AIM: To investigate a possible interaction between lolitrem B and ergovaline by comparing the incidence and severity of ryegrass staggers in sheep grazing ryegrass (Lolium perenne) containing lolitrem B or ryegrass containing both lolitrem B and ergovaline.
METHODS: Ninety lambs, aged approximately 6 months, were grazed on plots of perennial ryegrass infected with either AR98 endophyte (containing lolitrem B), standard endophyte (containing lolitrem B and ergovaline) or no endophyte, for up to 42 days from 2 February 2010. Ten lambs were grazed on three replicate plots per cultivar. Herbage samples were collected for alkaloid analysis and lambs were scored for ryegrass staggers (scores from 0–5) weekly during the study. Any animal which was scored ≥4 was removed from the study.
RESULTS: Concentrations of lolitrem B did not differ between AR98 and standard endophyte-infected pastures during the study period (p=0.26), and ergovaline was present only in standard endophyte pastures. Ryegrass staggers was observed in sheep grazing both the AR98 and standard endophyte plots, with median scores increasing in the third week of the study. Prior to the end of the 42-day grazing period, 22 and 17 animals were removed from the standard endophyte and AR98 plots, respectively, because their staggers scores were ≥4. The cumulative probability of lambs having scores ≥4 did not differ between animals grazing the two pasture types (p=0.41).
CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: There was no evidence for ergovaline increasing the severity of ryegrass staggers induced by lolitrem B. In situations where the severity of ryegrass staggers appears to be greater than that predicted on the basis of concentrations of lolitrem B, the presence of other tremorgenic alkaloids should be investigated. 相似文献
REASON FOR PERFORMING STUDY: West Nile virus (WNF) is a Flavivirus responsible for a life-threatening neurological disease in man and horses. Development of improved vaccines against Flavivirus infections is therefore important. OBJECTIVES: To establish that a single immunogenicity dose of live Flavivirus chimera (WN-FV) vaccine protects horses from the disease and it induces a protective immune response, and to determine the duration of the protective immunity. METHODS: Clinical signs were compared between vaccinated (VACC) and control (CTRL) horses after an intrathecal WNV challenge given at 10 or 28 days, or 12 months post vaccination. RESULTS: Challenge of horses in the immunogenicity study at Day 28 post vaccination resulted in severe clinical signs of WNV infection in 10/10 control (CTRL) compared to 1/20 vaccinated (VACC) horses (P<0.01). None of the VACC horses developed viraemia and minimal histopathology was noted. Duration of immunity (DPI) was established at 12 months post vaccination. Eight of 10 CTRL exhibited severe clinical signs of infection compared to 1 of 9 VACC horses (P<0.05). There was a significant reduction in the occurrence of viraemia and histopathology lesion in VACC horses relative to CTRL horses. Horses challenged at Day 10 post vaccination experienced moderate or severe clinical signs of WNV infection in 3/3 CTRL compared to 5/6 VACC horses (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This novel WN-FV chimera vaccine generates a protective immune response to WNV infection in horses that is demonstrated 10 days after a single vaccination and lasts for up to one year. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: This is the first USDA licensed equine WNV vaccine to utilise a severe challenge model that produces the same WNV disease observed under field conditions to obtain a label claim for prevention of viraemia and aid in the prevention of WNV disease and encephalitis with a duration of immunity of 12 months. 相似文献
