Hammondia isolated from dogs and foxes are genetically distinct

Hammondia heydorni is regarded as a protozoan parasite that uses canids, e.g. dogs and foxes, as definitive hosts, but clinical signs of infection are rare. This study therefore took advantage of the opportunity to study an oocyst population from the faeces of a dog suffering from intermittent bouts of diarrhoea. Oocysts from the naturally infected dog were shown to be H. heydorni by using the polymerase chain reaction combined with DNA sequencing as a diagnostic tool.† A comparison of the first internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) sequence of ribosomal DNA obtained with those from other dog and fox oocysts, previously regarded as H. heydorni, showed these oocysts contained identical ITS1 sequences. However, the oocyst DNA from the fox and dog differed by the presence/absence of a 9 bp insertion/deletion within intron 1 of the alpha tubulin gene, and this difference was conserved across a number of different oocyst populations from the 2 species of host. A PCR assay was established that takes advantage of this insertion/deletion and is able to differentiate between the 2 oocyst populations. This study therefore provides evidence that H. heydorni oocysts from dogs and foxes represent 2 distinct genetic lineages that can be differentiated using a PCR, which targets the alpha tubulin locus. © 2005 Cambridge University Press

The content of nutritive substances in strawberries according to cropping system

W owocach truskawki odmiany Elkat pochodzących z upraw ekologicznych i konwencjonalnych badano zawartość suchej masy - metodą suszarkową, żelaza - metodą rodankową, cukrów prostych - metodą Notlinga-Bernfelda i kwasu askorbinowego - metodą Tillmansa. Wykazano, że system uprawy nie wpływa na zawartość suchej masy owoców truskawek. W owocach pochodzących z upraw ekologicznych zawartość suchej masy wynosiła 19,19 g/100g świeżej masy, a w owocach z uprawy konwencjonalnej 18,41 g/100g świeżej masy. Zawartość żelaza była istotnie wyższa w owocach z uprawy ekologicznej - 1,01 g/100g świeżej masy owoców, niż w owocach z uprawy konwencjonalnej - 0,80 g/100g świeżej masy. System uprawy nie wpływa na zawartość cukrów prostych w owocach truskawek. W owocach z uprawy ekologicznej suma cukrów prostych wynosiła 30,98g/100g świeżej masy owoców, a w pochodzących z uprawy konwencjonalnej - 28,93g/100g świeżej masy. Zawartość kwasu askorbinowego była istotnie wyższa w owocach pochodzących z uprawy ekologicznej - 1,23g/100g świeżej masy, a w owocach z uprawy konwencjonalnej - 0,57 g/100 g świeżej masy owoców.In the fruits of strawberry var. Elkat from organic and conventional cropping systems were investigated: content of dry mass by blotter method, iron by rhodanic method, simple sugars by Nolting-Bernfeld method and ascorbic acid by Tillmans method. There were find that cropping system did not influence dry mass of strawberry. In fruits from organic farming there was 19,19g/100 g of fresh mass and in fruits from conventional farming - 18,41 g/100 g of fresh mass. Iron content was significantly higher in strawberries from organic farming 1,01 g/100g of fresh mass than in fruits from conventional farming - 0,8 g/100g of fresh mass. Cropping system did not influence sugar content in strawberries. In fruits from organic farming sum of simple sugars was 30,98 g/100g of fresh mass and in fruits from conventional system - 28,93 g/100g of fresh mass. Content of ascorbic acid was significantly higher in fruits from organic farming - 1,23 g/100g of fresh mass than in fruits from conventional farming - 0,57 g /100 g of fresh mass