Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1) (1999)

CONTENTS AND ABSTRACTS

 

Animal breeding

Management of indigenous North American deer at the end of the 20^th century in relation to large predators and primary production. M. Crete and C. Daigle
1-16.

Zootechnical and genetic aspects of a Prolific Merino program. K. Magyar, L. Veress, Zs. Tasi, T. Pécsi, S. Babik and Irén Horváth
17-31.

Comparison of three methods for adjusting scrotal circumference in Charolais, Limousin and Hungarian Fleckvieh young bulls under farm conditions. J. Tőzsér and M. Mézes
33-40.

Nutrition

The effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae¹⁰²⁶ used alone or with vitamin-mineral premix on milk yield and milk composition in dairy cows. Stefania Iwańska, Danuta Strusińska, W. Zalewski and Anna Opałka
41-52.

The effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae¹⁰²⁶ used alone or with vitamin-mineral premix on biochemical parameters of blood and milk in dairy cows. Stefania Iwańska, Danuta Strusińska and W. Zalewski
53-63.

Effect of feeding olive by-products on certain blood parameters and serum enzyme activities of fattening rabbits. V. Rupić, V. Božikov, R. Božac, S. Mužic, N. Vranešić and M. Đikić
65-75.

Parasitology

Human Dirofilaria repens infection in Hungary: a case in the spermatic cord and a review of the literature. S. Pampiglione, G. Elek, P. Pálfi, F. Vetési and I. Varga
77-83.

Lethal encephalitozoonosis in cyclophosphamide-treated rabbits. M. Horváth, L'. Leng, M. Štefković, Viera Révajová and Monika Halanová
85-93.

Physiology

Storage of retinoids and beta-carotene in the genital organs of Japanese quail. Annamária Kerti and L. Bárdos
95-101.

Reproduction

Intravaginal prostaglandin F_2a for the treatment of metritis and pyometra in the bitch. G. Gábor, L. Siver and O. Szenci
103-108.

Effect of neonatal oestrogen and hCG treatment on the genital organs of adult female rats. Zora Nikolić, Zdenka Blagojević, Verica Mrvić and I. Ivanov
109-115.

Toxicology

Degradation of some pesticides in avian embryos. L. Várnagy
117-122.

Embryonic toxicity of insecticide Sumithion 50 EC and herbicide Fusilade S in pheasants after individual or combined administration. T. Varga, I. Hlubik, L. Várnagy, P. Budai and E. Molnár
123-128.

Reproductive disturbance caused by an s-triazine herbicide in pigs. Tihomira Gojmerac, Marija Uremović, Z. Uremović, S. Ćurić and Nina Bilandžić
129-135.

Virology

Indirect ELISAs based on recombinant and affinity-purified glycoprotein E of Aujeszky’s disease virus to differentiate between vaccinated and infected animals. O. S. Morenkov, Nadja Fodor and I. Fodor
137-150.

Book reviews
151-154.

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 1–16 (1999)

MANAGEMENT OF INDIGENOUS NORTH AMERICAN DEER AT THE END OF THE 20^TH CENTURY IN RELATION TO LARGE PREDATORS AND PRIMARY PRODUCTION*

M. Crete^1,2,3 and C. Daigle¹

¹Ministe re de l’Environnement et de la Faune, Service de la faune terrestre, 675, boul. René-Lévesque Est Québec, Qc G1R 5V7 Canada; ²Université Laval, Département de
biologie, Sainte-Foy, Canada; ³Université du Québec a Rimouski, Rimouski, Canada

(Received June 30, 1998; accepted September 10, 1998)

