A synopsis of the genus Bursaphelenchus Fuchs, 1937 (Aphelenchida: Parasitaphelenchidae) with keys to species

The 75 valid species of the genus Bursaphelenchus are listed together with their synonyms. Diagnostic characters and their states are discussed and illustrated. Tabular and traditional text keys are provided for the genus. Two new subspecies are proposed to distinguish populations of B. piniperdae and B. poligraphi, as described by Rühm (1956), from the original descriptions of these species published by Fuchs (1937). Known records of Bursaphelenchus species with their associated natural vectors, plants and plant families are given. Dendrograms of species relationships (UPGMA, standard distance: mean character difference) based on combined taxonomic characters and also on spicule characters only, are provided. Discussion as to whether the species groups are natural or artificial (and therefore purely diagnostic) is based on their relationships in the dendrogram and the vector and associated plant ranges of the species. Of the six species groups distinguished, two appear to represent natural assemblages, these being the xylophilus-group (with ten species) and the hunti-group (seven species), of which two, B. cocophilus and B. dongguanensis, form the cocophilus-cluster which is separated on the dendrogram from the main clusters. The remaining four species groups appear to be artificial and purely diagnostic in function, namely the aberrans-group (four species); the eidmanni-group (six species); the borealis-group (five species), and the piniperdae-group (43 species). Two new subspecies, both in the piniperdae-group, viz. B. piniperdae ruehmpiniperdae n. subsp. and B. poligraphi ruehmpoligraphi n. subsp., are proposed and diagnosed from B. piniperdae piniperdae and B. poligraphi poligraphi the respective type subspecies. Bursaphelenchus dongguanensis is regarded as being a valid member of the genus and its transfer to Parasitaphelenchus is rejected.

Pesquisa de Campylobacter fetus em amostras prepuciais de touros da região do Alentejo

A bactéria Campylobacter fetus divide-se em duas subespécies C. fetus fetus (Cff) e C. fetus venerealis (Cfv). Cfv é o agente patogénico responsável pela campilobacteriose genital bovina (CGB), uma doença que provoca infertilidade em vacas. Cff pode provocar abortos esporádicos, mas não provoca CGB. Neste trabalho procedeu-se à pesquisa de C. fetus por imunofluorescência direta (IFD) em 117 amostras prepuciais, recolhidas por raspagem, de touros pertencentes a 25 explorações na região do Alentejo. A prevalência real de CGB na amostra, considerando a sensibilidade e especificidade do teste, foi de 52,89% de animais e 80% de explorações. Foi também realizada uma comparação entre dois testes de diagnóstico de CGB, a IFD e o isolamento bacteriológico. O isolamento bacteriológico foi difícil de executar e a presença de bactérias contaminantes foi bastante problemática, levando a resultados falso-negativos. A sua correlação com a IFD foi muito baixa, tendo esta revelado ser muito mais sensível; #### Abstract Search for Campylobacter fetus in preputial samples of bulls from Alentejo region The bacteria Campylobacter fetus comprises two subspecies, C. fetus fetus (Cff) and C. fetus venerealis (Cfv). Cfv is the pathogen responsible for bovine genital campylobacteriosis (BGC), a disease that causes infertility in cows. Cff may lead to sporadic miscarriages, but does not cause BGC. In this work we searched for C. fetus by direct immunofluorescence (DIF) in 117 preputial samples, collected by scraping, from bulls from Alentejo region. The actual prevalence of BGC, considering the sensitivity and specificity of the test was 52.89% of animals and 80 % of farms. It was also performed a comparison between two BGC diagnostic tests, bacterial isolation and DIF. The bacterial isolation was difficult to perform and the presence of bacterial contaminants was very problematic, leading to false-negative results. The presence of bacterial contaminants in bacterial isolation was problematic, leading to false-negative results. Its correlation with DIF was quite low, and DIF proved to be much more sensitive.

Lack of geographic variation in Y-chromosomal introns of red deer (Cervus elaphus)

Intra-specific Y-chromosomal sequence variation is useful for analysing the male contribution to a species’ spatial genetic structure. In red deer (Cervus elaphus) this is especially relevant, because geographic dispersal and game translocations occur mainly through the males. However, Y-chromosomal markers for wild organisms are scarce and frequently non-polymorphic within species. We assessed the intra-specific variation of two Y-chromosomal introns in red deer, one in the DBY (or DDX3Y) gene and the other in the UBE1Y gene. The introns were amplified using previously published exonic primers and directly sequenced in individuals of five red deer subspecies from across Eurasia. However, no nucleotide polymorphism was observed, which rebuts the usefulness of these introns for studies of red deer phylogeography and on illegal transport of red deer within this region. Male-based phylogeographic studies should thus be focused on other Y-chromosomal markers for this species.

The influence of nitrogen fertilization on growth, yield, nitrate and oxalic acid concentration in purslane ( Portulaca oleracea )

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is widely used for culinary purposes throughout Mediterranean region, and the interest in this plant increased due to it being a source of bio-protective compounds, such as fatty acids and antioxidants. However, the use of purslane could be limited by accumulation of high levels of compounds harmful to human health, such as nitrate and oxalic acid. The main objective of present study was to evaluate the influence of nitrogen fertilization on growth and yield parameters and on nitrate and oxalic acid concentrations in leaves and stems. Plants of golden-leafed purslane of sativa subspecies were grown in styro-foam boxes with substrate and fertilized two times per week during four weeks with ammonium-nitrate solution (16.9% NO3--N and 17.6% NH4+-N), for testing of four nitrogen levels (0, 30, 60 and 90 kg N ha-1). Plant growth, yield, nitrate and oxalic acid concentrations were significantly affected by nitrogen application. The best quantity/quality ratio was achieved at fertilization level of 60 kg N ha-1, which gave a yield of 5.1 kg m-2 FW, while nitrate concentration was 48.98 and 43.90 mg g-1 DW in leaf and stem, respectively, and oxalic acid concentration was 1.27 and 0.55 mg g-1 DW, in leaf and stem, respectively: values which are not harmful for consumer health.

Identification of a bitter-taste receptor gene repertoire in different Lagomorphs species

The repertoires of bitter-taste receptor (T2R) gene have been described for several animal species, but these data are still scarce for Lagomorphs. The aim of the present work is to identify potential repertoires of T2R in several Lagomorph species, covering a wide geographical distribution. We studied these genes in Lepus timidus, L. europaeus, Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus, Romerolagus diazi, and Sylvilagus floridanus, using O. cuniculus cuniculus as control species for PCR and DNA sequencing. We studied the identities of the DNA sequences and built the corresponding phylogenetic tree. Sequencing was successful for both subspecies of O. cuniculus for all T2R genes studied, for five genes in Lepus, and for three genes in R. diazi and S. floridanus. We describe for the first time the partial repertoires of T2R genes for Lagomorphs species, other than the common rabbit. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that sequence proximity levels follow the established taxonomic classification.