Serum Hp and SAA concentrations can be used to recognize uterine infection in postpartum cows. The association between elevated Hp values and number of days open suggests Hp may also be a useful indicator of poor prognosis for reproductive performance.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), an emerging tick-borne zoonosis, has been rapidly spread in many Asian counties since 2010, which raises the great concern in East Asia. Nevertheless, the infection status of SFTS in Taiwan remains unclear. To investigate the existence of SFTSV in Taiwan, a total of 151 serum samples collected from 31 sheep, 63 bovine and 57 dogs were enrolled this study. Furthermore, 360 adult female Rhipicephalus microplus were also included. One-step RT-nested PCR and IgG ELISA were conducted to test SFTSV specific RNA and antibodies, respectively. The result provided the first evidence of the existence of SFTSV RNA and antibodies in ruminants and ticks in Taiwan.

No abstract

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is a non-enveloped virus with a single-stranded DNA genome and causes infectious enteritis in dog. In this study, 36 isolates of CPV infection were obtained in Taichung, Taiwan from 2003 to 2004. Using primers that can distinguish subtypes of CPV, we amplified part of viral VP2 gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the PCR product was sequenced; results demonstrated that two isolates could be classified as type 2a of CPV and the others were type 2b. The complete coding region of VP2 gene of type 2b was also sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis of these DNA sequences revealed that our Taichung isolate was close to the V-120, FPV-314, 97-008, Taiwan 9, LCPV-T1, and T4 isolates; however, because of the degeneracy of codons, the amino acid sequences of Taichung isolate was similar to that of the 97-008 isolate from Japan. It is known that two important amino acid residues (Asn-426 in type 2a and Asp-426 in type 2b; Ile-555 in type 2a and Val-555 in type 2b) are the determinants for the discrimination of type 2a or type 2b. After scrutinizing the complete VP2 gene of our Taichung isolate, we found the VP2 protein of the Taichung isolate did possess this molecular feature of type 2b virus. Previous studies reported that type 2a virus was the major type in Taiwan; our finding showed that CPV type 2b was the predominant type in the middle part of Taiwan. Moreover, a unique Ala-489 in VP2 of our Taichung isolate was found, contrasting to a Val-489 in the VP2 of other strains.

To obtain a basal concentration of serum Haptoglobin (Hp) in cattle in Taiwan, Hp concentrations were measured from serum samples collected from 10 healthy heifers, every week for one year. The values were also compared with those collected from 15 cows diagnosed with postpartum metritis. The heifers were successfully impregnated by artificial insemination six months after the tests. Hp concentrations were also measured in the serum collected from 11 other cows within 3 weeks after parturition. The Hp assay developed in this study gave a good correlation (r=0.893)with Western blotting. The Hp concentration of 454 serum samples from the 10 heifers had a mean value of 83.6 +/- 34.1 mg/l, and there was no significant difference among individual heifers. The basal value of Hp in heifers was calculated as less than 73.6 mg/l. No significant difference in Hp concentration was observed among the 10 heifers during cold and warm seasons (19.8 +/- 2.2 degrees C vs 27.3 +/- 1.4 degrees C), or before and after pregnancy. The mean serum Hp concentration from cows suffering from postpartum reproductive disorders was 1133.5 +/- 627.1 mg/l, which was significantly greater than the serum of healthy heifers and postpartum cows (104.6 +/- 61.0 mg/l) (P<0.05). These results demonstrate that Hp concentration may be a useful indicator for cows with postpartum reproductive disorders.