The National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility: Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-04

example, research on Nipah virus must be performed in a BSL-4 laboratory. diagnostic capabilities for foreign animal and zoonotic diseases.”4 The...fever, African swine fever, Rift Valley fever, Nipah virus, Hendra virus, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, and Japanese encephalitis.9 The DHS plans

The National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility: Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-11-15

and mouth disease (FMD), classical swine fever , African swine fever , Rift Valley fever , Nipah virus, Hendra virus, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia...Preparedness, by Jim Monke. 2 Examples include influenza, plague, West Nile Virus, and Rift Valley Fever . 3 These diseases are sometimes referred to as

First report on the molecular prevalence of Mycoplasma capricolum subspecies capripneumoniae (Mccp) in goats the cause of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) in Balochistan province of Pakistan.

PubMed

Awan, Mohammad Arif; Abbas, Ferhat; Yasinzai, Masoom; Nicholas, Robin A J; Babar, Shakeel; Ayling, Roger D; Attique, Mohammad Adnan; Ahmed, Zafar; Wadood, Abdul; Khan, Faisal Ameer

2010-10-01

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subspecies capripneumoniae (Mccp) is a disease of goats which causes high morbidity and mortality and is reported in many countries of the world. There are probably no reports on the molecular prevalence of Mccp, Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum (Mcc) and Mycoplasma putrefaciens (Mp) in Balochistan and any other part of Pakistan. Thirty goats (n = 30) with marked respiratory symptoms were selected and procured from forty goat flocks in Pishin district of Balochistan in 2008. The genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from the lung samples (n = 30) of the slaughtered goats was purified and subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for the presence of Mycoplasma mycoides cluster members and Mp. The PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) was also used to further confirm the Mccp. Of the thirty lung samples 17 (56.67%) were positive for the molecular prevalence of Mcc, Mccp and Mp. In total the molecular prevalence was observed as 17.65% for Mccp (n = 3), 70.59% for Mcc (n = 12) and 11.76% for Mp (n = 2). The RFLP profile has also validated the PCR results of Mccp by yielding two bands of 190 and 126 bp. The results of PCR-RFLP coupled with the presence of fibrinous pleuropneumonia and pleurisy during postmortem of goats (n = 3) strongly indicated the prevalence of CCPP in this part of world. Moreover the prevalence of Mcc and Mp is also alarming in the study area. We report for the very first time the molecular prevalence of Mcc, Mccp, and Mp in the lung tissues of goats in the Pishin district of Balochistan, Pakistan.

The National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility: Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-10

bmbl5toc.htm]. 7 For example, research on Nipah virus must be performed in a BSL-4 laboratory. 8 71 Federal Register 3107-3109. agent characterization...African swine fever, Rift Valley fever, Nipah virus, Hendra virus, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, and Japanese encephalitis.9 The DHS plans to

Surface Polysaccharide Mutants Reveal that Absence of O Antigen Reduces Biofilm Formation of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

PubMed Central

Hathroubi, S.; Hancock, M. A.; Langford, P. R.; Tremblay, Y. D. N.; Labrie, J.

2015-01-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is a Gram-negative bacterium belonging to the Pasteurellaceae family and the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, a highly contagious lung disease causing important economic losses. Surface polysaccharides, including lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and capsular polysaccharides (CPS), are implicated in the adhesion and virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae, but their role in biofilm formation is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the requirement for these surface polysaccharides in biofilm formation by A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 1. Well-characterized mutants were used: an O-antigen LPS mutant, a truncated core LPS mutant with an intact O antigen, a capsule mutant, and a poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PGA) mutant. We compared the amount of biofilm produced by the parental strain and the isogenic mutants using static and dynamic systems. Compared to the findings for the biofilm of the parental or other strains, the biofilm of the O antigen and the PGA mutants was dramatically reduced, and it had less cell-associated PGA. Real-time PCR analyses revealed a significant reduction in the level of pgaA, cpxR, and cpxA mRNA in the biofilm cells of the O-antigen mutant compared to that in the biofilm cells of the parental strain. Specific binding between PGA and LPS was consistently detected by surface plasmon resonance, but the lack of O antigen did not abolish these interactions. In conclusion, the absence of the O antigen reduces the ability of A. pleuropneumoniae to form a biofilm, and this is associated with the reduced expression and production of PGA. PMID:26483403

9 CFR 93.405 - Health certificate for ruminants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... diseases; and provided further, that for sheep and goats, with respect to contagious pleuropneumonia, the... bovines, sheep, or goats from regions listed as BSE minimal-risk regions in § 94.18(a)(3) of this subchapter, the certificate must also include the name and address of the importer; the species, breed...

Microarray-based comparative genomic profiling of reference strains and selected Canadian field isolates of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

PubMed Central

Gouré, Julien; Findlay, Wendy A; Deslandes, Vincent; Bouevitch, Anne; Foote, Simon J; MacInnes, Janet I; Coulton, James W; Nash, John HE; Jacques, Mario

2009-01-01

Background Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, is a highly contagious respiratory pathogen that causes severe losses to the swine industry worldwide. Current commercially-available vaccines are of limited value because they do not induce cross-serovar immunity and do not prevent development of the carrier state. Microarray-based comparative genomic hybridizations (M-CGH) were used to estimate whole genomic diversity of representative Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae strains. Our goal was to identify conserved genes, especially those predicted to encode outer membrane proteins and lipoproteins because of their potential for the development of more effective vaccines. Results Using hierarchical clustering, our M-CGH results showed that the majority of the genes in the genome of the serovar 5 A. pleuropneumoniae L20 strain were conserved in the reference strains of all 15 serovars and in representative field isolates. Fifty-eight conserved genes predicted to encode for outer membrane proteins or lipoproteins were identified. As well, there were several clusters of diverged or absent genes including those associated with capsule biosynthesis, toxin production as well as genes typically associated with mobile elements. Conclusion Although A. pleuropneumoniae strains are essentially clonal, M-CGH analysis of the reference strains of the fifteen serovars and representative field isolates revealed several classes of genes that were divergent or absent. Not surprisingly, these included genes associated with capsule biosynthesis as the capsule is associated with sero-specificity. Several of the conserved genes were identified as candidates for vaccine development, and we conclude that M-CGH is a valuable tool for reverse vaccinology. PMID:19239696

Modulation of Gene Expression in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Exposed to Bronchoalveolar Fluid

PubMed Central

Lone, Abdul G.; Deslandes, Vincent; Nash, John H. E.; Jacques, Mario; MacInnes, Janet I.

2009-01-01

Background Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, the causative agent of porcine contagious pleuropneumonia, is an important pathogen of swine throughout the world. It must rapidly overcome the innate pulmonary immune defenses of the pig to cause disease. To better understand this process, the objective of this study was to identify genes that are differentially expressed in a medium that mimics the lung environment early in the infection process. Methods and Principal Findings Since bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) contains innate immune and other components found in the lungs, we examined gene expression of a virulent serovar 1 strain of A. pleuropneumoniae after a 30 min exposure to BALF, using DNA microarrays and real-time PCR. The functional classes of genes found to be up-regulated most often in BALF were those encoding proteins involved in energy metabolism, especially anaerobic metabolism, and in cell envelope, DNA, and protein biosynthesis. Transcription of a number of known virulence genes including apxIVA and the gene for SapF, a protein which is involved in resistance to antimicrobial peptides, was also up-regulated in BALF. Seventy-nine percent of the genes that were up-regulated in BALF encoded a known protein product, and of these, 44% had been reported to be either expressed in vivo and/or involved in virulence. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that in early stages of infection, A. pleuropneumoniae may modulate expression of genes involved in anaerobic energy generation and in the synthesis of proteins involved in cell wall biogenesis, as well as established virulence factors. Given that many of these genes are thought to be expressed in vivo or involved in virulence, incubation in BALF appears, at least partially, to simulate in vivo conditions and may provide a useful medium for the discovery of novel vaccine or therapeutic targets. PMID:19578537

Risk factors associated with contagious caprine pleuro-pneumonia in goats in pastoral areas in the Rift Valley region of Kenya.

PubMed

Kipronoh, K A; Ombui, J N; Binepal, Y S; Wesonga, H O; Gitonga, E K; Thuranira, E; Kiara, H K

2016-09-15

A cross-sectional study to determine risk factors associated with sero-prevalence of contagious caprine pleuro-pneumonia (CCPP) in goats was carried out between the months of March, 2014 and March, 2015 in Pokot East, Turkana West and Kajiado Central Sub-counties. A semi-structured questionnaire focusing on risk factors for CCPP was completed for each flock whose serum samples were collected. A logistic regression model was developed to assess the association between the risk factors and CCPP sero-positivity. Of the 54 flocks, 49 (90.7%) presented at least one sero-positive animal. Two hundred and four of the 432 goats tested sero-positive at monoclonal antibody based competitive Enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (c-ELISA), hence a sero-prevalence of 47.2% (95% CI=42.5- 51.9). Previous exposure of flocks to CCPP (p<0.001, OR=52.8; CI=6.45, 432), distant sources of veterinary drugs (p<0.001, OR=6.17; CI=3.41, 11.1), movement of goats to dry season feeding areas (p<0.001, OR=4.31; CI=2.39, 7.75) and markets as a source of new introductions to the flock (p=0.033, OR=1.86; CI=1.05, 3.27) were identified as risk factors significantly associated with CCPP sero-prevalence. The findings provide further evidence supporting the high prevalence and endemic state of the disease in pastoral flocks and hence there is need for adequate measures to be put in place to control the disease effectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Induction of protective immune responses against challenge of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae by oral administration with Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing Apx toxins in pigs.

PubMed

Shin, Min-Kyoung; Kang, Mi Lan; Jung, Myung Hwan; Cha, Seung-Bin; Lee, Won-Jung; Kim, Jung-Mi; Kim, Dae-Hyuk; Yoo, Han Sang

2013-01-15

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is a causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, a highly contagious endemic disease of pigs worldwide, inducing significant economic losses worldwide. Apx toxins, which are correlated with the virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae, were expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its possible use as an oral vaccine has been confirmed in our previous studies using a murine model. The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that oral immunization using S. cerevisiae expressing either ApxI or ApxII could protect pigs against A. pleuropneumoniae as an effective way of inducing both mucosal and systemic immune responses. The surface-displayed ApxIIA#5 expressing S. cerevisiae was selected as an oral vaccine candidate by finding on induction of higher immune responses in mice after oral vaccination. The surface-displayed ApxIIA#5 expressing S. cerevisiae and the ApxIA expressing S. cerevisiae were developed to serve as an oral vaccine in pigs. The vaccinated pigs showed higher specific IgG- and IgA-related antibody activities than the non-treated control and vector control pigs. Additionally, the induced immune responses were found to protect pigs infected with A. pleuropneumoniae according to the analysis of clinical signs and the gross and microscopic pulmonary lesions. These results suggested that the surface-displayed ApxIIA#5 and ApxIA in S. cerevisiae might be a potential oral vaccine to protect pigs against porcine pleuropneumonia. Thus the present study is expected to contribute to the development of a live oral vaccine against porcine pleuropneumonia as an alternative to current conventional vaccines. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The RNA Chaperone Hfq Promotes Fitness of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae during Porcine Pleuropneumonia

PubMed Central

Subashchandrabose, Sargurunathan; Leveque, Rhiannon M.; Kirkwood, Roy N.; Kiupel, Matti

2013-01-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the etiological agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, an economically important disease of pigs. The hfq gene in A. pleuropneumoniae, encoding the RNA chaperone and posttranscriptional regulator Hfq, is upregulated during infection of porcine lungs. To investigate the role of this in vivo-induced gene in A. pleuropneumoniae, an hfq mutant strain was constructed. The hfq mutant was defective in biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces. The level of pgaC transcript, encoding the biosynthesis of poly-β-1,6-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG), a major biofilm matrix component, was lower and PNAG content was 10-fold lower in the hfq mutant than in the wild-type strain. When outer membrane proteins were examined, cysteine synthase, implicated in resistance to oxidative stress and tellurite, was not found at detectable levels in the absence of Hfq. The hfq mutant displayed enhanced sensitivity to superoxide generated by methyl viologen and tellurite. These phenotypes were readily reversed by complementation with the hfq gene expressed from its native promoter. The role of Hfq in the fitness of A. pleuropneumoniae was assessed in a natural host infection model. The hfq mutant failed to colonize porcine lungs and was outcompeted by the wild-type strain (median competitive index of 2 × 10−5). Our data demonstrate that the in vivo-induced gene hfq is involved in the regulation of PNAG-dependent biofilm formation, resistance to superoxide stress, and the fitness and virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae in pigs and begin to elucidate the role of an in vivo-induced gene in the pathogenesis of pleuropneumonia. PMID:23732171

Infection dynamics and acute phase response of an Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae field isolate of moderate virulence in pigs.

PubMed

Gómez-Laguna, Jaime; Islas, Armando; Muñoz, Dennis; Ruiz, Alvaro; Villamil, Aura; Carrasco, Librado; Quezada, Manuel

2014-10-10

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, the causative agent of porcine contagious pleuropneumonia (PCP), causes significant economic losses associated mainly with growth stunting of animals. Although serotypes can be distinguished according to their virulence, most of the studies are focused in A. pleuropneumoniae infections with virulent serotypes. There is little information regarding the role of acute phase proteins (APPs) and proinflammatory cytokines in infections with isolates of mild or moderate virulence. Thus, the present study aims to evaluate the kinetics of infection with an A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 6 (Ap6) field isolate of moderate virulence and the changes in the serum concentration of specific antibodies and different APPs and proinflammatory cytokines. Control animals showed no clinical signs or lesions throughout the study. Infected animals showed increased rectal temperature, respiratory distress and depression from 24hpi, and typical gross and microscopic lesions of PCP from 6hpi onwards. Ap6 was isolated from nasal swabs of four out of five inoculated animals at 24hpi, and from nasal swabs, tonsil and lung samples from all inoculated animals at 72hpi. Specific antibodies against Ap6 or changes in the serum concentration of IL-1β, IL-10 and TNF-α were not detected throughout the study. The serum concentration of IL-6 increased from 6hpi as well as serum A amyloid, C-reactive protein and haptoglobin from 24hpi onwards. Our results highlight the onset of the acute phase response after the infection with a field isolate of A. pleuropneumoniae of moderate virulence from 24hpi onwards which may be of interest in the study of the pathogenesis of this disease. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae genes expression in biofilms cultured under static conditions and in a drip-flow apparatus

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the Gram-negative bacterium responsible for porcine pleuropneumonia. This respiratory infection is highly contagious and characterized by high morbidity and mortality. The objectives of our study were to study the transcriptome of A. pleuropneumoniae biofilms at different stages and to develop a protocol to grow an A. pleuropneumoniae biofilm in a drip-flow apparatus. This biofilm reactor is a system with an air-liquid interface modeling lung-like environment. Bacteria attached to a surface (biofilm) and free floating bacteria (plankton) were harvested for RNA isolation. Labelled cDNA was hybridized to a microarray to compare the expression profiles of planktonic cells and biofilm cells. Results It was observed that 47 genes were differentially expressed (22 up, 25 down) in a 4 h-static growing/maturing biofilm and 117 genes were differentially expressed (49 up, 68 down) in a 6h-static dispersing biofilm. The transcriptomes of a 4 h biofilm and a 6 h biofilm were also compared and 456 genes (235 up, 221 down) were identified as differently expressed. Among the genes identified in the 4 h vs 6h biofilm experiment, several regulators of stress response were down-regulated and energy metabolism associated genes were up-regulated. Biofilm bacteria cultured using the drip-flow apparatus differentially expressed 161 genes (68 up, 93 down) compared to the effluent bacteria. Cross-referencing of differentially transcribed genes in the different assays revealed that drip-flow biofilms shared few differentially expressed genes with static biofilms (4 h or 6 h) but shared several differentially expressed genes with natural or experimental infections in pigs. Conclusion The formation of a static biofilm by A. pleuropneumoniae strain S4074 is a rapid process and transcriptional analysis indicated that dispersal observed at 6 h is driven by nutritional stresses. Furthermore, A. pleuropneumoniae can form a biofilm under low

An international collaborative study to determine the prevalence of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia by monoclonal antibody-based cELISA.

PubMed

Peyraud, Armelle; Poumarat, François; Tardy, Florence; Manso-Silván, Lucía; Hamroev, Karomatullo; Tilloev, Tillo; Amirbekov, Mullojon; Tounkara, Karim; Bodjo, Charles; Wesonga, Hezron; Nkando, Isabel Gacheri; Jenberie, Shiferaw; Yami, Martha; Cardinale, Eric; Meenowa, Deodass; Jaumally, Mahmad Reshad; Yaqub, Tahir; Shabbir, Muhammad Zubair; Mukhtar, Nadia; Halimi, Mohibullah; Ziay, Ghulam Mohammad; Schauwers, Willy; Noori, Hafizullah; Rajabi, Ali Madad; Ostrowski, Stéphane; Thiaucourt, François

2014-02-24

Few serological tests are available for detecting antibodies against Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae, the causal agent of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP). The complement fixation test, the test prescribed for international trade purposes, uses a crude antigen that cross-reacts with all the other mycoplasma species of the "mycoides cluster" frequently infecting goat herds. The lack of a more specific test has been a real obstacle to the evaluation of the prevalence and economic impact of CCPP worldwide. A new competitive ELISA kit for CCPP, based on a previous blocking ELISA, was formatted at CIRAD and used to evaluate the prevalence of CCPP in some regions of Kenya, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Tajikistan and Pakistan in an international collaborative study. The strict specificity of the test was confirmed in CCPP-free goat herds exposed to other mycoplasma species of the "mycoides cluster". Prevalence studies were performed across the enzootic range of the disease in Africa and Asia. Seroprevalence was estimated at 14.6% in the Afar region of Ethiopia, whereas all the herds presented for CCPP vaccination in Kenya tested positive (individual seroprevalence varied from 6 to 90% within each herd). In Mauritius, where CCPP emerged in 2009, nine of 62 herds tested positive. In Central Asia, where the disease was confirmed only recently, no positive animals were detected in the Wakhan District of Afghanistan or across the border in neighboring areas of Tajikistan, whereas seroprevalence varied between 2.7% and 44.2% in the other districts investigated and in northern Pakistan. The test was also used to monitor seroconversion in vaccinated animals. This newly formatted CCPP cELISA kit has retained the high specificity of the original kit. It can therefore be used to evaluate the prevalence of CCPP in countries or regions without vaccination programs. It could also be used to monitor the efficacy of vaccination campaigns as high-quality vaccines induce high

An international collaborative study to determine the prevalence of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia by monoclonal antibody-based cELISA

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Few serological tests are available for detecting antibodies against Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae, the causal agent of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP). The complement fixation test, the test prescribed for international trade purposes, uses a crude antigen that cross-reacts with all the other mycoplasma species of the “mycoides cluster” frequently infecting goat herds. The lack of a more specific test has been a real obstacle to the evaluation of the prevalence and economic impact of CCPP worldwide. A new competitive ELISA kit for CCPP, based on a previous blocking ELISA, was formatted at CIRAD and used to evaluate the prevalence of CCPP in some regions of Kenya, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Tajikistan and Pakistan in an international collaborative study. Results The strict specificity of the test was confirmed in CCPP-free goat herds exposed to other mycoplasma species of the “mycoides cluster”. Prevalence studies were performed across the enzootic range of the disease in Africa and Asia. Seroprevalence was estimated at 14.6% in the Afar region of Ethiopia, whereas all the herds presented for CCPP vaccination in Kenya tested positive (individual seroprevalence varied from 6 to 90% within each herd). In Mauritius, where CCPP emerged in 2009, nine of 62 herds tested positive. In Central Asia, where the disease was confirmed only recently, no positive animals were detected in the Wakhan District of Afghanistan or across the border in neighboring areas of Tajikistan, whereas seroprevalence varied between 2.7% and 44.2% in the other districts investigated and in northern Pakistan. The test was also used to monitor seroconversion in vaccinated animals. Conclusions This newly formatted CCPP cELISA kit has retained the high specificity of the original kit. It can therefore be used to evaluate the prevalence of CCPP in countries or regions without vaccination programs. It could also be used to monitor the efficacy of vaccination

Cyto-adherence of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides to bovine lung epithelial cells.

PubMed

Aye, Racheal; Mwirigi, Martin Kiogora; Frey, Joachim; Pilo, Paola; Jores, Joerg; Naessens, Jan

2015-02-07

Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides (Mmm) is the causative agent of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), a respiratory disease of cattle, whereas the closely related Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri (Mmc) is a goat pathogen. Cyto-adherence is a crucial step in host colonization by mycoplasmas and subsequent pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the interactions between Mmm and mammalian host cells by establishing a cyto-adherence flow cytometric assay and comparing tissue and species specificity of Mmm and Mmc strains. There were little significant differences in the adherence patterns of eight different Mmm strains to adult bovine lung epithelial cells. However, there was statistically significant variation in binding to different host cells types. Highest binding was observed with lung epithelial cells, intermediate binding with endothelial cells and very low binding with fibroblasts, suggesting the presence of effective adherence of Mmm on cells lining the airways of the lung, which is the target organ for this pathogen, possibly by high expression of a specific receptor. However, binding to bovine fetal lung epithelial cells was comparably low; suggesting that the lack of severe pulmonary disease seen in many infected young calves can be explained by reduced expression of a specific receptor. Mmm bound with high efficiency to adult bovine lung cells and less efficiently to calves or goat lung cells. The data show that cyto-adherence of Mmm is species- and tissue- specific confirming its role in colonization of the target host and subsequent infection and development of CBPP.

Sub-inhibitory concentrations of penicillin G induce biofilm formation by field isolates of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Hathroubi, S; Fontaine-Gosselin, S-È; Tremblay, Y D N; Labrie, J; Jacques, M

2015-09-30

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is a Gram-negative bacterium and causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia. This is a highly contagious disease that causes important economic losses to the swine industry worldwide. Penicillins are extensively used in swine production and these antibiotics are associated with high systemic clearance and low oral bioavailability. This may expose A. pleuropneumoniae to sub-inhibitory concentrations of penicillin G when the antibiotic is administered orally. Our goal was to evaluate the effect of sub-minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of penicillin G on the biofilm formation of A. pleuropneumoniae. Biofilm production of 13 field isolates from serotypes 1, 5a, 7 and 15 was tested in the presence of sub-MIC of penicillin G using a polystyrene microtiter plate assay. Using microscopy techniques and enzymatic digestion, biofilm architecture and composition were also characterized after exposure to sub-MIC of penicillin G. Sub-MIC of penicillin G significantly induced biofilm formation of nine isolates. The penicillin G-induced biofilms contained more poly-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (PGA), extracellular DNA and proteins when compared to control biofilms grown without penicillin G. Additionally, penicillin G-induced biofilms were sensitive to DNase which was not observed with the untreated controls. Furthermore, sub-MIC of penicillin G up-regulated the expression of pgaA, which encodes a protein involved in PGA synthesis, and the genes encoding the envelope-stress sensing two-component regulatory system CpxRA. In conclusion, sub-MICs of penicillin G significantly induce biofilm formation and this is likely the result of a cell envelope stress sensed by the CpxRA system resulting in an increased production of PGA and other matrix components. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Detection of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in drinking water from pig farms.

PubMed

Loera-Muro, Victor M; Jacques, Mario; Tremblay, Yannick D N; Avelar-González, Francisco J; Loera Muro, Abraham; Ramírez-López, Elsa M; Medina-Figueroa, Alejandra; González-Reynaga, Higinio M; Guerrero-Barrera, Alma L

2013-03-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the aetiological agent of porcine pleuropneumonia and is normally transmitted by aerosols and direct contact between animals. A. pleuropneumoniae has traditionally been considered an obligate pathogen of pigs and its presence in the environment has yet to be investigated. Here, the presence of A. pleuropneumoniae was detected in drinking water of pig farms in Mexico using a PCR specific for the RTX toxin gene, apxIV. The presence of A. pleuropneumoniae in farm drinking water was confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence using an A. pleuropneumoniae-specific polyclonal antibody and by fluorescent in situ hybridization. Viable bacteria from the farm drinking water were detected using the Live/Dead BacLight stain. Additionally, viable A. pleuropneumoniae was selected and isolated using the cAMP test and the identity of the isolated bacteria were confirmed by Gram staining, a specific polyclonal antibody and an A. pleuropneumoniae-specific PCR. Furthermore, biofilms were observed by scanning electron microscopy in A. pleuropneumoniae-positive samples. In conclusion, our data suggest that viable A. pleuropneumoniae is present in the drinking water of swine farms and may use biofilm as a strategy to survive in the environment.

In vitro activity and rodent efficacy of clinafloxacin for bovine and swine respiratory disease.

PubMed

Sweeney, Michael T; Quesnell, Rebecca; Tiwari, Raksha; Lemay, Mary; Watts, Jeffrey L

2013-01-01

Clinafloxacin is a broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone that was originally developed and subsequently abandoned in the late 1990s as a human health antibiotic for respiratory diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the activity of clinafloxacin as a possible treatment for respiratory disease in cattle and pigs. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were determined using Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute recommended procedures with recent strains from the Zoetis culture collection. Rodent efficacy was determined in CD-1 mice infected systemically or intranasally with bovine Mannheimia haemolytica or Pasteurella multocida, or swine Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, and administered clinafloxacin for determination of ED50 (efficacious dose-50%) values. The MIC90 values for clinafloxacin against bovine P. multocida, M. haemolytica, Histophilus somni, and M. bovis were 0.125, 0.5, 0.125, and 1 μg/ml, respectively, and the MIC90 values against swine P. multocida, A. pleuropneumoniae, S. suis, and M. hyopneumoniae were í0.03, í0.03, 0.125, and í0.008 μg/ml, respectively. Efficacy in mouse models showed average ED50 values of 0.019 mg/kg/dose in the bovine M. haemolytica systemic infection model, 0.55 mg/kg in the bovine P. multocida intranasal lung challenge model, 0.08 mg/kg/dose in the bovine P. multocida systemic infection model, and 0.7 mg/kg/dose in the swine A. pleuropneumoniae systemic infection model. Clinafloxacin shows good in vitro activity and efficacy in mouse models and may be a novel treatment alternative for the treatment of respiratory disease in cattle and pigs.

Genetic evolution of Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae strains and molecular epidemiology of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia by sequencing of locus H2.

PubMed

Lorenzon, S; Wesonga, H; Ygesu, Laikemariam; Tekleghiorgis, Tesfaalem; Maikano, Y; Angaya, M; Hendrikx, P; Thiaucourt, F

2002-03-01

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a major threat to goat farming in developing countries. Its exact distribution is not well known, despite the fact that new diagnostic tools such as PCR and competitive ELISA are now available. The authors developed a study of the molecular epidemiology of the disease, based on the amplification of a 2400 bp long fragment containing two duplicated gene coding for a putative membrane protein. The sequence of this fragment, obtained on 19 Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp) strains from various geographical locations, gave 11 polymorphic positions. The three mutations found on gene H2prim were silent and did not appear to induce any amino acid modifications in the putative translated protein. The second gene may be a pseudogene not translated in vivo, as it bore a deletion of the ATG codon found in the other members of the "Mycoplasma mycoides cluster" and as the six mutations evidenced in the Mccp strains would induce modifications in the translated amino acids. In addition, an Mccp strain isolated in the United Arab Emirates showed a deletion of the whole pseudogene, a further indication that this gene is not compulsory for mycoplasma growth. Four lineages were defined, based on the nucleotide sequence. These correlated relatively well with the geographical origin of the strains: North, Central or East Africa. The strain of Turkish origin had a sequence similar to that found in North African strains, while strains isolated in Oman had sequences similar to those of North or East African strains. The latter is possibly due to the regular import of goats of various origins. Similar molecular epidemiology tools have been developed by sequencing the two operons of the 16S rRNA gene or by AFLP. All these various techniques give complementary results. One (16S rRNA) offers the likelihood of a finer identification of strains circulating in a region, another (H2) of determining the geographical origin of the

B cell cross-epitope of Propionibacterium acnes and Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia selected by phage display library can efficiently protect from Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia infection.

PubMed

Liu, Jianfang; Ma, Qiuyue; Yang, Feng; Zhu, Rining; Gu, Jingmin; Sun, Changjiang; Feng, Xin; Du, Chongtao; Langford, Paul R; Han, Wenyu; Yang, Junling; Lei, Liancheng

2017-06-01

Contagious porcine pleuropneumonia (CPP), caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP), is a highly transmissible and fatal respiratory illness that causes tremendous economic losses for the pig breeding industry worldwide. Propionibacterium acnes (PA) has a strong cross-reaction with anti-APP1 and anti-APP5 serum and can efficiently prevent APP infection, which was fortuitously found in researching the differential gene between the different APP serotypes. There seems to be some natural cross-protection between PA and APP. To identify the common epitope, the phage display library of a PA whole genome was constructed, whose size is 10 5 . The DNA sequence of the positive clone was determined after three rounds of biopanning, and ten common protein types were identified and the epitope was predicted by computer software. Six peptide epitopes were selected and synthesized for further analysis. Among these epitopes, Ba1, Bb5 and C1 could bind to anti-PA serum and anti-APP1 serum and vice versa. Furthermore, the IgG and IL-4 levels and CD4 + /CD8 + T cell ratios in the Ba1, Bb5 and C1 groups were significantly higher than that in the control group, indicating that the epitopes could trigger an immune response, which was mainly humoral immunity. Moreover, Ba1 and Bb5 equally protected 80% of mice from a fatal dose of APP1 infection compared with the control group. Mice could resist APP1 and APP5 challenge after being treated with the combination of Ba1 and Bb5, with survival rates of 80% and 90%, respectively. These findings suggest that the PA epitope confers antigenicity and can heterologously resist to the APP infection. This finding provides a novel strategy for preventing APP infection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Isolation rates, serovars, and toxin genotypes of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-independent Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae among pigs suffering from pleuropneumonia in Spain.

PubMed

Maldonado, Jaime; Valls, Laura; Martínez, Eva; Riera, Pere

2009-11-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the etiologic agent of swine pleuropneumonia, a major production-limiting disease in the pig industry. In the current study, 2,171 lung specimens obtained from pigs housed in 870 Spanish pig farms in regions of substantial pig production were examined. Conventional microbiology, coupled with species-specific polymerase chain reaction, identified 127 biovar 2 isolates, accounting for 25.3% of all A. pleuropneumoniae (n = 502) detected. Most isolates (79%) were recovered as pure primary cultures or as the predominant bacteria from lungs exhibiting lesions typical of acute swine pleuropneumonia. Coagglutination testing identified the isolates as belonging to serovars 2 (4.7%), 4 (4.7%), 7 (68.5%), and 11 (1.6%); however, 26 isolates were nontypeable. All biovar 2 isolates showed genes of the apxII operon alone, which encodes the corresponding ApxII exotoxin, leading to a different gene pattern for isolates in serovars 2, 4, and 11 compared with those of biovar 1. From this survey, it can be concluded that A. pleuropneumoniae biovar 2 infections are common in pigs in Spain, and they may be a common cause of respiratory disease in swine.

Serological cross-reactivity between a porcine Actinobacillus strain and Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed Central

Rosendal, S; Mittal, K R

1985-01-01

During serological screening of a closed SPF-herd free of pleuropneumonia, more than half of the pigs were positive for complement-fixing antibodies to Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae. Actinobacillus bacteria closely related to A. suis were isolated from tonsillar tissue of 14 out of 20 slaughtered pigs submitted for pathological and bacteriological evaluation. None of the pigs had evidence of respiratory disease. Two pigs inoculated endobronchially with a selected Actinobacillus strain developed mild focal pneumonia and complement-fixing antibodies cross-reacting with H. pleuropneumoniae. Five pigs exposed and vaccinated with the Actinobacillus strain and five pigs spontaneously infected with the strain also developed complement-fixing antibodies against H. pleuropneumoniae and appeared to be less susceptible to experimental Haemophilus pleuropneumonia than pigs not exposed to the Actinobacillus infection. The agglutination test applied on serum treated with 2-mercaptoethanol detected antibodies against H. pleuropneumoniae serotype 5 but not against serotype 1 in pigs exposed to the Actinobacillus strain. Antibodies reactive with the Actinobacillus strain were also found in pigs hyperimmunized against H. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1-5 in 2-mercaptoethanol tube agglutination test and rabbits hyperimmunized against serotypes 1,2 and 7, and strain 73567 in the immunodiffusion test. Conversely rabbits immunized against the Actinobacillus strain had antibodies against H. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. It is concluded that pigs infected with Actinobacillus organisms may become false positive reactors against H. pleuropneumoniae. PMID:3926287

Control and eradication of animal diseases in New Zealand.

PubMed

Davidson, R M

2002-01-01

New Zealand is free from all the major epidemic (Office International des Epizooties List A) diseases of animals and other important diseases, such as rabies and the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. The once endemic conditions of sheep scab (Psoroptes ovis), bovine brucellosis (Brucella abortus), hydatids (Echinococcus granulosus) and Aujeszky's disease have been eradicated. Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) is no longer considered endemic and Pullorum disease (Salmonella Pullorum) has effectively been eradicated from commercial poultry flocks. There are current control programmes for bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis), enzootic bovine leucosis in dairy cattle, infectious bursal disease, ovine epididymitis (Brucella ovis), and caprine arthritis encephalitis. Historically, incursions by three important non-endemic diseases, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, classical swine fever and scrapie, have been successfully eliminated. Any new occurrence of a serious exotic disease would be dealt with swiftly using powerful legislative authorities available for the purpose.

Analysis of major antigens of Haemophilus (Actinobacillus) pleuropneumoniae and related organisms.

PubMed Central

MacInnes, J I; Rosendal, S

1987-01-01

Outer membrane protein (OMP)-enriched extracts and whole-cell protein preparations of Haemophilus (Actinobacillus) pleuropneumoniae and related organisms were examined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. Both the OMP-enriched and whole-cell protein profiles of Actinobacillus suis, A. pleuropneumoniae (NAD-independent biovar), A. lignieresii, and Pasteurella haemolytica were very similar to those of H. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1 to 8. Antisera prepared against H. pleuropneumoniae typically recognized three major OMP antigens with approximate molecular weights of 17,000 (17K), 32K, and 42K in immunoblots of H. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1 to 8, Actinobacillus spp., and P. haemolytica. Antisera prepared against Actinobacillus spp. and Haemophilus sp. "minor group" also recognized these 17K, 32K, and 42K antigens. Using absorbed sera, we demonstrated that the 17K antigen had an epitope (or epitopes) common to all the gram-negative organisms examined, including Escherichia coli. The 32K and 42K antigens had epitopes common to members of the family Pasteurellaceae but, in the case of the 32K antigen, also contained unique epitopes. These results provide a basis for understanding the lack of specificity of serodiagnostic tests for H. pleuropneumoniae infection and provide another line of evidence for the association of H. pleuropneumoniae with the genus Actinobacillus. Images PMID:3298061

Cloning and characterisation of type 4 fimbrial genes from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Stevenson, Andrew; Macdonald, Julie; Roberts, Mark

2003-03-20

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the cause of porcine pleuropneumoniae. Little is known about the mechanisms by which A. pleuropneumoniae colonises the respiratory tract. Fimbriae are common mediators of bacterial adherence to mucosal epithelia and have been observed on the surface of A. pleuropneumoniae cells. Here we report the identification and characterisation of the type 4 fimbrial structural gene (apfA) from A. pleuropneumoniae. In addition a number of open reading frames were identified in A. pleuropneumoniae that have significant homology to type 4 fimbrial biogenesis genes from other species, including a putative leader specific peptidase (apfD). A. pleuropneumoniae apfA codes for a predicted polypeptide of approximately 16kDa, removal of the leader sequence at the predicted cleavage site would yield a 14.5kDa polypeptide. The first 30 residues of the mature polypeptide are well conserved with other members of the group A type 4 fimbriae family. The signal sequence of ApfA is 13 amino acids in length and, unusually, the residue that precedes the cleavage site is alanine rather than glycine which is found in most other type 4 fimbriae. The C-terminus of ApfA possesses cysteine residues that are conserved in type 4 fimbriae of many species. In other type 4 fimbriae the distal C-terminal cysteines form a disulphide bond that produces a loop, which is important for the function of fimbriae and also comprises a major antigenic determinant. A motif within the predicted loop in ApfA was found to be highly conserved in type 4 fimbriae of other HAP organisms (Haemophilus, Actinobacillus, Pasteurella). The A. pleuropneumoniae type 4 fimbrial biogenesis genes showed the strongest homology to putative type 4 fimbrial genes of Haemophilus ducreyi. A. pleuropneumoniae apfA gene was shown to be present and highly conserved in different serotypes of A. pleuropneumoniae. Recombinant ApfA was produced and used to raise anti-ApfA antisera.

A BOX-SCAR fragment for the identification of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Rossi, Ciro C; Pereira, Monalessa F; Langford, Paul R; Bazzolli, Denise M S

2014-03-01

Bacterial respiratory diseases are responsible for considerable mortality, morbidity and economic losses in the swine industry. Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, is one of the most important disease agents, but its identification and surveillance can be impaired by the existence of many other related bacteria in normal swine microbiota. In this work, we have evaluated a BOX-A1R-based repetitive extragenic palindromic-PCR (BOX-PCR) sequence characterised amplified region (SCAR) marker for the specific identification of A. pleuropneumoniae and its use in a multiplex PCR to detect additionally Haemophilus parasuis and Pasteurella multocida, two other major respiratory pathogens of pigs that are members of the family Pasteurellaceae. PCRs based on the BOX-SCAR fragment developed were rapid, sensitive and differentiated A. pleuropneumoniae from all swine-related members of the Pasteurellaceae family tested. Single and multiplex BOX-SCAR fragment-based PCRs can be used to identify A. pleuropneumoniae from other bacterial swine pathogens and will be useful in surveillance and epidemiological studies. © 2014 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prevalence, transmission and impact of bovine leukosis in Michigan dairies

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bovine leukosis, caused by infection with the retrovirus bovine leukemia virus (BLV), has been characterized as a contagious, but practically benign disease of the immune system. National Animal Health Monitoring Surveys in 1996 and 2007 indicate complacency has resulted in high prevalence of infect...

Is Cellulitis Contagious?

MedlinePlus

... contagious? Is cellulitis contagious? Answers from Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D. Cellulitis isn't usually spread from ... antibiotics through your veins (intravenously). With Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D. Walls RM, et al., eds. Dermatologic ...

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Iron Transport and Urease Activity: Effects on Bacterial Virulence and Host Immune Response

PubMed Central

Baltes, Nina; Tonpitak, Walaiporn; Gerlach, Gerald-F.; Hennig-Pauka, Isabel; Hoffmann-Moujahid, Astrid; Ganter, Martin; Rothkötter, Hermann-J.

2001-01-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, a porcine respiratory tract pathogen, has been shown to express transferrin-binding proteins and urease during infection. Both activities have been associated with virulence; however, their functional role for infection has not yet been elucidated. We used two isogenic A. pleuropneumoniae single mutants (ΔexbB and ΔureC) and a newly constructed A. pleuropneumoniae double (ΔureC ΔexbB) mutant in aerosol infection experiments. Neither the A. pleuropneumoniae ΔexbB mutant nor the double ΔureC ΔexbB mutant was able to colonize sufficiently long to initiate a detectable humoral immune response. These results imply that the ability to utilize transferrin-bound iron is required for multiplication and persistence of A. pleuropneumoniae in the porcine respiratory tract. The A. pleuropneumoniae ΔureC mutant and the parent strain both caused infections that were indistinguishable from one another in the acute phase of disease; however, 3 weeks postinfection the A. pleuropneumoniae ΔureC mutant, in contrast to the parent strain, could not be isolated from healthy lung tissue. In addition, the local immune response—as assessed by fluorescence-activated cell sorter and enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot analyses—revealed a significantly higher number of A. pleuropneumoniae-specific B cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of pigs infected with the A. pleuropneumoniae ΔureC mutant than in the BALF of those infected with the parent strain. These results imply that A. pleuropneumoniae urease activity may cause sufficient impairment of the local immune response to slightly improve the persistence of the urease-positive A. pleuropneumoniae parent strain. PMID:11119539

Effect of tilmicosin on chemotactic, phagocytic, and bactericidal activities of bovine and porcine alveolar macrophages.

PubMed

Brumbaugh, Gordon W; Herman, James D; Clancy, Julianne S; Burden, Kyland I; Barry, Tracie; Simpson, R B; López, Hector Sumano

2002-01-01

To evaluate chemotactic, phagocytic, and bactericidal activities of bovine and porcine alveolar macrophages (AM) exposed to tilmicosin. 12 healthy calves and 12 healthy pigs. Lungs were obtained immediately after euthanasia; AM were collected by means of bronchoalveolar lavage and density gradient centrifugation. Chemotactic activity was evaluated by exposing AM to lipopolysaccharide or macrophage inhibitory peptide during incubation with tilmicosin. Phagocytic activity was evaluated by incubating AM with tilmicosin for 24 hours and then with tilmicosin-resistant Salmonella serotype Typhimurium. Bactericidal activity was evaluated by incubating AM with tilmicosin (0, 10, or 20 microg/ml for bovine AM; 0 or 10 microg/ml or 10 microg/ml but washed free of tilmicosin for porcine AM) and then with Mannheimia haemolytica (bovine AM) or with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae or Pasteurella multocida (porcine AM). Tilmicosin had no significant effects on chemotactic or phagocytic activities of bovine or porcine AM. The time-course of bactericidal activity was best described by polynomial equations. Time to cessation of bacterial growth and area under the time versus bacterial number curve were significantly affected by incubation of AM with tilmicosin. Results show that bactericidal activity of bovine and porcine AM was enhanced by tilmicosin, but not in proportion to the reported ability of AM to concentrate tilmicosin intracellularly. With or without exposure to tilmicosin, the time-course of bactericidal activity of bovine AM against M haemolytica and of porcine AM against A pleuropneumoniae or P multocida was too complex to be reduced to a simple linear equation.

Antimicrobial resistance, biofilm formation and virulence reveal Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae strains' pathogenicity complexity.

PubMed

Pereira, Monalessa Fábia; Rossi, Ciro César; Seide, Larissa Eler; Martins Filho, Sebastião; Dolinski, Cláudia de Melo; Bazzolli, Denise Mara Soares

2018-05-07

Porcine pleuropneumonia is an important cause of lowered productivity and economic loss in the pig industry worldwide, associated primarily with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection. Its colonization and persistence within the upper respiratory tract of affected pigs depends upon interactions between a number of genetically controlled virulence factors, such as pore-forming repeats-in-toxin exoproteins, biofilm formation, and antimicrobial resistance. This study investigated correlations between biofilm-forming capacity, antimicrobial resistance, and virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae obtained from clinical outbreaks of disease, using a Galleria mellonella alternative infection model. Results suggest that virulence is diverse amongst the 21 strains of A. pleuropneumoniae examined and biofilm formation correlated with genetic control of antimicrobial resistance. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Genes Preferentially Expressed During Infection Using In Vivo-Induced Antigen Technology (IVIAT).

PubMed

Zhang, Fei; Zhang, Yangyi; Wen, Xintian; Huang, Xiaobo; Wen, Yiping; Wu, Rui; Yan, Qigui; Huang, Yong; Ma, Xiaoping; Zhao, Qin; Cao, Sanjie

2015-10-01

Porcine pleuropneumonia is an infectious disease caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. The identification of A. pleuropneumoniae genes, specially expressed in vivo, is a useful tool to reveal the mechanism of infection. IVIAT was used in this work to identify antigens expressed in vivo during A. pleuropneumoniae infection, using sera from individuals with chronic porcine pleuropneumonia. Sequencing of DNA inserts from positive clones showed 11 open reading frames with high homology to A. pleuropneumoniae genes. Based on sequence analysis, proteins encoded by these genes were involved in metabolism, replication, transcription regulation, and signal transduction. Moreover, three function-unknown proteins were also indentified in this work. Expression analysis using quantitative real-time PCR showed that most of the genes tested were up-regulated in vivo relative to their expression levels in vitro. IVI (in vivoinduced) genes that were amplified by PCR in different A. pleuropneumoniae strains showed that these genes could be detected in almost all of the strains. It is demonstrated that the identified IVI antigen may have important roles in the infection of A. pleuropneumoniae.

Efficacy of tilmicosin in the control of experimentally induced Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection in swine.

PubMed

Paradis, Marie-Anne; Vessie, Gordon H; Merrill, John K; Dick, C Paul; Moore, Camille; Charbonneau, George; Gottschalk, M; MacInnes, Janet I; Higgins, Robert; Mittal, K R; Girard, C; Aramini, Jeffery J; Wilson, Jeffrey B

2004-01-01

The efficacy of tilmicosin administered in the feed to control Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infections in pigs was evaluated through a multisite, multitrial study. For each of 6 trials, 48 pigs (stratified by weight and sex) were randomly assigned to 6 to 8 pens. Medicated feed containing tilmicosin (200 g/t) and unmedicated feed were randomly assigned at the pen level and were provided ad libitum from day -7 to trial termination (day 14). Seeder pigs (inoculated intranasally with A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 1 and showing signs of clinical disease) were introduced to each pen on day 0. Rates of death, gross lesions, and culture of A. pleuropneumoniae at necropsy, clinical scores, average daily gain in weight, and average body temperature were compared between the medicated and unmedicated pigs. Compared with the unmedicated pigs, significantly fewer (P < 0.05) pigs given tilmicosin had lesions typical of A. pleuropneumoniae or had A. pleuropneumoniae isolated from their tissues at necropsy. Together with a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in the average percentage of pneumonic lung involvement (both visually and by weight), there were reductions in the numbers of pigs with moderate and severe pneumonic lung lesions and with A. pleuropneumoniae associated mortality. With tilmicosin treatment, the average daily weight gain, daily temperature, abdominal appearance, attitude, and respiration were also significantly better (P < 0.05). The results of this study demonstrate the in vivo effectiveness of tilmicosin (200 g/t) in controlling pleuropneumonia among swine experimentally infected with A. pleuropneumoniae.

Identification and phylogenetic analysis of contagious ecthyma virus from camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Iran.

PubMed

Oryan, Ahmad; Mosadeghhesari, Mahboobe; Zibaee, Saeed; Mohammadi, Ali

2017-03-24

Contagious ecthyma is a highly contagious disease affecting domestic and wild ruminants such as sheep, goats and camels. The identification and characterisation of a parapoxvirus (PPV) infecting camels is described here. The virus was detected in dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) from Kerman and Shiraz in Iran. PPV-specific amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) further confirmed that the disease was associated with PPV infection. Phylogenetic analysis of ORF011 (B2L) gene sequences showed 99.79% and 82.13% similarity of the PPV identified in this study with the Jodhpur isolate and the bovine papular stomatitis virus (BPSV) isolates (CE41), respectively. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis of the ORF045 gene indicated that the Shiraz sample was in all probability closely related to VR634 and to F00.120R and PCPV776. In conclusion, the results suggest that camel PPV (CPPV) is a likely cause of contagious ecthyma in dromedary camels in Iran.

Identification of QTL affecting resistance/susceptibility to acute Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection in swine.

PubMed

Reiner, Gerald; Bertsch, Natalie; Hoeltig, Doris; Selke, Martin; Willems, Hermann; Gerlach, Gerald Friedrich; Tuemmler, Burkhard; Probst, Inga; Herwig, Ralf; Drungowski, Mario; Waldmann, Karl Heinz

2014-04-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is among the most important pathogens worldwide in pig production. The agent can cause severe economic losses due to decreased performance, acute or chronic pleuropneumonia and an increased incidence of death. Therapeutics cannot be used in a sustainable manner, and vaccination is not always available, but discovering more about host defence and disease mechanisms might lead to new methods of prophylaxis. The aim of the present study was to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with resistance/susceptibility to A. pleuropneumoniae. Under controlled conditions, 170 F2 animals of a Hampshire/Landrace family, with known differences in founder populations regarding A. pleuropneumoniae resistance, were challenged with an A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 7 aerosol followed by a detailed clinical, radiographic, ultrasonographic, pathological and bacteriological examination. F2 pigs were genotyped with 159 microsatellite markers. Significant QTL were identified on Sus scrofa chromosomes (SSC) 2, 6, 12, 13, 16, 17 and 18. They explained 6-22% of phenotypic variance. One QTL on SSC2 reached significance on a genome-wide level for five associated phenotypic traits. A multiple regression analysis revealed a combinatory effect of markers SWR345 (SSC2) and S0143 (SSC12) on Respiratory Health Score, Clinical Score and the occurrence of death. The results indicate the genetic background of A. pleuropneumoniae resistance in swine and provide new insights into the genetic architecture of resistance/susceptibility to porcine pleuropneumonia. The results will be helpful in identifying the underlying genes and mechanisms.

The genetic organization of the capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis region of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 14

PubMed Central

ITO, Hiroya

2015-01-01

The genetic organization of the gene involved in the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) biosynthesis of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 14 has been determined. The DNA region for the CPS biosynthesis of serotype 14 (cps14) comprised 9 open reading frames, designated as cps14AB1B2B3CDEFG genes, encoding Cps14A to Cps14G protein, respectively. Cps14A was similar to CpsA of A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1, 4 and 12; the Cps14B1 and Cps14B2 were similar to CpsB of A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1, 4 and 12, suggesting that CPS structure of A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 14 would belong to Group I including A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1, 4, 12 and 15. Surprisingly, the overall nucleotide sequence, deduced amino acid sequence, and the genetic organization of the cps14 were nearly identical to those of Actinobacillus suis. This study will provide the molecular basic knowledge for development of diagnostics and vaccine of A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 14. PMID:25648373

Efficacy of tilmicosin in the control of experimentally induced Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection in swine

PubMed Central

2004-01-01

Abstract The efficacy of tilmicosin administered in the feed to control Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infections in pigs was evaluated through a multisite, multitrial study. For each of 6 trials, 48 pigs (stratified by weight and sex) were randomly assigned to 6 to 8 pens. Medicated feed containing tilmicosin (200 g/t) and unmedicated feed were randomly assigned at the pen level and were provided ad libitum from day −7 to trial termination (day 14). Seeder pigs (inoculated intranasally with A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 1 and showing signs of clinical disease) were introduced to each pen on day 0. Rates of death, gross lesions, and culture of A. pleuropneumoniae at necropsy, clinical scores, average daily gain in weight, and average body temperature were compared between the medicated and unmedicated pigs. Compared with the unmedicated pigs, significantly fewer (P < 0.05) pigs given tilmicosin had lesions typical of A. pleuropneumoniae or had A. pleuropneumoniae isolated from their tissues at necropsy. Together with a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in the average percentage of pneumonic lung involvement (both visually and by weight), there were reductions in the numbers of pigs with moderate and severe pneumonic lung lesions and with A. pleuropneumoniae associated mortality. With tilmicosin treatment, the average daily weight gain, daily temperature, abdominal appearance, attitude, and respiration were also significantly better (P < 0.05). The results of this study demonstrate the in vivo effectiveness of tilmicosin (200 g/t) in controlling pleuropneumonia among swine experimentally infected with A. pleuropneumoniae. PMID:14979429

Poly-N-acetylglucosamine mediates biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

PubMed Central

Izano, Era A.; Sadovskaya, Irina; Vinogradov, Evgeny; Mulks, Martha H.; Velliyagounder, Kabilan; Ragunath, Chandran; Kher, William B.; Ramasubbu, Narayanan; Jabbouri, Saïd; Perry, Malcolm B.; Kaplan, Jeffrey B.

2007-01-01

Most field isolates of the swine pathogen Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae form tenacious biofilms on abiotic surfaces in vitro. We purified matrix polysaccharides from biofilms produced by A. pleuropneumoniae field isolates IA1 and IA5 (serotypes 1 and 5, respectively), and determined their chemical structures by using NMR spectroscopy. Both strains produced matrix polysaccharides consisting of linear chains of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) residues in β(1,6) linkage (poly-β-1,6-GlcNAc or PGA). A small percentage of the GlcNAc residues in each polysaccharide were N-deacetylated. These structures were nearly identical to those of biofilm matrix polysaccharides produced by Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis. PCR analyses indicated that a gene encoding the PGA-specific glycoside transferase enzyme PgaC was present on the chromosome of 15 out of 15 A. pleuropneumoniae reference strains (serotypes 1-12) and 76 out of 77 A. pleuropneumoniae field isolates (serotypes 1, 5 and 7). A pgaC mutant of strain IA5 failed to form biofilms in vitro, as did wild-type strains IA1 and IA5 when grown in broth supplemented with the PGA-hydrolyzing enzyme dispersin B. Treatment of IA5 biofilms with dispersin B rendered them more sensitive to killing by ampicillin. Our findings suggest that PGA functions as a major biofilm adhesin in A. pleuropneumoniae. Biofilm formation may have relevance to the colonization and pathogenesis of A. pleuropneumoniae in pigs. PMID:17412552

Early detection of contagious diseases

DOEpatents

Colston, Jr., Billy W.; Milanovich, Fred P [Lafayette, CA; Estacio, Pedro [Mission San Jose, CA; Chang, John [Walnut Creek, CA

2011-08-09

This invention provides an electronic proximity apparatus and a surveillance method using such an apparatus for alerting individuals that are exposed to a contagious disease. When a person becomes symptomatic and is diagnosed as positive for a given contagious agent, individuals that have recently maintained a threshold proximity with respect to an infected individual are notified and advised to seek immediate medial care. Treatment of individuals in the very early phases of infection (pre-symptomatic) significantly reduces contagiousness of the infected population first exposed to the contagious disease, thus preventing spread of the disease throughout the general population.

Host response to bovine respiratory pathogens.

PubMed

Czuprynski, Charles J

2009-12-01

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) involves complex interactions amongst viral and bacterial pathogens that can lead to intense pulmonary inflammation (fibrinous pleuropneumonia). Viral infection greatly increases the susceptibility of cattle to secondary infection of the lung with bacterial pathogens like Mannheimia haemolytica and Histophilus somni. The underlying reason for this viral/bacterial synergism, and the manner in which cattle respond to the virulence strategies of the bacterial pathogens, is incompletely understood. Bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1) infection of bronchial epithelial cells in vitro enhances the binding of M. haemolytica and triggers release of inflammatory mediators that attract and enhance binding of neutrophils. An exotoxin (leukotoxin) released from M. haemolytica further stimulates release of inflammatory mediators and causes leukocyte death. Cattle infected with H. somni frequently display vasculitis. Exposure of bovine endothelial cells to H. somnii or its lipooligosaccharide (LOS) increases endothelium permeability, and makes the surface of the endothelial cells pro-coagulant. These processes are amplified in the presence of platelets. The above findings demonstrate that bovine respiratory pathogens (BHV-1, M. haemolytica and H. somni) interact with leukocytes and other cells (epithelial and endothelial cells) leading to the inflammation that characterizes BRD.

Contagious yawning in chimpanzees.

PubMed Central

Anderson, James R; Myowa-Yamakoshi, Masako; Matsuzawa, Tetsuro

2004-01-01

Six adult female chimpanzees were shown video scenes of chimpanzees repeatedly yawning or of chimpanzees showing open-mouth facial expressions that were not yawns. Two out of the six females showed significantly higher frequencies of yawning in response to yawn videos; no chimpanzees showed the inverse. Three infant chimpanzees that accompanied their mothers did not yawn at all. These data are highly reminiscent of the contagious yawning effects reported for humans. Contagious yawning is thought to be based on the capacity for empathy. Contagious yawning in chimpanzees provides further evidence that these apes may possess advanced self-awareness and empathic abilities. PMID:15801606

Plasmid mediated antimicrobial resistance in Ontario isolates of Actinobacillus (Haemophilus) pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed Central

Gilbride, K A; Rosendal, S; Brunton, J L

1989-01-01

The genetic basis of antimicrobial resistance in Ontario isolates of Actinobacillus (Haemophilus) pleuropneumoniae was studied. Two Ontario isolates of A. pleuropneumoniae were found to be resistant to sulfonamides (Su), streptomycin (Sm) and ampicillin (Amp). Resistance to Su and Sm was specified by a 2.3 megadalton (Mdal) plasmid which appeared to be identical to pVM104, which has been described in isolates of A. pleuropneumoniae from South Dakota. Southern hybridization showed that the 2.3 Mdal Su Sm plasmid was highly related to those Hinc II fragments of RSF1010 known to carry the Su Sm genes, but was unrelated to the remainder of this Salmonella resistance plasmid. Resistance to Su and Amp was specified by a 3.5 Mdal plasmid and appeared identical to pVM105 previously reported. The beta-lactamase enzyme had an isoelectric point of approximately 9.0. Southern hybridization showed no relationship to the TEM beta-lactamase. A third isolate of A. pleuropneumoniae was found to be resistant to chloramphenicol (Cm), Su and Sm by virtue of a 3.0 Mdal plasmid which specified a chloramphenicol acetyl transferase. We conclude that resistance to Su, Sm, Amp and Cm is mediated by small plasmids in A. pleuropneumoniae. Although the Su and Sm resistance determinants are highly related to those found in Enterobacteriaceae, the plasmids themselves and the beta-lactamase determinant are different. Images Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Fig. 3. Fig. 4. PMID:2914226

Macrophages largely contribute to heterologous anti-Propionibacterium acnes antibody-mediated protection from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection in mice.

PubMed

Ma, Qiuyue; Sun, Changjiang; Yang, Feng; Wang, Lei; Qin, Wanhai; Xia, Xiaojing; Feng, Xin; Du, Chongtao; Gu, Jingmin; Han, Wenyu; Lei, Liancheng

2015-03-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the causative agent of acute and chronic pleuropneumonia. Propionibacterium acnes is a facultative anaerobic gram-positive corynebacterium. We have previously found that anti-P. acnes antibodies can prevent A. pleuropneumoniae infections in mice. To investigate the role of macrophages in this process, affinity-purified anti-P. acnes IgG and anti-A. pleuropneumoniae IgG were used in opsonophagocytosis assays. Additionally, the efficacy of passive immunization with P. acnes serum against A. pleuropneumoniae was tested in macrophage-depleted mice. It was found that anti-P. acnes IgG had an effect similar to that of anti-A. pleuropneumoniae IgG (P > 0.05), which significantly promotes phagocytosis of A. pleuropneumoniae by macrophages (P < 0.01). It was also demonstrated that, after passive immunization with anti-P. acnes serum, macrophage-replete mice had the highest survival rate (90%), whereas the survival rate of macrophage-depleted mice was only 40% (P < 0.05). However, macrophage-depleted mice that had been passively immunized with naïve serum had the lowest survival rate (20%), this rate being lower than that of macrophage-replete mice that had been passively immunized with naïve serum. Overall, anti-P. acnes antibodies did not prevent A. pleuropneumoniae infection under conditions of macrophage depletion (P > 0.05). Furthermore, in mice that had been passively immunized with anti-P. acnes serum, macrophage depletion resulted in a greater A. pleuropneumoniae burden and more severe pathological features of pneumonia in lung tissues than occurred in macrophage-replete mice. It was concluded that macrophages are essential for the process by which anti-P. acnes antibody prevents A. pleuropneumoniae infection in mice. © 2015 The Societies and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Citrus-derived oils inhibit Satphylococcus aureus growth and alter its interaction with bovine mammary cells

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This experiment examined the effects of cold-pressed, terpeneless citrus oil (CDO) on growth of Staphylococcus aureus, which a major cause of contagious bovine mastitis, and invasion of epithelial cells as modeled with bovine mammary cells (MAC-T). The broth dilution method (Muthaiyan et al., 2012)...

Isolation and molecular characterization of a urease-negative Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae mutant.

PubMed

Ito, Hiroya; Takahashi, Sayaka; Asai, Tetsuo; Tamura, Yutaka; Yamamoto, Koshi

2018-01-01

An atypical urease-negative mutant of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serovar 2 was isolated in Japan. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the urease gene cluster revealed that the insertion of a short DNA sequence into the cbiM gene was responsible for the urease-negative activity of the mutant. Veterinary diagnostic laboratories should be watchful for the presence of aberrant urease-negative A. pleuropneumoniae isolates.

Adults' Explanations and Children's Understanding of Contagious Illnesses, Non-Contagious Illnesses, and Injuries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toyama, Noriko

2016-01-01

The present study examined (1) whether children notice different causes for contagious illnesses, non-contagious illnesses, and injuries and (2) what information adults provide to children and to what extent this information is related to children's causal awareness. Studies 1 and 2 explored preschool teachers' and mothers' explanations of…

The genetic organization of the capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis region of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 15

PubMed Central

ITO, Hiroya; SUEYOSHI, Masuo

2014-01-01

Nucleotide sequence determination and analysis of the cps gene involved in the capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 15 revealed the presence of three open reading frames, designated as cps15ABC genes. At the protein level, Cps15A and Cps15B showed considerably high homology to CpsA (67.0 to 68.7%) and CpsB (31.7 to 36.8%), respectively, of A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1, 4 and 12, revealing the common genetic organization of the cps among serotypes 1, 4, 12 and 15. However, Cps15C showed no homology to any proteins of A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes, indicating that cps15C may be specific to serotype 15. This study will provide the basic molecular knowledge necessary for the development of diagnostics and a vaccine for A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 15. PMID:25502540

Identification of four type II toxin-antitoxin systems in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Zheng, Chengkun; Zhao, Xigong; Zeng, Ting; Cao, Manman; Xu, Jiali; Shi, Guolin; Li, Jinquan; Chen, Huanchun; Bei, Weicheng

2017-07-03

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are small genetic elements that are widely prevalent in the genomes of bacteria and archaea. These modules have been identified in various bacteria and proposed to play an important role in bacterial physiology and virulence. However, their presence in the genomes of Actinobacillus species has received no attention. In this study, we describe the identification of four type II TA systems in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia. Reverse transcription PCR analysis revealed that the genes encoding the toxin and antitoxin are co-transcribed. Overexpression of each toxin inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, and the toxic effect could be counteracted by its cognate antitoxin. The pull-down experiments demonstrated that each toxin interacts with its cognate antitoxin in vivo. The promoter activity assays showed that each antitoxin could autoregulate either positively or negatively the TA operon transcription. In addition, the APJL_0660/0659 TA system is present in half of the detected serovars of A. pleuropneumoniae, while the others are present in all. Collectively, we identified four type II TA systems in A. pleuropneumoniae, and this study has laid the foundation for further functional study of these TA systems. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Development of two real-time polymerase chain reaction assays to detect Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serovars 1-9-11 and serovar 2.

PubMed

Marois-Créhan, Corinne; Lacouture, Sonia; Jacques, Mario; Fittipaldi, Nahuel; Kobisch, Marylène; Gottschalk, Marcelo

2014-01-01

Two real-time, or quantitative, polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays were developed to detect Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serovars 1-9-11 (highly related serovars with similar virulence potential) and serovar 2, respectively. The specificity of these assays was verified on a collection of 294 strains, which included all 16 reference A. pleuropneumoniae strains (including serovars 5a and 5b), 263 A. pleuropneumoniae field strains isolated between 1992 and 2009 in different countries, and 15 bacterial strains other than A. pleuropneumoniae. The detection levels of both qPCR tests were evaluated using 10-fold dilutions of chromosomal DNA from reference strains of A. pleuropneumoniae serovars 1 and 2, and the detection limit for both assays was 50 fg per assay. The analytical sensitivities of the qPCR tests were also estimated by using pure cultures and tonsils experimentally spiked with A. pleuropneumoniae. The detection threshold was 2.5 × 10(4) colony forming units (CFU)/ml and 2.9 × 10(5) CFU/0.1 g of tonsil, respectively, for both assays. These specific and sensitive tests can be used for the serotyping of A. pleuropneumoniae in diagnostic laboratories to control porcine pleuropneumonia.

Are we prepared for emerging and re-emerging diseases? Experience and lessons from epidemics that occurred in Tanzania during the last five decades.

PubMed

Karimuribo, Esron D; Mboera, Leonard E G; Mbugi, Erasto; Simba, Azma; Kivaria, Fredrick M; Mmbuji, Peter; Rweyemamu, Mark M

2011-12-01

This paper reviews preparedness for containing and controlling emerging and re-emerging diseases drawing lessons from disease events that occurred in animal and human populations in the last five decades (1961-2011). A comprehensive analysis based on retrieval and analysis of grey and published literature as well as reported cases was carried out to document type and trend of occurrence of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in different parts of Tanzania. Overall, the majority of diseases reported in the country were viral in nature followed by bacterial diseases. The trend for the occurrence shows a number of new emerging diseases as well as re-occurrence of old diseases in both animal (domestic and wild) and human populations. In humans, the major disease epidemics reported in the last five decades include cholera, influenza A H1N1, plague and rubella. In animals, the major epidemic diseases reported were Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia, Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia, Peste des petits ruminants and Giraffe Ear and Skin Diseases. Some epidemics have been reported in both human and animal populations including Rift Valley fever and anthrax. The emergence of the 'fit-for purpose' approaches and technologies such as the discipline of One Health, use of participatory epidemiology and disease surveillance and mobile technologies offers opportunity for optimal use of limited resources to improve early detection, diagnosis and response to disease events and consequently reduced impact of such diseases in animal and human populations.

Host-pathogen interplay at primary infection sites in pigs challenged with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Sassu, Elena L; Frömbling, Janna; Duvigneau, J Catharina; Miller, Ingrid; Müllebner, Andrea; Gutiérrez, Ana M; Grunert, Tom; Patzl, Martina; Saalmüller, Armin; von Altrock, Alexandra; Menzel, Anne; Ganter, Martin; Spergser, Joachim; Hewicker-Trautwein, Marion; Verspohl, Jutta; Ehling-Schulz, Monika; Hennig-Pauka, Isabel

2017-02-28

Actinobacillus (A.) pleuropneumoniae is the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia and causes significant losses in the pig industry worldwide. Early host immune response is crucial for further progression of the disease. A. pleuropneumoniae is either rapidly eliminated by the immune system or switches to a long-term persistent form. To gain insight into the host-pathogen interaction during the early stages of infection, pigs were inoculated intratracheally with A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 2 and humanely euthanized eight hours after infection. Gene expression studies of inflammatory cytokines and the acute phase proteins haptoglobin, serum amyloid A and C-reactive protein were carried out by RT-qPCR from the lung, liver, tonsils and salivary gland. In addition, the concentration of cytokines and acute phase proteins were measured by quantitative immunoassays in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, serum and saliva. In parallel to the analyses of host response, the impact of the host on the bacterial pathogen was assessed on a metabolic level. For the latter, Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR-) spectroscopy was employed. Significant cytokine and acute phase protein gene expression was detected in the lung and the salivary gland however this was not observed in the tonsils. In parallel to the analyses of host response, the impact of the host on the bacterial pathogen was assessed on a metabolic level. For the latter investigations, Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR-) spectroscopy was employed. The bacteria isolated from the upper and lower respiratory tract showed distinct IR spectral patterns reflecting the organ-specific acute phase response of the host. In summary, this study implies a metabolic adaptation of A. pleuropneumoniae to the porcine upper respiratory tract already during early infection, which might indicate a first step towards the persistence of A. pleuropneumoniae. Not only in lung, but also in the salivary gland an increased inflammatory gene expression

Multiplex analysis of pro-inflammatory cytokines in serum of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae-infected pigs.

