The involvement of RUNX2 and SPARC genes in the bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis in broilers.

Economic losses due to an increase of leg disorders in broilers have become a major concern of the poultry industry. Despite the efforts to reduce skeletal abnormalities in chickens, insufficient progress has been made. Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is one of the main disorders that affect bone integrity in broilers.

Microsatellite genetic characterization of the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breeding ground off Brazil (breeding stock A).

The Southwestern Atlantic Ocean humpback whales wintering ground (breeding stock A) are distributed along the Brazilian coast (5-23 degrees S), and their main mating and calving ground is in the Abrolhos Bank. We investigated genetic diversity, population structure, and relatedness of individuals sampled from the entire Southwest Atlantic humpback whale population. A total of 275 individuals sampled from 2 subregions (Abrolhos Bank, n = 229 and Praia do Forte, n = 46) were screened for 9 microsatellite loci.

Cross-amplification and characterization of 13 tetranucleotide microsatellites in multiple species of Neotropical canids.

We tested 47 tetranucleotide microsatellite loci developed for the domestic dog in four species of Neotropical canids, aiming to produce a standardized set that could be successfully used even in noninvasive samples across this group. We identified 13 suitable loci, nine of which constitute a standardized set for all species. Considering only the ideal panel of nine loci, the mean expected heterozygosity (averaged across species) per locus ranged from 0.

Molecular diagnosis of Salmonella species in captive psittacine birds.

Cloacal swabs were collected from 280 captive psittacine birds belonging to 13 species. Samples of dna were tested by PCR using a pair of primers that amplify a 284 base pair fragment of the Salmonella genus invA gene, and the PCR-positive samples were tested by standard microbiological techniques. Thirteen per cent of the samples were positive by PCR, but negative by microbiological techniques.