Fatal pulmonary acariasis in an aged indoor rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta)

Pulmonary acariasis is a sporadic, incidental finding in colony‐raised rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Prophylactic treatment in indoor‐raised and indoor‐housed macaques is not routine due to low prevalence, lack of clinical significance, and potential risk of toxicosis. This case is an unusually severe infestation of Pneumonyssus simicola in an indoor‐housed rhesus macaque, which ultimately resulted in this animal's death.     

Freshwater crayfish invasions in South Africa: past,present and potential future

Freshwater crayfish invasions have been studied around the world, but less so in Africa, a continent devoid of native freshwater crayfish. The present study reviews historical and current information on alien freshwater crayfish species introduced into South Africa and aims to indicate which areas are at risk from invasion. As is the case elsewhere, South Africans have shown a keen interest in both farming and keeping freshwater crayfish as pets, which has resulted in Cherax cainii, Cherax destructor, Cherax quadricarinatus and Procambarus clarkii being introduced to the country. There is evidence of successful establishment in the wild for C. quadricarinatus and P. clarkii in different parts of the country. Species distribution models suggest that the eastern part of the country and parts of the Eastern and Western Cape are at higher risk of invasion. At present, illegal translocations represent the most likely pathway of crayfish spread in South Africa. A continued risk of invasion by freshwater crayfish species in South Africa is highlighted, which reinforces the need for more research, as well as for strong mitigation measures, such as stronger policing of existing regulations, management or eradication where feasible and public education.     

Effect of flavan-3-ols on in vitro egg hatching, larval development and viability of infective larvae of Trichostrongylus colubriformis

The effects of flavan-3-ols (the monomer units of condensed tannins (CT)) and their galloyl derivatives on the viability of eggs, the development of first stage (L1) larvae, and the viability of the infective larvae of Trichostrongylus colubriformis were investigated under in vitro conditions. Each of the flavan-3-ol gallates showed some inhibition of egg hatching at 100 μg/ml, and 100% inhibition at 1000 μg/ml, with epigallocatechin gallate being the most effective in the egg hatch (EH) assay. In contrast, none of the flavan-3-ols were able to completely inhibit egg hatching. The flavan-3-ols and galloyl derivatives dose-dependently inhibited the development of infective larvae as assessed by the larval development (LD) assay. A larval migration inhibition (LMI) assay was used to assess the effect of flavan-3-ols and their galloyl derivatives on the motility of the infective third-stage (L3) larvae of T. colubriformis. In general, the flavan-3-ol gallates were more effective than the flavan-3-ols at immobilising the infective larvae as evidenced by their ability to inhibit more (P<0.05–0.01) larvae from passing through the LMI sieves. At 500 μg/ml, epigallocatechin gallate inhibited significantly more (P<0.1) larvae from passing through the sieves than did catechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, or gallocatechin gallate. Comparisons were made between the flavan-3-ols and their galloyl derivatives with the in vitro effects of CT extracts from several forage legumes, which have exhibited effects on parasites in vivo. The forage legumes tested at 200–500 μg/ml reduced the proportion of eggs that hatch, with comparable results to those obtained using the flavan-3-ols. The activities may be influenced by the prodelphinidin: procyanidin (PD:PC) ratios: CT extracts from Lotus pendunculatus and sainfoin have PD:PC ratios of 70:30 and 77:23, respectively, whereas the less active CT extract from Lotus corniculatus has a PD:PC ratio of 27:73. The active CT extracts from forage legumes have epigallocatechin as the dominant flavan-3-ol extender unit, and epigallocatechin is the most active flavan-3-ol in both the EH and LD assays.     

The sensitivity to honey of Gram-positive cocci of clinical significance isolated from wounds

AIMS: To determine the sensitivity to honey of Gram-positive cocci of clinical significance in wounds and demonstrate that inhibition is not exclusively due to osmotic effects. METHODS AND RESULTS: Eighteen strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and seven strains of vancomycin-sensitive enterococci were isolated from infected wounds and 20 strains of vancomycin-resistant enterococci were isolated from hospital environmental surfaces. Using an agar incorporation technique to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), their sensitivity to two natural honeys of median levels of antibacterial activity was established and compared with an artificial honey solution. For all of the strains tested, the MIC values against manuka and pasture honey were below 10% (v/v), but concentrations of artificial honey at least three times higher were required to achieve equivalent inhibition in vitro. Comparison of the MIC values of antibiotic-sensitive strains with their respective antibiotic-resistant strains demonstrated no marked differences in their susceptibilities to honey. CONCLUSIONS: The inhibition of bacteria by honey is not exclusively due to osmolarity. For the Gram-positive cocci tested, antibiotic-sensitive and -resistant strains showed similar sensitivity to honey. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: A possible role for honey in the treatment of wounds colonized by antibiotic-resistant bacteria is indicated.     

