Basic Science Sector

This study was designed to compare between the efficacy of immunoglobulineIgY and the vaccine in the prevention of broiler chickens against infectious bursal disease virus (IBVD) infection. In this study 18-week old white Leghorn laying chickens were received live intermediate strain IBVD vaccine (D78) followed by a booster doses of inactivated oil adjuvanted IBVD vaccine. The eggs of the hens were used for the separation of yolk polyclonal IgY. Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA) was used to determine the titer of antibodies in the serum and yolk. To evaluate the efficacy of the vaccine and IgY preparation against IBVD infection, day-old Hubbard broiler chicks were divided equally into 5 groups. The first group was received live intermediate IBVD vaccine (D78), the second group was given IgY preparation, the third group received both the vaccine and IgY, the fourth group was kept as control challenged. Chickens in the first, second, third and fourth group were challenged by the virulent field IBVD strain. Chickens of the fifth group were kept as blank control (not vaccinated, not IgY treated and not challenged). Morbidity and mortality rates and post mortem lesions, the bursa/body weight (B/BW) ratios and the histopathological examination of the bursae were investigated as criteria for evaluation. In conclusion, the vaccine and IgY were relatively equally effective but their combination was is superior in prevention of IBVD infection in broiler chickens.

Six baby milk powder samples imported from 6 different countries to Egypt were tested to Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. IS900, the specific fragment for MAP was detected usingIS900 PCR and all samples were found positive (100%). These results correspond to the epidemiological resultsreported and the wide spread of paratuberculosis and Crohn's disease in the last decade. The possible risk ofkilled MAP cells or bacterial structures in baby milk powder was discussed in respect to the autoimmuneCrohn's disease cause. An Egyptian national programme is needed to decrease the risk of exposure for childrenand people under the highest risk for Crohn's disease. Importers of baby milk powder should import milkpowder from countries which use MAP free milk.

The Pliocene aquifer receives inflow of Miocene and Pleistocene aquifers waters in Wadi El Natrun depression.

In the present study, seeds from local cultivar of fennel were germinated on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) without plant growth regulators. Different types of explants from the growing seedling such as cotyledonal leaves, hypocotyls, epicotyls and roots were cultured on MS medium, contained different concentrations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) either alone or with kinetin. Differential responses in the essential oil constituents were observed in the induction and development of callus. The major components of essential oils includes estragole, trans-anethole, limonene and fenchone were studied under different conditions to find out the best methods which could be used to reduce the amount of estragole (not favorite for human consumption) and increase the amount of trans-anethole.

Soleaaegyptiaca was successfully transplanted into Lake Qaroun from the Mediterraneansea to improve the yield of its original strain in the lake and this process continued at different timeintervals. Salinity of the lake increases during summer season due to high evaporation rates andchanges in the inflow regime. The deterioration of water resources in the lake during the summerseason is considered as a serious threat to the aquatic life. Therefore, this study was carried out duringsummer and beginning of autumn seasons where fish are exposed to severe alterations in the aquaticenvironment. Water quality indices of Lake Qaroun showed significant differences and the studiedwater heavy metals (Cu+2, Zn+2, Mn+2 and Pb+2) were in accordance with values of residual heavymetals in tissues, the bioaccumulation process showed also specificity to fish tissues. Histologicalsections in gills, liver and kidneys of S. aegyptiaca collected during June showed much moreimprovement than samples collected during other months. Histopathological alterations and cleardamages were obvious in samples collected during late summer and beginning of autumn (July,August and September) generally in accordance with the results of residual heavy metals in water andtissues. Moreover, the results revealed significant differences in values of growth indices, meat quality,blood parameters and plasma constituents of S. aegyptiaca collected from Lake Qaroun. Generally,the values were deteriorating during late summer and showed much more improvement during Juneand September.

