The 1952 outbreak of encephalitis in California; laboratory methods for etiologic diagnosis

The general procedures used in the diagnosis of neurotropic viral diseases are outlined and are discussed with specific reference to western equine encephalitis. Cerebrospinal fluid is considered practically worthless as a starting material, in attempts to isolate the causal agent. The material of choice in attempting to recover the virus is central nervous system tissue, available only in instances of fatal infection. In the usual case, the diagnosis depends upon serologic or immunologic methods. These methods are aimed at detecting the presence of specific antibodies and of increases in the content of antibodies in the blood during the course of the illness. The in vitro complement fixation test is considered a better diagnostic tool than the in vivo neutralization test, since rises in titer are more readily detectable by the former technique than by the latter.     

Coprolite morphotypes from the Upper Cretaceous of Sweden: novel views on an ancient ecosystem and implications for coprolite taphonomy

Eriksson, M.E., Lindgren, J., Chin, K. & Månsby, U. 2011: Coprolite morphotypes from the Upper Cretaceous of Sweden: novel views on an ancient ecosystem and implications for coprolite taphonomy. Lethaia, Vol. 44, pp. 455–468. Coprolites (fossilized faeces) are common, yet previously unreported, elements in the Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) shallow‐marine strata of Åsen, southern Sweden. They are associated with a diverse vertebrate fauna and comprise at least seven different morphotypes that suggest a variety of source animals. Their faecal origin is corroborated by several lines of evidence, including chemical composition (primarily calcium phosphate), external morphology and nature of the inclusions. Preservation in a fossil coquina, interpreted as a taphocoenosis, suggests early lithification promoted by rapid entombment. This would have prevented disintegration of the faecal matter and facilitated transportation and introduction to the host sediment. The coprofabrics can generally be correlated to specific gross morphologies, supporting a morphology‐determined coprolite classification. Moreover, having been deposited under presumably comparable taphonomic conditions, variations in coprofabrics infer differences in diet and/or digestive efficiency of the host animal. Size and morphology of the coprolites imply that most, if not all, were produced by vertebrates and the largest specimens infer a host animal of considerable size. Two spiralled coprolite morphotypes yield bone fragments and scales of bony fish, suggesting that the producers were piscivorous sharks. Other coprolites contain inclusions interpreted as the remains of shelled invertebrates, thus indicating that they may have derived from durophagous predators and/or scavengers. The occurrence of small scrapes, tracks and traces on several specimens suggest manipulation of the faeces by other (presumably coprophagous) organisms after deposition. The collective data from the Åsen coprolites provide new insights into a shallow‐water Late Cretaceous marine ecosystem hitherto known solely from body fossils. □ Coprolites, vertebrates, coprofabrics, taphonomy, trophic levels, Upper Cretaceous, Sweden.     

蝗卵的研究Ⅳ.浸水对于蝗卵胚胎发育和死亡的影响

一、引言 东亚飞蝗常生长在湖滨、已干涸的河道、沿海边等长着禾本科杂草的低洼荒地;这些地方也就成为它们的产卵场所。蝗卵在产入土中之后须经一定时间方始孵化;夏蝗所产卵在自然情况下须经12天以上的孵育时间,秋蝗卵在越冬时在土中常长达7—8个月。蝗区每当雨季或湖、河的水位上涨时其有卵的地区常被淹没,使蝗卵在水中经过长短不一的     

粘虫营养的研究——食物中和环境中水分对于幼虫生长的影响

粘虫在幼虫的不同发育阶段中,身体的含水量常有明显的变动。这种变化显然可受食物含水量的影响。初孵化幼虫的含水量约在83%左右,到2龄盛食期增高到约为89%,以后变动于90%上下,到末龄成熟时剧烈下降,在化蛹前到达73%左右。在每一龄期中,刚蜕皮而尚未取食时含水量最低,盛食期最高,在蜕皮前又行下降。在试验室条件下以玉米叶饲养的粘虫全幼虫期取食叶片共约3克左右,合干重0.6克;对食物的利用率以鲜重计算为20%左右,以干重计算为24%左右。但不同龄期的食物利用率不同:幼龄的比老龄的高。与此类似的,是不同龄期幼虫对食物中水分的吸收率不同:在一、二龄幼虫中,所吸收的水分占食物鲜重74.9%,相当于食物所含水分的98.9%:而在最后两龄幼虫中,相应数值分别为10.7%和13.6%。故食物中水分对于幼虫的营养作用在幼龄时似乎更为重要。当以其它成分大致相等而含水量不同的玉米叶饲养幼虫时,含水量即使相差不远,也可明显地影响幼虫的生长;此效应在幼龄幼虫中更为显著。随食物所吃下水分的多寡略能影响幼虫对水分的吸收,但差异不显著;此因素虽可影响虫体的含水量,但并不影响幼虫对食物的利用率。食物含水量对幼虫生长的影响,主要是因取食量不同而产生的:幼虫对含水较多的叶片取食量较大,因此生长较快。幼虫在干燥的环境中逗留较久后能饮液态水和取食潮润物体,但环境中的水分似乎并不能透过表皮而进入虫体。幼虫对空气温度反应灵敏,当湿度过低时生长延缓。高龄幼虫在干燥环境中绝食时能调节体内的含水量,而低龄幼虫却不能。这可能与前者已积累起较多的脂肪,能产生代谢水;以及表皮能更有效地阻止体内水分蒸发等特点有关。     

蝗卵的研究 Ⅲ.东亚飞蝗卵的失水和耐干能力

一、引言 在上文中作者等曾报告东亚飞蝗卵在孵育期间的吸水现象和卵包膜在构造上所起的变化,初步指出在这一种类中水分对于胚胎发育的重要性,以及卵包膜中初生和次生的保护构造对于防止失水的作用。本文继续报告在本实验室中所进行的另一部分工作的结果,目的在于明确:第一,不同发育期的蝗卵和胚胎的耐干能力有何不同,被摄取的水分对于胚胎发育究竟有何重要性;第二,不同发育期蝗卵失水的难易有何区别,系由何种因素所决定。     

属特异性T-RFLP技术用于乳酸杆菌的群落分析

【目的】设计乳酸杆菌属特异性T-RFLP技术(末端限制性片段长度多态性分析)对14株乳酸杆菌进行分型。【方法】采用源于16S-23S rRNA基因间隔区序列的乳酸杆菌属特异性引物LAB-rev,乳酸杆菌的属特异性引物,6-FAM荧光标记后结合16S上游通用引物7f用于乳酸杆菌的PCR扩增。【结果】选取HaeⅢ和HhaⅠ进行限制性酶切,最后对酶切后的产物末端测序得到T-RFLP峰谱图,该图谱能够快速准确地对不同种的乳酸杆菌进行定性、定量的分析。【结论】实验成功搭建T-RFLP技术用于微生态环境中乳酸杆菌检测的平台,对于在功能性食品、乳酸饮料和药物对肠道微生态的影响及菌种鉴定等领域有重大意义。     

Characterization of polymorphic tetranucleotide microsatellite loci from the Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica)

Nine tetrarepeat microsatellite loci for Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica) were characterized. By using 35 individuals of unknown relationship collected from Taiwan, we evaluated the polymorphism of these loci. The number of alleles for each locus ranged from five to 12 (mean = 8.78 alleles) and the observed heterozygosity from 0.429 to 0.962 (mean = 0.688) and all loci conformed to Hardy–Weinberg expectation.