Five deer species occupy North America: caribou (3.6 × 10⁶ individuals), moose (1.1 × 10⁶), white-tailed deer (28.5 × 10⁶), mule deer (5.0 × 10⁶) and wapiti (1.1 × 10⁶). Caribou characterise the north of the boreal forest and the tundra, whereas moose dominate in coniferous and mixed forests growing further south. White-tailed deer are typical of the deciduous forests of the east while mule deer replace them in the mountainous terrain of the west. Wapiti possess the smallest range, mostly adjacent to the prairies to the west. The two large obligate carnivores preying on deer show a reduced distribution: wolves are almost restricted to Canada, and cougar to the mule deer range. We determined the current status of each species with the help of a questionnaire mailed to all jurisdictions harbouring deer. Most reports of threatened populations concerned caribou whereas many jurisdictions declared overabundance of white-tailed deer and wapiti. Hunting was allowed for all species when they abounded in a jurisdiction. Hunters harvested annually 7.0 × 10⁶ deer on the continent, 87% being white-tailed deer. The two species that caused most conflicts with humans had the highest harvest rate: 16–17%. In terms of biomass, white-tailed deer and wapiti yielded the highest harvests, with 55 and 39 kg × km^–2 of range, respectively. The average standing biomass of deer in winter ranged between 28 kg × km^–2 in Nevada to 901 kg × km^–2 in Indiana. The lowest standing biomasses occurred in the boreal forest (predators), in the prairies (agriculture) and in the south-west (aridity), and the highest ones in the south-east, where only white-tailed deer is present. The current abundance of deer in North America parallels, in general, the primary production of the landscape (r² = 0.38; P < 0.0001), but predators and human activity modify this pattern.

Key words: Caribou, elk, management, moose, mule deer, North America, white-tailed deer

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 17–31 (1999)

ZOOTECHNICAL AND GENETIC ASPECTS
OF A PROLIFIC MERINO PROGRAM

K. Magyar¹, L. Veress², Zs. Tasi², T. Pécsi², S. Babik² and Irén Horváth²

¹Department of Animal Physiology and Health and ²Department of Animal Breeding, University of Agriculture, H–4032 Debrecen, P.O. Box 36, Hungary

(Received October 23, 1997; accepted March 10, 1998)

In a Prolific Merino nucleus herd of 200 ewes the ovulation rate (OR) test results obtained in 169 animals between 1988 and 1993 were compared with those of 113 ewes from the same herd in 1996. Whereas earlier the ratio of individuals showing an OR 3 4 was only 32%, that of the group checked in 1996 was 59%. This increase could be attributed to 40 ewes, both of whose parents had proven to be homozygous carriers of the prolific gene. To develop the Prolific Merino breed, 21 Booroola Merino rams were imported from New Zealand, and mostly their frozen semen was used. Of these rams, one was not a prolific gene carrier, 8 were homozygous carriers, 10 were heterozygous carriers and two had not been identified yet. Of the 36 home-bred rams, 9 proved to be homozygous by parents, 11 heterozygous, 8 homozygous, one proved to be a non-carrier, and 7 rams and their frozen semen were to be progeny tested. Six thousand doses of frozen semen from a total of 33 animals (16 imported rams and their 17 home-bred offspring) are stored in plastic straws. Sixty-three % of this is semen reserve from rams of the Fec^BFec^B genotype, belonging to 10 ram lines. The remaining 37% is gene reserve intended for creating homozygous ram lines. Only one ram (no. 3244) was bought for the nucleus herd, the other ram lines were introduced into the herd by assortative mating, using intrauterine insemination. The average conception rate found after 472 intrauterine inseminations was 53% with large (occasionally 10–100%) individual ram differences.

Key words: Prolific Merino, Fec^B gene, intrauterine insemination, assortative mating, ovulation rate

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 33–40 (1999)

COMPARISON OF THREE METHODS FOR ADJUSTING SCROTAL CIRCUMFERENCE
IN CHAROLAIS, LIMOUSIN AND HUNGARIAN FLECKVIEH YOUNG BULLS UNDER FARM CONDITIONS

J. Tőzsér¹ and M. Mézes²

¹Institute of Animal Husbandry and ²Department of Nutrition, Gödöllő University
of Agricultural Sciences, H–2103 Gödöllő, Páter K. u. 1, Hungary

(Received January 30, 1998; accepted April 3, 1998)

This study was conducted to compare three different methods for calculating scrotal circumference (ASC₁, ASC₂, ASC₃) adjusted to 365 days of age in Charolais, Limousin and Hungarian Fleckvieh young bulls at the end of the self-performance test. Young breeding bulls from three Charolais, Limousin and Hungarian Fleckvieh breeding farms (farm A: n = 40; farm B: n = 9; farm C: n = 11) were used. The young bulls were kept in loose housing system, in small groups, and fed a diet based on maize silage and concentrate. The scrotal circumference of young bulls was measured at the widest part of the scrotum at the beginning and at the end of the test. Significant growth was observed (+13.6 cm; +8.9 cm; +10.5 cm, P < 0.001) in scrotal circumference (SC) for all breeds except the Hungarian Fleckvieh (ASC₂–ASC₃: 37.5 vs. 37.6 cm). All differences among the means of the measured and adjusted SCs were statistically confirmed at the P < 0.05 level of significance. A moderate to close positive correlation (r = 0.49–0.99) was calculated among the measured SC and the three types of ASC. The results suggest that method I (ASC₁) and method II (ASC₂) should be used by the breeders for adjusting scrotal circumferences in the practice.

