African horsesickness (AHS) played a major role in the history and development of southern Africa, both in times of peace and of war. Frequent epidemics of AHS resulted in major transportation impediments. The viral (filterable) nature of the aetiological agent was proven in 1900 by Sir John M'Fadyean in London, making it one of the first animal diseases for which this had been demonstrated. Similarly, the cultivation of AHS virus in the brain of mice and its subsequent attenuation were also amongst the first such feats for animal viruses. Interestingly, both milestones followed the initial work of Max Theiler (son of Sir Arnold) with yellow fever virus.

The present study was performed in order to evaluate the effects of lower than usual industry levels of dietary trace minerals on plasma levels, faecal excretion, performance, mortality and morbidity in growing-finishing pigs in a hot African climate. Group 1 (n =100 pigs) received a diet with common industry levels of trace minerals. Group 2 (n =100 pigs) received reduced dietary trace mineral levels but were fed the same basic diet as Group 1. Mortality, morbidity, pig performance and carcass measurements were evaluated. Two pigs in Group 1 and three pigs in Group 2 died. Thirteen pigs in Group 1 and 27 pigs in Group 2 were medically treated (P < 0.05). Carcass masses, back fat depth, loin depth, and lean percent were not significantly different between the groups. However, the carcasses when evaluated revealed a non-significant higher back fat thickness, lower loin eye area and percentage of fat free lean in barrows compared to gilts within each group. Despite lower initial masses, pigs fed diets containing industry levels of trace minerals were heavier (P < 0.05) and had a higher (P < 0.05) than average daily gains compared to those that received a diet containing lower levels of trace minerals. Faecal zinc excretion was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in pigs fed with lower dietary zinc levels. Copper, manganese and iron excretion were not affected (P > 0.05) by the dietary levels of these trace minerals. Plasma trace mineral concentrations were not affected by the dietary treatment.

Finding appropriate ways of dealing with the problem of tsetse and trypanosomosis will be an important component of efforts to alleviate poverty in Africa. This article reviews the history of economic analyses of the problem, starting with the use of cost to guide choice of technique for tsetse control in the 1950s, followed by work in the 1970s and 1980s linking these to the impact of the disease on livestock productivity, and in the 1990s to its wider impact. In the current situation, with limited resources and a range of techniques for controlling or eliminating tsetse, the cost implications of choosing one technique or another are important and a recent study reviewed these costs. A novel approach to assessing the potential benefits from removing trypanosomosis by creating 'money maps' showed that high losses from animal trypanosomosis currently occur in areas with high cattle population densities on the margins of the tsetse distribution and where animal traction is an important component of farming systems. Given the importance of the decisions to be made in the next decade, when prioritising and choosing techniques for dealing with tsetse and trypanosomosis, more work needs to be done underpinning such mapping exercises and estimating the true cost and likely impact of planned interventions.

The first detailed description of the pathology of tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, in springbok is reported. The springbok were part of a semi-free-ranging herd kept on the grounds of iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Science (LABS) in the Kuils River district of the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated from three animals out of a total of 33 sampled, with two animals showing tuberculosis lesions. The index case was an adult ewe that showed advanced miliary tuberculosis with marked macroscopic and microscopic lesions in the lungs, pleura and respiratory lymph nodes, and numerous acid-fast bacilli. Six healthy rams were sampled nine months later and a pilot study indicated miliary tuberculosis lesions in one ram, which again were macroscopically most prominent in the lungs, pleura and respiratory lymph nodes. Macroscopic lesions were also noted in the sternal, iliac, prefemoral and retropharyngeal lymph nodes. Microscopy in this animal revealed lesions in the macroscopically affected organs as well as numerous other lymph nodes, and suspected lesions occurred in the testicle and colon. Acid-fast bacilli were scarce to moderate in affected organs. Because of the miliary nature of the lesions in both affected animals, the route of infection could not be established conclusively. The lesions in most affected organs of both animals resembled classical tuberculous granulomas. A main study conducted on healthy animals 19 months after the pilot study failed to find any animal with tuberculosis lesions in the group of 25 sampled, and all were negative for mycobacteria via mycobacterial culture.

The effect of Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tan (BZYQT) on the changes of ultraviolet (UV) light B radiation-induced apoptotic sunburn cell (SBC) and epidermal ATPase-positive dendritic cell (DC) in SKH1-hr or ICR mouse were investigated. The mice were treated with UVB (200 mj/㎠) and were sacrificed 24 h later. BZYQT (50 mg/kg of body weight) or vehicle (saline) was given i.p. at 36 and 12 h before irradiation, and 30 min after irradiation or BZYQT cream (0.2%) or cream base (vehicle) was topically treated at 24 h and 15 min before irradiation, and immediately after irradiation. The skin of SKH1-hr mouse prepared from the back of untreated mice exhibited about 0.3 SBC/cm length of epidermis, and 24 h after UV irradiation, the applied areas show an increased number of SBCs. But the frequency of UVB-induced SBC formation was reduced by intraperitoneal injection of BZYQT extract (p less than 0.01). The numbers of DC in normal ICR mouse were 628.00 ± 51.56 or 663.20 ± 62.58 per ㎟ of ear epidermis. By 1 day after UVB treatment, the number of ATPase-positive cells/㎟ were decreased by 39.0% or 27.1% in i.p. or topical application group with vehicle. Treatment of BZYQT was associated with increase of 33.9% in i.p. group (p less than 0.05) or 2.7% in topical application group in the number of ATPase positive cells compared with the irradiation control group. The results presented herein that BZYQT administration could reduce the extent of skin damages produced by UVB.

