Pathological characteristics of thyroid glands from Japanese Black Cattle living in the restricted area of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident     

Jun Sasaki  Megumi Uehara  Itaru Sato  Hiroshi Satoh  Yoshitaka Deguchi  Hiroyuki Chida  Masahiro Natsuhori  Takahisa Murata  Kenji Ochiai  Kumiko Otani  Keiji Okada  Nobuhiko Ito 《Animal Science Journal》2019,90(9):1333-1339

To study the effect of ionizing radiation on thyroid glands, 66 Japanese Black cattle residing in the restricted area of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2013–2017 were pathologically examined. There were no clinical symptoms of thyroid disease in these cattle. Three cases of goiter and seven of atrophy were found in two among the four farms examined. Cases of goiter exhibited normal morphological structure without mass or nodule formation in thyroid glands. Cellular atypia or capsular invasion of the follicular epithelium was absent. The estimated integrated dose of external radiation in goiter cases ranged from maximum 797 mSv to minimum 24 mSv. All lobules in the seven atrophic thyroid glands were affected, but pathological findings, such as inflammatory cell infiltration or stromal fibrosis, were not observed. The estimated integrated dose of external radiation in atrophic thyroids ranged from maximum 589 mSv to minimum 8 mSv. Immunohistochemical analysis of anti‐nitroguanosine and the TUNEL method in goiter and atrophic thyroid glands did not reveal any positive findings. The present study indicates that there was no significant relationship between a radiation effect and pathological findings in any thyroid glands.  相似文献   

Decreased blood cell counts were not observed in cattle living in the “difficult‐to‐return zone” of the Fukushima nuclear accident     

Itaru Sato  Jun Sasaki  Hiroshi Satoh  Yoshitaka Deguchi  Hiroyuki Chida  Masahiro Natsuhori  Kumiko Otani  Keiji Okada 《Animal Science Journal》2019,90(1):128-134

White blood cells, especially lymphocytes, are susceptible to radiation exposure. In the present study, red blood cell, total white blood cell, and lymphocyte counts were repeatedly measured in cattle living on three farms located in the “difficult‐to‐return zone” of the Fukushima nuclear accident, and compared with two control groups from unaffected areas. Blood cell counts differed significantly between the two control groups, although almost all the values fell within the normal range. The blood cell counts of the cattle in the “difficult‐to‐return zone” varied across sampling times even on the same farms, being sometimes higher or lower than either of the two control groups. However, neither a statistically significant decrease in blood cell counts nor an increase in the rate of cattle with extremely low blood cell counts was observed overall. The estimated cumulative exposure dose for the cattle on the most contaminated farm was within a range of 500–1000 mSv, exceeding the threshold for the lymphopenia. Because of the low dose rate on these farms, potential radiation damages would have been repaired and have not accumulated enough to cause deterministic effects.  相似文献   

The effect of approach direction and pace on flight distance of beef breeding cows     

Takami KOSAKO  Michiru FUKASAWA  Daisuke KOHARI  Kumiko OIKAWA  Hideharu TSUKADA 《Animal Science Journal》2008,79(6):722-726

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of approach direction and pace on flight distance of beef breeding cows. Five Japanese Black breeding cows were used as experimental cattle. Three approach directions were tested; that were the approach toward the head of the test cow from the front direction (FRONT), the approach toward to the foreleg of the test cow from the right or left (SIDE) and the approach toward to hind‐leg of the test cow diagonally from the right or left rear (BACK). Three levels of approach pace were also tested; that were the approach at a pace of 7 km/h, the approach at a pace of 4 km/h, and the approach at a pace of 1 km/h. The shortest distance between observer and cow's at the moment of the cow's withdrawal was defined as the flight distance. The flight distance in FRONT was significantly shorter than that in SIDE. The effect of the approach pace was significant. The faster an observer approached to cow, the greater the flight distance shown by the cow. The manner of approach to cattle markedly affects the flight distance. Therefore, the manner of approach to cattle must be standardized to measure flight distance for sharing results obtained by several researchers under various conditions.  相似文献   

Toxoplasma gondii antibody prevalence and isolation in free-ranging cats in Okinawa,Japan     

Hisako KYAN  Taketoshi TAKARA  Katsuya TAIRA  Takeshi OBI 《The Journal of veterinary medical science / the Japanese Society of Veterinary Science》2021,83(8):1303

Cats are an important host of Toxoplasma gondii from an epidemiological perspective because they are the only definitive hosts that excrete oocysts in their feces. In this study, 201 free-ranging cats in Okinawa were examined for T. gondii infection. Using the latex agglutination test, we detected antibodies against T. gondii in 26.9% (54/201) of the cats. Oocysts of T. gondii were not detected upon microscopic examination of the feces of 128 cats. T. gondii was isolated from the tissues of 9 out of 24 seropositive or pseudo-seropositive cats with a bioassay using laboratory mice. Genotyping for the GRA6 gene revealed that five and four of the isolates were type I and II, respectively.  相似文献   

