Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating ; Busulfan ; Cell Transplantation ; Chimera ; Coturnix/physiology* ; Female ; Male ; Spermatogonia/transplantation* ; Testicular Diseases/therapy* ; Testis/transplantation*

A quail-origin subtype of the influenza virus was isolated from a human-infecting H7N9 subtype of the avian influenza virus found in a live poultry market and was given the name A/Quail/Hangzhou/1/ 2013 (H9N2). We analyzed the whole genome of this virus and its biologic characteristics. Sequence analyses suggested that the: HA and NS genes belonged to a CK/BJ/1/94-like lineage; NA, NP, PA and PB1 genes belonged to a SH/F/98-like lineage; M and PB2 genes belonged to a G1-like lineage. Analyses of key amino acids showed that the cleavage site in HA protein was PSRSSR ↓ GL, and that the HA protein had a human receptor-binding site with Leu226. Deletion of amino acids 69 - 73 was detected in the stalk of NA protein, the M2 protein had an Asn31 mutation, and the NS1 protein had two mutations at Ser42, Ala149. The intravenous pathogenicity of this virus was 0.36. A study in chickens suggested that all inoculated birds shed the virus from the trachea and cloaca on the third day post-infection (p. i. ) until 11 days. All chickens that had direct contact shed the virus on the second day p. i. until 8 days. Results of virus reisolation suggested that lung and tracheal tissues could shed the virus in 5 days, whereas the other organs could shed the virus in 3 days. These results suggest that this virus strain is H9N2 subtype LPAIV, whose lineage is prevalent in mainland China. This research provides evidence on how to monitor and prevent the H9N2 subtype of the avian influenza virus.
Animals ; Chick Embryo ; Chickens ; China ; Genotype ; Influenza A Virus, H9N2 Subtype ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Influenza in Birds ; virology ; Phylogeny ; Quail ; virology

Avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) is an avian retrovirus that can induce myelocytomas. A high-frequency mutation in gene envelope endows ALV-J with the potential for cross-species transmission. We wished to ascertain if the ALV-J can spread across species under selection pressure in susceptible and resistant hosts. First, we inoculated (in turn) two susceptible host birds (specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens and turkeys). Then, we inoculated three resistant hosts (pheasants, quails and ducks) to detect the viral shedding, pathologic changes, and genetic evolution of different isolates. We found that pheasants and quails were infected under the selective pressure that accumulates stepwise in different hosts, and that ducks were not infected. Infection rates for SPF chickens and turkeys were 100% (16/16), whereas those for pheasants and quails were 37.5% (6/16) and 11.1% (3/27). Infected hosts showed immune tolerance, and inflammation and tissue damage could be seen in the liver, spleen, kidneys and cardiovascular system. Non-synonymous mutation and synonymous ratio (NS/S) analyses revealed the NS/S in hypervariable region (hr) 2 of pheasants and quails was 2.5. That finding suggested that mutation of isolates in pheasants and quails was induced by selective pressure from the resistant host, and that the hr2 region is a critical domain in cross-species transmission of ALV-J. Sequencing showed that ALV-J isolates from turkeys, pheasants and quails had moved away from the original virus, and were closer to the ALV-J prototype strain HPRS-103. However, the HPRS-103 strain cannot infect pheasants and quails, so further studies are needed.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Avian Leukosis ; transmission ; virology ; Avian Leukosis Virus ; classification ; genetics ; physiology ; Chickens ; Ducks ; virology ; Galliformes ; virology ; Host Specificity ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Poultry Diseases ; transmission ; virology ; Quail ; virology ; Sequence Alignment ; Turkeys ; virology ; Viral Envelope Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism

In present study, cholesterol/high fat diet-induced atherosclerotic quails were used to evaluate the effects of combination of Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (1: 1, abbreviated as PRSM) on lipid metabolism, liver index, apolipoprotein levels. The results obtained from this study indicated that oral administration of ethyl acetate extract of PRSM at doses of 7.5, 5.0, 2.5 g x kg(-1) as well as aqueous extract of PRSM at dose of 7.5 g x kg(-1) could reduce the serum cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) levels as well as the weight of liver and liver index, and increase the serum level of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Furthermore, reduced levels of apolipoprotein B (ApoB) and elevated levels of apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) were observed in ethyl acetate extract and aqueous extract of PRSM treated atherosclerotic quails. All results demonstrate that PRSM possess a regulatory role on lipid metabolism disorders in atherosclerotic quails, which may be the pharmacological basis of PRSM for preventing the development of atherosclerosis.
Animals ; Apolipoproteins ; metabolism ; Atherosclerosis ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Cholesterol ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism ; drug effects ; Male ; Pueraria ; chemistry ; Quail ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; Salvia ; chemistry ; Triglycerides ; metabolism

