Microwave observations reveal the deep extent and structure of Jupiter's atmospheric vortices.

Jupiter's atmosphere has a system of zones and belts punctuated by small and large vortices, the largest being the Great Red Spot. How these features change with depth is unknown, with theories of their structure ranging from shallow meteorological features to surface expressions of deep-seated convection. We present observations of atmospheric vortices using the Juno spacecraft's Microwave Radiometer. We found vortex roots that extend deeper than the altitude at which water is expected to condense, and we identified density inversion layers. Our results constrain the three-dimensional structure of Jupiter's vortices and their extension below the clouds.

Prevalence of Brucella sp. antibodies in feral swine in Florida.

Serum samples collected from feral swine (Sus scrofa) throughout Florida (USA) from 1974 to 1989 were tested for antibodies to Brucella sp. by the card test, the standard tube test, the rivanol test or the complement fixation test. Seropositive swine were detected at six of 18 sites with a composite prevalence of 23.4% (238 of 1,015 samples; range = 5.5% to 33.3%) for sites with seropositive swine. At one site for which age and sex data were available there was no significant difference (P = 0.50) in seroprevalence between males and females. Antibody prevalence in adult (> or = 8 mo) and juvenile swine (< 8 mo), however, was significantly different (P < 0.05). Based on these data, Brucella sp. infections are limited only to certain populations of feral swine. To avoid the spread of Brucella sp. organisms, however, relocation of feral swine is not recommended.

Prevalence of pseudorabies (Aujeszky's disease) virus antibodies in feral swine in Florida.

Serum samples collected from feral swine (Sus scrofa) throughout Florida (USA) from 1980 to 1989 were tested for antibodies to pseudorabies virus (PRV) by the serum neutralization test, the latex agglutination test, or by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Seropositive swine were detected at 11 of 13 sites with a composite seroprevalence of 34.8% (579 of 1,662 samples; range = 5.9% to 58.2%) for sites with seropositive swine. Data on age and sex of the swine were available from three sites. Seroprevalence in males and females did not differ significantly (P = 0.62 for the combined data). Seroprevalence in adult (> or = 8 mo) and juvenile swine (< 8 mo) was significantly different at all sites (P < 0.05 for the combined data). From these data, PRV infections appear to occur widely in populations of Florida feral swine and may seriously undermine efforts to eradicate this virus from the domestic swine population of the USA.

Effect of diet on longitudinal bone growth and osteochondrosis in swine.

Weanling gilts were fed either a 12% or 16% protein diet for 10 weeks. Animals fed the 12% protein diet had reduced body weights and reduced longitudinal bone growth as measured in the distal radial growth plate. There was no difference in the growth plate widths between the two animal groups, but there was a significant reduction in the daily rate of cell production in the proliferative zone of animals fed the 12% protein diet. No effect of diet on the rate of expansion of the epiphysis at the articular-epiphyseal junction of the distal femur or humerus could be detected. All animals in both groups had morphologic cartilage lesions consistent with early changes associated with osteochondrosis (OCD), and there was no difference in the lesion morphology between the dietary groups. Areas of disorderly endochondral ossification in the radial growth plate were associated with perpendicular growth cartilage infractions. Growth plate lesions were characterized by increased widths of the maturing cartilage zone without increased width of the proliferative zone or an increase in the daily rate of cell production. Focal growth plate lesions developed because of a transitory inhibition of cartilage mineralization and resorption. Disorderly foci of endochondral ossification beneath articular cartilage were characterized by an area of chondrocyte necrosis which prevented normal cartilage matrix mineralization. Lamellae of cartilage necrosis were also present within the reserve zone of the articular cartilage. These were associated with abnormalities of the cartilage canal vessels, and chondrocyte necrosis was considered to precede degenerative changes in articular cartilage matrix.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Articular cartilage blood vessels in swine osteochondrosis.

