STOMACH CONTENTS OF LONG-FINNED PILOT WHALES (GLOBICEPHALA MELAS) STRANDED ON THE U.S. MID-ATLANTIC COAST

Ten prey taxa were recorded from the stomach contents of eight long-finned pilot whales ( Globicepbala melas ) independently stranded along the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast. Relative importance of prey species was determined by methods that incorporate prey frequencies of occurrence, proportions of numerical abundance, and proportions of reconstructed mass. Separate analyses of trace (free, durable body parts representing well-digested prey items) and non-trace (relatively intact prey specimens) food material were conducted in order to address biases caused by differential rates of digestion and passage through the gastrointestinal tract. Different measures of prey importance yielded varying results, but the long-finned squid ( Loligo pealei ) was the most important prey species regardless of how prey importance was defined. Fishes were relatively unimportant in the diet. Our results indicate that the diets of western North Atlantic long-finned pilot whales differ substantially from what has been previously reported in the literature and that results from food-habits studies that utilize different techniques may not be comparable.     

Evaluation of the behavioural response of the flies Megaselia halterata and Lycoriella castanescens to different mushroom cultivation materials

A static‐air olfactometer was used to investigate the behavioural responses of adult female phorid [Megaselia halterata (Wood) (Diptera: Phoridae)] and sciarid [Lycoriella castanescens (Lengersdorf) (Diptera: Sciaridae)] flies to the commercial white mushroom, Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach, grown on a standard pasteurised composted substrate. The attraction of the flies was measured in relation to four test materials: composted substrate spawned with A. bisporus mycelium for 4 days and 14 days, uncolonised composted substrate, and A. bisporus sporophores. The experiment was done according to a 4 × 4 × 4 Latin cube design, and the results were analysed using a generalised linear model. It was found that both the occasion on which a bioassay was run and the position of the olfactometer within a 4 × 4 array could affect the proportion of the fly population responding to a test material. Megalesia halterata preferred spawned compost to unspawned compost, and the level of response to compost spawned for 14 days was greater than to compost spawned for 4 days. In contrast, L. castanescens were attracted equally to all of the materials tested. Overall, L. castanescens showed a greater level of activity than M. halterata, and was more likely to enter the pitfall traps in the olfactometer. For both M. halterata and L. castanescens, the type of test material affected the numbers of adult flies of the F₁ generation that emerged from it following oviposition. The highest numbers of emerging M. halterata were obtained from a composted substrate spawned for 4 days, and none emerged from the unspawned compost. Emergence of L. castanescens was highest from the uncolonised composted substrate, and there was a negative relationship between emergence and the amount of mycelium in the composted substrate. The results are consistent with the use of volatiles in the detection of oviposition sites by both species; however, further studies of the materials will be necessary to determine precisely which oviposition cues the insects use.     

Differentiation of Staphylococcus aureus from freshly slaughtered poultry and strains 'endemic'to processing plants by biochemical and physiological tests

A comparison was made of 27 'endemic' strains of Staphylococcus aureus and 35 strains from freshly slaughtered birds, isolated at five commercial slaughterhouses processing chickens or turkeys. Of 112 biochemical and physiological tests used, 74 gave results which differed among the strains. Cluster analysis revealed several distinct groupings which were influenced by strain type, processing plant and bird origin; these included a single group at the 72% level of similarity containing most of the 'endemic' strains. In comparison with strains from freshly slaughtered birds, a higher proportion of 'endemic' strains produced fibrinolysin, aP-glucosidase and urease and were β-haemolytic on sheep-blood agar. The 'endemic' type also showed a greater tendency to coagulate human but not bovine plasma, and to produce mucoid growth and clumping. The last two properties, relevant to colonization of processing equipment, were less evident in heart infusion broth than in richer media or process water collected during defeathering of the birds.     

