Anbauvergleich zwischen Winter- und Sommerweizen, Dinkel und Durum im ökologischen Landbau. [Planting trial comparing winter wheat, summer wheat, spelt and durum in organic agriculture]

Im Rahmen eines 4-jährigen ökologischen Anbauversuchs auf relativ tiefgründigen Lößböden auf dem Öko-Versuchsfeld in Roda, Sachsen, wurden für Winterweizen, Sommerweizen, Dinkel und Hartweizen folgende Paramter erhoben: Ertrag, unterschiedliche Qualitätseigenschaften und Wirtschaftlichkeit. Inhalt: Einleitung Versuchsbeschreibung Ergebnisse Spezielle Anbauhinweise Tabellen: Tabelle 1: Anbauverhältnisse der Getreidearten Tabelle 2: Nmin-Mengen im Verlauf der Vegetation sowie N-Entzüge der Getreidearten Tabelle 3: Pflanzenbauliche Merkmale und Kornerträge der Weizenarten Tabelle 4: Qualitätseigenschaften der Getreidearten Tabelle 5: Deckungsbeiträge der Getreidearten für Back- bzw. Teigwarenqualität Tabelle 6: Arbeitszeitbedarf und variable Maschinenkosten für drei Anbauverfahren der Getreidearte

Bovine Herpesvirus 4 infections and bovine mastitis

Mastitis is an often occurring disease in dairy cattle with an enormous economic impact for milk producers worldwide. Despite intensive research, which is historically based on the detection of bacterial udder pathogens, still around 20-35% of clinical cases of bovine mastitis have an unknown aetiology. Due to the high number of unknown causes of clinical mastitis, studies were undertaken to gain more insight into the role of viruses in this important disease. For the first time, we found that BHV4 may be involved in the aetiology of bovine mastitis, because it was isolated from milk of 3 (5%) out of 58 cows with clinical mastitis and not from the 58 matched control cows. Concomitant with the isolation of BHV4, an increase in antibody titre against BHV4 was noted in two of these three mastitis cows from which BHV4 was isolated. The use of the bovine umbilical cord endothelial cells, a cell type seldom used in bovine virology, proved to be a good choice. Susceptibility studies showed that BHV4 grew to much higher titres in bovine umbilical cord endothelial cells than in the routinely used Madin Darby bovine kidney cells. The bovine umbilical cord endothelial cell type was not only highly susceptible to BHV4, but it also proved to be susceptible to other bovine herpesviruses, such as BHV2 and BHV5. For the detection of BHV4 antibodies only one commercial indirect-ELISA was available. We developed and evaluated an immunoperoxidase monolayer assay (IPMA) for the detection of antibodies directed against BHV4. After validation, the IPMA proved to be a reliable test, and it was found more sensitive for the early detection of BHV4 antibodies than the indirect-ELISA. In addition, a serological survey showed that the estimated seroprevalence of BHV4 in Dutch cattle was 16-18% and that the percentage of BHV4 seropositive cattle varied by age category between 6 and 43%. A polymerase chain reaction for the detection of BHV4-glycoprotein-B (gB) DNA was developed and validated, and a nested-PCR was modified to detect BHV4-thymidine kinase (TK) DNA in bovine milk samples. Both methods proved to be rapid and reliable tests for the screening of BHV4 DNA in milk. In a second case-control study, using these newly developed diagnostic tools, BHV4 and BHV4-gB DNA was detected in milk from 2 (4%) out of 54 cows with clinical mastitis, whereas no BHV4 was detected by virus isolation and PCR in 54 matched controls. An experimental study was performed to examine whether a simultaneous intramammary and intranasal inoculation of lactating cows with BHV4 induced clinical mastitis. No clinical mastitis was noted in the four inoculated lactating cows, but the somatic cell counts increased significantly in milk of 50% of the BHV4 inoculated quarters, compared to the non-inoculated quarters of the same cows and quarters of mock-inoculated cows (control group) on days 8, 9, and 11 post-inoculation. Another interesting finding was that a bacterial infection, Streptococcus uberis infection, triggered BHV4 replication. Based on the studies performed, we conclude that BHV4 may play a role in the aetiology of bovine mastitis, albeit likely a minor one in clinical mastitis. Studies suggest rather a role in subclinical mastitis and an indirect role for BHV4 in the aetiology of bovine mastitis. More research is warranted to investigate its indirect role as a result of e.g. immunosuppression. In a review study, the role of viruses in the aetiology of bovine mastitis has been noted. Bovine herpesvirus 1, bovine herpesvirus 4, foot-and-mouth disease virus, and parainfluenza 3 virus have been isolated from milk from cows with clinical mastitis. Intramammary inoculations of bovine herpesvirus 1 or parainfluenza 3 virus induced clinical mastitis, while an intramammary inoculation of foot-and-mouth disease virus resulted in necrosis of the mammary gland. Subclinical mastitis has been induced after a simultaneous intramammary and intranasal inoculation of lactating cows with bovine herpesvirus 4. Bovine leukaemia virus has been detected in mammary tissue of cows with subclinical mastitis, but whether this virus was able to induce bovine mastitis has not been reported. Bovine herpesvirus 2, vaccinia, cowpox, pseudocowpox, vesicular stomatitis, foot-and-mouth disease viruses, and bovine papillomaviruses can play an indirect role in the aetiology of bovine mastitis. These viruses can induce teat lesions, for instance in the ductus papillaris, which result in a reduction of the natural defence mechanisms of the udder and indirectly in bovine mastitis due to bacterial pathogens. Bovine herpesvirus 1, bovine viral diarrhoea virus, bovine immunodeficiency virus, and bovine leukaemia virus infections may play an indirect role in bovine mastitis, due to their immunosuppressive properties. Finally, based on the studies performed during this thesis and the review study on viral infections and bovine mastitis, we may conclude that viruses can play a direct or indirect role in the aetiology of bovine mastitis

The role of apoptosis in bispecific antibody-mediated T-cell cytotoxicity.