Perfusion studies in swine with early lesions of osteochondrosis demonstrated that lamellar areas of chondrocyte necrosis within reserve zones of growth areas occurred only in regions of nonperfused articular cartilage. Articular cartilage with a similar anatomical location was perfused in some animals. Occasionally, nonperfused articular cartilage showed vascular alterations within cartilage canals without evidence of significant perivascular or lamellar necrosis. By light microscopy, some vessels within or adjacent to nonperfused articular cartilage had normal morphology; however, ultrastructural abnormalities were found in some vessels of all cartilage canals adjacent to necrotic cartilage lamella. Minimal alterations were in the few cartilage canal vessels that appeared normal by light microscopy, and the surrounding chondrocytes showed only minimal alterations. Early cartilage canal alterations were seen in the endothelium of cartilage canal capillaries, and ultrastructural changes in these vessels were similar to those described with experimentally induced, direct vascular injury. Vascular injury was followed by leakage of plasma and cells into the interstitial space of the cartilage canal. Necrosis of the vessel wall and interstitial tissue caused the cartilage canals to appear empty or to be filled with fibrin-like material. Although the vascular changes could be considered as part of the normal process of cartilage maturation and cartilage canal chondrification, observations suggest that in domestic swine the attendant cartilage necrosis and chondrolysis is exuberant. It is suggested that alterations in cartilage canal vessels play a major role in the pathogenesis of articular cartilage lesions that are found in osteochondrosis of swine.

Induction of lactation: histological and biochemical development of mammary tissue and milk yields of cows injected with estradiol-17 beta and progesterone for 21 days.

Lactations were induced in nonpregnant, nonlactating dairy cows by subcutaneous injections of estradiol-17 beta and progesterone for 21 d (.10 and .25 mg/kg body weight/d) and dexamethasone (.028 mg/kg body weight/d) on d 31 to 34. Milking was initiated on d 35. Each cow was biopsied two or three times during the experiment with five to eight mammary tissue biopsies on d 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 49, and 130. Mammary tissue preinjection had abundant connective and adipose tissues with limited lobuloalveolar structures. Beginning on d 7, there was decreased stroma, increased epithelial cell area, increased lobuloalveolar architecture, plus the accumulation of intracellular and intraluminal secretions which were high in lipid droplets. From d 7 through 35, these changes were progressive although variable among cows. Changes in activities of enzymes and concentrations of ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid were gradual during this time but essentially paralleled histological development. Tissue samples during lactation (d 49 and 130) showed increased histological and biochemical development; development was maximal for d 130 samples. Fourteen of 15 cows that lactated had mean daily yields of milk more than 5 kg and yields of milk of 12 cows with projected or actual 305-d lactations were 63.0% of that during their previous natural lactations. Reasons for less yields of milk and for varied patterns of tissue development were not identified nor explained by concentrations of several selected hormones in plasma.

Efficacy of injectable ivermectin against natural infections of Stephanurus dentatus in swine.

Ivermectin (300 micrograms/kg of body weight) was given to swine subcutaneously in the neck to test its efficacy against the kidney worm, Stephanurus dentatus. Two separate field trials were conducted using 146 swine (40 males and 106 females). Urine was obtained before and after treatment and was examined for presence of S dentatus eggs. Stephanurus dentatus eggs were quantitated in positive samples. All treated swine positive for S dentatus eggs in the pretreatment urine samples (n = 54) were negative by 14 to 21 days after treatment with ivermectin. Adverse reactions caused by ivermectin injection were not noticed.

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.

Induction of lactation: comparison of injections of estradiol-17 beta and progesterone for 7 or 21 days on prolactin response to thyrotropin releasing hormone and milk yield in dairy cattle.

Subcutaneous injections of estradiol-17 beta and progesterone (.10 and .25 mg/kg of body weight) for 7 (group I) or 21 (II) days were used. Dexamethasone (.028 mg/kg of body weight per day) or adrenocorticotropin (200 IU per day) was injected into cows in each group on days 18 to 20 (I) or 32 to 34 (II). Additionally, 100 mug of thyrotropin releasing hormone was injected intravenously on days 1, 7, 17 (I) or 1, 7, and 31 (II). Milking was initiated on days 21 (I) or 35 (II). Overall 13 of 14 cows had mean daily yields of milk greater than 5 kg; 12 had 305-day lactations. Yields of milk in cows injected for 21 days were greater on day 1 and increased more rapidly until peak was reached at 10 wk; daily mean production throughout lactation was greater (14.3 versus 10.1 kg) than for cows injected for 7 days. Lactation curves pooled within cow within treatment differed. Concentrations of estradiol, estrone and progesterone increased during steroid injections and were 2- to 3-fold higher on day 21 in II than on day 7 (I or II), but concentrations of prolactin and total glucocorticoids in plasma did not differ during this time. The quantity of prolactin released in response to injection of thyrotropin releasing hormone was greater 10 days after steroid injections than before or during steroid injections. Preinjection concentrations of prolactin were correlated with magnitude of postinjection response to thyrotropin releasing hormone, but response was not correlated with concentrations of steroids in plasma on day of injection.