The metabolism of pyrimidines by proteolytic clostridia

Uracil was used by growing cultures of Clostridium sporogenes, and by proteolytic strains of C. botulinum types A and B. Uracil was not used by C. bifermentans; C. botulinum, type B (non-proteolytic); C. botulinum, type F (non-proteolytic); C. botulinum, type E; C. butyricum; C. cochlearium; C. difficile; C. histolyticum; C. oedematiens, type A; C. paraputrificum; C. scatologenes; C. septicum; C. sordellii; C. sticklandii; C. tertium; C. tetani; C. tetanomorphum; C. welchii, types A, B, C, E and 4 untyped strains. The growth of C. sporogenes was not increased by uracil; it was reduced to dihydrouracil. Experiments with washed cells of C. sporogenes showed that the uracil-reducing system was inducible. Washed cell suspensions incubated under hydrogen with uracil, thymine, iso-barbituric acid, 5-amino uracil and cytosine consumed 1 mole H₂/mole pyrimidine. The reduction product of cytosine was dihydrouracil indicating that it was deaminated before reduction. The reduction products of the remaining pyrimidines were the corresponding dihydro derivatives. Extracts of C. sporogenes reduced uracil in the presence of NADPH₂ but not NADH₂.     

Biosynthesis of long chain fatty acids by oligodendroglia isolated from bovine white matter.

Abstract— Radioactively labelled fatty acids were incubated with interfascicular oligodendroglial preparations isolated from 9 month fetal and adult bovine CNS white matter to study their metabolism by these cells. Of the various acids studied, the uptake was greatest for palmitic acid and decreased with decreasing chain length. Laurie acid was converted to the greatest extent to other fatty acids. The incorporation of oleic and linoleic acids in the oligodendroglia from both the fetal and adult brains was higher than that of linolenic acid. Fatty acids underwent chain elongation, desaturation and oxidation. Oleic acid was elongated to nervonic acid. Fatty acids were incorporated into both cerebrosides and phospholipids, with preferential incorporation into ethanolamine phosphoglyceride.     

Growth and Sporulation of Clostridium welchii in Breast and Leg Muscle of Poultry

Growth of a heat resistant, food poisoning strain of Clostridium welchii was followed in raw, minced breast and leg muscle of the chicken. Within the range 22–50° growth was slightly more rapid in the leg (pH 6·5–6·7) than in the breast (pH 5·6–5·7) and was fastest in leg muscle at 50°. No growth occurred at 15 or 52°.
In a comparison between chicken and turkey, inoculated breast and leg muscle were cooked for 1 h at 85° and held at 37°. Multiplication of surviving organisms was initiated much more rapidly in chicken than in turkey meat, though the growth rates were comparable in each case.
Sporulation of several strains of CI. welchii , including other heat resistant, food poisoning types, was generally 10–100 times greater in leg than in breast muscle of the chicken. Differences in sporulation could be attributed both to differences in pH and type of meat.     

Effects of gaseous environment and temperature on the storage behaviour of Listeria monocytogenes on chicken breast meat

Portions of skinless chicken breast meat (pH 5.8) were inoculated with a strain of Listeria monocytogenes and stored at 1, 6 or 15 degrees C in (1) aerobic conditions; (2) 30% CO2 + air; (3) 30% CO2 + N2; and (4) 100% CO2. When samples were held at 1 degree C the organism failed to grow under any of the test conditions, despite marked differences between treatments in spoilage rate and ultimate microflora. At 6 degrees C counts of L. monocytogenes increased ca 10-fold in aerobic conditions before spoilage of the meat, but only when the inoculum culture was incubated at 1 degree C rather than 37 degrees C. In CO2 atmospheres growth of L. monocytogenes was inhibited on meat held at 6 degrees C, especially under 100% CO2. By contrast, storage at 15 degrees C led to spoilage of the meat within 2 d, in all gaseous environments, and listeria levels increased up to 100-fold. Differences in the behaviour of L. monocytogenes on poultry and red meats are discussed.