This work was aimed to evaluate a simplified semi-synthetic diet based on combination of starch/agarfor mass rearing of Spodopteralittoralis. Two modified semi-synthetic diets (A & B) proved successful inmaintaining the culture of S. littoralis for five successive generations without apparent adverse effectsthroughout the insect stages. The mean values of tested biological parameters were determined on the rearedinsects fed on either of the modified diets. The results showed a higher larval weight, pupal weight, adultemergence, fertility and development index as compared to the agar-based standard diet of Shorey and Hale(1965). Whereas, percentage pupation, survival, fecundity and sex ratio were non-significantly different in thetested treatments. Moreover, the cost of ingredient reduced by 45.6% and 33.3% per one liter of diets A andB, respectively as compared to the agar-based standard diet. The obtained results provide an economicallyviable diet for mass rearing, thus promising for large-scale production of S. littoralis laboratory culture.

The impact of rearing silver carp, Hypophthalmichthysmolitrix to the fingerling stage under threedifferent stocking densities was investigated depending on the hematological and biochemical parameters asindicators of general health state of fish. The present study was carried out for 12 weeks to determine the mostoptimum stocking density for rearing silver carp. Fish were cultured in duplicates of cement ponds under stockingdensities of 3, 6 and 9 fish/m3 as T1, T2 and T3 respectively. The ponds were fertilized weekly with organic fertilizerat rate of 50 g/m3. Results of hematological analyses showed significant increase in T1 for values of RBCs count,hemoglobin, hematocrit and mean corpuscle volume (MCV) while the lowest values were recorded in T3 for allthese parameters. Changing the stocking density had non-significant effect on values of WBCs count, meancorpuscle hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscle hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). Plasma biochemicalanalyses showed that increasing the stocking density caused significant increase in values of plasma glucose, totalprotein, albumin (A) and globulin (G) associated with significant decrease in values of cholesterol and triglycerides.The highest values of A/G ratio were recorded non-significantly in T1 and T3 while the lowest values were recordedsignificantly in T2. Meanwhile T1 showed a significant decrease in values of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartateaminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and uric acid. Values of creatinine showed non-significantincrease among treatments. The findings suggest that the most optimum condition was detected in T1 (3 fish/m3) wheremost of the studied hematological and biochemical parameters were essentially normal and within the range consistentwith good fish health.

Widespread acceptance of urea was delayed in part due to its greater potential for nitrogen (N) loss via ammonia volatilization.

Field experiments were performed at the Agricultural Experiments and Researches Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt during the two summer growing seasons of 2009 and 2010 to study the effect of foliar application with active yeast extract (AYE) at various concentrations of 25, 50, 100 and 150 ml/L on morphological, anatomical and yield characters as well as on seed quality of Kidney bean 'Giza 6'.

It was aimed to investigate the effect of standardized ginseng extract on fertility pa-rameters in diabetic rats. Methods: Thirty male rats were randomly allocated into three groups of 10 rats each: 1. controls, 2. diabetes (D) and 3. diabetes + ginseng (DG). The latter two groups were rendered diabetic by i.p. injection of streptozotocin (STZ; 50 mg/kg). Standardized ginseng extract (Dansk Droge A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark) was administered per os (100 mg/kg BW) by stomach tube daily for 90 days starting one week after STZ. Ninety days post STZ the rats were sacrificed, and testis, epididymis, prostate, and seminal vesicles were weighed and subjected to histological examination. In addition, spermiogram, testicular enzyme markers, intratesticular steroid hormonal profile and testicular antioxidant status were estimated.

Two groups of 4-(4'-substituted phenylazo)-2-phenyl-4''-alkoxy benzoates were prepared and their mesophase formation and stability investigated. Each group (Ina-e and IIna-e) constituted five homologous series differing in their terminal substituent, CH3O, CH3, H, Cl or NO2. Within each series the number of carbons in the terminal alkoxy chain was 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16. The two main groups of compounds (I and II) differed in the polarity of the lateral substitutent attached to the central benzene ring. Group I had a chlorine atom adjacent to the ester group, replaced in Group II by the weakly electron-donating methyl group.

The natural infection with OYDV in onion and garlic fields resulted in a substantial reduction in pseudo-stem length, number of leaves, plant weight and weight of bulb as well as number and weight of cloves. The reduction% in Chinese garlic crop due to virus infection was higher than that in local (Baladi) garlic.