Effect of a Bowman-Birk proteinase inhibitor from Phaseolus coccineus on Hypothenemus hampei gut proteinases in vitro     

de Azevedo Pereira R  Valencia-Jiménez A  Magalhães CP  Prates MV  Melo JA  de Lima LM  de Sales MP  Tempel Nakasu EY  da Silva MC  Grossi-de-Sá MF 《Journal of agricultural and food chemistry》2007,55(26):10714-10719

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), is an important devastating coffee pest worldwide. Both trypsin and chymotrypsin enzyme activities from H. hampei larval midgut can be inactivated by proteinaceous enzyme-inhibitors. A serine proteinase inhibitor belonging to the Bowman-Birk class was purified from a wild accession of Phaseolus coccineus L. seeds. The inhibitor (PcBBI1) is a cysteine-rich protein that is heat-stable at alkaline pH. MALDI-TOF/MS analysis showed that PcBBI1 occurs in seeds as a monomer (8689 Da) or dimer (17,378 Da). Using in vitro inhibition assays, it was found that PcBBI1 has a high inhibitory activity against H. hampei trypsin-like enzymes, bovine pancreatic chymotrypsin, and trypsin. According to this, PcBBI1 could be a promising tool to make genetically modified coffee with resistance to coffee berry borer.  相似文献   

Effects of Artemisia annua and Foeniculum vulgare on chickens highly infected with Eimeria tenella (Phylum Apicomplexa)     

Liviu Dr?gan  Adriana Gy?rke  Jorge FS Ferreira  Ioan A Pop  Ioan Dunca  Maria Dr?gan  Viorica Mircean  Iosif Dan  Vasile Cozma 《Acta veterinaria Scandinavica》2014,56(1):22

Background

Intensive poultry production systems depend on chemoprophylaxis with anticoccidial drugs to combat infection. A floor-pen study was conducted to evaluate the anticoccidial effect of Artemisia annua and Foeniculum vulgare on Eimeria tenella infection. Five experimental groups were established: negative control (untreated, unchallenged); positive control (untreated, challenged); a group medicated with 125 ppm lasalocid and challenged; a group medicated with A. annua leaf powder at 1.5% in feed and challenged; and a group treated with the mixed oils of A. annua and Foeniculum vulgare in equal parts, 7.5% in water and challenged. The effects of A. annua and oil extract of A. annua + F. vulgare on E. tenella infection were assessed by clinical signs, mortality, fecal oocyst output, faeces, lesion score, weight gain, and feed conversion.

Results

Clinical signs were noticed only in three chickens from the lasalocid group, six from the A. annua group, and nine from the A. annua + F. vulgare group, but were present in 19 infected chickens from the positive control group. Bloody diarrhea was registered in only two chickens from A. annua group, but in 17 chickens from the positive control group. Mortality also occurred in the positive control group (7/20). Chickens treated with A. annua had a significant reduction in faecal oocysts (95.6%; P = 0.027) and in lesion score (56.3%; P = 0.005) when compared to the positive control. At the end of experiment, chickens treated with A. annua leaf powder had the highest body weight gain (68.2 g/day), after the negative control group, and the best feed conversion (1.85) among all experimental groups.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that A. annua leaf powder (Aa-p), at 1.5% of the daily diet post-infection, can be a valuable alternative for synthetic coccidiostats, such as lasalocid.  相似文献   

Development of a behaviour‐based measurement tool with defined intervention level for assessing acute pain in cats     

G. Calvo  E. Holden  J. Reid  E. M. Scott  A. Firth  A. Bell  S. Robertson  A. M. Nolan 《The Journal of small animal practice》2014,55(12):622-629

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Evaluation of facial expression in acute pain in cats     

E. Holden  G. Calvo  M. Collins  A. Bell  J. Reid  E. M. Scott  A. M. Nolan 《The Journal of small animal practice》2014,55(12):615-621

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Usefulness of the murine model to study the immune response against Histoplasma capsulatum infection     

Jorge H. Sahaza  Armando Pérez-Torres  Edgar Zenteno  Maria Lucia Taylor 《Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases》2014

The present paper is an overview of the primary events that are associated with the histoplasmosis immune response in the murine model. Valuable data that have been recorded in the scientific literature have contributed to an improved understanding of the clinical course of this systemic mycosis, which is caused by the dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. Data must be analyzed carefully, given that misinterpretation could be generated because most of the available information is based on experimental host–parasite interactions that used inappropriate proceedings, i.e., the non-natural route of infection with the parasitic and virulent fungal yeast-phase, which is not the usual infective phase of the etiological agent of this mycosis.  相似文献   

Using mixed methods to investigate factors influencing reporting of livestock diseases: A case study among smallholders in Bolivia     

Georgina Limon  Elisa G. Lewis  Yu-Mei Chang  Hugo Ruiz  Maria Elba Balanza  Javier Guitian 《Preventive veterinary medicine》2014

Livestock disease surveillance is particularly challenging in resource-scarce settings, where disease events are often unreported. Surveillance performance is determined as much by the quantifiable biological attributes of the disease, as it is by motivations and barriers perceived by livestock keepers for disease reporting. Mixed methods designs, which integrate the collection, analysis and interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data in a single study, are increasingly used across different disciplines. These designs allow for a deeper exploration of the topic under investigation, than can be achieved by either approach alone.  相似文献   

Tiptoeing between restoration and invasion: seed rain into natural gaps within a highly invaded relic forest in the Azores     

Sandra Hervías Parejo  Ricardo S. Ceia  Jaime A. Ramos  Hugo L. Sampaio  Ruben H. Heleno 《European Journal of Forest Research》2014,133(2):383-390