Nucleic acid, metabolic and histological changes in gilt mammary tissue during pregnancy and lactogenesis.

Changes in mammary gland histology, dry weights, nucleic acids and in vitro rates of substrate oxidation in incorporation into lipid were measured in mammary biopsies of three gilts each on d 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105 and 112 of pregnancy, and d 1 and 4 of lactation. Histological changes noted were progressive duct growth early in pregnancy followed by rapid lobulo-alveolar development between d 75 and 90 to complete mammogenesis. Colostrum and lipid were evident by d 105 with marked distension of alveolar lumina on d 112. Complete differentiation of the secretory process was apparent on the day of parturition. Concentrtion of dry, fat-free tissue (DFFT) and DNA changed little before d 60 but increased fourfold between d 75 and 90. No further increases in DFFT or DNA were noted. RNA concentrations paralleled DNA through d 90, after which they steadily increased. Rates of acetate and glucose oxidation increased transiently during midpregnancy then declined and remained low until initiation of lactogenesis. Substrate incorporation into lipid increased slightly at midpregnancy and again at d 105, after which it increased markedly. Collectively, results indicate that mammogenesis is complete by d 90, after which lactogenesis is initiated in a two-stage process. Metabolic rates expressed on a DNA basis indicated considerable rates of oxidation, but not of lipogenesis by proliferating mammary tissue. Preferential metabolism of acetate vs glucose near parturition suggests coordination of metabolism between the mammary gland and other maternal tissues.

Fenbendazole as a therapy for naturally acquired Stephanurus dentatus and gastrointestinal nematodes in feral swine.

Adult feral swine, naturally infected with kidney worms (Stephanurus dentatus) and gastrointestinal nematodes, were divided into two groups of 10 pigs each. One group was treated with fenbendazole (Panacur, Hoechst AG, Frankfurt am. Main) mixed in feed at the rate of 3 mg kg-1 body weight for 3 days. The second group received feed only and was designated as non-treated controls. The animals in both groups were necropsied 3 weeks post-treatment and examined for the presence of live and dead adult kidney worms in the perirenal and ureteral area, ureteral penetration, the presence of kidney worm larvae in the liver, hepatic scars due to kidney worm larval migration, and for liver fibrosis. No live adult kidney worms were found in the perirenal and ureteral areas of treated pigs, and the non-treated pigs harbored an average of 42.8 live worms. No liver kidney worm larvae were found in the livers of treated pigs, and the non-treated pigs averaged 6.7 live larvae. At necropsy, urine samples from 8 of the 10 treated pigs contained no kidney worm eggs, and only 2 eggs were found in samples from each of the remaining 2 pigs in this group. In contrast, urine samples from 8 of the non-treated pigs contained numerous kidney worm eggs. Reductions in ascarid (Ascaris suum) and nodular worm (Oesophagostomum dentatum) egg counts were also observed in treated pigs.

Induced African swine fever in feral pigs.

Feral pigs trapped in Florida were exposed by intranasal/oral inoculation or contact to African swine fever virus isolants from the Iberian peninsula and the Dominican Republic. All exposed pigs became sick and died or were killed after becoming moribund. Necropsy revealed lesions typical of African swine fever, but several pigs had marked hemorrhage surrounding the kidneys or rectum or in the gastric, hepatic, or ventral abdominal region that, in the field, might have suggested trauma or poisoning as a cause of death. Most pigs had severe lesions associated with kidney worms. Virus was detected in the blood and selected tissues of each pig, using the hemadsorption reaction in porcine monocyte cultures; direct or indirect immunofluorescence was used to confirm the diagnosis.

Brucellosis in feral swine in Florida.

Serums from 95 feral swine trapped in Glades County, Florida, were tested for brucella antibodies, using the standard tube, card, rivanol, and complement-fixation tests. Fifty (53%) of the animals were seropositive to at least 1 test. The standard tube test detected 98% of the serums positive to any of the 4 procedures. The prevalence of brucella antibodies was significantly lower (P less than 0.0005) in feral swine less than 6 months old than in those greater than or equal to 6 months old. The prevalences by sex were similar. Necropsies were performed on 9 of the feral swine. Brucella suis, biotype 1, was recovered from all 9, with lymph nodes being the tissues most commonly infected. Only the standard tube test detected brucella antibodies in all 9 culture-positive animals.