No abstract

BackgroundThree flaviviruses (equine pegivirus [EPgV]; Theiler's disease–associated virus [TDAV]; non‐primate hepacivirus [NPHV]) and equine parvovirus (EqPV‐H) are present in equine blood products; the TDAV, NPHV, and EqPV‐H have been suggested as potential causes of serum hepatitis.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of these viruses in horses with equine serum hepatitis.AnimalsEighteen horses diagnosed with serum hepatitis, enrolled from US referral hospitals.MethodsIn the prospective case study, liver, serum, or both samples were tested for EPgV, TDAV, NPHV, and EqPV‐H by PCR.ResultsBoth liver tissue and serum were tested for 6 cases, serum only for 8 cases, and liver only for 4 cases. Twelve horses received tetanus antitoxin (TAT) 4‐12.7 weeks (median = 8 weeks), 3 horses received commercial equine plasma 6‐8.6 weeks, and 3 horses received allogenic stem cells 6.4‐7.6 weeks before the onset of hepatic failure. All samples were TDAV negative. Two of 14 serum samples were NPHV‐positive. Six of 14 serum samples were EPgV‐positive. All liver samples were NPHV‐negative and EPgV‐negative. EqPV‐H was detected in the serum (N = 8), liver (N = 4), or both samples (N = 6) of all 18 cases. The TAT of the same lot number was available for virologic testing in 10 of 12 TAT‐associated cases, and all 10 samples were EqPV‐H positive.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceWe demonstrated EqPV‐H in 18 consecutive cases of serum hepatitis. EPgV, TDAV, and NPHV were not consistently present. This information should encourage blood product manufacturers to test for EqPV‐H and eliminate EqPV‐H–infected horses from their donor herds.

No abstract

No abstract

Mention of trade names or company names in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the Texas Tech University and U.S. Department of Agriculture. AbstractThe Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in the USA plays a major role in carbon (C) sequestration to help mitigate rising CO 2 levels and climate change. The Southern High Plains (SHP) region contains more than 900,000 ha enrolled in CRP, but a regionally specific C sequestration rate has not been studied, and identification of the C pools and processes important in controlling C sequestration rates remain unresolved. We aimed to address these gaps by utilizing a CRP chronosequence with historical rangeland as a reference ecosystem. Soil samples (0-10 and 10-30 cm) were collected in 2012 and 2014 from a total of 26 fields across seven counties within the SHP and included seven croplands (0 y in CRP), 16 CRP fields of varying ages (6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, and 28 y), plus three rangelands.Multiple regression analysis was conducted to gauge the rate of C sequestration under CRP within C pools: soil organic C (SOC), particulate organic matter C (POM-C), and microbial biomass C (MBC), with two additional predictors (soil clay+silt content and precipitation).Despite attempts to control for soil texture by targeting a dominant soil series (Amarillo fine sandy loam), the percent of clay+silt (15.2-48.7 %) significantly influenced C accrual. The C sources (C 3 from previous cropping systems or C 4 from CRP grasses) in SOC and POM-C were assessed using stable C isotope signatures. Additionally, the role of soil microbes in C sequestration was evaluated by investigating the relationship between MBC and CO 2 flux and C sequestration. SOC increased at a rate of 69.82 and 132.87 kg C ha -1 y -1 and would take approximately 74 and 77 y to reach the rangeland C stocks at 0-10 and 0-30 cm, respectively.The C 4 -C primarily from the introduced grasses was the main source of C sequestration. SOC gains were essentially due to increases in POM-C and MBC, accounting for 50.04 and 15.64 % of SOC sequestration at 0-30 cm, respectively. The highest semi-partial correlation coefficients between the increasing years under CRP restoration and MBC indicated CRP had the strongest effect on MBC compared to other C pools. In addition, increasing soil CO 2 flux and MBC:SOC ratio with years of CRP restoration indicated MBC played a critical role in the C sequestration process. Conservation of CRP lands and efforts to sustain perennial systems in this highly erodible landscape should be a high priority of conservation programs. In doing so, significant offsets to increasing atmospheric CO 2 levels may be achieved in addition to erosion control and improved wildlife habitat.