Evidence of jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus-induced pulmonary adenocarcinoma in Ouled Djellal breed sheep in Algeria

We report the occurrence of lung cancer in a six months old lamb of Ouled Djellal breed from Algeria. The main clinical sign was a considerable amount of whitish foamy fluid discharge from the nostrils when the animal head was lowered and the rear end was lifted. The postmortem examination revealed the presence of enlarged, heavy and edematous lungs with diffuse or foci areas, reddish or white-gray in color. The gross and histological lesions of the lungs were compatible with pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Lung adenocarcinoma in sheep is caused by jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) and originated from differentiated alveolar type II cells and non-ciliated bronchiolar epithelial Clara cells. We evidenced the expression of the oncogenic JSRV by immunostaining of lung slides with specific antibodies against the JSRV envelope. The viral proteins were expressed only in the tumor cells from the affected areas. As already described in other countries, JSRV-induced lung adenocarcinoma is present in the sheep population in Algeria. (C) 2020 Urmia University. All rights reserved

Variation of chickpea nodulation in a mediterranean agroecosystem: Relationship with soil characteristics and thresholds for significant contribution to plant growth

International audienceThis study was designed to investigate the influence of some environmental constraints on chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) growth and nodulation in a reference agroecosystem. This multi-local field experiment, realized in the agroecosystem of Chlef in northern Algeria, involved 24 sites where the local well-adapted genotype Ain temouchent is grown. Determination of soil properties allowed the identification of three clusters of sites. Plant biomass (SDW) varied significantly among sites from 6.7 to 39.4 g SDW plant-1 and was highly correlated with nodule biomass (NDW). The slope of the regression function between NDW and SDW, defined as the efficiency in use of the rhizobial symbiosis (EURS) inside clusters ranged from 67 to 200 g SDW g-1 NDW. Analysis of the EURS highlighted the existence of a low nodulation threshold of 0.1 g NDW plant-1 below which the contribution of nodulation to the host plant growth was not significant and a high threshold above which the nodule biomass increase was not linked with an increase in shoot biomass. Thus, the significant regression of shoot growth as a function of nodulation ranged from 0.10 to 0.35 g NDW plant-1 (R2 = 0.54, P < 0.001). Moreover, nodule biomass was positively correlated with soil Olsen-P, more particularly in cluster A (R2 = 0.50, P < 0.05) and B (R2 = 0.61, P < 0.01). This approach proved to be a rapid and efficient way to identify the major factors affecting nodulation in order to develop strategies to optimize nodule contribution to chickpea growth and yield