A case of infanticide in the Spot-billed Duck in circumstances of high breeding density

The first observations of infanticide by a precocial avian species, Spot-billed Duck (Anas poecilorhyncha), were recorded on a small pond at Yatsu tidal flat, central Japan, from May to June 2000, where six families of conspecific and one Gadwall A. strepera family, respectively, occupied territories. A female Spot-billed Duck with 11 ducklings attacked ducklings of all the other families killing eight conspecifics and three of the Gadwall. High breeding density (15.0 families/ha) may have increased the aggression of the female. Electronic Publication     

稻鱼鸭复合生态经济效益的初步研究

试验表明．稻鱼鸭种养共生,水稻增产 １０％以上,同时增收鲜鱼 １０３６．５ ｋｇ· ｈｍ－２,成鸭２３８．９～４８９．３ ｋｇ·ｈｍ－２;水稻土壤全Ｎ、Ｐ、Ｋ和有机质含量分别增加２７．９、 ４４． ３、６． ５和 ２８． ２％,提高了土壤肥力;水稻植株虫口量最少．稻鱼鸭共生大大提高了稻田 的产出和效益．属良性循环的高效复合生态农业．     

Relationship Between Ethylene Release,Membrane Permeability and Activity of Polyphenol Oxidase Changes of Duck (Pears Pyrus bretschnideri Rehder) During Low Temperature Storage

Duck pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehder) tends to develop browning core after 55 to 60 days storage at low temperature (0℃). Following physiological changes of the duck pear during storage at different temperature were investigated: (1) As compared with 20℃, ethylene release is obviously decreased and its peak is retarded for 15 days at 0℃. Levels of internal ethylene are variant at different individuals harvested at same time. Concentrations of internal ethylene are in accord with ethylene release. The higher internal ethylene is, the easier the pear core becomes brown. (2) At 0℃, activity of polyphenol oxidase in the core increases with ethylene release enhancement. After ethylene peak passes, its activity is lower than before. (3) The electric conductivity of cores is higher at 0℃ than at 20℃. During post climacteric period, the electric conductivity increases irreversibly, then browning core occurs. From above results, it is concluded that interactions between two factors induce the browrang core of the duck pears at low temperature. One is chilling injury caused by low temperature, another is ethylene function. They stimulate the activity of polyphenol oxidase and enhance the membrane permeability.     

北京发现丑鸭

正2017年2月10日,我们在北京市区的元大都城垣遗址公园内安贞门段(39°58′30.24″N,116°24′8.25″E)的护城河中发现一只野鸭。经实地观察、拍照,目测该鸟体长约40 cm,体形短圆敦实,头圆而嘴短,上体暗褐色,眼上、眼下污白色,耳羽处具一明显的白色斑点,两翅及尾暗褐色,下体污白色;虹膜深褐色,嘴灰色,脚灰色。     

三肽囊素(bursin)的鸡、鸭免疫器官组织学定位特征分析(简报)

三肽囊素(bursin)是法氏囊组织提取物中一种非常重要的活性因子,由Audhya T.等在1986年首次报道。近十几年,有关三肽囊素的研究取得了较大的进展,涉及对三肽囊素的生物学活性、组织学定位、功能机制及其应用前景。本研究分别探索了三肽囊素在鸡、鸭免疫器官中的定位,并对其特征进行分析,以期更深入理解三肽囊素的存在及其生物学意义。鸡用近交系(CB系),由12、14及20日龄胚、新生雏、1—9周龄鸡,采集法氏囊、法氏囊T细胞区、胸腺、哈德氏腺、脾脏及骨髓。鸭用北京鸭,由新生     

Molecular Characterization of the Duck Enteritis Virus UL4 Gene

Duck enteritis virus (DEV) is a herpesvirus that causes an acute, contagious and fatal disease. In the present article, the DEV UL4 gene was cloned and sequenced from a vaccine virus. A degenerate oligonucleotide primer for the consensus site of herpesvirus UL3 gene and a specific primer located in UL5 were used in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify a DNA product 2 086 bp in size. DNA sequence analysis revealed that a 714 bp open reading frame (ORF) of DEV encoding a 237 amino acid polypeptide is homologous to the family of herpesvirus UL4 proteins and therefore has been characterized as a DEV UL4 gene. Alignment of the DEV UL4 protein sequence with those of other alphaherpesviruses showed that 10 amino acid residues are completely conserved. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the seventeen alphaherpesviruses viruses analyzed were classified into four large groups, and the duck enteritis virus branched separately, closely related to the Mardiviruses group comprising Gallid herpesvirus 2 (GaHV-2), Gallid herpesvirus 3 (GaHV-3) and Meleagrid herpesvirus 1 (MeHV-1). The present study showed that the evolutionary relationship of the UL4 protein could be used for classification of alphaherpesviruses.     

