Inkoo And Sindbis Viruses In Semi-Domesticated Reindeer And Mosquitoes In Norway

Background: Mosquito-borne viruses pose a serious threat to humans worldwide. There has been an upsurge in the number of mosquito-borne viruses in Europe, mostly belonging to the families Togaviridae (Sindbis, Chikungunya), Flaviviridae (West Nile, Usutu, Dengue), and Peribunyaviridae (Inkoo, Batai, Tahyna). The principal focus of this study was Inkoo (INKV) and Sindbis (SINV) virus circulating in Norway because there is a knowledge gap regarding reservoirs and transmission. Therefore, we aimed to determine the prevalence of SINV and INKV in mosquitoes and seroprevalence of INKV in semi-domesticated Eurasian tundra reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus).Methods: In total, 213 pools containing about 25 mosquitoes each and 480 reindeer sera were collected in eight Norwegian reindeer summer pasture districts during 2013-2015. The mosquito pools were analysed for INKV and SINV RNA, with reverse transcriptase (RT)-real time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), and pyrosequencing. Reindeer sera were analysed for INKV-specific IgG by Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IIFA) and Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT).Results: Aedes spp. were the most dominant species among the collected mosquitoes. Two of the mosquito pools were positive for INKV-RNA by RT-PCR and were confirmed by pyrosequencing. The overall estimated pool prevalence (EPP) of INKV in Norway was 0.04%. IgG seroprevalence in reindeer revealed 60% positive for INKV by IIFA. Of the 55 borderline reindeer sera, 24% were positive on cytopathic effect (CPE)-neutralization test. Among 80% of 60 reindeer sera analysed with PRNT for INKV had a titre ≥ 20, and there was no cross-reactivity with the closely related Tahyna virus (TAHV) and Snow Shoe Hare virus (SSHV). None of the analysed mosquito pools were positive for SINV.Conclusions: The occurrence and prevalence of INKV in Aedes mosquitoes and its high seroprevalence among semi-domesticated reindeer in Norway indicate that further studies are required for monitoring this virus. SINV was not detected in the mosquitoes in this study, however, human cases of SINV infection have yearly been reported from Rjukan. Therefore, it is essential to investigate SINV among human population. Our findings are important to raise awareness regarding the geographical distribution of these mosquito-borne viruses in Northern Europe.

Equine astma: huidige kennis van zaken

Equine astma is de overkoepelende term voor een inflammatoir proces ter hoogte van de diepere luchtwegen. Deze aandoening wordt verder onderverdeeld in lichte tot matige astma, beter bekend als “inflammatory airway disease” (IAD), en ernstige astma, beter bekend als “recurrent airway obstruction” (RAO). RAO veroorzaakt inflammatie en obstructie van de diepe luchtwegen, wat leidt tot chronische hoest, verhoogde ademhalingsinspanning in rust en inspanningsintolerantie, meestal bij paarden ouder dan zeven jaar. IAD daarentegen kan op elke leeftijd voorkomen en de klinische tekenen zijn vaak veel subtieler, namelijk verminderd presteren en occasioneel hoesten. Equine astma wordt voornamelijk getriggerd door een hoge concentratie aan stof en schimmelsporen in de stalomgeving of pollen tijdens de zomermaanden in het geval van “summer pasture associated” RAO (SPARAO). De gouden standaard om equine astma te diagnosticeren is het uitvoeren van een endoscopie, gevolgd door een broncho-alveolaire lavage (BAL). Het aanpassen van de omgeving is en blijft de belangrijkste behandelingsmethode, vaak in combinatie met het tijdelijk toedienen van corticosteroïden en bronchodilatatoren.

Rainfall Determines Shallow Soil Seepage in a Piedmont Summer Pasture of Alpine Meadow on the Northeastern Qinghai—Tibetan Plateau

Soil seepage is an important component used for quantifying hydrological processes that remains unclear in high-altitude alpine meadows. Shallow soil seepage was continuously measured using an auto-logged micro-lysimeter (diameter = 30 cm, depth = 30 cm) from July 2018 to June 2019 in a piedmont summer pasture of alpine meadow on the Northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that all the shallow soil seepage events occurred during the non-frozen period from April to September and that the cumulative amount was 106.8 mm, representing about 1/5 of the annual precipitation. The maximum and minimum monthly soil seepage were 30.7 mm in September and 1.0 mm in April, respectively. The boosted regression trees (BRT) model’s area under the curve averaged 0.92 and revealed that the daily half-hour rainfall frequency, volumetric soil water content, and air temperature played significant roles in the daily soil seepage probability, with the cumulative relative contribution of 68%. The stepwise linear regression analysis showed that the rainfall amount accounted for 59% of the variation in the daily amount of soil seepage. The monthly soil seepage was found to be significantly correlated with the monthly rainfall frequency (r = 0.86, p = 0.005). Our results highlighted that rainfall, including its amount and frequency, was the key determinant of the probability and amount of shallow soil seepage in the piedmont summer pasture of alpine meadows. These findings will be helpful for improving predictions of the water budgets of piedmont alpine meadows.

No Evidence of Uptake or Propagation of Reindeer CWD Prions in Environmentally Exposed Sheep

Background: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease of cervids. In 2016, CWD was discovered for the first time in reindeer. The affected population was situated in Nordfjella mountain region in Norway. In an attempt to eradicate the disease, all reindeer in the region were culled during winter 2017-18. Because many sheep have their summer pasture in Nordfjella, concern exists about the potential cross-species transmission of CWD to sheep. In this study, global positioning system (GPS) data from sheep and reindeer from the relevant time frame were analyzed to determine spatial overlap. Samples of gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) from 503 lambs and sheep having grazed in the region were analyzed for the presence of prions. The rectoanal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (RAMALT) from all animals and ileal Peyer's patch (IPP) from 37 of them, were examined by histology, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: GPS data showed a direct overlap in area use between an infected reindeer and some of the sampled sheep. Generally, the sampled sheep herding areas were used intensively by reindeer before culling. No prions were detected in the GALT of sheep. The mean lymphoid follicle number per sample was 22.6 for RAMALT and 37.5 for IPP. Conclusion: Despite evidence of close reindeer to sheep interaction and spatial overlap in Nordfjella, prions were not detected in the GALT of sheep.. We document that the easily accessible RAMALT tissue at the mucocutaneous border is well suitable for slaughterhouse screening of prions in sheep.

