The major acute phase proteins of bovine milk in a commercial dairy herd

Background Milk acute phase proteins (APP) have been identified and show promise as biomarkers of mastitis. However analysis of their profile in dairy cows from a production herd is necessary in order to confirm their benefits in mastitis diagnosis. The profiles of milk haptoglobin (Hp), mammary associated serum amyloid A3 (M-SAA3) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were determined in 54 composite milk (milk from all functional quarters of a cow’s udder collected in a common receptacle) samples (CMS) from a commercial dairy farm. Milk Hp was also determined in individual quarter milk (milk from a single udder quarter) samples (QMS) (n = 149) of the cows. An ELISA was developed and validated for the determination of milk Hp while commercial kits were used for M-SAA3 and CRP assay respectively. Composite milk APP results were compared with cow factors including parity, stage of lactation, percentage protein and fat as well as somatic cell counts (SCC). Results Composite milk Hp ranged from <0.4–55 μg/ml with a median of 3.5 μg/ml; composite milk M-SAA3 ranged from <0.6–50 μg/ml and had a median of 1.2 μg/ml, while CRP ranged from <1.80–173 ng/ml and had a median of 24.6 ng/ml. Significant correlations were found between composite SCC and Hp (P-value <0.009) as well as parity and Hp (P < 0.009), but not between M-SAA3 and SCC, M-SAA3 and Hp, M-SAA3 and CRP or M-SAA3 and parity. Milk CRP was correlated with % fat (P = 0.002) and % protein (P = 0.001) of the milk samples. The lack of correlation of SCC with the M-SAA3 and CRP could result from these APP being more sensitive to intra-mammary infection than SCC. Quarter milk Hp had a range of <0.4–420 μg/ml with a median value of 3.6 μg/ml, with 92 % of samples below 20 μg/ml. Conclusion Baseline values of Hp, M-SAA3 and CRP were established in composite milk from cows with normal SCC on the dairy farm. Parity was recognized as a possible confounding factor when diagnosing mastitis using Hp. The value of the APP, Hp, M-SAA3 and CRP as substitutes or to complement SCC in indicating udder inflammation, was demonstrated

Current Status of Diagnosis of Mucormycosis: Update on Molecular Methods

International audienc

How many species in the Southern Ocean? Towards a dynamic inventory of the Antarctic marine species

The IPY sister-projects CAML and SCAR-MarBIN provided a timely opportunity, a strong collaborative framework and an appropriate momentum to attempt assessing the "Known, Unknown and Unknowable" of Antarctic marine biodiversity. To allow assessing the known biodiversity, SCAR-MarBIN "Register of Antarctic Marine Species (RAMS)" was compiled and published by a panel of 64 taxonomic experts. Thanks to this outstanding expertise mobilized for the first time, an accurate list of more than 8100 valid species was compiled and an up-to-date systematic classification comprising more than 16,800 taxon names was established. This taxonomic information is progressively and systematically completed by species occurrence data, provided by literature, taxonomic and biogeographic databases, new data from CAML and other cruises, and museum collections. RAMS primary role was to establish a benchmark of the present taxonomic knowledge of the Southern Ocean biodiversity, particularly important in the context of the growing realization of potential impacts of the global change on Antarctic ecosystems. This, in turn, allowed detecting gaps in knowledge, taxonomic treatment and coverage, and estimating the importance of the taxonomic impediment, as well as the needs for more complete and efficient taxonomic tools. A second, but not less important, role of RAMS was to contribute to the "taxonomic backbone" of the SCAR-MarBIN, OBIS and GBIF networks, to establish a dynamic information system on Antarctic marine biodiversity for the future. The unknown part of the Southern Ocean biodiversity was approached by pointing out what remains to be explored and described in terms of geographical locations and bathymetric zones, habitats, or size classes of organisms. The growing importance of cryptic species is stressed, as they are more and more often detected by molecular studies in several taxa. Relying on RAMS results and on some case studies of particular model groups, the question of the potential number of species that remains to be discovered in the Southern Ocean is discussed. In terms of taxonomic inputs to the census of Southern Ocean biodiversity, the current rate of progress in inventorying the Antarctic marine species as well as the state of taxonomic resources and capacity were assessed. Different ways of improving the taxonomic inputs are suggested