PubMed

Wyns, H; Croubels, S; Vandekerckhove, M; Demeyere, K; De Backer, P; Goddeeris, B M; Meyer, E

2015-10-01

Porcine pleuropneumonia is a severe respiratory disease caused by Actinobacillus (A.) pleuropneumoniae. The aim of the present study was to analyze serum samples of A. pleuropneumoniae-infected pigs for TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 using a cytometric bead array (CBA) 3-plex assay and additionally for IL-6 using ELISA. The CBA 3-plex assay was successfully validated for use in serum. The limits of detection varied between 0.012 and 0.333 ng/mL, and the inter- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were <5% and <10%, respectively. Increased levels were observed for all 3 cytokines following experimental infection with A. pleuropneumoniae. Mean peak concentrations of TNF-α and IL-6 were recorded at 12h and at 10h p.i., respectively. For IL-6, similar concentration-time profiles were observed with CBA and ELISA. It is proposed that this immuno-assay can be applied for the screening of immunomodulatory properties of drugs and vaccine adjuvants in infection, inflammation and vaccination. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Serotyping of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 5 strains using a monoclonal-based polystyrene agglutination test.

PubMed Central

Dubreuil, J D; Letellier, A; Stenbaek, E; Gottschalk, M

1996-01-01

A polystyrene agglutination test has been developed for serotyping Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 5a and 5b strains. Protein A-coated polystyrene microparticles were sensitized with a murine monoclonal antibody recognizing an epitope on serotype 5 LPS-O chain as shown by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. A total of 205 A. pleuropneumoniae, strains including all 12 serotype reference strains and 13 strains representing 8 common bacterial species associated with swine or related to A. pleuropneumoniae, were tested by mixing 25 microL of polystyrene reagent with the same volume of a dense suspension of bacterial cells grown for 18 h. All A. pleuropneumoniae strains had been previously serotyped using standard procedures. The polystyrene agglutination test was rapid (less than 3 min) and easy to perform. Overall a very good correlation (97.3%) with the standard techniques was found. The sensitized polystyrene particles were stable for at least 6 mo. Images Figure 1. PMID:8825998

Pyridoxal phosphate synthases PdxS/PdxT are required for Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae viability, stress tolerance and virulence.

PubMed

Xie, Fang; Li, Gang; Wang, Yalei; Zhang, Yanhe; Zhou, Long; Wang, Chengcheng; Liu, Shuanghong; Liu, Siguo; Wang, Chunlai

2017-01-01

Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) is an essential cofactor for numerous enzymes involved in a diversity of cellular processes in living organisms. Previous analysis of the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae S-8 genome sequence revealed the presence of pdxS and pdxT genes, which are implicated in deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate (DXP)-independent pathway of PLP biosynthesis; however, little is known about their roles in A. pleuropneumoniae pathogenicity. Our data demonstrated that A. pleuropneumoniae could synthesize PLP by PdxS and PdxT enzymes. Disruption of the pdxS and pdxT genes rendered the pathogen auxotrophic for PLP, and the defective growth as a result of these mutants was chemically compensated by the addition of PLP, suggesting the importance of PLP production for A. pleuropneumoniae growth and viability. Additionally, the pdxS and pdxT deletion mutants displayed morphological defects as indicated by irregular and aberrant shapes in the absence of PLP. The reduced growth of the pdxS and pdxT deletion mutants under osmotic and oxidative stress conditions suggests that the PLP synthases PdxS/PdxT are associated with the stress tolerance of A. pleuropneumoniae. Furthermore, disruption of the PLP biosynthesis pathway led to reduced colonization and attenuated virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae in the BALB/c mouse model. The data presented in this study reveal the critical role of PLP synthases PdxS/PdxT in viability, stress tolerance, and virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae.

Contagious Yawning in Autistic and Typical Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helt, Molly S.; Eigsti, Inge-Marie; Snyder, Peter J.; Fein, Deborah A.

2010-01-01

The authors tested susceptibility to contagious yawning in 120 children, 1-6 years, to identify the time course of its emergence during development. Results indicated a substantial increase in the frequency of contagious yawning at 4 years. In a second study, the authors examined contagious yawning in 28 children with autism spectrum disorders…

Identification of proteins of Propionibacterium acnes for use as vaccine candidates to prevent infection by the pig pathogen Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Li, Linxi; Sun, Changjiang; Yang, Feng; Yang, Shuxin; Feng, Xin; Gu, Jingmin; Han, Wenyu; Langford, Paul R; Lei, Liancheng

2013-10-25

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the causative agent of acute and chronic pleuroneumonia that is responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality in the pig industry. New improved vaccines that can protect against all serotypes and prevent colonization are required. In a previous study we showed that whole cells of Propionibacterium acnes protected pigs from A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 1 and 5 and, therefore, the basis for a promising heterologous vaccine. The aim of this study was to identify those protein antigens of P. acnes responsible for protection against A. pleuropneumoniae infection. Six P. acnes protein antigens that were recognized by sera raised against A. pleuropneumoniae were identified by 2-DE and immunoblotting. Recombinant versions of all P. acnes proteins gave partial protection (10-80%) against A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 1 and/or 5 infection in a mouse challenge model. The best protection (80% serotype 1; 60% serotype 5) was obtained using recombinant P. acnes single-stranded DNA-binding protein. In part, protection against A. pleuropneumoniae infection may be mediated by small peptide sequences present in P. acnes single-stranded DNA-binding protein that are cross-reactive with those present in the A. pleuropneumoniae-specific RTX toxin ApxIV and the zinc-binding protein ZnuA. The results suggest that P. acnes may be a useful vaccine to protect against different serotypes of A. pleuropneumoniae. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differential gene expression profiling of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae during induction of primary alveolar macrophage apoptosis in piglets.

PubMed

Wang, Lei; Qin, Wanhai; Ruidong, Zhai; Liu, Shiting; Zhang, Hu; Sun, Changjiang; Feng, Xin; Gu, Jingmin; Du, Chongtao; Han, Wenyu; Langford, P R; Lei, Liancheng

2015-01-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (A. pleuropneumoniae) is the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, a disease that causes serious problems for the swine industry. Successful infection by this bacterium requires breaking the first line of defence in the lungs, the primary alveolar macrophages (PAMs). Therefore, exploring A. pleuropneumoniae-PAM interactions will provide vital groundwork for the scientific control of this infectious disease, which has been little studied up to now. In this work, PAMs were isolated from piglets and co-incubated with A. pleuropneumoniae serovar 5b strain L20 in vitro, and their interaction, PAM cell death, and differential gene expression of A. pleuropneumoniae in response to PAM cell death were observed and analysed using confocal microscopy, electron microscopy, RT-PCR, Western blot, flow cytometry and the use of a gene expression profile chip. A. pleuropneumoniae quickly adhered to and invaded PAMs, inducing apoptosis, which was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The highest percentage of apoptosis in cells was confirmed using flow cytometry when the cells were infected at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 10 and incubated for 5 h, with higher expression of activated caspase-3 as measured by Western blot. Using microarray gene chips with 2868 probes containing nearly all of the genomic sequence of A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 5b strain L20, a total of 185 bacterial genes were found to be differentially expressed (including 92 up-regulated and 93 down-regulated genes) and involved in the process of apoptosis, as compared with the expression of control bacteria cultured without PAMs in BHI medium (mean expression ratios >1.5-fold, p < 0.05). The up-regulated genes are involved in energy metabolism, gene transcription and translation, virulence related gene such as LPS, Trimeric Autotransporter Adhesin, RTX and similar genes. The down-regulated genes are

Frequency of Th17 cells correlates with the presence of lung lesions in pigs chronically infected with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Sassu, Elena L; Ladinig, Andrea; Talker, Stephanie C; Stadler, Maria; Knecht, Christian; Stein, Heiko; Frömbling, Janna; Richter, Barbara; Spergser, Joachim; Ehling-Schulz, Monika; Graage, Robert; Hennig-Pauka, Isabel; Gerner, Wilhelm

2017-02-06

Porcine contagious pleuropneumonia caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) remains one of the major causes of poor growth performance and respiratory disease in pig herds. While the role of antibodies against APP has been intensely studied, the porcine T cell response remains poorly characterized. To address this, pigs were intranasally infected with APP serotype 2 and euthanized during the acute phase [6-10 days post-infection (dpi)] or the chronic phase of APP infection (27-31 dpi). Lymphocytes isolated from blood, tonsils, lung tissue and tracheobronchial lymph nodes were analyzed by intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) for IL-17A, IL-10 and TNF-α production after in vitro stimulation with crude capsular extract (CCE) of the APP inoculation strain. This was combined with cell surface staining for the expression of CD4, CD8α and TCR-γδ. Clinical records, microbiological investigations and pathological findings confirmed the induction of a subclinical APP infection. ICS-assays revealed the presence of APP-CCE specific CD4 + CD8α dim IL-17A-producing T cells in blood and lung tissue in most infected animals during the acute and chronic phase of infection and a minor fraction of these cells co-produced TNF-α. APP-CCE specific IL-17A-producing γδ T cells could not be found and APP-CCE specific IL-10-producing CD4 + T cells were present in various organs but only in a few infected animals. The frequency of identified putative Th17 cells (CD4 + CD8α dim IL-17A + ) in lung and blood correlated positively with lung lesion scores and APP-specific antibody titers during the chronic phase. These results suggest a potential role of Th17 cells in the immune pathogenesis of APP infection.

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae grows as aggregates in the lung of pigs: is it time to refine our in vitro biofilm assays?

PubMed

Tremblay, Yannick D N; Labrie, Josée; Chénier, Sonia; Jacques, Mario

2017-07-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae causes porcine pleuropneumonia and forms biofilms in vitro on abiotic surfaces; however, presence of biofilms during infections has not been documented. The aim of this study was to use a species-specific fluorescent oligonucleotide probe and confocal microscopy to localize A. pleuropneumoniae in the lungs of two naturally infected pigs. Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae was detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization and observed to grow as aggregates (~30-45 μm) during a natural infection. As the A. pleuropneumoniae aggregates observed in porcine lungs differed from the biofilms grown on a solid surface obtained in vitro, we designed a new biofilm assay using agarose, a porous substrate, favouring the formation of aggregates. In this study, we described for the first time the mode of growth of A. pleuropneumoniae during a natural infection in pigs. We also propose an in vitro biofilm assay for A. pleuropneumoniae using a porous substrate which allows the formation of aggregates. This assay might be more representative of the in vivo situation, at least in terms of the size of the bacterial aggregates and the presence of a porous matrix, and could potentially be used to test the susceptibility of A. pleuropneumoniae aggregates to antibiotics and disinfectants. © 2016 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

Pathway deregulation and expression QTLs in response to Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection in swine.

PubMed

Reiner, Gerald; Dreher, Felix; Drungowski, Mario; Hoeltig, Doris; Bertsch, Natalie; Selke, Martin; Willems, Hermann; Gerlach, Gerald Friedrich; Probst, Inga; Tuemmler, Burkhardt; Waldmann, Karl-Heinz; Herwig, Ralf

2014-12-01

Actinobacillus (A.) pleuropneumoniae is among the most important pathogens in pig. The agent causes severe economic losses due to decreased performance, the occurrence of acute or chronic pleuropneumonia, and an increase in death incidence. Since therapeutics cannot be used in a sustainable manner, and vaccination is not always available, new prophylactic measures are urgently needed. Recent research has provided evidence for a genetic predisposition in susceptibility to A. pleuropneumoniae in a Hampshire × German Landrace F2 family with 170 animals. The aim of the present study is to characterize the expression response in this family in order to unravel resistance and susceptibility mechanisms and to prioritize candidate genes for future fine mapping approaches. F2 pigs differed distinctly in clinical, pathological, and microbiological parameters after challenge with A. pleuropneumoniae. We monitored genome-wide gene expression from the 50 most and 50 least susceptible F2 pigs and identified 171 genes differentially expressed between these extreme phenotypes. We combined expression QTL analyses with network analyses and functional characterization using gene set enrichment analysis and identified a functional hotspot on SSC13, including 55 eQTL. The integration of the different results provides a resource for candidate prioritization for fine mapping strategies, such as TF, TFRC, RUNX1, TCN1, HP, CD14, among others.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolates from clinical outbreaks of porcine respiratory diseases.

PubMed

Kucerova, Z; Hradecka, H; Nechvatalova, K; Nedbalcova, K

2011-05-12

Limited data regarding the susceptibility of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae to antimicrobials has been published during recent years. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to investigate the distribution of MICs for the isolates of A. pleuropneumoniae from diseased pigs in the Czech Republic between 2007 and 2009. A total of 242 isolates were tested for susceptibility to 16 antimicrobial agents by a broth microdilution method. A low degree of resistance was observed for florfenicol (0.8%), amoxicillin and clavulanic acid (0.8%), tilmicosin (1.2%), tiamulin (1.7%) and ampicillin (3.3%), whereas resistance to tetracycline was detected more frequently, 23.9% of isolates. Interestingly, resistance to florfenicol has not yet been reported in any study investigating antimicrobial resistance of A. pleuropneumoniae. By PCR the presence of the floR gene was confirmed in all florfenicol resistant isolates. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rhodococcus equi pleuropneumonia in an adult horse

PubMed Central

Vengust, Modest; Stæmpfli, Henry; Prescott, John F.

2002-01-01

A 10-year-old warmblood gelding was evaluated for intermittent pyrexia, dullness, weight loss, and progressive respiratory disease. Multifocal necrotic pneumonia and pleuritis due to Rhodococcus equi infection was diagnosed. Case management is discussed, as well as factors that may have led to this rare cause of pleuropneumonia in an adult horse. PMID:12240529

Identification of the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Leucine-Responsive Regulatory Protein and Its Involvement in the Regulation of In Vivo-Induced Genes▿

PubMed Central

Wagner, Trevor K.; Mulks, Martha H.

2007-01-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is a gram-negative bacterial pathogen that causes a severe hemorrhagic pneumonia in swine. We have previously shown that the limitation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) is a cue that induces the expression of a subset of A. pleuropneumoniae genes identified as specifically induced during infection of the natural host animal by using an in vivo expression technology screen. Leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) is a global regulator and has been shown in Escherichia coli to regulate many genes, including genes involved in BCAA biosynthesis. We hypothesized that A. pleuropneumoniae contains a regulator similar to Lrp and that this protein is involved in the regulation of a subset of genes important during infection and recently shown to have increased expression in the absence of BCAAs. We report the identification of an A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 1 gene encoding a protein with similarity to amino acid sequence and functional domains of other reported Lrp proteins. We further show that purified A. pleuropneumoniae His6-Lrp binds in vitro to the A. pleuropneumoniae promoter regions for ilvI, antisense cps1AB, lrp, and nqr. A genetically defined A. pleuropneumoniae lrp mutant was constructed using an allelic replacement and sucrose counterselection method. Analysis of expression from the ilvI and antisense cps1AB promoters in wild-type, lrp mutant, and complemented lrp mutant strains indicated that Lrp is required for induction of expression of ilvI under BCAA limitation. PMID:17060463

Evaluation of diagnostic assays for the serological detection of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae on samples of known or unknown exposure.

PubMed

Opriessnig, Tanja; Hemann, Michelle; Johnson, John K; Heinen, Sheila; Giménez-Lirola, Luis G; O'Neill, Kevin C; Hoang, Hai; Yoon, Kyoung-Jin; Gottschalk, Marcelo; Halbur, Patrick G

2013-01-01

Accurate diagnosis of exposure to Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is important for maintaining negative farms. In the present study, the ability of a dual-plate complement fixation (CF) assay and 3 commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs; quad-plate ELISA-1, single-plate ELISA-2, and single-plate ELISA-3) in detecting serological evidence of A. pleuropneumoniae exposure was compared using serum samples of experimentally infected or vaccinated pigs, or field samples from the United States. Forty-two pigs were divided into groups of 2 pigs and were inoculated with 1 of 15 A. pleuropneumoniae strains representing all known serovars of A. pleuropneumoniae, or with Actinobacillus suis, or were vaccinated with a bacterin containing A. pleuropneumoniae serovar 1, 3, 5, or 7. Serum samples collected at the day of inoculation or vaccination and 7, 14, 21, and 28 days later were used to compare the assays. On samples from experimentally infected pigs, the dual-plate CF assay, quad-plate ELISA-1, single-plate ELISA-2, and single-plate ELISA-3 had sensitivities of 0.46, 0.74, 0.13, and 0.13 and specificities of 0.90, 1.0, 1.0, and 1.0, respectively. Vaccinated pigs were identified only by the dual-plate CF assay and the quad-plate ELISA-1. In addition, 90 serum samples with unknown A. pleuropneumoniae exposure collected under field conditions were tested with all assays. The agreement of the 4 assays on field samples was slight to fair. While several assays are available for demonstration of A. pleuropneumoniae exposure, differences in assay targets complicate test choices. Decisions on which assay or combination of assays to use depend on the specific reasons for running the assays.

Control of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia: knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices in Narok district of Kenya.

PubMed

Kairu-Wanyoike, S W; Kiara, H; Heffernan, C; Kaitibie, S; Gitau, G K; McKeever, D; Taylor, N M

2014-08-01

CBPP is an important transboundary disease in sub-Saharan Africa whose control is urgent. Participatory data collection involving 52 focus group discussions in 37 village clusters and key informant interviews, a cross-sectional study involving 232 households and a post-vaccination follow up involving 203 households was carried out in 2006-2007 in Narok South district of Kenya. This was to investigate knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices (KAPP) associated with control of CBPP as well as the adverse post-vaccination reactions in animals in order to advice the control policy. The community perceived trans-boundary CBPP threat to their cattle. They had traditional disease coping mechanisms and were conversant with CBPP prevention and control with 49.8% (95%CI: 42.8-56.7%) giving priority to CBPP control. However, 12.9% (95%CI: 9.0-18.1%) of pastoralists had no knowledge of any prevention method and 10.0% (95%CI: 6.5-14.7%) would not know what to do or would do nothing in the event of an outbreak. Although 43.5% (95%CI: 37.1-50.2%) of pastoralists were treating CBPP cases with antimicrobials, 62.5% (95%CI: 52.1-71.7%) of them doubted the effectiveness of the treatments. Pastoralists perceived vaccination to be the solution to CBPP but vaccination was irregular due to unavailability of the vaccine. Vaccination was mainly to control outbreaks rather than preventive and exhibited adverse post-vaccination reactions among 70.4% (95%CI: 63.6-76.5%) of herds and 3.8% (95%CI: 3.5-4.2%) of animals. Consequently, nearly 25.2% (95%CI: 18.5-33.2%) of pastoralists may resist subsequent vaccinations against CBPP. Pastoralists preferred CBPP vaccination at certain times of the year and that it is combined with other vaccinations. In conclusion, pastoralists were not fully aware of the preventive measures and interventions and post-vaccination reactions may discourage subsequent CBPP vaccinations. Consequently there is need for monitoring and management of post vaccination reactions and awareness creation on CBPP prevention and interventions and their merits and demerits. CBPP vaccine was largely unavailable to the pastoralists and the preference of the pastoralists was for vaccination at specified times and vaccine combinations which makes it necessary to avail the vaccine in conformity with the pastoralists preferences. In addition, planning vaccinations should involve pastoralists and neighbouring countries. As the results cannot be generalized, further studies on CBPP control methods and their effectiveness are recommended. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Control of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia: Knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices in Narok district of Kenya

PubMed Central

Kairu-Wanyoike, S.W.; Kiara, H.; Heffernan, C.; Kaitibie, S.; Gitau, G.K.; McKeever, D.; Taylor, N.M.

2014-01-01

CBPP is an important transboundary disease in sub-Saharan Africa whose control is urgent. Participatory data collection involving 52 focus group discussions in 37 village clusters and key informant interviews, a cross-sectional study involving 232 households and a post-vaccination follow up involving 203 households was carried out in 2006–2007 in Narok South district of Kenya. This was to investigate knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices (KAPP) associated with control of CBPP as well as the adverse post-vaccination reactions in animals in order to advice the control policy. The community perceived trans-boundary CBPP threat to their cattle. They had traditional disease coping mechanisms and were conversant with CBPP prevention and control with 49.8% (95%CI: 42.8–56.7%) giving priority to CBPP control. However, 12.9% (95%CI: 9.0–18.1%) of pastoralists had no knowledge of any prevention method and 10.0% (95%CI: 6.5–14.7%) would not know what to do or would do nothing in the event of an outbreak. Although 43.5% (95%CI: 37.1–50.2%) of pastoralists were treating CBPP cases with antimicrobials, 62.5% (95%CI: 52.1–71.7%) of them doubted the effectiveness of the treatments. Pastoralists perceived vaccination to be the solution to CBPP but vaccination was irregular due to unavailability of the vaccine. Vaccination was mainly to control outbreaks rather than preventive and exhibited adverse post-vaccination reactions among 70.4% (95%CI: 63.6–76.5%) of herds and 3.8% (95%CI: 3.5–4.2%) of animals. Consequently, nearly 25.2% (95%CI: 18.5–33.2%) of pastoralists may resist subsequent vaccinations against CBPP. Pastoralists preferred CBPP vaccination at certain times of the year and that it is combined with other vaccinations. In conclusion, pastoralists were not fully aware of the preventive measures and interventions and post-vaccination reactions may discourage subsequent CBPP vaccinations. Consequently there is need for monitoring and management of post vaccination reactions and awareness creation on CBPP prevention and interventions and their merits and demerits. CBPP vaccine was largely unavailable to the pastoralists and the preference of the pastoralists was for vaccination at specified times and vaccine combinations which makes it necessary to avail the vaccine in conformity with the pastoralists preferences. In addition, planning vaccinations should involve pastoralists and neighbouring countries. As the results cannot be generalized, further studies on CBPP control methods and their effectiveness are recommended. PMID:24768437

Evaluation of a multiplex PCR to identify and serotype Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serovars 1, 5, 7, 12 and 15.

PubMed

Turni, C; Singh, R; Schembri, M A; Blackall, P J

2014-10-01

The aim of this study was to validate a multiplex PCR for the species identification and serotyping of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serovars 1, 5, 7, 12 and 15. All 15 reference strains and 411 field isolates (394 from Australia, 11 from Indonesia, five from Mexico and one from New Zealand) of A. pleuropneumoniae were tested with the multiplex PCR. The specificity of this multiplex PCR was validated on 26 non-A. pleuropneumoniae species. The multiplex PCR gave the expected results with all 15 serovar reference strains and agreed with conventional serotyping for all field isolates from serovars 1 (n = 46), 5 (n = 81), 7 (n = 80), 12 (n = 16) and serovar 15 (n = 117). In addition, a species-specific product was amplified in the multiplex PCR with all 411 A. pleuropneumoniae field isolates. Of 25 nontypeable field isolates only two did not yield a serovar-specific band in the multiplex PCR. This multiplex PCR for serovars 1, 5, 7, 12 and 15 is species specific and capable of serotyping isolates from diverse locations. Significance and impact of the study: A multiplex PCR that can recognize serovars 1, 5, 7, 12 and 15 of A. pleuropneumoniae was developed and validated. This novel diagnostic tool will enable frontline laboratories to provide key information (the serovar) to guide targeted prevention and control programmes for porcine pleuropneumonia, a serious economic disease of pigs. The previous technology, traditional serotyping, is typically provided by specialized reference laboratories, limiting the capacity to respond to this key disease. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

What's the Difference Between Infectious and Contagious?

MedlinePlus

... said to be contagious . Some infections spread to people from an animal or insect, but are not contagious from another human. Lyme disease is an example: You can't catch it from someone you're hanging out with or pass in the street. It comes from the bite of an infected ...

[Cu,Zn]-Superoxide Dismutase Mutants of the Swine Pathogen Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Are Unattenuated in Infections of the Natural Host

PubMed Central

Sheehan, Brian J.; Langford, Paul R.; Rycroft, Andrew N.; Kroll, J. Simon

2000-01-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, contains a periplasmic Cu- and Zn-cofactored superoxide dismutase ([Cu,Zn]-SOD, or SodC) which has the potential, realized in other pathogens, to promote bacterial survival during infection by dismutating host-defense-derived superoxide. Here we describe the construction of a site-specific, [Cu,Zn]-SOD-deficient A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 1 mutant and show that although the mutant is highly sensitive to the microbicidal action of superoxide in vitro, it remains fully virulent in experimental pulmonary infection in pigs. PMID:10899887

Antimicrobial resistance genes in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Haemophilus parasuis and Pasteurella multocida isolated from Australian pigs.

PubMed

Dayao, Dae; Gibson, J S; Blackall, P J; Turni, C

2016-07-01

To identify genes associated with the observed antimicrobial resistance in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Haemophilus parasuis and Pasteurella multocida isolated from Australian pigs. Isolates with known phenotypic resistance to β-lactams, macrolides and tetracycline were screened for the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes. A total of 68 A. pleuropneumoniae, 62 H. parasuis and 20 P. multocida isolates exhibiting phenotypic antimicrobial resistance (A. pleuropneumoniae and P. multocida) or elevated minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) (H. parasuis) to any of the following antimicrobial agents - ampicillin, erythromycin, penicillin, tetracycline, tilmicosin and tulathromycin - were screened for a total of 19 associated antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) by PCR. The gene bla ROB-1 was found in all ampicillin- and penicillin-resistant isolates, but none harboured the bla TEM-1 gene. The tetB gene was found in 76% (74/97) of tetracycline-resistant isolates, 49/53 A. pleuropneumoniae, 17/30 H. parasuis and 8/14 P. multocida. One A. pleuropneumoniae isolate harboured the tetH gene, but none of the 97 isolates had tetA, tetC, tetD, tetE, tetL, tetM or tetO. A total of 92 isolates were screened for the presence of macrolide resistance genes. None was found to have ermA, ermB, ermC, erm42, mphE, mefA, msrA or msrE. The current study has provided a genetic explanation for the resistance or elevated MIC of the majority of isolates of Australian porcine respiratory pathogens to ampicillin, penicillin and tetracycline. However, the macrolide resistance observed by phenotypic testing remains genetically unexplained and further studies are required. © 2016 Australian Veterinary Association.

Simultaneous detection of antibodies to five Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serovars using bead-based multiplex analysis.

PubMed

Berger, Sanne Schou; Lauritsen, Klara Tølbøll; Boas, Ulrik; Lind, Peter; Andresen, Lars Ole

2017-11-01

We developed and made a preliminary validation of a bead-based multiplexed immunoassay for simultaneous detection of porcine serum antibodies to Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serovars 1, 2, 6, 7, and 12. Magnetic fluorescent beads were coupled with A. pleuropneumoniae antigens and tested with a panel of serum samples from experimentally infected pigs and with serum samples from uninfected and naturally infected pigs. The multiplex assay was compared to in-house ELISAs and complement fixation (CF) tests, which have been used for decades as tools for herd classification in the Danish Specific Pathogen Free system. Assay specificities and sensitivities as well as the corresponding cutoff values were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and the A. pleuropneumoniae multiplex assay showed good correlation with the in-house ELISAs and CF tests with areas under ROC curves ≥ 0.988. Benefits of multiplexed assays compared to ELISAs and CF tests include reduced serum sample volumes needed for analysis, less labor, and shorter assay time.

A Unique Capsule Locus in the Newly Designated Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Serovar 16 and Development of a Diagnostic PCR Assay.

PubMed

Bossé, Janine T; Li, Yanwen; Sárközi, Rita; Gottschalk, Marcelo; Angen, Øystein; Nedbalcova, Katerina; Rycroft, Andrew N; Fodor, László; Langford, Paul R

2017-03-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae causes pleuropneumonia, an economically significant lung disease of pigs. Recently, isolates of A. pleuropneumoniae that were serologically distinct from the previously characterized 15 serovars were described, and a proposal was put forward that they comprised a new serovar, serovar 16. Here we used whole-genome sequencing of the proposed serovar 16 reference strain A-85/14 to confirm the presence of a unique capsular polysaccharide biosynthetic locus. For molecular diagnostics, primers were designed from the capsule locus of strain A-85/14, and a PCR was formulated that differentiated serovar 16 isolates from all 15 known serovars and other common respiratory pathogenic/commensal bacteria of pigs. Analysis of the capsule locus of strain A-85/14 combined with the previous serological data show the existence of a sixteenth serovar-designated serovar 16-of A. pleuropneumoniae . Copyright © 2017 Bossé et al.

Risk assessment and cost-effectiveness of animal health certification methods for livestock export in Somalia

PubMed Central

Knight-Jones, T.J.D.; Njeumi, F.; Elsawalhy, A.; Wabacha, J.; Rushton, J.

2014-01-01

Livestock export is vital to the Somali economy. To protect Somali livestock exports from costly import bans used to control the international spread of disease, better certification of livestock health status is required. We performed quantitative risk assessment and cost-effectiveness analysis on different health certification protocols for Somali livestock exports for six transboundary diseases. Examining stock at regional markets alone without port inspection and quarantine was inexpensive but was ineffective for all but contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, contagious caprine pleuropneumonia and peste des petits ruminants. While extended pre-export quarantine improves detection of infections that cause clinical disease, if biosecurity is suboptimal quarantine provides an opportunity for transmission and increased risk. Clinical examination, laboratory screening and vaccination of animals for key diseases before entry to the quarantine station reduced the risk of an exported animal being infected. If vaccination could be reliably performed weeks before arrival at quarantine its effect would be greatly enhanced. The optimal certification method depends on the disease. Laboratory diagnostic testing was particularly important for detecting infections with limited clinical signs in male animals (only males are exported); for Rift Valley fever (RVF) the probability of detection was 99% or 0% with and without testing. Based on our findings animal inspection and certification at regional markets combined with quarantine inspection and certification would reduce the risk of exporting infected animals and enhance disease control at the regional level. This is especially so for key priority diseases, that is RVF, foot-and-mouth disease and Brucellosis. Increased data collection and testing should be applied at point of production and export. PMID:24462194

Risk assessment and cost-effectiveness of animal health certification methods for livestock export in Somalia.

PubMed

Knight-Jones, T J D; Njeumi, F; Elsawalhy, A; Wabacha, J; Rushton, J

2014-03-01

Livestock export is vital to the Somali economy. To protect Somali livestock exports from costly import bans used to control the international spread of disease, better certification of livestock health status is required. We performed quantitative risk assessment and cost-effectiveness analysis on different health certification protocols for Somali livestock exports for six transboundary diseases. Examining stock at regional markets alone without port inspection and quarantine was inexpensive but was ineffective for all but contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, contagious caprine pleuropneumonia and peste des petits ruminants. While extended pre-export quarantine improves detection of infections that cause clinical disease, if biosecurity is suboptimal quarantine provides an opportunity for transmission and increased risk. Clinical examination, laboratory screening and vaccination of animals for key diseases before entry to the quarantine station reduced the risk of an exported animal being infected. If vaccination could be reliably performed weeks before arrival at quarantine its effect would be greatly enhanced. The optimal certification method depends on the disease. Laboratory diagnostic testing was particularly important for detecting infections with limited clinical signs in male animals (only males are exported); for Rift Valley fever (RVF) the probability of detection was 99% or 0% with and without testing. Based on our findings animal inspection and certification at regional markets combined with quarantine inspection and certification would reduce the risk of exporting infected animals and enhance disease control at the regional level. This is especially so for key priority diseases, that is RVF, foot-and-mouth disease and Brucellosis. Increased data collection and testing should be applied at point of production and export. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

What is the true in vitro potency of oxytetracycline for the pig pneumonia pathogens Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida?

PubMed

Dorey, L; Hobson, S; Lees, P

2017-10-01

The pharmacodynamics of oxytetracycline was determined for pig respiratory tract pathogens, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida. Indices of potency were determined for the following: (i) two matrices, broth and pig serum; (ii) five overlapping sets of twofold dilutions; and (iii) a high strength starting culture. For A. pleuropneumoniae, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was similar for the two matrices, but for P. multocida, differences were marked and significantly different. MIC and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) serum: broth ratios for A. pleuropneumoniae were 0.83:1 and 1.22:1, respectively, and corresponding values for P. multocida were 22.0:1 and 7.34:1. For mutant prevention concentration (MPC) serum: broth ratios were 0.79:1 (A. pleuropneumoniae) and 20.9:1 (P. multocida). These ratios were corrected for serum protein binding to yield fraction unbound (fu) serum: broth MIC ratios of 0.24:1 (A. pleuropneumoniae) and 6.30:1 (P. multocida). Corresponding fu serum: broth ratios for MPC were almost identical, 0.23:1 and 6.08:1. These corrections for protein binding did not account for potency differences between serum and broth for either species; based on fu serum MICs, potency in serum was approximately fourfold greater than predicted for A. pleuropneumoniae and sixfold smaller than predicted for P. multocida. For both broth and serum and both bacterial species, MICs were also dependent on initial inoculum strength. The killing action of oxytetracycline had the characteristics of codependency for both A. pleuropneumoniae and P. multocida in both growth media. The in vitro potency of oxytetracycline in pig serum is likely to be closer to the in vivo plasma/serum concentration required for efficacy than potency estimated in broths. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Kinetics of single and dual infection of pigs with swine influenza virus and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Pomorska-Mól, Małgorzata; Dors, Arkadiusz; Kwit, Krzysztof; Kowalczyk, Andrzej; Stasiak, Ewelina; Pejsak, Zygmunt

2017-03-01

Porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC) is a common problem in modern pork production worldwide. Pathogens that are amongst other pathogens frequently involved in PRDC etiology are swine influenza virus (SIV) and A. pleuropneumoniae. The effect of dual infection with mentioned pathogens has not been investigated to date. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the kinetics of single and dual infection of pigs with SIV and A. pleuropneumoniae with regard to clinical course, pathogens shedding, lung lesions and early immune response. The most severe symptoms were observed in co-inoculated piglets. The AUC value for SIV shedding was lower in pigs single inoculated with SIV as compared to co-inoculated animals. In contrast, no significant differences were found between A. pleuropneumoniae shedding in single or dual inoculated pigs. Three out of 5 co-inoculated piglets euthanized at 10 dpi were positive against serotype 2 A. pleuropneumonie. All piglets inoculated with SIV developed specific HI antibodies at 10 dpi. In pigs dual inoculated the specific humoral response against SIV was observed earlier, at 7 dpi. The SIV-like lung lesions were more severe in co-inoculated pigs. In the groups inoculated with A. pleuropneumoniae (single or dual) the acute phase protein response was generally stronger than in SIV-single infected group. Co-infection with SIV and A. pleuropneumoniae potentiated the severity of lung lesions caused by SIV and enhanced virus replication in the lung and nasal SIV shedding. Enhanced SIV replication contributed to a more severe clinical course of the disease as well as earlier and higher magnitude immune response (acute phase proteins, HI antibodies) compared to single inoculated pigs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prevalence of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Actinobacillus suis, Haemophilus parasuis, Pasteurella multocida, and Streptococcus suis in representative Ontario swine herds

PubMed Central

MacInnes, Janet I.; Gottschalk, Marcelo; Lone, Abdul G.; Metcalf, Devon S.; Ojha, Shivani; Rosendal, Thomas; Watson, Sheila B.; Friendship, Robert M.

2008-01-01

Tonsillar and nasal swabs were collected from weanling pigs in 50 representative Ontario swine herds and tested for the presence of 5 important bacterial upper respiratory tract pathogens. All but 1 herd (2%) tested positive for Streptococcus suis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR); 48% of herds were S. suis serovar 2, 1/2 positive. In all but 2 herds there was evidence of Haemophilus parasuis infection. In contrast, toxigenic strains of Pasteurella multocida were detected by a P. multocida — enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (PMT-ELISA) in only one herd. Seventy-eight percent of the herds were diagnosed positive for Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae by apxIV PCR. Sera from finishing pigs on the same farms were also collected and tested by ELISA for the presence of A. pleuropneumoniae antibodies. Seventy percent of the herds tested had evidence of antibodies to A. pleuropneumoniae including serovars 1–9–11 (2%), 2 (4%), 3–6–8–15 (15%), 5 (6%), 4–7 (26%), and 12 (17%). This likely represents a shift from previous years when infection with A. pleuropneumoniae serovars 1, 5, and 7 predominated. At least 16% and possibly as many as 94% of the herds tested were Actinobacillus suis positive; only 3 of the 50 herds were both A. pleuropneumoniae and A. suis negative as judged by the absence of a positive PCR test for apxII. Taken together, these data suggest that over the past 10 years, there has been a shift in the presence of pathogenic bacteria carried by healthy Ontario swine with the virtual elimination of toxigenic strains of P. multocida and a move to less virulent A. pleuropneumoniae serovars. As well, there appears to be an increase in prevalence of S. suis serovar 2, 1/2, but this may be a reflection of the use of a more sensitive detection method. PMID:18505187

Contagious ovine digital dermatitis: an emerging disease.

PubMed

Duncan, J S; Angell, J W; Carter, S D; Evans, N J; Sullivan, L E; Grove-White, D H

2014-09-01

The novel sheep disease, contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD) was first described in the UK in 1997. The disease is characterised by severe lameness associated with initial inflammation at the coronary band, followed by progressive separation of the hoof capsule from the underlying tissue. On microbiological examination, treponeme bacteria have been frequently isolated from cases of CODD, including treponemes phylogenetically identical to those associated with bovine digital dermatitis (BDD). Dichelobacter nodosus and Fusobacterium necrophorum have also been isolated from CODD lesions although their role in the pathogenesis remains uncertain. While epidemiological data indicate that the prevalence of CODD is increasing in the UK, the routes of transmission and associated risk factors have not been clearly elucidated. Evidenced-based treatment trials indicate that parenteral administration of long-acting amoxicillin is an efficacious treatment for CODD, while anecdotal evidence suggests other antibiotics, given locally and/or parenterally, may also be beneficial. Further microbiological and epidemiological research is urgently required to develop sustainable control strategies, including the development of vaccines and appropriate biosecurity and farm management protocols. In this review current knowledge of the clinical, aetiological, and epidemiological aspects of CODD is assessed as well as approaches to its control. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nucleotide sequence analysis of a DNA region involved in capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis reveals the molecular basis of the nontypeability of two Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolates.

PubMed

Ito, Hiroya; Ogawa, Torata; Fukamizu, Dai; Morinaga, Yuiko; Kusumoto, Masahiro

2016-11-01

The aim of our study was to reveal the molecular basis of the serologic nontypeability of 2 Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae field isolates. Nine field strains of A. pleuropneumoniae, the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, were isolated from pigs raised on the same farm and sent to our diagnostic laboratory for serotyping. Seven of the 9 strains were identified as serovar 15 strains by immunodiffusion tests. However, 2 strains, designated FH24-2 and FH24-5, could not be serotyped with antiserum prepared against serovars 1-15. Strain FH24-5 showed positive results in 2 serovar 15-specific PCR tests, whereas strain FH24-2 was only positive in 1 of the 2 PCR tests. The nucleotide sequence analysis of gene clusters involved in capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis of the 2 nontypeable strains revealed that both had been rendered nontypeable by the action of ISApl1, a transposable element of A. pleuropneumoniae belonging to the IS30 family. The results showed that ISApl1 of A. pleuropneumoniae can interfere with both the serologic and molecular typing methods, and that nucleotide sequence analysis across the capsular gene clusters is the best means of determining the cause of serologic nontypeability in A. pleuropneumoniae. © 2016 The Author(s).

Attenuated Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae double-deletion mutant S-8∆clpP/apxIIC confers protection against homologous or heterologous strain challenge.

PubMed

Xie, Fang; Li, Gang; Zhou, Long; Zhang, Yanhe; Cui, Ning; Liu, Siguo; Wang, Chunlai

2017-01-06

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the etiological agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, which leads to large economic losses to the swine industry worldwide. In this study, S-8△clpP△apxIIC, a double-deletion mutant of A. pleuropneumoniae was constructed, and its safety and protective efficacy were evaluated in pigs. The S-8△clpP△apxIIC mutant exhibited attenuated virulence in a murine (BALB/c) model, and caused no detrimental effects on pigs even at a dose of up to 1.0 × 10 9  CFU. Furthermore, the S-8△clpP△apxIIC mutant was able to induce a strong immune response in pigs, which included high levels of IgG1 and IgG2, stimulated gamma interferon (IFN-γ), interleukin 12 (IL-12), and interleukin 4 (IL-4) production, and conferred effective protection against the lethal challenge with A. pleuropneumoniae serovars 7 or 5a. The pigs in the S-8△clpP△apxIIC immunized groups have no lesions and reduced bacterial loads in the lung tissue after challenge. The data obtained in this study suggest that the S-8△clpP△apxIIC mutant can serve as a highly immunogenic and potential live attenuated vaccine candidate against A. pleuropneumoniae infection.

Assessment of the efficacy of tilmicosin phosphate to eliminate Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae from carrier pigs

PubMed Central

2005-01-01

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of in-feed medication with tilmicosin phosphate in order to eliminate or reduce the carriage of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in the tonsils of carrier pigs. Two groups of 6 carrier animals received either a non-medicated feed (control group) or feed medicated with 400 ppm of tilmicosin phosphate (treated group) for 30 d. Three sentinel pigs were then introduced in each group and left for 29 d. The presence of A. pleuropneumoniae in tonsils was monitored using several techniques, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR). At the end of the treatment all of the control animals, but only 1 treated pig, were positive by PCR from tonsillar surface material. However, at necropsy, all control and most treated animals, as well as 1 sentinel animal, in both groups were positive by PCR from whole tonsils. In conclusion, under the experimental conditions, in-feed treatment with 400 ppm of tilmicosin phosphate significantly reduced the presence of A. pleuropneumoniae on the surface of tonsils but was unable to completely eliminate the organism from deeper tonsillar tissues and to prevent bacterial shedding by carrier animals. PMID:15971680

Assessment of the efficacy of tilmicosin phosphate to eliminate Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae from carrier pigs.

PubMed

Fittipaldi, N; Klopfenstein, C; Gottschalk, M; Broes, A; Paradis, M A; Dick, C P

2005-04-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of in-feed medication with tilmicosin phosphate in order to eliminate or reduce the carriage of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in the tonsils of carrier pigs. Two groups of 6 carrier animals received either a non-medicated feed (control group) or feed medicated with 400 ppm of tilmicosin phosphate (treated group) for 30 d. Three sentinel pigs were then introduced in each group and left for 29 d. The presence of A. pleuropneumoniae in tonsils was monitored using several techniques, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR). At the end of the treatment all of the control animals, but only 1 treated pig, were positive by PCR from tonsillar surface material. However, at necropsy, all control and most treated animals, as well as 1 sentinel animal, in both groups were positive by PCR from whole tonsils. In conclusion, under the experimental conditions, in-feed treatment with 400 ppm of tilmicosin phosphate significantly reduced the presence of A. pleuropneumoniae on the surface of tonsils but was unable to completely eliminate the organism from deeper tonsillar tissues and to prevent bacterial shedding by carrier animals.

Social Modulation of Contagious Yawning in Wolves

PubMed Central

Romero, Teresa; Ito, Marie; Saito, Atsuko; Hasegawa, Toshikazu

2014-01-01

On the basis of observational and experimental evidence, several authors have proposed that contagious yawn is linked to our capacity for empathy, thus presenting a powerful tool to explore the root of empathy in animal evolution. The evidence for the occurrence of contagious yawning and its link to empathy, however, is meagre outside primates and only recently domestic dogs have demonstrated this ability when exposed to human yawns. Since dogs are unusually skilful at reading human communicative behaviors, it is unclear whether this phenomenon is deeply rooted in the evolutionary history of mammals or evolved de novo in dogs as a result of domestication. Here we show that wolves are capable of yawn contagion, suggesting that such ability is a common ancestral trait shared by other mammalian taxa. Furthermore, the strength of the social bond between the model and the subject positively affected the frequency of contagious yawning, suggesting that in wolves the susceptibility of yawn contagion correlates with the level of emotional proximity. Moreover, female wolves showed a shorter reaction time than males when observing yawns of close associates, suggesting that females are more responsive to their social stimuli. These results are consistent with the claim that the mechanism underlying contagious yawning relates to the capacity for empathy and suggests that basic building blocks of empathy might be present in a wide range of species. PMID:25162677

Social modulation of contagious yawning in wolves.

PubMed

Romero, Teresa; Ito, Marie; Saito, Atsuko; Hasegawa, Toshikazu

2014-01-01

On the basis of observational and experimental evidence, several authors have proposed that contagious yawn is linked to our capacity for empathy, thus presenting a powerful tool to explore the root of empathy in animal evolution. The evidence for the occurrence of contagious yawning and its link to empathy, however, is meagre outside primates and only recently domestic dogs have demonstrated this ability when exposed to human yawns. Since dogs are unusually skillful at reading human communicative behaviors, it is unclear whether this phenomenon is deeply rooted in the evolutionary history of mammals or evolved de novo in dogs as a result of domestication. Here we show that wolves are capable of yawn contagion, suggesting that such ability is a common ancestral trait shared by other mammalian taxa. Furthermore, the strength of the social bond between the model and the subject positively affected the frequency of contagious yawning, suggesting that in wolves the susceptibility of yawn contagion correlates with the level of emotional proximity. Moreover, female wolves showed a shorter reaction time than males when observing yawns of close associates, suggesting that females are more responsive to their social stimuli. These results are consistent with the claim that the mechanism underlying contagious yawning relates to the capacity for empathy and suggests that basic building blocks of empathy might be present in a wide range of species.

Identification of dfrA14 in two distinct plasmids conferring trimethoprim resistance in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

PubMed Central

Bossé, Janine T.; Li, Yanwen; Walker, Stephanie; Atherton, Tom; Fernandez Crespo, Roberto; Williamson, Susanna M.; Rogers, Jon; Chaudhuri, Roy R.; Weinert, Lucy A.; Oshota, Olusegun; Holden, Matt T. G.; Maskell, Duncan J.; Tucker, Alexander W.; Wren, Brendan W.; Rycroft, Andrew N.; Langford, Paul R.

2015-01-01

Objectives The objective of this study was to determine the distribution and genetic basis of trimethoprim resistance in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolates from pigs in England. Methods Clinical isolates collected between 1998 and 2011 were tested for resistance to trimethoprim and sulphonamide. The genetic basis of trimethoprim resistance was determined by shotgun WGS analysis and the subsequent isolation and sequencing of plasmids. Results A total of 16 (out of 106) A. pleuropneumoniae isolates were resistant to both trimethoprim (MIC >32 mg/L) and sulfisoxazole (MIC ≥256 mg/L), and a further 32 were resistant only to sulfisoxazole (MIC ≥256 mg/L). Genome sequence data for the trimethoprim-resistant isolates revealed the presence of the dfrA14 dihydrofolate reductase gene. The distribution of plasmid sequences in multiple contigs suggested the presence of two distinct dfrA14-containing plasmids in different isolates, which was confirmed by plasmid isolation and sequencing. Both plasmids encoded mobilization genes, the sulphonamide resistance gene sul2, as well as dfrA14 inserted into strA, a streptomycin-resistance-associated gene, although the gene order differed between the two plasmids. One of the plasmids further encoded the strB streptomycin-resistance-associated gene. Conclusions This is the first description of mobilizable plasmids conferring trimethoprim resistance in A. pleuropneumoniae and, to our knowledge, the first report of dfrA14 in any member of the Pasteurellaceae. The identification of dfrA14 conferring trimethoprim resistance in A. pleuropneumoniae isolates will facilitate PCR screens for resistance to this important antimicrobial. PMID:25957382

The Lon protease homologue LonA, not LonC, contributes to the stress tolerance and biofilm formation of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Xie, Fang; Li, Gang; Zhang, Yanhe; Zhou, Long; Liu, Shuanghong; Liu, Siguo; Wang, Chunlai

2016-04-01

Lon proteases are a family of ATP-dependent proteases that are involved in the degradation of abnormal proteins in bacteria exposed to adverse environmental stress. An analysis of the genome sequence of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae revealed the unusual presence of two putative ATP-dependent Lon homologues, LonA and LonC. Sequence comparisons indicated that LonA has the classical domain organization of the LonA subfamily, which includes the N-terminal domain, central ATPase (AAA) domain, and C-terminal proteolytic (P) domain. LonC belongs to the recently classified LonC subfamily, which includes Lon proteases that contain neither the N-terminal domain of LonA nor the transmembrane region that is present only in LonB subfamily members. To investigate the roles of LonA and LonC in A. pleuropneumoniae, mutants with deletions in the lonA and lonC genes were constructed. The impaired growth of the △lonA mutant exposed to low and high temperatures and osmotic and oxidative stress conditions indicates that the LonA protease is required for the stress tolerance of A. pleuropneumoniae. Furthermore, the △lonA mutant exhibited significantly reduced biofilm formation compared to the wild-type strain. However, no significant differences in stress responses or biofilm formation were observed between the △lonC mutant and the wild-type strain. The △lonA mutant exhibited reduced colonization ability and attenuated virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae in the BALB/c mouse model compared to the wild-type strain. Disruption of lonC gene did not significantly influence the colonization and virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae. The data presented in this study illustrate that the LonA protease, but not the LonC protease, is required for the stress tolerance, biofilm formation and pathogenicity of A. pleuropneumoniae. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

76 FR 16683 - Importation of Horses From Contagious Equine Metritis-Affected Countries

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-25

...-0112] RIN 0579-AD31 Importation of Horses From Contagious Equine Metritis-Affected Countries AGENCY... contagious equine metritis (CEM) by incorporating an additional certification requirement for imported horses... contain specific provisions for the importation of horses from regions affected with contagious equine...

The challenge of detecting herds sub-clinically infected with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Gottschalk, Marcelo

2015-10-01

The introduction into a naïve herd of animals sub-clinically infected with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (App) is frequently the cause of clinical pleuropneumonia and the identification of such infected herds is a priority in the control of disease. Different serological tests for App have been developed and a number of these are routinely used. Some are species-specific whereas others identify more specifically the serotype/serogroup involved which requires updated information about important serotypes recovered from diseased pigs in a given area/country. Serotyping methods based on molecular techniques have been developed lately and are ready to be used by most diagnostic laboratories. When non-conclusive serological results are obtained, direct detection of App from tonsils is sometimes attempted. This review addresses different techniques and approaches used to monitor herds sub-clinically infected by this important pathogen. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Generation of transgenic corn-derived Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae ApxIIA fused with the cholera toxin B subunit as a vaccine candidate

PubMed Central

Shin, Min-Kyoung; Jung, Myung Hwan; Lee, Won-Jung; Choi, Pil Son; Jang, Yong-Suk

2011-01-01

Corn, one of the most important forage crops worldwide, has proven to be a useful expression vehicle due to the availability of established transformation procedures for this well-studied plant. The exotoxin Apx, a major virulence factor, is recognized as a common antigen of Actinobacillus (A.) pleuropneumoniae, the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia. In this study, a cholera toxin B (CTB)-ApxIIA#5 fusion protein and full-size ApxIIA expressed in corn seed, as a subunit vaccine candidate, were observed to induce Apx-specific immune responses in mice. These results suggest that transgenic corn-derived ApxIIA and CTB-ApxIIA#5 proteins are potential vaccine candidates against A. pleuropneumoniae infection. PMID:22122907

Apa is a trimeric autotransporter adhesin of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae responsible for autoagglutination and host cell adherence.

PubMed

Xiao, Longwen; Zhou, Liang; Sun, Changjiang; Feng, Xin; Du, ChongTao; Gao, Yu; Ji, Qun; Yang, Shuxin; Wang, Yu; Han, Wenyu; Langford, P R; Lei, Liancheng

2012-10-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, and adherence to host cells is a key step in the pathogenic process. Although trimeric autotransporter adhesins (TAAs) were identified in many pathogenic bacteria in recent years, none in A. pleuropneumoniae have been characterized. In this study, we identified a TAA from A. pleuropneumoniae, Apa, and characterized the contribution of its amino acid residues to the adhesion process. Sequence analysis of the C-terminal amino acid residues of Apa revealed the presence of a putative translocator domain and six conserved HsfBD1-like or HsfBD2-like binding domains. Western blot analysis revealed that the 126 C-terminal amino acids of Apa could form trimeric molecules. By confocal laser scanning microscopy, one of these six domains (ApaBD3) was determined to mediate adherence to epithelial cells. Adherence assays and adherence inhibition assays using a recombinant E. coli- ApaBD3 strain which expressed ApaBD3 on the surface of E. coli confirmed that this domain was responsible for the adhesion activity. Moreover, cellular enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays demonstrated that ApaBD3 mediated high-level adherence to epithelial cell lines. Intriguingly, autoagglutination was observed with the E. coli- ApaBD3 strain, and this phenomenon was dependent upon the association of the expressed ApaBD3 with the C-terminal translocator domain. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Potency of marbofloxacin for pig pneumonia pathogens Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida: Comparison of growth media.

PubMed

Dorey, L; Hobson, S; Lees, P

2017-04-01

Pharmacodynamic properties of marbofloxacin were established for six isolates each of the pig respiratory tract pathogens, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida. Three in vitro indices of potency were determined; Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) and Mutant Prevention Concentration (MPC). For MIC determination Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines were modified in three respects: (1) comparison was made between two growth media, an artificial broth and pig serum; (2) a high inoculum count was used to simulate heavy clinical bacteriological loads; and (3) five overlapping sets of two-fold dilutions were used to improve accuracy of determinations. Similar methods were used for MBC and MPC estimations. MIC and MPC serum:broth ratios for A. pleuropneumoniae were 0.79:1 and 0.99:1, respectively, and corresponding values for P. multocida were 1.12:1 and 1.32:1. Serum protein binding of marbofloxacin was 49%, so that fraction unbound (fu) serum MIC values were significantly lower than those predicted by correction for protein binding; fu serum:broth MIC ratios were 0.40:1 (A. pleuropneumoniae) and 0.50:1 (P. multocida). For broth, MPC:MIC ratios were 13.7:1 (A. pleuropneumoniae) and 14.2:1 (P. multocida). Corresponding ratios for serum were similar, 17.2:1 and 18.8:1, respectively. It is suggested that, for dose prediction purposes, serum data might be preferable to potency indices measured in broths. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification of dfrA14 in two distinct plasmids conferring trimethoprim resistance in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Bossé, Janine T; Li, Yanwen; Walker, Stephanie; Atherton, Tom; Fernandez Crespo, Roberto; Williamson, Susanna M; Rogers, Jon; Chaudhuri, Roy R; Weinert, Lucy A; Oshota, Olusegun; Holden, Matt T G; Maskell, Duncan J; Tucker, Alexander W; Wren, Brendan W; Rycroft, Andrew N; Langford, Paul R

2015-08-01

The objective of this study was to determine the distribution and genetic basis of trimethoprim resistance in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolates from pigs in England. Clinical isolates collected between 1998 and 2011 were tested for resistance to trimethoprim and sulphonamide. The genetic basis of trimethoprim resistance was determined by shotgun WGS analysis and the subsequent isolation and sequencing of plasmids. A total of 16 (out of 106) A. pleuropneumoniae isolates were resistant to both trimethoprim (MIC >32 mg/L) and sulfisoxazole (MIC ≥256 mg/L), and a further 32 were resistant only to sulfisoxazole (MIC ≥256 mg/L). Genome sequence data for the trimethoprim-resistant isolates revealed the presence of the dfrA14 dihydrofolate reductase gene. The distribution of plasmid sequences in multiple contigs suggested the presence of two distinct dfrA14-containing plasmids in different isolates, which was confirmed by plasmid isolation and sequencing. Both plasmids encoded mobilization genes, the sulphonamide resistance gene sul2, as well as dfrA14 inserted into strA, a streptomycin-resistance-associated gene, although the gene order differed between the two plasmids. One of the plasmids further encoded the strB streptomycin-resistance-associated gene. This is the first description of mobilizable plasmids conferring trimethoprim resistance in A. pleuropneumoniae and, to our knowledge, the first report of dfrA14 in any member of the Pasteurellaceae. The identification of dfrA14 conferring trimethoprim resistance in A. pleuropneumoniae isolates will facilitate PCR screens for resistance to this important antimicrobial. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

Enriched Housing Reduces Disease Susceptibility to Co-Infection with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Virus (PRRSV) and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (A. pleuropneumoniae) in Young Pigs

PubMed Central

van Dixhoorn, Ingrid D. E.; Reimert, Inonge; Middelkoop, Jenny; Bolhuis, J. Elizabeth; Wisselink, Henk J.; Groot Koerkamp, Peter W. G.; Kemp, Bas; Stockhofe-Zurwieden, Norbert

2016-01-01

Until today, anti-microbial drugs have been the therapy of choice to combat bacterial diseases. Resistance against antibiotics is of growing concern in man and animals. Stress, caused by demanding environmental conditions, can reduce immune protection in the host, influencing the onset and outcome of infectious diseases. Therefore psychoneuro-immunological intervention may prove to be a successful approach to diminish the impact of diseases and antibiotics use. This study was designed to investigate the effect of social and environmental enrichment on the impact of disease, referred to as “disease susceptibility”, in pigs using a co-infection model of PRRSV and A. pleuropneumoniae. Twenty-eight pigs were raised in four pens under barren conditions and twenty-eight other pigs were raised in four pens under enriched conditions. In the enriched pens a combination of established social and environmental enrichment factors were introduced. Two pens of the barren (BH) and two pens of the enriched housed (EH) pigs were infected with PRRSV followed by A. pleuropneumoniae, the other two pens in each housing treatment served as control groups. We tested if differences in disease susceptibility in terms of pathological and clinical outcome were related to the different housing regimes and if this was reflected in differences in behavioural and immunological states of the animals. Enriched housed pigs showed a faster clearance of viral PRRSV RNA in blood serum (p = 0.014) and histologically 2.8 fold less interstitial pneumonia signs in the lungs (p = 0.014). More barren housed than enriched housed pigs developed lesions in the lungs (OR = 19.2, p = 0.048) and the lesions in the barren housed pigs showed a higher total pathologic tissue damage score (p<0.001) than those in enriched housed pigs. EH pigs showed less stress-related behaviour and differed immunologically and clinically from BH pigs. We conclude that enriched housing management reduces disease susceptibility to

Enriched Housing Reduces Disease Susceptibility to Co-Infection with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Virus (PRRSV) and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (A. pleuropneumoniae) in Young Pigs.

PubMed

van Dixhoorn, Ingrid D E; Reimert, Inonge; Middelkoop, Jenny; Bolhuis, J Elizabeth; Wisselink, Henk J; Groot Koerkamp, Peter W G; Kemp, Bas; Stockhofe-Zurwieden, Norbert

2016-01-01

Until today, anti-microbial drugs have been the therapy of choice to combat bacterial diseases. Resistance against antibiotics is of growing concern in man and animals. Stress, caused by demanding environmental conditions, can reduce immune protection in the host, influencing the onset and outcome of infectious diseases. Therefore psychoneuro-immunological intervention may prove to be a successful approach to diminish the impact of diseases and antibiotics use. This study was designed to investigate the effect of social and environmental enrichment on the impact of disease, referred to as "disease susceptibility", in pigs using a co-infection model of PRRSV and A. pleuropneumoniae. Twenty-eight pigs were raised in four pens under barren conditions and twenty-eight other pigs were raised in four pens under enriched conditions. In the enriched pens a combination of established social and environmental enrichment factors were introduced. Two pens of the barren (BH) and two pens of the enriched housed (EH) pigs were infected with PRRSV followed by A. pleuropneumoniae, the other two pens in each housing treatment served as control groups. We tested if differences in disease susceptibility in terms of pathological and clinical outcome were related to the different housing regimes and if this was reflected in differences in behavioural and immunological states of the animals. Enriched housed pigs showed a faster clearance of viral PRRSV RNA in blood serum (p = 0.014) and histologically 2.8 fold less interstitial pneumonia signs in the lungs (p = 0.014). More barren housed than enriched housed pigs developed lesions in the lungs (OR = 19.2, p = 0.048) and the lesions in the barren housed pigs showed a higher total pathologic tissue damage score (p<0.001) than those in enriched housed pigs. EH pigs showed less stress-related behaviour and differed immunologically and clinically from BH pigs. We conclude that enriched housing management reduces disease susceptibility to co

Streptococcus agalactiae in the environment of bovine dairy herds--rewriting the textbooks?

PubMed

Jørgensen, H J; Nordstoga, A B; Sviland, S; Zadoks, R N; Sølverød, L; Kvitle, B; Mørk, T

2016-02-29

Many free-stall bovine dairy herds in Norway fail to eradicate Streptococcus agalactiae despite long-term control measures. In a longitudinal study of 4 free-stall herds with automatic milking systems (AMS), milk and extramammary sites were sampled 4 times with 1-2 month intervals. Composite milk, rectal- and vaginal swabs were collected from dairy cows; rectal swabs from heifers and young stock; rectal- and tonsillar swabs from calves; and environmental swabs from the AMS, the floors, cow beds, watering and feeding equipment. A cross sectional study of 37 herds was also conducted, with 1 visit for environmental sampling. Fifteen of the herds were known to be infected with S. agalactiae while the remaining 22 had not had evidence of S. agalactiae mastitis in the preceding 2 years. All samples were cultured for S. agalactiae, and selected isolates (n=54) from positive herds were genotyped by Multi Locus Sequence Typing (MLST). Results show that the bovine gastrointestinal tract and the dairy cow environment are reservoirs of S. agalactiae, and point to the existence of 2 transmission cycles; a contagious transmission cycle via the milking machine and an oro-fecal transmission cycle, with drinking water as the most likely vehicle for transmission. Ten sequence types were identified, and results suggest that strains differ in their ability to survive in the environment and transmit within dairy herds. Measures to eradicate S. agalactiae from bovine dairy herds should take into account the extra-mammary reservoirs and the potential for environmental transmission of this supposedly exclusively contagious pathogen. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Simulation study of the mechanisms underlying outbreaks of clinical disease caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in finishing pigs.

PubMed

Klinkenberg, D; Tobias, T J; Bouma, A; van Leengoed, L A M G; Stegeman, J A

2014-10-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is a major cause of respiratory disease in pigs. Many farms are endemically infected without apparent disease, but occasionally severe outbreaks of pleuropneumonia occur. To prevent and control these outbreaks without antibiotics, the underlying mechanisms of these outbreaks need to be understood. Outbreaks are probably initiated by a trigger (common risk factor) changing the host-pathogen interaction, but it is unclear whether this trigger causes all cases directly (trigger mechanism), or whether the first case starts a transmission chain inducing disease in the infected contacts (transmission mechanism). The aim of this study was to identify conditions under which these mechanisms could cause A. pleuropneumoniae outbreaks, and to assess means for prevention and control. Outbreaks were first characterised by data from a literature review, defining an average outbreak at 12 weeks of age, affecting 50% of animals within 4 days. Simple mathematical models describing the two mechanisms can reproduce average outbreaks, with two observations supporting the trigger mechanism: (1) disease should be transmitted 50 times faster than supported by literature if there is a transmission chain; and (2) the trigger mechanism is consistent with the absence of reported outbreaks in young pigs as they have not yet been colonised by the bacterium. In conclusion, outbreaks of A. pleuropneumoniae on endemic farms are most likely caused by a trigger inducing pneumonia in already infected pigs, but more evidence is needed to identify optimum preventive interventions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contagious behavior: an alternative approach to mirror-like phenomena.

PubMed

Provine, Robert R

2014-04-01

Contagious behaviors such as yawning and itching/scratching have mirror-like properties and clearly defined stimulus and motor parameters; they are also relatively easy to study and should be part of the debate about mirror neurons and the neurological mechanisms of social behavior. The broadly tuned, multimodal stimuli of contagious behavior challenge present accounts of mirror mechanisms that focus on specific, mirrored acts.

Characterization of a streptomycin-sulfonamide resistance plasmid from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed Central

Willson, P J; Deneer, H G; Potter, A; Albritton, W

1989-01-01

An Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae strain contained a plasmid (pHD8.1) conferring resistance to streptomycin and sulfonamide. Restriction endonuclease mapping and DNA-DNA hybridization showed that pHD8.1 is related to RSF1010 from Salmonella panama, which also confers resistance to streptomycin and sulfonamide, and to pHD148 from Haemophilus ducreyi, which confers resistance only to sulfonamide. Images PMID:2541656

Effects of oral administration of tilmicosin on pulmonary inflammation in piglets experimentally infected with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Nerland, Erin M; LeBlanc, Justin M; Fedwick, Jason P; Morck, Douglas W; Merrill, John K; Dick, Paul; Paradis, Marie-Anne; Buret, Andre G

2005-01-01

To determine the effects of oral administration of tilmicosin in piglets experimentally infected with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. Forty 3-week-old specific-pathogen free piglets. Piglets were assigned to 1 of 4 groups as follows: 1) uninfected sham-treated control piglets; 2) infected untreated piglets that were intratracheally inoculated with 10(7) CFUs of A pleuropneumoniae; 3) infected treated piglets that were intratracheally inoculated with A pleuropneumoniae and received tilmicosin in feed (400 ppm [microg/g]) for 7 days prior to inoculation; or 4) infected treated piglets that were intratracheally inoculated with A pleuropneumoniae and received chlortetracycline (CTC) in feed (1100 ppm [microg/gl) for 7 days prior to inoculation. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and lung tissue specimens of piglets for each group were evaluated at 3 or 24 hours after inoculation. For each time point, 4 to 6 piglets/group were studied. Feeding of CTC and tilmicosin decreased bacterial load in lungs of infected piglets. Tilmicosin delivered in feed, but not CTC, enhanced apoptosis in porcine BAL fluid leukocytes. This was associated with a decrease in LTB4 concentrations in BAL fluid of tilmicosin-treated piglets, compared with untreated and CTC-treated piglets, and also with a significant decrease in the number of pulmonary lesions. Tilmicosin inhibited infection-induced increases in rectal temperatures, as measured in untreated and CTC-treated piglets. Pulmonary neutrophil infiltration and prostaglandin E2 concentrations in the BAL fluid were not significantly different among groups at any time. Oral administration of tilmicosin to infected piglets induces apoptosis in BAL fluid leukocytes and decreases BAL fluid LTB4 concentrations and inflammatory lung lesions.

[TLR-4 involvement in pyroptosis of mice with pulmonary inflammation infected by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae].

