Pip Beard

Paratuberculosis Infection of Nonruminant Wildlife in Scotland

ABSTRACT Recent reports of natural paratuberculosis (or Johnes disease) in rabbits, foxes, and stoats has focused debate on the presence and importance of wildlife reservoirs in the epidemiology of this disease. This paper describes an extensive study investigating 18 nonruminant wildlife species for evidence of paratuberculosis. Using both culture and histopathological analysis, fox, stoat, weasel, crow, rook, jackdaw, rat, wood mouse, hare, and badger were found to harborMycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, the causative organism of paratuberculosis, suggesting that the epidemiology of this disease is more complex than previously realized.

Experimental Paratuberculosis in Calves following Inoculation with a Rabbit Isolate of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis

ABSTRACT The role of wildlife species in the epidemiology of paratuberculosis has been the subject of increased research efforts following the discovery of natural paratuberculosis in free-living rabbits from farms in east Scotland. This paper describes the experimental inoculation of young calves with an isolate ofMycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosisrecovered from a free-living rabbit. After a 6-month incubation period, all eight calves inoculated with the rabbit isolate had developed histopathological and/or microbiological evidence of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection. Similar results were obtained from a group of calves infected with a bovine isolate of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. The virulence of the rabbit isolate for calves demonstrated in this study suggests that rabbits are capable of passing paratuberculosis to domestic ruminants and that wildlife reservoirs of M. aviumsubsp. paratuberculosis should therefore be considered when formulating control plans for the disease.

Modulation of γδ T cells and CD1 in Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection.

Abstract M.a. paratuberculosis is the causal agent of paratuberculosis (Johne’s disease). Recent work has suggested that γδ T cells may play an important role in the early immunological response to mycobacterial diseases, and that CD1 may act as a non-classical MHC molecule in antigen presentation to these γδ T cells. Experimental infection of neonatal lambs with M.a. paratuberculosis was used to investigate the changes in γδ T cells and CD1 molecules in the gut associated lymphoid tissue 4 weeks after inoculation. Immunohistochemistry was used to label the γδ lymphocytes and CD1 molecules. An increase in the number of γδ T cells was noted in both the jejunal and ileal Peyer’s patches in the gut of infected lambs, but no statistically significant change was found in the mesenteric lymph nodes. There were no obvious changes in the CD1 molecules in any tissue. This work suggests that γδ T cells may play a role in the initial immunological events of paratuberculosis infection.

Supplementary biotin decreases tibial bone weight, density and strength in riboflavin-deficient starter diets for turkey poults

Abstract 1. Growth and skeletal responses to different dietary concentrations of riboflavin and biotin were compared in turkey poults from hatch to 21 d of age. The birds were fed on a turkey starter diet with different concentrations of supplementary riboflavin (0, 20 and 40 mg/kg) and biotin (0, 0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg) in a factorial design. 2. Poults fed on diets with no supplementary riboflavin had poor gait scores, decreased times to sit and higher rates of culling compared to poults fed on the control diet (20 mg biotin and 0.3 mg riboflavin/kg diet). Histologically, riboflavin deficiency was associated with a peripheral neuropathy similar to that described previously in chicks and, unexpectedly, in growth plate abnormalities. 3. Tibiae of poults fed on the control diet were larger, more dense, stronger and stiffer than the diets with no supplementary riboflavin. 4. Increasing supplementary biotin in poults fed on diets with no supplementary riboflavin was associated with a decrease in tibia weight, density, strength and stiffness. 5. The results demonstrated that riboflavin deficiency in fast-growing turkey poults was associated with growth retardation, growth plate disturbance and peripheral nerve dysfunction leading to an inability to walk.

Canine distemper imported into the UK

CANINE distemper is a contagious disease that infects a wide range of carnivores (Deem and others 2000), but it is now rare in dogs in the UK due to widespread uptake of vaccines. Considerable concern has been expressed about the disease risks of importing dogs into the UK. Two cases of canine distemper in puppies after rehoming were reported recently by Adamantos and Warman (2014) in the south west of the UK, but the source of infection was not determined. Here, we report canine distemper in a puppy from a litter born to a crossbred, gravid bitch imported into the UK …

The nuclear dioxygenase Jmjd6 regulates macrophage host responses

Trabajo presentado en el 40th FEBS Congress, The Biochemical Basis of Life; celebrado en Berlin (Alemania) del 4 al 9 de julio de 2015.

Interaction of biotin and riboflavin in starter diets for turkey poults

Approaches to culling poultry humanely on farm V. SANDILANDS, D. SANDERCOCK, J. SPARREY, D. McKEEGAN, J. HOPKINS, M. RAJ AND N. SPARKS Avian Science Research Centre, SAC Auchincruive, Ayr KA6 5HW, Livetec Systems Ltd, Flitton, Bedford, MK45 5DT, Institute for Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, G61 1QH, and School Division of Farm Animal Science, School of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford, BS40 5DU (E-mail: vicky.sandilands@sac.ec.uk)