Stable transformation of rice (Oryza sativa L.) via microprojectile bombardment of highly regenerative, green tissues derived from mature seed

A highly efficient and reproducible transformation system for rice ( Oryza sativa L. cv. Taipei 309) was developed using microprojectile bombardment of highly regenerative, green tissues. These tissues were induced from mature seeds on NB-based medium containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and high concentrations of cupric sulfate under dim light conditions; germinating shoots and roots were completely removed. Highly regenerative, green tissues were proliferated on the same medium and used as transformation targets. From 431 explants bombarded with transgenes [i.e. a hygromycin phosphotransferase ( hpt) gene plus one of a wheat thioredoxin h ( wtrxh), a barley NADP-thioredoxin reductase ( bntr), a maize Mutator transposable element ( mudrB) or beta-glucuronidase ( uidA; gus) gene], 28 independent transgenic events were obtained after an 8- to 12-week selection period, giving a 6.5% transformation frequency. Of the 28 independent events, 17 (61%) were regenerable. Co-transformation of the second introduced transgene was detected in 81% of the transgenic lines tested. Stable integration and expression of the foreign genes in T(0) plants and T(1) progeny were confirmed by DNA hybridization, western blot analyses and germination tests.

A survey on resistance to anthelmintics in sheep stud farms of southern Brazil

A survey to investigate the status of anthelmintic resistance in 29 sheep studs in southern Brazil was conducted from March 1992 to December 1993. Compounds from three drug families (macrocyclic lactone, levamisole and benzimidazole) were evaluated concurrently on 22 of the 29 studs. On seven of these properties, resistance to all three families was declared or suspected; at 15 of the 22 studs, ivermectin was the only compound found to be effective in reducing faecal egg counts. Resistance to levamisole was detected on 22 of the 23 studs where it was evaluated and was suspected in the remaining one. The position of benzimidazoles was similar, resistance being declared or suspected on all 28 studs where they were tested. Results of larval cultures indicated that Trichostrongylus, Ostertagia and Haemonchus were the most prevalent nematode genera in the survey, with Trichostrongylus and Haemonchus being the genera associated with anthelmintic resistance.

Survey of Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy, 1856) in random source cats in metropolitan Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with descriptions of lesions

To evaluate the prevalence of heartworm disease in metropolitan Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, cats submitted for euthanasia were evaluated by laboratory tests and by necropsy for signs of heartworm infection. Of the 135 cats examined, one (0.8%)--a stray male from an urbanizing district--had one male worm (14.5 cm) in the left lung and showed severe muscular hypertrophy of small pulmonary arteries and arterioles with no right ventricle enlargement or passive congestion. Microfilariae were not detected in the blood of any cats. The prevalence of canine heartworm in the area from which this cat originated is estimated to be approximately 12%. The prevalence of canine heartworm in the urban area of Rio de Janeiro has been determined to be approximately 5%. It has been shown that the prevalence of feline heartworm disease parallels that in dogs, but at a lower rate. Results of this survey strongly suggest that heartworm prevention measures should be taken under consideration, especially among cats living in a high canine heartworm prevalence area.

Activity of closantel in the prevention of Gasterophilus and Strongylus vulgaris larval infections in equine foals and yearlings

Two controlled tests were conducted in equine foals and yearlings to determine the optimal oral dosage and the duration of activity of closantel for the prevention of Gasterophilus spp larval infections. Additional data were collected on the activity of closantel against Strongylus vulgaris larval infections. In experiment 1, 12 foals and 12 yearlings were equally allocated to 4 experimental groups, and were given oral treatments with closantel at dosages of 0 (nontreated controls), 2, 5, or 8 mg/kg of body weight every 2 months during bot season. The foals and yearlings were allowed to graze on open pasture throughout the experiment to provide a natural source for bot and helminth infections. All animals were euthanatized and necropsied 6 weeks after the final treatment. Closantel was highly effective (98.6% to 100%) at all doses in preventing Gasterophilus spp larval infections in the foals, but only the 8 mg/kg dose had significant (P less than 0.05) activity (99.7%) in the yearlings. This dose also significantly reduced the numbers of 4th-stage and immature adult S vulgaris (86.0%) in the mesenteric arteries as compared with nontreated controls. In experiment 2, 9 foals and 9 yearlings received a single oral treatment of 8 mg of closantel/kg of body weight; 3 foals and 3 yearlings were kept as nontreated controls. Groups of 6 treated (3 foals, 3 yearlings) and 2 control (1 foal, 1 yearling) animals were euthanatized and necropsied 1, 2, and 3 months after treatment. Closantel remained effective for 2 months in preventing infections of G intestinalis larvae in these foals and yearlings. Clinical signs of toxicosis were not observed in the treated animals of either study.