PubMed

Hu, Peipei; Huang, Fushen; Niu, Junchao; Tang, Zhaoshan

2015-05-04

Pyroptosis is a caspase-1 dependent programmed cell death and involves pathogenesis of infectious diseases by releasing many pro-inflammatory cytokines to induced inflammation. TLR-4 plays an important role in mediating pathogenesis of some infectious diseases. In this study, we detected the expression of TLR-4 and some molecules (e. g caspase-1, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18 ) related with pyroptosis to determine its involvement and mechanisms of pulmonary inflammation in mice infected by A. pleuropneumoniae. Mice were intranasally infected by A. pleuropneumoniae and killed 48 hours post infection. Pulmonary gross lesion and histological pathology by H-E were observed. Expression levels of caspase-1 , caspase-3, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, and TLR-4 in lung of mice were detected by RT-PCR and qPCR. Serious pulmonary hemorrhage and inflammation in infected mice were observed. Expression levels of caspase-1, caspase-3, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18 and TLR-4 increased, and expression levels of caspase-3 were not changed in lung of infected mice. TLR-4 might be involved in pulmonary inflammation of mice infected by A. pleuropneumoniae. After induced by activated TLR-4 some cells in this lesion expressed pro-inflammatory cytokines. These cytokines would induce pulmonary inflammation. This lesion might involve pyroptosis with caspase-1 expression.

Differential cellular immune response of Galleria mellonella to Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Arteaga Blanco, Luis Andrés; Crispim, Josicelli Souza; Fernandes, Kenner Morais; de Oliveira, Leandro Licursi; Pereira, Monalessa Fábia; Bazzolli, Denise Mara Soares; Martins, Gustavo Ferreira

2017-10-01

In the present work, we have investigate the cellular immune response of Galleria mellonella larvae against three strains of the gram-negative bacterium Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae: low-virulence (780), high-virulence (1022) and the serotype 8 reference strain (R8). Prohemocytes, plasmatocytes, granulocytes, oenocytoids and spherulocytes were distinguished according to their size and morphology, their molecular markers and dye-staining properties and their role in the immune response. Total hemocyte count, differential hemocyte count, lysosome activity, autophagic response, cell viability and caspase-3 activation were determined in circulating hemocytes of naive and infected larvae. The presence of the autophagosome protein LC3 A/B within the circulating hemocytes of G. mellonella was dependent on and related to the infecting A. pleuropneumoniae strain and duration of infection. Hemocytes treated with the high-virulence strain expressed higher levels of LC3 A/B, whereas treatment with the low-virulence strain induced lower expression levels of this protein in the cells. Moreover, our results showed that apoptosis in circulating hemocytes of G. mellonella larvae after exposure to virulent bacterial strains occurred simultaneously with excessive cell death response induced by stress and subsequent caspase-3 activation.

Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic integration and modelling of oxytetracycline for the porcine pneumonia pathogens Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida.

PubMed

Dorey, L; Pelligand, L; Cheng, Z; Lees, P

2017-10-01

Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) integration and modelling were used to predict dosage schedules of oxytetracycline for two pig pneumonia pathogens, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and mutant prevention concentration (MPC) were determined in broth and porcine serum. PK/PD integration established ratios of average concentration over 48 h (C av0-48 h )/MIC of 5.87 and 0.27 μg/mL (P. multocida) and 0.70 and 0.85 μg/mL (A. pleuropneumoniae) for broth and serum MICs, respectively. PK/PD modelling of in vitro time-kill curves established broth and serum breakpoint values for area under curve (AUC 0-24 h )/MIC for three levels of inhibition of growth, bacteriostasis and 3 and 4 log 10 reductions in bacterial count. Doses were then predicted for each pathogen, based on Monte Carlo simulations, for: (i) bacteriostatic and bactericidal levels of kill; (ii) 50% and 90% target attainment rates (TAR); and (iii) single dosing and daily dosing at steady-state. For 90% TAR, predicted daily doses at steady-state for bactericidal actions were 1123 mg/kg (P. multocida) and 43 mg/kg (A. pleuropneumoniae) based on serum MICs. Lower TARs were predicted from broth MIC data; corresponding dose estimates were 95 mg/kg (P. multocida) and 34 mg/kg (A. pleuropneumoniae). © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Auxotrophic Actinobacillus pleurpneumoniae grows in multispecies biofilms without the need for nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (NAD) supplementation.

PubMed

Loera-Muro, Abraham; Jacques, Mario; Avelar-González, Francisco J; Labrie, Josée; Tremblay, Yannick D N; Oropeza-Navarro, Ricardo; Guerrero-Barrera, Alma L

2016-06-27

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the etiologic agent of porcine contagious pleuropneumonia, which causes important worldwide economic losses in the swine industry. Several respiratory tract infections are associated with biofilm formation, and A. pleuropneumoniae has the ability to form biofilms in vitro. Biofilms are structured communities of bacterial cells enclosed in a self-produced polymer matrix that are attached to an abiotic or biotic surface. Virtually all bacteria can grow as a biofilm, and multi-species biofilms are the most common form of microbial growth in nature. The goal of this study was to determine the ability of A. pleuropneumoniae to form multi-species biofilms with other bacteria frequently founded in pig farms, in the absence of pyridine compounds (nicotinamide mononucleotide [NMN], nicotinamide riboside [NR] or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide [NAD]) that are essential for the growth of A. pleuropneumoniae. For the biofilm assay, strain 719, a field isolate of A. pleuropneumoniae serovar 1, was mixed with swine isolates of Streptococcus suis, Bordetella bronchiseptica, Pasteurella multocida, Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli, and deposited in 96-well microtiter plates. Based on the CFU results, A. pleuropneumoniae was able to grow with every species tested in the absence of pyridine compounds in the culture media. Interestingly, A. pleuropneumoniae was also able to form strong biofilms when mixed with S. suis, B. bronchiseptica or S. aureus. In the presence of E. coli, A. pleuropneumoniae only formed a weak biofilm. The live and dead populations, and the matrix composition of multi-species biofilms were also characterized using fluorescent markers and enzyme treatments. The results indicated that poly-N-acetyl-glucosamine remains the primary component responsible for the biofilm structure. In conclusion, A. pleuropneumoniae apparently is able to satisfy the requirement of pyridine compounds through of other swine pathogens by

Antibody response of swine to outer membrane components of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae during infection.

PubMed Central

Rapp, V J; Ross, R F

1986-01-01

Sera from pigs infected with Haemophilus (Actinobacillus) pleuropneumoniae were tested for antibodies to outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of the organism by immunoblotting. Convalescent sera were produced in naturally born, colostrum-fed pigs and in cesarean-derived, colostrum-deprived pigs given H. pleuropneumoniae serotype 5 intranasally twice at 5-week intervals. Sera, collected at weekly intervals, were reacted with Sarkosyl-insoluble, OMP-enriched preparations of H. pleuropneumoniae which had been separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and electrophoretically transferred to nitrocellulose. Antibodies were detected to OMPs with an apparent molecular weight of 16,500 (16.5K OMP); to 29K, 38.5K, 43.5K, 45K, 49.5K, and 66.5K OMPs; and to several high-molecular-weight (greater than or equal to 94,000) OMPs, but not to the major 42K OMP. Antibodies to the heat-modifiable OMP (29K/43.5K) and the 38.5K OMP were detected in sera from noninfected pigs. Antibodies were also detected to two broad 54,000- and 95,000-molecular-weight bands which did not stain with Coomassie blue, stained with silver nitrate, resisted proteinase K digestion, and were eliminated by oxidation with sodium metaperiodate. This indicates that the 54,000- and 95,000-molecular-weight bands represent polysaccharide, possibly capsular or lipopolysaccharide immunogens. Adsorption of sera with cells from the homologous serotype 5 strain removed antibodies to the 45K, 49.5K, 66.5K, and greater than or equal to 94K OMPs and to the two polysaccharide bands, indicating that these antibodies were directed primarily to surface-exposed epitopes. When tested with OMP preparations from other serotype 5 strains, heterogeneity was apparent, both in the reactions with OMPs and with the polysaccharide bands. Silver staining of proteinase K-treated, whole-cell lysates from serotype 5 strains also indicated variable expression of the polysaccharide bands. Sera also reacted with OMPs from

Quantum dot-based western blot for sensitive detection of pig serum antibody to actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cişmileanu, Ana; Sima, Cornelia; Grigoriu, Constantin

2007-08-01

A quantum dot - immunoglobulin conjugate specific for pig IgG, was obtained by carbodiimide chemistry. We used a Western blot technique for detecting specific antibodies against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (A. pp), which cause porcine pleuropneumonia. The antigen used in this technique was Apx haemolysin which is an important virulence factor of A. pp and it induces protective immunity in vaccined pigs. The detection on Western blot membrane was possible at 1/50 dilution of quantum dot conjugate at a dilution of pig serum till 1/6400. The results for pig serum demonstrated a higher sensitivity of QD-based Western blot technique for the presence of antibodies specific for Apx haemolysin in comparison with similar classical techniques (with coloured substrate for enzyme present in secondary antibody conjugate).

Transmission of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae among weaned piglets on endemically infected farms.

PubMed

Tobias, T J; Bouma, A; van den Broek, J; van Nes, A; Daemen, A J J M; Wagenaar, J A; Stegeman, J A; Klinkenberg, D

2014-11-01

Clinical outbreaks due to Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae occur recurrently, despite the wide-scale use of antimicrobials or vaccination. Therefore, new approaches for the prevention and control of these outbreaks are necessary. For the development of alternative measures, more insight into the transmission of the bacterium on farms is necessary. The aim of this cohort study was to quantify transmission of A. pleuropneumoniae amongst weaned piglets on farms. We investigated three possible transmission routes: (i) indirect transmission by infected piglets within the same compartment, (ii) transmission by infected pigs in adjacent pens and (iii) transmission by direct contact within pens. Additionally, we evaluated the effect of independent litter characteristics on the probability of infection. Two farms participated in our study. Serum and tonsil brush samples were collected from sows pre-farrowing. Serum was analysed for antibodies against Apx toxins and Omp. Subsequently, tonsil brush samples were collected from all piglets from these dams (N=542) in three cohorts, 3 days before weaning and 6 weeks later. Tonsil samples were analysed by qPCR for the presence of the apxIVA gene of A. pleuropneumoniae. Before weaning, 25% of the piglets tested positive; 6 weeks later 47% tested positive. Regression and stochastic transmission models were used to assess the contribution of each of the three transmission routes and to estimate transmission rates. Transmission between piglets in adjacent pens did not differ significantly from that between non-adjacent pens. The transmission rate across pens was estimated to be 0.0058 day(-1) (95% CI: 0.0030-0.010), whereas the transmission rate within pens was ten times higher 0.059 day(-1) (95% CI: 0.048-0.072). Subsequently, the effects of parity and serological response of the dam and litter age at weaning on the probability of infection of pigs were evaluated by including these into the regression model. A higher dam Apx

9 CFR 53.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., contagious pleuropneumonia, exotic Newcastle disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza, infectious salmon... influenza. (1) Any influenza virus that kills at least 75 percent of eight 4- to 6-week-old susceptible... pathogenic avian influenza viruses; or (3) Any influenza virus that is not an H5 or H7 subtype and that kills...

9 CFR 53.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., contagious pleuropneumonia, exotic Newcastle disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza, infectious salmon... influenza. (1) Any influenza virus that kills at least 75 percent of eight 4- to 6-week-old susceptible... pathogenic avian influenza viruses; or (3) Any influenza virus that is not an H5 or H7 subtype and that kills...

9 CFR 53.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., contagious pleuropneumonia, exotic Newcastle disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza, infectious salmon... influenza. (1) Any influenza virus that kills at least 75 percent of eight 4- to 6-week-old susceptible... pathogenic avian influenza viruses; or (3) Any influenza virus that is not an H5 or H7 subtype and that kills...

Outer membrane lipoprotein VacJ is required for the membrane integrity, serum resistance and biofilm formation of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Xie, Fang; Li, Gang; Zhang, Wanjiang; Zhang, Yanhe; Zhou, Long; Liu, Shuanghong; Liu, Siguo; Wang, Chunlai

2016-02-01

The outer membrane proteins of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae are mediators of infection, acting as targets for the host's defense system. The outer membrane lipoprotein VacJ is involved in serum resistance and intercellular spreading in several pathogenic bacteria. To investigate the role of VacJ in the pathogenicity of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, the vacJ gene-deletion mutant MD12 ΔvacJ was constructed. The increased susceptibility to KCl, SDS plus EDTA, and several antibiotics in the MD12ΔvacJ mutant suggested that the stability of the outer membrane was impaired as a result of the mutation in the vacJ gene. The increased NPN fluorescence and significant cellular morphological variation in the MD12ΔvacJ mutant further demonstrated the crucial role of the VacJ lipoprotein in maintaining the outer membrane integrity of A. pleuropneumoniae. In addition, the MD12ΔvacJ mutant exhibited decreased survival from the serum and complement killing compared to the wild-type strain. Interestingly, the MD12ΔvacJ mutant showed reduced biofilm formation compared to the wild-type strain. To our knowledge, this is the first description of the VacJ lipoprotein contributing to bacterial biofilm formation. The data presented in this study illustrate the important role of the VacJ lipoprotein in the maintenance of cellular integrity, serum resistance, and biofilm formation in A. pleuropneumoniae. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental contagious ecthyma in mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn and wapiti.

PubMed

Lance, W R; Hibler, C P; DeMartini, J

1983-07-01

Hand-reared mule deer fawns (Odocoileus hemionus), white-tailed deer fawns (Odocoileus virginianus), pronghorn fawns (Antilocapra americana) and wapiti calves (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) were exposed to contagious ecthyma lesion material obtained from Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) to determine the susceptibility and pathogenesis in these species. All four species developed mucocutaneous proliferative lesions of the oral cavity, grossly and histologically compatible with contagious ecthyma. The limited clinical responses to the virus indicated that contagious ecthyma would not seriously impact free-ranging individuals.

Why contagious yawning does not (yet) equate to empathy.

PubMed

Massen, Jorg J M; Gallup, Andrew C

2017-09-01

Various studies and researchers have proposed a link between contagious yawning and empathy, yet the conceptual basis for the proposed connection is not clear and deserves critical evaluation. Therefore, we systematically examined the available empirical evidence addressing this association; i.e., a critical review of studies on inter-individual differences in contagion and self-reported values of empathy, differences in contagion based on familiarity or sex, and differences in contagion among individuals with psychological disorders, as well as developmental research, and brain imaging and neurophysiological studies. In doing so, we reveal a pattern of inconsistent and inconclusive evidence regarding the connection between contagious yawning and empathy. Furthermore, we identify study limitations and confounding variables, such as visual attention and social inhibition. Future research examining links between contagious yawning and empathy requires more rigorous investigation involving objective measurements to explicitly test for this connection. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Concurrent host-pathogen gene expression in the lungs of pigs challenged with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Brogaard, Louise; Klitgaard, Kirstine; Heegaard, Peter M H; Hansen, Mette Sif; Jensen, Tim Kåre; Skovgaard, Kerstin

2015-05-28

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae causes pleuropneumonia in pigs, a disease which is associated with high morbidity and mortality, as well as impaired animal welfare. To obtain in-depth understanding of this infection, the interplay between virulence factors of the pathogen and defense mechanisms of the porcine host needs to be elucidated. However, research has traditionally focused on either bacteriology or immunology; an unbiased picture of the transcriptional responses can be obtained by investigating both organisms in the same biological sample. Host and pathogen responses in pigs experimentally infected with A. pleuropneumoniae were analyzed by high-throughput RT-qPCR. This approach allowed concurrent analysis of selected genes encoding proteins known or hypothesized to be important in the acute phase of this infection. The expression of 17 bacterial and 31 porcine genes was quantified in lung samples obtained within the first 48 hours of infection. This provided novel insight into the early time course of bacterial genes involved in synthesis of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (lipopolysaccharide, peptidoglycan, lipoprotein) and genes involved in pattern recognition (TLR4, CD14, MD2, LBP, MYD88) in response to A. pleuropneumoniae. Significant up-regulation of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL1B, IL6, and IL8 was observed, correlating with protein levels, infection status and histopathological findings. Host genes encoding proteins involved in iron metabolism, as well as bacterial genes encoding exotoxins, proteins involved in adhesion, and iron acquisition were found to be differentially expressed according to disease progression. By applying laser capture microdissection, porcine expression of selected genes could be confirmed in the immediate surroundings of the invading pathogen. Microbial pathogenesis is the product of interactions between host and pathogen. Our results demonstrate the applicability of high-throughput RT-qPCR for the elucidation

Catch the wave: prairie dogs assess neighbours’ awareness using contagious displays

PubMed Central

Hare, James F.; Campbell, Kevin L.; Senkiw, Robert W.

2014-01-01

The jump–yip display of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) is contagious, spreading through a prairie dog town as ‘the wave’ through a stadium. Because contagious communication in primates serves to assess conspecific social awareness, we investigated whether instigators of jump–yip bouts adjusted their behaviour relative to the response of conspecifics recruited to display bouts. Increased responsiveness of neighbouring town members resulted in bout initiators devoting a significantly greater proportion of time to active foraging. Contagious jump–yips thus function to assess neighbours’ alertness, soliciting social information to assess effective conspecific group size in real time and reveal active probing of conspecific awareness consistent with theory of mind in these group-living rodents. PMID:24403324

Ingroup-outgroup bias in contagious yawning by chimpanzees supports link to empathy.

PubMed

Campbell, Matthew W; de Waal, Frans B M

2011-04-06

Humans favor others seen as similar to themselves (ingroup) over people seen as different (outgroup), even without explicitly stated bias. Ingroup-outgroup bias extends to involuntary responses, such as empathy for pain. However, empathy biases have not been tested in our close primate relatives. Contagious yawning has been theoretically and empirically linked to empathy. If empathy underlies contagious yawning, we predict that subjects should show an ingroup-outgroup bias by yawning more in response to watching ingroup members yawn than outgroup. Twenty-three chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) from two separate groups watched videos of familiar and unfamiliar individuals yawning or at rest (control). The chimpanzees yawned more when watching the familiar yawns than the familiar control or the unfamiliar yawns, demonstrating an ingroup-outgroup bias in contagious yawning. These results provide further empirical support that contagious yawning is a measure of empathy, which may be useful for evolutionary biology and mental health.

Isolation and genetic characterization of an Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serovar K12:O3 strain.

PubMed

Ito, Hiroya; Matsumoto, Atsuko

2015-01-01

An atypical Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serovar 12 strain, termed QAS106, was isolated from a clinical case of porcine pleuropneumonia in Japan. An immunodiffusion (ID) test identified the strain as serovar 12. However, the ID test also demonstrated that strain QAS106 shared antigenic determinants with both the serovar 3 and 15 reference strains. Strain QAS106 was positive in the capsular serovar 12-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, while the PCR toxin gene profiling and omlA PCR typing assays indicated that strain QAS106 was similar to serovar 3. The nucleotide sequence of the 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of strain QAS106 was identical with that of serovars 3 and 12, but it showed 99.7% identity with that of serovar 15. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that genes involved in biosynthesis of the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) of strain QAS106 were identical to those of serovar 12 at the amino acid level. On the other hand, strain QAS106 would express putative proteins involved in the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) O-polysaccharide (O-PS), the amino acid sequences of which were identical or nearly identical to those of serovars 3 and 15. In conclusion, strain QAS106 should be recognized as K12:O3, even though typical serovar 12 strains are K12:O12. The emergence of an atypical A. pleuropneumoniae serovar 12 strain expressing a rare combination of CPS and O-PS antigens would hamper precise serodiagnosis by the use of either CPS- or LPS-based serodiagnostic methodology alone. © 2014 The Author(s).

Characterization of antigenic determinants in ApxIIA exotoxin capable of inducing protective immunity to Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae challenge.

PubMed

Seo, Ki-Weon; Kim, Dong-Heon; Kim, Ah Hyun; Yoo, Han-Sang; Lee, Kyung-Yeol; Jang, Yong-Suk

2011-01-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia. Among the virulence factors of the pathogen, ApxIIA, a bacterial exotoxin, is expressed by many serotypes and presents a plausible target for vaccine development. We characterized the region within ApxIIA that induces a protective immune response against bacterial infection using mouse challenge model. Recombinant proteins spanning the length of ApxIIA were produced and antiserum to the full-length ApxIIA was induced in mice. This antiserum recognized fragments #2, #3 and #5 with high binding specificity, but showed poor recognition for fragments #1 and #4. Of the antisera induced in mice by injection of each fragments, only the antiserum to fragment #4 failed to efficiently recognize the full-length antigen, although the individual antisera recognized their cognate antigens with almost equal efficiency. The protective potency of the immunogenic proteins against a challenge injection of bacteria in vivo correlated well with the antibody titer. Fragment #5 induced the highest level of protective activity, comparable to that by the full-length protein. These results support the use of fragment #5 to produce a vaccine against A. pleuropneumoniae challenge, since the small antigen peptide is easier to handle than is the full-length protein and can be expressed efficiently in heterologous expression systems.

76 FR 31220 - Importation of Horses From Contagious Equine Metritis-Affected Countries

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-31

.... APHIS-2008-0112] RIN 0579-AD31 Importation of Horses From Contagious Equine Metritis-Affected Countries... regarding the importation of horses from countries affected with contagious equine metritis (CEM) by... disease of horses and other equines caused by an infection with the bacterium Taylorella equigenitalis. On...

Ingroup-Outgroup Bias in Contagious Yawning by Chimpanzees Supports Link to Empathy

PubMed Central

Campbell, Matthew W.; de Waal, Frans B. M.

2011-01-01

Humans favor others seen as similar to themselves (ingroup) over people seen as different (outgroup), even without explicitly stated bias. Ingroup-outgroup bias extends to involuntary responses, such as empathy for pain. However, empathy biases have not been tested in our close primate relatives. Contagious yawning has been theoretically and empirically linked to empathy. If empathy underlies contagious yawning, we predict that subjects should show an ingroup-outgroup bias by yawning more in response to watching ingroup members yawn than outgroup. Twenty-three chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) from two separate groups watched videos of familiar and unfamiliar individuals yawning or at rest (control). The chimpanzees yawned more when watching the familiar yawns than the familiar control or the unfamiliar yawns, demonstrating an ingroup-outgroup bias in contagious yawning. These results provide further empirical support that contagious yawning is a measure of empathy, which may be useful for evolutionary biology and mental health. PMID:21494669

Mechanisms underlying Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae exotoxin ApxI induced expression of IL-1β, IL-8 and TNF-α in porcine alveolar macrophages

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (A. pleuropneumoniae) causes fibrino-hemorrhagic necrotizing pleuropneumonia in pigs. Production of proinflammatory mediators in the lungs is an important feature of A. pleuropneumoniae infection. However, bacterial components other than lipopolysaccharide involved in this process remain unidentified. The goals of this study were to determine the role of A. pleuropneumoniae exotoxin ApxI in cytokine induction and to delineate the underlying mechanisms. Using real-time quantitative PCR analysis, we found native ApxI stimulated porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) to transcribe mRNAs of IL-1β, IL-8 and TNF-α in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Heat-inactivation or pre-incubation of ApxI with a neutralizing antiserum attenuated ApxI bioactivity to induce cytokine gene expression. The secretion of IL-1β, IL-8 and TNF-α protein from PAMs stimulated with ApxI was also confirmed by quantitative ELISA. In delineating the underlying signaling pathways contributing to cytokine expression, we observed mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) p38 and cJun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) were activated upon ApxI stimulation. Administration of an inhibitor specific to p38 or JNK resulted in varying degrees of attenuation on ApxI-induced cytokine expression, suggesting the differential regulatory roles of p38 and JNK in IL-1β, IL-8 and TNF-α production. Further, pre-incubation of PAMs with a CD18-blocking antibody prior to ApxI stimulation significantly reduced the activation of p38 and JNK, and subsequent expression of IL-1β, IL-8 or TNF-α gene, indicating a pivotal role of β2 integrins in the ApxI-mediated effect. Collectively, this study demonstrated ApxI induces gene expression of IL-1β, IL-8 and TNF-α in PAMs that involves β2 integrins and downstream MAPKs. PMID:21314908

21 CFR 522.313b - Ceftiofur hydrochloride.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... bacterial pneumonia) associated with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Pasteurella multocida, Salmonella... treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD, shipping fever, pneumonia) associated with Mannheimia...

Simultaneous Detection of Antibodies against Apx Toxins ApxI, ApxII, ApxIII, and ApxIV in Pigs with Known and Unknown Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Exposure Using a Multiplexing Liquid Array Platform

PubMed Central

Giménez-Lirola, Luis G.; Jiang, Yong-Hou; Sun, Dong; Hoang, Hai; Yoon, Kyoung-Jin; Halbur, Patrick G.

2014-01-01

Surveillance for the presence of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection in a population plays a central role in controlling the disease. In this study, a 4-plex fluorescent microbead-based immunoassay (FMIA), developed for the simultaneous detection of IgG antibodies to repeat-in-toxin (RTX) toxins (ApxI, ApxII, ApxIII, and ApxIV) of A. pleuropneumoniae, was evaluated using (i) blood serum samples from pigs experimentally infected with each of the 15 known A. pleuropneumoniae serovars or with Actinobacillus suis, (ii) blood serum samples from pigs vaccinated with a bacterin containing A. pleuropneumoniae serovar 1, 3, 5, or 7, and (iii) blood serum samples from pigs with an unknown A. pleuropneumoniae exposure status. The results were compared to those obtained in a previous study where a dual-plate complement fixation test (CFT) and three commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were conducted on the same sample set. On samples from experimentally infected pigs, the 4-plex Apx FMIA detected specific seroconversion to Apx toxins as early as 7 days postinfection in a total of 29 pigs inoculated with 14 of the 15 A. pleuropneumoniae serovars. Seroconversion to ApxII and ApxIII was detected by FMIA in pigs inoculated with A. suis. The vaccinated pigs showed poor humoral responses against ApxI, ApxII, ApxIII, and ApxIV. In the field samples, the humoral response to ApxIV and the A. pleuropneumoniae seroprevalence increased with age. This novel FMIA (with a sensitivity of 82.7% and a specificity of 100% for the anti-ApxIV antibody) was found to be more sensitive and accurate than current tests (sensitivities, 9.5 to 56%; specificity, 100%) and is potentially an improved tool for the surveillance of disease and for monitoring vaccination compliance. PMID:24226091

21 CFR 522.313b - Ceftiofur hydrochloride.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... bacterial respiratory disease (swine bacterial pneumonia) associated with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae... treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD, shipping fever, pneumonia) associated with Mannheimia...

Contagious itch: what we know and what we would like to know

PubMed Central

Schut, C.; Grossman, S.; Gieler, U.; Kupfer, J.; Yosipovitch, G.

2015-01-01

All humans experience itch in the course of their life. Even a discussion on the topic of itch or seeing people scratch can evoke the desire to scratch. These events are coined “contagious itch” and are very common. We and others have shown that videos showing people scratching and pictures of affected skin or insects can induce itch in healthy persons and chronic itch patients. In our studies, patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) were more susceptible to visual itch cues than healthy. Also, personality traits like agreeableness and public self-consciousness were associated with induced scratching in skin patients, while neuroticism correlated with induced itch in healthy subjects. The underlying course of contagious itch is not yet fully understood. It is hypothesized that there are human mirror neurons that are active when we imitate actions and/or negative affect. Until now, there has been only limited data on the mechanisms of brain activation in contagious itch though. We have barely begun to understand the underlying physiological reactions and the triggering factors of this phenomenon. We summarize what we currently know about contagious itch and provide some suggestions what future research should focus on. PMID:25717300

Trimeric autotransporter adhesins contribute to Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae pathogenicity in mice and regulate bacterial gene expression during interactions between bacteria and porcine primary alveolar macrophages.

PubMed

Qin, Wanhai; Wang, Lei; Zhai, Ruidong; Ma, Qiuyue; Liu, Jianfang; Bao, Chuntong; Zhang, Hu; Sun, Changjiang; Feng, Xin; Gu, Jingmin; Du, Chongtao; Han, Wenyu; Langford, P R; Lei, Liancheng

2016-01-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is an important pathogen that causes respiratory disease in pigs. Trimeric autotransporter adhesin (TAA) is a recently discovered bacterial virulence factor that mediates bacterial adhesion and colonization. Two TAA coding genes have been found in the genome of A. pleuropneumoniae strain 5b L20, but whether they contribute to bacterial pathogenicity is unclear. In this study, we used homologous recombination to construct a double-gene deletion mutant, ΔTAA, in which both TAA coding genes were deleted and used it in in vivo and in vitro studies to confirm that TAAs participate in bacterial auto-aggregation, biofilm formation, cell adhesion and virulence in mice. A microarray analysis was used to determine whether TAAs can regulate other A. pleuropneumoniae genes during interactions with porcine primary alveolar macrophages. The results showed that deletion of both TAA coding genes up-regulated 36 genes, including ene1514, hofB and tbpB2, and simultaneously down-regulated 36 genes, including lgt, murF and ftsY. These data illustrate that TAAs help to maintain full bacterial virulence both directly, through their bioactivity, and indirectly by regulating the bacterial type II and IV secretion systems and regulating the synthesis or secretion of virulence factors. This study not only enhances our understanding of the role of TAAs but also has significance for those studying A. pleuropneumoniae pathogenesis.

Host Cell Contact-Induced Transcription of the Type IV Fimbria Gene Cluster of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

PubMed Central

Boekema, Bouke K. H. L.; Van Putten, Jos P. M.; Stockhofe-Zurwieden, Norbert; Smith, Hilde E.

2004-01-01

Type IV pili (Tfp) of gram-negative species share many characteristics, including a common architecture and conserved biogenesis pathway. Much less is known about the regulation of Tfp expression in response to changing environmental conditions. We investigated the diversity of Tfp regulatory systems by searching for the molecular basis of the reported variable expression of the Tfp gene cluster of the pathogen Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. Despite the presence of an intact Tfp gene cluster consisting of four genes, apfABCD, no Tfp were formed under standard growth conditions. Sequence analysis of the predicted major subunit protein ApfA showed an atypical alanine residue at position −1 from the prepilin peptidase cleavage site in 42 strains. This alanine deviates from the consensus glycine at this position in Tfp from other species. Yet, cloning of the apfABCD genes under a constitutive promoter in A. pleuropneumoniae resulted in pilin and Tfp assembly. Tfp promoter-luxAB reporter gene fusions demonstrated that the Tfp promoter was intact but tightly regulated. Promoter activity varied with bacterial growth phase and was detected only when bacteria were grown in chemically defined medium. Infection experiments with cultured epithelial cells demonstrated that Tfp promoter activity was upregulated upon adherence of the pathogen to primary cultures of lung epithelial cells. Nonadherent bacteria in the culture supernatant exhibited virtually no promoter activity. A similar upregulation of Tfp promoter activity was observed in vivo during experimental infection of pigs. The host cell contact-induced and in vivo-upregulated Tfp promoter activity in A. pleuropneumoniae adds a new dimension to the diversity of Tfp regulation. PMID:14742510

The live attenuated Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae triple-deletion mutant ΔapxIC ΔapxIIC ΔapxIV-ORF1 strain, SLW05, Immunizes pigs against lethal challenge with Haemophilus parasuis.

PubMed

Fu, Shulin; Ou, Jiwen; Zhang, Minmin; Xu, Juan; Liu, Huazhen; Liu, Jinlin; Yuan, Fangyan; Chen, Huanchun; Bei, Weicheng

2013-02-01

Haemophilus parasuis and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae both belong to the family Pasteurellaceae and are major respiratory pathogens that cause large economic losses in the pig industry worldwide. We previously constructed an attenuated A. pleuropneumoniae serovar 1 live vaccine prototype, SLW05 (ΔapxIC ΔapxIIC ΔapxIV-ORF1), which is able to produce nontoxic but immunogenic ApxIA, ApxIIA, and ApxIVA. This triple-deletion mutant strain was shown to elicit protective immunity against virulent A. pleuropneumoniae. In the present study, we investigated whether immunization with SLW05 could also protect against lethal challenge with virulent H. parasuis SH0165 (serovar 5) or MD0322 (serovar 4). The SLW05 strain was found to elicit a strong humoral antibody response in pigs and to confer significant protection against challenge with a lethal dose of H. parasuis SH0165 or MD0322. IgG subtype analysis revealed that SLW05 induces a bias toward a Th1-type immune response and stimulates interleukin 2 (IL-2) and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) production. Moreover, antisera from SLW05-vaccinated pigs efficiently inhibited both A. pleuropneumoniae and H. parasuis growth in a whole-blood assay. This is the first report that a live attenuated A. pleuropneumoniae vaccine with SLW05 can protect against lethal H. parasuis infection, which provides a novel approach for developing an attenuated H. parasuis vaccine.

ROVs in a Bucket: Contagious, Experiential Learning by Building Inexpensive, Underwater Robots

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

R., “Toward an applied theory of experiential learning ,” in C. Cooper (ed.) Theories of Group Process, London: John Wiley. (1975) [8] C. Beard, JP...ROVs in a Bucket” Contagious, Experiential Learning by Building Inexpensive, Underwater Robots Douglas R. Levin Krista Trono Christine...Contagious, Experiential Learning by Building Inexpensive, Underwater Robots 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S

The Live Attenuated Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Triple-Deletion Mutant ΔapxIC ΔapxIIC ΔapxIV-ORF1 Strain, SLW05, Immunizes Pigs against Lethal Challenge with Haemophilus parasuis

PubMed Central

Fu, Shulin; Ou, Jiwen; Zhang, Minmin; Xu, Juan; Liu, Huazhen; Liu, Jinlin; Yuan, Fangyan; Chen, Huanchun

2013-01-01

Haemophilus parasuis and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae both belong to the family Pasteurellaceae and are major respiratory pathogens that cause large economic losses in the pig industry worldwide. We previously constructed an attenuated A. pleuropneumoniae serovar 1 live vaccine prototype, SLW05 (ΔapxIC ΔapxIIC ΔapxIV-ORF1), which is able to produce nontoxic but immunogenic ApxIA, ApxIIA, and ApxIVA. This triple-deletion mutant strain was shown to elicit protective immunity against virulent A. pleuropneumoniae. In the present study, we investigated whether immunization with SLW05 could also protect against lethal challenge with virulent H. parasuis SH0165 (serovar 5) or MD0322 (serovar 4). The SLW05 strain was found to elicit a strong humoral antibody response in pigs and to confer significant protection against challenge with a lethal dose of H. parasuis SH0165 or MD0322. IgG subtype analysis revealed that SLW05 induces a bias toward a Th1-type immune response and stimulates interleukin 2 (IL-2) and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) production. Moreover, antisera from SLW05-vaccinated pigs efficiently inhibited both A. pleuropneumoniae and H. parasuis growth in a whole-blood assay. This is the first report that a live attenuated A. pleuropneumoniae vaccine with SLW05 can protect against lethal H. parasuis infection, which provides a novel approach for developing an attenuated H. parasuis vaccine. PMID:23220998

Hitting Is Contagious: Experience and Action Induction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Rob; Beilock, Sian L.

2011-01-01

In baseball, it is believed that "hitting is contagious," that is, probability of success increases if the previous few batters get a hit. Could this effect be partially explained by action induction--that is, the tendency to perform an action related to one that has just been observed? A simulation was used to investigate the effect of inducing…

Apa2H1, the first head domain of Apa2 trimeric autotransporter adhesin, activates mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells and immunization with Apa2H1 protects against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection.

PubMed

Qin, Wanhai; Wang, Lei; Zhai, Ruidong; Ma, Qiuyue; Liu, Jianfang; Bao, Chuntong; Sun, Diangang; Zhang, Hu; Sun, Changjiang; Feng, Xin; Gu, Jingmin; Du, Chongtao; Han, Wenyu; Langford, P R; Lei, Liancheng

2017-01-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the causative pathogen of porcine pleuropneumonia, which results in large economic losses in the pig industry worldwide. There are, however, no effective subunit vaccines are available in the market owing to the various serotypes and the absence of cross-protection against this pathogen. Therefore, the selection of protective components is of great significance for vaccine development. We previously showed that trimeric autotransporter adhesins are important virulence factors of A. pleuropneumoniae. To determine the potential role in vaccine development of the functional head domain (Apa2H1) of Apa2, a trimeric autotransporter adhesin found in A. pleuropneumoniae, we obtained nature-like trimeric Apa2H1 using a prokaryotic expression system and co-culture of Apa2H1 with bone marrow derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) in vitro resulted in maturation of BMDCs, characterised by the up-regulation of CD83, MHC-II, CCR7, ICAM-I and the increased expression of factors related to B lymphoid cells stimulation, such as proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) and B cell activating factor (BAFF). The in vivo results showed that vaccination with Apa2H1 resulted in the robust production of antigen-specific antibodies, modestly induced mixed Th1 and Th2 immunity, impaired bacterial colonization and dissemination, and improved mouse survival rates. This study is the first to show that Apa2H1 is antigenic and can be used as a component of a subunit vaccine against A. pleuropneumoniae infection, providing valuable reference material for the development of an effective vaccine against A. pleuropneumoniae. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Supreme Court Holds That Contagious Diseases Are Handicaps.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flygare, Thomas J.

1987-01-01

Describes a complex case involving termination of a third-grade teacher with recurrent tuberculosis. The United States Supreme Court upheld a circuit court's ruling that the teacher's condition satisfied section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act protecting handicapped persons against discrimination. Since contagiousness was not addressed, the…

Transporting Patients with Lethal Contagious Infections

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-04-01

will be analyzed. If the patient requires a BSL-4 patient care room, he or she must be transported to the US Army Medical Research Institute of...consists of a physician, a registered nurse, and 4 to 6 medics who can manage one patient (Figure 2). The team can provide emer- gency care, such as airway...CLINICAL DECISIONS Section Editor: Colleen Swartz, RN, MSN, CCRN Transporting Patients with Lethal Contagious Infections Q If a trauma patient is

Investigation of bovine tuberculosis outbreaks by using a trace-back system and molecular typing in Korean Hanwoo beef cattle.

PubMed

Ku, Bok Kyung; Jeon, Bo-Young; Kim, Jae Myung; Jang, Young-Boo; Lee, Hyeyoung; Choi, Jae Young; Jung, Suk Chan; Nam, Hyang-Mi; Park, Hun; Cho, Sang-Nae

2018-01-31

Bovine tuberculosis is a chronic contagious disease responsible for major agricultural economic losses. Abattoir monitoring and trace-back systems are an appropriate method to control bovine tuberculosis, particularly in beef cattle. In the present study, a trace-back system was applied to bovine tuberculosis cases in Korean native Hanwoo beef cattle. Bovine tuberculosis was detected in three index beef cattle during abattoir monitoring in Jeonbuk Province, Korea, and the original herds were traced back from each index cow. All cattle in each original herd were subjected to tuberculin skin test. The positive rates in the tuberculin skin test were 64.6% (62 of 96), 4.8% (2 of 42), and 8.1% (3 of 37) at farms A, B, and C, respectively. On post-mortem examination of 56 tuberculin-positive cattle, 62% had granulomatous lesions, and Mycobacterium bovis was cultured from 40 (71.4%) of the cattle. Molecular typing by spoligotyping and the mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable-number tandem repeat assay revealed the genotype of the M. bovis strains from the index cattle were same as the M. bovis genotype in each original herd. The results suggest that tracing back from index cattle to the original herd is an effective method to control bovine tuberculosis in beef cattle.

A bacterial engineered glycoprotein as a novel antigen for diagnosis of bovine brucellosis.

PubMed

Ciocchini, Andrés E; Serantes, Diego A Rey; Melli, Luciano J; Guidolin, Leticia S; Iwashkiw, Jeremy A; Elena, Sebastián; Franco, Cristina; Nicola, Ana M; Feldman, Mario F; Comerci, Diego J; Ugalde, Juan E

2014-08-27

Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonosis that affects livestock and human beings. Laboratory diagnosis of bovine brucellosis mainly relies on serological diagnosis using serum and/or milk samples. Although there are several serological tests with different diagnostic performance and capacity to differentiate vaccinated from infected animals, there is still no standardized reference antigen for the disease. Here we validate the first recombinant glycoprotein antigen, an N-formylperosamine O-polysaccharide-protein conjugate (OAg-AcrA), for diagnosis of bovine brucellosis. This antigen can be produced in homogeneous batches without the need of culturing pathogenic brucellae; all characteristics that make it appropriate for standardization. An indirect immunoassay based on the detection of anti O-polysaccharide IgG antibodies in bovine samples was developed coupling OAg-AcrA to magnetic beads or ELISA plates. As a proof of concept and to validate the antigen, we analyzed serum, whole blood and milk samples obtained from non-infected, experimentally infected and vaccinated animals included in a vaccination/infection trial performed in our laboratory as well as more than 1000 serum and milk samples obtained from naturally infected and S19-vaccinated animals from Argentina. Our results demonstrate that OAg-AcrA-based assays are highly accurate for diagnosis of bovine brucellosis, even in vaccinated herds, using different types of samples and in different platforms. We propose this novel recombinant glycoprotein as an antigen suitable for the development of new standard immunological tests for screening and confirmatory diagnosis of bovine brucellosis in regions or countries with brucellosis-control programs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Presence of Contagious Yawning in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Kikuchi, Yukiko; Akechi, Hironori; Tojo, Yoshikuni; Osanai, Hiroo; Hasegawa, Toshikazu

2013-01-01

Most previous studies suggest diminished susceptibility to contagious yawning in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it could be driven by their atypical attention to the face. To test this hypothesis, children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children were shown yawning and control movies. To ensure participants' attention to the face, an eye tracker controlled the onset of the yawning and control stimuli. Results demonstrated that both TD children and children with ASD yawned more frequently when they watched the yawning stimuli than the control stimuli. It is suggested therefore that the absence of contagious yawning in children with ASD, as reported in previous studies, might relate to their weaker tendency to spontaneously attend to others' faces. PMID:23970970

Antimicrobial susceptibility and serotypes of Actinobacillus (Haemophilus) pleuropneumoniae recovered from Missouri swine.

PubMed

Fales, W H; Morehouse, L G; Mittal, K R; Bean-Knudsen, C; Nelson, S L; Kintner, L D; Turk, J R; Turk, M A; Brown, T P; Shaw, D P

1989-01-01

The antimicrobial susceptibility of 73 Actinobacillus (Haemophilus) pleuropneumoniae isolates from swine in Missouri was determined with a microdilution minimal inhibitory concentration test system. Serotyping was accomplished by means of co-agglutination. Serotype 1 (39/73) and serotype 5 (30/73) were commonly found, whereas serotype 7 (4/73) was infrequently encountered. Most isolates (MIC90) were found susceptible to ampicillin (amoxicillin), cephalothin, penicillin, erythromycin, gentamicin, and kanamycin. Marked resistance was found with oxytetracycline, tylosin, and sulfadimethoxine. The data indicate that use of ampicillin (amoxicillin) or penicillin may correlate well with the favorable outcome of treatment.

Experimental Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae challenge in swine: Comparison of computed tomographic and radiographic findings during disease

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background In pigs, diseases of the respiratory tract like pleuropneumonia due to Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (App) infection have led to high economic losses for decades. Further research on disease pathogenesis, pathogen-host-interactions and new prophylactic and therapeutic approaches are needed. In most studies, a large number of experimental animals are required to assess lung alterations at different stages of the disease. In order to reduce the required number of animals but nevertheless gather information on the nature and extent of lung alterations in living pigs, a computed tomographic scoring system for quantifying gross pathological findings was developed. In this study, five healthy pigs served as control animals while 24 pigs were infected with App, the causative agent of pleuropneumonia in pigs, in an established model for respiratory tract disease. Results Computed tomographic (CT) findings during the course of App challenge were verified by radiological imaging, clinical, serological, gross pathology and histological examinations. Findings from clinical examinations and both CT and radiological imaging, were recorded on day 7 and day 21 after challenge. Clinical signs after experimental App challenge were indicative of acute to chronic disease. Lung CT findings of infected pigs comprised ground-glass opacities and consolidation. On day 7 and 21 the clinical scores significantly correlated with the scores of both imaging techniques. At day 21, significant correlations were found between clinical scores, CT scores and lung lesion scores. In 19 out of 22 challenged pigs the determined disease grades (not affected, slightly affected, moderately affected, severely affected) from CT and gross pathological examination were in accordance. Disease classification by radiography and gross pathology agreed in 11 out of 24 pigs. Conclusions High-resolution, high-contrast CT examination with no overlapping of organs is superior to radiography in the

Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of Marbofloxacin in Pig against Korean Local Isolates of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

PubMed

Hossain, Md Akil; Park, Hae-Chul; Jeong, Kyunghun; Jang, Yang Ho; Kim, Dae Gyun; Kang, JeongWoo; Lee, Kwang-Jick

2017-01-01

The pharmacokinetics of marbofloxacin in pigs after intravenous (i.v.), intramuscular (i.m.), and peroral (p.o.) administration and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic indices of this drug against Korean local isolates of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae were determined in this study. Marbofloxacin (2.50 mg/kg of body weight) was administered, and blood samples were collected with designated time intervals. Plasma-extracted marbofloxacin was injected into the LC-MS/MS system. The in vitro and ex vivo antibacterial activities of marbofloxacin were evaluated against 20 isolates of A. pleuropneumoniae . The mean peak plasma concentrations ( C max ) after i.v., i.m., and p.o administration were 2.60 ± 0.10, 2.59 ± 0.12, and 2.34 ± 0.12  µ g/mL at 0.25 ± 0.00, 0.44 ± 0.10, and 1.58 ± 0.40 h, respectively. The area under the plasma concentration-time curves (AUC 0-24 ) and elimination half-lives were 24.80 ± 0.90, 25.80 ± 1.40, and 23.40 ± 5.00 h· μ g/mL and 8.60 ± 0.30, 12.80 ± 1.10, and 8.60 ± 0.00 h, for i.v., i.m., and p.o. administration, correspondingly. The AUC 0-24 /MICs of marbofloxacin after i.v., i.m., and p.o. administration were 253.86 ± 179.91, 264.1 ± 187.16, and 239.53 ± 169.75 h, respectively. The C max /MIC values were 26.58 ± 18.84, 26.48 ± 18.77, and 23.94 ± 16.97, and T>MICs were 42.80 ± 1.01, 36.40 ± 1.24, and 38.60 ± 1.18 h, after i.v., i.m., and p.o. administration, respectively. Thus, marbofloxacin dosage of 2.50 mg/kg of body weight by i.v., i.m., and p.o. administration with 24 h dosing interval will provide effective treatment for the infection of pig by A. pleuropneumonia .

Performance evaluation of two serological tests for contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) detection in an enzootic area using a Bayesian framework.

PubMed

Sidibé, Cheick Abou Kounta; Grosbois, Vladimir; Thiaucourt, François; Niang, Mamadou; Lesnoff, Matthieu; Roger, François

2012-08-01

A Bayesian approach, allowing for conditional dependence between two tests was used to estimate without gold standard the sensitivities of complement fixation test (CFT) and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test (cELISA) and the serological prevalence of CBPP in a cattle population of the Central Delta of the Niger River in Mali, where CBPP is enzootic and the true prevalence and animals serological state were unknown. A significant difference (P = 0.99) was observed between the sensitivities of the two tests, estimated at 73.7% (95% probability interval [PI], 63.4-82.7) for cELISA and 42.3% (95% PI, 33.3-53.7) for CFT. Individual-level serological prevalence in the study population was estimated at 14.1% (95% PI, 10.8-16.9). Our results indicate that in enzootic areas, cELISA performs better in terms of sensitivity than CFT. However, negative conditional sensitivity dependence between the two tests was detected, implying that to achieve maximum sensitivity, the two tests should be applied in parallel.

Deletion of the znuA virulence factor attenuates Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and confers protection against homologous or heterologous strain challenge.

PubMed

Yuan, Fangyan; Liao, Yonghong; You, Wujin; Liu, Zewen; Tan, Yongqiang; Zheng, Chengkun; BinWang; Zhou, Danna; Tian, Yongxiang; Bei, Weicheng

2014-12-05

The znuA gene is known to be important for growth and survival in Escherichia coli, Haemophilus spp., Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Pasteurella multocida under low Zn(2+) conditions. This gene is also present in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 1; therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the existence of a similar role for the znuA gene in the growth and virulence of this organism. A precisely defined ΔznuA deletion mutant of A. pleuropneumoniae was constructed based on the sequence of the wild-type SLW01 using transconjugation and counterselection. This mutation was found to be lethal in low-Zn(2+) medium. Furthermore, the ΔznuA mutant strain exhibited attenuated virulence (≥22-fold) as well as reduced mortality and morbidity in a murine (Balb/C) model of infection. The majority of the bacteria were cleared from the lungs within 2 weeks. The ΔznuA mutant strain caused no adverse effects in pigs at doses of up to 1.0×10(9) CFU/mL. The ΔznuA mutant strain induced a significant immune response and conferred 80% and 100% protection on immunised pigs against challenge with A. pleuropneumoniae strains belonging to homologous or heterologous serovars, respectively, compared to the blank controls. The data obtained in this study indicate the potential of the mutant ΔznuA strain for development as a live vaccine capable of inducing reliable cross-serovar protection following intratracheal immunisation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nasal immunization with M cell-targeting ligand-conjugated ApxIIA toxin fragment induces protective immunity against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection in a murine model.

PubMed

Park, Jisang; Seo, Ki-Weon; Kim, Sae-Hae; Lee, Ha-Yan; Kim, Bumseok; Lim, Chae Woong; Kim, Jin-Hee; Yoo, Han Sang; Jang, Yong-Suk

2015-05-15

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia and severe economic loss in the swine industry has been caused by the infection. Therefore, the development of an effective vaccine against the bacteria is necessary. ApxII toxin, among several virulence factors expressed by the bacteria, is considered to be a promising vaccine candidate because ApxII toxin not only accompanies cytotoxic and hemolytic activities, but is also expressed in all 15 serotypes of bacteria except serotypes 10 and 14. In this study, we identified the peptide ligand capable of targeting the ligand-conjugated ApxIIA #5 fragment antigen to nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue. It was found that nasal immunization with ligand-conjugated ApxIIA #5 induced efficient mucosal and systemic immune responses measured at the levels of antigen-specific antibodies, cytokine-secreting cells after antigen exposure, and antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferation. More importantly, the nasal immunization induced protective immunity against nasal challenge infection of the bacteria, which was confirmed by histopathological studies and bacterial clearance after challenge infection. Collectively, we confirmed that the ligand capable of targeting the ligand-conjugated antigen to nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue can be used as an effective nasal vaccine adjuvant to induce protective immunity against A. pleuropneumoniae infection. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Computer animations stimulate contagious yawning in chimpanzees

PubMed Central

Campbell, Matthew W.; Carter, J. Devyn; Proctor, Darby; Eisenberg, Michelle L.; de Waal, Frans B. M.

2009-01-01

People empathize with fictional displays of behaviour, including those of cartoons and computer animations, even though the stimuli are obviously artificial. However, the extent to which other animals also may respond empathetically to animations has yet to be determined. Animations provide a potentially useful tool for exploring non-human behaviour, cognition and empathy because computer-generated stimuli offer complete control over variables and the ability to program stimuli that could not be captured on video. Establishing computer animations as a viable tool requires that non-human subjects identify with and respond to animations in a way similar to the way they do to images of actual conspecifics. Contagious yawning has been linked to empathy and poses a good test of involuntary identification and motor mimicry. We presented 24 chimpanzees with three-dimensional computer-animated chimpanzees yawning or displaying control mouth movements. The apes yawned significantly more in response to the yawn animations than to the controls, implying identification with the animations. These results support the phenomenon of contagious yawning in chimpanzees and suggest an empathic response to animations. Understanding how chimpanzees connect with animations, to both empathize and imitate, may help us to understand how humans do the same. PMID:19740888

Individual Variation in Contagious Yawning Susceptibility Is Highly Stable and Largely Unexplained by Empathy or Other Known Factors

PubMed Central

Bartholomew, Alex J.; Cirulli, Elizabeth T.

2014-01-01

The contagious aspect of yawning is a well-known phenomenon that exhibits variation in the human population. Despite the observed variation, few studies have addressed its intra-individual reliability or the factors modulating differences in the susceptibility of healthy volunteers. Due to its obvious biological basis and impairment in diseases like autism and schizophrenia, a better understanding of this trait could lead to novel insights into these conditions and the general biological functioning of humans. We administered 328 participants a 3-minute yawning video stimulus, a cognitive battery, and a comprehensive questionnaire that included measures of empathy, emotional contagion, circadian energy rhythms, and sleepiness. Individual contagious yawning measurements were found to be highly stable across testing sessions, both in a lab setting and if administered remotely online, confirming that certain healthy individuals are less susceptible to contagious yawns than are others. Additionally, most individuals who failed to contagiously yawn in our study were not simply suppressing their reaction, as they reported not even feeling like yawning in response to the stimulus. In contrast to previous studies indicating that empathy, time of day, or intelligence may influence contagious yawning susceptibility, we found no influence of these variables once accounting for the age of the participant. Participants were less likely to show contagious yawning as their age increased, even when restricting to ages of less than 40 years. However, age was only able to explain 8% of the variability in the contagious yawn response. The vast majority of the variability in this extremely stable trait remained unexplained, suggesting that studies of its inheritance are warranted. PMID:24632594

Should Persons with Contagious Diseases Be Barred from School?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roe, Richard L.

1987-01-01

Reviews recent court decisions regarding whether individuals with contagious diseases may be barred from public schools. Devotes specific attention to the issue of whether certain communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) can be classified as handicaps and thereby qualify a person for protection…

Experimental Identification of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Strains L20 and JL03 Heptosyltransferases, Evidence for a New Heptosyltransferase Signature Sequence

PubMed Central

Merino, Susana; Knirel, Yuriy A.; Regué, Miguel; Tomás, Juan M.

2013-01-01

We experimentally identified the activities of six predicted heptosyltransferases in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae genome serotype 5b strain L20 and serotype 3 strain JL03. The initial identification was based on a bioinformatic analysis of the amino acid similarity between these putative heptosyltrasferases with others of known function from enteric bacteria and Aeromonas. The putative functions of all the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae heptosyltrasferases were determined by using surrogate LPS acceptor molecules from well-defined A. hydrophyla AH-3 and A. salmonicida A450 mutants. Our results show that heptosyltransferases APL_0981 and APJL_1001 are responsible for the transfer of the terminal outer core D-glycero-D-manno-heptose (D,D-Hep) residue although they are not currently included in the CAZY glycosyltransferase 9 family. The WahF heptosyltransferase group signature sequence [S(T/S)(GA)XXH] differs from the heptosyltransferases consensus signature sequence [D(TS)(GA)XXH], because of the substitution of D261 for S261, being unique. PMID:23383222

Genetic and antigenic characteristics of ApxIIA and ApxIIIA from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serovars 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 15.

PubMed

To, Ho; Nagai, Shinya; Iwata, Akira; Koyama, Tomohiro; Oshima, Atsushi; Tsutsumi, Nobuyuki

2016-07-01

Apx toxins produced by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae are essential components of new generation vaccines. In this study, apxIIA and apxIIIA genes of serovars 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 15 were cloned and sequenced. Amino acid sequences of ApxIIA proteins of serovars 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 15 were almost identical to those of serovars 1, 5, 7, 9 and 11-13. Immunoblot analysis showed that rApxIIA from serovars 2 and 15 reacts strongly with sera from animals infected with various serovars. Sequence analysis revealed that ApxIIIA proteins has two variants, one in strains of serovar 2 and the other in strains of serovars 3, 4, 6, 8 and 15. A mouse cross-protection study showed that mice actively immunized with rApxIIIA/2 or rApxIIIA/15 are protected against challenge with A. pleuropneumoniae strains of serovars 3, 4, 6, 8, 15, and 2 expressing ApxIII/15 and ApxIII/2, respectively. Similarly, mice passively immunized with rabbit anti-rApxIIIA/2 or anti-rApxIIIA/15 sera were found to be protected against challenge with strains of serovars 2 and 15. Our study revealed antigenic and sequence similarities within ApxIIA and ApxIIIA proteins, which may help in the development of effective vaccines against disease caused by A. pleuropneumoniae. © 2016 The Societies and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

What To Do When Contagious Disease Strikes Your School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Bar Association, Chicago, IL.

This publication presents 10 documents collected to accompany a seminar entitled "What To Do When Contagious Disease Strikes Your School," presented at the 31st annual convention of the National Organization on Legal Problems of Education in 1985. The materials include (1) an agenda of the seminar listing the speakers, their topics, and…

Using Friends as Sensors to Detect Global-Scale Contagious Outbreaks

PubMed Central

Garcia-Herranz, Manuel; Moro, Esteban; Cebrian, Manuel; Christakis, Nicholas A.; Fowler, James H.

2014-01-01

Recent research has focused on the monitoring of global–scale online data for improved detection of epidemics, mood patterns, movements in the stock market political revolutions, box-office revenues, consumer behaviour and many other important phenomena. However, privacy considerations and the sheer scale of data available online are quickly making global monitoring infeasible, and existing methods do not take full advantage of local network structure to identify key nodes for monitoring. Here, we develop a model of the contagious spread of information in a global-scale, publicly-articulated social network and show that a simple method can yield not just early detection, but advance warning of contagious outbreaks. In this method, we randomly choose a small fraction of nodes in the network and then we randomly choose a friend of each node to include in a group for local monitoring. Using six months of data from most of the full Twittersphere, we show that this friend group is more central in the network and it helps us to detect viral outbreaks of the use of novel hashtags about 7 days earlier than we could with an equal-sized randomly chosen group. Moreover, the method actually works better than expected due to network structure alone because highly central actors are both more active and exhibit increased diversity in the information they transmit to others. These results suggest that local monitoring is not just more efficient, but also more effective, and it may be applied to monitor contagious processes in global–scale networks. PMID:24718030

Using friends as sensors to detect global-scale contagious outbreaks.

PubMed

Garcia-Herranz, Manuel; Moro, Esteban; Cebrian, Manuel; Christakis, Nicholas A; Fowler, James H

2014-01-01

Recent research has focused on the monitoring of global-scale online data for improved detection of epidemics, mood patterns, movements in the stock market political revolutions, box-office revenues, consumer behaviour and many other important phenomena. However, privacy considerations and the sheer scale of data available online are quickly making global monitoring infeasible, and existing methods do not take full advantage of local network structure to identify key nodes for monitoring. Here, we develop a model of the contagious spread of information in a global-scale, publicly-articulated social network and show that a simple method can yield not just early detection, but advance warning of contagious outbreaks. In this method, we randomly choose a small fraction of nodes in the network and then we randomly choose a friend of each node to include in a group for local monitoring. Using six months of data from most of the full Twittersphere, we show that this friend group is more central in the network and it helps us to detect viral outbreaks of the use of novel hashtags about 7 days earlier than we could with an equal-sized randomly chosen group. Moreover, the method actually works better than expected due to network structure alone because highly central actors are both more active and exhibit increased diversity in the information they transmit to others. These results suggest that local monitoring is not just more efficient, but also more effective, and it may be applied to monitor contagious processes in global-scale networks.

Discrete dynamics of contagious social diseases: Example of obesity.

PubMed

Demongeot, J; Hansen, O; Taramasco, C

2016-01-01

Modeling contagious diseases needs to incorporate information about social networks through which the disease spreads as well as data about demographic and genetic changes in the susceptible population. In this paper, we propose a theoretical framework (conceptualization and formalization) which seeks to model obesity as a process of transformation of one's own body determined by individual (physical and psychological), inter-individual (relational, i.e., relative to the relationship between the individual and others) and socio-cultural (environmental, i.e., relative to the relationship between the individual and his milieu) factors. Individual and inter-individual factors are tied to each other in a socio-cultural context whose impact is notably related to the visibility of anybody being exposed on the public stage in a non-contingent way. The question we are dealing with in this article is whether such kind of social diseases, i.e., depending upon socio-environmental exposure, can be considered as "contagious". In other words, can obesity be propagated from individual to individual or from environmental sources throughout an entire population?

Immunological study of an attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium expressing ApxIA, ApxIIA, ApxIIIA and OmpA of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in a mouse model.

PubMed

Hur, Jin; Eo, Seong Kug; Park, Sang-Youel; Choi, Yoonyoung; Lee, John Hwa

2016-01-01

Salmonella Typhimurium strain expressing the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae antigens, ApxIA, ApxIIA, ApxIIIA and OmpA, was previously constructed as a vaccine candidate for porcine pleuropneumonia. This strain was a live attenuated (∆lon∆cpxR∆asd)Salmonella as a delivery host and contained a vector containing asd. An immunological study of lymphocyte proliferation, T-lymphocyte subsets and cytokines in the splenocytes of a mouse model was carried out after stimulation with the candidate Salmonella Typhimurium by intranasal inoculation. The splenic lymphocyte proliferation and the levels of IL-4, IL-6 and IL-12 of the inoculated mice were significantly increased, and the T- and B-cell populations were also elevated. Collectively, the candidate may efficiently induce the Th1- and Th2-type immune responses.

77 FR 29914 - Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy; Importation of Bovines and Bovine Products

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-21

... Spongiform Encephalopathy; Importation of Bovines and Bovine Products AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health... derived from bovines with regard to bovine spongiform encephalopathy. This action will allow interested... importation of live bovines and products derived from bovines with regard to bovine spongiform encephalopathy...

Molecular serotyping and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolated from pigs in South Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Boram; Hur, Jin; Lee, Ji Yeong; Choi, Yoonyoung; Lee, John Hwa

2016-09-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) causes porcine pleuropneumonia (PP). Serotypes and antimicrobial resistance patterns in APP isolates from pigs in Korea were examined. Sixty-five APP isolates were genetically serotyped using standard and multiplex PCR (polymerase chain reaction). Antimicrobial susceptibilities were tested using the standardized disk-agar method. PCR was used to detect β-lactam, gentamicin and tetracycline-resistance genes. The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) patterns were determined by PCR. Korean pigs predominantly carried APP serotypes 1 and 5. Among 65 isolates, one isolate was sensitive to all 12 antimicrobials tested in this study. Sixty-two isolates was resistant to tetracycline and 53 isolates carried one or five genes including tet(B), tet(A), tet(H), tet(M)/tet(O), tet(C), tet(G) and/or tet(L)-1 markers. Among 64 strains, 9% and 26.6% were resistance to 10 and three or more antimicrobials, respectively. Thirteen different antimicrobial resistance patterns were observed and RAPD analysis revealed a separation of the isolates into two clusters: cluster II (6 strains resistant to 10 antimicrobials) and cluster I (the other 59 strains). Results show that APP serotypes 1 and 5 are the most common in Korea, and multi-drug resistant strains are prevalent. RAPD analysis demonstrated that six isolates resistant to 10 antimicrobials belonged to the same cluster.

Factors influencing the potency of marbofloxacin for pig pneumonia pathogens Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida.

PubMed

Dorey, L; Hobson, S; Lees, P

2017-04-01

For the pig respiratory tract pathogens, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of marbofloxacin was determined in recommended broths and pig serum at three inoculum strengths. MICs in both growth matrices increased progressively from low, through medium to high starting inoculum counts, 10 4 , 10 6 and 10 8 CFU/mL, respectively. P. multocida MIC ratios for high:low inocula were 14:4:1 for broth and 28.2:1 for serum. Corresponding MIC ratios for A. pleuropneumoniae were lower, 4.1:1 (broth) and 9.2:1 (serum). MIC high:low ratios were therefore both growth matrix and bacterial species dependent. The effect of alterations to the chemical composition of broths and serum on MIC were also investigated. Neither adjusting broth or serum pH in six increments over the range 7.0 to 8.0 nor increasing calcium and magnesium concentrations of broth in seven incremental steps significantly affected MICs for either organism. In time-kill studies, the killing action of marbofloxacin had the characteristics of concentration dependency against both organisms in both growth matrices. It is concluded that MIC and time-kill data for marbofloxacin, generated in serum, might be preferable to broth data, for predicting dosages of marbofloxacin for clinical use. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Participatory Epidemiology of Ethnoveterinary Practices Fulani Pastoralists Used to Manage Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia and Other Cattle Ailments in Niger State, Nigeria

PubMed Central

Alhaji, N. B.; Babalobi, O. O.

2015-01-01

Ethnoveterinary practices are locally available and affordable to Fulani pastoralists in Niger State, Nigeria, to whom conventional veterinary services are often not readily available and are relatively expensive. This study was designed to identify and document medicinal plant and nonplant materials used by this group in the management of cattle diseases. Participatory rural appraisal tools of checklist, semistructured interview, probing, transect, and triangulations were used to assess Fulani pastoralists existing knowledge on traditional veterinary practices in nine pastoral communities spread across the state. Fifty medicinal materials and seven traditional preventive practices are in use against CBPP and other cattle disease conditions. Of these, 38 (76.0%) are medicinal plants and 12 (24.0%) are nonplant materials (edible earth materials and minerals). Family Fabaceae was most commonly mentioned while leaves were the most common parts used. Most of these materials are administered by drenching with few others mixed with feed. Proportions of plant parts used include leaves (47.4%), barks (31.6%), roots (10.6%), and 2.6% of each of rhizomes, fruits, seeds, and whole plants. Of recently used ingredients are kerosene and spent engine oil. Further research into the active ingredients of ethnoveterinary materials and dosages is necessary to guide their usage. PMID:26464953

Mannheimia haemolytica A1-induced fibrinosuppurative meningoencephalitis in a naturally-infected Holstein-Friesian calf

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mannheimia haemolytica is an opportunistic bacterium that is widely recognized among the bovine respiratory disease complex as the predominant pathogen associated with pleuropneumonia in cattle. Among the characterized M. haemolytica serotypes, A1 is the major cause of severe pulmonary lesions in ca...

INCIDENCE AND DETECTION OF PLEUROPNEUMONIA-LIKE ORGANISMS IN CELL CULTURES BY FLUORESCENT ANTIBODY AND CULTURAL PROCEDURES1

PubMed Central

Barile, Michael F.; Malizia, Walter F.; Riggs, Donald B.

1962-01-01

Barile, Michael F. (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.), Walter F. Malizia, and Donald B. Riggs. Incidence and detection of pleuropneumonia-like organisms in cell cultures by fluorescent antibody and cultural procedures. J. Bacteriol. 84:130–136. 1962—A total of 102 tissue-cell cultures from 17 separate laboratories was examined for pleuropneumonia-like organisms (PPLO) by the fluorescent antibody and cultural procedures. PPLO were isolated from 48 of the 49 tissue-cell cultures found positive for PPLO by the fluorescent antibody procedure, and results of the two procedures agreed in 101 of the 102 (99%) cases. PPLO were isolated from none of 10 primary-cell cultures prepared from six animal species and from 48 of 92 (52%) continuous-cell cultures prepared from eight animal species. Cells grown in media containing antibiotics were more frequently contaminated with PPLO (72%) than cells grown in antibiotic-free media (7%). Cultures (91%) from tissue-culture-producing laboratories and cultures (76%) used for propagation of microorganisms were contaminated with PPLO, although none used for tissue-culture metabolic studies was contaminated. In addition, our findings support the view that PPLO contamination of cell cultures is probably owing to bacterial contaminants which revert to L forms in the presence of antibiotics. Images PMID:13865001

Mirror neuron activity during contagious yawning--an fMRI study.

