Relevance of lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis Selby, 1836) in experimental epidemiology of Newcastle disease

Studies were made to clarify the role that was played by the lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) in the epidemiological plan, under the perspective of its being a potential source of infection of Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV). The study used Specific-Pathogen-Free chicks (SPF) that were housed with lovebirds inoculated with a pathogenic strain (velogenic viscerotropic) of NDV pathogenic to chickens, by the ocular-nasal via. Each group was composed of six SPF chicks and four lovebirds. After five days of the inoculation of the lovebirds with NDV, SPF chicks were put together with each group of lovebirds. Cloacae swabs were collected after 9, 14 and 21 days post-challenge in both species (lovebirds and SPF chicks) for genome viral excretion by Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Lovebirds did not demonstrate any clinical signs of NDV. They were refractory to the clinical disease with the NDV. However, NDV genome was detected 9 and 21 days after challenge. This study shows that lovebirds can be carriers NDV. Moreover, 100% of SPF chicks allocated with the infected lovebirds demonstrated clinical signs and lesions suggestive of NDV. In these birds, NDV genome was detected 9, 14 and 21 days after challenge. Thus, the transmission of the pathogenic virus from the lovebirds to SPF chicks that were housed together was evident until 21 days of the experimental infection. This study reveals the importance of lovebirds from the epidemiological point of view as potential source of infection of the NDV to other avian species that could be raised near this species. © Asian Network for Scientific Information, 2012.

Leucometric analysis of 1-day-old chicks inoculated with Salmonella Typhimurium or Lactobacilli

Salmonella infection is responsible for major economic losses in poultry industry. Consequently, the development of new methods for fighting such disease is desirable, such as the use of acid-lactic bacteria. However, reference values of chicks in such conditions are dissimilar to those of other species. Leucometry reference values for chicks have not been reported. The aim of this article was to evaluate and determine the leucometric values of chicks inoculated with Salmonella Typhimurium or treated with Lactobacilli probiotics. In this study, 144 1-day-old birds were divided in three groups of 48 animals each (non-treated group, Salmonella Typhimurium (ST)-inoculated group, and Lactobacilli inoculated group). A total of four blood collections were made with the first one performed 3 h after inoculation with ST or treatment with Lactobacilli. Subsequent samples were obtained every 48 h for 7 days. Leucometric evaluation was performed immediately after each collection. All birds presented an initial decrease pattern in general leukocyte values, and the chicks inoculated with ST revealed lymphomonoheteropaenic leukopaenia, eosinophilia and basophilia in conjunction with convalescence after 96 h of inoculation. The animals inoculated with Lactobacilli revealed leucocytosis with monocytosis, lymphocytosis and marked eosinopaenia. We conclude that there is no efficient bone marrow response in 1-day-old chicks challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium; additionally, an immunostimulatory effect in 1-day-old chicks treated with Lactobacilli-modulated probiotics could be stated. © 2011 Springer-Verlag London Limited.

Comparison of different methods of measuring albumin concentration in ring-necked pheasants

The purpose of this study was to compare albumin concentrations in ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) using two different dye-binding methods: the bromocresol green (BCG) and bromocresol purple (BCP). High positive correlation was observed for albumin in BCG and BCP methods. Compared to BCP, the BCG-binding method yielded significantly higher (p < 0. 0001) albumin values for adult female ring-necked pheasants. © 2012 Springer-Verlag London Limited.

Association of IGF1 and KDM5A polymorphisms with performance, fatness and carcass traits in chickens

Two functional and positional candidate genes were selected in a region of chicken chromosome 1 (GGA1), based on their biological roles, and also where several quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been mapped and associated with performance, fatness and carcass traits in chickens. The insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) gene has been associated with several physiological functions related to growth. The lysine (K)-specific demethylase 5A (KDM5A) gene participates in the epigenetic regulation of genes involved with the cell cycle. Our objective was to find associations of selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these genes with performance, fatness and carcass traits in 165 F2 chickens from a resource population. In the IGF1 gene, 17 SNPs were detected, and in the KDM5A gene, nine SNPs were detected. IGF1 SNP c. 47673G > A was associated with body weight and haematocrit percentage, and also with feed intake and percentages of abdominal fat and gizzard genotype × sex interactions. KDM5A SNP c. 34208C > T genotype × sex interaction affected body weight, feed intake, percentages of abdominal fat (p = 0. 0001), carcass, gizzard and haematocrit. A strong association of the diplotype × sex interaction (p < 0. 0001) with abdominal fat was observed, and also associations with body weight, feed intake, percentages of carcass, drums and thighs, gizzard and haematocrit. Our findings suggest that the KDM5A gene might play an important role in the abdominal fat deposition in chickens. The IGF1 and KDM5A genes are strong candidates to explain the QTL mapped in this region of GGA1. © 2012 Institute of Plant Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan.

