The serum activities of alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes measured using two approved methods in zoo-managed Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).

The approved Japanese measurement method of circulating alkaline phosphatase (ALP) has changed from that of the Japan Society of Clinical Chemistry (JSCC) to that of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC). We measured the serum levels of total ALP (t-ALP) and those of the isoenzymes ALP2 and ALP3 in 50 Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) specimens using both methods. The activities determined by the IFCC method were roughly one-third lower than those determined by the JSCC method. We present conversion formulae. Our results enable comparisons of historical and current data on serum ALP activities in endangered, zoo-managed Asian elephants.

Agarose gel electrophoresis pattern of serum creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes in zoo-managed Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).

Serum levels of creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isoenzymes were evaluated in nine zoo-managed Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) using a commercial agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) kit. CK was separated into two major fractions, CK-BB and CK-MM, along with a small fraction of macroenzyme-CK type 2 (mCK2); CK-MM was the largest fraction. LDH was separated into five fractions (LDH1-5); LDH3 was the largest fraction. Age was negatively and positively correlated with the percentages of CK-BB and CK-MM, respectively, and negatively correlated with CK-BB and mCK2 activities. These results indicate that an AGE kit can be used to evaluate CK and LDH isoenzymes. Routine isoenzyme testing may enable early detection of disease and physiological changes.

Virulence of Shigatoxigenic and Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli O80:H2 in Galleria mellonella Larvae: Comparison of the Roles of the pS88 Plasmids and STX2d Phage.

The invasiveness properties of Shigatoxigenic and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (STEC and EPEC) O80:H2 in humans and calves are encoded by genes located on a pS88-like ColV conjugative plasmid. The main objectives of this study in larvae of the Galleria mellonella moth were therefore to compare the virulence of eight bovine STEC and EPEC O80:H2, of two E. coli pS88 plasmid transconjugant and STX2d phage transductant K12 DH10B, of four E. coli O80:non-H2, and of the laboratory E. coli K12 DH10B strains. Thirty larvae per strain were inoculated in the last proleg with 10 µL of tenfold dilutions of each bacterial culture corresponding to 10 to 106 colony-forming units (CFUs). The larvae were kept at 37 °C and their mortality rate was followed daily for four days. The main results were that: (i) not only the STEC and EPEC O80:H2, but also different E. coli O80:non-H2 were lethal for the larvae at high concentrations (from 104 to 106 CFU) with some variation according to the strain; (ii) the Stx2d toxin and partially the pS88 plasmid were responsible for the lethality caused by the E. coli O80:H2; (iii) the virulence factors of E. coli O80:non-H2 were not identified. The general conclusions are that, although the Galleria mellonella larvae represent a useful first-line model to study the virulence of bacterial pathogens, they are more limited in identifying their actual virulence properties.