PubMed

Haker, Helene; Kawohl, Wolfram; Herwig, Uwe; Rössler, Wulf

2013-03-01

Yawning is contagious. However, little research has been done to elucidate the neuronal representation of this phenomenon. Our study objective was to test the hypothesis that the human mirror neuron system (MNS) is activated by visually perceived yawning. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess brain activity during contagious yawning (CY). Signal-dependent changes in blood oxygen levels were compared when subjects viewed videotapes of yawning faces as opposed to faces with a neutral expression. In response to yawning, subjects showed unilateral activation of their Brodmann's area 9 (BA 9) portion of the right inferior frontal gyrus, a region of the MNS. In this way, two individuals could share physiological and associated emotional states based on perceived motor patterns. This is one component of empathy (motor empathy) that underlies the development of cognitive empathy. The BA 9 is reportedly active in tasks requiring mentalizing abilities. Our results emphasize the connection between the MNS and higher cognitive empathic functions, including mentalizing. We conclude that CY is based on a functional substrate of empathy.

An Observational Investigation of Behavioral Contagion in Common Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus): Indications for Contagious Scent-Marking

PubMed Central

Massen, Jorg J. M.; Šlipogor, Vedrana; Gallup, Andrew C.

2016-01-01

Behavioral contagion is suggested to promote group coordination that may facilitate activity transitions, increased vigilance, and state matching. Apart from contagious yawning, however, very little attention has been given to this phenomenon, and studies on contagious yawning in primates have so far only focused on Old World monkeys and apes. Here we studied behavioral contagion in common marmosets, a species for which group coordination and vigilance are paramount. In particular, we investigated the contagiousness of yawning, stretching, scratching, tongue protrusion, gnawing, and scent-marking. We coded these behaviors from 14 adult marmosets, from two different social groups. During testing sessions, animals were separated into groups of four individuals for 20-min observation periods, across three distinct diurnal time points (morning, midday, and afternoon) to test for circadian patterns. We observed almost no yawning (0.12 yawns/h) and very little stretching behavior. For all other behaviors, which were more common, we found several temporal and inter-individual differences (i.e., sex, age, dominance status) predictive of these responses. Moreover, we found that gnawing and scent-marking, which almost always co-occurred as a fixed-action pattern, were highly temporally clustered within observation sessions. We discuss the relative absence of yawning in marmosets as well as the possible function of contagious scent-marking, and provide suggestions for future research into the proximate and ultimate functions of these behaviors in marmosets. PMID:27563294

Serotyping reanalysis of unserotypable Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolates by agar gel diffusion test.

PubMed

Morioka, Ayako; Shimazaki, Yoko; Uchiyama, Mariko; Suzuki, Shoko

2016-05-03

We observed increasing unserotypable (UT) Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolates using agar gel diffusion (AGD) test. To reanalyze their serovar, we performed rapid slide agglutination (RSA) test and multiplex PCR for 47 UT isolates. Of these, 25 were serovar 1 (UT-serovar 1), 20 were serovar 2 (UT-serovar 2) and 2 were serovar 15 (UT-serovar 15). We examined serotyping antigen extraction temperature to determine heat influence. UT-serovar 1 and 15 were influenced by heat, because their precipitation lines were observed in the case of low antigen extraction temperature. To investigate the relationship between antigenicity and genotype, we performed pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis using UT-serovar 2 and 15. The predominant PFGE pattern of UT-serovar 2 was identical to that of serovar 2.

Impact of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae biofilm mode of growth on the lipid A structures and stimulation of immune cells.

PubMed

Hathroubi, Skander; Beaudry, Francis; Provost, Chantale; Martelet, Léa; Segura, Mariela; Gagnon, Carl A; Jacques, Mario

2016-07-01

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP), the etiologic agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, forms biofilms on biotic and abiotic surfaces. APP biofilms confers resistance to antibiotics. To our knowledge, no studies have examined the role of APP biofilm in immune evasion and infection persistence. This study was undertaken to (i) investigate biofilm-associated LPS modifications occurring during the switch to biofilm mode of growth; and (ii) characterize pro-inflammatory cytokines expression in porcine pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) and proliferation in porcine PBMCs challenged with planktonic or biofilm APP cells. Extracted lipid A samples from biofilm and planktonic cultures were analyzed by HPLC high-resolution, accurate mass spectrometry. Biofilm cells displayed significant changes in lipid A profiles when compared with their planktonic counterparts. Furthermore, in vitro experiments were conducted to examine the inflammatory response of PAMs exposed to UV-inactivated APP grown in biofilm or in suspension. Relative mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory genes IL1, IL6, IL8 and MCP1 decreased in PAMs when exposed to biofilm cells compared to planktonic cells. Additionally, the biofilm state reduced PBMCs proliferation. Taken together, APP biofilm cells show a weaker ability to stimulate innate immune cells, which could be due, in part, to lipid A structure modifications. © The Author(s) 2016.

Children's Understanding of the Transmission of Genetic Disorders and Contagious Illnesses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raman, Lakshmi; Gelman, Susan A.

2005-01-01

The authors conducted 4 studies suggesting that children attribute different modes of transmission to genetic disorders and contagious illnesses. Study 1 presented preschoolers through 5th graders and adults with "switched-at-birth" scenarios for various disorders. Study 2 presented preschoolers with the same disorders but used contagion links in…

A hundred years of importation: The first animal quarantine station in North America; Lévis, Québec, 1876-1982

PubMed Central

Dukes, Thomas W.; Labonté, Bertrand

1991-01-01

Quarantine, as a means of preventing disease importation, has been used for people and animals since the mid-19th century in Canada. The first animal quarantine facility in North America was established at Lévis, Québec in 1876. This quarantine station existed at Lévis until 1982 when it was closed and the function moved to Mirabel, Québec, near the International Airport. Veterinarians were in charge during the life of the Lévis Quarantine Station and some were also in charge of the Port of Quebec or a nearby District Office prior to the 1950's. In 1884 and 1886 the value of such a facility was illustrated in preventing the entry into Canada of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia and a vesicular disease. It was described in 1933 as “undoubtedly our most important quarantine station” and a year's operating costs as “trifling in comparison to losses which could occur if a foreign plague invaded this country”. This facility's history also illustrated the close veterinary and human medical cooperation during the early days of organized veterinary medicine in Canada. The station was an example for the establishment of other such facilities in North America. ImagesFigure 1.Figure 2.Figure 3.Figure 4.Figure 5.Figure 6. PMID:17423811

Chimpanzees Show a Developmental Increase in Susceptibility to Contagious Yawning: A Test of the Effect of Ontogeny and Emotional Closeness on Yawn Contagion

PubMed Central

Madsen, Elainie Alenkær; Persson, Tomas; Sayehli, Susan; Lenninger, Sara; Sonesson, Göran

2013-01-01

Contagious yawning has been reported for humans, dogs and several non-human primate species, and associated with empathy in humans and other primates. Still, the function, development and underlying mechanisms of contagious yawning remain unclear. Humans and dogs show a developmental increase in susceptibility to yawn contagion, with children showing an increase around the age of four, when also empathy-related behaviours and accurate identification of others’ emotions begin to clearly evince. Explicit tests of yawn contagion in non-human apes have only involved adult individuals and examined the existence of conspecific yawn contagion. Here we report the first study of heterospecific contagious yawning in primates, and the ontogeny of susceptibility thereto in chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes verus. We examined whether emotional closeness, defined as attachment history with the yawning model, affected the strength of contagion, and compared the contagiousness of yawning to nose-wiping. Thirty-three orphaned chimpanzees observed an unfamiliar and familiar human (their surrogate human mother) yawn, gape and nose-wipe. Yawning, but not nose-wiping, was contagious for juvenile chimpanzees, while infants were immune to contagion. Like humans and dogs, chimpanzees are subject to a developmental trend in susceptibility to contagious yawning, and respond to heterospecific yawn stimuli. Emotional closeness with the model did not affect contagion. The familiarity-biased social modulatory effect on yawn contagion previously found among some adult primates, seem to only emerge later in development, or be limited to interactions with conspecifics. The influence of the ‘chameleon effect’, targeted vs. generalised empathy, perspective-taking and visual attention on contagious yawning is discussed. PMID:24146848

Efficient detection of contagious outbreaks in massive metropolitan encounter networks

PubMed Central

Sun, Lijun; Axhausen, Kay W.; Lee, Der-Horng; Cebrian, Manuel

2014-01-01

Physical contact remains difficult to trace in large metropolitan networks, though it is a key vehicle for the transmission of contagious outbreaks. Co-presence encounters during daily transit use provide us with a city-scale time-resolved physical contact network, consisting of 1 billion contacts among 3 million transit users. Here, we study the advantage that knowledge of such co-presence structures may provide for early detection of contagious outbreaks. We first examine the “friend sensor” scheme - a simple, but universal strategy requiring only local information - and demonstrate that it provides significant early detection of simulated outbreaks. Taking advantage of the full network structure, we then identify advanced “global sensor sets”, obtaining substantial early warning times savings over the friends sensor scheme. Individuals with highest number of encounters are the most efficient sensors, with performance comparable to individuals with the highest travel frequency, exploratory behavior and structural centrality. An efficiency balance emerges when testing the dependency on sensor size and evaluating sensor reliability; we find that substantial and reliable lead-time could be attained by monitoring only 0.01% of the population with the highest degree. PMID:24903017

High Court Rules that Law Bars Bias against Persons with Contagious Ills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fields, Cheryl M.

1987-01-01

The Supreme Court has ruled that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which protects disabled people from discrimination, covers persons with contagious diseases. This decision is seen as strengthening the rights of people suffering from AIDS as well as other diseases. (MSE)

A generic model of contagious disease and its application to human-to-human transmission of avian influenza.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hirsch, Gary B.

2007-03-01

Modeling contagious diseases has taken on greater importance over the past several years as diseases such as SARS and avian influenza have raised concern about worldwide pandemics. Most models developed to consider projected outbreaks have been specific to a single disease. This paper describes a generic System Dynamics contagious disease model and its application to human-to-human transmission of a mutant version of avian influenza. The model offers the option of calculating rates of new infections over time based either on a fixed ''reproductive number'' that is traditional in contagious disease models or on contact rates for different sub-populations and likelihoodmore » of transmission per contact. The paper reports on results with various types of interventions. These results suggest the potential importance of contact tracing, limited quarantine, and targeted vaccination strategies as methods for controlling outbreaks, especially when vaccine supplies may initially be limited and the efficacy of anti-viral drugs uncertain.« less

Visual Darkness Reduces Perceived Risk of Contagious-Disease Transmission From Interpersonal Interaction.

PubMed

Dong, Ping; Zhong, Chen-Bo

2018-05-01

We examined the psychological impact of visual darkness on people's perceived risk of contagious-disease transmission. We posited that darkness triggers an abstract construal level and increases perceived social distance from others, rendering threats from others to seem less relevant to the self. We found that participants staying in a dimly lit room (Studies 1 and 3-5) or wearing sunglasses (Study 2) tended to estimate a lower risk of catching contagious diseases from others than did those staying in a brightly lit room or wearing clear glasses. The effect persisted in both laboratory (Studies 1-4) and real-life settings (Study 5). The effect arises because visual darkness elevates perceived social distance from the contagion (Study 3) and is attenuated among abstract (vs. concrete) thinkers (Study 4). These findings delineate a systematic, unconscious influence of visual darkness-a subtle yet pervasive situational factor-on perceived risk of contagion. Theoretical contributions and policy implications are discussed.

Serotyping reanalysis of unserotypable Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolates by agar gel diffusion test

PubMed Central

MORIOKA, Ayako; SHIMAZAKI, Yoko; UCHIYAMA, Mariko; SUZUKI, Shoko

2016-01-01

We observed increasing unserotypable (UT) Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolates using agar gel diffusion (AGD) test. To reanalyze their serovar, we performed rapid slide agglutination (RSA) test and multiplex PCR for 47 UT isolates. Of these, 25 were serovar 1 (UT-serovar 1), 20 were serovar 2 (UT-serovar 2) and 2 were serovar 15 (UT-serovar 15). We examined serotyping antigen extraction temperature to determine heat influence. UT-serovar 1 and 15 were influenced by heat, because their precipitation lines were observed in the case of low antigen extraction temperature. To investigate the relationship between antigenicity and genotype, we performed pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis using UT-serovar 2 and 15. The predominant PFGE pattern of UT-serovar 2 was identical to that of serovar 2. PMID:26726101

[Highly contagious diseases with human-to-human transmission].

PubMed

Rybka, Aleš; Szanyi, Juraj; Kapla, Jaroslav; Plíšek, Stanislav

2012-12-01

Highly contagious diseases are caused by various biological agents that pose a risk to individuals and may have a potential for public health impact. They result in high mortality and morbidity rates, might cause public panic and therefore require special measures. The pathogens that can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person are the riskiest for clinicians (Ebola virus, Marburg virus, Lassa virus, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Variola major, SARS virus and Yersinia pestis). Human-to-human transmission has not been confirmed for the other biological agents and therefore they pose a very low risk for population.

Cross-border collaboration in the field of highly contagious livestock diseases: a general framework for policy support.

PubMed

Hop, G E; Mourits, M C M; Oude Lansink, A G J M; Saatkamp, H W

2014-08-01

This paper analyses the potential gains and the main challenges for increased cross-border collaboration in the control of highly contagious livestock diseases in regions with cross-border reliance on production and consumption of livestock commodities. The aim of this intensification of cross-border collaboration is to retain the economic advantages of cross-border trade in livestock and livestock commodities while maintaining a low risk of highly contagious livestock diseases. From these two foci, possibilities for future policy making with respect to highly contagious livestock diseases are discussed: peacetime cross-border cooperation to improve the cost-effectiveness of routine veterinary measures and crisis time cross-border harmonization of current disease control strategies. A general disease management framework was used to describe the way in which these two fields are related to and affect the epidemiological system and, consequently, how they impact the stakeholders. In addition to this framework, the importance of a good understanding of influencing factors, that is, the production structure of livestock, was stressed because these factors are important determinants of the frequency and magnitude of highly contagious livestock diseases and their economic impact. The use of the suggested integrated approach was illustrated for the extended cross-border region of the Netherlands and Germany, that is, North Rhine Westphalia and Lower Saxony. For this region, current difficulties in cross-border trade in livestock and livestock commodities and possibilities for future cross-border collaboration were examined. The concepts and ideas presented in this paper should foster future development of cross-border collaboration in animal health control. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Analysis of the immunoproteome of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides small colony type reveals immunogenic homologues to other known virulence traits in related Mycoplasma species.

PubMed

Jores, Joerg; Meens, Jochen; Buettner, Falk F R; Linz, Bodo; Naessens, Jan; Gerlach, Gerald F

2009-10-15

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides small colony type (MmmSC) has been eradicated in the developed world, but it is still present in many countries of sub-Saharan Africa. After initially successful control measures in the 1960s it has been spreading due to a lack of money, fragmentation of veterinary services, uncontrolled cattle movement, insufficient vaccine efficacy and sensitivity of current diagnostic tests. In this study we used two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by immunoblot with sera from MmmSC-infected animals and MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry to identify novel immunogenic proteins as candidate molecules for improved diagnostics and vaccines. We identified 24 immunogens recognized by pooled sera from experimentally infected cattle. Furthermore, a serum from an animal with acute clinical disease as well as severe pathomorphological lesions recognized 13 additional immunogens indicating variation in the antibody responses to CBPP amongst cattle. Most immunogens showed compelling similarity to protein/gene sequences in the two ruminant pathogens M. capricolum subsp. capricolum and M. mycoides subsp. mycoides large colony type both belonging to the mycoides cluster. Three of these proteins, namely glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase, adenylosuccinate synthase, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, had no compelling homologue in the other distantly related bovine pathogen M. agalactiae. In addition, translation elongation factor Tu, heat shock protein 70, pyruvate dehydrogenase, and FKBP-type peptidyl-prolyl isomerase, which have been found to mediate adhesion to host tissue in other mycoplasmas were shown to be expressed and recognized by sera. These proteins have potential for the development of improved diagnostic tests and possibly vaccines.

[Structural requirements for the management of patients with highly contagious life-threatening infectious diseases: update 2015].

PubMed

Grünewald, Thomas

2015-07-01

The care of highly contagious life-threatening infectious diseases (HLID) requires specialized treatment facilities that are capable of strict isolation measures and appropriate medical treatment. The German approach to the management of these diseases, which is maintained by the Permanent Working Group of Medical Competence and Treatment Centers for Highly Contagious and Life-Threatening Diseases (STAKOB) is adjusted in the present publication with regards to recent experiences and upcoming needs. Clear synergies in using infrastructures and bundling of resources have led to similar efforts at the European level. The German concept, therefore, has a pioneering role. This update is intended to improve professional patient care and also minimize the risk of disease spread and transmission.

Catch It If You Can: How Contagious Motivation Improves Group Projects and Course Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krishen, Anjala S.

2013-01-01

This article proposes a theory-based contagious motivation model focusing on enhancing student perceptions of group projects and ultimately course satisfaction. Moreover, drawing from both pedagogical and organizational behavior literatures, a model is presented that ties together intrinsic motivation theory with social contagion and…

Constraints to cattle production in a semiarid pastoral system in Kenya.

PubMed

Onono, Joshua Orungo; Wieland, Barbara; Rushton, Jonathan

2013-08-01

Livestock keeping is the mainstay for the pastoral community while also providing social and cultural value. This study ranked main production constraints and cattle diseases that impacted livelihood and estimated herd prevalence, incidence rate, and impact of diseases on production parameters in a semiarid pastoral district of Narok in Kenya. Data collection employed participatory techniques including listing, pairwise ranking, disease incidence scoring, proportional piling, and disease impact matrix scoring and this was disaggregated by gender. Production constraints with high scores for impact on livelihood included scarcity of water (19%), lack of extension services (15%), presence of diseases (12%), lack of market for cattle and their products (10%), and recurrent cycle of drought (9%). Diseases with high scores for impact on livelihood were East Coast fever (ECF) (22%) and foot and mouth disease (FMD) (21%). High estimated incidence rates were reported for FMD (67%), trypanosomosis (28%), and ECF (15%), while contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) had an incidence rate <1%. Milk yield was affected by FMD, ECF, and trypanosomosis, while ECF was the cause of increased mortality. FMD, ECF, CBPP, and brucellosis caused increased abortion, while effect of gender and location of study was not significant. Despite CBPP being regarded as an important disease affecting cattle production in sub-Sahara Africa, its estimated incidence rate in herds was low. This study indicates what issues should be prioritized by livestock policy for pastoral areas.

[Individual rights vs public health in the fight against contagious diseases: proposals to improve the current legal framework].

PubMed

Salamero Teixidó, Laura

2016-11-01

The public health protection constitutional mandate requires public powers to protect the population from contagious diseases. This requires a legal framework that both protects public health effectively and respects individual rights and freedoms that could be undermined by the public administrations. This article analyses, from a legal perspective, the current legal framework regulating the adoption of health measures to protect public health against contagious diseases. It argues that current regulations generate legal uncertainty on the basis of the wide range of discretionary powers they give to the public administration and the lack of provisions for limiting these powers. As a result, the guarantee mechanisms (primarily judicial consent) only weakly protect the rights and freedoms of the citizens affected by health measures. To conclude, the article proposes several amendments to improve public health regulations related to contagious diseases. The purpose is to render a legal framework that offers more legal certainty, in which it is possible to protect individual rights and freedoms when measures are adopted, without sacrificing the effective protection of public health. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Molecular Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Bovine Mastitis and Close Human Contacts in South African Dairy Herds: Genetic Diversity and Inter-Species Host Transmission

PubMed Central

Schmidt, Tracy; Kock, Marleen M.; Ehlers, Marthie M.

2017-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common etiological agents of contagious bovine mastitis worldwide. The purpose of this study was to genetically characterize a collection of S. aureus isolates (bovine = 146, human = 12) recovered from cases of bovine mastitis and nasal swabs of close human contacts in the dairy environment. Isolates were screened for a combination of clinically significant antimicrobial and virulence gene markers whilst the molecular epidemiology of these isolates and possible inter-species host transmission was investigated using a combination of genotyping techniques. None of the isolates under evaluation tested positive for methicillin or vancomycin resistance encoding genes. Twenty seven percent of the bovine S. aureus isolates tested positive for one or more of the pyrogenic toxin superantigen (PTSAg) genes with the sec and sell genes predominating. Comparatively, 83% of the human S. aureus isolates tested positive for one or more PTSAg genes with a greater variety of genes being detected. Genomic DNA macrorestriction followed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of the bovine isolates generated 58 electrophoretic patterns which grouped into 10 pulsotypes at an 80% similarity level. The majority of the bovine isolates, 93.2% (136/146), clustered into four major pulsotypes. Seven sequence types (ST) were identified among the representative bovine S. aureus isolates genotyped, including: ST8 (CC8), ST97 (CC97), ST351 (CC705), ST352 (CC97), ST508 (CC45), ST2992 (CC97) and a novel sequence type, ST3538 (CC97). Based on PFGE analysis, greater genetic diversity was observed among the human S. aureus isolates. Bovine and human isolates from three sampling sites clustered together and were genotypically indistinguishable. Two of the isolates, ST97 and ST352 belong to the common bovine lineage CC97, and their isolation from close human contacts suggests zoonotic transfer. In the context of this study, the third isolate, ST8 (CC8), is

Contagious Yawning and Seasonal Climate Variation

PubMed Central

Gallup, Andrew C.; Eldakar, Omar Tonsi

2011-01-01

Recent evidence suggests that yawning is a thermoregulatory behavior. To explore this possibility further, the frequency of contagious yawning in humans was measured while outdoors in a desert climate in the United States during two distinct temperature ranges and seasons (winter: 22°C; early summer: 37°C). As predicted, the proportion of pedestrians who yawned in response to seeing pictures of people yawning differed significantly between the two conditions (winter: 45%; summer: 24%). Across conditions yawning occurred at lower ambient temperatures, and the tendency to yawn during each season was associated with the length of time spent outside prior to being tested. Participants were more likely to yawn in the milder climate after spending long periods of time outside, while prolonged exposure to ambient temperatures at or above body temperature was associated with reduced yawning. This is the first report to show that the incidence of yawning in humans is associated with seasonal climate variation, further demonstrating that yawn-induced contagion effects can be mediated by factors unrelated to individual social characteristics or cognitive development. PMID:21960970

Security Investment in Contagious Networks.

PubMed

Hasheminasab, Seyed Alireza; Tork Ladani, Behrouz

2018-01-16

Security of the systems is normally interdependent in such a way that security risks of one part affect other parts and threats spread through the vulnerable links in the network. So, the risks of the systems can be mitigated through investments in the security of interconnecting links. This article takes an innovative look at the problem of security investment of nodes on their vulnerable links in a given contagious network as a game-theoretic model that can be applied to a variety of applications including information systems. In the proposed game model, each node computes its corresponding risk based on the value of its assets, vulnerabilities, and threats to determine the optimum level of security investments on its external links respecting its limited budget. Furthermore, direct and indirect nonlinear influences of a node's security investment on the risks of other nodes are considered. The existence and uniqueness of the game's Nash equilibrium in the proposed game are also proved. Further analysis of the model in a practical case revealed that taking advantage of the investment effects of other players, perfectly rational players (i.e., those who use the utility function of the proposed game model) make more cost-effective decisions than selfish nonrational or semirational players. © 2018 Society for Risk Analysis.

The Use of Illegal Drugs and Infectious Contagious Diseases: Knowledge and Intervention among Dockworkers

PubMed Central

Cezar-Vaz, Marta Regina; Bonow, Clarice Alves; da Silva, Mara Regina Santos; de Farias, Francisca Lucélia Ribeiro; de Almeida, Marlise Capa Verde

2016-01-01

This study’s objective was to analyze the use of illegal drugs by dockworkers and provide risk communication regarding the use of illegal drugs and test for infectious contagious diseases among dockworkers. This cross-sectional study including an intervention addressed to 232 dockworkers, who were individually interviewed, as well as communication of risk with testing for infectious contagious diseases for 93 dockworkers from a city in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Poisson regression analysis was used. Twenty-nine workers reported the use of illegal drugs. Poisson regression indicated that being a wharfage worker, smoker, having a high income, and heavier workload increases the prevalence of the use of illegal drugs. During risk communication, two workers were diagnosed with hepatitis B (2.2%), three (3.2%) with hepatitis C, two (2.2%) with syphilis. None of the workers, though, had HIV. This study provides evidence that can motivate further research on the topic and also lead to treatment of individuals to improve work safety, productivity, and the health of workers. PMID:26771625

The Use of Illegal Drugs and Infectious Contagious Diseases: Knowledge and Intervention among Dockworkers.

PubMed

Cezar-Vaz, Marta Regina; Bonow, Clarice Alves; da Silva, Mara Regina Santos; de Farias, Francisca Lucélia Ribeiro; de Almeida, Marlise Capa Verde

2016-01-12

This study's objective was to analyze the use of illegal drugs by dockworkers and provide risk communication regarding the use of illegal drugs and test for infectious contagious diseases among dockworkers. This cross-sectional study including an intervention addressed to 232 dockworkers, who were individually interviewed, as well as communication of risk with testing for infectious contagious diseases for 93 dockworkers from a city in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Poisson regression analysis was used. Twenty-nine workers reported the use of illegal drugs. Poisson regression indicated that being a wharfage worker, smoker, having a high income, and heavier workload increases the prevalence of the use of illegal drugs. During risk communication, two workers were diagnosed with hepatitis B (2.2%), three (3.2%) with hepatitis C, two (2.2%) with syphilis. None of the workers, though, had HIV. This study provides evidence that can motivate further research on the topic and also lead to treatment of individuals to improve work safety, productivity, and the health of workers.

In vitro pharmacodynamics of gamithromycin against Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides Small Colony.

PubMed

Mitchell, John D; Goh, Shan; McKellar, Quintin A; McKeever, Declan J

2013-09-01

Mycoplasma mycoides mycoides Small Colony (MmmSC) is the causative agent of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), which is responsible for major economic losses in sub-Saharan Africa. Current control relies on live attenuated vaccines, which are of limited efficacy, and antimicrobials are now being assessed as an alternative or adjunct to vaccination. The objective of this study was to determine the in vitro effector kinetics of the macrolide antimicrobial, gamithromycin, against MmmSC in artificial medium and adult bovine serum. Furthermore, it was determined if any differences in gamithromycin activity between these two matrices were mirrored by the older macrolides, tylosin and tilmicosin. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for gamithromycin, tylosin and tilmicosin against MmmSC strains B237 and Tan8 were determined in artificial medium and serum. Time-kill curves were constructed at concentrations corresponding to multiples of the MIC for all three macrolides in artificial medium and for gamithromycin in serum. Data were fitted to sigmoid Emax models. Post-antibiotic effects (PAE) were established by exposing strain B237 to antimicrobials at 10× MIC for 1h and monitoring mycoplasma growth thereafter. MICs for gamithromycin, tylosin and tilmicosin were 64-, 8- and 64-fold lower, respectively, in serum than in artificial medium at an inoculum size of 10(6)cfu/mL B237. A similar pattern emerged for Tan8. All three antimicrobials were mycoplasmastatic with maximum effects of -0.44, -0.32 and -0.49log10(cfu/mL) units for gamithromycin, tylosin and tilmicosin, respectively, against B237 in artificial medium. Tylosin and tilmicosin elicited longer PAEs than gamithromycin. In conclusion, gamithromycin, tylosin and tilmicosin all demonstrated in vitro efficacy against MmmSC and represent potential candidates for clinical studies to assess their therapeutic effect against CBPP. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bovine trophectoderm cell lines induced from bovine fibroblasts with reprogramming factors

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bovine trophectoderm (TE) cells were induced [induced bovine trophectoderm-like (iBT)] from bovine fetal liver-derived fibroblasts, and other bovine fetal fibroblasts, after viral-vector transduction with either four or six reprogramming factors (RF), including POU5F1, KLF4, SOX2, C-MYC, SV40 large ...

Auditory Contagious Yawning in Humans: An Investigation into Affiliation and Status Effects

PubMed Central

Massen, Jorg J. M.; Church, Allyson M.; Gallup, Andrew C.

2015-01-01

While comparative research on contagious yawning has grown substantially in the past few years, both the interpersonal factors influencing this response and the sensory modalities involved in its activation in humans remain relatively unknown. Extending upon previous studies showing various in-group and status effects in non-human great apes, we performed an initial study to investigate how the political affiliation (Democrat vs. Republican) and status (high vs. low) of target stimuli influences auditory contagious yawning, as well as the urge to yawn, in humans. Self-report responses and a subset of video recordings were analyzed from 118 undergraduate students in the US following exposure to either breathing (control) or yawning (experimental) vocalizations paired with images of former US Presidents (high status) and their respective Cabinet Secretaries of Commerce (low status). The overall results validate the use of auditory stimuli to prompt yawn contagion, with greater response in the experimental than the control condition. There was also a negative effect of political status on self-reported yawning and the self-reported urge to yawn irrespective of the condition. In contrast, we found no evidence for a political affiliation bias in this response. These preliminary findings are discussed in terms of the existing comparative evidence, though we highlight limitations in the current investigation and we provide suggestions for future research in this area. PMID:26617557

77 FR 15847 - Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy; Importation of Bovines and Bovine Products

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-16

...We are proposing to amend the regulations that govern the importation of animals and animal products to revise the conditions for the importation of live bovines and products derived from bovines with regard to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). We are proposing to base importation conditions on the inherent risk of BSE infectivity in specified commodities, as well as on the BSE risk status of the region from which the commodities originate. We are proposing to establish a system for classifying regions as to BSE risk that is consistent with the system employed by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the international standard-setting organization for guidelines related to animal health. The conditions we are proposing for the importation of specified commodities are based on internationally accepted scientific literature and, except in a few instances, are consistent with guidelines set out in the OIE's Terrestrial Animal Health Code. We are also proposing to classify certain specified countries as to BSE risk and are proposing to remove BSE restrictions on the importation of cervids and camelids and products derived from such animals. We are proposing to make these amendments after conducting a thorough review of relevant scientific literature and a comprehensive evaluation of the issues and concluding that the proposed changes to the regulations would continue to guard against the introduction of BSE into the United States, while allowing the importation of additional animals and animal products into this country. In this document we are also affirming the position we took in removing the delay of applicability of certain provisions of the rule entitled ``Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy; Minimal-Risk Regions and Importation of Commodities,'' published in the Federal Register on January 4, 2005 (70 FR 460-553). The delay of applicability was removed in a final rule entitled ``Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy; Minimal-Risk Regions; Importation

Mycoplasma agalactiae, an Etiological Agent of Contagious Agalactia in Small Ruminants: A Review

PubMed Central

Kumar, Amit; Rahal, Anu; Verma, Amit Kumar

2014-01-01

Mycoplasma agalactiae is one of the causal agents of classical contagious agalactia (CA), a serious, economically important but neglected enzootic disease of small ruminants. It occurs in many parts of the world and most notably in the Mediterranean Basin. Following the infection common complications are septicaemia, mastitis, arthritis, pleurisy, pneumonia, and keratoconjunctivitis. Primary or tentative diagnosis of the organism is based upon clinical signs. Various serological tests, namely, growth precipitation, immunofluorescence, complement fixation test, haemagglutination inhibition, agglutination, immunodiffusion, enzyme immunoassays, immunoelectrophoresis, blotting techniques, and others, are available. Molecular tools seem to be much more sensitive, specific, and faster and help to differentiate various strains. The real-time PCR, multiplex PCR, quantitative PCR, PCR-RFLP, MLST, and gene probes, complementary to segments of chromosomal DNA or 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA), have strengthened the diagnosis of M. agalactiae. Both live attenuated and adjuvant (alum precipitated or saponified) inactivated vaccines are available with greater use of inactivated ones due to lack of side effects. The present review discusses the etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, and clinical signs of contagious agalactia in small ruminants along with trends and advances in its diagnosis, treatment, vaccination, prevention, and control strategies that will help in countering this disease. PMID:25097796

Predictive modelling of contagious deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.

PubMed

Rosa, Isabel M D; Purves, Drew; Souza, Carlos; Ewers, Robert M

2013-01-01

Tropical forests are diminishing in extent due primarily to the rapid expansion of agriculture, but the future magnitude and geographical distribution of future tropical deforestation is uncertain. Here, we introduce a dynamic and spatially-explicit model of deforestation that predicts the potential magnitude and spatial pattern of Amazon deforestation. Our model differs from previous models in three ways: (1) it is probabilistic and quantifies uncertainty around predictions and parameters; (2) the overall deforestation rate emerges "bottom up", as the sum of local-scale deforestation driven by local processes; and (3) deforestation is contagious, such that local deforestation rate increases through time if adjacent locations are deforested. For the scenarios evaluated-pre- and post-PPCDAM ("Plano de Ação para Proteção e Controle do Desmatamento na Amazônia")-the parameter estimates confirmed that forests near roads and already deforested areas are significantly more likely to be deforested in the near future and less likely in protected areas. Validation tests showed that our model correctly predicted the magnitude and spatial pattern of deforestation that accumulates over time, but that there is very high uncertainty surrounding the exact sequence in which pixels are deforested. The model predicts that under pre-PPCDAM (assuming no change in parameter values due to, for example, changes in government policy), annual deforestation rates would halve between 2050 compared to 2002, although this partly reflects reliance on a static map of the road network. Consistent with other models, under the pre-PPCDAM scenario, states in the south and east of the Brazilian Amazon have a high predicted probability of losing nearly all forest outside of protected areas by 2050. This pattern is less strong in the post-PPCDAM scenario. Contagious spread along roads and through areas lacking formal protection could allow deforestation to reach the core, which is currently

Predictive Modelling of Contagious Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon

PubMed Central

Rosa, Isabel M. D.; Purves, Drew; Souza, Carlos; Ewers, Robert M.

2013-01-01

Tropical forests are diminishing in extent due primarily to the rapid expansion of agriculture, but the future magnitude and geographical distribution of future tropical deforestation is uncertain. Here, we introduce a dynamic and spatially-explicit model of deforestation that predicts the potential magnitude and spatial pattern of Amazon deforestation. Our model differs from previous models in three ways: (1) it is probabilistic and quantifies uncertainty around predictions and parameters; (2) the overall deforestation rate emerges “bottom up”, as the sum of local-scale deforestation driven by local processes; and (3) deforestation is contagious, such that local deforestation rate increases through time if adjacent locations are deforested. For the scenarios evaluated–pre- and post-PPCDAM (“Plano de Ação para Proteção e Controle do Desmatamento na Amazônia”)–the parameter estimates confirmed that forests near roads and already deforested areas are significantly more likely to be deforested in the near future and less likely in protected areas. Validation tests showed that our model correctly predicted the magnitude and spatial pattern of deforestation that accumulates over time, but that there is very high uncertainty surrounding the exact sequence in which pixels are deforested. The model predicts that under pre-PPCDAM (assuming no change in parameter values due to, for example, changes in government policy), annual deforestation rates would halve between 2050 compared to 2002, although this partly reflects reliance on a static map of the road network. Consistent with other models, under the pre-PPCDAM scenario, states in the south and east of the Brazilian Amazon have a high predicted probability of losing nearly all forest outside of protected areas by 2050. This pattern is less strong in the post-PPCDAM scenario. Contagious spread along roads and through areas lacking formal protection could allow deforestation to reach the core, which is

Contagious diseases in competitive sport: what are the risks?

PubMed

Dorman, J M

2000-11-01

Great concern is often expressed over the possibility of contagion among athletes in competitive sports, particularly sports with much person-to-person contact. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is only the most notorious of infectious agents; potentially, other viruses, bacteria, and even fungi may be involved. Because of the concern, however, special attention is paid to HIV and hepatitis B infections. For most of the infections considered, the athlete is more at risk during activities off the playing field than while competing. Inclusion of immunizations against measles and hepatitis B among prematriculation immunization requirements (PIRs) for colleges and universities would eliminate these two diseases from the list of dangers to college athletes and all students. Education, rather than regulations, should remain the cornerstone in considering the risks to athletes from contagious diseases.

Multi Criteria Decision Making to evaluate control strategies of contagious animal diseases.

PubMed

Mourits, M C M; van Asseldonk, M A P M; Huirne, R B M

2010-09-01

The decision on which strategy to use in the control of contagious animal diseases involves complex trade-offs between multiple objectives. This paper describes a Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) application to illustrate its potential support to policy makers in choosing the control strategy that best meets all of the conflicting interests. The presented application focused on the evaluation of alternative strategies to control Classical Swine Fever (CSF) epidemics within the European Union (EU) according to the preferences of the European Chief Veterinary Officers (CVO). The performed analysis was centred on the three high-level objectives of epidemiology, economics and social ethics. The appraised control alternatives consisted of the EU compulsory control strategy, a pre-emptive slaughter strategy, a protective vaccination strategy and a suppressive vaccination strategy. Using averaged preference weights of the elicited CVOs, the preference ranking of the control alternatives was determined for six EU regions. The obtained results emphasized the need for EU region-specific control. Individual CVOs differed in their views on the relative importance of the various (sub)criteria by which the performance of the alternatives were judged. Nevertheless, the individual rankings of the control alternatives within a region appeared surprisingly similar. Based on the results of the described application it was concluded that the structuring feature of the MCDM technique provides a suitable tool in assisting the complex decision making process of controlling contagious animal diseases. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

World Epidemiology Review No. 99

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-08-02

by microbes Brucellosis, bacterial anthrax, symptomatic anthrax, aviary cholera, sheep pox, farcy in cattle, aphthous fever, bluetongue , heartwater...equine epizootic lymphangitis, Teschen’s disease, hemorrhagic septicemia, tuberculosis, rabies, equine and bovine plague, swine salmonellosis... bovine peripneumonia. 57 Some of these diseases, whose list is far from exhaustive, are infectious. Others are contagious, and finally, a certain number

Contagious yawning, social cognition, and arousal: an investigation of the processes underlying shelter dogs' responses to human yawns.

PubMed

Buttner, Alicia Phillips; Strasser, Rosemary

2014-01-01

Studies of contagious yawning have reported inconsistent findings regarding whether dogs exhibit this behavior and whether it is mediated by social-cognitive processes or the result of physiological arousal. We investigated why some dogs yawn in response to human yawns; particularly, whether these dogs are exceptional in their ability to understand human social cues or whether they were more physiologically aroused. Sixty shelter dogs were exposed to yawning and nonyawning control stimuli demonstrated by an unfamiliar human. We took salivary cortisol samples before and after testing to determine the role of arousal in yawn contagion. Dogs were tested on the object-choice task to assess their sensitivity for interpreting human social cues. We found that 12 dogs yawned only in response to human yawns (i.e., appeared to exhibit yawn contagion), though contagious yawning at the population level was not observed. Dogs that exhibited yawn contagion did not perform better on the object-choice task than other dogs, but their cortisol levels remained elevated after exposure to human yawning, whereas other dogs had reduced cortisol levels following yawning stimuli relative to their baseline levels. We interpret these findings as showing that human yawning, when presented in a stressful context, can further influence arousal in dogs, which then causes some to yawn. Although the precise social-cognitive mechanisms that underlie contagious yawning in dogs are still unclear, yawning between humans and dogs may involve some communicative function that is modulated by context and arousal.

Bovine respiratory disease model based on dual infections with infection with bovine viral diarrhea virus and bovine corona virus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) is the leading cause of economic loss in the U.S. cattle industry. BRDC likely results from simultaneous or sequential infections with multiple pathogens including both viruses and bacteria. Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and bovine corona virus (BoCV...

Isolation of the contagious equine metritis organism from colts and fillies in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

PubMed

Timoney, P J; Powell, D G

1982-11-20

Between January 1978 and August 1982 the streptomycin resistant strain of the contagious equine metritis organism (CEMO) was isolated from 15 colts and two fillies in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A first season stallion was also suspected of having initiated an outbreak of contagious equine metritis (CEM) at the beginning of the 1982 breeding season. A detailed investigation of the breeding history of the dams and sires of each positive individual indicated that in a number of cases the CEMO was acquired either in utero or following transmission at the time of parturition. In several other cases the retrospective evidence suggested that the genital tract of colt foals became contaminated with vaginal discharge from mares showing clinical signs of the disease during the nursing period. The findings emphasise the need for a thorough examination of the genital tract of colts and fillies as recommended in the code of practice for the control of CEM when they begin their breeding career.

Treatment of pigs experimentally infected with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Pasteurella multocida, and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae with various antibiotics.

PubMed Central

Stipkovits, L; Miller, D; Glavits, R; Fodor, L; Burch, D

2001-01-01

The authors have performed a comparative study of the efficacy of various in-feed medications for the treatment of 5- to 6-week-old specific pathogen-free (SPF) piglets experimentally infected on day 1 with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, on day 8 with Pasteurella multocida (serotype A), and on day 15 with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (serotype 2). The treatment started on day 9 and continued for 12 consecutive days, then the piglets were euthanized for examination of macroscopic, histologic, and pathologic lesions and for the presence of mycoplasmas and bacteria in the lungs. Based on the results of clinical observations (respiratory signs, rectal temperature, body weight gain, and feed conversion efficiency), macroscopic and histologic lesions of the lungs, and microbiologic findings, the best results were obtained by treatment of pigs with Econor + chlortetracycline, followed by Tetramutin, Pulmotil, Cyfac, and lincomycin + chlortetracycline. PMID:11768127

A rational approach to estimating the surgical demand elasticity needed to guide manpower reallocation during contagious outbreaks.

PubMed

Tsao, Hsiao-Mei; Sun, Ying-Chou; Liou, Der-Ming

2015-01-01

Emerging infectious diseases continue to pose serious threats to global public health. So far, however, few published study has addressed the need for manpower reallocation needed in hospitals when such a serious contagious outbreak occurs. To quantify the demand elasticity of the major surgery types in order to guide future manpower reallocation during contagious outbreaks. Based on a nationwide research database in Taiwan, we extracted the monthly volumes of major surgery types for the period 1998-2003, which covered the SARS period, in order to carry out a time series analysis. The demand elasticity of each surgery type was then estimated by autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) analysis. During the study period, the surgical volumes of most selected surgery types either increased or remained steady. We categorized these surgery types into low-, moderate- and high-elastic groups according to their demand elasticity. Appendectomy, 'open reduction of fracture with internal fixation' and 'free skin graft' were in the low demand elasticity group. Transurethral prostatectomy and extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) were in the high demand elasticity group. The manpower of the departments carrying out the surgeries with low demand elasticity should be maintained during outbreaks. In contrast, departments in charge of surgeries mainly with high demand elasticity, like urology departments, may be in a position to have part of their staff reallocated. Taking advantage of the demand variation during the SARS period in 2003, we adopted the concept of demand elasticity and used a time series approach to figure out an effective index of demand elasticity for various types of surgery that could be used as a rational reference to carry out manpower reallocation during contagious outbreak situations.

Contagious error sources would need time travel to prevent quantum computation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalai, Gil; Kuperberg, Greg

2015-08-01

We consider an error model for quantum computing that consists of "contagious quantum germs" that can infect every output qubit when at least one input qubit is infected. Once a germ actively causes error, it continues to cause error indefinitely for every qubit it infects, with arbitrary quantum entanglement and correlation. Although this error model looks much worse than quasi-independent error, we show that it reduces to quasi-independent error with the technique of quantum teleportation. The construction, which was previously described by Knill, is that every quantum circuit can be converted to a mixed circuit with bounded quantum depth. We also consider the restriction of bounded quantum depth from the point of view of quantum complexity classes.

Pyogranulomatous pleuropneumonia and mediastinitis in ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) associated with Pseudomonas luteola Infection.

PubMed

Martínez, J; Martorell, J; Abarca, M L; Olvera, A; Ramis, A; Woods, L; Cheville, N; Juan-Sallés, C; Moya, A; Riera, A; Soto, S

2012-01-01

Between 2008 and 2009, three pet ferrets from different sources presented with acute episode of dyspnoea. Cytological examination of pleural exudates revealed severe purulent inflammation with abundant clusters of rod-shaped microorganisms with a clear surrounding halo. Treatment was ineffective and the ferrets died 2-5 days later. Two ferrets were subjected to necropsy examination, which revealed pyothorax, mediastinal lymphadenopathy and multiple white nodules (1-2mm) in the lungs. Microscopical examination showed multifocal necrotizing-pyogranulomatous pleuropneumonia and lymphadenitis with aggregates of encapsulated microorganisms, some of which were positively stained by periodic acid-Schiff and alcian blue. In-situ hybridization for Pneumocystis spp., Ziehl-Neelsen staining and immunohistochemistry for distemper, coronavirus and influenza antigen were negative in all cases. Electron microscopically, the bacteria were 2-3 μm long with a thick electron-lucent capsule. Microbiology from one ferret yielded a pure culture of gram-negative bacteria identified phenotypically as Pseudomonas luteola. This speciation was later confirmed by 16S RNA gene amplification. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A Rational Approach to Estimating the Surgical Demand Elasticity Needed to Guide Manpower Reallocation during Contagious Outbreaks

PubMed Central

Tsao, Hsiao-Mei; Sun, Ying-Chou; Liou, Der-Ming

2015-01-01

Background Emerging infectious diseases continue to pose serious threats to global public health. So far, however, few published study has addressed the need for manpower reallocation needed in hospitals when such a serious contagious outbreak occurs. Aim To quantify the demand elasticity of the major surgery types in order to guide future manpower reallocation during contagious outbreaks. Materials and Methods Based on a nationwide research database in Taiwan, we extracted the monthly volumes of major surgery types for the period 1998–2003, which covered the SARS period, in order to carry out a time series analysis. The demand elasticity of each surgery type was then estimated by autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) analysis. Results During the study period, the surgical volumes of most selected surgery types either increased or remained steady. We categorized these surgery types into low-, moderate- and high-elastic groups according to their demand elasticity. Appendectomy, ‘open reduction of fracture with internal fixation’ and ‘free skin graft’ were in the low demand elasticity group. Transurethral prostatectomy and extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) were in the high demand elasticity group. The manpower of the departments carrying out the surgeries with low demand elasticity should be maintained during outbreaks. In contrast, departments in charge of surgeries mainly with high demand elasticity, like urology departments, may be in a position to have part of their staff reallocated. Conclusions Taking advantage of the demand variation during the SARS period in 2003, we adopted the concept of demand elasticity and used a time series approach to figure out an effective index of demand elasticity for various types of surgery that could be used as a rational reference to carry out manpower reallocation during contagious outbreak situations. PMID:25837596

Antiviral Immunotoxin Against Bovine herpesvirus-1: Targeted Inhibition of Viral Replication and Apoptosis of Infected Cell

PubMed Central

Xu, Jian; Li, Xiaoyang; Jiang, Bo; Feng, Xiaoyu; Wu, Jing; Cai, Yunhong; Zhang, Xixi; Huang, Xiufen; Sealy, Joshua E.; Iqbal, Munir; Li, Yongqing

2018-01-01

Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) is a highly contagious viral pathogen which causes infectious bovine rhinotracheitis in cattle worldwide. Currently, there is no antiviral prophylactic treatment available capable of mitigating the disease impact and facilitating recovery from latent infection. In this study, we have engineered a novel recombinant anti-BoHV-1 immunotoxin construct termed “BoScFv-PE38” that consists of a single-chain monoclonal antibody fragment (scFv) fused with an active domain of Pseudomonas exotoxin A as a toxic effector (PE38). The recombinant BoScFv-PE38 immunotoxin expressed in a prokaryotic expression system has specific binding affinity for BoHV-1 glycoprotein D (gD) with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 12.81 nM and for BoHV-1 virus particles with a Kd value of 97.63 nM. We demonstrate that the recombinant BoScFv-PE38 is internalized into MDBK cell compartments that inhibit BoHV-1 replication with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 4.95 ± 0.33 nM and a selective index (SI) of 456 ± 31. Furthermore, the BoScFv-PE38 exerted a cytotoxic effect through the induction of ATP and ammonia, leading to apoptosis of BoHV-1-infected cells and the inhibition of BoHV-1 replication in MDBK cells. Collectively, we show that BoScFv-PE38 can potentially be employed as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of BoHV-1 infection. PMID:29670605

Rapid detection of contagious ecthyma by loop-mediated isothermal amplification and epidemiology in Jilin Province China.

PubMed

Wang, Kai; Shao, Hongze; Pei, Zhihua; Hu, Guixue

2016-01-01

The aim of this experiment was to develop a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay and to research the recent epidemiology of contagious ecthyma in Jilin Province, China, using the assay. A LAMP assay targeting a highly conserved region of the F1L gene was developed to detect contagious ecthyma virus (CEV). Three hundred and sixty-five cases from 64 flocks in 9 different areas of Jilin Province, China, from 2011 to 2014 were tested using the LAMP assay. The results showed that the sensitivity of the LAMP assay was 100 copies of the standard plasmid, which is 100-fold higher than the sensitivity of PCR. No cross-reactivity was observed with capripoxvirus, fowlpox virus, foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype O, foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype Asia I and bluetongue virus. The average positive rate was 19.73% (72/365), and the positive rate was highest in lambs aged 1-6 months. Our results demonstrated that CEV infection was very widespread in the flocks of Jilin Province and that the LAMP assay allows for easy, rapid, accurate and sensitive detection of CEV infection.

Benefits of lethal pandemics: direct impact of contagious diseases on public administration in Hungary (1867-1914).

PubMed

Palvolgyi, Balazs

2013-01-01

The reconciliation of 1867 between Austria and Hungary brought great changes to Hungarian public administration: the way towards the building up of a modern public administration had been opened. Although there was a functioning public health system and a related legislation from the late 18th century, major issues - such as balanced geographical distribution of medical personnel, fair access to medical services even in the poorer regions of the country, and the effective protection against some contagious diseases - were not resolved for decades. During the reform work of public administration since the 1870s, the lawmakers touched repeatedly the framework and functioning of the public health as well. Although the general conditions of the domain depended traditionally on the municipalities and counties due to the national importance of the matter, the government made efforts to make the functioning of the public health more efficient through centralisation. The contagious diseases continuously endangered the population, revealing the weak points in the existing public health system, thereby giving a momentum to the reforms and helping the government in its organization of prevention and clearly contributing to the legislation work.

A synergism of plagues: "planned shrinkage," contagious housing destruction, and AIDS in the Bronx.

PubMed

Wallace, R

1988-10-01

Techniques adapted from population and community ecology, quantitative geography, and epidemiology are applied to ecosystem and environmental index data on the Bronx in an attempt to understand the origins and potential impacts of rampant spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its sequelae of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in that borough: Recent work by Drucker and Vermund (1987), ("Estimating Prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Urban Areas with High Rates of Intravenous Drug Abuse: A Model of the Bronx in 1987," Poster presented at the Third International Conference on AIDS, June 2, 1987) estimates HIV seroprevalence levels of from 8 to 21% among men of age 25-44 in the south Bronx, at this writing, comparable to the cities of Central Africa. It is found that the "South Bronx" process of fulminating, contagious urban decay which devastated the region in the 1970s, and its associated forced population migrations, spread intravenous drug abuse, the principal HIV vector in the Bronx, from a geographically contained center in the South-Central Bronx to a virtually borough-wide phenomenon. This has significantly complicated attempts to contain HIV infection, both by shredding the social networks which are the natural vehicles for education, and by vastly enlarging the area requiring intensive targeting. Since the "planned shrinkage" municipal service cuts which triggered the "South Bronx" burnout persist, and since levels of housing overcrowding now approach those of the early 1970s in the Bronx, it is expected that a new outbreak of contagious urban decay will occur, likely again dispersing population and seriously compromising any in-place HIV control strategies. If overt AIDS itself becomes a contributor to urban deterioration in overcrowded neighborhoods susceptible to "South Bronx" process, we could then see a nonlinear ecosystem coupling between AIDS, contagious urban decay, and population shift. Elementary mathematical

In vitro susceptibility of contagious ovine digital dermatitis associated Treponema spp. isolates to antimicrobial agents in the UK.

PubMed

Angell, Joseph W; Clegg, Simon R; Sullivan, Leigh E; Duncan, Jennifer S; Grove-White, Dai H; Carter, Stuart D; Evans, Nicholas J

2015-12-01

Contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD) is an important cause of infectious lameness in sheep in the UK and Ireland and has a severe impact on the welfare of affected individuals. The three treponemal phylogroups Treponema medium/Treponema vincentii-like, Treponema phagedenis-like and Treponema pedis spirochaetes have been associated with clinical CODD lesions and are considered to be a necessary cause of disease. There are scant data on the antimicrobial susceptibility of the treponemes cultured from CODD lesions. The aim of this study was to determine in vitro the miniumum inhibitory concentration/ minimum bactericidal concentration (MIC/MBC) of antimicrobials used in the sheep industry for isolates of the three CODD associated treponeme phylogroups T. medium/T. vincentii-like, T. phagedenis-like and T. pedis. Twenty treponeme isolates; from 19 sheep with clinical CODD lesions. A microdilution method was used to determine in vitro the MIC/MBC of 10 antimicrobial agents for 20 treponeme isolates (five T. medium/T. vincentii-like, 10 T. phagedenis-like and five T. pedis). The antimicrobials tested were penicillin G, amoxicillin, oxytetracycline, tilmicosin, lincomycin, spectinomycin, tylosin, tildipirosin, tulathromycin and gamithromycin. The treponeme isolates tested showed low MICs and MBCs to all 10 antimicrobials tested. They were most susceptible to gamithromycin and tildipirosin (MIC90: 0.0469 mg/L), and were least susceptible to lincomycin, spectinomycin and oxytetracycline (MIC90: 48 mg/L, 24 mg/L and 3 mg/L, respectively). These data are comparable to in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility data for treponemes cultured from bovine digital dermatitis lesions. Dependent on local licensing, penicillin and tilmicosin appear to be the best candidates for future in vivo studies. © 2015 The Authors. Veterinary Dermatology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the ESVD and ACVD.

Bovine TLR2 and TLR4 mediate Cryptosporidium parvum recognition in bovine intestinal epithelial cells.

PubMed

Yang, Zhengtao; Fu, Yunhe; Gong, Pengtao; Zheng, Jingtong; Liu, Li; Yu, Yuqiang; Li, Jianhua; Li, He; Yang, Ju; Zhang, Xichen

2015-08-01

Cryptosporidium parvum (C. parvum) is an intestinal parasite that causes diarrhea in neonatal calves. It results in significant morbidity of neonatal calves and economic losses for producers worldwide. Innate resistance against C. parvum is thought to depend on engagement of pattern recognition receptors. However, the role of innate responses to C. parvum has not been elucidated in bovine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of TLRs in host-cell responses during C. parvum infection of cultured bovine intestinal epithelial cells. The expressions of TLRs in bovine intestinal epithelial cells were detected by qRT-PCR. To determine which, if any, TLRs may play a role in the response of bovine intestinal epithelial cells to C. parvum, the cells were stimulated with C. parvum and the expression of TLRs were tested by qRT-PCR. The expression of NF-κB was detected by western blotting. Further analyses were carried out in bovine TLRs transfected HEK293 cells and by TLRs-DN transfected bovine intestinal epithelial cells. The results showed that bovine intestinal epithelial cells expressed all known TLRs. The expression of TLR2 and TLR4 were up-regulated when bovine intestinal epithelial cells were treated with C. parvum. Meanwhile, C. parvum induced IL-8 production in TLR2 or TLR4/MD-2 transfected HEK293 cells. Moreover, C. parvum induced NF-κB activation and cytokine expression in bovine intestinal epithelial cells. The induction of NF-κB activation and cytokine expression by C. parvum were reduced in TLR2-DN and TLR4-DN transfected cells. The results showed that bovine intestinal epithelial cells expressed all known TLRs, and bovine intestinal epithelial cells recognized and responded to C. parvum via TLR2 and TLR4. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What Do Children Learn about Biology from Factual Information? A Comparison of Interventions to Improve Understanding of Contagious Illnesses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myant, Katherine A.; Williams, Joanne M.

2008-01-01

Background: Children have been shown to hold misconceptions about illness, and previous work has indicated that their knowledge can be improved through the use of interventions. Aims: This study aims to evaluate interventions based on the provision of factual information for improving understanding of contagious illness. Sample: The participants…

Efficacy of tilmicosin phosphate (Pulmotil premix) in feed for the treatment of a clinical outbreak of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection in growing-finishing pigs.

PubMed

Hoflack, G; Maes, D; Mateusen, B; Verdonck, M; de Kruif, A

2001-11-01

A double-blind randomized clinical trial was carried out to investigate the efficacy of tilmicosin (Pulmotil premix) for the treatment of a clinical outbreak of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection in growing-finishing pigs. The effects of tilmicosin administration in the feed at 400 mg/kg and an injection therapy of clinically diseased pigs with long-acting oxytetracycline (Terramycine LA) at 20 mg/kg bodyweight were compared. Both groups, totalling 147 pigs, were compared during a medication period of 15 days and a post-medication period of 11 days by means of different clinical and performance parameters. During the medication period, the tilmicosin group showed a significant advantage with respect to the number of new disease cases (P < 0.01), and a non-significant advantage regarding the number of removed pigs (P = 0.16), the number of sick pigs that recovered (P = 0.27) and the time to recovery (P = 0.42). During the post-medication period, the pigs of the tilmicosin group showed numerical non-significant benefits (P > 0.05) with respect to the clinical parameters. During the overall study period (26 days), the average daily gain and the feed conversion ratio were both significantly (P < 0.01) better in pigs from the tilmicosin group compared with pigs from the oxytetracycline group. This study demonstrated that in-feed medication of tilmicosin at a dosage of 400 mg/kg is efficacious for the treatment of a clinical respiratory disease outbreak of A. pleuropneumoniae infection in growing-finishing pigs. Compared with oxytetracycline injection of clinically diseased pigs, the tilmicosin treatment is particularly beneficial in the prevention of new disease cases while increasing or maintaining the performance of the pigs.

Growth and metabolism of murine and bovine embryos in bovine uterine flushing-supplemented culture media.

PubMed Central

Rondeau, M; Guay, P; Goff, A K; Cooke, G M

1996-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare the development and metabolic activity of cultured murine and bovine embryos in 2 standard media (HAM F-10 and RPMI) in the presence or absence of bovine uterine flushings. Murine morulae (n = 653) and day 7 bovine embryos (n = 273) were cultured for 18 h or 36 h in either HAM F-10 or RPMI in the presence or absence of bovine uterine flushings. After culture, the development, quality, and metabolic activity (glucose utilization or methionine uptake and incorporation) of embryos was assessed. It was found that HAM F-10 (without uterine flushings) was a more suitable medium than RPMI for optimal development and metabolism of murine and bovine embryos. Poor quality and development, as well as decreased metabolism, were evident after culture of murine embryos in RPMI; in contrast, this medium had no adverse effects on bovine embryos in culture. Supplementation of HAM F-10 with bovine uterine flushings improved the growth of murine embryos and the protein synthesis (as measured by an increased methionine incorporation) for both murine and bovine embryos. However, supplementation with bovine uterine flushings could not overcome deficiencies of an inappropriate medium (RPMI) for murine embryos. Supplementation of a well-defined culture medium with uterine flushings increased metabolism of embryos in culture, and thus might help to increase pregnancy rates after transfer of such embryos to recipient cows. PMID:8825988

Search for OIE-listed ruminant mycoplasma diseases in Afghanistan.

PubMed

Bahir, W; Omar, O; Rosales, R S; Hlusek, M; Ziay, G; Schauwers, W; Whatmore, A M; Nicholas, R A J

2017-05-30

Little is known about the occurrence of important diseases of ruminants in Afghanistan because of the conflict affecting the country over the last 40 years. To address this discrepancy, ruminant herds in Afghanistan were screened for OIE-listed mycoplasma diseases, contagious bovine (CBPP) and caprine pleuropneumonias (CCPP). Of the 825 samples from 24 provinces tested for serological evidence of CBPP caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp.mycoides, 20 (3.4%) had ELISA values greater than the positive threshold of 50% though all were less than 55%. Repeat testing of these suspect sera gave values below 50. A smaller number of sera (330) from cattle in nine provinces were also tested by the rapid latex agglutination test (LAT) for CBPP, 10 of which were considered suspect. However, no positive bands were seen when immunoblotting was carried out on all sera that gave suspect results. Serological evidence of Mycoplasma bovis was detected in half of 28 herds in eight provinces. The cause of CCPP, M. capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae was not detected in any of the 107 nasal swabs and lung tissue collected from goats in seven provinces though sample handling and storage were not optimal. However, strong serological evidence was detected in goat herds in several villages near Kabul some of which were over 50% seropositive by LAT and ELISAs for CCPP; immunoblotting confirmed positive results on a selection of these sera. The data presented here provide a first assessment of the occurrence of the two OIE listed mycoplasma diseases in Afghanistan. From the results of the testing bovine sera from the majority of provinces there is no evidence of the presence of CBPP in Afghanistan. However the samples tested represented only 0.03% of the cattle population so a larger survey is required to confirm these findings. Serological, but not bacterial, evidence was produced during this investigation to show that CCPP is highly likely to be present in parts of Afghanistan.

Molecular and serological in-herd prevalence of Anaplasma marginale infection in Texas cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bovine anaplasmosis is an infectious, non-contagious disease caused by the rickettsial pathogen Anaplasma marginale (A. marginale). The organism has a global distribution and infects erythrocytes, resulting in anemia, jaundice, fever, abortions and death. Once infected, animals remain carriers for l...

Discrete dynamics of contagious social diseases: Example of obesity

PubMed Central

Demongeot, J; Hansen, O; Taramasco, C

2016-01-01

Abstract Modeling contagious diseases needs to incorporate information about social networks through which the disease spreads as well as data about demographic and genetic changes in the susceptible population. In this paper, we propose a theoretical framework (conceptualization and formalization) which seeks to model obesity as a process of transformation of one's own body determined by individual (physical and psychological), inter-individual (relational, i.e., relative to the relationship between the individual and others) and socio-cultural (environmental, i.e., relative to the relationship between the individual and his milieu) factors. Individual and inter-individual factors are tied to each other in a socio-cultural context whose impact is notably related to the visibility of anybody being exposed on the public stage in a non-contingent way. The question we are dealing with in this article is whether such kind of social diseases, i.e., depending upon socio-environmental exposure, can be considered as “contagious”. In other words, can obesity be propagated from individual to individual or from environmental sources throughout an entire population? PMID:26375495

Antimicrobial activity of bovine NK-lysin-derived peptides on bovine respiratory pathogen Histophilus somni

PubMed Central

Falkenberg, Shollie M.; Briggs, Robert E.; Tatum, Fred M.; Sacco, Randy E.

2017-01-01

Bovine NK-lysins, which are functionally and structurally similar to human granulysin and porcine NK-lysin, are predominantly found in the granules of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and NK-cells. Although antimicrobial activity of bovine NK-lysin has been assessed for several bacterial pathogens, not all the important bacterial pathogens that are involved in the bovine respiratory disease complex have been studied. Therefore the objective of the present study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of bovine NK-lysin-derived peptides on bovine respiratory pathogen Histophilus somni. Four, 30-mer peptides corresponding to the functional region of NK-lysin helices 2 and 3 were synthesized and assessed for antibacterial activity on four bovine pneumonic H. somni isolates. Although there were some differences in the efficiency of bactericidal activity among the NK-lysin peptides at lower concentrations (2–5 μM), all four peptides effectively killed most H. somni isolates at higher concentrations (10–30 μM) as determined by a bacterial killing assay. Confocal microscopic and flow cytometric analysis of Live/Dead Baclight stained H. somni (which were preincubated with NK-lysin peptides) were consistent with the killing assay findings and suggest NK-lysin peptides are bactericidal for H. somni. Among the four peptides, NK2A-derived peptide consistently showed the highest antimicrobial activity against all four H. somni isolates. Electron microscopic examination of H. somni following incubation with NK-lysin revealed extensive cell membrane damage, protrusions of outer membranes, and cytoplasmic content leakage. Taken together, the findings from this study clearly demonstrate the antimicrobial activity of all four bovine NK-lysin-derived peptides against bovine H. somni isolates. PMID:28827826

Antimicrobial activity of bovine NK-lysin-derived peptides on bovine respiratory pathogen Histophilus somni.

PubMed

Dassanayake, Rohana P; Falkenberg, Shollie M; Briggs, Robert E; Tatum, Fred M; Sacco, Randy E

2017-01-01

Bovine NK-lysins, which are functionally and structurally similar to human granulysin and porcine NK-lysin, are predominantly found in the granules of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and NK-cells. Although antimicrobial activity of bovine NK-lysin has been assessed for several bacterial pathogens, not all the important bacterial pathogens that are involved in the bovine respiratory disease complex have been studied. Therefore the objective of the present study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of bovine NK-lysin-derived peptides on bovine respiratory pathogen Histophilus somni. Four, 30-mer peptides corresponding to the functional region of NK-lysin helices 2 and 3 were synthesized and assessed for antibacterial activity on four bovine pneumonic H. somni isolates. Although there were some differences in the efficiency of bactericidal activity among the NK-lysin peptides at lower concentrations (2-5 μM), all four peptides effectively killed most H. somni isolates at higher concentrations (10-30 μM) as determined by a bacterial killing assay. Confocal microscopic and flow cytometric analysis of Live/Dead Baclight stained H. somni (which were preincubated with NK-lysin peptides) were consistent with the killing assay findings and suggest NK-lysin peptides are bactericidal for H. somni. Among the four peptides, NK2A-derived peptide consistently showed the highest antimicrobial activity against all four H. somni isolates. Electron microscopic examination of H. somni following incubation with NK-lysin revealed extensive cell membrane damage, protrusions of outer membranes, and cytoplasmic content leakage. Taken together, the findings from this study clearly demonstrate the antimicrobial activity of all four bovine NK-lysin-derived peptides against bovine H. somni isolates.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus: involvement in bovine respiratory disease and diagnostic challenges

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This paper reviews the contribution of bovine viral diarrhea viruses (BVDV) to the development of Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD). Veterinarians and producers generally consider BRD as one of the most significant diseases affecting production in the cattle industry. BRD can affect the performance (...

Search for the genome of bovine herpesvirus types 1, 4 and 5 in bovine semen

PubMed Central

Morán, P.E.; Favier, P.A.; Lomónaco, M.; Catena, M.C.; Chiapparrone, M.L.; Odeón, A.C.; Verna, A.E.; Pérez, S.E.