The temporal expression of estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha and ER-beta mRNA was examined in male Japanese quails. Femurs of quails receiving 17beta-estradiol underwent RTPCR and histochemical analysis 1 to 15 days after treatment. Untreated quails were used as controls (day 0). Between days 0 and 5, cells lining the bone endosteal surface differentiated into osteoblasts, which in turn formed medullary bone. Expression of ER-alpha was already observed on day 0 and increased slightly during bone formation whereas ER-beta was hardly detected throughout this process. After osteoclasts appeared on the medullary bone surface, this type of bone disappeared from the bone marrow cavity (days 7~15). ER-alpha expression simultaneously decreased slightly and ER-beta levels remained very low. These results suggest that estrogen activity mediated by ER-alpha not only affects medullary bone formation but also bone resorption.
Animals ; Bone Resorption/genetics ; Bone and Bones/chemistry/cytology/*metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Coturnix/*metabolism ; Estradiol/*pharmacology ; Estrogen Receptor alpha/genetics/*metabolism ; Estrogen Receptor beta/genetics/*metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Male ; Osteoblasts/chemistry/cytology/*metabolism ; Osteogenesis/genetics ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Quail has been proposed to be an intermediate host of influenza A viruses. However, information on the susceptibility and pathogenicity of pandemic H1N1 2009 (pH1N1) and swine influenza viruses in quails is limited. In this study, the pathogenicity, virus shedding, and transmission characteristics of pH1N1, swine H1N1 (swH1N1), and avian H3N2 (dkH3N2) influenza viruses in quails was examined. Three groups of 15 quails were inoculated with each virus and evaluated for clinical signs, virus shedding and transmission, pathological changes, and serological responses. None of the 75 inoculated (n = 45), contact exposed (n = 15), or negative control (n = 15) quails developed any clinical signs. In contrast to the low virus shedding titers observed from the swH1N1-inoculated quails, birds inoculated with dkH3N2 and pH1N1 shed relatively high titers of virus predominantly from the respiratory tract until 5 and 7 DPI, respectively, that were rarely transmitted to the contact quails. Gross and histopathological lesions were observed in the respiratory and intestinal tracts of quail inoculated with either pH1N1 or dkH3N2, indicating that these viruses were more pathogenic than swH1N1. Sero-conversions were detected 7 DPI in two out of five pH1N1-inoculated quails, three out of five quails inoculated with swH1N1, and four out of five swH1N1-infected contact birds. Taken together, this study demonstrated that quails were more susceptible to infection with pH1N1 and dkH3N2 than swH1N1.
Birds ; Influenza A virus ; Influenza, Human ; Orthomyxoviridae ; Pandemics ; Quail ; Respiratory System ; Swine ; Virus Shedding ; Viruses

Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) of the H5N1 subtype have spread since 2003 in poultry and wild birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. In Korea, the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks took place in 2003/2004, 2006/2007 and 2008. As the 2006/2007 isolates differ phylogenetically from the 2003/2004 isolates, we assessed the clinical responses of chickens, ducks and quails to intranasal inoculation of the 2006/2007 index case virus, A/chicken/Korea/IS/06. All the chickens and quails died on 3 days and 3-6 days post-inoculation (DPI), respectively, whilst the ducks only showed signs of mild depression. The uninoculated chickens and quails placed soon after with the inoculated flock died on 5.3 and 7.5 DPI, respectively. Both oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs were taken for all three species during various time intervals after inoculation. It was found that oropharyngeal swabs showed higher viral titers than in cloacal swabs applicable to all three avian species. The chickens and quails shed the virus until they died (up to 3 to 6 days after inoculation, respectively) whilst the ducks shed the virus on 2-4 DPI. The postmortem tissues collected from the chickens and quails on day 3 and days 4-5 and from clinically normal ducks that were euthanized on day 4 contained the virus. However, the ducks had significantly lower viral titers than the chickens or quails. Thus, the three avian species varied significantly in their clinical signs, mortality, tissue virus titers, and duration of virus shedding. Our observations suggest that duck and quail farms should be monitored particularly closely for the presence of HPAIV so that further virus transmission to other avian or mammalian hosts can be prevented.
Animals ; Antibodies, Viral/blood ; Brain/virology ; *Chickens ; *Coturnix ; *Ducks ; Heart/virology ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype/*pathogenicity ; Influenza in Birds/epidemiology/transmission/*virology ; Kidney/virology ; Korea/epidemiology ; Lung/virology ; Virus Shedding

OBJECTIVETo establish abdominal fat accumulation with hyperuricemia and hypercholesterolemia quail model fed with high fat diet. And then to investigate the pathological characteristics of this quail model.