Key words: Bull, scrotal circumference, selection

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 41–52 (1999)

THE EFFECT OF SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE¹⁰²⁶ USED ALONE
OR WITH VITAMIN-MINERAL PREMIX
ON MILK YIELD AND MILK COMPOSITION IN DAIRY COWS

Stefania Iwańska¹, Danuta Strusińska¹, W. Zalewski² and Anna Opałka¹

¹Institute of Animal Nutrition and Feed Sciences, Academy of Agriculture
and Technology, 10-718 Olsztyn-Kortowo, Oczapowskiego 2, Poland; ²Alltech/Polmarche, Warsaw, Poland

(Received June 23, 1997; accepted March 14, 1998)

The effect of a yeast culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae¹⁰²⁶) added to the diet with or without supplementation with vitamin premix and mineral bioplexes on milk production responses of 30 early-lactation Black and White Lowland cows was determined in a 17-week experiment. The daily ration (DM) consisted of 55% forages and 45% concentrates. Milk yield and milk composition were only slightly influenced by the yeast culture given without premix, but combined supplementation with yeast culture and premix exerted a significant effect on milk production and composition. Cows supplied with the yeast culture produced 38 kg more milk than the controls by day 120 of lactation, whereas from cows fed yeast culture and premix an additional 150 kg of milk was obtained. In cows treated with the yeast culture alone, the total yield of milk protein, casein and lactose rose by 4.4 kg, 3.0 kg and 6.0 kg, respectively, and that increase was not significant. At the same time, the total yield of milk components increased significantly in cows fed a combination of yeast culture, vitamin premix and mineral bioplexes. The total yield of milk protein, casein and milk fat increased by 9.2 kg, 6.0 kg and 8.2 kg, respectively. The results suggest that mineral bioplexes stimulate the action of yeast culture in the rumen and the availability of nutrients in the mammary gland.

Key words: Dairy cow, yeast, milk yield, milk components, mineral bioplexes

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 53–63 (1999)

THE EFFECT OF SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE¹⁰²⁶
USED ALONE OR WITH VITAMIN-MINERAL PREMIX
ON BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF BLOOD AND MILK
IN DAIRY COWS

Stefania Iwańska¹, Danuta Strusińska¹ and W. Zalewski²

¹Institute of Animal Nutrition and Feed Sciences, Academy of Agriculture
and Technology, 10–718 Olsztyn–Kortowo, Oczapowskiego 2, Poland;
²Alltech/Polmarche, Warsaw, Poland

(Received June 23, 1997; accepted March 14, 1998)

When evaluating the effects of yeast culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae¹⁰²⁶) supplied with or without a vitamin premix and mineral bioplexes on some intermediates and end-products involved in the synthesis of milk constituents in 30 early-lactation Black and White Lowland cows, no significant differences were found in the glucose level, mineral contents and enzyme activities of the blood serum. The effect of yeast culture on the availability of minerals for milk synthesis depended upon the dynamics of degradation of mineral bioplexes in the rumen and the cows’ mineral status. The insignificant increase found in blood total protein content and the simultaneous small differences in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and milk urea nitrogen (MUN) values in cows supplied with the yeast culture were probably associated with a high ammonia incorporation into microbial protein in the rumen, which increased protein supply for milk protein synthesis and decreased the nitrogen loss.