2013-01-01

Bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BoHV-1) causes respiratory and reproductive disorders in cattle. Recently, bovine herpesvirus type 5 (BoHV-5) and bovine herpesvirus type 4 (BoHV-4) have been identified to be associated with genital disease. In this study, the presence of the genome of BoHV-1, BoHV-4 and BoHV-5 in bovine semen of Argentinean and international origin was analyzed by PCR assays. The most important finding of this study is the detection of the genome of BoHV-1 and BoHV-4 in semen of bulls maintained at artificial insemination centers. It is particularly relevant that BoHV-1 DNA was also identified in one sample of international origin suggesting the need for extensive quality control measures on international transport of bovine semen. PMID:26623325

Diagnostic imaging in bovine orthopedics.

PubMed

Kofler, Johann; Geissbühler, Urs; Steiner, Adrian

2014-03-01

Although a radiographic unit is not standard equipment for bovine practitioners in hospital or field situations, ultrasound machines with 7.5-MHz linear transducers have been used in bovine reproduction for many years, and are eminently suitable for evaluation of orthopedic disorders. The goal of this article is to encourage veterinarians to use radiology and ultrasonography for the evaluation of bovine orthopedic disorders. These diagnostic imaging techniques improve the likelihood of a definitive diagnosis in every bovine patient but especially in highly valuable cattle, whose owners demand increasingly more diagnostic and surgical interventions that require high-level specialized techniques. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility: Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-03

focus on foot and mouth disease (FMD), classical swine fever , African swine fever , Rift Valley fever , Nipah virus, Hendra virus, contagious bovine...Report RL32521, Agroterrorism: Threats and Preparedness, by Jim Monke. 2 Examples include influenza, plague, West Nile Virus, and Rift Valley Fever . 3

Trends in diagnosis and control of bovine mastitis: a review.

PubMed

Deb, Rajib; Kumar, Amit; Chakraborty, Sandip; Verma, Amit Kumar; Tiwari, Ruchi; Dhama, Kuldeep; Singh, Umesh; Kumar, Sushil

2013-12-01

Mastitis (inflammation of mammary gland) is a most devastating disease condition in terms of economic losses occurring throughout the world. The etiological agents may vary from place to place depending on climate; animal species and animal husbandry and include wide variety of gram positive and gram negative bacteria; and fungi. They may be either contagious viz. Staphylococcus aureus; Streptococcus agalactiae or environmental viz. S. dysgalactiae, S. uberis, Corynebacterium bovis and Coagulase negative Staphylococcus. Conventional diagnostic tests viz. California Mastitis Test (CMT); R-mastitest and Mast-O-test methods are applied under field conditions; whereas somatic cell count and Bulk Tank Somatic Cell Count (BTSCC) are useful for early mastitis detection and detection of sub clinical or chronic mastitis respectively. In vitro culture based diagnosis require further study as they can detect only viable cells. The advent of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology along with its various versions like multiplex and real time PCR has improved the rapidity and sensitivity of diagnosis. Circulating micro RNA (miRNA) based diagnosis; immune assay and proteomics based detection along with biochips and biosensors prove to be asset to diagnosticians for advanced diagnosis of this economically important condition. Improvement of milking hygiene; implementation of post-milking teat disinfection; regular control of the milking equipments; implementation of milking order; Improvement of bedding material are the general measures to prevent new cases of mastitis. The use of antibiotics (intramammary infusions; bacteriocins) and herbs (Terminalia spp.) are important for prophylaxis and therapeutics. Vaccines viz. cell based; Recombinant (staphylococcal enterotoxin type C mutant) or chimeric (pauA); live (S. uberis 0140J stain based) and bacterial surface extract based; DNA-based and DNA-protein based have greatly aided in management of bovine mastitis. Quorum sensing and

78 FR 72979 - Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy; Importation of Bovines and Bovine Products

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-04

...We are amending the regulations that govern the importation of animals and animal products to revise the conditions for the importation of live bovines and products derived from bovines with regard to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). We are basing importation conditions on the inherent risk of BSE infectivity in specified commodities, as well as on the BSE risk status of the region in which the commodities originate. We are establishing a system for classifying regions as to BSE risk that is consistent with the system employed by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the international standard-setting organization for guidelines related to animal health. The conditions we are adopting for the importation of specified commodities are based on internationally accepted scientific literature, and are, in general, consistent with guidelines set out in the OIE's Terrestrial Animal Health Code. We are also classifying certain specified countries as to BSE risk and are removing BSE restrictions on the importation of cervids and camelids and products derived from such animals. We are making these amendments after conducting a thorough review of relevant scientific literature and a comprehensive evaluation of the issues and concluding that the changes to the regulations will continue to guard against the introduction of BSE into the United States, while allowing the importation of additional animals and animal products into this country.

Proteomic analysis of bovine nucleolus.

PubMed

Patel, Amrutlal K; Olson, Doug; Tikoo, Suresh K

2010-09-01

Nucleolus is the most prominent subnuclear structure, which performs a wide variety of functions in the eukaryotic cellular processes. In order to understand the structural and functional role of the nucleoli in bovine cells, we analyzed the proteomic composition of the bovine nucleoli. The nucleoli were isolated from Madin Darby bovine kidney cells and subjected to proteomic analysis by LC-MS/MS after fractionation by SDS-PAGE and strong cation exchange chromatography. Analysis of the data using the Mascot database search and the GPM database search identified 311 proteins in the bovine nucleoli, which contained 22 proteins previously not identified in the proteomic analysis of human nucleoli. Analysis of the identified proteins using the GoMiner software suggested that the bovine nucleoli contained proteins involved in ribosomal biogenesis, cell cycle control, transcriptional, translational and post-translational regulation, transport, and structural organization. Copyright © 2010 Beijing Genomics Institute. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Managing brucellosis in wildlife costs more than expected benefits

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bovine brucellosis is a contagious bacterial disease of cattle, elk, and bison which occurs in the U.S., primarily in the greater Yellowstone area (GYA) of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Brucellosis commonly causes infected pregnant animals to abort their calves. It can result in significant productio...

An adenoviral vector expressing lipoprotein A, a major antigen of Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides, elicits robust immune responses in mice.

PubMed

Carozza, Marlène; Rodrigues, Valérie; Unterfinger, Yves; Galea, Sandra; Coulpier, Muriel; Klonjkowski, Bernard; Thiaucourt, François; Totté, Philippe; Richardson, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides small colony type (MmmSC), is a devastating respiratory disease of cattle. In sub-Saharan Africa, where CBPP is enzootic, live attenuated vaccines are deployed but afford only short-lived protection. In cattle, recovery from experimental MmmSC infection has been associated with the presence of CD4(+) T lymphocytes that secrete interferon gamma in response to MmmSC, and in particular to the lipoprotein A (LppA) antigen. In an effort to develop a better vaccine against CBPP, a viral vector (Ad5-LppA) that expressed LppA was generated from human adenovirus type 5. The LppA-specific immune responses elicited by the Ad5-LppA vector were evaluated in mice, and compared to those elicited by recombinant LppA formulated with a potent adjuvant. Notably, a single administration of Ad5-LppA, but not recombinant protein, sufficed to elicit a robust LppA-specific humoral response. After a booster administration, both vector and recombinant protein elicited strong LppA-specific humoral and cell-mediated responses. Ex vivo stimulation of splenocytes induced extensive proliferation of CD4(+) T cells for mice immunized with vector or protein, and secretion of T helper 1-associated and proinflammatory cytokines for mice immunized with Ad5-LppA. Our study - by demonstrating the potential of a viral-vectored prototypic vaccine to elicit prompt and robust immune responses against a major antigen of MmmSC - represents a first step in developing a recombinant vaccine against CBPP. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Bovine Mammary Microbiota: Potential Allies against Bovine Mastitis.

PubMed

Bouchard, Damien S; Seridan, Bianca; Saraoui, Taous; Rault, Lucie; Germon, Pierre; Gonzalez-Moreno, Candelaria; Nader-Macias, Fatima M E; Baud, Damien; François, Patrice; Chuat, Victoria; Chain, Florian; Langella, Philippe; Nicoli, Jacques; Le Loir, Yves; Even, Sergine

2015-01-01

Bovine mastitis is a costly disease in dairy cattle worldwide. As of yet, the control of bovine mastitis is mostly based on prevention by thorough hygienic procedures during milking. Additional strategies include vaccination and utilization of antibiotics. Despite these measures, mastitis is not fully under control, thus prompting the need for alternative strategies. The goal of this study was to isolate autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from bovine mammary microbiota that exhibit beneficial properties that could be used for mastitis prevention and/or treatment. Sampling of the teat canal led to the isolation of 165 isolates, among which a selection of ten non-redundant LAB strains belonging to the genera Lactobacillus and Lactococcus were further characterized with regard to several properties: surface properties (hydrophobicity, autoaggregation); inhibition potential of three main mastitis pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Streptococcus uberis; colonization capacities of bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMEC); and immunomodulation properties. Three strains, Lactobacillus brevis 1595 and 1597 and Lactobacillus plantarum 1610, showed high colonization capacities and a medium surface hydrophobicity. These strains are good candidates to compete with pathogens for mammary gland colonization. Moreover, nine strains exhibited anti-inflammatory properties, as illustrated by the lower IL-8 secretion by E. coli-stimulated bMEC in the presence of these LAB. Full genome sequencing of five candidate strains allowed to check for undesirable genetic elements such as antibiotic resistance genes and to identify potential bacterial determinants involved in the beneficial properties. This large screening of beneficial properties while checking for undesirable genetic markers allowed the selection of promising candidate LAB strains from bovine mammary microbiota for the prevention and/or treatment of bovine mastitis.

78 FR 8960 - Texas (Splenetic) Fever in Cattle

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-07

... is a contagious, infectious, and communicable disease of cattle that causes cattle to become weak and dehydrated and can cause death. Section 72.1 lists the scientific names for ticks capable of transmitting microscopic parasites (Babesia) that cause bovine babesiosis. We are amending the list by clarifying that...

Effect of newborn bovine serum on cryopreservation of adult bovine testicular tissue.

PubMed

Wu, J Y; Sun, Y X; Wang, A B; Che, G Y; Hu, T J; Zhang, X M

2014-04-01

Bovine serum is widely used for cryopreservation of various cells and tissues. However, its cryoprotective effects on the cells and tissues are ambiguous and controversial. To test the effects of newborn calf serum (NCS) on cryopreservation of bovine testis tissue, NCS of 0%, 5%, 10% and 20% (v/v) was added into minimum essential medium + 10% dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO)-based medium according to our previous report. Interestingly, the testicular cell viabilities and spermatogonia percentages from four groups were very close. The results indicated that an increase in the concentration of NCS in freezing medium to 20% has no significant effect on survival of both testicular cells and spermatogonia, and 10% DMSO-based freezing medium can maintain the testicular cell viability and spermatogonia percentage at a relatively high level (83.4 ± 0.7 and 56.5 ± 2.2 respectively). Taken together, NCS is dispensable for cryopreservation of adult bovine testis tissue. Our results provide an evidence for cutting down the costs in cryopreservation research of bovine testis tissue by reducing or giving up the use of serum. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Antimicrobial activity of bovine NK-lysin-derived peptides on bovine respiratory pathogen Histophilus somni

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bovine NK-lysins, which are functionally and structurally similar to human granulysin and porcine NK-lysin, are predominantly found in the granules of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and NK-cells. Although antimicrobial activity of bovine NK-lysin has been assessed for several bacterial pathogens, not all t...

Nintendo Wii Fit-Based Sleepiness Testing is Not Impaired by Contagious Sleepiness.

PubMed

Tietäväinen, Aino; Kuvaldina, Maria; Hæggström, Edward

2018-06-01

Sleep deprivation may cause accidents, and it has deteriorating effects on health. A measurement of postural steadiness by a portable and affordable Nintendo Wii Fit balance board can be used to quantify a person's alertness. At work, people are under the influence of their environment-often other people-that may affect their alertness. This work investigates whether sleep deprivation among people is "contagious," as quantified by sway measures. We measured 21 volunteers' postural steadiness while alert and sleep deprived. During the measurements, a screen placed in front of the participants showed a footage of either alert or sleep-deprived faces. We found a significant difference between the day time and night time steadiness, but found no effect resulting from watching footage of sleep-deprived people. This finding shows that a posturographic sleepiness tester quantifies physiological sleep deprivation, and is insensitive to the influence of social factors.

Minimum inhibitory concentrations of tulathromycin against respiratory bacterial pathogens isolated from clinical cases in European cattle and swine and variability arising from changes in in vitro methodology.

PubMed

Godinho, Kevin S; Keane, Sue G; Nanjiani, Ian A; Benchaoui, Hafid A; Sunderland, Simon J; Jones, M Anne; Weatherley, Andrew J; Gootz, Thomas D; Rowan, Tim G

2005-01-01

The in vitro activity of tulathromycin was evaluated against common bovine and porcine respiratory pathogens collected from outbreaks of clinical disease across eight European countries from 1998 to 2001. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for one isolate of each bacterial species from each outbreak were determined using a broth microdilution technique. The lowest concentrations inhibiting the growth of 90% of isolates (MIC90) for tulathromycin were 2 microg/ml for Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica, 1 microg/ml for Pasteurella multocida (bovine), and 2 microg/ml for Pasteurella multocida (porcine) and ranged from 0.5 to 4 microg/ml for Histophilus somni (Haemophilus somnus) and from 4 to 16 microg/ml for Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. Isolates were retested in the presence of serum. The activity of tulathromycin against fastidious organisms was affected by culture conditions, and MICs were reduced in the presence of serum.

9 CFR 113.310 - Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine. 113... REQUIREMENTS Live Virus Vaccines § 113.310 Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine. Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine shall... as pure, safe, and immunogenic shall be used for preparing the production seed virus for vaccine...

9 CFR 113.310 - Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine. 113... REQUIREMENTS Live Virus Vaccines § 113.310 Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine. Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine shall... as pure, safe, and immunogenic shall be used for preparing the production seed virus for vaccine...

9 CFR 113.310 - Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine. 113... REQUIREMENTS Live Virus Vaccines § 113.310 Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine. Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine shall... as pure, safe, and immunogenic shall be used for preparing the production seed virus for vaccine...

9 CFR 113.310 - Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine. 113... REQUIREMENTS Live Virus Vaccines § 113.310 Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine. Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine shall... as pure, safe, and immunogenic shall be used for preparing the production seed virus for vaccine...

A molecular epidemiology of treponemes in beef cattle digital dermatitis lesions and comparative analyses with sheep contagious ovine digital dermatitis and dairy cattle digital dermatitis lesions.

PubMed

Sullivan, L E; Evans, N J; Blowey, R W; Grove-White, D H; Clegg, S R; Duncan, J S; Carter, S D

2015-07-09

Bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) is an infective foot disease commonly reported in dairy cattle where Treponema are considered as the primary causative infectious agents. There still remains little definitive information on the etiology of BDD in beef cattle suggesting further investigations are warranted. Beef BDD lesions (n=34) and healthy beef foot tissues (n=38) were analysed by PCR for three BDD-associated Treponema phylogroups and also for Dichelobacter nodosus and Fusobacterium necrophorum. Spirochete culture was attempted on all BDD lesion samples. One or more BDD-associated Treponema phylogroups were detected in 100% of beef BDD lesions. "Treponema medium/Treponema vincentii-like", "Treponema phagedenis-like" and Treponema pedis spirochetes were identified in 27/34 (79%), 31/34 (91%) and 24/34 (71%) of BDD lesions, respectively. No BDD-associated treponeme DNA was amplified from beef healthy foot tissues. D. nodosus and F. necrophorum were present in 24/34 (71%) and 15/34 (44%) of lesions and 10/38 (26%) and 12/38 (32%) of healthy foot tissues, respectively. Twenty spirochetes were isolated from beef BDD lesions; 19 were representatives of the three BDD-associated Treponema phylogroups. One spirochete isolate shared less than 97% 16S rRNA gene similarity to the three cultivable BDD-associated Treponema phylogroups and therefore may represent a novel taxa of Treponema. Upon comparison, sheep contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD), dairy cattle and beef cattle BDD lesions appear to have extremely similar bacteriological data and therefore provides evidence of a shared etiopathogenesis posing concerns for cross-species transmission. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Detection of Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis and Bovine Viral Diarrhea Viruses in the Nasal Epithelial Cells by the Direct Immunofluorescence Technique

PubMed Central

Silim, A.; Elazhary, M.A.S.Y.

1983-01-01

Nasal epithelial cells were collected by cotton swabs for the diagnosis in experimental and field cases of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and field cases of bovine viral diarrhea in calves. A portion of the cells was washed twice in phosphate buffered saline and a 25 µL drop was placed on microscope slides. The cells were dried, fixed and stained according to the direct fluorescent antibody technique. Another portion of the same specimen was inoculated onto primary bovine skin cell cultures for virus isolation. In the experimental studies for infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, 29/35 specimens were positive by fluorescent antibody technique and 32/35 by cell culture and in the field cases, 22/119 were positive by fluorescent antibody technique and 19/119 by cell culture. In the field cases of bovine viral diarrhea, 28/69 samples were positive by fluorescent antibody technique and 14/69 by cell culture. When fluorescent antibody technique was performed on inoculated cell cultures a total of 24/69 specimens were positive for bovine viral diarrhea. The sensitivity of fluorescent antibody technique was thus comparable to that of cell culture method for infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and bovine viral diarrhea. ImagesFig. 1.Fig. 2.Fig. 3. PMID:6299484

Coinfection by Ureaplasma spp., Photobacterium damselae and an Actinomyces-like microorganism in a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) with pleuropneumonia stranded along the Adriatic coast of Italy.

PubMed

Di Francesco, Gabriella; Cammà, Cesare; Curini, Valentina; Mazzariol, Sandro; Proietto, Umberto; Di Francesco, Cristina Esmeralda; Ferri, Nicola; Di Provvido, Andrea; Di Guardo, Giovanni

2016-04-01

A case of pleuropneumonia is reported in an adult male bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) found stranded in 2014 along the Central Adriatic coast of Italy. A severe pyogranulomatous pneumonia and thoracic lymphadenopathy were present at necropsy. Numerous Splendore-Hoeppli bodies were found microscopically scattered throughout the lung. Histochemical evidence of Actinomyces-like organisms was obtained from the pulmonary parenchyma, with a strain of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida and Ureaplasma spp. being also isolated from the same tissue. For the latter, a genome fragment of approximately 1400 bp from the 16s rDNA was amplified and sequenced. BLAST analysis revealed 100% identity with an uncultured Ureaplasma spp. (JQ193826.1). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Severity of Bovine Tuberculosis Is Associated with Co-Infection with Common Pathogens in Wild Boar

PubMed Central

Risco, David; Serrano, Emmanuel; Fernández-Llario, Pedro; Cuesta, Jesús M.; Gonçalves, Pilar; García-Jiménez, Waldo L.; Martínez, Remigio; Cerrato, Rosario; Velarde, Roser; Gómez, Luis; Segalés, Joaquím; Hermoso de Mendoza, Javier

2014-01-01

Co-infections with parasites or viruses drive tuberculosis dynamics in humans, but little is known about their effects in other non-human hosts. This work aims to investigate the relationship between Mycobacterium bovis infection and other pathogens in wild boar (Sus scrofa), a recognized reservoir of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in Mediterranean ecosystems. For this purpose, it has been assessed whether contacts with common concomitant pathogens are associated with the development of severe bTB lesions in 165 wild boar from mid-western Spain. The presence of bTB lesions affecting only one anatomic location (cervical lymph nodes), or more severe patterns affecting more than one location (mainly cervical lymph nodes and lungs), was assessed in infected animals. In addition, the existence of contacts with other pathogens such as porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV), swine influenza virus, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Haemophilus parasuis and Metastrongylus spp, was evaluated by means of serological, microbiological and parasitological techniques. The existence of contacts with a structured community of pathogens in wild boar infected by M. bovis was statistically investigated by null models. Association between this community of pathogens and bTB severity was examined using a Partial Least Squares regression approach. Results showed that adult wild boar infected by M. bovis had contacted with some specific, non-random pathogen combinations. Contact with PCV2, ADV and infection by Metastrongylus spp, was positively correlated to tuberculosis severity. Therefore, measures against these concomitant pathogens such as vaccination or deworming, might be useful in tuberculosis control programmes in the wild boar. However, given the unexpected consequences of altering any community of organisms, further research should evaluate the impact of such measures under

Demodex gatoi -associated contagious pruritic dermatosis in cats - a report from six households in Finland

PubMed Central

Saari, Seppo AM; Juuti, Kirsi H; Palojärvi, Joanna H; Väisänen, Kirsi M; Rajaniemi, Riitta-Liisa; Saijonmaa-Koulumies, Leena E

2009-01-01

Background Demodex gatoi is unique among demodectic mites. It possesses a distinct stubby appearance, and, instead of residing in the hair follicles, it dwells in the keratin layer of the epidermis, causing a pruritic and contagious skin disease in cats. Little is known of the occurrence of D. gatoi in Europe or control of D. gatoi infestation. Case presentation We describe D. gatoi in 10 cats, including five Cornish Rex, two Burmese, one Exotic, one Persian and one Siamese, living in six multi-cat households in different locations in Finland containing 21 cats in total. Intense pruritus was the main clinical sign. Scaling, broken hairs, alopecia and self-inflicted excoriations were also observed. Diagnosis was based on finding typical short-bodied demodectic mites in skin scrapings, skin biopsies or on tape strips. Other pruritic skin diseases, such as allergies and dermatophytoses, were ruled out. In one household, despite finding several mites on one cat, all six cats of the household remained symptomless. Amitraz used weekly at a concentration of 125-250 ppm for 2-3 months, proved successful in three households, 2% lime sulphur weekly dips applied for six weeks in one household and peroral ivermectin (1 mg every other day for 10 weeks) in one household. Previous trials in four households with imidacloprid-moxidectin, selamectin or injected ivermectin given once or twice a month appeared ineffective. Conclusion D. gatoi-associated dermatitis is an emerging contagious skin disease in cats in Finland. Although pruritus is common, some cats may harbour the mites without clinical signs. In addition, due to translucency of the mites and fastidious feline grooming habits, the diagnosis may be challenging. An effective and convenient way to treat D. gatoi infestations has yet to emerge. PMID:19843334

76 FR 38602 - Bovine Tuberculosis and Brucellosis; Program Framework

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-01

...] Bovine Tuberculosis and Brucellosis; Program Framework AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service... framework being developed for the bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis programs in the United States. This... proposed revisions to its programs regarding bovine tuberculosis (TB) and bovine brucellosis in the United...

LukMF′ is the major secreted leukocidin of bovine Staphylococcus aureus and is produced in vivo during bovine mastitis

PubMed Central

Vrieling, Manouk; Boerhout, Eveline M.; van Wigcheren, Glenn F.; Koymans, Kirsten J.; Mols-Vorstermans, Tanja G.; de Haas, Carla J. C.; Aerts, Piet C.; Daemen, Ineke J. J. M.; van Kessel, Kok P. M.; Koets, Ad P.; Rutten, Victor P. M. G.; Nuijten, Piet J.M.; van Strijp, Jos A. G.; Benedictus, Lindert

2016-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human and animal pathogen and a common cause of mastitis in cattle. S. aureus secretes several leukocidins that target bovine neutrophils, crucial effector cells in the defence against bacterial pathogens. In this study, we investigated the role of staphylococcal leukocidins in the pathogenesis of bovine S. aureus disease. We show that LukAB, in contrast to the γ-hemolysins, LukED, and LukMF′, was unable to kill bovine neutrophils, and identified CXCR2 as a bovine receptor for HlgAB and LukED. Furthermore, we assessed functional leukocidin secretion by bovine mastitis isolates and observed that, although leukocidin production was strain dependent, LukMF′ was most abundantly secreted and the major toxin killing bovine neutrophils. To determine the role of LukMF′ in bovine mastitis, cattle were challenged with high (S1444) or intermediate (S1449, S1463) LukMF′-producing isolates. Only animals infected with S1444 developed severe clinical symptoms. Importantly, LukM was produced in vivo during the course of infection and levels in milk were associated with the severity of mastitis. Altogether, these findings underline the importance of LukMF′ as a virulence factor and support the development of therapeutic approaches targeting LukMF′ to control S. aureus mastitis in cattle. PMID:27886237

Sequences outside that of residues 93-102 of 3A protein can contribute to the ability of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) to replicate in bovine-derived cells.

PubMed

Ma, Xueqing; Li, Pinghua; Bai, Xingwen; Sun, Pu; Bao, Huifang; Lu, Zengjun; Cao, Yimei; Li, Dong; Chen, Yingli; Qiao, Zilin; Liu, Zaixin

2014-10-13

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious and economically devastating disease of cloven-hoofed animals. During 2010 and 2011, there was an epidemic of the Mya-98 lineage of the Southeast Asia (SEA) topotype in East Asia, including China. Changes in the FMDV 3A protein have been previously reported to be associated with the inability of FMDV to grow in bovine cells and cause disease in cattle. In this paper, we report the generation of a full-length infectious cDNA clone of FMDV O/SEA/Mya-98 strain O/GZSB/2011 for the first time along with two genetically modified viruses with deletion at positions 93-102 and 133-143 in 3A based on the established infectious clone. All the recombinant viruses grew well and displayed growth properties and plaque phenotypes similar to those of the parental virus in baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) cells, porcine kidney (PK-15) cells, and primary fetal porcine kidney (FPK) cells. While the recombinant viruses rvGZSB and rvSBΔ133-143 exhibited similar growth properties and plaque phenotypes with the parental virus in primary fetal bovine kidney (FBK) cells, the recombinant virus rvSBΔ93-102, containing deletion at positions 93-102 in 3A, grew at a slower rate and had a smaller plaque size phenotype in FBK cells than that of the parental virus. Therefore, the results suggest that the deletion at positions 93-102 of 3A protein does not affect FMDV replication efficiency in BHK-21, PK-15 and FPK cells, but affects virus replication efficiency in FBK cells, although, cannot alone account for the inability to replicate in bovine cells. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Three-way Comparative Genomic Analysis of Mannheimia haemolytica Isolates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lawrence, Paulraj; Kittichotirat, Weerayuth; McDermott, Jason E.

2010-10-04

Mannhemia haemolytica is a Gram- negative bacterium and the principal etiological agent associated with bovine respiratory disease complex. They transform from a benign commensal to a deadly pathogen during stress such as viral infection and transportation to feedlots, and cause acute pleuropneumonia commonly known as shipping fever. The U.S beef industry alone loses more than one billion dollars annually to shipping fever and despite its enormous economic importance there are no specific and accurate genetic markers, which would aid in understanding M. haemolytica pathogenesis and epidemiology at molecular level and assist in devising an effective control strategy.

Colostrum proinflammatory cytokines as biomarkers of bovine immune response to bovine tuberculosis (bTB).

PubMed

Sánchez-Soto, Eduardo; Ponce-Ramos, Rosa; Hernández-Gutiérrez, Rodolfo; Gutiérrez-Ortega, Abel; Álvarez, Angel H; Martínez-Velázquez, Moisés; Absalón, Angel E; Ortiz-Lazareno, Pablo; Limón-Flores, Alberto; Estrada-Chávez, Ciro; Herrera-Rodríguez, Sara E

2017-02-01

Bovine colostrum contains compounds, which provide passive immune protection from mother to newborn calves. Little is known about cytokine levels and their role in bovine colostrum. Moreover, the capacity of bovine colostrum cells to mount specific immune responses after natural exposure to bovine tuberculosis (bTB) antigens in dairy herds has not been studied, thus far. The purpose of this study was to identify biomarkers for bTB infection measurable in bovine colostrum. The present study reveals that isolated-immune colostrum cells can mount a specific immune response against bTB antigens, by measuring the novo IFN-γ release in cell culture. We found that IFN-γ levels in the responders (Bov + ) to bTB antigen were higher than in non-responders (Bov - ). On the other hand, proinflammatory cytokines contained in colostrum's whey were tested in Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) reactor (TST + ) and non-reactor (TST - ) animals to assess their potential role as biomarker. We observed that IFN-γ levels were lower or undetectable, as opposed to IL4 levels were measurable, the TNF-α level was higher in TST - than TST + , while IL-6 levels showed the opposite reaction and with no statistical significance. Moreover, IL-1α mRNA expression levels were higher in colostrum mononuclear cells (CMC) in Bov + cattle. Collectively, these data suggest that the differential expression of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines could have relevant value to diagnose bTB in cattle. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Eradication of Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis Virus (Bovine Herpesvirus 1) from a Herd of Beef Cattle

PubMed Central

Bradley, J. A.

1985-01-01

Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus was eradicated from a 150 cow beef herd at the Animal Diseases Research Institute, Lethbridge, Alberta. Tests used to accomplish this included standard and modified serum-virus neutralization tests and an enzymelinked immunosorbent assay. These results and those of preliminary pilot studies in the herd and in a nonvaccinated, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis-infected 450 cow beef herd suggest that eradication of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis infection can be considered as a practical control alternative to vaccination, and that young animals in purebred herds could be monitored serologically and isolated, to enhance their eligibility for entry into artificial insemination studs or for export. PMID:17422544

Spatial contagiousness of canopy disturbance in tropical rain forest: an individual-tree-based test.

PubMed

Jansen, Patrick A; van der Meer, Peter J; Bongers, Frans

2008-12-01

Spatial contagiousness of canopy dynamics-the tendency of canopy disturbances to occur nearby existing canopy openings due to an elevated risk of tree fall around gaps-has been demonstrated in many temperate-zone forests, but only inferentially for tropical forests. Hypothesized mechanisms increasing the risk of tree fall around tropical forest gaps are (1) increased tree exposure to wind around gaps, (2) reduced stability of trees alongside gaps due to crown asymmetry, or (3) reduced tree health around gaps due to damage from prior disturbances. One hypothesized consequence of elevated disturbance levels around gaps would be that gap-edge zones offer relatively favorable prospects for seedling recruitment, growth, and survival. We tested whether disturbance levels are indeed elevated around natural canopy gaps in a neotropical rain forest in French Guiana, and more so as gaps are larger. We followed the fate of 5660 trees >10 cm stem diameter over five years across 12 ha of old-growth forest and analyzed the risk and magnitude of canopy disturbance events in relation to tree diameter and the proximity and size of natural canopy gaps. We found that the cumulative incidence of disturbance over the five-year survey was not significantly elevated around preexisting gaps, and only weakly related to gap size. Also, neither the risk nor the magnitude of canopy disturbances increased significantly with the proximity of gaps. Moreover, canopy disturbance risk around gaps was independent of gap size, while the magnitude of disturbance events around gaps was weakly related to gap size. Tree size was the major driver of disturbance risk as well as magnitude. We did find an elevated incidence of disturbance inside preexisting gaps, but this "repeat disturbance" was due to an elevated disturbance risk inside gaps, not around gaps. Overall, we found no strong evidence for canopy dynamics in this rain forest being spatially contagious. Our findings are consistent with the

9 CFR 113.69 - Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine... REQUIREMENTS Live Bacterial Vaccines § 113.69 Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine. Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine, shall be prepared as a desiccated live culture bacterial vaccine of an avirulent or...

9 CFR 113.69 - Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine... REQUIREMENTS Live Bacterial Vaccines § 113.69 Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine. Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine, shall be prepared as a desiccated live culture bacterial vaccine of an avirulent or...

9 CFR 113.69 - Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine... REQUIREMENTS Live Bacterial Vaccines § 113.69 Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine. Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine, shall be prepared as a desiccated live culture bacterial vaccine of an avirulent or...

9 CFR 113.69 - Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine... REQUIREMENTS Live Bacterial Vaccines § 113.69 Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine. Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine, shall be prepared as a desiccated live culture bacterial vaccine of an avirulent or...

9 CFR 113.69 - Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine... REQUIREMENTS Live Bacterial Vaccines § 113.69 Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine. Pasteurella Multocida Vaccine, Bovine, shall be prepared as a desiccated live culture bacterial vaccine of an avirulent or...

21 CFR 522.1125 - Hemoglobin glutamer-200 (bovine).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 6 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Hemoglobin glutamer-200 (bovine). 522.1125 Section... § 522.1125 Hemoglobin glutamer-200 (bovine). (a) Specifications. Each 125 milliliter bag contains 13 grams per deciliter of polymerized hemoglobin of bovine origin in modified Lactated Ringer's Solution...

Methodological aspects of serosurveillance in resource-poor settings.

PubMed

Sternberg Lewerin, Susanna; Wolff, Cecilia; Masembe, Charles; Ståhl, Karl; Boqvist, Sofia; Franko, Mikael Andersson

2018-01-01

Animal production is important for the agricultural economy in low-income countries, but is threatened by infectious diseases. Serosurveys are conducted for different reasons such as disease detection, risk factor studies, disease monitoring and establishing disease-free status. Most reports on such serosurveys include some discussion about methodological constraints but still, by necessity, rely on serological results for case definition. This study uses a cross-sectional serosurvey for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), Rift Valley fever (RVF) and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in cattle in three districts in Western Uganda to illustrate the limitations of this approach, addressing the questions of what flaws can be expected in sampling and diagnostics and how these influence the results. The target was to collect blood samples from 60 cattle herds per district. To reflect the recent infection history of the herd, young animals (two to five years) were prioritised. The farmers were interviewed about management, cattle trade, cattle health and vaccination. Commercial ELISAs were used for serological analyses: for CBPP the IDEXX CBPP Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides antibody test kit, for RVF the ID Screen Rift Valley Fever competitive ELISA, and for FMD the PrioCHECK FMDV NS. Apparent prevalence, true prevalence and associations with herd characteristics were assessed. The sampling plans could not be entirely fulfilled, nor the number of tests run in the laboratory. There were reactors to all three diseases with an apparent prevalence of approximately 30 per cent for CBPP, 6 per cent for RVF and 7 per cent for FMD. Calculation of true prevalence based on test sensitivity and specificity resulted in a slightly higher prevalence figure for CBPP and lower figures for RVF and FMD. The study illustrates the importance of considering diagnostic test performance when interpreting results from serosurveys, and the challenge of representative sampling and

9 CFR 113.311 - Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine. 113.311... Virus Vaccines § 113.311 Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine. Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine shall be prepared..., and immunogenic shall be used for preparing the production seed virus for vaccine production. All...

9 CFR 113.311 - Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine. 113.311... Virus Vaccines § 113.311 Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine. Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine shall be prepared..., and immunogenic shall be used for preparing the production seed virus for vaccine production. All...

9 CFR 113.311 - Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine. 113.311... Virus Vaccines § 113.311 Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine. Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine shall be prepared..., and immunogenic shall be used for preparing the production seed virus for vaccine production. All...

9 CFR 113.311 - Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine. 113.311... Virus Vaccines § 113.311 Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine. Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine shall be prepared..., and immunogenic shall be used for preparing the production seed virus for vaccine production. All...

Activation of bovine neutrophils by Brucella spp.

PubMed

Keleher, Lauren L; Skyberg, Jerod A

2016-09-01

Brucellosis is a globally important zoonotic infectious disease caused by gram negative bacteria of the genus Brucella. While many species of Brucella exist, Brucella melitensis, Brucella abortus, and Brucella suis are the most common pathogens of humans and livestock. The virulence of Brucella is largely influenced by its ability to evade host factors, including phagocytic killing mechanisms, which are critical for the host response to infection. The aim of this study was to characterize the bovine neutrophil response to virulent Brucella spp. Here, we found that virulent strains of smooth B. abortus, B. melitensis, B. suis, and virulent, rough, strains of Brucella canis possess similar abilities to resist killing by resting, or IFN-γ-activated, bovine neutrophils. Bovine neutrophils responded to infection with a time-dependent oxidative burst that varied little between Brucella spp. Inhibition of TAK1, or SYK kinase blunted the oxidative burst of neutrophils in response to Brucella infection. Interestingly, Brucella spp. did not induce robust death of bovine neutrophils. These results indicate that bovine neutrophils respond similarly to virulent Brucella spp. In addition, virulent Brucella spp., including naturally rough strains of B. canis, have a conserved ability to resist killing by bovine neutrophils. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Animal and Plant Pathogens as Terrorism and Warfare Agents, Vectors and Pests

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-09-01

fever virus Bluetongue virus African horse sickness virus Nipah swine encephalitis virus Lumpy skin disease virus Camel pox virus Bacteria Bacillus...anthracis Bulkholderia (Pseudomonas) mallei Brucella spp. Mycoplasmas Contagious bovine (pleuropneum.) (M. mycoides var. mycoides type SC) (CBPP...virus Newcastle disease virus Rinderpest virus Pest des petits ruminants virus Bluetongue virus Teschen disease virus (Porcine enterovirus type 1) Rift

The Contagious Spread of Violence Among US Adolescents Through Social Networks.

PubMed

Bond, Robert M; Bushman, Brad J

2017-02-01

To test the hypothesis that violence among US adolescents spreads like a contagious disease through social networks. Participants were a nationally representative sample of 90 118 US students aged 12 to 18 years who were involved in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Violence was assessed by having participants report the number of times in the preceding 12 months they had been involved in a serious physical fight, had hurt someone badly, and had pulled a weapon on someone. Participants were 48% more likely to have been involved in a serious fight, 183% more likely to have hurt someone badly, and 140% more likely to have pulled a weapon on someone if a friend had engaged in the same behavior. The influence spread up to 4 degrees of separation (i.e., friend of friend of friend of friend) for serious fights, 2 degrees for hurting someone badly, and 3 degrees for pulling a weapon on someone. Adolescents were more likely to engage in violent behavior if their friends did the same, and contagion of violence extended beyond immediate friends to friends of friends.

Genetic Control of Contagious Asexuality in the Pea Aphid

PubMed Central

Jaquiéry, Julie; Stoeckel, Solenn; Larose, Chloé; Nouhaud, Pierre; Rispe, Claude; Mieuzet, Lucie; Bonhomme, Joël; Mahéo, Frédérique; Legeai, Fabrice; Gauthier, Jean-Pierre; Prunier-Leterme, Nathalie; Tagu, Denis; Simon, Jean-Christophe

2014-01-01

Although evolutionary transitions from sexual to asexual reproduction are frequent in eukaryotes, the genetic bases of such shifts toward asexuality remain largely unknown. We addressed this issue in an aphid species where both sexual and obligate asexual lineages coexist in natural populations. These sexual and asexual lineages may occasionally interbreed because some asexual lineages maintain a residual production of males potentially able to mate with the females produced by sexual lineages. Hence, this species is an ideal model to study the genetic basis of the loss of sexual reproduction with quantitative genetic and population genomic approaches. Our analysis of the co-segregation of ∼300 molecular markers and reproductive phenotype in experimental crosses pinpointed an X-linked region controlling obligate asexuality, this state of character being recessive. A population genetic analysis (>400-marker genome scan) on wild sexual and asexual genotypes from geographically distant populations under divergent selection for reproductive strategies detected a strong signature of divergent selection in the genomic region identified by the experimental crosses. These population genetic data confirm the implication of the candidate region in the control of reproductive mode in wild populations originating from 700 km apart. Patterns of genetic differentiation along chromosomes suggest bidirectional gene flow between populations with distinct reproductive modes, supporting contagious asexuality as a prevailing route to permanent parthenogenesis in pea aphids. This genetic system provides new insights into the mechanisms of coexistence of sexual and asexual aphid lineages. PMID:25473828

The bovine patella as a model of early osteoarthritis.

PubMed

Hargrave-Thomas, E J; Thambyah, A; McGlashan, S R; Broom, N D

2013-12-01

The bovine patella model has been used extensively for studying important structure-function aspects of articular cartilage, including its degeneration. However, the degeneration seen in this model has, to our knowledge, never been adequately compared with human osteoarthritis (OA). In this study, bovine patellae displaying normal to severely degenerate states were compared with human tissue displaying intact cartilage to severe OA. Comparisons of normal and OA features were made with histological scoring, morphometric measurements, and qualitative observations. Differential interference contrast microscopy was used to image early OA changes in the articular cartilage matrix and to investigate whether this method provided comparable quality of visualisation of key structural features with standard histology. The intact bovine cartilage was found to be similar to healthy human cartilage and the degenerate bovine cartilage resembled the human OA tissues with regard to structural disruption, cellularity changes, and staining loss. The extent of degeneration in the bovine tissues matched the mild to moderate range of human OA tissues; however, no bovine samples exhibited late-stage OA. Additionally, in both bovine and human tissues, cartilage degeneration was accompanied by calcified cartilage thickening, tidemark duplication, and the advancement of the cement line by protrusions of bony spicules into the calcified cartilage. This comparison of degeneration in the bovine and human tissues suggests a common pathway for the progression of OA and thus the bovine patella is proposed to be an appropriate model for investigating the structural changes associated with early OA. © 2013 Anatomical Society.

The bovine patella as a model of early osteoarthritis

PubMed Central

Hargrave-Thomas, E J; Thambyah, A; McGlashan, S R; Broom, N D

2013-01-01

The bovine patella model has been used extensively for studying important structure–function aspects of articular cartilage, including its degeneration. However, the degeneration seen in this model has, to our knowledge, never been adequately compared with human osteoarthritis (OA). In this study, bovine patellae displaying normal to severely degenerate states were compared with human tissue displaying intact cartilage to severe OA. Comparisons of normal and OA features were made with histological scoring, morphometric measurements, and qualitative observations. Differential interference contrast microscopy was used to image early OA changes in the articular cartilage matrix and to investigate whether this method provided comparable quality of visualisation of key structural features with standard histology. The intact bovine cartilage was found to be similar to healthy human cartilage and the degenerate bovine cartilage resembled the human OA tissues with regard to structural disruption, cellularity changes, and staining loss. The extent of degeneration in the bovine tissues matched the mild to moderate range of human OA tissues; however, no bovine samples exhibited late-stage OA. Additionally, in both bovine and human tissues, cartilage degeneration was accompanied by calcified cartilage thickening, tidemark duplication, and the advancement of the cement line by protrusions of bony spicules into the calcified cartilage. This comparison of degeneration in the bovine and human tissues suggests a common pathway for the progression of OA and thus the bovine patella is proposed to be an appropriate model for investigating the structural changes associated with early OA. PMID:24111904

Effects of emotionally contagious films on changes in hemisphere-specific cognitive performance.

PubMed

Papousek, Ilona; Schulter, Günter; Lang, Brigitte

2009-08-01

In the framework of models on the lateralized involvement of the cortical hemispheres in affect and psychopathology, the authors examined whether cognitive processes associated with the left and the right prefrontal cortex varied as a function of valence, motivational direction, or intensity of induced mood. Affective states (cheerfulness, anxiety, sadness, anger, and neutral mood) were experimentally induced by short "emotionally contagious films." Findings confirmed that the newly developed films were suitable to effectively elicit the expected affective states and to differentially change the dimensions of interest. Changes in verbal versus figural fluency performance were examined as a function of positive versus negative valence, approach versus withdrawal motivation, and low versus high emotional arousal. Level of interest was evaluated as a control. Both the tendency to withdraw and emotional arousal seemed to produce relative advantages for cognitive processes that are more strongly represented in the right than left prefrontal cortex. Findings suggest that changes in cognitive performance might be best explained by an additive combination of motivational direction and arousal. 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

MicroRNA-2400 promotes bovine preadipocyte proliferation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wei, Yao; Cui, Ya Feng; Tong, Hui Li

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in the proliferation of bovine preadipocytes. miR-2400 is a novel and unique miRNA from bovines. In the present study, we separated and identified preadipocytes from bovine samples. miR-2400 overexpression increased the rate of preadipocyte proliferation, which was analyzed with a combination of EdU and flow cytometry. Simultaneously, functional genes related to proliferation (PCNA, CCND2, CCNB1) were also increased, which was detected by real-time PCR. Furthermore, luciferase reporter assays showed that miR-2400 bound directly to the 3'untranslated regions (3′UTRs) of PRDM11 mRNA. These data suggested that miR-2400 could promote preadipocyte proliferation by targeting PRDM11. - Highlights:more » • miRNAs are important in bovine preadipocyte proliferation. • miR-2400 is a novel miRNA from bovines. • miR-2400 overexpression increased preadipocyte proliferation. • Functional genes related to preadipocyte proliferation were upregulated. • Preadipocyte proliferation was promoted by targeting PRDM11.« less

Prevalence of contagious mastitis pathogens in bulk tank milk in Québec

PubMed Central

Francoz, David; Bergeron, Luc; Nadeau, Marie; Beauchamp, Guy

2012-01-01

The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of mycoplasma, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus agalactiae in bulk tank milk (BTM) in Québec dairy herds. BTM was sampled 3 times a month in 117 randomly selected dairy herds. Samples were submitted for S. aureus, S. agalactiae, and mycoplasma and for direct mycoplasma detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Mycoplasma spp. was identified at least once in 3 herds (2.6%) by primary culture and/or PCR and in 4 herds (3.4%) by enrichment culture and/or PCR. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated at least once in 99 (84.6%) and 112 (95.7%) herds in primary culture and after enrichment, respectively. Streptococcus agalactiae was isolated at least once in 9 (7.7%) and 10 (8.6%) herds in primary culture and after enrichment, respectively. Herd prevalence of mycoplasma was similar to that previously reported in Canada. Staphylococcus aureus is still by far the most important contagious mastitis pathogen. PMID:23543925

The Creation of a Contagious H5N1 Influenza Virus: Implications for the Education of Life Scientists

PubMed Central

Novossiolova, Tatyana; Minehata, Masamichi; Dando, Malcolm

2012-01-01

The paper contends that the ongoing controversy surrounding the creation of a contagious H5N1 influenza virus has already exposed the severe limitations of the possibility of preventing the hostile misuse of the life sciences by dint of oversight of proposals and publications. It further argues that in order to prevent the potential wholesale militarisation of the life sciences, it is essential that life scientists become aware of their responsibilities within the context of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and actively contribute their expertise to strengthening the biological weapons non-proliferation regime . PMID:22984642

In vitro study of bovine oligodendroglia.

PubMed

Fewster, M E; Blackstone, S

1975-12-01

Oligodendroglia were prepared by 'Ficoll' density gradient centrifugation from the centrum ovale of fetal and adult bovine brains. When cultivated in Rose Chambers, and provided an air bubble was included in the chamber during the cultivation, processes developed on cells around the circumference of the bubble. A sizeable air phase seems to be important for process formation in isolated bovine glial preparations. Various culture systems, media and additions to the cultures were examined for their effect on the behavior of the cultures. Fibroblast overgrowth occurred in oligodendroglial cultures from fetal brains in media supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS) but not in medium 199 supplemented with 2.5% FBS.

The influence of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection on tulathromycin pharmacokinetics and lung tissue disposition in pigs.

PubMed

Gajda, A; Bladek, T; Jablonski, A; Posyniak, A

2016-04-01

A tulathromycin concentration and pharmacokinetic parameters in plasma and lung tissue from healthy pigs and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (App)-infected pigs were compared. Tulathromycin was administered intramuscularly (i.m.) to all pigs at a single dose of 2.5 mg/kg. Blood and lung tissue samples were collected during 33 days postdrug application. Tulathromycin concentration in plasma and lung was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. The mean maximum plasma concentration (Cmax ) in healthy pigs was 586 ± 71 ng/mL, reached by 0.5 h, while the mean value for Cmax of tulathromycin in infected pigs was 386 ± 97 ng/mL after 0.5 h. The mean maximum tulathromycin concentration in lung of healthy group was calculated as 3412 ± 748 ng/g, detected at 12 h, while in pigs with App, the highest concentration in lung was 3337 ± 937 ng/g, determined at 48 h postdosing. The higher plasma and lung concentrations in pigs with no pulmonary inflammation were observed at the first time points sampling after tulathromycin administration, but slower elimination with elimination half-life t1/2el  = 126 h in plasma and t1/2el  = 165 h in lung, as well as longer drug persistent in infected pigs, was found. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Efficacy of recombinant bovine epidermal growth factor in the treatment of experimental subclinical Staphylococcus aureus mastitis in a ewe model.

PubMed

Gabadage, Kamal; Chirino-Trejo, Manuel; Campbell, John; Luby, Christopher

2017-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is the most common contagious mastitis pathogen of dairy cattle. Antimicrobial treatment of infected cattle results in variable cure rates. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) plays an important role in the modulation of host innate immune responses and the regulation of mammary epithelial regeneration, indicating that EGF may be useful as a treatment for mastitis. A pilot study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of recombinant bovine EGF (rbEGF) for the treatment of S aureus intramammary infection (IMI) using an ovine model. Each ewe was experimentally infected with S aureus in both udder halves. One udder half of each ewe received one of two treatments: EGF (n=13) or pirlimycin (n=13). The contralateral udder half of each ewe received sterile saline as a control. The bacteriological cure rate following rbEGF was significantly lower (15 per cent) than that attained with pirlimycin hydrochloride (61 per cent) and did not differ from that following treatment with sterile saline. Cure rates following treatment with rbEGF were not significantly different to those following sterile saline. Given that EGF is associated with modulation of host immunity and wound healing, future studies into EGF should not focus on whether EGF increases cure rates of S aureus IMI.

76 FR 26239 - Bovine Tuberculosis and Brucellosis; Public Meetings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-06

... Inspection Service [Docket No. APHIS-2011-0044] Bovine Tuberculosis and Brucellosis; Public Meetings AGENCY... bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis programs in the United States. The meetings are being organized by... tuberculosis (TB) and bovine brucellosis in the United States. In keeping with its commitment to partnering...

Minimum inhibitory concentration breakpoints and disk diffusion inhibitory zone interpretive criteria for tilmicosin susceptibility testing against Pasteurella multocida and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae associated with porcine respiratory disease.

PubMed

Shryock, Thomas R; Staples, J Mitchell; DeRosa, David C

2002-09-01

Tilmicosin is a novel macrolide antibiotic developed for exclusive use in veterinary medicine. Tilmicosin has been approved as a feed premix to control porcine respiratory disease associated with Pasteurella multocida and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. The development of antimicrobial susceptibility testing guidelines for tilmicosin was predicated on the relationship of clinical efficacy studies that demonstrated a favorable therapeutic outcome, on pharmacokinetic data, and on in vitro test data, as recommended by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). The approved breakpoints for the minimum inhibitory concentration dilution testing for both species are resistant, > or = 32 microg/ml, and susceptible, < or = 16 microg/ml. The zone of inhibition interpretive criteria for disk diffusion testing with a 15-microg tilmicosin disk are resistant, < or = 10 mm, and susceptible, > or = 11 mm.

Sequence and structural implications of a bovine corneal keratan sulfate proteoglycan core protein. Protein 37B represents bovine lumican and proteins 37A and 25 are unique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Funderburgh, J. L.; Funderburgh, M. L.; Brown, S. J.; Vergnes, J. P.; Hassell, J. R.; Mann, M. M.; Conrad, G. W.; Spooner, B. S. (Principal Investigator)

1993-01-01

Amino acid sequence from tryptic peptides of three different bovine corneal keratan sulfate proteoglycan (KSPG) core proteins (designated 37A, 37B, and 25) showed similarities to the sequence of a chicken KSPG core protein lumican. Bovine lumican cDNA was isolated from a bovine corneal expression library by screening with chicken lumican cDNA. The bovine cDNA codes for a 342-amino acid protein, M(r) 38,712, containing amino acid sequences identified in the 37B KSPG core protein. The bovine lumican is 68% identical to chicken lumican, with an 83% identity excluding the N-terminal 40 amino acids. Location of 6 cysteine and 4 consensus N-glycosylation sites in the bovine sequence were identical to those in chicken lumican. Bovine lumican had about 50% identity to bovine fibromodulin and 20% identity to bovine decorin and biglycan. About two-thirds of the lumican protein consists of a series of 10 amino acid leucine-rich repeats that occur in regions of calculated high beta-hydrophobic moment, suggesting that the leucine-rich repeats contribute to beta-sheet formation in these proteins. Sequences obtained from 37A and 25 core proteins were absent in bovine lumican, thus predicting a unique primary structure and separate mRNA for each of the three bovine KSPG core proteins.

Hitting Is Contagious in Baseball: Evidence from Long Hitting Streaks

PubMed Central

Bock, Joel R.; Maewal, Akhilesh; Gough, David A.

2012-01-01

Data analysis is used to test the hypothesis that “hitting is contagious”. A statistical model is described to study the effect of a hot hitter upon his teammates’ batting during a consecutive game hitting streak. Box score data for entire seasons comprising streaks of length games, including a total observations were compiled. Treatment and control sample groups () were constructed from core lineups of players on the streaking batter’s team. The percentile method bootstrap was used to calculate confidence intervals for statistics representing differences in the mean distributions of two batting statistics between groups. Batters in the treatment group (hot streak active) showed statistically significant improvements in hitting performance, as compared against the control. Mean for the treatment group was found to be to percentage points higher during hot streaks (mean difference increased points), while the batting heat index introduced here was observed to increase by points. For each performance statistic, the null hypothesis was rejected at the significance level. We conclude that the evidence suggests the potential existence of a “statistical contagion effect”. Psychological mechanisms essential to the empirical results are suggested, as several studies from the scientific literature lend credence to contagious phenomena in sports. Causal inference from these results is difficult, but we suggest and discuss several latent variables that may contribute to the observed results, and offer possible directions for future research. PMID:23251507

Seroprevalence of viral and bacterial diseases among the bovines in Himachal Pradesh, India

PubMed Central

Katoch, Shailja; Dohru, Shweta; Sharma, Mandeep; Vashist, Vikram; Chahota, Rajesh; Dhar, Prasenjit; Thakur, Aneesh; Verma, Subhash

2017-01-01

Aim: The study was designed to measure the seroprevalence of viral and bacterial diseases: Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, bovine viral diarrhea, bovine leukemia, bovine parainfluenza, bovine respiratory syncytial disease, brucellosis, and paratuberculosis among bovine of Himachal Pradesh during the year 2013-2015. Materials and Methods: The serum samples were collected from seven districts of state, namely, Bilaspur, Kangra, Kinnaur, Lahul and Spiti, Mandi, Sirmour, and Solan. The samples were screened using indirect ELISA kits to measure the seroprevalence of viral and bacterial diseases. Results: The overall seroprevalence of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis was 24.24%, bovine viral diarrhea 1.52%, bovine leukemia 9.09%, bovine parainfluenza 57.58%, bovine respiratory syncytial disease 50%, brucellosis 19.69%, and paratuberculosis 9.09% in Himachal Pradesh. The seroprevalence of bovine rhinotracheitis, bovine leukemia, bovine parainfluenza, bovine respiratory syncytial disease, and paratuberculosis in the state varied significantly (p<0.01) while was insignificant for bovine viral diarrhea and brucellosis (p>0.01). Multiple seropositivity has been observed in this study. Bovine parainfluenza virus 3 was observed commonly in mixed infection with almost all viruses and bacteria under study. Conclusion: The viral and bacterial diseases are prevalent in the seven districts of Himachal Pradesh investigated in the study. Therefore, appropriate management practices and routine vaccination programs should be adopted to reduce the prevalence of these diseases. PMID:29391682

9 CFR 113.216 - Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed... REQUIREMENTS Killed Virus Vaccines § 113.216 Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus. Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus, shall be prepared from virus-bearing cell culture fluids. Only Master Seed...

9 CFR 113.216 - Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed... REQUIREMENTS Killed Virus Vaccines § 113.216 Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus. Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus, shall be prepared from virus-bearing cell culture fluids. Only Master Seed...

9 CFR 113.216 - Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed... REQUIREMENTS Killed Virus Vaccines § 113.216 Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus. Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus, shall be prepared from virus-bearing cell culture fluids. Only Master Seed...

9 CFR 113.216 - Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed... REQUIREMENTS Killed Virus Vaccines § 113.216 Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus. Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus, shall be prepared from virus-bearing cell culture fluids. Only Master Seed...

9 CFR 113.216 - Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed... REQUIREMENTS Killed Virus Vaccines § 113.216 Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus. Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus, shall be prepared from virus-bearing cell culture fluids. Only Master Seed...

Perspectives on the History of Bovine TB and the Role of Tuberculin in Bovine TB Eradication

PubMed Central

Good, Margaret; Duignan, Anthony

2011-01-01

Tuberculosis remains a significant disease of animals and humans worldwide. Bovine tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacteria with an extremely wide host range and serious, although currently probably underdiagnosed, zoonotic potential. Where bovine tuberculosis controls are effective, human zoonotic TB, due to Mycobacterium bovis or M. caprae, is uncommon and clinical cases are infrequent in cattle. Therefore, the control and ultimate eradication of bovine tuberculosis is desirable. Tuberculin tests are the primary screening tool used in bovine eradication. The choice of tuberculin test is dependent on the environment in which it is to be used. Tuberculin potency is critical to test performance, and the accurate determination of potency is therefore particularly important. The design of a control or eradication programme should take into consideration the fundamental scientific knowledge, the epidemiological profile of disease, the experience of other eradication programmes, and the presence, in the same ecosystem, of maintenance hosts, in which infection is self-sustaining and which are capable of transmitting infection. A control or eradication programme will necessarily require modification as it progresses and must be under constant review to identify the optimal desirable goals, the efficacy of policy, and constraints to progress. PMID:21547209

Influence of Bovine Serum Lipids and Fetal Bovine Serum on the Expression of Cell Surface Markers in Cultured Bovine Preadipocytes.

PubMed

Sandhu, Mansur A; Jurek, Sandra; Trappe, Susanne; Kolisek, Martin; Sponder, Gerhard; Aschenbach, Jörg R

2017-01-01

To establish the influence of fetal bovine serum (FBS) and bovine serum lipids (BSL) on cell differentiation marker expression, bovine adipose-derived stem cells from subcutaneous tissue were incubated for 14 days in 4 types of differentiation media containing 10% FBS and 10 µL/mL BSL (TRT-1), no FBS and 10 µL/mL of BSL (TRT-2), 10% FBS and no BSL (TRT-3), or no supplements (TRT-4). Cells were subjected to Nile red staining, immunocytochemistry (CD73, CD90, CD105, DLK1, FabP4), and quantitative real-time PCR (CD73, CD90, CD105, FabP4). The number of cells presenting FabP4 and the percentage of mature adipocytes with large lipid droplets were increased in TRT-2, accompanied by a robust increase in FabP4 mRNA abundance and a decrease in DLK1-positive cells. In preadipocytes, CD73 was present around the nucleus and translocated towards cell membranes during differentiation. Although the percentage of CD73-positive cells was not different among treatments, its mRNA abundance, immunocytochemical staining intensity, and translocation towards cell membranes were decreased when the medium contained no FBS (TRT-2 and TRT-4). All cells showed a diffuse distribution of CD90 and CD105 and remained positive for these markers irrespective of the treatment. However, the CD90 and CD105 mRNA abundance was decreased in TRT-2 and TRT-4; i.e., in media containing no FBS. The presence of FBS increased the absolute number of cell nuclei as assessed by DAPI fluorescence. Our results suggest that bovine subcutaneous preadipocytes display typical stem cell markers. The differentiation into mature adipocytes is promoted by BSL, whereas FBS endorses cell proliferation. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Detection of bovine viral diarrhoea virus nucleic acid, but not infectious virus, in bovine serum used for human vaccine manufacture.

PubMed

Laassri, Majid; Mee, Edward T; Connaughton, Sarah M; Manukyan, Hasmik; Gruber, Marion; Rodriguez-Hernandez, Carmen; Minor, Philip D; Schepelmann, Silke; Chumakov, Konstantin; Wood, David J

2018-06-22

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) is a cattle pathogen that has previously been reported to be present in bovine raw materials used in the manufacture of biological products for human use. Seven lots of trivalent measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and 1 lot of measles vaccine from the same manufacturer, together with 17 lots of foetal bovine serum (FBS) from different vendors, 4 lots of horse serum, 2 lots of bovine trypsin and 5 lots of porcine trypsin were analysed for BVDV using recently developed techniques, including PCR assays for BVDV detection, a qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence-based virus replication assays, and deep sequencing to identify and genotype BVDV genomes. All FBS lots and one lot of bovine-derived trypsin were PCR-positive for the presence of BVDV genome; in contrast all vaccine lots and the other samples were negative. qRT-PCR based virus replication assay and immunofluorescence-based infection assay detected no infectious BVDV in the PCR-positive samples. Complete BVDV genomes were generated from FBS samples by deep sequencing, and all were BVDV type 1. These data confirmed that BVDV nucleic acid may be present in bovine-derived raw materials, but no infectious virus or genomic RNA was detected in the final vaccine products. Copyright © 2018 International Alliance for Biological Standardization. All rights reserved.

Reversible epigenetic down-regulation of MHC molecules by devil facial tumour disease illustrates immune escape by a contagious cancer

PubMed Central

Siddle, Hannah V.; Kreiss, Alexandre; Tovar, Cesar; Yuen, Chun Kit; Cheng, Yuanyuan; Belov, Katherine; Swift, Kate; Pearse, Anne-Maree; Hamede, Rodrigo; Jones, Menna E.; Skjødt, Karsten; Woods, Gregory M.; Kaufman, Jim

2013-01-01

Contagious cancers that pass between individuals as an infectious cell line are highly unusual pathogens. Devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) is one such contagious cancer that emerged 16 y ago and is driving the Tasmanian devil to extinction. As both a pathogen and an allograft, DFTD cells should be rejected by the host–immune response, yet DFTD causes 100% mortality among infected devils with no apparent rejection of tumor cells. Why DFTD cells are not rejected has been a question of considerable confusion. Here, we show that DFTD cells do not express cell surface MHC molecules in vitro or in vivo, due to down-regulation of genes essential to the antigen-processing pathway, such as β2-microglobulin and transporters associated with antigen processing. Loss of gene expression is not due to structural mutations, but to regulatory changes including epigenetic deacetylation of histones. Consequently, MHC class I molecules can be restored to the surface of DFTD cells in vitro by using recombinant devil IFN-γ, which is associated with up-regulation of the MHC class II transactivator, a key transcription factor with deacetylase activity. Further, expression of MHC class I molecules by DFTD cells can occur in vivo during lymphocyte infiltration. These results explain why T cells do not target DFTD cells. We propose that MHC-positive or epigenetically modified DFTD cells may provide a vaccine to DFTD. In addition, we suggest that down-regulation of MHC molecules using regulatory mechanisms allows evolvability of transmissible cancers and could affect the evolutionary trajectory of DFTD. PMID:23479617

Importance of bovine mastitis in Africa.

PubMed

Motaung, Thabiso E; Petrovski, Kiro R; Petzer, Inge-Marie; Thekisoe, Oriel; Tsilo, Toi J

2017-06-01

Bovine mastitis is an important animal production disease that affects the dairy industry globally. Studies have estimated the prevalence of this disease in approximately 30% of African countries, with the highest prevalence found in Ethiopia. This is despite the wide cattle distribution in Africa, and the largest number of dairy farms and herds in countries such as South Africa, Kenya and Uganda. Furthermore, the estimated financial losses due to direct and indirect impacts of bovine mastitis are lacking in this continent. Therefore, intensive research efforts will help determine the continent-wide economic impacts and advance careful monitoring of disease prevalence and epidemiology. Here, published cases supporting the occurrence and importance of bovine mastitis in certain regions of Africa are outlined.

IgE reactivity to alpha1 and alpha2 chains of bovine type 1 collagen in children with bovine gelatin allergy.

PubMed

Sakaguchi, M; Hori, H; Hattori, S; Irie, S; Imai, A; Yanagida, M; Miyazawa, H; Toda, M; Inouye, S

1999-09-01

Anaphylactic reactions to measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines, including gelatin as a stabilizer, have been reported. It had been found that most of these reactions to live vaccines are caused by the bovine gelatin included in these vaccines. Gelatin mainly includes denatured type I collagen, which consists of alpha1 and alpha2 chains. The current study was designed to investigate the IgE reactivity to alpha1 and alpha2 chains of bovine type I collagen in gelatin-sensitive children. Serum samples were taken from 10 children who had anaphylaxis to the vaccines and high levels of specific IgE to bovine gelatin. Bovine type I collagen was isolated from bovine skin and then separated to alpha1 and alpha2 chains by column chromatography. IgE reactivity to denatured type I collagen and its alpha1 and alpha2 chains was analyzed by immunoblotting, ELISA, and histamine release from the mast cells passive sensitized with IgE antibodies in pooled serum of the children. All children had specific IgE to bovine type I collagen. Furthermore, IgE antibodies in their sera reacted with the alpha;2 chain but not with the alpha1 chain. Similarly, the mast cells sensitized with pooled sera in the children showed alpha2 chain-specific histamine release but not alpha1 chain-specific histamine release. In gelatin allergy denatured bovine type I collagen is a major allergen and IgE-binding sites exist in the alpha2 chain of type I collagen.

Identification of an Atypical Enzootic Bovine Leukosis in Japan by Using a Novel Classification of Bovine Leukemia Based on Immunophenotypic Analysis

PubMed Central

Nishimori, Asami; Okagawa, Tomohiro; Maekawa, Naoya; Goto, Shinya; Ikebuchi, Ryoyo; Nakahara, Ayako; Chiba, Yuzumi; Ikeda, Masaho; Murata, Shiro; Ohashi, Kazuhiko

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Bovine leukemia is classified into two types: enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) and sporadic bovine leukosis (SBL). EBL is caused by infection with bovine leukemia virus (BLV), which induces persistent lymphocytosis and B-cell lymphoma in cattle after a long latent period. Although it has been demonstrated that BLV-associated lymphoma occurs predominantly in adult cattle of >3 to 5 years, suspicious cases of EBL onset in juvenile cattle were recently reported in Japan. To investigate the current status of bovine leukemia in Japan, we performed immunophenotypic analysis of samples from 50 cattle that were clinically diagnosed as having bovine leukemia. We classified the samples into five groups on the basis of the analysis and found two different types of EBL: classic EBL (cEBL), which has the familiar phenotype commonly known as EBL, and polyclonal EBL (pEBL), which exhibited neoplastic proliferation of polyclonal B cells. Moreover, there were several atypical EBL cases even in cEBL, including an early onset of EBL in juvenile cattle. A comparison of the cell marker expressions among cEBL, pEBL, and B-cell-type SBL (B-SBL) revealed characteristic patterns in B-cell leukemia, and these patterns could be clearly differentiated from those of healthy phenotypes, whereas it was difficult to discriminate between cEBL, pEBL, and B-SBL only by the expression patterns of cell markers. This study identified novel characteristics of bovine leukemia that should contribute to a better understanding of the mechanism underlying tumor development in BLV infection. PMID:28659325

Radiographic anatomy of juvenile bovine limbs.