METHODSThirty Longcheng quails were randomly divided into two groups: control group and model group (n=15). The control group quails were fed with normal diet and model group quails were fed with high fat diet for 14 days. After a 12-hour overnight fast, liver and abdominal fat at euthanasia as well as serum were collected. The levels of serum uric acid, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride, free fatty acid (FFA), and blood glucose were assayed. The activity changes of adenosine deaminase (ADA), xanthine oxidase (XOD), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), hepatic lipase (HL), and fatty acid synthetase (FAS) were analyzed.

RESULTSCompared with control group, the abdominal fat content (0.74+/-0.63 vs. 1.36+/-0.65 g, P<0.05) and abdominal fat index (0.44%+/-0.30% vs. 0.85%+/-0.30%, P<0.01) as well as live lipid index (3.61%+/-0.65% vs. 11.33%+/-2.14%, P<0.01) in model group significantly increased; the levels of serum uric acid (210.61+/-94.76 vs. 304.25+/-141.94 micromol/L, P<0.05), total cholesterol (4.20+/-0.51 vs. 20.10+/-11.25 mmol/L, P<0.01), LDL-C (1.16+/-0.29 vs. 10.78+/-6.48 mmol/L, P<0.01), and FFA (0.39+/-0.14 vs. 0.55+/-0.15 mmol/L, P<0.01) in model group significantly increased; HDL-C (5.85+/-0.95 vs. 4.14+/-2.03 mmol/L, P<0.05) significantly decreased; the levels of triglyceride and blood glucose had no significant changes (P>0.05); the activities of ADA (9.71+/-3.05 vs. 17.19+/-5.10 U/ml, P<0.01) and XOD (10.58+/-6.88 vs. 19.22+/-9.44 U/L, P<0.01) in model group significantly increased; and FAS, LPL, HL had no significant changes (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSHigh fat diet can induce abdominal fat accumulation with hyperuricemia and hypercholesterolemia quail model. The changes of uric acid and lipid metabolic enzyme activities may be the pathological mechanism of abdominal fat accumulation with hyperuricemia and hypercholesterolemia.

Abdominal Fat ; pathology ; Animals ; Body Weight ; Coturnix ; Dietary Fats ; administration & dosage ; Disease Models, Animal ; Hypercholesterolemia ; etiology ; metabolism ; pathology ; Hyperuricemia ; etiology ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipids ; blood ; Liver ; metabolism ; Male ; Uric Acid ; blood

OBJECTIVETo study on pharmacologic actions on quail hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis model.

METHODTo duplicate quail hyperlipidemia model by ectogenesis cholesterol and high fat forage, induce to atherosclerosis model, observe influence of sugarcane alkane alcohol to model animals' blood fat level, formation of atherosclerosis plaque, pathological changes of coronary vessels and vascular intimal.

RESULTTC, TG, LDL-C level in blood serum of quail hyperlipidemia markedly decreased after administered sugarcane alkane alcohol by dose of 30, 15, 7.5 mg x kg(-1), proliferation of aorta and brachiocephalic artery tunica intima foam cells was suppressed.

CONCLUSIONSugarcane alkane alcohol has satisfactory pharmacologic actions on hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis animal model by regulating blood fat.

Alkanes ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Atherosclerosis ; drug therapy ; Cholesterol ; blood ; Disease Models, Animal ; Ethanol ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Hyperlipidemias ; drug therapy ; Male ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Quail ; Random Allocation ; Saccharum ; chemistry

To expand the epidemiological understanding of Newcastle disease in Jeju Province, Korea, active surveillance was extensively performed through a virological examination for poultry farms and wild birds in Jeju Province during 2007~2008. Samples (swabs or fresh feces) were collected from a total of 6,485 birds including 6,405 domestic birds (chickens, ducks, pheasants, geese, quails, turkeys, and ostriches) and 80 wild birds. A total of 24 hemagglutinating agents were isolated from domestic birds on fourteen farms including five Korean native chicken, one layer chicken, two broiler chicken, four duck and two pheasant farms. The hemagglutinating agents were all identified as lentogenic NDV based on the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, sequence analysis of amino acids on the F cleavage site and mean death time in chicken embryos. The F gene-based phylogenetic analysis revealed that the NDV isolates were classified into genotypes 1 or 2 of class II. These lentogenic viruses were closely related to NDV vaccine strains used in Jeju Province. Active surveillance conducted for Newcastle disease indicates no scientific evidence of virulent NDV infection in chickens in Jeju Province, Korea since 2005.
Amino Acids ; Animals ; Birds ; Chickens ; Ducks ; Embryonic Structures ; Geese ; Genotype ; Korea ; Newcastle Disease ; Newcastle disease virus ; Poultry ; Quail ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis ; Turkeys