Functional extinction of birds drives rapid evolutionary changes in seed size

Local extinctions have cascading effects on ecosystem functions, yet little is known about the potential for the rapid evolutionary change of species in human-modified scenarios. We show that the functional extinction of large-gape seed dispersers in the Brazilian Atlantic forest is associated with the consistent reduction of the seed size of a keystone palm species. Among 22 palm populations, areas deprived of large avian frugivores for several decades present smaller seeds than nondefaunated forests, with negative consequences for palm regeneration. Coalescence and phenotypic selection models indicate that seed size reduction most likely occurred within the past 100 years, associated with human-driven fragmentation. The fast-paced defaunation of large vertebrates is most likely causing unprecedented changes in the evolutionary trajectories and community composition of tropical forests.

The discovery of Foxl2 paralogs in chondrichthyan, coelacanth and tetrapod genomes reveals an ancient duplication in vertebrates

The Foxl2 (forkhead box L2) gene is an important member of the forkhead domain family, primarily responsible for the development of ovaries during female sex differentiation. The evolutionary studies conducted previously considered the presence of paralog Foxl2 copies only in teleosts. However, to search for possible paralog copies in other groups of vertebrates and ensure that all predicted copies were homolog to the Foxl2 gene, a broad evolutionary analysis was performed, based on the forkhead domain family. A total of 2464 sequences for the forkhead domain were recovered, and subsequently, 64 representative sequences for Foxl2 were used in the evolutionary analysis of this gene. The most important contribution of this study was the discovery of a new subgroup of Foxl2 copies (ortholog to Foxl2B) present in the chondrichthyan Callorhinchus milii, in the coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae, in the avian Taeniopygia guttata and in the marsupial Monodelphis domestica. This new scenario indicates a gene duplication event in an ancestor of gnathostomes. Furthermore, based on the analysis of the syntenic regions of both Foxl2 copies, the duplication event was not exclusive to Foxl2. Moreover, the duplicated copy distribution was shown to be complex across vertebrates, especially in tetrapods, and the results strongly support a loss of this copy in eutherian species. Finally, the scenario observed in this study suggests an update for Foxl2 gene nomenclature, extending the actual suggested teleost naming of Foxl2A and Foxl2B to all vertebrate sequences and contributing to the establishment of a new evolutionary context for the Foxl2 gene. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved.

Presence of antibodies against H5, H7 and H9 influenza a virus in wild birds in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Although the natural reservoirs of the avian influenza (AI) virus have been extensively studied in many countries, there is a clear lack of information on this subject in South America, particularly in Brazil. The objective of this study was to conduct a serological survey for H5, H7 and H9 antibodies to AI-subtype viruses in wild birds in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Serum samples were tested using the hemagglutination-inhibition assay. Out of the 31 wild birds sampled between January and December of 2006, seven (22.58%), were seropositive for H5, H7 and H9; four (12.90%) were seropositive for H5 and H7; 13 (41.94%), were seropositive only for H7; three (9.7%), were seropositive only for H9; and four (12.90%) were negative for all three hemagglutinin subtypes. These results indicate that AI viruses belonging to H5, H7 and H9 subtypes circulate among wild birds in the state of São Paulo in the form of either concurrent or consecutive infections. This study contributes to the knowledge of AI epidemiology in Brazil, and stresses the need of further detailed and long-term epidemiological and ecological investigation to determine the current status of this virus.

Variação espacial nas interações entre o palmito Euterpe edulis e as aves frugívoras: implicações para a dispersão de sementes

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Componentes quantitativos e qualitativos da dispersão de sementes de Struthanthus flexicaulis (Loranthaceae) em uma área de campo rupestre do sudeste brasileiro

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Evolução e organização genômica do gene FOXL2 em vertebrados

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Avaliação da PCR em tempo real para detecção de Cryptosporidium parvum em amostras fecais de bezerros: Camila Guariz Homem. -

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Variação da ocorrência da rinotraqueíte infecciosa bovina pela associação com a diarréia viral bovina e a leucose enzoótica bovina

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Detecção e diferenciação do vírus da bronquite infecciosa pela técnica de imunocaptura-RT-PCR E RFLP

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Desenvolvimento da técnica de RT-PCR-ELISA para a detecção do vírus da bronquite infecciosa das aves (VBI)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Clonagem e expressão do gene da glicoproteína S1 do Vírus da Bronquite Infecciosa em Pichia pastoris

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)