Anthelmintic efficacy of mebendazole suspension against induced helminth infections in South African sheep and cattle

Critical controlled tests were performed in 157 sheep (8 experiments) and 34 cattle (2 experiments) to evaluate the anthelmintic activity of mebendazole suspension, administered intraruminally via a stomach tube at a dosage rate of 15 mg of mebendazole/kg of body weight, against induced infections of immature and adult stages of commonly encountered nematode parasites in South Africa. In the sheep, the controlled efficacy of mebendazole suspension was good to excellent (90.1% to 100%) against all stages of Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus colubriformis, Gaigeria pachyscelis, Ostertagia circumcincta, Nematodirus spathiger, and Chabertia ovina species. Mebendazole was also highly effective (97.3% to 99.9%) against 4th, 5th, and adult stages of Oesophagostomum columbianum and 5th-stage and adult Dictyocaulus filaria. Moderate activity was obtained (79.8% to 82.2%) against 3rd-stage O columbianum, 3rd- and 4th-stage D filaria, and 5th-stage and adult Strongyloides papillosus. In the cattle, mebendazole was effective (91.5% to 100%) against 4th-stage and adult H placei, Cooperia pectinata, Bunostomum phlebotomum, and Oesophagostomum radiatum species, but did not exhibit any appreciable activity (27.3% to 41.5%) against 4th-stage and adult O ostertagi.

Flubendazole: dose range and efficacy studies against common internal parasites of swine

The anthelmintic spectrum of activity and efficacy of flubendazole, using pigs naturally infected with helminth parasites, were determined in 4 experiments, using 157 pigs. Flubendazole (1.5 mg/kg of body weight) mixed in feed or top-dressed on feed for 5 consecutive days was highly effective as an anthelmintic. This dosage level indicated 100% efficacy against mature Ascaris suum, Oesophagostomum dentatum, Trichuris suis, and Metastrongylus apri. There was 88% efficacy against Strongyloides ransomi and 85% efficacy against Stephanurus dentatus and immature Ascaris suum. There was some activity against Globocephalus sp and Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus, but insufficient numbers of these parasites were present to make an accurate assessment.

Evaluation of the safety of flubendazole premix in swine

Forty-eight pigs were used to evaluate the safety of flubendazole, given as a 6% rice-hull premix. In 1 experiment, flubendazole was administered orally to 16 pigs daily for 5 days at dosages of 10 or 20 times the recommended rate. In a 2nd experiment, flubendazole was administered in the feed to 18 pigs daily for 15, 16 or 17 consecutive days at dosages of 1, 3 and 5 times the recommended rate. The remaining 14 pigs received a placebo premix and served as controls. Clinical observations were made each day, and body weights and clinical laboratory values were monitored before, during and after the treatment period. In the 2nd experiment, all pigs were necropsied 1 day after the last day of treatment. Clinical signs during the experiments consisted of soft/fluid feces, observed in pigs from all groups, and occasional vomiting from 3 pigs in the group given the 3X-exaggerated dose. Statistical differences in the frequency of loose feces and vomiting were not detected between the placebo group and flubendazole-treated groups. There were no other abnormal signs noted throughout either experiment. Results of serum chemistry analysis, hematologic examination, and histopathologic evaluation revealed no evidence of drug-related toxicity.

Basal-lateral membranes from rabbit renal cortex prepared on a large scale in a zonal rotor

Basal-lateral membranes from the renal cortex of the rabbit were isolated by sucrose gradient centrifugation in a zonal rotor which allows for a large-scale preparation of these membranes. A heterogeneous population of membranes (P4) which contained 29% of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase found in the homogenate of renal cortex was prepared by differential centrifugation. When pellet P4 was subjected to centrifugation in a sucrose gradient the activity of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase, a marker for basal-lateral membranes, could be separated from enzymatic markers of other organelles. The specific activity of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase was enriched 12-fold at a density of 1.141 g/cm3. Membranes (P alpha) contained in the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase-rich fractions consisted primarily of closed vesicles which exhibited probenecid inhibitable transport of rho-aminohippurate. These membranes did not exhibit Na+-dependent, phlorizin-inhibitable D-glucose transport. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of proteins from P alpha revealed at least six major protein bands with molecular weights of 91000, 81000, 73000, 65000, 47000 and 38000. A small fraction of total alkaline phosphatase found in the homogenate was found in pellet P4. Membranes containing this alkaline phosphatase activity were distributed widely over the gradient, with peak activity found at a density of 1.141 g/cm3. In contrast, when brush borders were subjected to gradient centrifugation under the same conditions as P4, alkaline phosphatase was found in a narrow distribution, with peak activity at a density of 1.158 g/cm3. The principle subcellular localization of the alkaline phosphatase found in P4 could not be determined unambiguously from the data, but the activity did not seem to be primarily associated with classical brush borders.

Anthelmintic activity of mebendazole against induced and naturally occurring helminth infections in cats

A formulation of mebendazole was used to determine the optimal dosage level against induced and/or naturally occurring infections of Toxocara cati, Ancylostoma tubaeforme, and Taenia taeniaeformis in cats. Amounts of 11 mg/kg of body weight/day or 22 mg/kg/day were given for 2, 3, or 4 days. Feces were collected for 7 days and were examined for expelled parasites. Cats were necropsied to recover retained parasites. A regimen of 22 mg/kg/day for 3 days was determined to be optimal with efficacies of 100%, 99%, and 50% against T cati, A tubaeforme, and Taenia taeniaeformis, respectively.