The molecular genetic characterization of Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) Yangsan strain (ADV-YS), a Korean isolate, was investigated by analyzing the electrophoresis patterns and the physical maps of the viral DNA digested with various endonucleases. To establish DNA library for ADV-YS, twelve major BamHI restricted segments were cloned. Each location of the segments in the ADV genome was determined by sequence comparison with the sequences reported in Genbank and those sequences of the both termini of the segments. Physical maps were constructed based on the electrophoresis patterns of the digested viral DNA by restriction endonuclease and the results of Southern blot analyses with various DIG labeled probes originated from those of enzyme restricted segments of virulent (Shope) and avirulent (Bartha) strain. Comparing ADV-YS with a standard strainof Kaplan in the maps of restriction enzymes, following major respects were identified: (ⅰ) disappearance of BamHI restriction site between the first and second BamHI segments, (ⅱ) creation of the BamHI restriction site in the fifth segment, and (ⅲ) generation of the BglⅡ site in the unique short (Us) regions. The genome of ADV-YS also contains a type 2 herpesvirus DNA molecule (in which the Us region only inverts itself relative to the unique longregion) like all other ADV strains except Norden strain(type3), analyzed up to date. The size of the ADV genome estimated from the sizes of the restriction enzyme fragments, was approximately 145.3kb (BamHI) or 145.3kb (BglⅡ) 145.4kb (BglⅡ). BamHI enzyme cleavage pattern were compared among the five Korean ADV isolates: Yangsan, Yongin, Dangjin, Jincheon and Iksan strains. Difference either in the number or in the size of the DNA fragments, suspected regions of termini of IR and TR, could be detected among all five strains.

Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) is an immune-mediated skin disease which requires histopathology and immunohistopathology in both dogs and humans. A 10-month-old, intact female Alaskan Malamute presented for depigmentation, swelling, alopecia, erythema, and crusting on the bridge of the nose and the nasal planum. Cytological examination of nasal lesions revealed numerous cocci and neutrophils. Histopathological features included of infiltration of mononuclear cells at the dermoepidermal junction. Direct immunofluorescence tests and immunohistochemistry exhibited positive IgG, IgM, IgA, CD3, CD18, and CD 79a on the epidermal basement membranes and around adnexal glands. This case indicates both T cells and B cells are related to mechanism of canine DLE. This case report describes advanced diagnostic tests and clinical outcome with immume suppressive therapy in a rare juvenile canine DLE case.

Salmonella ecterica subsp. enterica serovar gallinarum (S. gallinarum) is the agent of fowl typhoid, and the 9R vaccine is a commercial live vaccine for the prevention of fowl typhoid. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and immunogenicity of different brands of S. gallinarum 9R vaccine used in commercial laying chickens in Korea. All 9R strains originated from three different brands showed the same pattern in the biochemical and serological properties, and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profile, But there was a difference in rhamnose fermentaion, agglutination with Salmonella group D₁ antiserum and PFGE pattern between 9R vaccine strain and field S. gallinarum isolates. In laboratory and field trials for assessment of safety and immunogenicity of 9R vaccine, all of the three 9R vaccines showed the same safety in commercial laying chickens. In addition, there was a significant difference between the vaccinated and unvaccinated control groupsin mortality and the re-isolation rate of the challenge strain from the tissues (p less than 0.05), and no difference by the brands of 9R vaccine. The results from this study indicated that all three different brands of S. gallinarum 9R vaccine showed highly protection against mortality and organ invasion in commercial laying chickens exposed to virulent strains of S. gallinarum.

Streptomyces (S.) fradiae is a microbe with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, isolated from soil. In the present study, antibacterial effects of S. fradiaea against Salmonella (S.) gallinarum was determined. S. fradiae inhibited growing of S. gallinarum in Luria-Bertani media agar. Moreover, ingestion of S. fradiae markedly inhibited mortality of chickens experimentally infected with S. gallinarum. There is no side effect by S. fradiaeon, in safety of chickens and antibiotic material residues in chicken meat. Taken together, S. fradiae have the antibacterial effects against S. gallinarum. Therefore, we concluded that S. fradiae might be a good microbial candidate for treatment or control of fowl typhoid in chickens.

In the present study, ten herbal extracts, Citirus unchiu Markovich, root and stem of Berberis koreana, Morus alba, Dendrobium moniliforme, Aster gramineus, A. scabar, Alisma canaliculatum, Fallopia japonica and Origamum (O.) vulgare were determined to examine anti-mycoplasmal activity. Among them, O. vulgare extract (OVE) showed strong anti-mycoplasmal activity and was analyzed by gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). As the results, OVE was consisted of carvacrol (68.78%), o-cymene (9.80%), terpinene (7.61%) and thymol (4.03%) as main ingredients. To investigate inflammatory activity by intact pathogenic Mycoplasma hyoneumoniae (M. hyo) at 30 ㎍/mL, we examined induced transcription of proinflammatory cytokines such as cyclooxygenase-2, tumor necrosis factor-a, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6 and inducible nitric oxide synthase in RAW 264.7 cells. With the above results, we further investigated whether OVE could reduce inflammation induced by M. hyo at minimal inhibitory concentration. The result showed that 32 ㎍/mL of OVE inhibited nitric oxide production by 60%. This study also evaluated the combination of OVE with antibacterials against M. hyo for application. Based on these results, it could be concluded that M. hyo induces inflammation in RAW 264.7 cells and OVE protects this inflammation, indicating that OVE may be useful for industrial animals.