The last remains of native laurel forest in the Azores are highly threatened by the spread of invasive plants. Because landslides are very frequent in these islands, conservation of native laurel forest requires knowledge of the patterns of bird-dispersed seed rain into forest gaps. We monitored 78 seed traps over 1 year to investigate (1) the role of perches in attracting avian dispersers into gaps, (2) temporal patterns in the dispersal of exotic and native seeds, (3) how seed rain affects vegetation establishment in gaps at different distances from the native forest and (4) whether the caloric content of fruits could explain the number of seeds dispersed. Perches were highly effective in concentrating avian seed dispersal. While some native fruits are produced all year-round, most exotic plants set fruits during the main peak of the native fruit production (August–November). Most seeds recovered from the traps were native, and native seed rain inside the native forest was higher than in gaps. However, deposition of exotic seeds was not affected by distance from native forest. Seed dispersal frequencies monitored by seed traps and by faecal analysis were correlated with each other, but not with fruit caloric content, suggesting that other factors are more important that the nutritional value in predicting avian fruit choice. Forest restoration activities should take into consideration that seed dispersal decreases sharply beyond 100 m from native forest and the attractive potential of perches to direct natural seed dispersal into forest gaps.  相似文献   

Distribution patterns of acorns after primary dispersion in a fragmented oak forest and their consequences on predators and dispersers     

Carlos Renato Ramos-Palacios  Ernesto I. Badano  Joel Flores  Jorge A. Flores-Cano  José L. Flores-Flores 《European Journal of Forest Research》2014,133(3):391-404

Forest fragmentation affects seed production, but little is known about how seeds are distributed in fragmented forests after primary dispersion and how this affects their interactions with other organisms. This study addressed these issues in a fragmented oak forest of Quercus laeta where four habitat types were recognized: interior and edge of patches, deforested matrix around patches, and an abandoned field. Areas and distances to the abandoned field were measured for 40 patches, and acorns were sampled in all habitats. Only samples from the interior and edge of patches had acorns, which were classified as aborted, viable, and parasitized by insects or fungi. Acorns in all these classes were regressed against patch area and distance to the abandoned field. Field experiments were also conducted to determine whether acorn removal rates varied across habitats. Aborted acorns within patches were not related to area or distance, but they decreased with increasing values of both variables at patch edges. Within patches, viable acorns were positively related to increases in area and distance, while the converse occurred for insect-damaged acorns; fungal-infested acorns were not related to patch variables in this habitat. Complex interactions between area and distance explained how acorns in these classes were distributed across patch edges. Acorn removal was higher within patches and their edges when compared to human-disturbed habitats; both mice and birds were identified as potential acorn dispersers. These results suggest that forest fragmentation affects acorn-mediated processes and that this may influence the recovery of patch connectivity in the landscape.  相似文献   

The genetic structure of Mytilus chilensis (Hupé 1854) populations along the Chilean coast based on RAPDs analysis     

Jorge E Toro  Johana A Ojeda  & Ana M Vergara 《Aquaculture Research》2004,35(15):1466-1471

The Chilean blue mussel Mytilus chilensis is an important commercial species. However, little has been published on the population genetics of this species, despite the need to implement management and conservation policies. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA‐polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to estimate genetic variation within and between eight natural populations along the whole range of its Chilean natural distribution (ca. 1900 km from Arauco (VIII Region) to Punta Arenas (XII Region)). The values of Nei's unbiased genetic distance, D (0.030–0.107), among populations were small, despite the large geographic separation. A mantel test using 50 000 randomizations showed evidence for a significant correlation (r=0.74, P<0.05) between genetic and geographic (coastal) distance. Punta Arenas population was the most genetically differentiated from the others, although the scale of differentiation was not large (D=0.076–0.107). The levels of gene flow (Nm=1.55) found in this study prevent differentiation among populations by genetic drift. This is the result of the long‐lived planktotrophic larvae of M. chilensis, which provides this species with considerable dispersal ability throughout its range, which is favoured by the ocean currents along the Chilean coast. A restricted larval dispersal towards the north due to the Cape Horn Current derived from the West Wind Drift could be the cause of the higher genetic differentiation of Punta Arenas population from the northern populations. For management purposes of the M. chilensis fishery, the results provide no evidence for discrete stocks, with the possible exception of the Punta Arenas population. The present study provides the baseline data in order to continue further characterization of these mussel populations, considering the great increase in aquaculture of this species.  相似文献   

Development and Deterioration of Spermatophores in Pond-Reared Penaeus vannamei   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Jorge  Alfaro Xenia  Lozano 《Journal of the World Aquaculture Society》1993,24(4):522-529

Spermatophore deterioration in pond-reared Penaeus vannamei was studied, and spermatophore quality was evaluated and improved. Sperm production of males collected from grow-out ponds was increased by two techniques: eyestalk ablation using a fresh frozen maturation diet (13% body weight); and laboratory culture using a diet of the formulated feed Nicovita Plus (3% body weight/ d) and frozen squid (2%). Findings are complementary to previous reports that eyestalk ablation improves quality of spermatophores in young (25.7 g) males. The timing of eyestalk ablation for activation of the endocrine mechanism, leading to improved spermatophore quality was also explored. After eyestalk ablation, performed between postmolt and intermolt stages, 26 g males required a minimum of three spermatophore regenerations or 42 d to significantly increase spermatophore size and sperm count. On the other hand, the laboratory culture (2.5 mo) technique improved the quality of spermatophores in successive regenerations for non-ablated males. In the present study, subadult P. vannamei produced spermatophores which, if not transferred or manually ejaculated, gradually deteriorated (successive stages are described), while a new compound spermatophore was being synthesized.  相似文献