To investigate the degree of genetic variability of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) strains circulating in Croatia, 29 isolates from the six largest dairy farms were examined by PCR for a segment of the ...gp51
env
gene, followed by DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The nucleotide sequences were compared with other previously characterized BLV strains from different geographical areas, comprising all seven known BLV genotypes. The Croatian sequences showed six to eight nucleotide substitutions: six silent substitutions and two amino acid changes. Four of those substitutions were within epitopes. In comparison to the sequences of other BLV genotypes, our isolates showed the closest relationship to genotype 1 isolates PL-3252 (FJ808585) and AL-148 (FJ808573) from Argentina. The degree of variation between our sequences and those of genotype 1 was 0.2- 4.6 %. In phylogenetic trees based on 400-nt and 519-nt sequences, all of the Croatian sequences clustered separately from the other sequences, revealing a new genotype.
The change of the location of the beehives on the diverse honeyfull pastures is the usual apiarists activity in the Republic of Croatia. The main reasons are the climatic and vegetation diversity, ...and richness of the floral composition, with numerous bee forage plants. Our study aimed to detect consequences of honeybee broods (Queen-bee of different lineage) moving, from one habitat to another at various type of beehives. The Alberti-Znidersic (AZ), Langstroth-Root (LR) and Dadant-Blatt (DB) beehive types, constructed of (lime-tree), have been used. After the bee forage on the Oilseed Rape in the beginning of April, the honeybee brood has been veterinary inspected (based on the Law of animal health protection in the Republic of Croatia) for varrosis, nosemosis and American foulbrood diseases. The same procedure was done after bee forage (False acacia) at the end of May. All of the honeybees belong to the European race Apis mellifera carnica. The results of the study pointed out that different beehive types and the Queen-bee lineage (natural and selected) affect development of disease inside the honeybee brood, during the relocation and change from one dominant bee forage plants to another. Certain allergy reactions occurring in people can be caused by the pollen of some honefull plants such as birch, grasses, ragweed, goldenrod and hazel. Such cases are also included in our investigations. Beekeepers and nature lovers sensitive to pollen allergens of some honeyfull plants should, in some calendar period, avoid ecological milieu with such plants.
Agricultural producers apply numerous technological procedures, and enlarging efforts to produce the high-quality products. This initiative is present in the beekeeping, too. The quality of the honey ...produced by the honey bee colonies depends of various factors, but prevailing are the ecological conditions and the floristic composition of the honeyfull plants. The aim of our research was to discover the influence of the beehive type on the quality of honey, which is produced at apiaries under the similar environmental conditions. The whole studied honey bee colonies belong to the European race, Apis mellifera carnica, and they used the same honeyfull plants pastures. The results indicate that different beehive type used at apiaries influenced on the quality of honey.
At the end of the last century, human trichinellosis was an important public health problem in the eastern parts of Croatia. Moreover, the majority of clinically infected people were registered in ...Vukovar-Srijem County (up to 60% of all human cases registered in Croatia). Also, 95% of all Trichinella positive swine carcasses originated from Vukovar-Srijem County. Beside the health threat, trichinellosis implied not only notable economic expenses but also threatened to endanger traditional way of life and eating habits. In order to reduce all negative consequences of the disease, a multidisciplinary Working group for trichinellosis was founded. The group consisted of scientists and experts from different fields of work, who helped and significantly contributed to minimizing the threats of trichinellosis as well as to maintaining and preserving the method of traditional processing and consumption of swine meat. The members, the methods and the results of the Working group activities will be discussed in this paper.
Our manuscript shows infestation of the different population (by age groups, and by sex) with endoparasites and ectoparasites from 1996 till 2010, through seasons (spring, summer, autumn, ...winter).Parasitological examinations which were done at "Public health Institute" of Osjecko-baranjska county, and which were done at total of 3667 patients, were the methods of direct parasitological diagnostic for proof of parasitic elements in clinical samples, and the methods of indirect parasitological diagnostic, serological examination for proof of antibodies to antigens in the serum of the patients or of the asymptomatic parasite carriers. Development of causers of the diseases (parasites) is depending on the season. Results of our researches were processed with statistical program called Statistica 8.0 (StatSoft. Inc 1984-2008). From statistical parameters arithmetic middle (x), standard deviation (s), and standard error of the arithmetic middle (sx), are shown. Testing of the significance of differences between independent samples was done with t-test (ANOVA), and is shown in the chart using the appropriate letters (a,b,c). Determined parameters of total infestation and endoparasitic infestation, and total infestation and ectoparasitic infestation show statistically significant difference on the risk level of 0.05 regardless of the age or the sex group of the population of Osjecko-baranjska county. Determined parameters of monitoring infestation (endoparasitosis and ectoparasitosis) have shown statistically significant difference on the risk level of 0.05.