Key words: Blood, yeasts, glucose, minerals, protein, blood urea nitrogen, milk urea nitrogen

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 65–75 (1999)

EFFECT OF FEEDING OLIVE BY-PRODUCTS
ON CERTAIN BLOOD PARAMETERS AND SERUM ENZYME ACTIVITIES
OF FATTENING RABBITS

V. Rupić¹, V. Božikov³, R. Božac¹, S. Mužic¹, N. Vranešić² and M. Đikić¹

¹Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb; Svetošimunska c. 25, 10000 Zagreb,
Croatia; ²PLIVA, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works, Research and Development,
Zagreb, Croatia; ³Clinic Hospital Dubrava, Aleja Izviđača, Zagreb, Croatia

(Received January 5, 1998; accepted September 22, 1998)

The effect of feeding different levels (10 and 20%) of dehydrated olive cake pulp on certain blood parameters and on the catalytic activity of serum enzymes was studied in fattening rabbits. A total of 60 rabbits were divided into a control group (C) and two experimental groups (E₁, E₂), each comprising 10 males and 10 females. Rabbits of Group C received no dehydrated olive cake pulp in their diet, while rabbits of Group E₁ and Group E₂ were fed 10% and 20% dehydrated olive cake pulp, respectively. After Day 56 of the experiment, blood samples were obtained by cardiac puncture and certain blood parameters as well as the catalytic activity of serum enzymes were determined. Following the experimental feeding period no significant differences were found between Group C and Groups E₁ and E₂ in red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) count, haemoglobin concentration and haematocrit value. Similarly, after 56 days of experimental fattening no significant differences were found between the control group and the experimental groups in the catalytic activity of the serum enzymes alkaline phosphatase (AP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). However, Group E₂ rabbits manifested a significantly higher alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity in the serum than did rabbits of Group E₁. The results indicate that the inclusion of dehydrated olive cake pulp in the diet at the rate of 10% or 20% caused no changes in the investigated blood parameters and serum enzyme activities of fattening rabbits.

Key words: Hyla rabbits, feeding, olive cake pulp, blood parameters, serum enzyme activities

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 77–83 (1999)

HUMAN DIROFILARIA REPENS INFECTION
IN HUNGARY: A CASE IN THE SPERMATIC CORD
AND A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

S. Pampiglione¹, G. Elek², P. Pálfi³, F. Vetési⁴ and I. Varga^5*

¹Department of Veterinary Public Health and Animal Pathology, University of Bologna, Italy; ²Department of Pathology and ³Department of Urology, Central Hospital of Hungarian Railways, Budapest; ⁴Department of Pathology and Forensic Veterinary Medicine and ⁵Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University
of Veterinary Science, Budapest

(Received June 26, 1998; accepted August 25, 1998)

Orchiectomy was performed in a 37-year-old Hungarian man exhibiting a swelling in his right testicle. Histology revealed a nodule attached to the spermatic cord, consisting of a granulomatous tissue around sections of a nematode. The worm was identified as Dirofilaria repens, an uncommon parasite in Hungary. As the patient had been abroad only in Italy where cases of dirofilariosis in dogs and humans are relatively frequent, it is assumed that the infection might have been acquired in that country 5 years earlier. This is the fifth case, published so far in the world, of such a localization in a human. The human cases of dirofilariosis reported in Hungary are reviewed.

Key words: Dirofilaria repens, spermatic cord, man, Hungary

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 85–93 (1999)

LETHAL ENCEPHALITOZOONOSIS
IN CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE-TREATED RABBITS

M. Horváth¹, 1 . Leng², M. Štefkovič ³, Viera Révajová¹ and Monika Halanová³

¹Department of Pathological Anatomy and ³Department of Biology, Genetics and Animal Husbandry, University of Veterinary Medicine, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovak Republic; ²Institute of Animal Physiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovak Republic

(Received February 20, 1998; accepted June 11, 1998)

Encephalitozoonosis is an opportunistic infection in animals and humans. Its clinical form is observed in immunosuppressed hosts. We studied the occurrence of the manifest form of rabbit microsporidiosis under cyclophosphamide immunomodulation in 40 New Zealand rabbits. The experimental animals were intraperitoneally infected with 5 × 10⁷ Encephalitozoon cuniculi spores. Two weeks after infection the animals were treated intraperitoneally with cyclophosphamide, first with 50 mg/kg and then with 15 mg/kg weekly during the 12-week experimental period. Positive controls were either E. cuniculi-infected or cyclophosphamide-immunosuppressed animals. The negative control rabbits remained untreated. Both clinical signs of encephalitozoonosis and depression of peripheral blood cell count developed between weeks 4 and 6 in the experimental animals which died during week 6 of the experiment. No clinical signs compatible with encephalitozoonosis were observed in any of the controls. The results suggest that immunosuppression induced by cyclophosphamide can give rise to a lethal form of encephalitozoonosis.