Goat milk acceptance and promotion methods in Japan: The questionnaire survey to middle class households     

Takeyuki OZAWA  Kumiko MUKUDA  Masaru FUJITA  Jiro NISHITANI 《Animal Science Journal》2009,80(2):212-219

A consumer questionnaire conducted with the purpose of ascertaining the acceptability of goat milk and related products in Japan was carried out on 345 guarantees of Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University in December 2006. 275 effective responses (79%) representing middle class urban households were returned. The results revealed that (1) 30% of respondents have experienced drinking goat milk and only 10% are aware of the current retail situation of goat milk and related products; (2) over 70% of goat milk drinkers raised goats by hand at some point in their past and their first experience drinking goat milk was in infancy; (3) those with experience in drinking goat milk expressed a vague evaluation and minimal understanding of drinking goat milk; (4) respondents who were inexperienced goat milk drinkers expressed a strong desire to taste and a weak desire to purchase goat milk; (5) respondents expressed low recognition regarding retailed goat milk products, but those who had already purchased goat milk products expressed a high evaluation and strong desire to purchase these products again; and (6) recognition of goat milk characteristics is low, but those with high recognition also rate goat milk highly. Goats are perceived as being 'mild and familiar.' It is necessary for those who manage goat husbandry to present goat milk and related product tasting opportunities to consumers. The key point is to make the functional differences between cow and goat milk clear and present the advantages of goat milk at the fore of this promotion. Goat milk should not be promoted merely as a drink that is similar to cow milk, but must be positioned as a functional drink or health food in order to expand the Japanese goat milk market.  相似文献   

Nationwide seroprevalence of Neospora caninum among dairy cattle in Japan   总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3  

Koiwai M  Hamaoka T  Haritani M  Shimizu S  Zeniya Y  Eto M  Yokoyama R  Tsutsui T  Kimura K  Yamane I 《Veterinary parasitology》2006,135(2):175-179

Serum samples from 2420 clinically healthy dairy cattle, randomly selected from stored sera in 18 districts of Japan, were tested for the presence of Neospora caninum antibodies using an indirect fluorescent antibody test (titer > or =1:200). Nationwide seroprevalence is estimated at 5.7% (139/2420). Seropositive cattle were detected in all surveyed districts despite the evidence of confirmed case reports of bovine neosporosis, showing that N. caninum is widely distributed throughout Japan. Age-specific seroprevalence did not increase with cattle age, suggesting that Neospora infection is likely to be transmitted vertically rather than horizontally in Japan. Considering that N. caninum seropositive cows are thought to be more likely to abort, substantial fetal losses may be induced by N. caninum infection in Japan. Devising strategies are needed to reduce the economic impact on the Japanese dairy industry. This is the first study to investigate the nationwide seroprevalence of N. caninum in cattle in Asia.  相似文献   

First application of PCR-Luminex system for molecular diagnosis of fungicide resistance and species identification of fungal pathogens     

Hideo Ishii  Junko Tanoue  Michiyo Oshima  Wen-Hsin Chung  Kumiko Nishimura  Junichiro Yamaguchi  Fumihiro Nemoto  Kazuhiro So  Toshitaka Iwama  Hideaki Yoshimatsu  Motoshige Shimizu  Toru Kozawa 《Journal of General Plant Pathology》2008,74(6):409-416

Fungicide resistance in plant pathogens is often caused by a single point mutation in a gene encoding fungicide target proteins. Such is the case for resistance to MBI-D (inhibitors of scytalone dehydratase in melanin biosynthesis) fungicides in rice blast fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae), which is caused by a mutation in the scytalone dehydratase gene that results in a replacement of valine with methionine at codon 75 of the fungicide target protein. PCR-Luminex, a novel system developed for high-throughput analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was successfully introduced to diagnose MBI-D resistance using specific oligonucleotide probes coupled with fluorescent beads. The PCR-Luminex system was further tested for its potential in identifying species causing Fusarium head blight on wheat. Four major pathogens, Fusarium graminearum (=F. asiaticum), F. culmorum, F. avenaceum, and Microdochium nivale, known to cause the disease, were tested, and the species were identified using the PCR-Luminex method. So far, this report is the first on the application of the DNA-based PCR-Luminex system in the area of crop protection and/or agricultural sciences.  相似文献   

Genetic analysis and PCR-based identification of major <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium</Emphasis> species causing head blight on wheat in Japan   总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0  