Management options to recover perennial ryegrass populations and productivity in run-out pastures

In parts of the upper North Island, farmers frequently report perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) pastures failing within 3 or 4 years post-sowing. This appears to be related to interactions between several factors: climatic (drier, hotter summers), biotic (insect pest), soil (texture, water-holding capacity) and grazing management factors that vary spatially and temporally. The efficacy of three management interventions for recovering ryegrass populations and production in runout pasture was assessed in an experiment initiated in 2018/19 in central Waikato. Treatments were a long-spring rotation (LSR), a longer grazing deferral during late spring and summer (pasture deferral, PD) and under-sowing with perennial ryegrass (US), each applied to pastures of four ryegrass cultivars. In the year after the treatments were implemented, the yield of ryegrass in PD was 2.4 t DM/ha greater than for the control (7-year-old pasture), and ryegrass tiller populations initially doubled but later declined. Yields in US and LSR were intermediate but not significantly different from the control. Ground score changes responded more positively to PD compared with the other treatments. Relative to the baseline prior to initiation of the study, tiller populations increased for PD and US but declined for control and LSR. There were no interactions between management treatment and cultivar for any of the variables measured. Pasture deferral shows promise as an intervention for recovering failing ryegrass pastures through natural reseeding. However, the longevity of the benefits observed here has yet to be determined.

Equine astma: huidige kennis van zaken

Equine astma is de overkoepelende term voor een inflammatoir proces ter hoogte van de diepere luchtwegen. Deze aandoening wordt verder onderverdeeld in lichte tot matige astma, beter bekend als “inflammatory airway disease” (IAD), en ernstige astma, beter bekend als “recurrent airway obstruction” (RAO). RAO veroorzaakt inflammatie en obstructie van de diepe luchtwegen, wat leidt tot chronische hoest, verhoogde ademhalingsinspanning in rust en inspanningsintolerantie, meestal bij paarden ouder dan zeven jaar. IAD daarentegen kan op elke leeftijd voorkomen en de klinische tekenen zijn vaak veel subtieler, namelijk verminderd presteren en occasioneel hoesten. Equine astma wordt voornamelijk getriggerd door een hoge concentratie aan stof en schimmelsporen in de stalomgeving of pollen tijdens de zomermaanden in het geval van “summer pasture associated” RAO (SPARAO). De gouden standaard om equine astma te diagnosticeren is het uitvoeren van een endoscopie, gevolgd door een broncho-alveolaire lavage (BAL). Het aanpassen van de omgeving is en blijft de belangrijkste behandelingsmethode, vaak in combinatie met het tijdelijk toedienen van corticosteroïden en bronchodilatatoren.

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) perspectives in Africa

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) is an important grain crop for millions of poor farmers and grown in tropical in tropical semi-arid regions of the world primarily in Africa and Asia. Pearl millet is well adapted to production system characterized by low rainfall (200-600mm), low soil fertility and high temperature. It is generally used as a temporary summer pasture crop or in some areas as a food crop.

Rainfall Determines Shallow Soil Seepage in a Piedmont Summer Pasture of Alpine Meadow on the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The soil seepage is an important component for quantifying hydrological processes while remains unclear in high-altitude alpine meadows. The shallow soil seepage was continuously measured by an auto-logged micro-lysimeter (diameter = 30 cm, depth = 30 cm) from July 2018 to June 2019 in a piedmont summer pasture of alpine meadow on the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that all the shallow soil seepage events occurred during the non-frozen period from April to September and the accumulative amount was 106.8 mm, which consumed about 1/5 annual precipitation. The maximum and minimum monthly soil seepage was 30.7 mm in September and 1.0 mm in April, respectively. The binary Logistic model revealed that daily half-hour rainfall frequency (R2 = 0.37, individual explanatory power) and amount played significant roles in the daily soil seepage odds (R2 = 0.50). The best subsets regression analysis showed that the same-day rainfall amount (R2 = 0.59), the first 3-day rainfall frequency, and the first 4-day solar radiation accounted for 73% of variations in the daily soil seepage amount. Monthly soil seepage correlated with monthly rainfall frequency significantly (R2 = 0.74, p = 0.005). Our results highlighted that precipitation, including its amount and frequency, was the key determinant of the probability and amount of the shallow soil seepage in the piedmont summer pasture of alpine meadow. These findings would be helpful for improving predictions of the water budgets of piedmont alpine meadows.

Cattle management plan. Experience with communal lands holder

A systematization of a workshop course that took place in 2018 in the ejido of Nuevo Ideal, Durango, with the aim of agreeing actions to start a management plan, is presented. The workshop derived from work done to provide producers with tools and techniques that are useful for livestock exploitation, in addition to raising awareness of the need for actions for the protection and conservation of the natural resources offered to them by summer pasture ecosystems. The workshop was designed with five themes: Our Ejido, Livestock Management Plan, Grazing System, Infrastructure and Agreements. It is important to note that the agreement between PRONATURA northwest and the ejido for the implementation of a program that will help in the grazing system was the product of the workshop. The document is divided into three parts: Ejido, Design and implementation of the workshop, and Conclusions.