Key words: Encephalitozoon cuniculi, clinical signs, immunosuppression, peripheral leukocyte, rabbits

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 95–101 (1999)

STORAGE OF RETINOIDS AND BETA-CAROTENE
IN THE GENITAL ORGANS OF JAPANESE QUAIL

Annamária Kerti and L. Bárdos^*

Department of Animal Physiology and Health, University of Agricultural Sciences,
H–2103 Gödöllő, Páter K. u. 1, Hungary

(Received April 30, 1998; accepted June 15, 1998)

The present study was designed to investigate the effect of a one-month feeding of retinyl acetate (RA) on the retinol (ROL), retinyl palmitate (RP) and b -carotene (BC) levels in the blood, testicles and ovarian follicles of adult Japanese quails. The basal diet (containing vitamin A at 10 × 10³ IU/kg) was supplemented with 100 ×, 500 × and 1000 × 10³ IU/kg RA in Groups I, II and III in both sexes. Plasma vitamin A levels rose in all groups. The elevations were caused basically by the RP fraction. The ROL concentration increased only slightly, indicating saturation of the blood binding/transport system. Plasma BC was depressed in both sexes. RA feeding resulted in high RP concentration in the genital organs (testicles and ovarian follicles), indicating subclinical hypervitaminosis, while the BC content of genital organs decreased considerably. The retinoid and BC concentration of ovarian follicles (F1–F5) was in the same range, indicating continuous retinoid and carotene transport during the fast maturation period. Retinoid content of the genital organs was higher in layers than in roosters. BC deposition was decreased both in the testicles and in the follicles, indicating a competition between RP and BC for the storage capacity of organs.

Key words: Vitamin A, retinol, retinyl palmitate, ß-carotene, blood, ovarian follicle, testicle, Japanese quail

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 103–108 (1999)

INTRAVAGINAL PROSTAGLANDIN F_2a
FOR THE TREATMENT OF METRITIS AND PYOMETRA
IN THE BITCH

G. Gábor¹, L. Siver² and O. Szenci³

¹Research Institute for Animal Breeding and Nutrition, H–2053 Herceghalom,
Gesztenyés u., Hungary; ²FeliCaVet Veterinary Clinic Ltd., Budapest, Hungary;
³Department of Obstetrics and Reproduction, University of Veterinary Science,
Budapest, Hungary

(Received April 17, 1998; accepted July 7, 1998)

The purpose of this study was to determine whether intravaginal prostaglandin F_2a (PGF_2a ) would be effective for the treatment of metritis or pyometra in the bitch. Seventeen bitches with metritis or pyometra were treated with PGF_2a . Prostaglandin F_2a (150 µ g/kg body weight) was administered once or twice daily by infusing 0.3 ml per 10 kg body wt into the vaginal lumen. Bitches were also treated with amoxicillin (15 mg/kg body wt/48 h) and/or gentamicin (4 mg/kg body wt/day) administered as intramuscular (i.m.) injections. Fifteen bitches were treated successfully with intravaginally administered PGF_2a for 3 to 12 days and with intramuscularly administered antibiotics for 4 to 12 days. Success of treatment was judged by cessation of vaginal discharge, the absence of fluid in the uterus as determined by ultrasonography, and the overall health status of the animal. As two bitches with pyometra showed clinical deterioration in spite of medical treatment, ovariohysterectomy was performed after the first and the second treatment, respectively. No side effects (salivation, vomiting, diarrhoea, hyperpnoea, ataxia, urination, anxiety, pupillary dilatation followed by contraction) were observed after PGF_2a treatment. The disease did not recur during the subsequent oestrous cycles within 12 months after the initial treatment. The results demonstrate that intravaginal administration of PGF_2a was effective in 13 dogs (86.6%) with metritis or pyometra, and caused no side effects. Although the study was based on a relatively small number of cases, it is concluded that prostaglandin F_2a can be a useful means of treating bitches with metritis or pyometra. However, in severe cases of pyometra ovariohysterectomy is needed.

