Induction of synchronized estrus in dairy goats with different gonadotrophins.

The objective of this study was to evaluate lhe efficiency of two gonadotrophins in induction of estrus in dairy goats. A total of 47 dairy goats were randomly divided according to breed into two treatments (T1 and T2). In both treatments, goats received intravaginal sponges containing 60 mg medroxy-progesterone acetate for six days and sub- vulvar administration of 22.5 mg of d-cloprostenol at the time of sponge insertion. In TI (n=23) and T2 (n=24), animaIs received intramuscuIar administration of 200 lU and 250 lU of eCG and hCG, respectively. After sponge removal, goats were monitored twice daily (06:00 a.m. and 18:00 p.m.) with bucks. Animals were bred at lhe start of estrus and at each 12 hours interval until lhe end of estrus. Pregnancy was checked by ultrasonography 63 days after breeding. Percentage of animals in estrus did not differ (P>0.05) between TI (95.6%) and T2 (78.3%). There was no effect (P>0.05) of treatment on interval from sponge removal to lhe Start of estrus (IE) and duration of estrus (DE). The" average IE was 48.0 + 9.4h and 46.2+ 8.4h for eCG and hCG, respectively. The average DE was 20.7 + 11.9h and 18.8 + 9.0h for eCG and hCG, respectively. Pregnancy cate did not differ (P>0.05) between eCG (77.3%) and hCG (61.1%). Results of this study showed that estrus can be efficiently induced in female goats outside lhe breeding season with both eCG and hCG

Dinâmica ovariana e taxa de gestação em vacas inseminadas artificialmente em tempo fixo sob diferentes metodologias.

Ovarian dynamics and pregnancy rate in cows inseminated artificially fixed in time under different methodologies

Neisseria gonorrhoeae sequence typing for antimicrobial resistance, a novel antimicrobial resistance multilocus typing scheme for tracking global dissemination of N. Gonorrhoeae strains

A curated Web-based user-friendly sequence typing tool based on antimicrobial resistance determinants in Neisseria gonorrhoeae was developed and is publicly accessible (https://ngstar.Canada.ca). The N. gonorrhoeae Sequence Typing for Antimicrobial Resistance (NG-STAR) molecular typing scheme uses the DNA sequences of 7 genes (penA, mtrR, porB, ponA, gyrA, parC, and 23S rRNA) associated with resistance to β-lactam antimicrobials, macrolides, or fluoroquinolones. NG-STAR uses the entire penA sequence, combining the historical nomenclature for penA types I to XXXVIII with novel nucleotide sequence designations; the full mtrR sequence and a portion of its promoter region; portions of ponA, porB, gyrA, and parC; and 23S rRNA sequences. NG-STAR grouped 768 isolates into 139 sequence types (STs) (n = 660) consisting of 29 clonal complexes (CCs) having a maximum of a single-locus variation, and 76 NG-STAR STs (n = 109) were identified as unrelated singletons. NG-STAR had a high Simpson's diversity index value of 96.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.959 to 0.969). The most common STs were NG-STAR ST-90 (n = 100; 13.0%), ST-42 and ST-91 (n = 45; 5.9%), ST-64 (n = 44; 5.72%), and ST-139 (n = 42; 5.5%). Decreased susceptibility to azithromycin was associated with NGSTAR ST-58, ST-61, ST-64, ST-79, ST-91, and ST-139 (n = 156; 92.3%); decreased susceptibility to cephalosporins was associated with NG-STAR ST-90, ST-91, and ST-97 (n = 162; 94.2%); and ciprofloxacin resistance was associated with NG-STAR ST-26, ST-90, ST-91, ST-97, ST-150, and ST-158 (n = 196; 98.0%). All isolates of NG-STAR ST- 42, ST-43, ST-63, ST-81, and ST-160 (n = 106) were susceptible to all four antimicrobials. The standardization of nomenclature associated with antimicrobial resistance determinants through an internationally available database will facilitate the monitoring of the global dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant N. gonorrhoeae strains

A proposed new bacteriophage subfamily: “Jerseyvirinae”

