Ministry of Agriculture

About: Ministry of Agriculture is a government organization based out in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Biology & Chemistry. The organization has 1153 authors who have published 1189 publications receiving 14442 citations.

Paratuberculose em um rebanho Gir leiteiro no Estado da Paraíba Brasil

Abstract: This paper describes the clinical, pathological, and microbiologic aspects of paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) in a dairy Gyr herd in the State of Paraiba, northeastern Brazil. An eight years old cow with chronic unresponsive diarrhea was clinically examined and euthanized for pathological evaluation. Fecal samples from all 160 animals over 12 months of age from the herd were collected for isolation of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Clinically, the index case cow was severely dehydrated, cachectic, with profuse mucous diarrhea. The main post-mortem findings were emaciation and thickened intestinal wall. Microscopically, the intestinal lamina propria and submucosa were infiltrated by macrophages, epithelioid cells, and Langhans giant cells with numerous alcohol-acid resistant bacilli in the cytoplasm. Two fecal samples displayed growth in slants of Herrold's egg-yolk agar supplemented with mycobactin J, 150 days after incubation. No growth was noticed in slants without mycobactin J. Microscopic examination of the isolated microorganisms stained by Ziehl-Neelsen revealed considerable amounts of alcohol-acid resistant bacilli, morphologically compatible with Mycobacterium spp. Based on the clinical signs, gross and histological lesions, growth time, bacterial morphology in Ziehl-Neelsen staining, and dependence of mycobactin J, the first diagnosis of paratuberculosis in Zebu cattle was made.

Desenvolvimento e avaliação de um teste ELISA indireto para o diagnóstico sorológico do mormo em equídeos

Abstract: Glanders is an infectious-contagious disease of acute or chronic character which principally affects horses, causing enormous losses in the productive chain of this animal. To control the disease, the Ministry of Agriculture, Husbandry and Supply instituted mandatory sanitation measures in the entire national territory which include an official diagnosis through the complement fixation (CF) test, maleinization and sacrifice of the animals that are positive. Nowadays the kits used for the diagnosis of the disease are imported, making their routine application difficult and more expensive. The objective of this study was to standardize an indirect ELISA test, using the proteic extract of Burkholderia mallei isolated from a carrier horse in the state of Pernambuco. The samples were cultivated in 10% blood agar and incubated for 48h at 37°C; later, one of the isolated colonies was characterized phenotypically and genotypically and immediately cultivated in brain heart infusion (BHI) for enrichment; then it was peaked (repicada) for the Dor-set Henley medium which was incubated at 37oC under 60rpm for eight weeks. To standardize the test the Protein G Peroxidase Sigma Conjugate was used in the dilution of 1:90.000, with serums diluted in 1:100 and the antigen in 1:400. Sixty serums were used as negative controls, tested before the CF to determine the cutting point which was 0.042nm. After establishing the standardization, 300 samples were tested, of which 99% (297) were in agreement with the results obtained in the CF. At the end, of assay presented 100% sensibility and 98.2% specificity, with predictive (preditivo) positive and negative values of 97.7% and 100% respectively. The Kappa concordance test was 0.98 and the intra and interplac repeatability were 8.8% and 10.3% respectively. From the results obtained, it is possible to affirm that the indirect ELISA test can be used as an efficient diagnosis tool. However, more essays must be carried out to consolidate the reliability of this test.

Análise econômica da colheita mecanizada do café utilizando repetidas operações da colhedora

Abstract: Apesar da colheita mecanizada do cafe ser mais economica que a colheita manual, em geral, ela nao e capaz de substituir totalmente a mao de obra. Uma das maneiras de se reduzir o custo de producao da cafeicultura e encontrar meios de viabilizar a mecanizacao total da colheita, sendo a utilizacao de repetidas operacoes da colhedora uma forma de se obter eficiencia de colheita suficiente para que se dispense a necessidade de repasse manual. Portanto, objetivou-se, com este trabalho, realizar uma analise economica da colheita mecanizada do cafe utilizando repetidas operacoes da colhedora, sendo ela propria ou alugada, na regiao do Cerrado Mineiro. Analisou-se o custo das colheitas mecanizadas com uma a seis operacoes da colhedora e a colheita manual, utilizando colhedora propria e alugada, em lavoura de carga alta e intermediaria, na regiao do Cerrado Mineiro. Utilizou-se delineamento de blocos ao acaso e quatro repeticoes. Verificou-se que, em lavoura de carga elevada (121,54 sacas de cafe ben. ha-1) , a utilizacao de tres operacoes da colhedora, sendo ela propria ou alugada e a opcao de colheita mais indicada (R$ 3.975,36 e 4.775,03 ha-1, respectivamente). Em lavoura de carga intermediaria (50,78 sacas de cafe ben. ha-1), recomenda-se a utilizacao de tres operacoes da colhedora, quando ela e propria e de duas passadas, quando ela e alugada (R$ 2.543,97 e 2.783,60 ha-1, respectivamente).

Evaluation of Commercial Fe(III)‐Chelates Using Different Methods

Abstract: A collaborative assay among three laboratories was made in order to compare both the ion (CEN. EN 13368‐2:2001 E. Determination of chelating agents in fertilizers by ion chromatography. Part 2: EDDHA and EDDHMA, 2001a) and the ion‐pair (Lucena, J.J.; Barak, P.; Hernandez‐Apaolaza, L. Isocratic ion‐pair high‐performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of various iron(III) chelates. J. Chromatogr. A 1996, 727, 253–264) high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods as well as the soluble and complexed Fe (CEN. EN 13366:2001 E. Treatment with a cation exchange resin for the determination of the chelated micronutrient content and of the chelated fraction of micronutrients, 2001b) methods. Fifteen and ten samples of commercial fertilizers of Fe‐EDDHA, Fe‐EDDHMA, respectively were analysed by three laboratories using these methods. No significant differences were observed between the results obtained for the Fe‐EDDHA content using the Lucena et al. or CEN method. The first me...