Key words: Metritis, pyometra, intravaginal PGF_2a , bitch

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 109–115 (1999)

EFFECT OF NEONATAL OESTROGEN AND HCG TREATMENT
ON THE GENITAL ORGANS OF ADULT FEMALE RATS

Zora Nikolić, Zdenka Blagojević, Verica Mrvić and I. Ivanov

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bulevar JNA 18, 11000 Beograd, Yugoslavia

(Received October 25, 1997; accepted February 4, 1998)

The ovaries and the uterine as well as vaginal mucous membranes of 80-, 180- and 365-day-old intact female rats and females neonatally treated with a single dose of oestrogen and repeated doses of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) were studied. Numerous follicles, interstitial cells and corpora lutea (CL) were present on the ovary of intact females from 80 up to 365 days of age. The number of primary and secondary follicles decreased in the intact female rats between Day 180 and Day 365 of life. On the ovaries of 180- and 365-day-old female rats neonatally treated with oestrogen, interstitial glandular cells and cystic follicles predominated. No CL were present on these ovaries. The height of epithelial cells of the uterine and vaginal mucous membranes increased in intact female rats from 80 to 365 days of age, whereas in oestrogen-treated females the height of epithelium decreased. From 80 up to 365 days of age, the height of epithelial cells of uterine and vaginal mucous membranes of rats neonatally treated with repeated doses of hCG was similar to that in the corresponding control animals.

Key words: Rat, ovary, uterus, vagina, oestrogen, hCG

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 117–122 (1999)

DEGRADATION OF SOME PESTICIDES IN AVIAN EMBRYOS

L. Várnagy

Department of Agrochemical Hygiene, Institute of Plant Protection, Georgikon Faculty, University of Agricultural Sciences, H–8361 Keszthely, P.O. Box 71, Hungary

(Received February 19, 1998; accepted May 15, 1998)

On day 9 or 12 of the hatching period different pesticides (parathion, methylparathion, carbendazim, 2,4-D-amine Na, phosmethylane) were applied in ecotoxicological trials. The formulations were either injected into the air space of pheasant, quail or hen eggs or hen eggs were treated by the immersion technique. The residues of pesticides were measured in samples on days 13, 14 and 16 of incubation of chicken and pheasant embryos, while the Japanese quail embryos were analysed on days 10–14 of incubation. Analytical chemistry data showed a varying degradation rate of the compounds in avian embryos of the same species. The residues directly affect the embryos, disturbing their normal development and causing pathophysiological and morphological changes.

Key words: Teratology, pesticide, chicken, pheasant, quail, embryo, degradation, residue

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 123–128 (1999)

EMBRYONIC TOXICITY OF INSECTICIDE SUMITHION 50 EC AND HERBICIDE FUSILADE S IN PHEASANTS AFTER INDIVIDUAL OR COMBINED ADMINISTRATION

T. Varga¹, I. Hlubik², L. Várnagy¹, P. Budai¹ and E. Molnár¹

¹Department of Agrochemical Hygiene, Institute of Plant Protection, Georgikon Faculty, Pannon University of Agricultural Sciences, H–8361 Keszthely, P.O. Box 71, Hungary; ²Faculty of Agriculture, Gödöllő University of Agricultural Sciences, Gödöllő, Hungary

(Received February 20, 1998; accepted May 25, 1998)

The purpose of this work was to determine the individual and combined effects of insecticide Sumithion 50 EC (50% fenitrothion) and herbicide Fusilade S (12.5% fluazifop-P-butyl) on the development of pheasant embryos. Eggs were treated by injection of various concentrations of pesticides into the air space on day 12 of incubation. Pathological examination of embryos was carried out on day 23 of the hatching period. Mortality rate, body weight data and morphological alterations were evaluated after the macroscopic examination. The skeletal staining method was used to detect deformities. The two pesticides used in combination moderated the toxic/teratogenic effects of individual treatment.