© 2015, Springer-Verlag Wien. Based on morphology and comparative nucleotide and protein sequence analysis, a new subfamily of the family Siphoviridae is proposed, named “Jerseyvirinae” and consisting of three genera, “Jerseylikevirus”, “Sp3unalikevirus” and “K1glikevirus”. To date, this subfamily consists of 18 phages for which the genomes have been sequenced. Salmonella phages Jersey, vB_SenS_AG11, vB_SenS-Ent1, vB_SenS-Ent2, vB_SenS-Ent3, FSL SP-101, SETP3, SETP7, SETP13, SE2, SS3e and wksl3 form the proposed genus “Jerseylikevirus”. The proposed genus “K1glikevirus” consists of Escherichia phages K1G, K1H, K1ind1, K1ind2 and K1ind3. The proposed genus “Sp3unalikevirus” contains one member so far. Jersey-like phages appear to be widely distributed, as the above phages were isolated in the UK, Canada, the USA and South Korea between 1970 and the present day. The distinguishing features of this subfamily include a distinct siphovirus morphotype, genomes of 40.7-43.6kb (49.6-51.4mol% G+C), a syntenic genome organisation, and a high degree of nucleotide sequence identity and shared proteins. All known members of the proposed subfamily are strictly lytic

Serotype distribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae causing invasive disease in children in the post-PCV era:A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND:Routine immunisation with pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV7/10/13) has reduced invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) due to vaccine serotypes significantly. However, an increase in disease due to non-vaccine types, or serotype replacement, has been observed. Serotypes' individual contributions to IPD play a critical role in determining the overall effects of PCVs. This study examines the distribution of pneumococcal serotypes in children to identify leading serotypes associated with IPD post-PCV introduction. METHODS:A systematic search was performed to identify studies and surveillance reports (published between 2000 and December 2015) of pneumococcal serotypes causing childhood IPD post-PCV introduction. Serotype data were differentiated based on the PCV administered during the study period: PCV7 or higher valent PCVs (PCV10 or PCV13). Meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the proportional contributions of the most frequent serotypes in childhood IPD in each period. RESULTS:We identified 68 studies reporting serotype data among IPD cases in children. We analysed data from 38 studies (14 countries) where PCV7 was administered and 20 (24 countries) where PCV10 or PCV13 have been introduced. Studies reported early and late periods of PCV7 administration (range: 2001∓13). In these settings, serotype 19A was the most predominant cause of childhood IPD, accounting for 21.8% (95%CI 18.6∓25.6) of cases. In countries that have introduced higher valent PCVs, study periods were largely representative of the transition and early years of PCV10 or PCV13. In these studies, the overall serotype-specific contribution of 19A was lower (14.2% 95%CI 11.1∓18.3). Overall, non-PCV13 serotypes contributed to 42.2% (95%CI 36.1∓49.5%) of childhood IPD cases. However, regional differences were noted (57.8% in North America, 71.9% in Europe, 45.9% in Western Pacific, 28.5% in Latin America, 42.7% in one African country, and 9.2% in one Eastern Mediterranean country). Predominant non-PCV13 serotypes overall were 22F, 12F, 33F, 24F, 15C, 15B, 23B, 10A, and 38 (descending order), but their rank order varied by region. CONCLUSION:Childhood IPD is associated with a wide number of serotypes. In the early years after introduction of higher valent PCVs, non-PCV13 types caused a considerable proportion of childhood IPD. Serotype data, particularly from resource-limited countries with high burden of IPD, are needed to assess the importance of serotypes in different settings. The geographic diversity of pneumococcal serotypes highlights the importance of continued surveillance to guide vaccine design and recommendations

The response of maize seedlings to salt stress under increasing levels of phosphorus

This study was conducted to evaluate the combined effect of increasing doses of phosphate and moderate salinity on the growth and some biochemical parameters of maize seedlings. The experiments were carried out on the maize variety KB 1902 grown in hydroponic cultures under controlled conditions. Salt stress was induced by 50 mmol dm-3 NaCl at three levels of KH2PO4 (in mmol dm-3): 1.0 (standard dose in a nutrient solution), 0.25 (decreased dose), 2.0 (increased dose). After 7 days of cultivation, the plants were harvested, growth parameters were examined and assessments were made of the concentrations of photosynthetic pigments, total protein, soluble carbohydrates and free phosphate. Salt stress caused a significant reduction in the fresh and dry weight of plants, ranging from 33-45% in comparison to the plants grown without NaCl, irrespective of external phosphate concentrations. Concentrations of photosynthetic pigments and total proteins were unaffected by salinity, regardless of the external phosphorus levels. The two higher concentrations of Pi (1.0 and 2.0 mmol dm-3) in the saline nutrient medium resulted in a marked accumulation of phosphorus in the leaves of maize, whereas the lowest level of Pi (1/4 of the standard dose in the nutrient solution) had no effect on the phosphorus content. Both the increased (2 P) and decreased (1/4 P) phosphorus concentration in the external medium induced a significant increase in the content of soluble carbohydrates in the leaves of maize grown under salt stress. In brief, the response of the maize variety KB 1902 to NaCl stress at the initial stage of growth was not found to have been modified by the examined doses of phosphorus, and there was no relationship between NaCl and the increasing doses of phosphate

