx in low K(LK) red blood cells of sheep saturates with increasing external K concentration, indicating that this mode of transport is mediated by membrane-associated sites. The passive K influx, iMLK, is inhibited by external Na. Isoimmune anti-L serum, known to stimulate active K transport in LK sheep red cells, inhibits iMLK about twofold. iMLK is affected by changes in intracellular K concentration, [K]i, in a complex fashion: increasing [K]i from near zero stimulates iMLK, while further increases in [K]i, above 3 mmol/liter cells, inhibit iMLK. The passive K influx is not mediated by K-K exchange diffusion. The effects of anti-L antibody and [K]i on passive cation transport are specific for K: neither factor affects passive Na transport. The common characteristics of passive and active K influx suggest that iMLK is mediated by inactive Na-K pump sites, and that the inability to translocate Na characterizes the inactive pumps. Anti-L antibody stimulates the K pump in reticulocytes of LK sheep. However, anti-L has no effect on iMLK in these cells, apparently because reticulocytes do not have the inactive pump sites which, in mature LK cells, are a consequence of the process of maturation of circulating LK cells. The results also indicate that anti-L alters the maximum velocity of both active and passive K fluxes by converting pumps sites from a form mediating passive K influx to an actively transporting form. (+info)
Effects of mimosine and 2,3-dihydroxypyridine on fiber shedding in Angora goats.
(23/3173)
The effects of intravenous infusion of mimosine or 2,3-dihydroxypyridine (2,3-DHP) and the effects of oral dose level of mimosine on fiber shedding in Angora goats were determined. In one experiment, 20 mature Angora wethers (36+/-1.9 kg BW) were infused for 2 d with 79, 102, or 135 mg/(kg BW.d) of mimosine, 90 mg/(kg BW.d) of 2,3-DHP, or saline. At 7 d after infusion began, fiber shedding was observed in all goats receiving mimosine but not in any goats infused with 2,3-DHP or saline. Fiber shedding varied among goats; in some goats, fiber shedding was complete and occurred without hand-plucking, whereas in others fiber was retained by nonshed fibers but could be removed by hand-plucking. Nonshed fibers were larger in diameter and more likely to be medullated (P < .05) compared with hand-plucked fibers. Mean plasma mimosine concentration at 24 and 48 h after infusion began was 79 and 98 micromol/L (P < .05), respectively, and greater (P < .05) for mimosine infused at 135 than at 102 mg/(kg BW.d) (89, 68, and 108 micromol/L for mimosine infused at 79, 102, and 135 mg/[kg BW.d], respectively; SE 9.5). In another experiment, oral dosing of eight Angora bucks (23+/-.5 kg BW) with 400 or 600 mg/kg BW of mimosine rapidly increased plasma mimosine concentration, which reached approximately 100 and 160 micromol/L at 5 h after dosing; however, periods of time during which plasma mimosine concentrations were comparable to those in the first experiment were considerably shorter. Oral mimosine dosing did not induce fiber shedding in 7 d. After 31 d, fiber was retained by nonshed fibers but could be removed by hand-plucking or could only be partially removed with difficulty by hand-plucking. There were no toxic effects of mimosine or 2,3-DHP administration; only minor, short-term inhibitions of feed intake by mimosine were noted in some goats. In conclusion, mimosine holds promise as a safe means to remove fiber of Angora goats; further research is necessary to characterize the seasonality of follicle activity and to develop convenient means of mimosine delivery. (+info)
Metabolic effects of amylin in lactating goats.
(24/3173)
The objective of this study was to investigate the role of amylin (a pancreatic hormone) in regulating metabolism in support of lactation. Rat amylin was infused (320 pmol.kg LW(-1).h(-1)) for 6 h via an external pudic (mammary) artery into six lactating goats. This dose of amylin led to a sixfold increase in plasma concentrations of amylin relative to baseline. Amylin infusion increased plasma concentrations (jugular) of glucose and NEFA up to 16 and 168%, respectively, relative to saline infusion. In contrast, plasma concentrations of Ca and PO4 during amylin infusion were reduced by 18 and 30%, respectively, relative to saline infusion. Plasma concentrations of IGF-I, insulin, and Mg were not different between the two treatments, although IGF-I concentrations in the amylin-infused group, 1 and 6 h postinfusion, were significantly higher than those in the saline-infused group. Similarly, amylin infusion failed to affect milk yield and major constituents of milk except protein; milk protein content decreased progressively until the end of amylin infusion and remained low thereafter. Amylin also had no effect on minerals in milk (Ca, PO4, Mg, Fe, Sr, S, K, or Na) except Zn, which was significantly decreased from 56.8+/-5.8 micromol/L at 0 h to 44.5+/-2.4 micromol/L at 6 h postinfusion. Mammary blood flow (measured with a transit-time blood flow probe) increased up to 26% during amylin infusion, although this effect lasted only for the first 3 h. In conclusion, amylin increased plasma concentrations of glucose and NEFA, and mammary blood flow, while decreasing plasma concentrations of Ca and PO4. Despite these metabolic changes, amylin infusion did not increase milk yield of lactating goats. (+info)