PubMed

Hoey, S E; Biedrzycki, A H; Livesey, M J; Drees, R

2016-11-26

Juvenile bovine patients who present with clinical signs of lameness are commonly evaluated using radiographic techniques both within a hospital setting and in a farm environment. The radiographic development of the juvenile bovine skeleton is currently poorly documented. In this study, the limbs of four heifer calves were sequentially radiographed to assess development of the juvenile bovine appendicular skeleton in the first 12 months of life. Images were acquired at three weeks, three months, six months, nine months and one year of age. The normal radiographic anatomy of the fore limbs and hindlimbs and the changes over the first 12 months are described. The majority of physes remain open throughout this period, with the exception of the proximal physes of the proximal and middle phalanges, the proximal radial physis, and the proximal humeral physis which close radiographically between 9 months and 12 months of age, and fusion of the fourth and central tarsal bones occurs between 9 months and 12 months of age. The results of this study may aid in differentiating normal and abnormal anatomy in the juvenile bovine limb. British Veterinary Association.

In Vitro Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Bovine Milk as Potential Probiotic Strains to Prevent Bovine Mastitis.

PubMed

Pellegrino, Matías S; Frola, Ignacio D; Natanael, Berardo; Gobelli, Dino; Nader-Macias, María E F; Bogni, Cristina I

2018-01-02

Bovine mastitis causes economic losses on dairy farms worldwide. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in animal health are an alternative tool to avoid antibiotic therapy on the prevention of bovine mastitis. In previous studies, 12 LAB isolated from bovine milk were selected taking into account some of the following characteristics: hydrophobicity, auto aggregative capability, inhibition of indicator pathogens, hydrogen peroxide, and capsular polysaccharide production. These LAB were considered because of their beneficial properties. In this work, we also analyzed the antimicrobial activity and the co-aggregation against mastitis causing bacteria, auto-inhibition, adhesion to bovine teat canal epithelial cells (BTCEC), and growth kinetic curves for the 12 LAB. Two of them, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis CRL 1655 and Lactobacillus perolens CRL 1724, were selected because they had an interesting pattern of adhesion to BTEC, the inhibition of pathogens and the co-aggregation with the 100% of the assayed pathogens. They showed a predictable difference in the PFGE genomic pattern bands. The kinetic growth of these two strains was similar between them and with the rest of the assayed LAB. The strains selected in the present study showed indispensable characteristics for their inclusion in a probiotic formulation to be used at dry-off period for the prevention of bovine mastitis.

Effect of "Pink Eye" Label on Parents' Intent to Use Antibiotics and Perceived Contagiousness.

PubMed

Scherer, Laura D; Finan, Caitlin; Simancek, Dalton; Finkelstein, Jerome I; Tarini, Beth A

2016-06-01

Parents of children who presented for a pediatrics appointment responded to a clinical vignette that described a child with symptoms consistent with acute viral conjunctivitis. In a 2 × 2 randomized survey design, the physician in the vignette either used the term "pink eye" or "eye infection" to describe the symptoms, and either told parents that antibiotics are likely ineffective at treating the symptoms or did not discuss effectiveness. When the symptoms were referred to as "pink eye," parents remained interested in antibiotics, despite being informed about their ineffectiveness. By contrast, when the symptoms were referred to as an "eye infection," information about antibiotic ineffectiveness significantly reduced interest, Mdiff = 1.63, P < .001. Parents who received the "pink eye" label also thought that the symptoms were more contagious and were less likely to believe that their child could go to child care, compared with parents who received the "eye infection" label, Mdiff = 0.37, P = .38. © The Author(s) 2015.

Bovine origin Staphylococcus aureus: A new zoonotic agent?

PubMed

Rao, Relangi Tulasi; Jayakumar, Kannan; Kumar, Pavitra

2017-10-01

The study aimed to assess the nature of animal origin Staphylococcus aureus strains. The study has zoonotic importance and aimed to compare virulence between two different hosts, i.e., bovine and ovine origin. Conventional polymerase chain reaction-based methods used for the characterization of S. aureus strains and chick embryo model employed for the assessment of virulence capacity of strains. All statistical tests carried on R program, version 3.0.4. After initial screening and molecular characterization of the prevalence of S. aureus found to be 42.62% in bovine origin samples and 28.35% among ovine origin samples. Meanwhile, the methicillin-resistant S. aureus prevalence is found to be meager in both the hosts. Among the samples, only 6.8% isolates tested positive for methicillin resistance. The biofilm formation quantified and the variation compared among the host. A Welch two-sample t -test found to be statistically significant, t=2.3179, df=28.103, and p=0.02795. Chicken embryo model found effective to test the pathogenicity of the strains. The study helped to conclude healthy bovines can act as S. aureus reservoirs. Bovine origin S. aureus strains are more virulent than ovine origin strains. Bovine origin strains have high probability to become zoonotic pathogen. Further, gene knock out studies may be conducted to conclude zoonocity of the bovine origin strains.

Bovine origin Staphylococcus aureus: A new zoonotic agent?

PubMed Central

Rao, Relangi Tulasi; Jayakumar, Kannan; Kumar, Pavitra

2017-01-01

Aim: The study aimed to assess the nature of animal origin Staphylococcus aureus strains. The study has zoonotic importance and aimed to compare virulence between two different hosts, i.e., bovine and ovine origin. Materials and Methods: Conventional polymerase chain reaction-based methods used for the characterization of S. aureus strains and chick embryo model employed for the assessment of virulence capacity of strains. All statistical tests carried on R program, version 3.0.4. Results: After initial screening and molecular characterization of the prevalence of S. aureus found to be 42.62% in bovine origin samples and 28.35% among ovine origin samples. Meanwhile, the methicillin-resistant S. aureus prevalence is found to be meager in both the hosts. Among the samples, only 6.8% isolates tested positive for methicillin resistance. The biofilm formation quantified and the variation compared among the host. A Welch two-sample t-test found to be statistically significant, t=2.3179, df=28.103, and p=0.02795. Chicken embryo model found effective to test the pathogenicity of the strains. Conclusion: The study helped to conclude healthy bovines can act as S. aureus reservoirs. Bovine origin S. aureus strains are more virulent than ovine origin strains. Bovine origin strains have high probability to become zoonotic pathogen. Further, gene knock out studies may be conducted to conclude zoonocity of the bovine origin strains. PMID:29184376

Seroprevalence of bovine herpesvirus-1 antibodies in bovines in five districts of Uttarakhand

PubMed Central

Thakur, Vipul; Kumar, Mahesh; Rathish, R. L.

2017-01-01

Aim: This study was conducted to know the status of bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) antibodies in the bovines of the selected area of Uttarakhand. Materials and Methods: A total of 489 serum samples, 392 of cattle and 97 of buffaloes were randomly collected from the unvaccinated bovine population of five districts viz., Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, Pithoragarh, and Udham Singh Nagar and were tested by avidin biotin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for BHV-1 antibodies. Results: The overall prevalence was observed to be 29.03%. At district level, the highest prevalence was recorded in Pithoragarh district (40.00%) while it was lowest in district Udham Singh Nagar (16.00%). The prevalence of BHV-1 antibodies was found to be higher in unorganized dairy units (31.02%) compared to organized farms (26.51%) in Uttarakhand. Buffaloes were found to have greater prevalence (38.14%) than cattle (26.78%) while on sex-wise basis; it was found that more females (30.08%) were harboring antibodies to the virus than males (16.21%). Conclusion: The study revealed that the population in the area under study has been exposed to BHV-1 and hence prevention and control strategies must be implemented. PMID:28344394

Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1), bovine leukemia virus (BLV) and bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infections in Algerian dromedary camels (Camelus dromaderius).

PubMed

Saidi, Radhwane; Bessas, Amina; Bitam, Idir; Ergün, Yaşar; Ataseven, Veysel Soydal

2018-03-01

This study was performed to investigate the presence of bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1), bovine leukemia virus (BLV) and bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infections in dromedary camels (Camelus dromaderius) kept in mixed herds with sheep and goats in Algeria, since the prevalence of BHV-1, BVDV, and BLV infections among dromedary camels in Algeria is unknown. Totally, 111 camel sera were collected from two provinces (Laghouat and Ghardaia) in Algeria. The sera were analyzed for BHV-1 specific antibodies, BVDV specific antibodies and BVDV antigen using the ELISA, and BLV nucleic acid using PCR. The seropositivity rate was 9.0% for BVDV-specific antibody, although 41.4% of camels tested were positive for BVDV antigen. Moreover, there was no evidence of BHV-1 and BLV infections. The results indicated that camels might represent an important source for BVDV infection in all ruminants, including cattle, sheep, and goats bred in mixed herds in Algeria, since they had a higher BVDV prevalence rates. Therefore, the prevention and control measures for BVDV infection should put in place in camel populations to limit the spread of BVDV infection to ruminant populations in Algeria.

Immunogenicity of a modified-live virus vaccine against bovine viral diarrhea virus types 1 and 2, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus, bovine parainfluenza-3 virus, and bovine respiratory syncytial virus when administered intranasally in young calves.

PubMed

Xue, Wenzhi; Ellis, John; Mattick, Debra; Smith, Linda; Brady, Ryan; Trigo, Emilio

2010-05-14

The immunogenicity of an intranasally-administered modified-live virus (MLV) vaccine in 3-8 day old calves was evaluated against bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) types 1 and 2, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus, parainfluenza-3 (PI-3) virus and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV). Calves were intranasally vaccinated with a single dose of a multivalent MLV vaccine and were challenged with one of the respective viruses three to four weeks post-vaccination in five separate studies. There was significant sparing of diseases in calves intranasally vaccinated with the MLV vaccine, as indicated by significantly fewer clinical signs, lower rectal temperatures, reduced viral shedding, greater white blood cell and platelet counts, and less severe pulmonary lesions than control animals. This was the first MLV combination vaccine to demonstrate efficacy against BVDV types 1 and 2, IBR, PI-3 and BRSV in calves 3-8 days of age. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bovine Necrotic Vulvovaginitis Associated with Porphyromonas levii

PubMed Central

Friedgut, Orly; Alpert, Nir; Stram, Yehuda; Lahav, Dan; Tiomkin, Doron; Avramson, Miriam; Grinberg, Kalia; Bernstein, Michael

2004-01-01

An outbreak of bovine necrotic vulvovaginitis associated with Porphyromonas levii, an emerging animal and human pathogen, affected 32 cows on a dairy farm in the northeast of Israel. Five animals had to be culled. This report appears to be the first that associates P. levii with bovine necrotic vulvovagnitis. PMID:15109423

Social Network Sensors for Early Detection of Contagious Outbreaks

PubMed Central

Christakis, Nicholas A.; Fowler, James H.

2010-01-01

Current methods for the detection of contagious outbreaks give contemporaneous information about the course of an epidemic at best. It is known that individuals near the center of a social network are likely to be infected sooner during the course of an outbreak, on average, than those at the periphery. Unfortunately, mapping a whole network to identify central individuals who might be monitored for infection is typically very difficult. We propose an alternative strategy that does not require ascertainment of global network structure, namely, simply monitoring the friends of randomly selected individuals. Such individuals are known to be more central. To evaluate whether such a friend group could indeed provide early detection, we studied a flu outbreak at Harvard College in late 2009. We followed 744 students who were either members of a group of randomly chosen individuals or a group of their friends. Based on clinical diagnoses, the progression of the epidemic in the friend group occurred 13.9 days (95% C.I. 9.9–16.6) in advance of the randomly chosen group (i.e., the population as a whole). The friend group also showed a significant lead time (p<0.05) on day 16 of the epidemic, a full 46 days before the peak in daily incidence in the population as a whole. This sensor method could provide significant additional time to react to epidemics in small or large populations under surveillance. The amount of lead time will depend on features of the outbreak and the network at hand. The method could in principle be generalized to other biological, psychological, informational, or behavioral contagions that spread in networks. PMID:20856792

The Role of microRNAs in Bovine Infection and Immunity

PubMed Central

Lawless, Nathan; Vegh, Peter; O’Farrelly, Cliona; Lynn, David J.

2014-01-01

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, non-coding RNAs that are recognized as critical regulators of immune gene expression during infection. Many immunologically significant human miRNAs have been found to be conserved in agriculturally important species, including cattle. Discovering how bovine miRNAs mediate the immune defense during infection is critical to understanding the etiology of the most prevalent bovine diseases. Here, we review current knowledge of miRNAs in the bovine genome, and discuss the advances in understanding of miRNAs as regulators of immune cell function, and bovine immune response activation, regulation, and resolution. Finally, we consider the future perspectives on miRNAs in bovine viral disease, their role as potential biomarkers and in therapy. PMID:25505900

Food Safety: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease).

PubMed

Acheson, David W. K.

2002-01-01

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy is just one of a group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Only recently has it become recognized that transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are likely due to proteins known as prions. Although it has been recognized that transmissible spongiform encephalopathies may readily spread within species, the recent observations that bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle may have originated from another transmissible spongiform encephalopathy in sheep, known as scrapie, is cause for concern. Further, bovine spongiform encephalopathy has now been strongly linked with a universally fatal human neurologic disease known as new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Currently the only approach to preventing bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and subsequent new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, from ingestion of bovine spongiform encephalopathy-infected material is to avoid consumption of contaminated food. Little can be done to treat food that will destroy prions and leave a palatable product. At this stage we are continuing to learn about transmissible spongiform encephalopathies and their implications on human health. This is an ever-changing situation and has an unpredictable element in terms of the extent of the current outbreaks in England and other parts of Europe.

9 CFR 113.215 - Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed... REQUIREMENTS Killed Virus Vaccines § 113.215 Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus. Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus, shall be prepared from virus-bearing cell culture fluids. Only Master Seed virus...

9 CFR 113.215 - Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed... REQUIREMENTS Killed Virus Vaccines § 113.215 Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus. Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus, shall be prepared from virus-bearing cell culture fluids. Only Master Seed virus...

9 CFR 113.215 - Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed... REQUIREMENTS Killed Virus Vaccines § 113.215 Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus. Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus, shall be prepared from virus-bearing cell culture fluids. Only Master Seed virus...

9 CFR 113.215 - Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed... REQUIREMENTS Killed Virus Vaccines § 113.215 Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus. Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus, shall be prepared from virus-bearing cell culture fluids. Only Master Seed virus...

9 CFR 113.215 - Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed... REQUIREMENTS Killed Virus Vaccines § 113.215 Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus. Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus, shall be prepared from virus-bearing cell culture fluids. Only Master Seed virus...

Establishment and characterization of immortalized bovine endometrial epithelial cells

PubMed Central

Bai, Hanako; Sakurai, Toshihiro; Bai, Rulan; Yamakoshi, Sachiko; Aoki, Etsunari; Kuse, Mariko; Okuda, Kiyoshi; Imakawa, Kazuhiko

2014-01-01

Bovine primary uterine endometrial epithelial cells (EECs) are not ideal for long-term studies, because primary EECs lose hormone responsiveness quickly, and/or they tend to have a short life span. The aims of this study were to establish immortalized bovine EECs and to characterize these cells following long-term cultures. Immortalized bovine EECs were established by transfecting retroviral vectors encoding human papillomavirus (HPV) E6 and E7, and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) genes. Established bovine immortalized EECs (imEECs) showed the same morphology as primary EECs, and could be grown without any apparent changes for over 60 passages. In addition, imEECs have maintained the features as EECs, exhibiting oxytocin (OT) and interferon tau (IFNT) responsiveness. Therefore, these imEECs, even after numbers of passages, could be used as an in vitro model to investigate cellular and molecular mechanisms, by which the uterine epithelium responds to IFNT stimulation, the event required for the maternal recognition of pregnancy in the bovine species. PMID:24735401

Heterologous expression of bovine lactoferricin in Pichia methanolica.

PubMed

Wang, Haikuan; Zhao, Xinhuai; Lu, Fuping

2007-06-01

According to the bias of codon utilization of Pichia methanolica, a fragment encoding bovine lactoferricin has been cloned and expressed in the P. methanolica under the control of the alcohol oxidase promoter, which was followed by the Saccharomyces cerevisiae alpha-factor signal peptide. The alpha-factor signal peptide efficiently directed the secretion of bovine lactoferricin from the recombinant yeast cell. The recombinant bovine lactoferricin appears to be successfully expressed, as it displays antibacterial activity (antibacterial assay). Moreover, the identity of the recombinant product was estimated by Tricine-SDS-PAGE.

Development of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for the detection of Streptococcus agalactiae in bovine milk.

PubMed

Bosward, Katrina L; House, John K; Deveridge, Amber; Mathews, Karen; Sheehy, Paul A

2016-03-01

Streptococcus agalactiae is a well-characterized bovine mastitis pathogen that is known to be highly contagious and capable of spreading rapidly in affected dairy herds. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a novel molecular diagnostic method that has the capability to provide rapid, cost-effective screening for pathogens to support on-farm disease control and eradication programs. In the current study, a LAMP test was developed to detect S. agalactiae in milk. The assay was validated on a bank of existing clinical mastitis milk samples that had previously been identified as S. agalactiae positive via traditional microbiological culture techniques and PCR. The LAMP assay was conducted on bacterial colonies and DNA extracted from milk in tube- and plate-based formats using multiple detection platforms. The 1-h assay conducted at 64 °C exhibited repeatability (coefficient of variation) of 2.07% (tube) and 8.3% (plate), sensitivity to ~20 pg of extracted DNA/reaction, and specificity against a panel of known bacterial mastitis pathogens. Of the 109 known S. agalactiae isolates assessed by LAMP directly from bacterial cells in culture, 108 were identified as positive, in accordance with PCR analysis. The LAMP analysis from the corresponding milk samples indicated that 104 of these milks exhibited a positive amplification curve. Although exhibiting some limitations, this assay provides an opportunity for rapid screening of milk samples to facilitate on-farm management of this pathogen. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Species Identification and Strain Typing of Staphylococcus agnetis and Staphylococcus hyicus Isolates from Bovine Milk by Use of a Novel Multiplex PCR Assay and Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis.

PubMed

Adkins, P R F; Middleton, J R; Calcutt, M J; Stewart, G C; Fox, L K

2017-06-01

Staphylococcus hyicus and Staphylococcus agnetis are two coagulase-variable staphylococcal species that can be isolated from bovine milk and are difficult to differentiate. The objectives of this study were to characterize isolates of bovine milk origin from a collection that had previously been characterized as coagulase-positive S. hyicus based on phenotypic species identification methods and to develop a PCR-based method for differentiating S. hyicus , S. agnetis , and Staphylococcus aureus Isolates ( n = 62) were selected from a previous study in which milk samples were collected from cows on 15 dairy herds. Isolates were coagulase tested and identified to the species level using housekeeping gene sequencing. A multiplex PCR to differentiate S. hyicus , S. agnetis , and S. aureus was developed. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was conducted to strain type the isolates. Based on gene sequencing, 44/62 of the isolates were determined to be either S. agnetis ( n = 43) or S. hyicus ( n = 1). Overall, 88% (37/42) of coagulase-positive S. agnetis isolates were found to be coagulase positive at 4 h. The herd-level prevalence of coagulase-positive S. agnetis ranged from 0 to 2.17%. Strain typing identified 23 different strains. Six strains were identified more than once and from multiple cows within the herd. Three strains were isolated from cows at more than one time point, with 41 to 264 days between samplings. These data suggest that S. agnetis is likely more prevalent on dairy farms than S. hyicus Also, some S. agnetis isolates in this study appeared to be contagious and associated with persistent infections. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Genotyping bovine coronaviruses.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bovine coronaviruses (BoCV) are enveloped, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses of the Coronaviridae family. Infection is associated with enteritis and pneumonia in calves and Winter Dysentery in adult cattle. Strains, isolated more than 50 years ago, are used in vaccines and as laboratory ...

9 CFR 113.68 - Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine, Bovine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine... REQUIREMENTS Live Bacterial Vaccines § 113.68 Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine, Bovine. Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine, Bovine, shall be prepared as a desiccated live culture bacterial vaccine of an avirulent or...

9 CFR 113.68 - Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine, Bovine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine... REQUIREMENTS Live Bacterial Vaccines § 113.68 Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine, Bovine. Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine, Bovine, shall be prepared as a desiccated live culture bacterial vaccine of an avirulent or...

9 CFR 113.68 - Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine, Bovine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine... REQUIREMENTS Live Bacterial Vaccines § 113.68 Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine, Bovine. Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine, Bovine, shall be prepared as a desiccated live culture bacterial vaccine of an avirulent or...

9 CFR 113.68 - Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine, Bovine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine... REQUIREMENTS Live Bacterial Vaccines § 113.68 Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine, Bovine. Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine, Bovine, shall be prepared as a desiccated live culture bacterial vaccine of an avirulent or...

9 CFR 113.68 - Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine, Bovine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine... REQUIREMENTS Live Bacterial Vaccines § 113.68 Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine, Bovine. Pasteurella Haemolytica Vaccine, Bovine, shall be prepared as a desiccated live culture bacterial vaccine of an avirulent or...

Bovine single chain Fv antibody inhibits bovine herpesvirus-1 infectivity by targeting viral glycoprotein D.

PubMed

Xu, Jian; Wu, Jing; Jiang, Bo; He, Houjun; Zhang, Xixi; Li, Xiaoyang; Yang, Dawei; Huang, Xiufen; Sealy, Joshua E; Iqbal, Munir; Li, Yongqing

2017-12-01

Glycoprotein D (gD) of bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1) is essential for attachment and penetration of cells during infection and is a major target for neutralizing antibodies during an adaptive immune response. Currently there are no recombinant antibodies capable of binding gD epitopes for use in treating BoHV-1 infection. In this study, a bovine scFv gene derived from a hybridoma secreting monoclonal antibodies (McAbs) against the amino acid motif MEESKGYEPP of gD was expressed in E. coli. Molecular modeling, western blot and ELISA analysis showed that this scFv had a high affinity for BoHV-1 gD, with a Kd of 161.2 ± 37.58 nM and for whole BoHV-1 virus, with a Kd of 67.44 ± 16.99 nM. In addition, this scFv displayed a high affinity for BoHV-1 antigen in an ELISA and competed with BoHV-1 anti-serum in a competitive ELISA. Immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and laser confocal microscopy showed that this scFv could efficiently bind to and be internalized by BoHV-1 infected Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells. Importantly, this scFv was shown to inhibit BoHV-1 infectivity and to reduce the number of viral plaques by blocking viral attachment to MDBK cells. Our study suggests that this bovine single-chain antibody could be developed for use as a diagnostic and therapeutic agent against BoHV-1 infection in cattle.

Virulence Genes of S. aureus from Dairy Cow Mastitis and Contagiousness Risk.

PubMed

Magro, Giada; Biffani, Stefano; Minozzi, Giulietta; Ehricht, Ralf; Monecke, Stefan; Luini, Mario; Piccinini, Renata

2017-06-21

Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) is a major agent of dairy cow intramammary infections: the different prevalences of mastitis reported might be related to a combination of S. aureus virulence factors beyond host factors. The present study considered 169 isolates from different Italian dairy herds that were classified into four groups based on the prevalence of S. aureus infection at the first testing: low prevalence (LP), medium-low (MLP), medium-high (MHP) and high (HP). We aimed to correlate the presence of virulence genes with the prevalence of intramammary infections in order to develop new strategies for the control of S. aureus mastitis. Microarray data were statistically evaluated using binary logistic regression and correspondence analysis to screen the risk factors and the relationship between prevalence group and gene. The analysis showed: (1) 24 genes at significant risk of being detected in all the herds with infection prevalence >5%, including genes belonging to microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMMs), immune evasion and serine proteases; and (2) a significant correlation coefficient between the genes interacting with the host immune response and HP isolates against LP ones. These results support the hypothesis that virulence factors, in addition to cow management, could be related to strain contagiousness, offering new insights into vaccine development.

Production and manipulation of bovine embryos: techniques and terminology.

PubMed

Machaty, Z; Peippo, J; Peter, A

2012-09-15

There are numerous publications regarding bovine embryos, ranging from descriptions of their appearance and development to emerging techniques in the field of assisted reproductive technology. Concurrently, several specialized terms have been developed to describe the bovine embryo. The purpose of the current review is two-fold; it is primarily to describe techniques involved in the in vivo and in vitro production of bovine embryos and their manipulation, and secondarily to summarize specialized terms used in these processes. The intention is not to review these techniques in detail, but instead to provide salient points and current knowledge regarding these techniques, with a focus on terminology. The first review dealt with classical and contemporary terminology used to describe morphologic aspects of ovarian dynamics in cattle. Subsequently, the terms and current understanding of processes involved in preattachment bovine embryos were described in the second review. As the third article in a series, this mini-review is focused on defining the production, manipulation, and transfer of bovine preattachment embryos. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Epidemiology of Bovine Mastitis in Cows of Dharwad District

PubMed Central

Kurjogi, Mahantesh M.; Kaliwal, Basappa B.

2014-01-01

Bovine mastitis is very common in cows of both developed and developing countries. The prevalence of clinical and subclinical mastitis (SCM) varies from region to region. Hence, the present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of mastitis using three diagnostic tests by considering different risk factors like age, lactation, breed, season, quarters, and herd. The results showed that surf field mastitis test (SFMT) is the most sensitive test for diagnosis of bovine mastitis, the older age and cows with later part of lactation period were more prone to bovine mastitis, and exotic breeds like Holstein freshen (HF) were more susceptible to bovine mastitis. The highest incidence of mastitis was recorded in monsoon season. The prevalence of subclinical and clinical mastitis was more in single and two quarters, respectively, and the rate of bovine mastitis was more in unorganized herds. The study concluded that SCM is directly associated with age, lactation period, and environmental factors of the cow and clinical mastitis is more associated with breed of the cow and environmental conditions. PMID:27382623

Epidemiology of Bovine Mastitis in Cows of Dharwad District.

PubMed

Kurjogi, Mahantesh M; Kaliwal, Basappa B

2014-01-01

Bovine mastitis is very common in cows of both developed and developing countries. The prevalence of clinical and subclinical mastitis (SCM) varies from region to region. Hence, the present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of mastitis using three diagnostic tests by considering different risk factors like age, lactation, breed, season, quarters, and herd. The results showed that surf field mastitis test (SFMT) is the most sensitive test for diagnosis of bovine mastitis, the older age and cows with later part of lactation period were more prone to bovine mastitis, and exotic breeds like Holstein freshen (HF) were more susceptible to bovine mastitis. The highest incidence of mastitis was recorded in monsoon season. The prevalence of subclinical and clinical mastitis was more in single and two quarters, respectively, and the rate of bovine mastitis was more in unorganized herds. The study concluded that SCM is directly associated with age, lactation period, and environmental factors of the cow and clinical mastitis is more associated with breed of the cow and environmental conditions.

Blockade of bovine PD-1 increases T cell function and inhibits bovine leukemia virus expression in B cells in vitro

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Programmed death-1 (PD-1) is a known immunoinhibitory receptor that contributes to immune evasion of various tumor cells and pathogens causing chronic infection, such as bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection. First, in this study, to establish a method for the expression and functional analysis of bovine PD-1, hybridomas producing monoclonal antibodies (mAb) specific for bovine PD-1 were established. Treatment with these anti-PD-1 mAb enhanced interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) production of bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Next, to examine whether PD-1 blockade by anti-PD-1 mAb could upregulate the immune reaction during chronic infection, the expression and functional analysis of PD-1 in PBMC isolated from BLV-infected cattle with or without lymphoma were performed using anti-PD-1 mAb. The frequencies of both PD-1+ CD4+ T cells in blood and lymph node and PD-1+ CD8+ T cells in lymph node were higher in BLV-infected cattle with lymphoma than those without lymphoma or control uninfected cattle. PD-1 blockade enhanced IFN-γ production and proliferation and reduced BLV-gp51 expression and B-cell activation in PBMC from BLV-infected cattle in response to BLV-gp51 peptide mixture. These data show that anti-bovine PD-1 mAb could provide a new therapy to control BLV infection via upregulation of immune response. PMID:23876077

Immune evasion by pathogens of bovine respiratory disease complex.

PubMed

Srikumaran, Subramaniam; Kelling, Clayton L; Ambagala, Aruna

2007-12-01

Bovine respiratory tract disease is a multi-factorial disease complex involving several viruses and bacteria. Viruses that play prominent roles in causing the bovine respiratory disease complex include bovine herpesvirus-1, bovine respiratory syncytial virus, bovine viral diarrhea virus and parinfluenza-3 virus. Bacteria that play prominent roles in this disease complex are Mannheimia haemolytica and Mycoplasma bovis. Other bacteria that infect the bovine respiratory tract of cattle are Histophilus (Haemophilus) somni and Pasteurella multocida. Frequently, severe respiratory tract disease in cattle is associated with concurrent infections of these pathogens. Like other pathogens, the viral and bacterial pathogens of this disease complex have co-evolved with their hosts over millions of years. As much as the hosts have diversified and fine-tuned the components of their immune system, the pathogens have also evolved diverse and sophisticated strategies to evade the host immune responses. These pathogens have developed intricate mechanisms to thwart both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune responses of their hosts. This review presents an overview of the strategies by which the pathogens suppress host immune responses, as well as the strategies by which the pathogens modify themselves or their locations in the host to evade host immune responses. These immune evasion strategies likely contribute to the failure of currently-available vaccines to provide complete protection to cattle against these pathogens.

Transient removal of proflavine inhibition of bovine beta-trypsin by the bovine basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (Kunitz). A case for "chronosteric effects".

PubMed

Antonini, E; Ascenzi, P; Bolognesi, M; Menegatti, E; Guarneri, M

1983-04-25

The formation of the bovine beta-trypsin-bovine basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (Kunitz) (BPTI) complex was monitored, making use of three different signals: proflavine displacement, optical density changes in the ultraviolet region, and the loss of the catalytic activity. The rates of the reactions indicated by the three different signals were similar at neutral pH, but diverged at low pH. At pH 3.50, proflavine displacement precedes the optical density changes in the ultraviolet and the loss of enzyme activity by several orders of magnitude in time (Antonini, E., Ascenzi, P., Menegatti, E., and Guarneri, M. (1983) Biopolymers 22, 363-375). These data indicated that the bovine beta-trypsin-BPTI complex formation is a multistage process and led to the prediction that, at pH 3.50, BPTI addition to the bovine beta-trypsin-proflavine complex would remove proflavine inhibition and the enzyme would recover transiently its catalytic activity before being irreversibly inhibited by completion of BPTI binding. The kinetic evidences, by completion of BPTI binding. The kinetic evidences, here shown, verified this prediction, indicating that during the bovine beta-trypsin-BPTI complex formation one transient intermediate occurs, which is not able to bind proflavine but may bind and hydrolyze the substrate. Thus, the observed peculiar catalytic behavior is in line with the proposed reaction mechanism for the bovine beta-trypsin-BPTI complex formation, which postulates a sequence of distinct polar and apolar interactions at the contact area.

Characterization of bifunctional L-glutathione synthetases from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Actinobacillus succinogenes for efficient glutathione biosynthesis.

PubMed

Yang, Jianhua; Li, Wei; Wang, Dezheng; Wu, Hui; Li, Zhimin; Ye, Qin

2016-07-01

Glutathione (GSH), an important bioactive substance, is widely applied in pharmaceutical and food industries. In this work, two bifunctional L-glutathione synthetases (GshF) from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (GshFAp) and Actinobacillus succinogenes (GshFAs) were successfully expressed in Escherichia coli BL-21(DE3). Similar to the GshF from Streptococcus thermophilus (GshFSt), GshFAp and GshFAs can be applied for high titer GSH production because they are less sensitive to end-product inhibition (Ki values 33 and 43 mM, respectively). The active catalytic forms of GshFAs and GshFAp are dimers, consistent with those of GshFPm (GshF from Pasteurella multocida) and GshFSa (GshF from Streptococcus agalactiae), but are different from GshFSt (GshF from S. thermophilus) which is an active monomer. The analysis of the protein sequences and three dimensional structures of GshFs suggested that the binding sites of GshFs for substrates, L-cysteine, L-glutamate, γ-glutamylcysteine, adenosine-triphosphate, and glycine are highly conserved with only very few differences. With sufficient supply of the precursors, the recombinant strains BL-21(DE3)/pET28a-gshFas and BL-21(DE3)/pET28a-gshFap were able to produce 36.6 and 34.1 mM GSH, with the molar yield of 0.92 and 0.85 mol/mol, respectively, based on the added L-cysteine. The results showed that GshFAp and GshFAs are potentially good candidates for industrial GSH production.

No evidence for a bovine mastitis Escherichia coli pathotype.

PubMed

Leimbach, Andreas; Poehlein, Anja; Vollmers, John; Görlich, Dennis; Daniel, Rolf; Dobrindt, Ulrich

2017-05-08

Escherichia coli bovine mastitis is a disease of significant economic importance in the dairy industry. Molecular characterization of mastitis-associated E. coli (MAEC) did not result in the identification of common traits. Nevertheless, a mammary pathogenic E. coli (MPEC) pathotype has been proposed suggesting virulence traits that differentiate MAEC from commensal E. coli. The present study was designed to investigate the MPEC pathotype hypothesis by comparing the genomes of MAEC and commensal bovine E. coli. We sequenced the genomes of eight E. coli isolated from bovine mastitis cases and six fecal commensal isolates from udder-healthy cows. We analyzed the phylogenetic history of bovine E. coli genomes by supplementing this strain panel with eleven bovine-associated E. coli from public databases. The majority of the isolates originate from phylogroups A and B1, but neither MAEC nor commensal strains could be unambiguously distinguished by phylogenetic lineage. The gene content of both MAEC and commensal strains is highly diverse and dominated by their phylogenetic background. Although individual strains carry some typical E. coli virulence-associated genes, no traits important for pathogenicity could be specifically attributed to MAEC. Instead, both commensal strains and MAEC have very few gene families enriched in either pathotype. Only the aerobactin siderophore gene cluster was enriched in commensal E. coli within our strain panel. This is the first characterization of a phylogenetically diverse strain panel including several MAEC and commensal isolates. With our comparative genomics approach we could not confirm previous studies that argue for a positive selection of specific traits enabling MAEC to elicit bovine mastitis. Instead, MAEC are facultative and opportunistic pathogens recruited from the highly diverse bovine gastrointestinal microbiota. Virulence-associated genes implicated in mastitis are a by-product of commensalism with the primary function

Transcriptional profiles of bovine in vivo pre-implantation development.

PubMed

Jiang, Zongliang; Sun, Jiangwen; Dong, Hong; Luo, Oscar; Zheng, Xinbao; Obergfell, Craig; Tang, Yong; Bi, Jinbo; O'Neill, Rachel; Ruan, Yijun; Chen, Jingbo; Tian, Xiuchun Cindy

2014-09-04

During mammalian pre-implantation embryonic development dramatic and orchestrated changes occur in gene transcription. The identification of the complete changes has not been possible until the development of the Next Generation Sequencing Technology. Here we report comprehensive transcriptome dynamics of single matured bovine oocytes and pre-implantation embryos developed in vivo. Surprisingly, more than half of the estimated 22,000 bovine genes, 11,488 to 12,729 involved in more than 100 pathways, is expressed in oocytes and early embryos. Despite the similarity in the total numbers of genes expressed across stages, the nature of the expressed genes is dramatically different. A total of 2,845 genes were differentially expressed among different stages, of which the largest change was observed between the 4- and 8-cell stages, demonstrating that the bovine embryonic genome is activated at this transition. Additionally, 774 genes were identified as only expressed/highly enriched in particular stages of development, suggesting their stage-specific roles in embryogenesis. Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, we found 12 stage-specific modules of co-expressed genes that can be used to represent the corresponding stage of development. Furthermore, we identified conserved key members (or hub genes) of the bovine expressed gene networks. Their vast association with other embryonic genes suggests that they may have important regulatory roles in embryo development; yet, the majority of the hub genes are relatively unknown/under-studied in embryos. We also conducted the first comparison of embryonic expression profiles across three mammalian species, human, mouse and bovine, for which RNA-seq data are available. We found that the three species share more maternally deposited genes than embryonic genome activated genes. More importantly, there are more similarities in embryonic transcriptomes between bovine and humans than between humans and mice, demonstrating

A physical map of the bovine genome

PubMed Central

Snelling, Warren M; Chiu, Readman; Schein, Jacqueline E; Hobbs, Matthew; Abbey, Colette A; Adelson, David L; Aerts, Jan; Bennett, Gary L; Bosdet, Ian E; Boussaha, Mekki; Brauning, Rudiger; Caetano, Alexandre R; Costa, Marcos M; Crawford, Allan M; Dalrymple, Brian P; Eggen, André; Everts-van der Wind, Annelie; Floriot, Sandrine; Gautier, Mathieu; Gill, Clare A; Green, Ronnie D; Holt, Robert; Jann, Oliver; Jones, Steven JM; Kappes, Steven M; Keele, John W; de Jong, Pieter J; Larkin, Denis M; Lewin, Harris A; McEwan, John C; McKay, Stephanie; Marra, Marco A; Mathewson, Carrie A; Matukumalli, Lakshmi K; Moore, Stephen S; Murdoch, Brenda; Nicholas, Frank W; Osoegawa, Kazutoyo; Roy, Alice; Salih, Hanni; Schibler, Laurent; Schnabel, Robert D; Silveri, Licia; Skow, Loren C; Smith, Timothy PL; Sonstegard, Tad S; Taylor, Jeremy F; Tellam, Ross; Van Tassell, Curtis P; Williams, John L; Womack, James E; Wye, Natasja H; Yang, George; Zhao, Shaying

2007-01-01

Background Cattle are important agriculturally and relevant as a model organism. Previously described genetic and radiation hybrid (RH) maps of the bovine genome have been used to identify genomic regions and genes affecting specific traits. Application of these maps to identify influential genetic polymorphisms will be enhanced by integration with each other and with bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries. The BAC libraries and clone maps are essential for the hybrid clone-by-clone/whole-genome shotgun sequencing approach taken by the bovine genome sequencing project. Results A bovine BAC map was constructed with HindIII restriction digest fragments of 290,797 BAC clones from animals of three different breeds. Comparative mapping of 422,522 BAC end sequences assisted with BAC map ordering and assembly. Genotypes and pedigree from two genetic maps and marker scores from three whole-genome RH panels were consolidated on a 17,254-marker composite map. Sequence similarity allowed integrating the BAC and composite maps with the bovine draft assembly (Btau3.1), establishing a comprehensive resource describing the bovine genome. Agreement between the marker and BAC maps and the draft assembly is high, although discrepancies exist. The composite and BAC maps are more similar than either is to the draft assembly. Conclusion Further refinement of the maps and greater integration into the genome assembly process may contribute to a high quality assembly. The maps provide resources to associate phenotypic variation with underlying genomic variation, and are crucial resources for understanding the biology underpinning this important ruminant species so closely associated with humans. PMID:17697342

Microstructure and hardness of bovine enamel in roselle extract solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dame, M. T.; Noerdin, A.; Indrani, D. J.

2017-08-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of roselle extract solution on the microstructure and hardness of bovine enamel. Ten bovine teeth and a 5% concentration of roselle extract solution were prepared. Immersions of each bovine tooth in roselle extract solution were conducted up to 60 minutes. The bovine enamel surface was characterized in hardness and microscopy. It was apparent that the initial hardness was 328 KHN, and after immersion in 15 and 60 min, the values decrease to 57.4 KHN and 11 KHN, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed changes in enamel rods after immersion in the roselle extract solution.

Bovine herpes virus infections in cattle.

PubMed

Nandi, S; Kumar, Manoj; Manohar, M; Chauhan, R S

2009-06-01

Bovine herpes virus 1 (BHV-1) is primarily associated with clinical syndromes such as rhinotracheitis, pustular vulvovaginitis and balanoposthitis, abortion, infertility, conjunctivitis and encephalitis in bovine species. The main sources of infection are the nasal exudates and the respiratory droplets, genital secretions, semen, fetal fluids and tissues. The BHV-1 virus can become latent following a primary infection with a field isolate or vaccination with an attenuated strain. The viral genomic DNA has been demonstrated in the sensory ganglia of the trigeminal nerve in infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) and in sacral spinal ganglia in pustular vulvovaginitis and balanoposthitis cases. BHV-1 infections can be diagnosed by detection of virus or virus components and antibody by serological tests or by detection of genomic DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), nucleic acid hybridization and sequencing. Inactivated vaccines and modified live virus vaccines are used for prevention of BHV-1 infections in cattle; subunit vaccines and marker vaccines are under investigation.

KLF15 promotes transcription of KLF3 gene in bovine adipocytes.

PubMed

Guo, Hongfang; Khan, Rajwali; Raza, Sayed Haidar Abbas; Ning, Yue; Wei, Dawei; Wu, Sen; Hosseini, Seyed Mahdi; Ullah, Irfan; Garcia, Matthew D; Zan, Linsen

2018-06-15

The Krüppel-like factors (KLF) family plays an important role in adipogenesis, which is subject to internal hierarchical regulation. KLF3 is a member of KLF family, mainly responsible for adipocyte differentiation and fat deposition. However, the transcriptional regulation of bovine KLF3 gene and its relationship with KLF15 gene remains unclear during bovine adipogenesis. Here, we report that the expression pattern of KLF3 and KLF15 genes during bovine adipogenesis, when KLF15 gene was overexpressed through adenoviral vector (Ad-KLF15) in bovine adipocytes the expression level of KLF3 gene was increased, similarly when KLF15 was down regulated through siRNA the expression level of KLF3 was also reduced. To explore the transcriptional regulation of bovine KLF3 gene and its relationship with KLF15, serial deletion constructs of the 5'flanking region of bovine KLF3gene revealed through dual-luciferase reporter assay that the core promoter is located in -264 to -76 regions. The most proximal GGGG element in the promoter of the bovine KLF3 gene (located in -264 to -76 regions) is required for promotion by KLF15. Electrophoretic mobility shift (EMSA) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays further confirmed that KLF15 gene binds to the KLF3 gene core promoter region in bovine adipocytes. These findings conclude that KLF15 promotes the transcriptional activity of KLF3 in bovine adipocytes. This mechanism to provides a new direction for further study of adipogenesis by internal regulation of members within KLF family. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance Assessment PCR-Based Assays Targeting Bacteroidales Genetic Markers of Bovine Fecal Pollution▿

PubMed Central

Shanks, Orin C.; White, Karen; Kelty, Catherine A.; Hayes, Sam; Sivaganesan, Mano; Jenkins, Michael; Varma, Manju; Haugland, Richard A.

2010-01-01

There are numerous PCR-based assays available to characterize bovine fecal pollution in ambient waters. The determination of which approaches are most suitable for field applications can be difficult because each assay targets a different gene, in many cases from different microorganisms, leading to variation in assay performance. We describe a performance evaluation of seven end-point PCR and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays reported to be associated with either ruminant or bovine feces. Each assay was tested against a reference collection of DNA extracts from 247 individual bovine fecal samples representing 11 different populations and 175 fecal DNA extracts from 24 different animal species. Bovine-associated genetic markers were broadly distributed among individual bovine samples ranging from 39 to 93%. Specificity levels of the assays spanned 47.4% to 100%. End-point PCR sensitivity also varied between assays and among different bovine populations. For qPCR assays, the abundance of each host-associated genetic marker was measured within each bovine population and compared to results of a qPCR assay targeting 16S rRNA gene sequences from Bacteroidales. Experiments indicate large discrepancies in the performance of bovine-associated assays across different bovine populations. Variability in assay performance between host populations suggests that the use of bovine microbial source-tracking applications will require a priori characterization at each watershed of interest. PMID:20061457

The Risk of Prion Infection through Bovine Grafting Materials.

PubMed

Kim, Yeoungsug; Rodriguez, Angel Emmanuel; Nowzari, Hessam

2016-12-01

Bovine-derived grafting materials are frequently used in a variety of bone augmentation techniques. The aim of this paper is to assess the unique safety issue of bovine-derived grafting materials that is rarely addressed in dental literature: risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The validity of the current BSE diagnostic methods, surveillance and epidemiological trends in affected countries, and BSE infectivity in bovine bone before and after manufacturing processing were reviewed and analyzed. Prion screening has significant limits. Humans are not safe from the infection of prion disease of other species. Prions can and do break the species barrier. There is evidence there may be tens of thousands of infectious carriers in the western countries alone. This raises concern about the potential for perpetuation of infection via medical procedures. The limited ability to screen prions within the animal genome, along with a long latency period to manifestation of the disease (1 to over 50 years) in infected patients, provides a framework for discussing posible long-term risks of the xenografts that are used so extensively in dentistry. We suggest abolishing the use of bovine bone. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Bovine and PTFE vascular graft results in hemodialysis patients.

PubMed

Sert, S; Demirogullari, B; Ziya Anadol, A; Guvence, N; Dalgic, A

2000-01-01

Purpose. There are many reports of patency periods, failure rates, thrombosis and infection attacks connected with vascular grafts. In this article, the results of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and Bovine grafts were compared in a forty-four month period. Methods. 61 vascular grafts (29 PTFE, 32 bovine) were placed in 49 patients. The grafts were compared in different ways, such as survival, complication rates and placement area using life survey analysis. Results. Mean survival time was 17 mo (SE +/- 2.8) for PTFE grafts and 11 mo (SE +/- 1.1) for bovine grafts. A failure rate of 34% due only to graft complications were found in PTFE and 25% in bovine grafts. All graft complications were seen in the first year. Comparison of the cumulative survival rates of the groups were found to be insignificant during the study period and the first year ( p>0.05). Regardless of the type, there was no signif-icant difference between the grafts placed in the forearm and the grafts in the thigh (p>0.05). Conclusions. There is no survival difference between PTFE and bovine grafts. First year of the grafts is important for developing complications.

Mapping of major diseases and devising prevention and control regimen to common diseases in cattle and shoats in Dassenech district of South Omo Zone, South-Western Ethiopia.

PubMed

Molla, Bereket; Delil, Faris

2015-01-01

Livestock production system, particularly in pastoral areas, is mainly constrained by rampant livestock diseases and seasonal feed and water shortages. In areas like Dassenech, bordering Kenya and South Sudan, this risks are pronounced due to the unavailability of appropriate prevention and control. The research was conducted with the objectives of identifying major rampant diseases and designing appropriate prevention and control strategies. A cross-sectional study was employed, conducted using both participatory epidemiology and conventional veterinary investigation. Spatial and temporal occurrence of diseases was assessed. The major five diseases in bovine were contagious bovine pleuro pneumonia (CBPP), septicemic pasteurellosis, anthrax, foot and mouth disease (FMD), and black leg, in that order of importance. Similarly, in ovine, "unknown recent disease," pneumonic pasteurellosis, brucellosis, peste des petits ruminants (PPR), and septicemic pasteurellosis were ranked, starting from the most important whereas in caprine PPR, contagious caprine pleuro pneumonia (CCPP), goat pox, brucellosis, and pneumonic pasteurellosis were ranked in that order of importance. The seroprevalence in bovine were found to be 97, 10, 18, and 15% for septicemic pasteurelosis, CBPP, FMD, and brucellosis, respectively. The seroprevalence of septicemic pasteurelosis, PPR, and brucellosis was 86, 49, and 3%, respectively, in ovine. The seroprevalence of caprine sera for CCPP, PPR, and brucellosis were 87, 42, and 0%, respectively. The prevention and control regimen, vaccination against CBPP, should be at the beginning of wet season, whereas, for FMD, it should be at the end of wet season in bovine. Brucellosis for bovine, if has to be applied, should be at the beginning of dry season. PPR vaccination for ovine should be at the beginning of wet season whereas, for caprine, it should be just before start of dry season. Furthermore, the efficacy of aforementioned vaccines and its protocol

CRISPR/Cas9 nuclease-mediated gene knock-in in bovine-induced pluripotent cells.

PubMed

Heo, Young Tae; Quan, Xiaoyuan; Xu, Yong Nan; Baek, Soonbong; Choi, Hwan; Kim, Nam-Hyung; Kim, Jongpil

2015-02-01

Efficient and precise genetic engineering in livestock such as cattle holds great promise in agriculture and biomedicine. However, techniques that generate pluripotent stem cells, as well as reliable tools for gene targeting in livestock, are still inefficient, and thus not routinely used. Here, we report highly efficient gene targeting in the bovine genome using bovine pluripotent cells and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9 nuclease. First, we generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from bovine somatic fibroblasts by the ectopic expression of yamanaka factors and GSK3β and MEK inhibitor (2i) treatment. We observed that these bovine iPSCs are highly similar to naïve pluripotent stem cells with regard to gene expression and developmental potential in teratomas. Moreover, CRISPR/Cas9 nuclease, which was specific for the bovine NANOG locus, showed highly efficient editing of the bovine genome in bovine iPSCs and embryos. To conclude, CRISPR/Cas9 nuclease-mediated homologous recombination targeting in bovine pluripotent cells is an efficient gene editing method that can be used to generate transgenic livestock in the future.

Contagious seed dispersal beneath heterospecific fruiting trees and its consequences.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kwit, Charles; Levey, Douglas, J.; Greenberg, Cathyrn, H.

2004-05-03

Kwit, Charles, D.J. Levey and Cathryn H. Greenberg. 2004. Contagious seed dispersal beneath heterospecific fruiting trees and its consequences. Oikos. 107:303-308 A n hypothesized advantage of seed dispersal is avoidance of high per capita mortality (i.e. density-dependent mortality) associated with dense populations of seeds and seedlings beneath parent trees. This hypothesis, inherent in nearly all seed dispersal studies, assumes that density effects are species-specific. Yet because many tree species exhibit overlapping fruiting phenologies and share dispersers, seeds may be deposited preferentially under synchronously fruiting heterospecific trees, another location where they may be particularly vulnerable to mortality, in this case bymore » generalist seed predators. We demonstrate that frugivores disperse higher densities of Cornus florida seeds under fruiting (female) I lex opaca trees than under non-fruiting (male) I lex trees in temperate hardwood forest settings in South Carolina, U SA . To determine if density of Cornus and/or I lex seeds influences survivorship of dispersed Cornus seeds, we followed the fates of experimentally dispersed Cornus seeds in neighborhoods of differing, manipulated background densities of Cornus and I lex seeds. We found that the probability of predation on dispersed Cornus seeds was a function of both Cornus and I lex background seed densities. H igher densities of I lex seeds negatively affected Cornus seed survivorship, and this was particularly evident as background densities of dispersed Cornus seeds increased. These results illustrate the importance of viewing seed dispersal and predation in a community context, as the pattern and intensity of density-dependent mortality may not be solely a function of conspecific densities.« less

A PiggyBac mediated approach for lactoferricin gene transfer in bovine mammary epithelial stem cells for management of bovine mastitis.

PubMed

Sharma, Neelesh; Huynh, Do Luong; Kim, Sung Woo; Ghosh, Mrinmoy; Sodhi, Simrinder Singh; Singh, Amit Kumar; Kim, Nam Eun; Lee, Sung Jin; Hussain, Kafil; Oh, Sung Jong; Jeong, Dong Kee

2017-11-28

The antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of lactoferricin have been ascribed to its ability to sequester essential iron. The objective of the study was to clone bovine lactoferricin ( LFcinB ) gene into PiggyBac Transposon vector, expression study in the bovine mammary epithelial stem cells (bMESCs) and also to determine the antimicrobial property of recombinant LFcinB against bovine mastitis-causing organisms. The PiggyBac-LFcinB was transfected into bMESCs by electroporation and a three fold of LFcinB secretion was observed in the transfected bMESCs medium by ELISA assay. Furthermore, the assessment of antimicrobial activity against mastitis causing pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli demonstrated convincing evidence to prove strong antibacterial activity of LFcinB with 14.0±1.0 mm and 18.0±1.5 mm zone of inhibition against both organisms, respectively. The present study provides the convincing evidence to suggest the potential of PiggyBac transposon system to transfer antibacterial peptide into bMESCs or cow mammary gland and also pave the way to use bovine mammary gland as the bioreactors. Simultaneously, it also suggest toward commercial utilization of LFcinB bioreactor system in pharmaceutical industry.

A PiggyBac mediated approach for lactoferricin gene transfer in bovine mammary epithelial stem cells for management of bovine mastitis

PubMed Central

Sharma, Neelesh; Huynh, Do Luong; Kim, Sung Woo; Ghosh, Mrinmoy; Sodhi, Simrinder Singh; Singh, Amit Kumar; Kim, Nam Eun; Lee, Sung Jin; Hussain, Kafil; Oh, Sung Jong; Jeong, Dong Kee

2017-01-01

The antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of lactoferricin have been ascribed to its ability to sequester essential iron. The objective of the study was to clone bovine lactoferricin (LFcinB) gene into PiggyBac Transposon vector, expression study in the bovine mammary epithelial stem cells (bMESCs) and also to determine the antimicrobial property of recombinant LFcinB against bovine mastitis-causing organisms. The PiggyBac-LFcinB was transfected into bMESCs by electroporation and a three fold of LFcinB secretion was observed in the transfected bMESCs medium by ELISA assay. Furthermore, the assessment of antimicrobial activity against mastitis causing pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli demonstrated convincing evidence to prove strong antibacterial activity of LFcinB with 14.0±1.0 mm and 18.0±1.5 mm zone of inhibition against both organisms, respectively. The present study provides the convincing evidence to suggest the potential of PiggyBac transposon system to transfer antibacterial peptide into bMESCs or cow mammary gland and also pave the way to use bovine mammary gland as the bioreactors. Simultaneously, it also suggest toward commercial utilization of LFcinB bioreactor system in pharmaceutical industry. PMID:29262639

Histophilus somni causes extracellular trap formation by bovine neutrophils and macrophages.

PubMed

Hellenbrand, Katrina M; Forsythe, Katelyn M; Rivera-Rivas, Jose J; Czuprynski, Charles J; Aulik, Nicole A

2013-01-01

Histophilus somni (formerly Haemophilus somnus) is a Gram-negative pleomorphic coccobacillus that causes respiratory, reproductive, cardiac and neuronal diseases in cattle. H. somni is a member of the bovine respiratory disease complex that causes severe bronchopneumonia in cattle. Previously, it has been reported that bovine neutrophils and macrophages have limited ability to phagocytose and kill H. somni. Recently, it was discovered that bovine neutrophils and macrophages produce extracellular traps in response to Mannheimia haemolytica, another member of the bovine respiratory disease complex. In this study, we demonstrate that H. somni also causes extracellular trap production by bovine neutrophils in a dose- and time-dependent manner, which did not coincide with the release of lactate dehydrogenase, a marker for necrosis. Neutrophil extracellular traps were produced in response to outer membrane vesicles, but not lipooligosacchride alone. Using scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy, we observed H. somni cells trapped within a web-like structure. Further analyses demonstrated that bovine neutrophils trapped and killed H. somni in a DNA-dependent manner. Treatment of DNA extracellular traps with DNase I freed H. somni cells and diminished bacterial death. Treatment of bovine monocyte-derived macrophages with H. somni cells also caused macrophage extracellular trap formation. These findings suggest that extracellular traps may play a role in the host response to H. somni infection in cattle. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bovine brain ribonuclease is the functional homolog of human ribonuclease 1.

PubMed

Eller, Chelcie H; Lomax, Jo E; Raines, Ronald T

2014-09-19

Mounting evidence suggests that human pancreatic ribonuclease (RNase 1) plays important roles in vivo, ranging from regulating blood clotting and inflammation to directly counteracting tumorigenic cells. Understanding these putative roles has been pursued with continual comparisons of human RNase 1 to bovine RNase A, an enzyme that appears to function primarily in the ruminant gut. Our results imply a different physiology for human RNase 1. We demonstrate distinct functional differences between human RNase 1 and bovine RNase A. Moreover, we characterize another RNase 1 homolog, bovine brain ribonuclease, and find pronounced similarities between that enzyme and human RNase 1. We report that human RNase 1 and bovine brain ribonuclease share high catalytic activity against double-stranded RNA substrates, a rare quality among ribonucleases. Both human RNase 1 and bovine brain RNase are readily endocytosed by mammalian cells, aided by tight interactions with cell surface glycans. Finally, we show that both human RNase 1 and bovine brain RNase are secreted from endothelial cells in a regulated manner, implying a potential role in vascular homeostasis. Our results suggest that brain ribonuclease, not RNase A, is the true bovine homolog of human RNase 1, and provide fundamental insight into the ancestral roles and functional adaptations of RNase 1 in mammals. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Seroprevalence of bovine immunodeficiency virus and bovine leukemia virus in draught animals in Cambodia.

PubMed

Meas, S; Ohashi, K; Tum, S; Chhin, M; Te, K; Miura, K; Sugimoto, C; Onuma, M

2000-07-01

Since bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV), known as bovine lentivirus, has been detected in dairy and beef cattle in various countries around the world, a prevalence study of antibodies to BIV and bovine leukemia virus (BLV) was conducted in draught animals in five provinces in Cambodia, where protozoan parasite infections were suspected in some animals. To clarify the status of draught animals including Haryana, Brahman, mixed-breed, local breed cattle and muscle water buffaloes, a total of 544 cattle and 42 buffaloes were tested, and 26.3 and 16.7%, respectively, were found positive for anti-BIV p26 antibodies determined by Western blotting. There were 5.3% positive for anti-BLV antibodies detected by immunodiffusion test among the cattle, but no reactors among buffaloes and no dual infection for both BIV and BLV was determined in this study. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from BIV-seropositive cattle were found to have BIV-provirus DNA, as detected by polymerase chain reaction and subsequent Southern blot hybridization. This is the first evidence for the presence of BIV and BLV infections in draught animals in tropical countries such as Cambodia. This wide distribution of BIV suggests its association with problems in animal health as reported worldwide, and that a primary BIV infection can predispose death of affected animals by other aggressive pathogens or stresses.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus modulation of monocyte derived macrophages

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a single stranded, positive sense RNA virus and is the causative agent of bovine viral diarrhea (BVD). Disease can range from persistently infected (PI) animals displaying no clinical symptoms of disease to an acute, severe disease. Presently, limited studies ha...

Bovine milk exosome proteome

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Exosomes are 40-100 nm membrane vesicles of endocytic origin and are found in blood, urine, amniotic fluid, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, as well as human and bovine milk. Exosomes are extracellular organelles important in intracellular communication/signaling, immune function, and biomarkers ...

Viscoelastic properties of human and bovine articular cartilage: a comparison of frequency-dependent trends.

PubMed

Temple, Duncan K; Cederlund, Anna A; Lawless, Bernard M; Aspden, Richard M; Espino, Daniel M

2016-10-06

The purpose of this study was to compare the frequency-dependent viscoelastic properties of human and bovine cartilage. Full-depth cartilage specimens were extracted from bovine and human femoral heads. Using dynamic mechanical analysis, the viscoelastic properties of eight bovine and six human specimens were measured over the frequency range 1 Hz to 88 Hz. Significant differences between bovine and human cartilage viscoelastic properties were assessed using a Mann-Whitney test (p < 0.05). Throughout the range of frequencies tested and for both species, the storage modulus was greater than the loss modulus and both were frequency-dependent. The storage and loss moduli of all human and bovine cartilage specimens presented a logarithmic relationship with respect to frequency. The mean human storage modulus ranged from 31.9 MPa to 43.3 MPa, while the mean bovine storage modulus ranged from 54.0 MPa to 80.5 MPa; bovine storage moduli were 1.7 to 1.9 times greater than the human modulus. Similarly, the loss modulus of bovine cartilage was 2.0 to 2.1 times greater than human. The mean human loss modulus ranged from 5.3 MPa to 8.5 MPa while bovine moduli ranged from 10.6 MPa to 18.1 MPa. Frequency-dependent viscoelastic trends of bovine articular cartilage were consistent with those of human articular cartilage; this includes a similar frequency dependency and high-frequency plateau. Bovine cartilage was, however, 'stiffer' than human by a factor of approximately 2. With these provisos, bovine articular cartilage may be a suitable dynamic model for human articular cartilage.

Detection of Lipomannan in Cattle Infected with Bovine Tuberculosis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vu, Dung M.; Sakamuri, Rama M.; Waters, W. Ray

Early and rapid detection of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is critical to controlling the spread of this disease in cattle and other animals. Here in this study, we demonstrate the development of an immunoassay for the direct detection of the bovine bTB biomarker, lipomannan (LM) in serum using a waveguide-based optical biosensor. We apply an ultra-sensitive detection strategy developed by our team, termed lipoprotein capture, that exploits the pull-down of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) nanodiscs from cattle blood that allows for the recovery and detection of associated LM. We also profile the change in the expression of these TB biomarkers as amore » function of time from a small set of samples collected from studies of bovine TB-infected cattle. Lastly, we demonstrate for the first time the direct detection of bovine LM in serum, and clearly show that the biomarker is expressed in detectable concentrations during the entire course of the infection.« less

Production of Bioactive Recombinant Bovine Chymosin in Tobacco Plants

PubMed Central

Wei, Zheng-Yi; Zhang, Yu-Ying; Wang, Yun-Peng; Fan, Ming-Xia; Zhong, Xiao-Fang; Xu, Nuo; Lin, Feng; Xing, Shao-Chen

2016-01-01

Chymosin (also known as rennin) plays an essential role in the coagulation of milk in the cheese industry. Chymosin is traditionally extracted from the rumen of calves and is of high cost. Here, we present an alternative method to producing bovine chymosin from transgenic tobacco plants. The CYM gene, which encodes a preprochymosin from bovine, was introduced into the tobacco nuclear genome under control of the viral 35S cauliflower mosaic promoter. The integration and transcription of the foreign gene were confirmed with Southern blotting and reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) analyses, respectively. Immunoblotting analyses were performed to demonstrate expression of chymosin, and the expression level was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results indicated recombinant bovine chymosin was successfully expressed at an average level of 83.5 ng/g fresh weight, which is 0.52% of the total soluble protein. The tobacco-derived chymosin exhibited similar native milk coagulation bioactivity as the commercial product extracted from bovine rumen. PMID:27136529

Detection of Lipomannan in Cattle Infected with Bovine Tuberculosis

DOE PAGES

Vu, Dung M.; Sakamuri, Rama M.; Waters, W. Ray; ...

2017-04-10

Early and rapid detection of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is critical to controlling the spread of this disease in cattle and other animals. Here in this study, we demonstrate the development of an immunoassay for the direct detection of the bovine bTB biomarker, lipomannan (LM) in serum using a waveguide-based optical biosensor. We apply an ultra-sensitive detection strategy developed by our team, termed lipoprotein capture, that exploits the pull-down of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) nanodiscs from cattle blood that allows for the recovery and detection of associated LM. We also profile the change in the expression of these TB biomarkers as amore » function of time from a small set of samples collected from studies of bovine TB-infected cattle. Lastly, we demonstrate for the first time the direct detection of bovine LM in serum, and clearly show that the biomarker is expressed in detectable concentrations during the entire course of the infection.« less

Impact of degree truncation on the spread of a contagious process on networks.

PubMed

Harling, Guy; Onnela, Jukka-Pekka

2018-03-01

Understanding how person-to-person contagious processes spread through a population requires accurate information on connections between population members. However, such connectivity data, when collected via interview, is often incomplete due to partial recall, respondent fatigue or study design, e.g., fixed choice designs (FCD) truncate out-degree by limiting the number of contacts each respondent can report. Past research has shown how FCD truncation affects network properties, but its implications for predicted speed and size of spreading processes remain largely unexplored. To study the impact of degree truncation on predictions of spreading process outcomes, we generated collections of synthetic networks containing specific properties (degree distribution, degree-assortativity, clustering), and also used empirical social network data from 75 villages in Karnataka, India. We simulated FCD using various truncation thresholds and ran a susceptible-infectious-recovered (SIR) process on each network. We found that spreading processes propagated on truncated networks resulted in slower and smaller epidemics, with a sudden decrease in prediction accuracy at a level of truncation that varied by network type. Our results have implications beyond FCD to truncation due to any limited sampling from a larger network. We conclude that knowledge of network structure is important for understanding the accuracy of predictions of process spread on degree truncated networks.

Current usage and future directions for the bovine pericardial patch

PubMed Central

Li, Xin; Guo, Yuanyuan; Ziegler, Kenneth; Model, Lynn; Eghbalieh, Sammy D. D.; Brenes, Robert; Kim, Susun; Shu, Chang; Dardik, Alan

2010-01-01

Bovine pericardium is widely used in surgery and is commonly used for a patch after arteriotomy during cardiovascular surgery. Bovine pericardial patches have several advantages compared to prosthetic patches, including superior biocompatability, easy handling, less suture line bleeding and possibly reduced rates of infection. These advantages of bovine pericardium have led to its common use during carotid endarterectomy. However, long-term clinical results reported after carotid endarterectomy have suggested several issues that may be related to the patch including restenosis, pseudoaneurysm formation, infection, fibrosis, calcification and thrombosis. These complications may diminish the long-term efficacy of carotid endarterectomy and suggest potential areas for improvement of surgical patches. Understanding the mechanisms by which bovine pericardium heals after patch angioplasty may lead to next generation tissue engineered patches. PMID:21276709

Aspiration lung disorders in bovines: a case report and review.

PubMed

Shakespeare, Anthony S

2012-11-01

Lung aspiration disorders in bovines are invariably diagnosed as infectious aspiration pneumonias. There is a distinct differentiation between aspiration pneumonia and aspiration pneumonitis in humans that can be applied to bovines. The nature and quantity of the aspirate can result in differing pathogeneses which can require differing therapeutic approaches. Whilst blood gases were important in detecting and prognosticating lung problems, changes in barometric pressure with altitude have to be considered when interpreting partial pressures of oxygen. Anatomical differences in the lungs of bovines can explain why this species is more prone to certain pneumonic problems. Pulmonary physiotherapy is important in treating lung disorders in humans and should be considered as an adjunct therapy in bovine respiratory conditions. A case work-up was used to highlight some of the points discussed in this article.

Cost-effectiveness of diagnostic strategies using quantitative real-time PCR and bacterial culture to identify contagious mastitis cases in large dairy herds.