Effect of NaCl and supplemental calcium on growth parameters and nitrate reductase activity in maize

In this study, investigated were the effects of NaCl (60 mmol/dm-3) and NaCl supplemented with different salts (5 mmol/dm-3 CaCl2, CaSO4, CaCO3, KCl), on growth of two maize varieties (Cyrkon and Limko). After 7 days of cultivation in nutrient solution the growth response to salinity of both maize varieties was similar. NaCl led to a dramatic decrease in growth of plants (approx. 50% reduction in fresh and dry weight of root, and 70% reduction in fresh weight of shoot). Addition of extra Ca2+ or K+ to nutrient solution containing NaCl did not definitely improve the growth parameters of maize. However, among the tested salts, CaCl2 had a beneficial visual effect on maize seedlings. In other cases the plants showed noticeable symptoms of salt damage. In long term exposure to salinity (two weeks) growth of Cyrkon was more inhibited than Limko. Comparison of growth responses in short-term exposure to salinity (7 days) with long-term (14 days) showed that in Cyrkon variety the negative effects of NaCl were intensified and addition of CaCl2 to salinized solution had not positive effects on growth. On the contrary, in Limko variety, there was a significant improvement in growth (especially in root dry weight). This fact indicates that during longer exposure to salinity Limko was able to adapt to those conditions. Salinity caused a significant decrease in leaf nitrate reductase activity (60% and 30% reduction respectively in Limko and Cyrkon). Addition of CaCl2 to salinized nutrient solution resulted in greater enzyme inhibition in Cyrkon (50% decline in relation to plants grown under sole NaCl), and 30% increase in Limko. Inhibition of nitrate reductase activity did not cause a decrease in concentration of soluble protein in maize leaves

Response of maize [Zea mays L.] to rimsulfuron under salt conditions

Investigations were carried out to determine the possible interaction between salinity (60 mmol*dm-3 NaCl) and phytotoxicity of herbicide Titus 25 DF (sulfonylurea herbicide containing active ingredient rimsulfuron). The herbicide was added to the nutrient solution at two concentrations - 1 or 100 nmol*dm-3. After 7 days of cultivation in the nutrient solution determined were the growth parameters and some biochemical compounds (photosynthetic pigments, total protein and free amino compounds content). The combined action of 1 nmol*dm-3 rimsulfuron and salt caused a reduction in plant biomass accumulation, but this reduction was due to the salt itself. In the presence of 100 nmol*dm-3 rimsulfuron, growth inhibition of maize roots was very high and salinity did not modify herbicide toxicity. However, reduction in maize shoots growth equalled the sum of the reductions caused by each particular factor applied separately (additive effect). The reduction in shoot fresh weight reached 64%. The investigated stress factors induced a significant increase in amino compounds, with the exception of maize roots grown under NaCl plus 100 nmol-dm-3 rimsulfuron. The concentration of total protein in maize roots diminished under NaCl and 100 nmol*dm-3 rimsulfuron, although in the other cases, it did not change distinctly in comparison to the control. All factors, with the exception of NaCl, induced a slight increase in protein contents in maize leaves. Stress factors did not change significantly the total chlorophyll concentration, however, carotenoid content was markedly reduced. Nevertheless, the combined action of 100 nmol*dm-3 rimsulfuron and NaCl caused a 10% increase in carotenoid content as compared to the control plants. In conclusion, salinity did not change the toxicity of the herbicide applied in low dose (1 nmol*dm-3), but it did increase herbicide toxicity at high concentration (100 nmol*dm-3) regarding the maize shoots