The life of game birds (pheasants) in nature is coupled with a number of difficulties in all seasons of the year. This refers to finding food, breeding, laying eggs, raising the young, fleeing from ...their natural enemies and lack of protection from unfavorable climatic conditions. The pheasants that live in captivity--aviaries for pheasants--do not have such difficulties--they are fed regularly by quality feed for pheasants, they are protected from bad weather and natural enemies. Our research was aimed at determining the biological value of meat of pheasants grown in the two different settings--in captivity and in nature. The highest weight achieved wild pheasant males (1232.4 +/- 147.36 g). The differences between tested pheasant groups were statistically very high significant (P < 0.001). The differences between groups related to breast weight and tights with drumsticks weight were statistically very high significant (P < 0.001). Between breast parts (%) and legs parts (%) were notified very high (P < 0.001) i.e. high (P = 0.002) differences. The highest weight breast muscles and tights with drumsticks had wild pheasants (282.6 +/- 63.53 g i.e. 206.2 +/- 37.88g). Wilde pheasants had lower part (%) and lighter (g) skin with subcutaneous fatty tissue on breasts. Female pheasants cultivated on both ways had higher skin part (%) and subcutaneous fatty tissue in tights with drumsticks. Related to chemical composition of breast muscles is established statistically significant differences (P < 0.001 i.s. P = 0.040)) in part of Ca (%) and P (%). In wild pheasant tights with drumsticks muscles established statistically very significant (P < 0.001) higher part of moisture, protein and Ca, i.e. statistically very high significant (P < 0.001) lower part of fat and energetic value. Research results indicate that the quality of meat of pheasants grown in nature has higher biological value than the meat of pheasants kept in aviaries, which means it has advantages in human nutrition.
Numerous parameters affect the quality of honey from different beehive types (Albert – Žindaršić AŽ, Langstroth – Roott LR i Dadant – Blatt DB), i.e. the material of beehives are made of, the origin ...of queen bees (natural and selected), etc. Our research focuses on the influence of the botanic origin of honey plants (Tilia sp. L. (lime), Amorpha fructirosa L. (desert false indigo), Helianthus annuus L. (sunflower), Brassica napus subsp. olifera DC. (oil beet) and Robina pseudoacacia L. (acacia)) on the quality of honey. The physical and chemical analyses of honey (N=133) (water %, water insoluble compounds %, acidity level, mmol of acid per kg, electrical conductivity, mS/cm, reducing sugar %, sucrose %, HMF, mg/kg, and diastasic number) were conducted by Harmonised methods of the European Honey. The pollen analysis was conducted by Harmonised methods of melissopalynology. The pollen analysis indicates that the botanic origin has had a statistically significant influence (P<0.001) on the quality of all investigated characteristics of honey, except on the share of the non–dissolving substances (P=0.088). The research was conducted in the Vukovar-Srijem County, the Republic of Croatia. All bees used in this research belong to the Carniolan honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica), the European bee species.