PubMed

Murai, Kiyokazu; Lehenbauer, Terry W; Champagne, John D; Glenn, Kathy; Aly, Sharif S

2014-03-01

Diagnostic strategies to detect contagious mastitis caused by Mycoplasma bovis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus agalactiae in dairy herds during an outbreak have been minimally studied with regard to cost and diagnostic sensitivity. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of diagnostic strategies for identification of infected cows in two California dairy herds during contagious mastitis outbreaks. M. bovis was investigated in a subset of a herd (n=1210 cows) with an estimated prevalence of 2.8% (95% CI=1.9, 3.7), whereas Staph. aureus and Strep. agalactiae were studied in a second herd (n=351 cows) with an estimated prevalence of 3.4% (95% CI=1.5, 5.3) and 16.8% (95% CI=12.9, 20.7), respectively. Diagnostic strategies involved a combination of testing stages that utilized bacterial culture, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), or both. Strategies were applied to individual or pooled samples of 5, 10, 50 or 100 samples. Culture was considered the gold standard for sensitivity estimation of each strategy. The reference strategy was the strategy with the lowest cost per culture-positive cow which for both M. bovis and Strep. agalactiae consisted of 2 stages, culture of samples in pools of 5 followed by culture of individual samples in positive pools with a sensitivity of 73.5% (95% CI: 55.6, 87.1) and 96.6% (95% CI: 27.7, 84.8), respectively. The reference strategy for Staph. aureus consisted of 3 stages, culture of individual samples in pools of 100 (stage 1), culture constituents of those positive from stage 1 in pools of 5 (stage 2), culture constituents of those positive from stage 2 individually (stage 3) which resulted in a sensitivity of 58.3% (95% CI: 88.3, 99.6). The most cost-effective alternative to the reference strategy was whole herd milk culture for all 3 pathogens. QPCR testing was a component of the second most cost-effective alternative for M. bovis and the third most cost-effective alternatives for

Simultaneous detection of 15 antibiotic growth promoters in bovine muscle, blood and urine by UPLC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Wang, Zhi; Shi, Zongwei; Xi, Cunxian; Wang, Guomin; Cao, Shurui; Zhang, Lei; Tang, Bobin; Mu, Zhaode

2017-12-01

An analytical method was established for the rapid detection of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in bovine muscle, and bovine blood and bovine urine, using ultra high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). After the addition of an aqueous solution of EDTA-Na 2 , the pH of bovine urine samples was directly adjusted to 5.2 by acetic acid-ammonium acetate and purified by HLB solid-phase extraction cartridge; bovine muscle and bovine blood samples processing were extracted with acetonitrile (ACN) and ACNwater (90:10; v/v) without any purification step. The samples were then centrifuged, concentrated and analysed by UPLC-MS/MS on an ACQUITY UPLC® BEH C18 column using gradient elution. The developed method was validated and mean recovery percentages at three spiked levels were 74-119%, 76-115% and 76-119%, respectively, in bovine muscle, bovine blood, and bovine urine. The relative standard deviation (RSD) ranged from 1.0% to 14.7% in spiked bovine muscle, bovine blood and bovine urine. The limits of detection (LOD) of all analytes were in the ranges 0.11-3.82 µg kg -1 , 0.10-2.49 µg kg -1 and 0.06-4.53 µg kg -1 in bovine muscle, bovine blood, and bovine urine, respectively. The method was sensitive, accurate and was applied to monitor real samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is first method available for simultaneous determination of several classes of APGs in bovine muscle, and bovine blood and bovine urine.

Genotyping of bovine Prototheca mastitis isolates from Poland.

PubMed

Jagielski, Tomasz; Lassa, Henryka; Ahrholdt, Jennifer; Malinowski, Edward; Roesler, Uwe

2011-04-21

Bovine mastitis due to unicellular, achlorophyllous algae of the genus Prototheca is a serious and complex ailment that accounts for high economic losses in the dairy industry. Bovine protothecal mastitis has been almost exclusively associated with only one species Prototheca zopfii. Recently, based on the 18S rDNA sequence analysis, P. zopfii has been divided into three genotypes (1-3), of which P. zopfii genotype 3 has been given the status of a new species Prototheca blaschkeae sp. nov. The aim of this study was to investigate the genotypic composition of the population of P. zopfii bovine mastitis isolates from Poland, according to that threefold classification. Of the 44 isolates tested, 43 (98%) were identified as P. zopfii genotype 2. Only one isolate was assigned to the newly established P. blaschkeae species. These findings clearly show the predominance of the P. zopfii genotype 2 in the etiology of bovine mammary protothecosis in Poland, but also underline the involvement of P. blaschkeae in the disease. The study is the first to provide molecular characterization of Polish P. zopfii mastitis isolates, collected from different regions of Poland. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Protection of calves by a prefusion-stabilized bovine RSV F vaccine.

PubMed

Zhang, Baoshan; Chen, Lei; Silacci, Chiara; Thom, Michelle; Boyington, Jeffrey C; Druz, Aliaksandr; Joyce, M Gordon; Guzman, Efrain; Kong, Wing-Pui; Lai, Yen-Ting; Stewart-Jones, Guillaume B E; Tsybovsky, Yaroslav; Yang, Yongping; Zhou, Tongqing; Baxa, Ulrich; Mascola, John R; Corti, Davide; Lanzavecchia, Antonio; Taylor, Geraldine; Kwong, Peter D

2017-03-08

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus, a major cause of respiratory disease in calves, is closely related to human RSV, a leading cause of respiratory disease in infants. Recently, promising human RSV-vaccine candidates have been engineered that stabilize the metastable fusion (F) glycoprotein in its prefusion state; however, the absence of a relevant animal model for human RSV has complicated assessment of these vaccine candidates. Here, we use a combination of structure-based design, antigenic characterization, and X-ray crystallography to translate human RSV F stabilization into the bovine context. A "DS2" version of bovine respiratory syncytial virus F with subunits covalently fused, fusion peptide removed, and pre-fusion conformation stabilized by cavity-filling mutations and intra- and inter-protomer disulfides was recognized by pre-fusion-specific antibodies, AM14, D25, and MPE8, and elicited bovine respiratory syncytial virus-neutralizing titers in calves >100-fold higher than those elicited by post-fusion F. When challenged with a heterologous bovine respiratory syncytial virus, virus was not detected in nasal secretions nor in respiratory tract samples of DS2-immunized calves; by contrast bovine respiratory syncytial virus was detected in all post-fusion- and placebo-immunized calves. Our results demonstrate proof-of-concept that DS2-stabilized RSV F immunogens can induce highly protective immunity from RSV in a native host with implications for the efficacy of prefusion-stabilized F vaccines in humans and for the prevention of bovine respiratory syncytial virus in calves.

The Host Defense Proteome of Human and Bovine Milk

PubMed Central

Hettinga, Kasper; van Valenberg, Hein; de Vries, Sacco; Boeren, Sjef; van Hooijdonk, Toon; van Arendonk, Johan; Vervoort, Jacques

2011-01-01

Milk is the single source of nutrients for the newborn mammal. The composition of milk of different mammals has been adapted during evolution of the species to fulfill the needs of the offspring. Milk not only provides nutrients, but it also serves as a medium for transfer of host defense components to the offspring. The host defense proteins in the milk of different mammalian species are expected to reveal signatures of evolution. The aim of this study is therefore to study the difference in the host defense proteome of human and bovine milk. We analyzed human and bovine milk using a shot-gun proteomics approach focusing on host defense-related proteins. In total, 268 proteins in human milk and 269 proteins in bovine milk were identified. Of these, 44 from human milk and 51 from bovine milk are related to the host defense system. Of these proteins, 33 were found in both species but with significantly different quantities. High concentrations of proteins involved in the mucosal immune system, immunoglobulin A, CD14, lactoferrin, and lysozyme, were present in human milk. The human newborn is known to be deficient for at least two of these proteins (immunoglobulin A and CD14). On the other hand, antimicrobial proteins (5 cathelicidins and lactoperoxidase) were abundant in bovine milk. The high concentration of lactoperoxidase is probably linked to the high amount of thiocyanate in the plant-based diet of cows. This first detailed analysis of host defense proteins in human and bovine milk is an important step in understanding the function of milk in the development of the immune system of these two mammals. PMID:21556375

Regional variation in the refractive-index of the bovine and human cornea.

PubMed

Vasudevan, Balamurali; Simpson, Trefford L; Sivak, Jacob G

2008-10-01

Given the refractive importance of the human cornea, surprisingly little attention has been directed to the study of local variation in corneal refractive-index. This in vitro and in vivo study measures the refractive-index of different portions of the bovine and human cornea. Fifty fresh bovine corneas (obtained from an abattoir) and 10 human subjects were used for the study. The refractive-index of the central, nasal, and temporal corneal epithelium was measured with a bench-top Abbe refractometer in the case of bovine corneas and with a hand-held refractometer with humans. The mean (+/-standard deviation) refractive-indices of the central, nasal, and temporal bovine corneal epithelium were 1.3760 (+/-0.003), 1.3757 (+/-0.002), and 1.3746 (+/-0.002), respectively. Refractive-indices of the anterior and posterior bovine corneal stroma were 1.3731 (+/-0.002) and 1.3708 (+/-0.004), respectively. The mean (+/-standard deviation) refractive-index in the central, nasal, and temporal periphery of the human cornea epithelium were 1.3970 (+/-0.001), 1.3946 (+/-0.001), and 1.3940 (+/-0.001), respectively. There are small local differences in the refractive-index of the bovine and human corneal epithelium and the refractive-index of the epithelium is higher than that of the anterior and posterior stroma of the bovine cornea.

Single Pathogen Challenge with Agents of the Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex.

PubMed

Gershwin, Laurel J; Van Eenennaam, Alison L; Anderson, Mark L; McEligot, Heather A; Shao, Matt X; Toaff-Rosenstein, Rachel; Taylor, Jeremy F; Neibergs, Holly L; Womack, James

2015-01-01

Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in cattle; costing the dairy and beef industries millions of dollars annually, despite the use of vaccines and antibiotics. BRDC is caused by one or more of several viruses (bovine respiratory syncytial virus, bovine herpes type 1 also known as infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, and bovine viral diarrhea virus), which predispose animals to infection with one or more bacteria. These include: Pasteurella multocida, Mannheimia haemolytica, Mycoplasma bovis, and Histophilus somni. Some cattle appear to be more resistant to BRDC than others. We hypothesize that appropriate immune responses to these pathogens are subject to genetic control. To determine which genes are involved in the immune response to each of these pathogens it was first necessary to experimentally induce infection separately with each pathogen to document clinical and pathological responses in animals from which tissues were harvested for subsequent RNA sequencing. Herein these infections and animal responses are described.

Single Pathogen Challenge with Agents of the Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex

PubMed Central

Gershwin, Laurel J.; Van Eenennaam, Alison L.; Anderson, Mark L.; McEligot, Heather A.; Toaff-Rosenstein, Rachel; Taylor, Jeremy F.; Neibergs, Holly L.; Womack, James

2015-01-01

Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in cattle; costing the dairy and beef industries millions of dollars annually, despite the use of vaccines and antibiotics. BRDC is caused by one or more of several viruses (bovine respiratory syncytial virus, bovine herpes type 1 also known as infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, and bovine viral diarrhea virus), which predispose animals to infection with one or more bacteria. These include: Pasteurella multocida, Mannheimia haemolytica, Mycoplasma bovis, and Histophilus somni. Some cattle appear to be more resistant to BRDC than others. We hypothesize that appropriate immune responses to these pathogens are subject to genetic control. To determine which genes are involved in the immune response to each of these pathogens it was first necessary to experimentally induce infection separately with each pathogen to document clinical and pathological responses in animals from which tissues were harvested for subsequent RNA sequencing. Herein these infections and animal responses are described. PMID:26571015

Detection of lipomannan in cattle infected with bovine tuberculosis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Early and rapid detection of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is critical to controlling the spread of this disease in cattle and other animals. In this study, we demonstrate the development of an immunoassay for the direct detection of the bovine bTB biomarker, lipomannan (LM) in serum using a waveguide-...

Brain Processing of Contagious Itch in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis

PubMed Central

Schut, Christina; Mochizuki, Hideki; Grossman, Shoshana K.; Lin, Andrew C.; Conklin, Christopher J.; Mohamed, Feroze B.; Gieler, Uwe; Kupfer, Joerg; Yosipovitch, Gil

2017-01-01

Several studies show that itch and scratching cannot only be induced by pruritogens like histamine or cowhage, but also by the presentation of certain (audio-) visual stimuli like pictures on crawling insects or videos showing other people scratching. This phenomenon is coined “Contagious itch” (CI). Due to the fact that CI is more profound in patients with the chronic itchy skin disease atopic dermatitis (AD), we believe that it is highly relevant to study brain processing of CI in this group. Knowledge on brain areas involved in CI in AD-patients can provide us with useful hints regarding non-invasive treatments that AD-patients could profit from when they are confronted with itch-inducing situations in daily life. Therefore, this study investigated the brain processing of CI in AD-patients. 11 AD-patients underwent fMRI scans during the presentation of an itch inducing experimental video (EV) and a non-itch inducing control video (CV). Perfusion based brain activity was measured using arterial spin labeling functional MRI. As expected, the EV compared to the CV led to an increase in itch and scratching (p < 0.05). CI led to a significant increase in brain activity in the supplementary motor area, left ventral striatum and right orbitofrontal cortex (threshold: p < 0.001; cluster size k > 50). Moreover, itch induced by watching the EV was by trend correlated with activity in memory-related regions including the temporal cortex and the (pre-) cuneus as well as the posterior operculum, a brain region involved in itch processing (threshold: p < 0.005; cluster size k > 50). These findings suggest that the fronto-striatal circuit, which is associated with the desire to scratch, might be a target region for non-invasive treatments in AD patients. PMID:28790959

Mapping of bovine prolactin and rhodopsin genes in hybrid somatic cells.

PubMed

Hallerman, E M; Theilmann, J L; Beckmann, J S; Soller, M; Womack, J E

1988-01-01

The genes encoding bovine prolactin and rhodopsin were assigned to syntenic groups on the basis of hybridization of DNA from a panel of bovine-hamster hybrid somatic cell lines with cloned prolactin and rhodopsin gene probes. Prolactin was found to be syntenic with previously mapped glyoxalase, BoLA and 21-hydroxylase genes, establishing a syntenic conservation with human chromosome 6. The presence of bovine rhodopsin sequences among the various hybrid cell lines was not concordant with any gene previously assigned to one of the 23 defined autosomal syntenic groups. Thus, rhodopsin marks a new bovine syntenic group, U24, leaving only five cattle autosomes unmarked by at least one biochemical or molecular marker.

Dynamic compressive properties of bovine knee layered tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishida, Masahiro; Hino, Yuki; Todo, Mitsugu

2015-09-01

In Japan, the most common articular disease is knee osteoarthritis. Among many treatment methodologies, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have recently received a lot of attention. In this field, cells and scaffolds are important, both ex vivo and in vivo. From the viewpoint of effective treatment, in addition to histological features, the compatibility of mechanical properties is also important. In this study, the dynamic and static compressive properties of bovine articular cartilage-cancellous bone layered tissue were measured using a universal testing machine and a split Hopkinson pressure bar method. The compressive behaviors of bovine articular cartilage-cancellous bone layered tissue were examined. The effects of strain rate on the maximum stress and the slope of stress-strain curves of the bovine articular cartilage-cancellous bone layered tissue were discussed.

Protein Crystal Bovine Insulin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The comparison of protein crystal, Bovine Insulin space-grown (left) and earth-grown (right). Facilitates the incorporation of glucose into cells. In diabetics, there is either a decrease in or complete lack of insulin, thereby leading to several harmful complications. Principal Investigator is Larry DeLucas.

Demecolcine-assisted enucleation for bovine cloning.

PubMed

Tani, Tetsuya; Shimada, Hiroaki; Kato, Yoko; Tsunoda, Yukio

2006-01-01

The present study demonstrated that demecolcine treatment for at least 30 min produces a membrane protrusion in metaphase II-stage bovine oocytes. The maternal chromosome mass is condensed within the protrusion, which makes it easy to remove the maternal chromosomes for nuclear transfer (NT). Maturation promoting factor activity, but not mitogen-activated protein kinase activity, increased up to 30% in oocytes during demecolcine treatment. One normal healthy calf was obtained after transfer of four NT blastocysts produced following demecolcine treatment. Demecolcine treatment did not increase the potential of NT oocytes to develop into blastocysts. The present study demonstrated that chemically-assisted removal of chromosomes is effective for bovine cloning.

Caries protective agents in human milk and bovine milk: an in vitro study.

PubMed

Shetty, Vabitha; Hegde, Amitha M; Nandan, S; Shetty, Suchetha

2011-01-01

To estimate Calcium and Phosphorus withdrawal from hydroxyapatite in the presence of bovine milk and human milk from which the following protective fractions namely Casein, Whey protein, Lactose and Milk fat have been individually removed and to compare the above protective fractions in human and bovine milk. Human milk obtained from lactating mothers in the labor ward of Kshema hospital was subjected to immediate analysis. Bovine milk was obtained from a local dairy. Equal quantities of human milk and bovine milk (1 ml) were separately subjected to the systematic removal of the four milk fractions. As each fraction was removed, the remaining milk samples were subjected to testing. Powdered hydroxyapatite from human dental enamel was subjected to demineralization with the addition of the milk sample under test for 20 minutes. This mixture was then centrifuged. Aliquots of the supernatant were taken for calcium and Phosphorus analysis using photospectrometry. Ten demineralization tests were similarly carried out for every milk fraction for both human and bovine milk separately. Equal samples of whole bovine milk and whole human milk were also subjected to similar testing. The calcium and phosphorus dissolution values were higher when the individual fractions were eliminated from both human milk/enamel samples and bovine milk/enamel samples as compared to the values obtained from whole human milk/whole bovine milk/enamel samples. Further higher calcium and phosphorus dissolution values were observed when the fractions were individually and separately removed from the whole human milk/enamel samples as compared to the corresponding values obtained when these fractions were removed from bovine milk/enamel samples. The evaluated milk fraction in bovine milk namely casein, whey protein, lactose and milk fat were individually more caries protective when compared to the corresponding fractions in human milk.

Molecular Characterization and Transcriptional Regulation Analysis of the Bovine PDHB Gene.

PubMed

Li, Anning; Zhang, Yaran; Zhao, Zhidong; Wang, Mingming; Zan, Linsen

2016-01-01

The pyruvate dehydrogenase beta subunit (PDHB) is a subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1), which catalyzes pyruvate into acetyl-CoA and provides a linkage between the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) and the glycolysis pathway. Previous studies demonstrated PDHB to be positively related to the intramuscular fat (IMF) content. However, the transcriptional regulation of PDHB remains unclear. In our present study, the cDNA of bovine PDHB was cloned and the genomic structure was analyzed. The phylogenetic tree showed bovine PDHB to be closely related to goat and sheep, and least related to chicken. Spatial expression pattern analysis revealed the products of bovine PDHB to be widely expressed with the highest level in the fat of testis. To understand the transcriptional regulation of bovine PDHB, 1899 base pairs (bp) of the 5'-regulatory region was cloned. Sequence analysis neither found consensus TATA-box nor CCAAT-box in the 5'-flanking region of bovine PDHB. However, a CpG island was predicted from nucleotides -284 to +117. Serial deletion constructs of the 5'-flanking region, evaluated in dual-luciferase reporter assay, revealed the core promoter to be located 490bp upstream from the transcription initiation site (+1). Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP) in combination with asite-directed mutation experiment indicated both myogenin (MYOG) and the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBPß) to be important transcription factors for bovine PDHB in skeletal muscle cells and adipocytes. Our results provide an important basis for further investigation of the bovine PDHB function and regulation in cattle.

Comparative genomics of Enterococcus spp. isolated from bovine feces.

PubMed

Beukers, Alicia G; Zaheer, Rahat; Goji, Noriko; Amoako, Kingsley K; Chaves, Alexandre V; Ward, Michael P; McAllister, Tim A

2017-03-08

Enterococcus is ubiquitous in nature and is a commensal of both the bovine and human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It is also associated with clinical infections in humans. Subtherapeutic administration of antibiotics to cattle selects for antibiotic resistant enterococci in the bovine GI tract. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) may be present in enterococci following antibiotic use in cattle. If located on mobile genetic elements (MGEs) their dissemination between Enterococcus species and to pathogenic bacteria may be promoted, reducing the efficacy of antibiotics. We present a comparative genomic analysis of twenty-one Enterococcus spp. isolated from bovine feces including Enterococcus hirae (n = 10), Enterococcus faecium (n = 3), Enterococcus villorum (n = 2), Enterococcus casseliflavus (n = 2), Enterococcus faecalis (n = 1), Enterococcus durans (n = 1), Enterococcus gallinarum (n = 1) and Enterococcus thailandicus (n = 1). The analysis revealed E. faecium and E. faecalis from bovine feces share features with human clinical isolates, including virulence factors. The Tn917 transposon conferring macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B resistance was identified in both E. faecium and E. hirae, suggesting dissemination of ARGs on MGEs may occur in the bovine GI tract. An E. faecium isolate was also identified with two integrative conjugative elements (ICEs) belonging to the Tn916 family of ICE, Tn916 and Tn5801, both conferring tetracycline resistance. This study confirms the presence of enterococci in the bovine GI tract possessing ARGs on MGEs, but the predominant species in cattle, E. hirae is not commonly associated with infections in humans. Analysis using additional complete genomes of E. faecium from the NCBI database demonstrated differential clustering of commensal and clinical isolates, suggesting that these strains may be specifically adapted to their respective environments.

Evolution of a contagious cancer: epigenetic variation in Devil Facial Tumour Disease

PubMed Central

Ujvari, Beata; Pearse, Anne-Maree; Peck, Sarah; Harmsen, Collette; Taylor, Robyn; Pyecroft, Stephen; Madsen, Thomas; Papenfuss, Anthony T.; Belov, Katherine

2013-01-01

The emergence of Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), a highly contagious cancer, is driving Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) to extinction. The cancer is a genetically and chromosomally stable clonal cell line which is transmitted by biting during social interactions. In the present study, we explore the Devil Facial Tumour (DFT) epigenome and the genes involved in DNA methylation homeostasis. We show that tumour cells have similar levels of methylation to peripheral nerves, the tissue from which DFTD originated. We did not observe any strain or region-specific epimutations. However, we revealed a significant increase in hypomethylation in DFT samples over time (p < 0.0001). We propose that loss of methylation is not because of a maintenance deficiency, as an upregulation of DNA methyltransferase 1 gene was observed in tumours compared with nerves (p < 0.005). Instead, we believe that loss of methylation is owing to active demethylation, supported by the temporal increase in MBD2 and MBD4 (p < 0.001). The implications of these changes on disease phenotypes need to be explored. Our work shows that DFTD should not be treated as a static entity, but rather as an evolving parasite with epigenetic plasticity. Understanding the role of epimutations in the evolution of this parasitic cancer will provide unique insights into the role of epigenetic plasticity in cancer evolution and progression in traditional cancers that arise and die with their hosts. PMID:23135679

SP-A binding sites on bovine alveolar macrophages.

PubMed

Plaga, S; Plattner, H; Schlepper-Schaefer, J

1998-11-25

Surfactant protein A (SP-A) binding to bovine alveolar macrophages was examined in order to characterize SP-A binding proteins on the cell surface and to isolate putative receptors from these cells that could be obtained in large amounts. Human SP-A, unlabeled or labeled with gold particles, was bound to freshly isolated macrophages and analyzed with ELISA or the transmission electron microscope. Binding of SP-A was inhibited by Ca2+ chelation, by an excess of unlabeled SP-A, or by the presence of 20 mg/ml mannan. We conclude that bovine alveolar macrophages expose binding sites for SP-A that are specific and that depend on Ca2+ and on mannose residues. For isolation of SP-A receptors with homologous SP-A as ligand we isolated SP-A from bovine lung lavage. SDS-PAGE analysis of the purified SP-A showed a protein of 32-36 kDa. Functional integrity of the protein was demonstrated. Bovine SP-A bound to Dynabeads was used to isolate SP-A binding proteins. From the fractionated and blotted proteins of the receptor preparation two proteins bound SP-A in a Ca2+-dependent manner, a 40-kDa protein showing mannose dependency and a 210-kDa protein, showing no mannose sensitivity. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

Host-pathogen interactions in bovine mammary epithelial cells and HeLa cells by Staphylococcus aureus isolated from subclinical bovine mastitis.

PubMed

Castilho, Ivana G; Dantas, Stéfani Thais Alves; Langoni, Hélio; Araújo, João P; Fernandes, Ary; Alvarenga, Fernanda C L; Maia, Leandro; Cagnini, Didier Q; Rall, Vera L M

2017-08-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen that causes subclinical bovine mastitis due to several virulence factors. In this study, we analyzed S. aureus isolates collected from the milk of cows with subclinical mastitis that had 8 possible combinations of bap, icaA, and icaD genes, to determine their capacity to produce biofilm on biotic (bovine primary mammary epithelial cells and HeLa cells) and abiotic (polystyrene microplates) surfaces, and their ability to adhere to and invade these cells. We also characterized isolates for microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMM) and agr genes, and for their susceptibility to cefquinome sulfate in the presence of biofilm. All isolates adhered to and invaded both cell types, but invasion indexes were higher in bovine primary mammary epithelial cells. Using tryptic soy broth + 1% glucose on abiotic surfaces, 5 out of 8 isolates were biofilm producers, but only the bap + icaA + icaD + isolate was positive in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's medium. The production of biofilm on biotic surfaces occurred only with this isolate and only on HeLa cells, because the invasion index for bovine primary mammary epithelial cells was too high, making it impossible to use these cells in this assay. Of the 5 biofilm producers in tryptic soy broth + 1% glucose, 4 presented with the bap/fnbA/clfA/clfB/eno/fib/ebpS combination, and all were protected from cefquinome sulfate. We found no predominance of any agr group. The high invasive potential of S. aureus made it impossible to observe biofilm in bovine primary mammary epithelial cells, and we concluded that cells with lower invasion rates, such as HeLa cells, were more appropriate for this assay. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bovine and human lactoferricin peptides: chimeras and new cyclic analogs.

PubMed

Arias, Mauricio; McDonald, Lindsey J; Haney, Evan F; Nazmi, Kamran; Bolscher, Jan G M; Vogel, Hans J

2014-10-01

Lactoferrin (LF) is an important antimicrobial and immune regulatory protein present in neutrophils and most exocrine secretions of mammals. The antimicrobial activity of LF has been related to the presence of an antimicrobial peptide sequence, called lactoferricin (LFcin), located in the N-terminal region of the protein. The antimicrobial activity of bovine LFcin is considerably stronger than the human version. In this work, chimera peptides combining segments of bovine and human LFcin were generated in order to study their antimicrobial activity and mechanism of action. In addition, the relevance of the conserved disulfide bridge and the resulting cyclic structure of both LFcins were analyzed by using "click chemistry" and sortase A-catalyzed cyclization of the peptides. The N-terminal region of bovine LFcin (residues 17-25 of bovine LF) proved to be very important for the antimicrobial activity of the chimera peptides against E. coli, when combined with the C-terminal region of human LFcin. Similarly the cyclic bovine LFcin analogs generated by "click chemistry" and sortase A preserved the antimicrobial activity of the original peptide, showing the significance of these two techniques in the design of cyclic antimicrobial peptides. The mechanism of action of bovine LFcin and its active derived peptides was strongly correlated with membrane leakage in E. coli and up to some extent with the ability to induce vesicle aggregation. This mechanism was also preserved under conditions of high ionic strength (150 mM NaCl) illustrating the importance of these peptides in a more physiologically relevant system.

Novel Polymerase Spiral Reaction (PSR) for rapid visual detection of Bovine Herpesvirus 1 genomic DNA from aborted bovine fetus and semen.

PubMed

Malla, Javed Ahmed; Chakravarti, Soumendu; Gupta, Vikas; Chander, Vishal; Sharma, Gaurav Kumar; Qureshi, Salauddin; Mishra, Adhiraj; Gupta, Vivek Kumar; Nandi, Sukdeb

2018-02-20

Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) is a major viral pathogen affecting bovines leading to various clinical manifestations and causes significant economic impediment in modern livestock production system. Rapid, accurate and sensitive detection of BHV-1 infection at frozen semen stations or at dairy herds remains a priority for control of BHV-1 spread to susceptible population. Polymerase Spiral Reaction (PSR), a novel addition in the gamut of isothermal techniques, has been successfully implemented in initial optimization for detection of BHV-1 genomic DNA and further validated in clinical samples. The developed PSR assay has been validated for detection of BHV-1 from bovine semen (n=99), a major source of transmission of BHV-1 from breeding bulls to susceptible dams in artificial insemination programs. The technique has also been used for screening of BHV-1 DNA from suspected aborted fetal tissues (n=25). The developed PSR technique is 100 fold more sensitive than conventional PCR and comparable to real-time PCR. The PSR technique has been successful in detecting 13 samples positive for BHV-1 DNA in bovine semen, 4 samples more than conventional PCR. The aborted fetal tissues were negative for presence of BHV-1 DNA. The presence of BHV-1 in bovine semen samples raises a pertinent concern for extensively screening of semen from breeding bulls before been used for artificial insemination process. PSR has all the attributes for becoming a method of choice for rapid, accurate and sensitive detection of BHV-1 DNA at frozen semen stations or at dairy herds in resource constrained settings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biomechanical characterization of decellularized and cross-linked bovine pericardium.

PubMed

Oswal, Dilip; Korossis, Sotirios; Mirsadraee, Saeed; Wilcox, Hilox; Watterson, Kevin; Fisher, John; Ingham, Eileen

2007-03-01

Although bovine pericardium has been used extensively in cardiothoracic surgery, its degeneration and calcification are important limiting factors in the continued use of this material. The study aims were to decellularize bovine pericardium and to compare the biomechanical properties of fresh and decellularized bovine pericardia to those treated with different concentrations of glutaraldehyde (GA). An established protocol for decellularization using sodium dodecyl sulfate was used, and histological analysis performed to validate the adequacy of decellularization. Contact cytotoxicity was used to study the in-vitro biocompatibility of variously treated pericardia. Mechanical testing involved uniaxial testing to failure. Mechanical properties of the fresh and decellularized pericardia (untreated and treated with 0.5% and 0.05% GA) were compared. Histological analysis of decellularized bovine pericardium did not show any remaining cells or cell fragments. The histoarchitecture of the collagen-elastin matrix appeared well preserved. Untreated decellularized pericardium was biocompatible in contact cytotoxicity tests with smooth muscle and fibroblast cells. The GA-treated tissue was cytotoxic. There were no significant differences in the mechanical properties of fresh and decellularized pericardia, but there was an overall tendency for GA-treated pericardia to be stiffer than their untreated counterparts. An acellular matrix, cross-linked with a reduced concentration of GA, can be produced using bovine pericardium. This biomaterial has excellent biomechanical properties and, potentially, may be used in the manufacture of heart valves and pericardial patches for clinical application.

Detection and characterization of viruses as field and vaccine strains in feedlot cattle with bovine respiratory disease

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This study investigated viruses in bovine respiratory disease (BRD) cases in feedlots, including bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1), bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), bovine coronaviruses (BoCV) and parainfluenza-3 virus (PI3V). Nasal swabs were collected fro...

Molecular Characterization and Transcriptional Regulation Analysis of the Bovine PDHB Gene

PubMed Central

Li, Anning; Zhang, Yaran; Zhao, Zhidong; Wang, Mingming; Zan, Linsen

2016-01-01

The pyruvate dehydrogenase beta subunit (PDHB) is a subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1), which catalyzes pyruvate into acetyl-CoA and provides a linkage between the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) and the glycolysis pathway. Previous studies demonstrated PDHB to be positively related to the intramuscular fat (IMF) content. However, the transcriptional regulation of PDHB remains unclear. In our present study, the cDNA of bovine PDHB was cloned and the genomic structure was analyzed. The phylogenetic tree showed bovine PDHB to be closely related to goat and sheep, and least related to chicken. Spatial expression pattern analysis revealed the products of bovine PDHB to be widely expressed with the highest level in the fat of testis. To understand the transcriptional regulation of bovine PDHB, 1899 base pairs (bp) of the 5’-regulatory region was cloned. Sequence analysis neither found consensus TATA-box nor CCAAT-box in the 5’-flanking region of bovine PDHB. However, a CpG island was predicted from nucleotides -284 to +117. Serial deletion constructs of the 5’-flanking region, evaluated in dual-luciferase reporter assay, revealed the core promoter to be located 490bp upstream from the transcription initiation site (+1). Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP) in combination with asite-directed mutation experiment indicated both myogenin (MYOG) and the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBPß) to be important transcription factors for bovine PDHB in skeletal muscle cells and adipocytes. Our results provide an important basis for further investigation of the bovine PDHB function and regulation in cattle. PMID:27379520

Survey on vertical infection of bovine viral diarrhea virus from fetal bovine sera in the field.

PubMed

Nagayama, Kumiko; Oguma, Keisuke; Sentsui, Hiroshi

2015-11-01

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) isolation and antibody survey were performed using 2,758 fetal bovine sera (FBS) collected from slaughterhouses in New Zealand, Australia and the Dominican Republic, and then sent to Japan to manufacture commercial serum for cell culture use. FBS in the Dominican Republic were pooled for each several individuals, and those collected in other countries were separated according to each individual and subjected to the tests. BVDV was isolated from 25 (0.91%) FBS, and the BVDV antibody was detected in 44 (1.60%) FBS. The survey on 139 sets of paired sera of a dam and her fetus revealed that neither the BVDV antibody nor BVDV was detected in all FBS from BVDV antibody-positive dams.

Bovine and porcine heparins: different drugs with similar effects on human haemodialysis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Heparins from porcine and bovine intestinal mucosa differ in their structure and also in their effects on coagulation, thrombosis and bleeding. However, they are used as undistinguishable drugs. Methods We compared bovine and porcine intestinal heparin administered to patients undergoing a particular protocol of haemodialysis. We compared plasma concentrations of these two drugs and also evaluated how they affect patients and the dialyzer used. Results Compared with porcine heparin, bovine heparin achieved only 76% of the maximum plasma concentration as IU mL-1. This observation is consistent with the activities observed in the respective pharmaceutical preparations. When the plasma concentrations were expressed on weight basis, bovine heparin achieved a maximum concentration 1.5 fold higher than porcine heparin. The reduced anticoagulant activity and higher concentration, on weight basis, achieved in the plasma of patients under dialysis using bovine instead of porcine heparin did not affect significantly the patients or the dialyzer used. The heparin dose is still in a range, which confers security and safety to the patients. Discussion Despite no apparent difference between bovine and porcine intestinal heparins in the haemodialysis practice, these two types of heparins should be used as distinct drugs due to their differences in structure and biological effects. Conclusions The reduced anticoagulant activity achieved in the plasma of patients under dialysis using bovine instead of porcine heparin did not affect significantly the patients or the dialyzer. PMID:23763719

HoBi-like viruses – the typical 'atypical bovine pestivirus'

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

HoBi-like viruses, also referred to as bovine viral diarrhea virus 3 (BVDV-3) and atypical pestivirus, have been proposed as a new putative bovine pestivirus species. These viruses were first identified in the last decade and are currently distributed in at least three continents. Published findings...

Comparison of Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins Prepared From Bovine Heparins With Enoxaparin.

PubMed

Liu, Xinyue; St Ange, Kalib; Fareed, Jawed; Hoppensteadt, Debra; Jeske, Walter; Kouta, Ahmed; Chi, Lianli; Jin, Caijuan; Jin, Yongsheng; Yao, Yiming; Linhardt, Robert J

2017-09-01

Heparin and its low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) derivatives are widely used clinical anticoagulants. These drugs are critical for the practice of medicine in applications including kidney dialysis, cardiopulmonary bypass, and in the management of venous thromboembolism. Currently, these drugs are derived from livestock, primarily porcine intestine. The worldwide dependence on a single animal species has made the supply chain for this critical drug quite fragile, leading to the search for other sources of these drugs, including bovine tissues such as bovine intestine or lung. A number of laboratories are currently examining the similarities and differences between heparins prepared from porcine and bovine tissues. The current study is designed to compare LMWH prepared from bovine heparins through chemical β-elimination, a process currently used to prepare the LMWH, enoxaparin, from porcine heparin. Using top-down, bottom-up, compositional analysis and bioassays, LMWHs, derived from bovine lung and intestine, are shown to closely resemble enoxaparin.

Analysis of the major epitope of the alpha2 chain of bovine type I collagen in children with bovine gelatin allergy.

PubMed

Hori, Hisae; Hattori, Shunji; Inouye, Sakae; Kimura, Akinori; Irie, Shinkichi; Miyazawa, Hiroshi; Sakaguchi, Masahiro

2002-10-01

Anaphylaxis to measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines has been reported. It has been found that most of these reactions to live vaccines are caused by type I allergy with the bovine gelatin present in the vaccines as an allergen. Gelatin mainly includes denatured type I collagen, which consists of alpha1 and alpha2 chains. We previously reported that allergic reactions to gelatin are caused by the type I collagen alpha2 (alpha2[I]) chain. To aid in the development of gelatin that has little or no allergenicity in human subjects, we investigated epitopes of bovine alpha2(I) chain with use of IgE in gelatin-sensitive children. Serum samples were collected from 15 patients who had systemic allergic reactions to vaccines and high levels of specific IgE to bovine gelatin. Eleven overlapping recombinant proteins that cover bovine alpha2(I) were prepared with a bacterial expression vector. We examined IgE reactivity to these recombinant proteins by means of ELISA. Fifteen peptides covering a major reactive recombinant protein were synthesized. The IgE-reacting epitope was identified by means of IgE-ELISA inhibition with these synthetic peptides and pooled serum from the patients. We found that of the 15 patients, 13 showed IgE reactivity to a recombinant protein (no. 3) spanning the central region of the collagenous domain ((418)Gly-(662)Pro). Furthermore, all 13 patients showed IgE reactivity to the 4-kd recombinant protein (no. 3a) spanning the region from (461)Pro to (500)Glu. In IgE-ELISA inhibition we found that a minimum IgE epitope of gelatin allergen was composed of the 10-amino-acid sequence (485)Ile-Pro-Gly-Glu-Phe-Gly-Leu-Pro-Gly-Pro(494). This sequence is not observed in the human type I collagen alpha1 and alpha2 chains, nor is it found in the bovine type I collagen alpha1 chain. We found that Ile-Pro-Gly-Glu-Phe-Gly-Leu-Pro-Gly-Pro is a major IgE epitope of the alpha2 chain of bovine type I collagen in patients with gelatin allergy. The degree of anaphylaxis

Competitive and blocking enzyme-linked immunoassay for detection of fetal bovine serum antibodies to bovine viral diarrhea virus.

PubMed

Katz, J B; Hanson, S K

1987-02-01

A competitive blocking enzyme-linked immunoassay (CELIA) was developed to detect bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) antibodies in undiluted fetal bovine serum (FBS). The CELIA was based on competition of serum BVDV antibodies with biotin-labelled anti-BVDV immunoglobulins (Ig) for a limited quantity of solid-phase BVDV antigen. Antigen preparation was simple, FBS could be tested undiluted, and detergent-containing washes were unnecessary. A series of dilutions of postnatal bovine BVDV antiserum prepared in FBS and a set of 147 undiluted abbatoir FBS samples were tested by both CELIA and serum neutralization tests (SNT). CELIA results on both sets of specimens correlated positively with SNT titers (r = 0.99 and r = 0.85). Relative to the SNT, CELIA sensitivity was 100%; specificity was 76%. CELIA detected a level of BVDV antibody below the 1:2-titer threshold detectable with the SNT. Advantages, limitations, and theoretical differences between the CELIA and SNT are discussed. A similar comparison of CELIA with non-competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay approaches to BVDV serodiagnosis is made. It is concluded that the CELIA is valuable in selecting only BVDV-seronegative FBS for use in virologic cell culture media.

Phenotypic and Functional Heterogeneity of Bovine Blood Monocytes

PubMed Central

Hussen, Jamal; Düvel, Anna; Sandra, Olivier; Smith, David; Sheldon, Iain Martin; Zieger, Peter; Schuberth, Hans-Joachim

2013-01-01

Murine and human peripheral blood monocytes are heterogeneous in size, granularity, nuclear morphology, phenotype and function. Whether and how bovine blood monocytes follow this pattern was analyzed in this study. Flow cytometrically, classical monocytes (cM) CD14+ CD16−, intermediate monocytes (intM) CD14+ CD16+ and nonclassical monocytes (ncM) CD14+ CD16+ were identified, with cM being the predominant subset (89%). cM showed a significant lower expression of CD172a, intM expressed the highest level of MHC class II molecules, and ncM were low positive for CD163. Compared to cM and intM, ncM showed a significantly reduced phagocytosis capacity, a significantly reduced generation of reactive oxygen species, and reduced mRNA expression of CXCL8, CXCL1 and IL-1β after LPS stimulation. Based on IL-1β secretion after LPS/ATP stimulation, the inflammasome could be activated in cM and intM, but not in ncM. IFNγ increased the expression of CD16 selectively on cM and induced a shift from cM into intM in vitro. In summary, bovine CD172a-positive mononuclear cells define three monocyte subsets with distinct phenotypic and functional differences. Bovine cM and intM share homologies with their human counterparts, whereas bovine ncM are not inflammatory monocytes. PMID:23967219

In vitro photoinactivation of bovine mastitis related pathogens.

PubMed

Sellera, Fábio Parra; Sabino, Caetano Padial; Ribeiro, Martha Simões; Gargano, Ronaldo Gomes; Benites, Nilson Roberti; Melville, Priscilla Anne; Pogliani, Fabio Celidonio

2016-03-01

Bovine mastitis is considered the most important disease of worldwide dairy industry. Treatment of this disease is based on the application intramammary antibiotic, which favors an increase in the number of resistant bacteria in the last decade. Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) has been investigated in different areas of Health Sciences, and has shown great potential for inactivating different pathogens, without any selection of resistant microorganisms. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of PDI in the inactivation of pathogens associated with bovine mastitis. We tested the effectiveness of PDI against antibiotic resistant strains, isolated from bovine mastitis, from the following species: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Corynebacterium bovis, and the alga Prototheca zopfii. Nine experimental groups were evaluated: control, no treatment; light only, irradiation of a red light-emitting diode (λ=662 (20) nm) for 180 s; exposure to 50 μM methylene blue alone for 5 min; and PDI for 5, 10, 30, 60, 120 and 180 s. S. dysgalactiae, S. aureus, and C. bovis were inactivated after 30s of irradiation, whereas S. agalactiae was inactivated after 120 s and P. zopfii at 180 s of irradiation. These results show that PDI can be an interesting tool for inactivating pathogens for bovine mastitis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bovine rotavirus pentavalent vaccine development in India.

PubMed

Zade, Jagdish K; Kulkarni, Prasad S; Desai, Sajjad A; Sabale, Rajendra N; Naik, Sameer P; Dhere, Rajeev M

2014-08-11

A bovine rotavirus pentavalent vaccine (BRV-PV) containing rotavirus human-bovine (UK) reassortant strains of serotype G1, G2, G3, G4 and G9 has been developed by the Serum Institute of India Ltd, in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), USA. The vaccine underwent animal toxicity studies and Phase I and II studies in adults, toddlers and infants. It has been found safe and immunogenic and will undergo a large Phase III study to assess efficacy against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Detection of bovine herpesvirus 2 and bovine herpesvirus 4 DNA in trigeminal ganglia of naturally infected cattle by polymerase chain reaction.

PubMed

Campos, F S; Franco, A C; Oliveira, M T; Firpo, R; Strelczuk, G; Fontoura, F E; Kulmann, M I R; Maidana, S; Romera, S A; Spilki, F R; Silva, A D; Hübner, S O; Roehe, P M

2014-06-25

Establishment of latent infection within specific tissues in the host is a common biological feature of the herpesviruses. In the case of bovine herpesvirus 2 (BoHV-2), latency is established in neuronal tissues, while bovine herpesvirus 4 (BoHV-4) and ovine herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2) latent virus targets on cells of the monocytic lineage. This study was conducted in quest of BoHV-2, BoHV-4 and OvHV-2 DNA in two hundred trigeminal ganglia (TG) specimens, derived from one hundred clinically healthy cattle, majority of them naturally infected with bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) and bovine herpesvirus 5 (BoHV-5). Total DNA extracted from ganglia was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) designed to amplify part of the genes coding for BoHV-2, and BoHV-4 glycoprotein B and, for OvHV-2, the gene coding for phosphoribosylformylglycinamidine synthase-like protein. BoHV-2 DNA was detected in TG samples of two (2%) and BoHV-4 DNA in nine (9%) of the animals, whereas OvHV-2 DNA could not be detected in any of the TG DNA. The two animals in which BoHV-2 DNA was identified were also co-infected with BoHV-1 and BoHV-5. Within the nine animals in which BoHV-4 DNA was detected, six were also co-infected with BoHV-1 and BoHV-5. This report provides for the first time evidence that viral DNA from BoHV-2 and BoHV-4 can be occasionally detected in TG of naturally infected cattle. Likewise, in this report we provided for the first time evidence that the co-infection of cattle with three distinct bovine herpesviruses might be a naturally occurring phenomenon. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bovine tuberculosis: a retrospective study at Jos abattoir, Plateau State, Nigeria.

PubMed

Okeke, Lilian Akudo; Fawole, Olufunmilayo; Muhammad, Maryam; Okeke, Ikenna Osemeka; Nguku, Patrick; Wasswa, Peter; Dairo, David; Cadmus, Simeon

2016-01-01

Nigeria has the thirteenth highest burden of human tuberculosis. The current increasing incidence of tuberculosis in humans, particularly in immune-compromised persons, has given interest in the zoonotic importance of Mycobacterium bovis in developing countries like Nigeria. This study determined the prevalence of bovine tuberculosis as a background information for effective control measures in Plateau State in cattle population. We reviewed surveillance records on cattle slaughtered and suggestive tuberculosis lesions from cattle slaughtered annually from 2007-2012 in Jos abattoir, Plateau State. Bovine tuberculosis cases at post mortem were based on examination of characteristics TB lesion on organs by Veterinary officers. We performed descriptive analysis using Epi info version 3.5.3 and Microsoft Excel 2007. A total of 52, 262 cattle were slaughtered from 2007-2012, out of which 4, 658 (11.2%) had evidence of tuberculosis lesion at post mortem. The average yearly prevalence was 9.1% but varied from a high of 16.3% in 2007 to a low of 3.1% in 2012. Trend analysis showed that bovine tuberculosis had a seasonal variation and peaked mostly in July and August. The number of suggestive Tb lesion cases was highest in the month of August and lowest in the month of January, 2007-2012. This study shows that bovine tuberculosis is endemic in Plateau State. Trend analysis showed that bovine tuberculosis is seasonal and peaked mostly in July and August. Continuous surveillance through meat inspection is required to prevent zoonotic transmission of bovine tuberculosis.

Mechanism of protection from primary bovine viral diarrhea virus infection. I. The effects of dexamethasone.

PubMed Central

Shope, R E; Muscoplat, C C; Chen, A W; Johnson, D W

1976-01-01

A series of investigations was designed to study the role of cellular immunity and passive antibody in protecting neonatal calves from primary bovine viral diarrhea virus infection. Administration of corticosteroids (dexamethasone) in doses capable of suppressing cellular immunity markedly potentiated systemic bovine viral diarrhea virus infection in calves which lacked bovine viral diarrhea passive neutralizing antibody. Immunosuppressed calves did not form neutralizing antibody to bovine viral diarrhea virus and developed a fatal viremia. Calves with high levels of passive bovine viral diarrhea neutralizing antibodies were protected from the effect of corticosteroids. The results suggest an essential role for humoral passive antibody, but not for cellular immunity, in protection from primary systemic bovine viral diarrhea virus infection in calves. PMID:187303

Long-term healing of mildly cross-linked decellularized bovine pericardial aortic patch.

PubMed

Umashankar, P R; Sabareeswaran, A; Shenoy, Sachin J

2017-10-01

Glutaraldehyde treated bovine pericardium is extensively used in cardiovascular surgery. However, frequent occurrence of failure modes, such as calcification and structural failure, has hard pressed the need for finding an alternate technology. Decellularized bovine pericardium is an emerging technology. Mildly cross-linked decellularized bovine pericardium promotes positive remodeling with insignificant calcification and acute inflammation. In the present study, mildly cross-linked decellularized bovine pericardium was evaluated as a cardiovascular patch by studying mechanical strength as well as graft remodeling, resistance to calcific degeneration and inflammatory response using long duration porcine aortic implantation. It was observed that decellularized bovine pericardium, although thinner and less elastic had equivalent tensile properties such as tensile strength and stiffness when compared to commercially available glutaraldehyde-treated bovine pericardium. It showed the potential for site appropriate remodeling evidenced by host cell incorporation, thinner neointima, graft degradation, and neocollagenisation making it suitable for vascular patch application, whereas glutaraldehyde-treated pericardium failed to integrate with host tissue through timely degradation and host cell incorporation or neocollagenization. Conversely, it elicited persistent acute inflammation and produced calcification. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 2145-2152, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Committee Studying Contagious Disease Training for Public Safety Personnel. Report of the Committee on Training of the Criminal Justice Services Board to the Governor and the General Assembly of Virginia. House Document No. 15.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Virginia State Dept. of Criminal Justice Services, Richmond.

Through discussion and extensive research, the Committee Studying Contagious Disease Training attempted to address concerns regarding education and training of public safety personnel with regard to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV). The committee's findings were based on Occupational Safety and Health Administration…

Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel bovine IFN-ε.

PubMed

Guo, Yongli; Gao, Mingchun; Bao, Jun; Luo, Xiuxin; Liu, Ying; An, Dong; Zhang, Haili; Ma, Bo; Wang, Junwei

2015-03-01

A bovine IFN-ε (BoIFN-ε) gene was amplified from bovine liver genomic DNA consisting of a 463bp partial 5'UTR, 582bp complete ORF and 171bp partial 3'UTR, which encodes a protein of 193 amino acids with a 21-amino acid signal peptide and shares 61 to 87% identity with other species IFN-ε. Then BoIFN-ε gene was characterized, and it can be transcribed in EBK cells at a high level after being infected by VSV. Recombinant proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli and the antiviral activity was determined in vitro, which revealed that bovine IFN-ε has less antiviral activity than bovine IFN-α. In addition, an immunofluorescence assay indicated that BoIFN-ε expressed in MDBK cells could be detected by polyclonal antibody against BoIFN-ε. Furthermore, the BoIFN-ε gene can be constitutively expressed in the liver, thymus, kidney, small intestine and testis, but not in the heart. This study revealed that BoIFN-ε has the typical characteristics of type I interferon and can be expressed constitutively in certain tissue, which not only can be a likely candidate for a novel, effective therapeutic agent, but also facilitate further research on the role of bovine IFN system. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The synergistic necrohemorrhagic action of Clostridium perfringens perfringolysin and alpha toxin in the bovine intestine and against bovine endothelial cells

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Bovine necrohemorrhagic enteritis is a major cause of mortality in veal calves. Clostridium perfringens is considered as the causative agent, but there has been controversy on the toxins responsible for the disease. Recently, it has been demonstrated that a variety of C. perfringens type A strains can induce necrohemorrhagic lesions in a calf intestinal loop assay. These results put forward alpha toxin and perfringolysin as potential causative toxins, since both are produced by all C. perfringens type A strains. The importance of perfringolysin in the pathogenesis of bovine necrohemorrhagic enteritis has not been studied before. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the role of perfringolysin in the development of necrohemorrhagic enteritis lesions in calves and its synergism with alpha toxin. A perfringolysin-deficient mutant, an alpha toxin-deficient mutant and a perfringolysin alpha toxin double mutant were less able to induce necrosis in a calf intestinal loop assay as compared to the wild-type strain. Only complementation with both toxins could restore the activity to that of the wild-type. In addition, perfringolysin and alpha toxin had a synergistic cytotoxic effect on bovine endothelial cells. This endothelial cell damage potentially explains why capillary hemorrhages are an initial step in the development of bovine necrohemorrhagic enteritis. Taken together, our results show that perfringolysin acts synergistically with alpha toxin in the development of necrohemorrhagic enteritis in a calf intestinal loop model and we hypothesize that both toxins act by targeting the endothelial cells. PMID:23782465

The effects of some tumor markers on human erythrocyte (HCA-I and HCA-II), bovine erythrocyte (BCA) and bovine lung (CA-IV) carbonic anhydrase enzyme activities in vitro.

PubMed

Demir, N; Nadaroglu, H; Gungor, A A; Demir, Y

2015-01-01

The influence of prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), tumor markers have been investigated on human erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase (HCA-I and HCA-II) and bovine erythrocyte (BCA) and bovine lung carbonic anhydrase (CA-IV) in vitro. Tumor markers are substances that can often be detected in higher-than-normal amounts in the blood, urine, or body tissues of some patients with certain types of cancer. Tumor markers are produced either by the tumor itself or by the body in response to the presence of cancer or certain benign (noncancerous) conditions. In addition to their role in cancer diagnosis, some tumor marker levels are measured before treatment to help doctors plan appropriate therapy. All of the tumor markers were determined to have inhibition effect, on human CA-I, CA-II, bovine erythrocyte CA (BCA) and bovine lung CA-IV isoenzymes. The effect of each tumor marker on CA was investigated by Wilbur-Andersen method modified by Rickly et al Inhibition effects of two different tumor markers on human CA-I, CA-II, bovine erythrocyte CA (BCA) and bovine lung CA-IV isoenzymes were determined by using the CO2-Hydratase method by plotting activity % vs (tumor markers). I50 values of tumor markers exhibiting inhibition effects were found by means of these graphs (Tab.1, Fig. 2, Ref. 20).

Reactivity of the immunoglobulin E in bovine gelatin-sensitive children to gelatins from various animals

PubMed Central

Sakaguchi, M; Hori, H; Ebihara, T; Irie, S; Yanagida, M; Inouye, S

1999-01-01

It has been reported that most children who showed anaphylaxis to measles, mumps and rubella vaccines containing bovine gelatin as a stabilizer have anti-bovine gelatin IgE. The present study was designed to investigate the reactivity of IgE in bovine gelatin-sensitive children to gelatins from various animals, and the antigenic cross-reactivity between the gelatins. Serum samples taken from 10 children who showed anaphylaxis to vaccines containing bovine gelatin were used in this study. The level of anti-bovine gelatin IgE in these serum samples ranged from 11·0 to 251 Ua/ml. The IgE in most of the children reacted to kangaroo and mouse gelatins, to which they had had little or no exposure as a food or a vaccine stabilizer. The IgE binding to kangaroo and mouse gelatins was completely inhibited by bovine gelatin, whereas reciprocal inhibition was not complete, indicating that antigenic cross-reactivity is present between the mammalian gelatins. Only one child had strong IgE reactivity to fish gelatins, and this reactivity was not inhibited by bovine gelatin, indicating that no antigenic cross-reactivity exists between bovine and fish gelatins. Most of the children who displayed sensitivity to bovine gelatin showed IgE reactivity to other mammalian gelatins. This reactivity may be due primarily to the antigenic cross-reactivity between mammalian gelatins. PMID:10233707

Evaluation of the Human Host Range of Bovine and Porcine Viruses that may Contaminate Bovine Serum and Porcine Trypsin Used in the Manufacture of Biological Products

PubMed Central

Marcus-Sekura, Carol; Richardson, James C.; Harston, Rebecca K.; Sane, Nandini; Sheets, Rebecca L.

2011-01-01

Current U.S. requirements for testing cell substrates used in production of human biological products for contamination with bovine and porcine viruses are U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 9CFR tests for bovine serum or porcine trypsin. 9CFR requires testing of bovine serum for seven specific viruses in six families (immunofluorescence) and at least 2 additional families non-specifically (cytopathicity and hemadsorption). 9CFR testing of porcine trypsin is for porcine parvovirus. Recent contaminations suggest these tests may not be sufficient. Assay sensitivity was not the issue for these contaminations that were caused by viruses/virus families not represented in the 9CFR screen. A detailed literature search was undertaken to determine which viruses that infect cattle or swine or bovine or porcine cells in culture also have human host range [ability to infect humans or human cells in culture] and to predict their detection by the currently used 9CFR procedures. There are more viruses of potential risk to biological products manufactured using bovine or porcine raw materials than are likely to be detected by 9CFR testing procedures; even within families, not all members would necessarily be detected. Testing gaps and alternative methodologies should be evaluated to continue to ensure safe, high quality human biologicals. PMID:22000165

Immunoglobulins in bovine mammary secretions

PubMed Central

Porter, P.

1972-01-01

Antibodies against Escherichia coli 08 in bovine colostrum and serum have been studied by gel filtration chromatography and the red cell linked antigen—antiglobulin reaction. Immunoglobulins were assayed by radial immunodiffusion. In bovine colostrum anti-E. coli activity was attributable to IgA and the level of activity was comparable with that detected in IgM and IgG fractions. The immunoglobulin profile and distribution of E. coli antibodies in post-colostral calf serum was similar to that in colostrum, thus providing an unusual occurrence of high levels of secretory IgA in serum. However the immunoglobulin disappeared rapidly from the serum with an apparent half life of approximately 2 days; the value for IgM was 4 days. During the first 3 days of lactation the levels of immunoglobulins fall rapidly and milk is subsequently secreted with uniformly low levels of antibodies. PMID:4560742

Camel and bovine chymosin: the relationship between their structures and cheese-making properties

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Langholm Jensen, Jesper; Chr. Hansen A/S, Bøge Allé 10-12, DK-2970 Hørsholm; Mølgaard, Anne

Analysis of the crystal structures of the two milk-clotting enzymes bovine and camel chymosin has revealed that the better milk-clotting activity towards bovine milk of camel chymosin compared with bovine chymosin is related to variations in their surface charges and their substrate-binding clefts. Bovine and camel chymosin are aspartic peptidases that are used industrially in cheese production. They cleave the Phe105-Met106 bond of the milk protein κ-casein, releasing its predominantly negatively charged C-terminus, which leads to the separation of the milk into curds and whey. Despite having 85% sequence identity, camel chymosin shows a 70% higher milk-clotting activity than bovinemore » chymosin towards bovine milk. The activities, structures, thermal stabilities and glycosylation patterns of bovine and camel chymosin obtained by fermentation in Aspergillus niger have been examined. Different variants of the enzymes were isolated by hydrophobic interaction chromatography and showed variations in their glycosylation, N-terminal sequences and activities. Glycosylation at Asn291 and the loss of the first three residues of camel chymosin significantly decreased its activity. Thermal differential scanning calorimetry revealed a slightly higher thermal stability of camel chymosin compared with bovine chymosin. The crystal structure of a doubly glycosylated variant of camel chymosin was determined at a resolution of 1.6 Å and the crystal structure of unglycosylated bovine chymosin was redetermined at a slightly higher resolution (1.8 Å) than previously determined structures. Camel and bovine chymosin share the same overall fold, except for the antiparallel central β-sheet that connects the N-terminal and C-terminal domains. In bovine chymosin the N-terminus forms one of the strands which is lacking in camel chymosin. This difference leads to an increase in the flexibility of the relative orientation of the two domains in the camel enzyme. Variations in the amino

Bovine central memory T cells are highly proliferative in response to bovine tuberculosis infection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Long-term (i.e., 14 days) cultured IFN-gamma responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells are used as a correlate of T cell central memory (Tcm) responses in both humans and cattle. With bovine tuberculosis, vaccine-elicited long-term IFN-gamma ELISPOT assays are a correlate of protection. Recent...

Bovine central memory T cells are highly proliferative in response to bovine tuberculosis infection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Long-term (i.e., 14 days) cultured IFN-gamma ELISPOT assays measure central memory T cell (Tcm) responses in both humans and cattle. With bovine tuberculosis, vaccine-elicited long-term IFN-gamma ELISPOT responses correlate with protection. In other species, Tcm’s pose low activation threshold and a...

[Practicing veterinarians' perception of bovine ringworm as herd health problem].

PubMed

Kleen, Joachim L; Andres, Tatjana; Exner, Ulrike; Strie, Regina

2017-04-19

Bovine ringworm (tinea) is generally described as a disease occurring regularly in cattle. Actual data are rare, whereas the disease is regularly reported in case reports. To eradicate bovine ringworm, perception as well as measures, including hygiene and disinfection, are required. In a course for continuing education, 378 practicing veterinarians were asked in a questionnaire to state their view on bovine ringworm. The majority of the participants stated that ringworm was not satisfactorily perceived as an animal health problem and that the zoonotic potential was underestimated. A majority of participants agreed to diagnose ringworm on farms regularly and stated that they were involved in treating the disease. The participating veterinarians felt, however, that perception of ringworm by the farms themselves was inadequate. Vaccination was generally judged as being helpful. Generally, practising veterinarians feel that bovine ringworm is being perceived as less important by farms than by themselves. It is to be concluded that more information and offers regarding the treatment for ringworm could contribute to more effective engagement in the disease.

Optimization of hydrolysis conditions for bovine plasma protein using response surface methodology.

PubMed

Seo, Hyun-Woo; Jung, Eun-Young; Go, Gwang-Woong; Kim, Gap-Don; Joo, Seon-Tea; Yang, Han-Sul

2015-10-15

The purpose of this study was to establish optimal conditions for the hydrolysis of bovine plasma protein. Response surface methodology was used to model and optimize responses [degree of hydrolysis (DH), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity and Fe(2+)-chelating activity]. Hydrolysis conditions, such as hydrolysis temperature (46.6-63.4 °C), hydrolysis time (98-502 min), and hydrolysis pH (6.32-9.68) were selected as the main processing conditions in the hydrolysis of bovine plasma protein. Optimal conditions for maximum DH (%), DPPH radical-scavenging activity (%) and Fe(2+)-chelating activity (%) of the hydrolyzed bovine plasma protein, were respectively established. We discovered the following three conditions for optimal hydrolysis of bovine plasma: pH of 7.82-8.32, temperature of 54.1 °C, and time of 338.4-398.4 min. We consequently succeeded in hydrolyzing bovine plasma protein under these conditions and confirmed the various desirable properties of optimal hydrolysis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oxidation-Induced Increase In Photoreactivity of Bovine Retinal Lipid Extract.

PubMed

Koscielniak, A; Serafin, M; Duda, M; Oles, T; Zadlo, A; Broniec, A; Berdeaux, O; Gregoire, S; Bretillon, L; Sarna, T; Pawlak, A

2017-12-01

The mammalian retina contains a high level of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including docosahexaenoic acid (22:6) (DHA), which are highly susceptible to oxidation. It has been shown that one of the products of DHA oxidation-carboxyethylpyrrole (CEP), generated in situ, causes modifications of retinal proteins and induces inflammation response in the outer retina. These contributing factors may play a role in the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It is also possible that some of the lipid oxidation products are photoreactive, and upon irradiation with blue light may generate reactive oxygen species. Therefore, in this work we analysed oxidation-induced changes in photoreactivity of lipids extracted from bovine neural retinas. Lipid composition of bovine neural retinas closely resembles that of human retinas making the bovine tissue a convenient model for studying the photoreactivity and potential phototoxicity of oxidized human retinal lipids. Lipid composition of bovine neural retinas Folch' extracts (BRex) was determined by gas chromatography (GC) and liquid chromatography coupled to an electrospray ionization source-mass spectrometer (LC-ESI-MS) analysis. Liposomes prepared from BRex, equilibrated with air, were oxidized in the dark at 37 °C for up to 400 h. The photoreactivity of BRex at different stages of oxidation was studied by EPR-oximetry and EPR-spin trapping. Photogeneration of singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 , 1 Δ g ) by BRex was measured using time-resolved detection of the characteristic phosphorescence at 1270 nm. To establish contribution of lipid components to the analysed photoreactivity of Folch' extract of bovine retinas, a mixture of selected synthetic lipids in percent by weight (w/w %) ratio resembling that of the BRex has been also studied. Folch's extraction of bovine neural retinas was very susceptible to oxidation despite the presence of powerful endogenous antioxidants such as α-tocopherol and zeaxanthin. Non

Specific detection and quantitation of bovine IgG in bioreactor derived mouse mAb preparations.

PubMed

Gall-Debreceni, Anna; Lazar, Jozsef; Kadas, Janos; Balogh, Attila; Ferenczi, Annamaria; Sos, Endre; Takacs, Laszlo; Kurucz, Istvan

2016-11-01

Monoclonal antibody and recombinant protein production benefits greatly from bovine serum as an additive. The caveat is that bovine serum IgG, co-purifies with mAbs and IgG Fc-containing fusion proteins and it presents a contaminant in the end products. In order to analytically validate the products, species specific reagents are needed that react with bovine IgG exclusively. Our attempts to find such commercially available reagents failed. Here, we report the production of species specific mAbs which recognize bovine IgG even in the presence of excess amount of mouse IgG. We present five mAbs: Bsi4028, Bsi4032, Bsi4033, Bsi4034 and Bsi4035 suitable to determine the presence of bovine IgG contamination via ELISA or immunoblotting in bioreactor derived mouse mAb preparations. To quantitate bovine IgG content we developed sensitive sandwich ELISAs capable to detect bovine IgG contaminant in the ng/ml (~10 -11 M/l) range. Finally, we show that bovine IgG is efficiently removed from bioreactor produced mouse mAb preparation via affinity depletion columns prepared with Bsi4028, Bsi4032, Bsi4033, Bsi4034, Bsi4035 mAbs. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Guidance for removal of fetal bovine serum from cryopreserved heart valve processing.

PubMed

Brockbank, Kelvin G M; Heacox, Albert E; Schenke-Layland, Katja

2011-01-01

Bovine serum is commonly used in cryopreservation of allogeneic heart valves; however, bovine serum carries a risk of product adulteration by contamination with bovine-derived infectious agents. In this study, we compared fresh and cryopreserved porcine valves that were processed by 1 of 4 cryopreservation formulations, 3 of which were serum-free and 1 that utilized bovine serum with 1.4 M dimethylsulfoxide. In the first serum-free group, bovine serum was simply removed from the cryopreservation formulation. The second serum-free formulation had a higher cryoprotectant concentration, i.e. 2 M dimethylsulfoxide, in combination with a serum-free solution. A colloid, dextran 40, was added to the third serum-free group with 2 M dimethylsulfoxide due to theoretical concerns that removal of serum might increase the incidence of tissue cracking. Upon rewarming, the valves were inspected and subjected to a battery of tests. Gross pathology revealed conduit cracking in 1 of 98 frozen heart valves. Viability data for the cryopreserved groups versus the fresh group demonstrated a loss of viability in half of the comparisons (p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between any of the cryopreserved groups, with or without bovine serum. Neither routine histology, autofluorescence-based multiphoton imaging nor semiquantitative second-harmonic generation microscopy of extracellular matrix components revealed any statistically significant differences. Biomechanics analyses also revealed no significant differences. Our results demonstrate that bovine serum can be safely removed from heart valve processing and that a colloid to prevent cracking was not required. This study provides guidance for the assessment of changes in cryopreservation procedures for tissues. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Development of an antibody to bovine IL-2 reveals multifunctional CD4 T(EM) cells in cattle naturally infected with bovine tuberculosis.