Wen-Hsin Chung  Hideo Ishii  Kumiko Nishimura  Michiyo Ohshima  Toshitaka Iwama  Hideaki Yoshimatsu 《Journal of General Plant Pathology》2008,74(5):364-374

Identifying the Fusarium species cause Fusarium head blight (FHB) and produces mycotoxins in wheat and other cereal is difficult and time consuming because of confusing phenotypic classification systems. In Japan, the F. graminearum complex, F. culmorum, F. avenaceum, and Microdochium nivale predominantly cause FHB. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 5.8S of rDNA, a partial sequence of β-tubulin and mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) genes of the four species were PCR-amplified and analyzed. On the basis of the ITS, β-tubulin and cytb sequences, F. avenaceum and M. nivale are distinct from the F. graminearum complex and F. culmorum, whereas the F. graminearum complex is closely related to F. culmorum. Moreover, thiophanate–methyl-resistant isolates of the F. graminearum complex and F. culmorum did not have an amino acid substitution at amino acid codon 198 or 200 of β-tubulin. In contrast, very highly or highly thiophanate–methyl-resistant isolates of M. nivale had Glu (GAG) substituted with Ala (GCG) or Lys (AAG) at codon 198, respectively. The allele-specific PCR assay was used to identify the F. graminearum complex and F. culmorum, and these Fusarium species could be distinguished rapidly.  相似文献   

Thirteen-week Intravenous Toxicity Study of a Novel Humanized Anti-Human Death Receptor 5 Monoclonal Antibody, CS-1008, in Cynomolgus Monkeys     

Kimotsuki T  Tanaka K  Sugiura T  Koyama K  Nakamura T  Kamimura Y  Takasaki W  Manabe S 《Journal of toxicologic pathology》2010,23(1):11-17

CS-1008, a humanized monoclonal antibody that is agonistic to human death receptor 5, was intravenously administered to cynomolgus monkeys twice a week for 13 weeks at 3 different dose levels (5, 15 and 42 mg/kg) in order to evaluate its potential toxicity. A control group received phosphate buffered saline containing 0.01% polysorbate 80. Each of the 4 groups consisted of 3 male and 3 female cynomolgus monkeys. No animal in any group died during the dosing period. No toxic changes in clinical signs, food consumption, body weight, electrocardiography, ophthalmology, urinalysis, hematology, blood chemistry, gross pathology, organ weights or histopathology were noted in any group during the dosing period. In the toxicokinetic analysis, the values for the maximum concentration of CS-1008 in plasma and the area under the curve generally increased with increasing dose. No clear differences in the toxicokinetic parameters or profiles were observed between the sexes. Development of anti-CS-1008 antibodies was not detected in any sample. The no-observed adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of CS-1008 in cynomolgus monkeys under the conditions of this study was concluded to be 42 mg/kg in both sexes, when administered intravenously twice a week for 13 weeks. This study supports the development of CS-1008 as a therapeutic biopharmaceutical.  相似文献   

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Alternaria alternata</Emphasis> apple pathotype (<Emphasis Type="Italic">A. mali</Emphasis>) causes black spot of European pear     

Megumu Tanahashi  Takashi Nakano  Hajime Akamatsu  Motoichiro Kodama  Hiroshi Otani  Kumiko Osaki-Oka 《European journal of plant pathology / European Foundation for Plant Pathology》2016,145(4):787-795

A disease caused by Alternaria alternata occurred on the leaves of European pear cultivar Le Lectier in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and was named black spot of European pear. In conidial inoculation tests, the causal pathogen induced not only small black lesions on the leaves of European pear cultivar Le Lectier, but severe lesions on the leaves of apple cultivar Red Gold, which is susceptible to the A. alternata apple pathotype (previously called A. mali) causing Alternaria blotch of apple. Interestingly, the apple pathotype isolate showed the same pathogenicity as the European pear pathogen. HPLC analysis of the culture filtrates revealed that A. alternata causing black spot of European pear produced AM-toxin I, known as a host-specific toxin of the A. alternata apple pathotype. AM-toxin I induced veinal necrosis on leaves of Le Lectier and General Leclerc cultivars, both susceptible to the European pear pathogen, at 5?×?10^?7 M and 10^?6 M respectively, but did not affect leaves of resistant cultivars at 10^?4 M. PCR analysis with primers that specifically amplify the AM-toxin synthetase gene detected the product of expected size in the pathogen. These results indicate that A. alternata causing black spot of European pear is identical to that causing Alternaria blotch of apple. This is the first report of European pear disease caused by the A. alternata apple pathotype. This study provides a multiplex PCR protocol, which could serve as a useful tool, for the epidemiological survey of these two diseases in European pear and apple orchards.  相似文献