Key words: Teratology, pesticide, interaction, pheasant, fenitrothion, fluazifop-P-butyl

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 129–135 (1999)

REPRODUCTIVE DISTURBANCE
CAUSED BY AN S-TRIAZINE HERBICIDE IN PIGS

Tihomira Gojmerac^1*, Marija Uremović², Z. Uremović², S. Ćurić³ and
Nina Bilandžić¹

¹Croatian Veterinary Institute, Zagreb, Savska 143, Croatia; ²Faculty of Agriculture,
University of Zagreb, Croatia; ³Veterinary Faculty, University of Zagreb, Croatia

(Received March 20, 1998; accepted June 15, 1998)

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of subacute treatment with a low dose of atrazine (1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine, 6-chloro-N-ethyl-N’-(1-methylethyl), an s-triazine herbicide, on endocrine oestrus regulation in gilts. A group of nine gilts (F₁ generation of Swedish Landrace × Large Yorkshire) were treated with 1 mg atrazine/kg body mass daily, mixed to the feed for 19 days before the onset of expected oestrus. Blood samples were obtained by cranial vena cava puncture three times daily at 3-h intervals on five post-treatment days, i.e. before and during oestrus. The serum concentration of oestradiol-17b (E₂) was determined by the fluoroimmunochemical method. On Day –2 before the onset of expected oestrus, a significantly lower (P < 0.001) E₂ concentration was measured in the serum of treated gilts (31.25 ± 1.95 and 39.32 ± 1.38 pg/mL) than in the control pigs (51.43 ± 1.29 and 68.59 ± 2.99 pg/mL). In contrast, the E₂ concentration measured in the serum of treated animals was significantly higher (P < 0.001) on the day of the expected onset of oestrus and on the subsequent two days (35.43 ± 1.85, 53.92 ± 1.98 and 60.32 ± 2.35 pg/mL, respectively) than in the control animals (13.52 ± 1.79, 21.53 ± 1.35 and 20.05 ± 1.46 pg/mL, respectively). Insufficient serum E₂ concentration of the treated gilts resulted in a failure of expected oestrus, as indicated also by the state of dioestrus demonstrated by histopathological examination of the uterus.

Key words: s-triazine herbicide, atrazine, reproduction, gilts, oestrus, oestradiol-17b (E₂)

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 137–150 (1999)

INDIRECT ELISAS BASED ON RECOMBINANT
AND AFFINITY-PURIFIED GLYCOPROTEIN E
OF AUJESZKY’S DISEASE VIRUS TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN VACCINATED AND INFECTED ANIMALS

O. S. Morenkov^1*, Nadja Fodor² and I. Fodor^2,3

¹Institute of Cell Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, 142292, Russia; ²Institute for Biochemistry and Protein Research, Agricultural Biotechnology Centre, Gödöllő, Hungary; ³Center for Molecular Biology and Gene Therapy, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA

(Received December 9, 1997; accepted May 15, 1998)

Two indirect ELISAs for the detection of antibodies against glycoprotein E (gE) of Aujeszky’s disease virus (ADV) in sera have been developed. The rec-gE-ELISA is based on the E. coli-expressed recombinant protein containing the N-terminal sequences of gE (aa 1-125) fused with the glutathione S-transferase from Schistosoma japonicum. The affi-gE-ELISA is based on native gE, which was purified from virions by affinity chromatography. The tests were optimised and compared with each other, as well as with the recently developed blocking gE-ELISA (Morenkov et al., 1997b), with respect to specificity and sensitivity. The rec-gE-ELISA was less sensitive in detecting ADV-infected animals than the affi-gE-ELISA (sensitivity 80% and 97%, respectively), which is probably due to the lack of conformation-dependent immunodominant epitopes on the recombinant protein expressed in E. coli. The specificity of the rec-gE-ELISA and affi-gE-ELISA was rather moderate (90% and 94%, respectively) because it was necessary to set such cut-off values in the tests that provided a maximum level of sensitivity, which obviously increased the incidence of false positive reactions. Though the indirect ELISAs detect antibodies against many epitopes of gE, the blocking gE-ELISA, which detects antibodies against only one immunodominant epitope of gE, showed a better test performance (specificity 99% and sensitivity 98%). This is most probably due to rather high dilutions of the sera used in the indirect gE-ELISAs (1:30) as compared to the serum dilution in the blocking gE-ELISA (1:2). We conclude that the indirect gE-ELISAs are sufficiently specific and sensitive to distinguish ADV-infected swine from those vaccinated with gE-negative vaccine and can be useful, in particularly affi-gE-ELISA, as additional tests for the detection of antibodies to gE.

Key words: Aujeszky’s disease virus, recombinant and affinity-purified glycoprotein E, indirect and blocking gE-ELISAs, serological differentiation

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 47 (1), pp. 151–154 (1999)

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