Epidemiological investigation and genome analysis of duck circovirus in Southern China

Duck circovirus (DuCV), a potential immunosuppressive virus, was investigated in Southern China from March 2006 to December 2009 by using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based method. In this study, a total of 138 sick or dead duck samples from 18 different farms were examined with an average DuCV infection rate of ∼35%. It was found that ducks between the ages of 40∼60 days were more susceptible to DuCV. There was no evidence showing that the DuCV virus was capable of vertical transmission. Farms with positive PCR results exhibited no regularly apparent clinical abnormalities such as feathering disorders, growth retardation or lower-than-average weight. The complete genomes of 9 strains from Fujian Province and 1 from Zhejiang Province were sequenced and analyzed. The 10 DuCV genomes, compared with others genomes downloaded from GenBank, ranged in size from 1988 to 1996 base pairs, with sequence identities ranging from 83.2% to 99.8%. Phylogenetic analysis based on genome sequences demonstrated that DuCVs can be divided into two distinct genetic genotypes, Group I (the Euro-USA lineage) and Group II (the Taiwan lineage), with approximately 10.0% genetic difference between the two types. Molecular epidemiological data suggest there is no obvious difference among DuCV strains isolated from different geographic locations or different species, including Duck, Muscovy duck, Mule duck, Cheery duck, Mulard duck and Pekin duck.     

Development of a polyclonal antibody-based AC-ELISA and its comparison with PCR for diagnosis of canine parvovirus infection

A polyclonal antibody-based antigen-capture ELISA (AC-ELISA) has been developed for detection of Canine parvovirus (CPV) antigens in faecal samples of dogs. The assay uses rabbit anti-CPV polyclonal antibody as the capture antibody, guinea pig anti-CPV polyclonal antibody as tracing antibody and anti-guinea pig HRPO conjugate as the detection system. The optimum dilution of the capture antibody and the tracing antibody capable of detecting the CPV-2 antigens was found to be 1:1 600 and 1:400, respectively, in the check-board titration. In this study, a total of 152 samples (129 faecal samples and 23 cell culture supernatant) were tested both by AC-ELISA and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Of the samples tested, 69 and 78 samples were found positive by AC-ELISA and PCR, respectively. The AC-ELISA had relative sensitivity, relative specificity and accuracy of 88.4%, 100.0% and 91.4% respectively. The analytical sensitivity of AC-ELISA was estimated to be 10^2.8 TCID₅₀/mL whereas PCR sensitivity was 10^0.8 TCID₅₀/mL. The AC-ELISA is a simple, quick and reliable method for screening large numbers of faecal samples of dogs suspected of CPV infection.     

Influence of in ovo thermal manipulation on lipid metabolism in embryonic duck liver

The growth and development of poultry embryos are easily affected by environmental factors, such as the incubation temperature and humidity. Metabolism, including lipid metabolism, during the embryonic stage is also important for the growth and development of poultry. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of incubation temperature on embryonic lipid metabolism in the liver of ducks. To fully evaluate the effects, thermal treatment was given between embryonic ages 11 and 24 days with a 1 °C higher incubation temperature than the control group, and lipid metabolism parameters in the liver and blood serum were analyzed both at embryonic stage day 20 and 2 weeks post-hatching. Our results showed no significant changes in the embryonic stage in total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the blood serum (P>0.05). Additionally, the mRNA expression levels and enzyme activities of fatty acid synthase (FAS), acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC), and elongase of very long chain fatty acids (ELOVL) did not show significant changes either in the embryonic stage or at hatching day 20 (P>0.05). However, there were significant changes in the gene expression and enzyme activities of TC, LDL-C and FAS at post-hatching stages (P≤0.05). These results may indicate that the thermal treatment has less influence on lipid metabolism in the embryonic stage but has a much stronger effect in the post-hatching stage.     

猪圆环病毒2型－细小病毒－伪狂犬重组病毒免疫小鼠试验研究

为了研究表达猪2型圆环病毒ORF2基因和猪细小病毒VP2基因的重组伪狂犬病毒疫苗株SA215(D)的疫苗价值,对该病毒株安全性、免疫原性、保护力及对PRV Fa株定值进行了研究。研究结果表明重组病毒SA215（D）毒力显著低于PRV Fa强毒株,可以抵御伪狂犬病强毒Fa株的攻击,并能抵御其在小鼠体内的定植;抗体检测显示SA215（D）免疫小鼠后第2周抗PRV、PCV2和PPV的抗体水平均很低,加强免疫后第4周抗体水平大幅上升,且显著高于阴性对照组,而与阳性对照组无明显差异,表明SA215（D）可诱导小鼠产生体液免疫反应。淋巴细胞增殖试验显示SA215（D）可诱导小鼠产生较强的淋巴细胞增殖反应,与亲本株SA215组相比,差异显著(0.01