Protein tyrosine phosphorylation during prolonged in vitro incubation of ejaculated bovine spermatozoa is regulated by the oxidative state of the medium

Protein tyrosine phosphorylation plays a regulatory role in a multitude of physiological processes in sperm. Changes in protein tyrosine phosphorylation, viability, and motility were studied as a function of extended incubation of bovine sperm in vitro at ambient temperature (18-20 degrees C). Fresh ejaculates were incubated after dilution for 8 days. On Days 0, 2, 5, and 8, an aliquot of sperm was incubated with or without theophylline at 37 degrees C for 30 min prior to assessing sperm viability, motility, and tyrosine phosphorylation of soluble and whole-cell proteins. There was a time-dependent decline in sperm motility, which was to some extent reversed by incubation with theophylline. The sum of the phosphotyrosine signal from two soluble proteins (M(r) 67 000 and 36 000) declined with incubation time in both theophylline-treated and untreated sperm. There were major differences in the pattern of tyrosine phosphorylation during incubation between ejaculates from different bulls. Tyrosine phosphorylation of a number of proteins from whole-cell extracts increased in a time-dependent manner during in vitro incubation and was unaffected by the presence of theophylline in the medium. The oxygenation state of the incubation medium had profound effects on sperm motility, viability, and tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins from whole-cell extracts. Sperm motility and viability declined more rapidly under aerobic compared with anaerobic conditions. Tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins from whole-cell extracts increased considerably during anaerobic incubation, while there was no significant change during aerobic incubation. This increase in phosphorylation due to anaerobic incubation was reversed when sperm were transferred from an anaerobic to an aerobic environment, indicating that the oxygenation state of the medium regulates both protein tyrosine kinases and phosphatases. In addition, sperm incubated under aerobic conditions for 5 days retained the ability to phosphorylate proteins when transferred to an anaerobic environment. The increase in protein tyrosine phosphorylation during in vitro incubation took place in a medium that did not contain capacitating substances such as heparin, sodium bicarbonate, or BSA. It transpired over a time scale of days and was not augmented by an increase in intracellular cAMP concentration through phosphodiesterase inhibition. Protein tyrosine phosphorylation during extended in vitro incubation at ambient temperature was significantly inhibited by the presence of oxygen in the medium.     

Global expression analysis of nucleotide binding site-leucine rich repeat-encoding and related genes in Arabidopsis

Background  

Nucleotide binding site-leucine rich repeat (NBS-LRR)-encoding genes comprise the largest class of plant disease resistance genes. The 149 NBS-LRR-encoding genes and the 58 related genes that do not encode LRRs represent approximately 0.8% of all ORFs so far annotated in Arabidopsis ecotype Col-0. Despite their prevalence in the genome and functional importance, there was little information regarding expression of these genes.     

Hip joint replacement surgery for idiopathic osteoarthritis aggregates in families

In order to determine whether there is a genetic component to hip or knee joint failure due to idiopathic osteoarthritis (OA), we invited patients (probands) undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty for management of idiopathic OA to provide detailed family histories regarding the prevalence of idiopathic OA requiring joint replacement in their siblings. We also invited their spouses to provide detailed family histories about their siblings to serve as a control group. In the probands, we confirmed the diagnosis of idiopathic OA using American College of Rheumatology criteria. The cohorts included the siblings of 635 probands undergoing total hip replacement, the siblings of 486 probands undergoing total knee replacement, and the siblings of 787 spouses. We compared the prevalence of arthroplasty for idiopathic OA among the siblings of the probands with that among the siblings of the spouses, and we used logistic regression to identify independent risk factors for hip and knee arthroplasty in the siblings. Familial aggregation for hip arthroplasty, but not for knee arthroplasty, was observed after controlling for age and sex, suggesting a genetic contribution to end-stage hip OA but not to end-stage knee OA. We conclude that attempts to identify genes that predispose to idiopathic OA resulting in joint failure are more likely to be successful in patients with hip OA than in those with knee OA.     

Rapid evolution of immunoglobulin superfamily C2 domains expressed in immune system cells

To test the hypothesis that proteins expressed in cells of the vertebrate immune system evolve unusually rapidly, 107 orthologous immunoglobulin C2 domains were compared between human and murine rodent. The analysis showed that the rate of nonsynonymous (amino-acid- altering) nucleotide substitution in these domains was correlated with factors associated with protein structure and with breadth of tissue expression, as well as with the rate of synonymous substitution. However, when such factors were controlled for statistically, there remained a strong positive association between expression in the immune system and nonsynonymous rate, with the highest rates being seen in genes expressed in the immune system only. Certain immune system genes are known to be subject to positive selection favoring diversity at the amino acid level; most of these genes encode receptors that interact directly with foreign antigens. The observed acceleration of the rate of nonsynonymous evolution in C2 domains of immune system proteins may be explained by either (1) reduced constraint at the amino acid level on molecules interacting with immune system receptors that are themselves evolving rapidly due to positive diversifying selection or (2) positive selection favoring amino acid changes correlated with changes in the immune system receptors.      

The effects of sex,age and diet of mice and gerbils on susceptibility to Microphallus pygmaeus (Digenea: Microphallidae)

Molan A. L. and James B. L. 1984. The effects of sex, age and diet of mice and gerbils on susceptibility to Microphallus pygmaeus (Digenea: Microphallidae). International Journal for Parasitology14: 521–526. Mature male mice (40–100-day-old) and gerbils (60–150-day-old) harbour significantly more Microphallus pygmaeus than their female counterparts. Adult worms from male mice and gerbils consistently contain more eggs than those from females but the differences are not significant. No sex differences in worm recovery occur in immature or ageing mice and gerbils. Seventy-day-old mice and gerbils of both sexes harbour significantly more worms with a higher egg production than immature and ageing animals. The worm burden of sucklings, however, is higher than in weanlings and mature mice and gerbils of both sexes fed on cow's milk harbour significantly more worms than those fed on a normal pellet diet.