In this report we describe the role of apoptosis in the process of tumour cell killing by bispecific monoclonal antibody (BsMAb)-redirected cytolytic T cells. The BsMAb used, BIS-1, has dual specificity for the CD3 complex on T cells and the pancarcinoma-associated 38 kDa transmembrane antigen EGP-2. BIS-1 allows activated T cells to specifically recognise and kill EGP-2-positive but not EGP-2-negative target cells. An assay was developed to quantify apoptosis in cells by separation of 3H-thymidine-labelled low-molecular, i.e. fragmented, from high-molecular, i.e. non-fragmented DNA. The presence of low molecular weight DNA was measured both within the target cells and in the cell-free supernatant. After exposure to BIS-1-redirected, -activated T cells, apoptosis was observed in EGP-2-positive target cells but not in EGP-2-negative target cells. Also no DNA fragmentation proved to be induced in the activated effector cells during assay. The degree of EGP-2-positive target DNA fragmentation depended on the concentration of BsMAb, the E/T ratio and the incubation time. Using a low E/T ratio (1/1), DNA fragmentation in and 51Cr release from target cells showed similar characteristics and kinetics. At higher E/T ratio (20/1), the 51Cr release from the target cells increased to a greater extent than the percentage fragmented target cell DNA. Inhibitors of DNA fragmentation added to the cytotoxicity assay inhibited not only DNA fragmentation, but also the release of chromium-51 from the target cells, suggesting that apoptosis and cell lysis are closely related in BsMAb-mediated cell killing

Mycobacteriosis outbreak caused by Mycobacterium aviumsubsp.avium detected through meat inspection in five porcine fattening farms

Between December 2010 and January 2011 a number (n=20) of cases were submitted to the Slaughterhouse Support Service (Servei de Suport a Escorxadors, SESC-CReSA), consisting of grossly nodular granulomatous and caseous lesions in pig carcasses from five different farms. Lesions involved lymph nodes, lungs, liver and spleen. Histopathological examination showed multifocal to coalescent, granulomatous and necrotizing splenitis, hepatitis, pneumonia and lymphadenitis. The presence of acid-fast bacilli in some cases revealed that it was a mycobacteriosis. Bacteriological analysis was performed to confirm the diagnosis and identify the aetiological agent (to rule out it was from the M. tuberculosis complex mycobacteria, which includes species causing human and animal tuberculosis). The identification of culture isolates by PCR confirmed the growth of M. avium complex. Further sequencing analysis determined it was M. avium. subsp. avium. The most likely source of the outbreak was considered to be the feed which shared the five farms, which might have been contaminated with M. avium subsp. avium (common pathogen in poultry and other birds). The fact that most of the animals presented a clear involvement of abdominal viscera is consistent with an oral route of infection

Impact of foot-and-mouth disease on mastitis and culling on a large-scale dairy farm in Kenya

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a highly transmissible viral infection of cloven hooved animals associated with severe economic losses when introduced into FMD-free countries. Information on the impact of the disease in FMDV-endemic countries is poorly characterised yet essential for the prioritisation of scarce resources for disease control programmes. A FMD (virus serotype SAT2) outbreak on a large-scale dairy farm in Nakuru County, Kenya provided an opportunity to evaluate the impact of FMD on clinical mastitis and culling rate. A cohort approach followed animals over a 12-month period after the commencement of the outbreak. For culling, all animals were included; for mastitis, those over 18 months of age. FMD was recorded in 400/644 cattle over a 29-day period. During the follow-up period 76 animals were culled or died whilst in the over 18 month old cohort 63 developed clinical mastitis. Hazard ratios (HR) were generated using Cox regression accounting for non-proportional hazards by inclusion of time-varying effects. Univariable analysis showed FMD cases were culled sooner but there was no effect on clinical mastitis. After adjusting for possible confounders and inclusion of time-varying effects there was weak evidence to support an effect of FMD on culling (HR = 1.7, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.88-3.1, P = 0.12). For mastitis, there was stronger evidence of an increased rate in the first month after the onset of the outbreak (HR = 2.9, 95%CI 0.97-8.9, P = 0.057)

Endemic Circulation of European Bat Lyssavirus Type 1 in Serotine Bats, Spain

To determine the presence of European bat lyssavirus type 1 in southern Spain, we studied 19 colonies of serotine bats (Eptesicus isabellinus), its main reservoir, during 1998–2003. Viral genome and antibodies were detected in healthy bats, which suggests subclinical infection. The different temporal patterns of circulation found in each colony indicate independent endemic circulation