The aim of this study was to perform a diagnosis and molecular characterisation of bovine leukosis virus (BLV) on a Croatian dairy farm. For that purpose we compared the diagnostic tools used in our ...study, made sequence and phylogenetic analysis of our BLV and tried to describe the difficulties in the process of EBL eradication on the examined farm after reintegration into Croatian territory after the war. From 1998 to 2008 blood samples from a dairy farm in the North-eastern part of Croatia were tested serologically using AGID and ELISA. In 2002, 2003 and 2004 37%, 22% and 10% of animals were serologically positive, respectively. After the initial eradication steps, the disease reappeared in 2008, when all examined blood samples reacted positively in BLV-specific nested PCR. Finally, at the end of 2010, after an extended eradication program, which included the implementation of PCR together with regular ELISA testing for detection of positive animals, the farm obtained the status of "free of BLV". Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of 524-nt fragment of BLV env gp51 encoding gene showed the greatest identity with the Croatian BLV genotype 8 isolates, so it was phylogenetically clustered with those isolates. Key words: bovine leukosis virus, gene env, gp51, ELISA, nested PCR, phylogenetic analysis Cilj istrazivanja bio je dijagnosticirati i molekulski karakterizirati virus enzootske leukoze goveda (VELG) na jednoj hrvatskoj farmi mlijecnih krava. U tu svrhu usporedeni su dijagnosticki postupci rabljeni u istrazivanju te je napravljena analiza nukleotidnog slijeda VELG i filogenetska analiza. Opisane su i poteskoce u provodenju mjera iskorjenjivanja na pretrazivanoj farmi tijekom mirne integracije ovog podrucja Hrvatske poslije domovinskog rata. Od 1998. do 2008. uzimani su uzorci krvi krava na farmi mlijecnih krava smjestenoj u sjeveroistocnom dijelu Hrvatske te seroloski pretrazivani gel difuzijskim precipitacijskim (GDP) i imunoenzimnim testom. U 2002. na VELG bilo je pozitivno 37%, 2003. 22%, a 2004. 10% zivotinja. Godine 2008. svi pretrazeni uzorci krvi bili su pozitivni pretragom lancanom reakcijom polimerazom. Naposljetku, krajem 2010. nakon produzenih mjera iskorjenjivanja sto su ukljucivale primjenu lancane reakcije polimerazom istodobno s redovitim pretrazivanjem imunoenzimnim testom kako bi se identificirale sve zivotinje pozitivne na ELG, farma je postala slobodna od ELG. Na osnovi filogenetske analiza odsjecka VELG sto kodira za gen env gp51 izolati su bili svrstani u istu skupinu (VELG genotip 8) s vec istrazenim hrvatskim izolatima VELG. Kljucne rijeci: enzootska leukoza goveda, gen env, gp51, imunoenzimni test, lancana reakcija polimerazom, filogenetska analiza
Istražen je utjecaj primijenjenih postupaka na smanjenje broja mikroorganizama i rezultate leženja pilića, primjenom različitih dezinfekcijskih pripravaka, koncentracija i vremena izlaganja. Rabili ...su se slijedeći dezinfekcijski pripravci: Virkon® S 0,5% i 1%; Preventol® 0,5% i 1%; Bigvasan 0,4% i 0,5%; Virocid® 0,15% i 0,25%; Halamid® 0,4% i formaldehid (21 mL formalina 40% + 21 mL vode + 17 g hipermangana), uz vrijeme ekspozicije od 15 minuta osim za formaldehid, gdje je vrijeme ekspozicije iznosilo 30 minuta. Jedna skupina rasplodnih jaja sanitarno je obrađena odmah nakon sakupljanja u nastambi, a druga skupina rasplodnih jaja dodatno je obrađena i prije inkubiranja u ležionici. Rasplodna jaja koja su dva puta sanitarno obrađena dala su bolje rezultate leženja od rasplodnih jaja koja su samo jedanput sanitarno obrađena. Najbolji rezultati leživosti postignuti su kod sanitarno obrađenih rasplodnih jaja u nastambi i ležionici plinjenjem formaldehidom, koji je i dalje sredstvo izbora za tu vrstu sanitarne obrade unatoč njegovoj zabrani u pojedinim zemljama. Dezinfekcijski pripravci 1% Virkon®S i 0,4% Halamid® u preporučenim koncentracijama po rezultatima leženja mogu biti alternativa formaldehidu za sanitarnu obradu rasplodnih jaja.
The change of the location of the beehives on the diverse honeyfull pastures is the usual apiarists activity in the Republic of Croatia. The main reasons are the climatic and vegetation diversity, ...and richness of the floral composition, with numerous bee forage plants. Our study aimed to detect consequences of honeybee broods (Queen-bee of different lineage) moving, from one habitat to another at various type of beehives. The Alberti-Žnideršič (AŽ), Langstroth-Root (LR) and Dadant-Blatt (DB) beehive types, constructed of (lime-tree), have been used. After the bee forage on the Oilseed Rape in the beginning of April, the honeybee brood has been veterinary inspected (based on the Law of animal health protection in the Republic of Croatia) for varrosis, nosemosis and American foulbrood diseases. The same procedure was done after bee forage (False acacia) at the end of May. All of the honeybees belong to the European race Apis mellifera carnica. The results of the study pointed out that different beehive types and the Queen-bee lineage (natural and selected) affect development of disease inside the honeybee brood, during the relocation and change from one dominant bee forage plants to another. Certain allergy reactions occurring in people can be caused by the pollen of some honefull plants such as birch, grasses, ragweed, goldenrod and hazel. Such cases are also included in our investigations. Beekeepers and nature lovers sensitive to pollen allergens of some honeyfull plants should, in some calendar period, avoid ecological milieu with such plants.
