Taxonomic clarification in W-Mediterranean Androcymbium (Colchicaceae): A. wyssianum sunk in the synonymy of A.gramineum and A.europaeum restored

Capsule dehiscence has been used as a diagnostic character for W Mediterranean species of Androcymbium. Depending on the state of capsule maturity, the character, however, can be ambiguous in herbarium material. Based on morphological, phenological and cpDNA characters it is shown that misinterpretation of the capsule as indehiscent in the type material of A. gramineum has led to serious taxonomic confusion. The combined analyses produced evidence that A. gramineum of the population from the type locality at Essaouira, Morocco, is conspecific with A. wyssianum. A. gramineum is therefore the correct name for the species with dehiscent capsules, whereas the populations with indehiscent capsules at the Atlantic coast north of Essaouira and in SE Spain represent a second species, which is correctly named A. europaeu

Prevention and treatment of Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection in rabbits with fenbendazole

The efficacy of fenbendazole for preventing an experimental infection of Encephalitozoon cuniculi and for eliminating the spores from the central nervous system of naturally infected rabbits was investigated. Fenbendazole (20 mg/kg bodyweight daily) was administered from seven days before until two or 21 days after rabbits had been infected orally with 10(6) spores of E. cuniculi. Both regimens were effective in preventing the establishment of the parasites, as demonstrated by negative parasitic-specific serology and by the failure to isolate the parasite from brain tissue. In naturally infected, seropositive rabbits, parasites were successfully isolated from seven of nine untreated animals, but not from the brain tissue of eight animals treated with fenbendazole-medicated pellets for four weeks

Bösartiges Katarrhalfieber in der Schweiz: I.Teil: Epidemiologie

Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) is a usually fatal infectious disease of cattle with global distribution. Based on the recent introduction of a diagnostic PCR assay and a competitive inhibition ELISA (ciELISA) epidemiological data were collected on field cases in Switzerland. Throughout a three-year period, an MCF incidence of 0.6@1000 was observed, with a gradient of cases from Eastern to Western Switzerland. While the cantons Wallis, Vaud and Geneva reported no and the remaining western cantons only reported a few cases, the highest incidence was observed in the cantons Appenzell Innerrhoden, Lucern, Glarus, Grison, St. Gallen, Schwyz, and Thurgau. MCF occurred seasonally and an age-related clustering was also observed. About 50% of all cases and all outbreaks with more than one animal in a single herd occurred between April and June. Animals between six months and two years were strongly over represented. Observations on four surviving cattle showed that the outcome of the disease is not invariably fatal and that these persistently infected cows can produce healthy negative calves. Investigations on the aetiology indicate that the main reservoir for OvHV-2 is in sheep and possibly goats, while cattle do not normally harbor the virus. An OvHV-2 negative sheep herd was raised from lambs, which were reared colostrum-free and in isolation from their mothers. The success rate clearly indicated that vertical intrauterine infection is not the main mode of transmission among sheep. Therefore, horizontal, seasonally occurring transmission of OvHV-2 among sheep has to be assumed

Bösartiges Katarrhalfieber in der Schweiz: 2. Teil: Evaluation der Diagnostik

Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) is a mostly fatal lymphoproliferative disease of cattle. In 1995 a PCR based method was introduced for the detection of the ovine herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2), which is regarded as the causative agent of the sheep-associated form of the disease. This PCR can be regarded as a gold standard for the in vivo diagnosis of sheep-associated MCF in cattle (Müller-Doblies et al., 1998). This semi-nested PCR was now used as a reference test for the reassessment of diagnostic criteria in the clinical and post mortem diagnosis that could previously not be quantitated. Based on 83 suspected cases with a complete clinical record the clinical signs were weighted and grouped according to their sensitivity and specificity into lead signs indicative of MCF and frequently accompanying signs supportive for the diagnosis of MCF and general clinical signs that were less reliable for the diagnosis. Differential diagnoses are discussed, which are of particular significance due to their status as OIE list A diseases e.g. foot-and-mouth disease or rinderpest. 38 PCR confirmed cattle with MCF served for the quantitative analysis of organ lesions. For the post mortem diagnosis an essential set of organ samples is defined to permit a reliable histological diagnosis, as the gross pathology often did not give any indication for the diagnosis. These criteria should help to improve the diagnostic efficiency and to select the appropriate laboratory diagnostic procedures for MCF-suspected cattle