PubMed

Whelan, Adam O; Villarreal-Ramos, Bernardo; Vordermeier, H Martin; Hogarth, Philip J

2011-01-01

Gaining a better understanding of the T cell mechanisms underlying natural immunity to bovine tuberculosis would help to identify immune correlates of disease progression and facilitate the rational design of improved vaccine and diagnostic strategies. CD4 T cells play an established central role in immunity to TB, and recent interest has focussed on the potential role of multifunctional CD4 T cells expressing IFN-γ, IL-2 and TNF-α. Until now, it has not been possible to assess the contribution of these multifunctional CD4 T cells in cattle due to the lack of reagents to detect bovine IL-2 (bIL-2). Using recombinant phage display technology, we have identified an antibody that recognises biologically active bIL-2. Using this antibody, we have developed a polychromatic flow cytometric staining panel that has allowed the investigation of multifunctional CD4 T-cells responses in cattle naturally infected with M. bovis. Assessment of the frequency of antigen specific CD4 T cell subsets reveals a dominant IFN-γ(+)IL-2(+)TNF-α(+) and IFN-γ(+) TNF-α(+) response in naturally infected cattle. These multifunctional CD4 T cells express a CD44(hi)CD45RO(+)CD62L(lo) T-effector memory (T(EM)) phenotype and display higher cytokine median fluorescence intensities than single cytokine producers, consistent with an enhanced 'quality of response' as reported for multifunctional cells in human and murine systems. Through our development of these novel immunological bovine tools, we provide the first description of multifunctional T(EM) cells in cattle. Application of these tools will improve our understanding of protective immunity in bovine TB and allow more direct comparisons of the complex T cell mediated immune responses between murine models, human clinical studies and bovine TB models in the future. © 2011 Whelan et al.

Heparins from porcine and bovine intestinal mucosa: Are they similar drugs?

PubMed

Aquino, Rafael S; Pereira, Mariana S; Vairo, Bruno C; Cinelli, Leonardo P; Santos, Gustavo R C; Fonseca, Roberto J C; Mourão, Paulo A S

2010-05-01

Increasing reports of bleeding and peri- or post-operative blood dyscrasias in Brazil were possibly associated with the use of heparin from bovine instead of porcine intestine. These two pharmaceutical grade heparins were analysed for potential differences. NMR analyses confirmed that porcine heparin is composed of mainly trisulfated disaccharides -->4-alpha-IdoA2S-1-->4-alpha-GlcNS6S-1-->. Heparin from bovine intestine is also composed of highly 2-sulfated alpha-iduronic acid residues, but the sulfation of the alpha-glucosamine units vary significantly: approximately 50% are 6- and N -disulfated, as in porcine heparin, while approximately 36% are 6-desulfated and approximately 14% N -acetylated. These heparins differ significantly in their effects on coagulation, thrombosis and bleeding. Bovine heparin acts mostly through factor Xa. Compared to porcine heparin on a weight basis, bovine heparin exhibited approximately half of the anticoagulant and antithrombotic effects, but similar effect on bleeding. These two heparins also differ in their protamine neutralisation curves. The doses of heparin from bovine intestine required for effective antithrombotic protection and the production of adverse bleeding effects are closer than those for porcine heparin. This observation may explain the increasing bleeding observed among Brazilian patients. Our results suggest that these two types of heparin are not equivalent drugs.

Sequences of heavy and light chain variable regions from four bovine immunoglobulins.

PubMed

Armour, K L; Tempest, P R; Fawcett, P H; Fernie, M L; King, S I; White, P; Taylor, G; Harris, W J

1994-12-01

Oligodeoxyribonucleotide primers based on the 5' ends of bovine IgG1/2 and lambda constant (C) region genes, together with primers encoding conserved amino acids at the N-terminus of mature variable (V) regions from other species, have been used in cDNA and polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) to amplify heavy and light chain V region cDNA from bovine heterohybridomas. The amino acid sequences of VH and V lambda from four bovine immunoglobulins of different specificities are presented.

The ovine uterus as a host for in vitro-produced bovine embryos.

PubMed

Rexroad, C E; Powell, A M

1999-07-15

A series of experiments were conducted to determine whether bovine blastocysts would develop beyond the blastocyst stage in the ovine uterine environment. In Experiment 1, in vitro matured, fertilized and cultured (IVM/IVF/IVC) expanded bovine blastocysts were transferred into uteri of ewes on Day 7 or 9 of the estrous cycle and collected on Day 14 or 15 to determine if the bovine blastocysts would elongate and form an embryonic disk. Springtime trials with ewes that were synchronized with a medroxyprogesterone acetate (MAP) sponge resulted in a 78% blastocyst recovery rate, and 68% of the recovered spherical or elongated embryos had embryonic disks. In Experiment 2, transfer of 4-cell bovine embryos to the oviducts of ewes at Day 3 resulted in a lower recovery (47 vs 80%) than the transfer of blastocysts at Day 7 when embryos were recovered at Day 14. However, the percentage of embryos containing embryonic disks was higher for embryos transferred at the 4-cell stage (71%) than for embryos transferred as blastocysts (50%). In Experiment 3, IVF embryos from super-ovulated cows or Day 8 in vitro produced embryos transferred to cows were collected at Day 14 and were found to be similar in size to those produced by transfer to ewes in Experiment 2. In Experiment 4, the transfer of bovine blastocysts to ewes did not prolong the ovine estrous cycle. In Experiment 5, extension of the ovine estrous cycle by administration of a MAP releasing intravaginal device allowed bovine embryos to elongate extensively and to become filamentous. In Experiment 6, uterine flushings on Day 14 or Day 16 contained elevated levels of interferon-tau when bovine blastocyst were transferred on Day 7. Transfer of bovine embryos to the reproductive tract of a ewe allows some embryos to develop normally to advanced perimplantation stages and may be a useful tool for studying critical stages of embryo development and the developmental capacity of experimental embryos.

Monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) in the liver of pre-ruminant and adult bovines.

PubMed

Kirat, D; Inoue, H; Iwano, H; Yokota, H; Taniyama, H; Kato, S

2007-01-01

This study investigated the distribution and expression of monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) in the livers of pre-ruminant calves and adult bovines (bulls and cows), using different molecular biological techniques. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) verified the presence of mRNA encoding for MCT1 in both pre-ruminant and adult bovine livers. Immunohistochemically, MCT1 was clearly demonstrated on the sinusoidal surfaces of bovine hepatocytes but its expression varied widely between pre-ruminants and adult bovines. In pre-ruminants, a faint hepatocellular expression of MCT1 was observed in a few hepatocytes, whereas an intense immunoreactive staining for MCT1 was shown in the majority of adult bovine hepatocytes. Western blot analysis also confirmed the results of the immunohistochemistry. Quantitative immunoblotting, as estimated by densitometric analysis, showed that the level of MCT1 in the liver of adult bovines was 8-9-fold greater (P<0.01) than that in pre-ruminant calf livers although no significant differences were detected between bulls and cows. The results demonstrated that MCT1 may play a crucial role in the transport of propionate in bovine liver, suggesting that MCT1 expression may be influenced by developmental and metabolic regulations.

Primary cultures of astrocytes from fetal bovine brain.

PubMed

Ballarin, Cristina; Peruffo, Antonella

2012-01-01

We describe here a method to obtain primary cell cultures from the cerebral cortex and the hypothalamus of bovine fetuses. We report how tissue origin, developmental stages, and culture medium conditions influence cell differentiation and the prevalence of glial cells vs. neurons. We compare explants from early, middle, and late stages of development and two different fetal calf serum concentrations (1 and 10%) to identify the best conditions to obtain and grow viable astrocytes in culture. In addition, we describe how to cryopreserve and obtain viable cortical astrocytes from frozen fetal bovine brain samples.

Streptococcus equi subsp zooepidemicus pleuropneumonia and peritonitis in a dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) calf in North America.

PubMed

Stoughton, William B; Gold, Jenifer

2015-08-01

A 12-week-old female dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) calf was evaluated because of acute (< 24 hours) inappetence and lethargy. The calf was being bottle-fed because of maternal rejection. Physical examination revealed decreased bronchovesicular sounds and absent borborygmi. The rectal temperature was 38.9°C (102.0°F). A CBC indicated leukopenia with a degenerative left shift suggestive of a systemic infection. Results of abdominal and thoracic ultrasonography showed severe bicavitary effusion, peripheral lung consolidation, and intestinal hypomotility. Pleural and peritoneal fluid analysis confirmed a diagnosis of septic pleuritis and peritonitis. Results of aerobic bacterial culture of venous blood, peritoneal fluid, and pleural fluid samples indicated Streptococcus equi subsp zooepidemicus septicemia as the etiology for the polyserositis (ie, alpaca fever). Treatment with IV broad-spectrum antimicrobials, an NSAID, and pleural drainage was initiated. Clinical signs of pleuropneumonia, peritonitis, and systemic infection improved rapidly 24 hours after initiation of medical treatment. The calf was discharged from the hospital after 11 days, and antimicrobial treatment continued for 2 weeks after discharge. At follow-up approximately 4 weeks after hospital discharge (6 weeks after the initial examination), there were no clinical signs suggestive of relapse or any reported complications. S equi subsp zooepidemicus may cause polyserositis in Old World camelids (eg, dromedary camels) with signs similar to those seen in New World camelids (eg, alpaca and llama). The rapid response to medical treatment for the patient described suggested that S equi subsp zooepidemicus-induced polyserositis (alpaca fever) in dromedary camels may respond favorably to appropriate treatment. Reducing stress, reducing overcrowding, and separate housing of equids and camelids are suggested. Further studies are needed to better assess the epidemiology of alpaca fever in dromedary

Adipogenesis of bovine perimuscular preadipocytes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Taniguchi, Masaaki; Le Luo Guan; Zhang Bing

2008-02-01

In this study, non-transformed progeny adipofibroblasts, derived from mature adipocyte dedifferentiation, was used as a novel in vitro model to study adipogenic gene expression in cattle. Adipofibroblasts from dedifferentiated mature perimuscular fat (PMF) tissue were cultured with differentiation stimulants until the cells exhibited morphological differentiation. Treated cells were harvested from day 2 to 16 for RNA extraction, whereas control cells were cultured without addition of stimulants. Results from time course gene expression assays by quantitative real-time PCR revealed that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-{gamma}), sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP-1) and their six down-stream genes were co-expressed at daymore » 2 post-differentiation induction. When compared to other adipogenesis culture systems, the adipogenic gene expression of bovine PMF adipofibroblasts culture was different, especially to the rodent model. Collectively, these results demonstrated PPAR-{gamma} and SREBP-1 cooperatively play a key role to regulate the re-differentiation of bovine adipofibroblasts, during early conversion stages in vitro.« less

Bovine viral diarrhea virus 1b fetal infection with extensive hemorrhages

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) subtype 1b was isolated from tissues of a term bovine fetus with hemorrhages in multiple tissues. At autopsy, multiple petechial hemorrhages were observed at gross examination throughout the body and placenta. Lung, kidney, thymus, and liver fresh tissues were exam...

The bovine lactation genome: Insights into the evolution of mammalian milk

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The newly assembled Bos Taurus genome sequence enables the linkage of bovine milk and lactation data with other mammalian genomes. Using publicly available milk proteome data and mammary expressed sequence tags, 197 milk protein genes and over 6,000 mammary genes were identified in the bovine genome...

Antimicrobial activity of bovine NK-lysin-derived peptides on Mycoplasma bovis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a diverse group of molecules which play an important role in the innate immune response. Bovine NK-lysins, a type of AMP, have been predominantly found in the granules of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and NK-cells. Bovine NK-lysin-derived peptides demonstrate antimicrobia...

Ultrasonic Wave Properties in Bone Axis Direction of Bovine Cortical Bone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Kazufumi; Yaoi, Yuichiro; Yamato, Yu; Yanagitan, Takahiko; Matsukawa, Mami; Yamazaki, Kaoru

2008-05-01

Quantitative ultrasonography (QUS) is a good method for measuring elastic properties of bone in vivo. Bovine cortical bone has two typical microstructures, plexiform and Haversian. In this study, the relationship between the speed of sound (SOS) and the hydroxyapatite (HAp) crystallite orientation in the axial direction was investigated in two different aged bovine cortical bones. The dependence of attenuation on anatomical position was also investigated. Two ring-permanent hyphen shaped cortical bone samples were obtained from 36- and 24-month-old bovine femurs. SOS was measured with a conventional ultrasonic pulse system. The integrated intensity of the (0002) peak obtained by X-ray diffraction was determine to evaluate the amount of preferred orientation. Regardless of the age of the bovine femurs, a significant correlation between SOS and the preferred orientation of HAp crystallites was observed in parts of the plexiform structure, and the gradient of the relationship showed a similar tendency. Attenuation seemed to depend on bone microstructure.

Effect of TCEA3 on the differentiation of bovine skeletal muscle satellite cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, Yue; Tong, Hui-Li; Li, Shu-Feng

Bovine muscle-derived satellite cells (MDSCs) are important for animal growth. In this study, the effect of transcription elongation factor A3 (TCEA3) on bovine MDSC differentiation was investigated. Western blotting, immunofluorescence assays, and cytoplasmic and nuclear protein isolation and purification techniques were used to determine the expression pattern and protein localization of TCEA3 in bovine MDSCs during in vitro differentiation. TCEA3 expression was upregulated using the CRISPR/Cas9 technique to study its effects on MDSC differentiation in vitro. TCEA3 expression gradually increased during the in vitro differentiation of bovine MDSCs and peaked on the 5th day of differentiation. TCEA3 was mainly localized in the cytoplasmmore » of bovine MDSCs, and its expression was not detected in the nucleus. The level of TCEA3 was relatively higher in myotubes at a higher degree of differentiation than during early differentiation. After transfection with a TCEA3-activating plasmid vector (TCEA3 overexpression) for 24 h, the myotube fusion rate, number of myotubes, and expression levels of the muscle differentiation-related loci myogenin (MYOG) and myosin heavy chain 3 (MYH3) increased significantly during the in vitro differentiation of bovine MDSCs. After transfection with a TCEA3-inhibiting plasmid vector for 24 h, the myotube fusion rate, number of myotubes, and expression levels of MYOG and MYH3 decreased significantly. Our results indicated, for the first time, that TCEA3 promotes the differentiation of bovine MDSCs and have implications for meat production and animal rearing. - Highlights: • Muscle-derived satellite cell differentiation is promoted by TCEA3. • TCEA3 protein was localized in the cytoplasm, but not nuclei of bovine MDSCs. • TCEA3 levels increased as myotube differentiation increased. • TCEA3 affected myotube fusion, myotube counts, and MYOG and MYH3 levels.« less

Protective effect of bovine milk against HCl and ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in mice.

PubMed

Yoo, Jeong-Hyun; Lee, Jeong-Sang; Lee, You-Suk; Ku, SaeKwang; Lee, Hae-Jeung

2018-05-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the gastroprotective effects of bovine milk on an acidified ethanol (HCl-ethanol) mixture that induced gastric ulcers in a mouse model. Mice received different doses of commercial fresh bovine milk (5, 10, and 20 mL/kg of body weight) by oral gavage once a day for 14 d. One hour after the last oral administration of bovine milk, the HCl-ethanol mixture was orally intubated to provoke severe gastric damage. Our results showed that pretreatment with bovine milk significantly suppressed the formation of gastric mucosa lesions. Pretreatment lowered gastric myeloperoxidase and increased gastric mucus contents and antioxidant enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase. Administration of bovine milk increased nitrate/nitrite levels and decreased the malondialdehyde levels and the expression of proinflammatory genes, including transcription factor nuclear factor-κB, cyclooxygenase-2, and inducible nitric oxide synthase in the stomach of mice. These results suggest that bovine milk can prevent the development of gastric ulcer caused by acid and alcohol in mice. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Discovery and Genomic Characterization of a Novel Ovine Partetravirus and a New Genotype of Bovine Partetravirus

PubMed Central

Tse, Herman; Tsoi, Hoi-Wah; Teng, Jade L. L.; Chen, Xin-Chun; Liu, Haiying; Zhou, Boping; Zheng, Bo-Jian; Woo, Patrick C. Y.; Lau, Susanna K. P.; Yuen, Kwok-Yung

2011-01-01

Partetravirus is a recently described group of animal parvoviruses which include the human partetravirus, bovine partetravirus and porcine partetravirus (previously known as human parvovirus 4, bovine hokovirus and porcine hokovirus respectively). In this report, we describe the discovery and genomic characterization of partetraviruses in bovine and ovine samples from China. These partetraviruses were detected by PCR in 1.8% of bovine liver samples, 66.7% of ovine liver samples and 71.4% of ovine spleen samples. One of the bovine partetraviruses detected in the present samples is phylogenetically distinct from previously reported bovine partetraviruses and likely represents a novel genotype. The ovine partetravirus is a novel partetravirus and phylogenetically most related to the bovine partetraviruses. The genome organization is conserved amongst these viruses, including the presence of a putative transmembrane protein encoded by an overlapping reading frame in ORF2. Results from the present study provide further support to the classification of partetraviruses as a separate genus in Parvovirinae. PMID:21980506

Development of a one-run real-time PCR detection system for pathogens associated with bovine respiratory disease complex.

PubMed

Kishimoto, Mai; Tsuchiaka, Shinobu; Rahpaya, Sayed Samim; Hasebe, Ayako; Otsu, Keiko; Sugimura, Satoshi; Kobayashi, Suguru; Komatsu, Natsumi; Nagai, Makoto; Omatsu, Tsutomu; Naoi, Yuki; Sano, Kaori; Okazaki-Terashima, Sachiko; Oba, Mami; Katayama, Yukie; Sato, Reiichiro; Asai, Tetsuo; Mizutani, Tetsuya

2017-03-18

Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) is frequently found in cattle worldwide. The etiology of BRDC is complicated by infections with multiple pathogens, making identification of the causal pathogen difficult. Here, we developed a detection system by applying TaqMan real-time PCR (Dembo respiratory-PCR) to screen a broad range of microbes associated with BRDC in a single run. We selected 16 bovine respiratory pathogens (bovine viral diarrhea virus, bovine coronavirus, bovine parainfluenza virus 3, bovine respiratory syncytial virus, influenza D virus, bovine rhinitis A virus, bovine rhinitis B virus, bovine herpesvirus 1, bovine adenovirus 3, bovine adenovirus 7, Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, Histophilus somni, Trueperella pyogenes, Mycoplasma bovis and Ureaplasma diversum) as detection targets and designed novel specific primer-probe sets for nine of them. The assay performance was assessed using standard curves from synthesized DNA. In addition, the sensitivity of the assay was evaluated by spiking solutions extracted from nasal swabs that were negative by Dembo respiratory-PCR for nucleic acids of pathogens or synthesized DNA. All primer-probe sets showed high sensitivity. In this study, a total of 40 nasal swab samples from cattle on six farms were tested by Dembo respiratory-PCR. Dembo respiratory-PCR can be applied as a screening system with wide detection targets.

Determining bovine viral diarrhea and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis infections in dairy cattle using precolostral blood.

PubMed

Baillargeon, Paul; Arango-Sabogal, Juan C; Wellemans, Vincent; Fecteau, Gilles

2017-04-01

The objective of this study was to determine if precolostral blood samples are useful to detect apparent fetal infections with bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) viruses. A convenience sample of 317 sera from 50 Canadian herds was used in the study. Antibody level was measured using 2 commercial IBR and BVD ELISA kits. Precolostral status of sera was confirmed on 304 samples using serum gamma-glutamyl transferase activity. Postcolostral serum samples yielded a higher proportion of positive results to IBR (OR = 86; 95% CI: 17.8 to 415.7) and BVD (OR = 199.3; 95% CI: 41.7 to 952.3) than did precolostral samples. All positive precolostral serum samples ( n = 7 of 304) originated from calves born to vaccinated cows. Postcolostral positive serum samples ( n = 11 of 13) originated mostly (60%) from calves born to non-vaccinated cows. Precolostral serum sampling can detect apparent fetal infections in a herd.

Incomplete cellular depopulation may explain the high failure rate of bovine ureteric grafts.

PubMed

Spark, J I; Yeluri, S; Derham, C; Wong, Y T; Leitch, D

2008-05-01

The aim was to assess the results of a decellularized bovine ureter graft (SynerGraft) for complex venous access. Bovine ureter conduits were implanted in patients with a failed fistula or access graft in whom native vessels were unsuitable as conduits. Graft histories were obtained from all patients who had undergone this procedure at one institution. Failed grafts were explanted and subjected to histological examination. A sample of fresh bovine ureter was immunostained for galactose (alpha1 --> 3) galactose (alpha-Gal). Nine patients with a median age of 46 (range 25-70) years underwent complex venous access surgery between August 2004 and November 2006 using a SynerGraft. Graft types included loop superficial femoral artery to stump of long saphenous vein (four patients), loop brachial artery to vein (two), brachial artery to axillary vein (two) and left axillary artery to innominate vein (one). Three grafts developed aneurysmal dilatation and two thrombosed. Histological assessment of the explanted bovine ureters revealed acute and chronic transmural inflammation. Immunostaining of fresh bovine ureter suggested residual cells and the xenoantigen alpha-Gal. Graft failure with aneurysmal dilatation and thrombosis in complex arteriovenous conduits using bovine ureter may be due to residual xenoantigens. 2008 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Activities for leptin in bovine trophoblast cells.

PubMed

Hughes, C K; Xie, M M; McCoski, S R; Ealy, A D

2017-01-01

Leptin is involved in various reproductive processes in humans and rodents, including placental development and function. The specific ways that leptin influences placental development and function in cattle are poorly understood. This work was completed to explore how leptin regulates hormone, cytokine and metalloprotease transcript abundance, and cell proliferation in cultured bovine trophoblast cells. In the first set of studies, cells were cultured in the presence of graded recombinant bovine leptin concentrations (0, 10, 50, 250 ng/mL) for 6 or 24 h. Transcript profiles were examined from extracted RNA. Leptin supplementation did not affect abundance of the maternal recognition of pregnancy factor, interferon-tau (IFNT), but leptin increased (P < 0.05) abundance of chorionic somatomammotropin hormone 2 (CSH2; ie, placental lactogen) at both 6 and 24 h at each concentration tested. At 24 h, the greatest CSH2 abundance (P < 0.05) was detected in cells supplemented with 50 ng/mL leptin. Transcript abundance of the remodeling factor, metalloprotease 2 (MMP2), was greater (P < 0.05) in leptin-treated cells at 24 h but not at 6 h. The 24 h MMP2 response was greatest (P < 0.05) at 250 ng/mL. Transcript abundance for MMP9 was not altered by leptin treatment. In a separate set of studies, cell proliferation assays were completed. Leptin supplementation did not affect bovine trophoblast cell line proliferation at any dose tested. In conclusion, leptin supplementation did not affect bovine trophoblast cell proliferation or IFNT expression, but leptin increases CSH2 and MMP2 transcript abundance. Both of these factors are involved with peri-implantation and postimplantation placental development and function, and this implicates leptin as a potential mediator of early placental development and function in cattle. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Defective sperm head decondensation undermines the success of ICSI in the bovine.

PubMed

Águila, Luis; Felmer, Ricardo; Arias, María Elena; Navarrete, Felipe; Martin-Hidalgo, David; Lee, Hoi Chang; Visconti, Pablo; Fissore, Rafael

2017-09-01

The efficiency of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in the bovine is low compared to other species. It is unknown whether defective oocyte activation and/or sperm head decondensation limit the success of this technique in this species. To elucidate where the main obstacle lies, we used homologous and heterologous ICSI and parthenogenetic activation procedures. We also evaluated whether in vitro maturation negatively impacted the early stages of activation after ICSI. Here we showed that injected bovine sperm are resistant to nuclear decondensation by bovine oocytes and this is only partly overcome by exogenous activation. Remarkably, when we used heterologous ICSI, in vivo -matured mouse eggs were capable of mounting calcium oscillations and displaying normal PN formation following injection of bovine sperm, although in vitro -matured mouse oocytes were unable to do so. Together, our data demonstrate that bovine sperm are especially resistant to nuclear decondensation by in vitro -matured oocytes and this deficiency cannot be simply overcome by exogenous activation protocols, even by inducing physiological calcium oscillations. Therefore, the inability of a suboptimal ooplasmic environment to induce sperm head decondensation limits the success of ICSI in the bovine. Studies aimed to improve the cytoplasmic milieu of in vitro -matured oocytes and to replicate the molecular changes associated with in vivo capacitation and acrosome reaction will deepen our understanding of the mechanism of fertilization and improve the success of ICSI in this species. © 2017 Society for Reproduction and Fertility.

Current ante-mortem techniques for diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis.

PubMed

Bezos, Javier; Casal, Carmen; Romero, Beatriz; Schroeder, Bjoern; Hardegger, Roland; Raeber, Alex J; López, Lissette; Rueda, Paloma; Domínguez, Lucas

2014-10-01

Bovine tuberculosis (TB), mainly caused by Mycobacterium bovis, is a zoonotic disease with implications for Public Health and having an economic impact due to decreased production and limitations to the trade. Bovine TB is subjected to official eradication campaigns mainly based on a test and slaughter policy using diagnostic assays based on the cell-mediated immune response as the intradermal tuberculin test and the gamma-interferon (IFN-γ) assay. Moreover, several diagnostic assays based on the detection of specific antibodies (Abs) have been developed in the last few years with the aim of complementing the current diagnostic techniques in the near future. This review provides an overview of the current ante-mortem diagnostic tools for diagnosis of bovine TB regarding historical background, methodologies and sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) obtained in previous studies under different epidemiological situations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Control of Bovine Mastitis: Old and Recent Therapeutic Approaches.

PubMed

Gomes, Fernanda; Henriques, Mariana

2016-04-01

Mastitis is defined as the inflammatory response resulting of the infection of the udder tissue and it is reported in numerous species, namely in domestic dairy animals. This pathology is the most frequent disease of dairy cattle and can be potentially fatal. Mastitis is an economically important pathology associated with reduced milk production, changes in milk composition and quality, being considered one of the most costly to dairy industry. Therefore, the majority of research in the field has focused on control of bovine mastitis and many efforts are being made for the development of new and effective anti-mastitis drugs. Antibiotic treatment is an established component of mastitis control programs; however, the continuous search for new therapeutic alternatives, effective in the control and treatment of bovine mastitis, is urgent. This review will provide an overview of some conventional and emerging approaches in the management of bovine mastitis' infections.

Crystallographic studies of bovine beta2-microglobulin.

PubMed Central

Becker, J W; Ziffer, J A; Edelman, G M; Cunningham, B A

1977-01-01

Crystals of the bovine milk protein lactollin yield x-ray diffraction data extending to a resolution of 2.8 A. Lactollin is a bovine analogue of beta2-microglobulin, a protein that is homologous in amino acid sequence to the constant domains of immunoglobulins and is the light chain of the human and murine major histocompatability antigens. The protein crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with a = 77.4, b = 47.9, and c = 34.3 A. The unit cell parameters and physical chemical solution studies indicate that the molecule exists in the crystal and in solution as a single polypeptide chain of 12,000 daltons. Images PMID:71731

Isolation of brucella abortus from two dogs in contact with bovine brucellosis.

PubMed Central

Prior, M G

1976-01-01

On a farm where several cattle were serologically positive for bovine brucellosis, three dogs were found to have titres greater than 400 i.u. to Brucella abortus. The titres persisted until the dogs were killed over two months later. Two male dogs were necropsied. B. abortus was isolated from the spleen of both dogs. While farm dogs are not thought to be a major reservoir of bovine brucellosis they may be considered as possible carriers in imfected herds and should be considered during the investigation and eradication of bovine brucellosis. PMID:826308

Evidence for the replication of bovine leukemia virus in the B lymphocytes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Paul, P.S.; Pomeroy, K.A.; Johnson, D.W.

1977-06-01

Bovine peripheral blood lymphocytes from a cow with persistent lymphocytosis were separated on nylon wool columns into nylon-adherent and nonadherent populations. Nylon-adherent cells were highly enriched for surface immunoglobulin (SIg) bearing B lymphocytes (95.5%) and nonadherent cells for SIg negative non-B cells, presumably T lymphocytes (96.3%). The B lymphocytes were found to be the major producers for bovine leukemia virus. A total of 39% of the B-enriched cells, surviving after 72 hours in culture, produced bovine leukemia virus as compared with 0.5% of the non-B cells.

Diagnosis of mycobacteria in bovine milk: an overview

PubMed Central

Bolaños, Carmen Alicia Daza; de Paula, Carolina Lechinski; Guerra, Simony Trevizan; Franco, Marília Masello Junqueira; Ribeiro, Márcio Garcia

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Tuberculosis remains as the world’s biggest threat. In 2014, human tuberculosis ranked as a major infectious disease by the first time, overcoming HIV death rates. Bovine tuberculosis is a chronic disease of global distribution that affects animals and can be transmitted to humans by the consumption of raw milk, representing a serious public health concern. Despite the efforts of different countries to control and eradicate bovine tuberculosis, the high negative economic impact on meat and milk production chains remains, given the decreased production efficiency (approximately 25%), the high number of condemned carcasses, and increased animal culling rates. This scenario has motivated the establishment of official programs based on regulations and diagnostic procedures. Although Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis are the major pathogenic species to humans and bovines, respectively, nontuberculous mycobacteria within the Mycobacterium genus have become increasingly important in recent decades due to human infections, including the ones that occur in immunocompetent people. Diagnosis of mycobacteria can be performed by microbiological culture from tissue samples (lymph nodes, lungs) and secretions (sputum, milk). In general, these pathogens demand special nutrient requirements for isolation/growth, and the use of selective and rich culture media. Indeed, within these genera, mycobacteria are classified as either fast- or slow-growth microorganisms. Regarding the latter ones, incubation times can vary from 45 to 90 days. Although microbiological culture is still considered the gold standard method for diagnosis, molecular approaches have been increasingly used. We describe here an overview of the diagnosis of Mycobacterium species in bovine milk. PMID:28591268

Diagnosis of mycobacteria in bovine milk: an overview.

PubMed

Bolaños, Carmen Alicia Daza; Paula, Carolina Lechinski de; Guerra, Simony Trevizan; Franco, Marília Masello Junqueira; Ribeiro, Márcio Garcia

2017-06-05

Tuberculosis remains as the world's biggest threat. In 2014, human tuberculosis ranked as a major infectious disease by the first time, overcoming HIV death rates. Bovine tuberculosis is a chronic disease of global distribution that affects animals and can be transmitted to humans by the consumption of raw milk, representing a serious public health concern. Despite the efforts of different countries to control and eradicate bovine tuberculosis, the high negative economic impact on meat and milk production chains remains, given the decreased production efficiency (approximately 25%), the high number of condemned carcasses, and increased animal culling rates. This scenario has motivated the establishment of official programs based on regulations and diagnostic procedures. Although Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis are the major pathogenic species to humans and bovines, respectively, nontuberculous mycobacteria within the Mycobacterium genus have become increasingly important in recent decades due to human infections, including the ones that occur in immunocompetent people. Diagnosis of mycobacteria can be performed by microbiological culture from tissue samples (lymph nodes, lungs) and secretions (sputum, milk). In general, these pathogens demand special nutrient requirements for isolation/growth, and the use of selective and rich culture media. Indeed, within these genera, mycobacteria are classified as either fast- or slow-growth microorganisms. Regarding the latter ones, incubation times can vary from 45 to 90 days. Although microbiological culture is still considered the gold standard method for diagnosis, molecular approaches have been increasingly used. We describe here an overview of the diagnosis of Mycobacterium species in bovine milk.

Oxytocin binding sites in bovine mammary tissue

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, Xin.

1989-01-01

Oxytocin binding sites were identified and characterized in bovine mammary tissue. ({sup 3}H)-oxytocin binding reached equilibrium by 50 min at 20{degree}C and by 8 hr at 4{degree}C. The half-time of displacement at 20{degree}C was approximately 1 hr. Thyrotropin releasing hormone, adrenocorticotropin, angiotensin I, angiotensin II, pentagastrin, bradykinin, xenopsin and L-valyl-histidyl-L-leucyl-L-threonyl-L-prolyl-L-valyl-L-glutamyl-L-lysine were not competitive. In the presence of 10 nM LiCl, addition of oxytocin to dispersed bovine mammary cells, in which phosphatidylinositol was pre-labelled, caused a time and dose-dependent increase in radioactive inositiol monophosphate incorporation. The possibility that there are distinct vasopressin receptors in bovine mammary tissue was investigated. ({sup 3}H)-vasopressinmore » binding reached equilibrium by 40 min at 20{degree}. The half-time of displacement at 20{degree}C was approximately 1 hr. The ability of the peptides to inhibit ({sup 3}H)-vasopressin binding was: (Thr{sup 4},Gly{sup 7})-oxytocin > Arg{sup 8}-vasopressin > (lys{sup 8})-vasopressin > (Deamino{sup 1},D-arg{sup 8})-vasopressin > oxytocin > d (CH{sub 2}){sub 5}Tyr(Me)AVP.« less

Comparison of the principal proteins in bovine, caprine, buffalo, equine and camel milk.

PubMed

Hinz, Katharina; O'Connor, Paula M; Huppertz, Thom; Ross, R Paul; Kelly, Alan L

2012-05-01

Proteomic analysis of bovine, caprine, buffalo, equine and camel milk highlighted significant interspecies differences. Camel milk was found to be devoid of β-lactoglobulin, whereas β-lactoglobulin was the major whey protein in bovine, buffalo, caprine, and equine milk. Five different isoforms of κ-casein were found in camel milk, analogous to the micro-heterogeneity observed for bovine κ-casein. Several spots observed in 2D-electrophoretograms of milk of all species could tentatively be identified as polypeptides arising from the enzymatic hydrolysis of caseins. The understanding gained from the proteomic comparison of these milks may be of relevance both in terms of identifying sources of hypoallergenic alternatives to bovine milk and detection of adulteration of milk samples and products.

Camel and bovine chymosin: the relationship between their structures and cheese-making properties.

PubMed

Langholm Jensen, Jesper; Mølgaard, Anne; Navarro Poulsen, Jens Christian; Harboe, Marianne Kirsten; Simonsen, Jens Bæk; Lorentzen, Andrea Maria; Hjernø, Karin; van den Brink, Johannes M; Qvist, Karsten Bruun; Larsen, Sine

2013-05-01

Bovine and camel chymosin are aspartic peptidases that are used industrially in cheese production. They cleave the Phe105-Met106 bond of the milk protein κ-casein, releasing its predominantly negatively charged C-terminus, which leads to the separation of the milk into curds and whey. Despite having 85% sequence identity, camel chymosin shows a 70% higher milk-clotting activity than bovine chymosin towards bovine milk. The activities, structures, thermal stabilities and glycosylation patterns of bovine and camel chymosin obtained by fermentation in Aspergillus niger have been examined. Different variants of the enzymes were isolated by hydrophobic interaction chromatography and showed variations in their glycosylation, N-terminal sequences and activities. Glycosylation at Asn291 and the loss of the first three residues of camel chymosin significantly decreased its activity. Thermal differential scanning calorimetry revealed a slightly higher thermal stability of camel chymosin compared with bovine chymosin. The crystal structure of a doubly glycosylated variant of camel chymosin was determined at a resolution of 1.6 Å and the crystal structure of unglycosylated bovine chymosin was redetermined at a slightly higher resolution (1.8 Å) than previously determined structures. Camel and bovine chymosin share the same overall fold, except for the antiparallel central β-sheet that connects the N-terminal and C-terminal domains. In bovine chymosin the N-terminus forms one of the strands which is lacking in camel chymosin. This difference leads to an increase in the flexibility of the relative orientation of the two domains in the camel enzyme. Variations in the amino acids delineating the substrate-binding cleft suggest a greater flexibility in the ability to accommodate the substrate in camel chymosin. Both enzymes possess local positively charged patches on their surface that can play a role in interactions with the overall negatively charged C-terminus of κ

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the bovine MHC region of Japanese Black cattle are associated with bovine leukemia virus proviral load.

PubMed

Takeshima, Shin-Nosuke; Sasaki, Shinji; Meripet, Polat; Sugimoto, Yoshikazu; Aida, Yoko

2017-04-04

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is the causative agent of enzootic bovine leukosis, a malignant B cell lymphoma that has spread worldwide and causes serious problems for the cattle industry. The BLV proviral load, which represents the BLV genome integrated into host genome, is a useful index for estimating disease progression and transmission risk. Here, we conducted a genome-wide association study to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with BLV proviral load in Japanese Black cattle. The study examined 93 cattle with a high proviral load and 266 with a low proviral load. Three SNPs showed a significant association with proviral load. One SNP was detected in the CNTN3 gene on chromosome 22, and two (which were not in linkage disequilibrium) were detected in the bovine major histocompatibility complex region on chromosome 23. These results suggest that polymorphisms in the major histocompatibility complex region affect proviral load. This is the first report to detect SNPs associated with BLV proviral load in Japanese Black cattle using whole genome association study, and understanding host factors may provide important clues for controlling the spread of BLV in Japanese Black cattle.

Mycobacterium bovis (Bovine Tuberculosis) in Humans

MedlinePlus

... Tuberculosis Eradication Program, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, state animal health agencies, and U.S. livestock producers, ... contact with animals. Additional Information • • U.S. Department of Agriculture Bovine Tuberculosis fact sheet http: / / www. aphis. usda. ...

Degalactosylated/Desialylated Bovine Colostrum Induces Macrophage Phagocytic Activity Independently of Inflammatory Cytokine Production.

PubMed

Uto, Yoshihiro; Kawai, Tomohito; Sasaki, Toshihide; Hamada, Ken; Yamada, Hisatsugu; Kuchiike, Daisuke; Kubo, Kentaro; Inui, Toshio; Mette, Martin; Tokunaga, Ken; Hayakawa, Akio; Go, Akiteru; Oosaki, Tomohiro

2015-08-01

Colostrum contains antibodies, such as immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin M (IgM), and, therefore, has potent immunomodulating activity. In particular, IgA has an O-linked sugar chain similar to that in the group-specific component (Gc) protein, a precursor of the Gc protein-derived macrophage-activating factor (GcMAF). In the present study, we investigated the macrophage-activating effects of degalactosylated/desialylated bovine colostrum. We detected the positive band in degalactosylated/ desialylated bovine colostrum by western blotting using Helix pomatia agglutinin lectin. We also found that degalactosylated/ desialylated bovine colostrum could significantly enhance the phagocytic activity of mouse peritoneal macrophages in vitro and of intestinal macrophages in vivo. Besides, degalactosylated/desialylated bovine colostrum did not mediate the production of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). Similar to the use of GcMAF, degalactosylated/desialylated bovine colostrum can be used as a potential macrophage activator for various immunotherapies. Copyright© 2015 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

Effect of ECM2 expression on bovine skeletal muscle-derived satellite cell differentiation.

PubMed

Liu, Chang; Tong, Huili; Li, Shufeng; Yan, Yunqin

2018-05-01

Extracellular matrix components have important regulatory functions during cell proliferation and differentiation. In recent study, extracellular matrix were shown to have a strong effect on skeletal muscle differentiation. Here, we aimed to elucidate the effects of extracellular matrix protein 2 (ECM2), an extracellular matrix component, on the differentiation of bovine skeletal muscle-derived satellite cells (MDSCs). Western blot and immunofluorescence analyses were used to elucidate the ECM2 expression pattern in bovine MDSCs during differentiation in vitro. CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to activate or inhibit ECM2 expression to study its effects on the in vitro differentiation of bovine MDSCs. ECM2 expression was shown to increase gradually during bovine MDSC differentiation, and the levels of this protein were higher in more highly differentiated myotubes. ECM2 activation promoted MDSC differentiation, whereas its suppression inhibited the differentiation of these cells. Here, for the first time, we demonstrated the importance of ECM2 expression during bovine MDSC differentiation; these results could lead to treatments that help to increase beef cattle muscularity. © 2018 International Federation for Cell Biology.

Mannheimia haemolytica and Its Leukotoxin Cause Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation by Bovine Neutrophils▿

PubMed Central

Aulik, Nicole A.; Hellenbrand, Katrina M.; Klos, Heather; Czuprynski, Charles J.

2010-01-01

Mannheimia haemolytica is an important member of the bovine respiratory disease complex, which is characterized by abundant neutrophil infiltration into the alveoli and fibrin deposition. Recently several authors have reported that human neutrophils release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which are protein-studded DNA matrices capable of trapping and killing pathogens. Here, we demonstrate that the leukotoxin (LKT) of M. haemolytica causes NET formation by bovine neutrophils in a CD18-dependent manner. Using an unacylated, noncytotoxic pro-LKT produced by an ΔlktC mutant of M. haemolytica, we show that binding of unacylated pro-LKT stimulates NET formation despite a lack of cytotoxicity. Inhibition of LKT binding to the CD18 chain of lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) on bovine neutrophils reduced NET formation in response to LKT or M. haemolytica cells. Further investigation revealed that NETs formed in response to M. haemolytica are capable of trapping and killing a portion of the bacterial cells. NET formation was confirmed by confocal microscopy and by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Prior exposure of bovine neutrophils to LKT enhanced subsequent trapping and killing of M. haemolytica cells in bovine NETs. Understanding NET formation in response to M. haemolytica and its LKT provides a new perspective on how neutrophils contribute to the pathogenesis of bovine respiratory disease. PMID:20823211

Bovine Genome Database: supporting community annotation and analysis of the Bos taurus genome

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background A goal of the Bovine Genome Database (BGD; http://BovineGenome.org) has been to support the Bovine Genome Sequencing and Analysis Consortium (BGSAC) in the annotation and analysis of the bovine genome. We were faced with several challenges, including the need to maintain consistent quality despite diversity in annotation expertise in the research community, the need to maintain consistent data formats, and the need to minimize the potential duplication of annotation effort. With new sequencing technologies allowing many more eukaryotic genomes to be sequenced, the demand for collaborative annotation is likely to increase. Here we present our approach, challenges and solutions facilitating a large distributed annotation project. Results and Discussion BGD has provided annotation tools that supported 147 members of the BGSAC in contributing 3,871 gene models over a fifteen-week period, and these annotations have been integrated into the bovine Official Gene Set. Our approach has been to provide an annotation system, which includes a BLAST site, multiple genome browsers, an annotation portal, and the Apollo Annotation Editor configured to connect directly to our Chado database. In addition to implementing and integrating components of the annotation system, we have performed computational analyses to create gene evidence tracks and a consensus gene set, which can be viewed on individual gene pages at BGD. Conclusions We have provided annotation tools that alleviate challenges associated with distributed annotation. Our system provides a consistent set of data to all annotators and eliminates the need for annotators to format data. Involving the bovine research community in genome annotation has allowed us to leverage expertise in various areas of bovine biology to provide biological insight into the genome sequence. PMID:21092105

The role of virus dose in experimental bovine leukemia virus infection in sheep.

PubMed

Stirtzinger, T; Valli, V E; Miller, J M

1988-04-01

Twenty-four, six month old lambs were assembled into four groups of five animals each and one group of four animals. All groups were inoculated with lymphocytes from a single donor lamb infected with bovine leukemia virus. The inoculum varied from 250 to 250,000 lymphocytes, in tenfold increments. Animals were exposed by intradermal injection in the neck region immediately anterior to the left shoulder joint. All groups were monitored at 0, 3, 7 and 12 weeks after inoculation using the following procedures: a. Syncytia induction assay for detection of bovine leukemia virus in peripheral blood lymphocytes. b. Agar gel immunodiffusion against the gp51 antigen of bovine leukemia virus for the detection of antibovine leukemia virus gp51 antibody. c. Lymphocyte stimulation test for the assessment of cell-mediated immunity using mitogen, nonfractionated bovine leukemia virus antigen, and partially purified bovine lymphoma tumor-associated antigen for the in vitro activation of lymphocytes from bovine leukemia virus-inoculated and sham-inoculated, control animals. d. Routine hematological techniques for the assessment of total leukocyte and lymphocyte counts. The median infectious dose for lymphocytes from the single bovine leukemia virus-infected donor used in this study was determined to be 2000 cells. The syncytia induction assay detected more infected individuals (13/23) at an earlier time than did the agar gel immunodiffusion assay (10/23). Using either serological or virus isolation techniques, infected animals were first detected at three weeks postinoculation in the group receiving the high-dose inoculum and at seven weeks postinoculation in groups receiving low- or medium-dose inocula.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Stability of Bovine viral diarrhea virus 1 nucleic acid in fetal bovine samples stored under different conditions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Infection of pregnant cattle with bovine viral diarrhea viruses can result in reproductive disease that includes fetal reabsorption, mummification, abortion, still births, congenital defects affecting structural, neural, reproductive and immune systems and the birth of calves persistently infected w...

Propagation of time-reversed Lamb waves in bovine cortical bone in vitro.

PubMed

Lee, Kang Il; Yoon, Suk Wang

2015-01-01

The present study aims to investigate the propagation of time-reversed Lamb waves in bovine cortical bone in vitro. The time-reversed Lamb waves were successfully launched at 200 kHz in 18 bovine tibiae through a time reversal process of Lamb waves. The group velocities of the time-reversed Lamb waves in the bovine tibiae were measured using the axial transmission technique. They showed a significant correlation with the cortical thickness and tended to follow the theoretical group velocity of the lowest order antisymmetrical Lamb wave fairly well, consistent with the behavior of the slow guided wave in long cortical bones.

Stem Cell Research: A Novel Boulevard towards Improved Bovine Mastitis Management

PubMed Central

Sharma, Neelesh; Jeong, Dong Kee

2013-01-01

The dairy industry is a multi-billion dollar industry catering the nutritional needs of all age groups globally through the supply of milk. Clinical mastitis has a severe impact on udder tissue and is also an animal welfare issue. Moreover, it significantly reduces animal value and milk production. Mammary tissue damage reduces the number and activity of epithelial cells and consequently contributes to decreased milk production. The high incidence, low cure rate of this highly economic and sometimes deadly disease is an alarming for dairy sector as well as policy makers. Bovine mammary epithelial cells (MECs) and their stem cells are very important in milk production and bioengineering. The adult mammary epithelium consists of two main cell types; an inner layer of luminal epithelial cells, which produce the milk during lactation, and an outer layer of myoepithelial cells resting on a basement membrane, which are responsible for pushing the milk through the ductal network to the teat cistern. Inner layer of columner/luminal cells of bovine MECs, is characterized by cytokeratin18, 19 (CK18, CK19) and outer layer such as myoepithelial cells which are characterized by CK14, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and p63. Much work has been done in mouse and human, on mammary gland stem cell research, particularly in cancer therapy, but stem cell research in bovine is still in its infancy. Such stem/progenitor cell discoveries in human and mouse mammary gland bring some hope for application in bovines. These progenitors may be therapeutically adopted to correct the structural/cytological defects in the bovine udder due to mastitis. In the present review we focused on various kinds of stem/progenitor cells which can have therapeutic utility and their possibilities to use as a potential stem cell therapy in the management of bovine post-mastitis damage in orders to restore milk production. The possibilities of bovine mammary stem cell therapy offers significant potential for

Stem cell research: a novel boulevard towards improved bovine mastitis management.

PubMed

Sharma, Neelesh; Jeong, Dong Kee

2013-01-01

The dairy industry is a multi-billion dollar industry catering the nutritional needs of all age groups globally through the supply of milk. Clinical mastitis has a severe impact on udder tissue and is also an animal welfare issue. Moreover, it significantly reduces animal value and milk production. Mammary tissue damage reduces the number and activity of epithelial cells and consequently contributes to decreased milk production. The high incidence, low cure rate of this highly economic and sometimes deadly disease is an alarming for dairy sector as well as policy makers. Bovine mammary epithelial cells (MECs) and their stem cells are very important in milk production and bioengineering. The adult mammary epithelium consists of two main cell types; an inner layer of luminal epithelial cells, which produce the milk during lactation, and an outer layer of myoepithelial cells resting on a basement membrane, which are responsible for pushing the milk through the ductal network to the teat cistern. Inner layer of columner/luminal cells of bovine MECs, is characterized by cytokeratin18, 19 (CK18, CK19) and outer layer such as myoepithelial cells which are characterized by CK14, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and p63. Much work has been done in mouse and human, on mammary gland stem cell research, particularly in cancer therapy, but stem cell research in bovine is still in its infancy. Such stem/progenitor cell discoveries in human and mouse mammary gland bring some hope for application in bovines. These progenitors may be therapeutically adopted to correct the structural/cytological defects in the bovine udder due to mastitis. In the present review we focused on various kinds of stem/progenitor cells which can have therapeutic utility and their possibilities to use as a potential stem cell therapy in the management of bovine post-mastitis damage in orders to restore milk production. The possibilities of bovine mammary stem cell therapy offers significant potential for

Functional characterisation of bovine TLR5 indicates species-specific recognition of flagellin☆

PubMed Central

Metcalfe, Hannah J.; La Ragione, Roberto M.; Smith, David G.E.; Werling, Dirk

2014-01-01

Mammalian toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) senses flagellin of several bacterial species and has been described to activate the innate immune system. To assess the role of bovine TLR5 (boTLR5) in the cattle system, we cloned and successfully expressed boTLR5 in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells, as indicated by quantitative PCR and confocal microscopy. However, in contrast to huTLR5-transfected cells, exposure of boTLR5-transfected cells to flagellin neither activated nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) nor CXCL8 production. Subsequent comparison of the flagellin response induced in human and bovine primary macrophages revealed that flagellin did not lead to phosphorylation of major signalling molecules. Furthermore, the CXCL8 and TNFα response of primary bovine macrophages stimulated with flagellin was very low compared to that observed in human primary macrophages. Our results indicate that cattle express a functional TLR5 albeit with different flagellin sensing qualities compared to human TLR5. However, boTLR5 seemed to play a different role in the bovine system compared to the human system in recognizing flagellin, and other potentially intracellular expressed receptors may play a more important role in the bovine system to detect flagellin. PMID:24461722

Interaction of Bovine Peripheral Blood Polymorphonuclear Cells and Leptospira Species; Innate Responses in the Natural Bovine Reservoir Host

PubMed Central

Wilson-Welder, Jennifer H.; Frank, Ami T.; Hornsby, Richard L.; Olsen, Steven C.; Alt, David P.

2016-01-01

Cattle are the reservoir hosts of Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo, and can also be reservoir hosts of other Leptospira species such as L. kirschneri, and Leptospira interrogans. As a reservoir host, cattle shed Leptospira, infecting other animals, including humans. Previous studies with human and murine neutrophils have shown activation of neutrophil extracellular trap or NET formation, and upregulation of inflammatory mediators by neutrophils in the presence of Leptospira. Humans, companion animals and most widely studied models of Leptospirosis are of acute infection, hallmarked by systemic inflammatory response, neutrophilia, and septicemia. In contrast, cattle exhibit chronic infection with few outward clinical signs aside from reproductive failure. Taking into consideration that there is host species variation in innate immunity, especially in pathogen recognition and response, the interaction of bovine peripheral blood polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) and several Leptospira strains was evaluated. Studies including bovine-adapted strains, human pathogen strains, a saprophyte and inactivated organisms. Incubation of PMNs with Leptospira did induce slight activation of neutrophil NETs, greater than unstimulated cells but less than the quantity from E. coli P4 stimulated PMNs. Very low but significant from non-stimulated, levels of reactive oxygen peroxides were produced in the presence of all Leptospira strains and E. coli P4. Similarly, significant levels of reactive nitrogen intermediaries (NO2) was produced from PMNs when incubated with the Leptospira strains and greater quantities in the presence of E. coli P4. PMNs incubated with Leptospira induced RNA transcripts of IL-1β, MIP-1α, and TNF-α, with greater amounts induced by live organisms when compared to heat-inactivated leptospires. Transcript for inflammatory cytokine IL-8 was also induced, at similar levels regardless of Leptospira strain or viability. However, incubation of Leptospira strains

Bovine Lactoferrampin, Human Lactoferricin, and Lactoferrin 1-11 Inhibit Nuclear Translocation of HIV Integrase.

PubMed

Wang, Winston Yan; Wong, Jack Ho; Ip, Denis Tsz Ming; Wan, David Chi Cheong; Cheung, Randy Chifai; Ng, Tzi Bun

2016-08-01

This study aimed to investigate fragments derived from human and bovine lactoferrins for ability to inhibit nuclear translocation of HIV-1 integrase. It was shown that human lactoferricin, human lactoferrin 1-11, and bovine lactoferrampin reduced nuclear distribution of HIV-1 integrase. Bovine lactoferrampin could inhibit both the activity and nuclear translocation of HIV-1 integrase. Human lactoferrampin, bovine lactoferricin, and bovine lactoferrin 1-11 had no effect on HIV-1 integrase nuclear translocation. Human lactoferrampin which inhibited the activity of integrase did not prevent its nuclear translocation. Human lactoferricin and lactoferrin 1-11 did not inhibit HIV-1 integrase nuclear translocation despite their ability to attenuate the enzyme activity. The discrepancy between the findings on reduction of HIV-1 activity and inhibition of nuclear translocation of HIV-1 integrase was due to the different mechanisms involved. A similar reasoning can also be applied to the different inhibitory potencies of the milk peptides on different HIV enzymes, i.e., nuclear translocation.

Cell Type-Specific Modulation of Cobalamin Uptake by Bovine Serum

PubMed Central

Zhao, Hua; Ruberu, Kalani; Li, Hongyun; Garner, Brett

2016-01-01

Tracking cellular 57Co-labelled cobalamin (57Co-Cbl) uptake is a well-established method for studying Cbl homeostasis. Previous studies established that bovine serum is not generally permissive for cellular Cbl uptake when used as a supplement in cell culture medium, whereas supplementation with human serum promotes cellular Cbl uptake. The underlying reasons for these differences are not fully defined. In the current study we address this question. We extend earlier observations by showing that fetal calf serum inhibits cellular 57Co-Cbl uptake by HT1080 cells (a fibrosarcoma-derived fibroblast cell line). Furthermore, we discovered that a simple heat-treatment protocol (95°C for 10 min) ameliorates this inhibitory activity for HT1080 cell 57Co-Cbl uptake. We provide evidence that the very high level of haptocorrin in bovine serum (as compared to human serum) is responsible for this inhibitory activity. We suggest that bovine haptocorrin competes with cell-derived transcobalamin for Cbl binding, and that cellular Cbl uptake may be minimised in the presence of large amounts of bovine haptocorrin that are present under routine in vitro cell culture conditions. In experiments conducted with AG01518 cells (a neonatal foreskin-derived fibroblast cell line), overall cellular 57Co-Cbl uptake was 86% lower than for HT1080 cells, cellular TC production was below levels detectable by western blotting, and heat treatment of fetal calf serum resulted in only a modest increase in cellular 57Co-Cbl uptake. We recommend a careful assessment of cell culture protocols should be conducted in order to determine the potential benefits that heat-treated bovine serum may provide for in vitro studies of mammalian cell lines. PMID:27893837

Adherence of Moraxella bovis to cell cultures of bovine origin.

PubMed

Annuar, B O; Wilcox, G E

1985-09-01

The adherence of five strains of Moraxella bovis to cell cultures was investigated. M bovis adhered to cultures of bovine corneal epithelial and Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells but not to cell types of non-bovine origin. Both piliated and unpiliated strains adhered but piliated strains adhered to a greater extent than unpiliated strains. Antiserum against pili of one strain inhibited adherence of piliated strains but caused only slight inhibition of adherence to the unpiliated strains. Treatment of bacteria with magnesium chloride caused detachment of pili from the bacterial cell and markedly inhibited adherence of piliated strains but caused only slight inhibition of adherence by the unpiliated strains. The results suggested that adhesion of piliated strains to cell cultures was mediated via pili but that adhesins other than pili may be involved in the attachment of unpiliated strains of M bovis to cells.

Prototheca zopfii genotypes isolated from cow barns and bovine mastitis in Japan.

PubMed

Osumi, Takafumi; Kishimoto, Yuji; Kano, Rui; Maruyama, Haruhiko; Onozaki, Masanobu; Makimura, Koichi; Ito, Takaaki; Matsubara, Kiyoshi; Hasegawa, Atsuhiko

2008-10-15

This study is the first investigation on Japanese isolates of Prototheca zopfii from bovine mastitis and the cow-barn surroundings by molecular characterization to clarify routes of infection for bovine protothecal mastitis. We performed isolation of Prototheca from cow-barn surroundings (drinking water, sewage and feces) and milk samples from cases of bovine mastitis. Genotypes of the 32 isolates of P. zopfii from cow-barn surroundings and 67 isolates from mastitis were analyzed by genotype-specific PCR assays and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assays. All mastitis isolates were identified as P. zopfii genotype 2. Conversely, 29 isolates from cow-barn surroundings were identified as P. zopfii genotypes 1 and 3 isolates as genotype 2, respectively. Given these results, both genotypes of P. zopfii could exist in cow-barn surroundings, but no sites were identified as frequent sources of P. zopfii genotype 2. P. zopfii isolates should thus be further explored with regard to genotype to clarify the reservoir of etiological agents in bovine Prototheca mastitis.

Comparative experimental infection of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria ivanovii in bovine trophoblasts.

PubMed

Rocha, Cláudia E; Mol, Juliana P S; Garcia, Luize N N; Costa, Luciana F; Santos, Renato L; Paixão, Tatiane A

2017-01-01

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive, facultative intracellular and invasive bacterium that has tropism to the placenta, and causes fetal morbidity and mortality in several mammalian species. While infection with L. monocytogenes and L. ivanovii are known as important causes of abortion and reproductive failure in cattle, the pathogenesis of maternal-fetal listeriosis in this species is poorly known. This study used the bovine chorioallantoic membrane explant model to investigate the kinetics of L. monocytogenes, L. ivanovii, and L. innocua infections in bovine trophoblastic cells for up to 8 h post infection. L. monocytogenes and L. ivanovii were able to invade and multiply in trophoblastic cells without causing cell death or inducing expression of pro-inflammatory genes. Although L. innocua was unable to multiply in bovine trophoblastic cells, it induced transcription of the pro-inflammatory mediator CXCL6. This study demonstrated for the first time the susceptibility of bovine trophoblastic cells to L. monocytogenes and L. ivanovii infection.

Comparative experimental infection of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria ivanovii in bovine trophoblasts

PubMed Central

Rocha, Cláudia E.; Mol, Juliana P. S.; Garcia, Luize N. N.; Costa, Luciana F.; Santos, Renato L.

2017-01-01

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive, facultative intracellular and invasive bacterium that has tropism to the placenta, and causes fetal morbidity and mortality in several mammalian species. While infection with L. monocytogenes and L. ivanovii are known as important causes of abortion and reproductive failure in cattle, the pathogenesis of maternal-fetal listeriosis in this species is poorly known. This study used the bovine chorioallantoic membrane explant model to investigate the kinetics of L. monocytogenes, L. ivanovii, and L. innocua infections in bovine trophoblastic cells for up to 8 h post infection. L. monocytogenes and L. ivanovii were able to invade and multiply in trophoblastic cells without causing cell death or inducing expression of pro-inflammatory genes. Although L. innocua was unable to multiply in bovine trophoblastic cells, it induced transcription of the pro-inflammatory mediator CXCL6. This study demonstrated for the first time the susceptibility of bovine trophoblastic cells to L. monocytogenes and L. ivanovii infection. PMID:28467447

Attenuated sensing of SHH by Ptch1 underlies evolution of bovine limbs.

PubMed

Lopez-Rios, Javier; Duchesne, Amandine; Speziale, Dario; Andrey, Guillaume; Peterson, Kevin A; Germann, Philipp; Unal, Erkan; Liu, Jing; Floriot, Sandrine; Barbey, Sarah; Gallard, Yves; Müller-Gerbl, Magdalena; Courtney, Andrew D; Klopp, Christophe; Rodriguez, Sabrina; Ivanek, Robert; Beisel, Christian; Wicking, Carol; Iber, Dagmar; Robert, Benoit; McMahon, Andrew P; Duboule, Denis; Zeller, Rolf

2014-07-03

The large spectrum of limb morphologies reflects the wide evolutionary diversification of the basic pentadactyl pattern in tetrapods. In even-toed ungulates (artiodactyls, including cattle), limbs are adapted for running as a consequence of progressive reduction of their distal skeleton to symmetrical and elongated middle digits with hoofed phalanges. Here we analyse bovine embryos to establish that polarized gene expression is progressively lost during limb development in comparison to the mouse. Notably, the transcriptional upregulation of the Ptch1 gene, which encodes a Sonic hedgehog (SHH) receptor, is disrupted specifically in the bovine limb bud mesenchyme. This is due to evolutionary alteration of a Ptch1 cis-regulatory module, which no longer responds to graded SHH signalling during bovine handplate development. Our study provides a molecular explanation for the loss of digit asymmetry in bovine limb buds and suggests that modifications affecting the Ptch1 cis-regulatory landscape have contributed to evolutionary diversification of artiodactyl limbs.

Bovine mastitis: An appraisal of its alternative herbal cure.

PubMed

Mushtaq, Saleem; Shah, Aabid Manzoor; Shah, Aiyatullah; Lone, Sajad Ahmad; Hussain, Aehtesham; Hassan, Qazi Parvaiz; Ali, Md Niamat

2018-01-01

Bovine mastitis is globally recognized as the most common and costly disease affecting dairy herds. The disease causes huge financial losses to dairy industries by reduced yield and milk quality, deaths and culling of affected cows and also by associated treatment costs. The disease occurs due to invasion of the mammary glands by pathogenic bacteria followed by their multiplication in the milk producing tissues. The most common treatment method available against bovine mastitis is the intra-mammary infusion of antibiotics. However, their use is associated with the problem of antimicrobial resistance. This scenario has made search for alternative treatment approaches necessary. Medicinal plants with their well-established history are an excellent natural product resource used as an alternative therapy. Antibacterial agents from plants can act as important sources of novel antibiotics, efflux pump inhibitors, compounds that target bacterial virulence or can be used in combination with existing drugs. The plants form an essential component of ethno-veterinary medicine used in the treatment of different diseases like bovine mastitis. This review article attempts to provide an overview of the different medicinal plants used in the treatment of bovine mastitis. Antimicrobial studies of these plant species and some of their isolated constituents have been reviewed in detail. It highlights the logic and precedence behind mining this important natural product resource. Our own research findings in this direction and future scope of research are also discussed briefly. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Establishment and characterization of feeder cell-dependent bovine fetal liver cell lines.

PubMed

Talbot, Neil C; Wang, Ling; Garrett, Wesley M; Caperna, Thomas J; Tang, Young

2016-03-01

The establishment and initial characterization of bovine fetal liver cell lines are described. Bovine fetal hepatocytes were cultured from the liver of a 34-d bovine fetus by physical disruption of the liver tissue. Released liver cells and clumps of cells were plated on STO (SIMS mouse strain, thioguanine- and ouabain-resistant) feeder layers and were cultured in a medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. After 2-3 wk, primary colonies of hepatocytes were observed by phase-contrast microscopic observation. Individual hepatocyte colonies were colony-cloned into independent bovine fetal liver (BFL) cell lines. Two cell lines, BFL-6 and BFL-9, grew the best of several isolates, and they were further characterized for growth potential and for hepatocyte morphology and function. The two cell lines were found to grow markedly better in the presence of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta inhibitor, SB431542 (1 μM). Their continuous culture also depended on a particular medium height-for T12.5 flasks, 3 ml total medium produced optimum growth. Higher or lower amounts of medium caused less cell growth or cessation of growth. The cell lines were propagated for over a year at split ratios of 1:2 or 1:3 at each passage until reaching senescence at approximately 30 passages. The cells were laterally polarized with well-developed canalicular spaces occurring between adjacent BFL cells. Treatment of the cultures with cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-stimulating chemicals or peptides (e.g., forskolin or glucagon) caused physical expansion of the canaliculi between the cells within 15 min. The cells secreted a spectrum of serum proteins, were positive for the expression of several hepatocyte-specific genes, and converted ammonia to urea, although at a relatively low rate. The culture system provides an in vitro model of fetal bovine hepatocytes and is the first demonstration of the continuous culture of normal bovine hepatocytes as cell lines.

Quality control of commercial bovine lactoferrin.

PubMed

Wakabayashi, Hiroyuki; Yamauchi, Koji; Abe, Fumiaki

2018-06-01

Herein we review commercial bovine lactoferrin quality issues by describing an example of industrial production, the current status of global quality standardization, and quality-activity concerns for further discussion. Morinaga Milk Industry has been industrially producing bovine lactoferrin in Milei GmbH, Germany, since 1989. We delineate its production and quality as an example of safe and high-quality manufacturing. Currently, global standardization in the quality of bovine lactoferrin is progressing through Novel Food and GRAS in the EU and USA, respectively. Novel Food was applied or notified to seven lactoferrin manufacturers and GRAS was notified to three manufacturers, two of which are for infant use and one is for adult use, by the end of 2017. The specifications of these regulations are relatively high, including more than 95% lactoferrin purity in protein, which means that such companies can supply relatively high-grade lactoferrin. There appear to be several concerns regarding lactoferrin quality affecting activities, including contamination of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and angiogenin, purity, and degradation of lactoferrin sample. Although LPS is immunologically toxic when invading the body, it is distributed normally in foods and the gut. However, an industrial lactoferrin sample may contain LPS at a maximum LPS/lactoferrin molecule ratio = 1/1724, which means 99.9% of the lactoferrin molecule is LPS-free. It is difficult to speculate that LPS contained in a lactoferrin sample affects its activities. Finally in order to achieve good and reproducible results, we make proposals to researchers a use of high-grade lactoferrin, careful storage, and indication the manufacturers' names and specifications in the paper.

Computed Tomography of the Normal Bovine Tarsus.

PubMed

Hagag, U; Tawfiek, M; Brehm, W; Gerlach, K

2016-12-01

The objective of this study was to provide a detailed multiplanar computed tomographic (CT) anatomic reference for the bovine tarsus. The tarsal regions from twelve healthy adult cow cadavers were scanned in both soft and bone windows via a 16-slice multidetector CT scanner. Tarsi were frozen at -20 o C and sectioned to 10-mm-thick slices in transverse, dorsal and sagittal planes respecting the imaging protocol. The frozen sections were cleaned and then photographed. Anatomic structures were identified, labelled and compared with the corresponding CT images. The sagittal plane was indispensable for evaluation of bone contours, the dorsal plane was valuable in examination of the collateral ligaments, and both were beneficial for assessment of the tarsal joint articulations. CT images allowed excellent delineation between the cortex and medulla of bones, and the trabecular structure was clearly depicted. The tarsal soft tissues showed variable shades of grey, and the synovial fluid was the lowest attenuated structure. This study provided full assessment of the clinically relevant anatomic structures of the bovine tarsal joint. This technique may be of value when results from other diagnostic imaging techniques are indecisive. Images presented in this study should serve as a basic CT reference and assist in the interpretation of various bovine tarsal pathology. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

High prevalence of Schistosoma japonicum and Fasciola gigantica in bovines from Northern Samar, the Philippines.

PubMed

Gordon, Catherine A; Acosta, Luz P; Gobert, Geoffrey N; Jiz, Mario; Olveda, Remigio M; Ross, Allen G; Gray, Darren J; Williams, Gail M; Harn, Donald; Li, Yuesheng; McManus, Donald P

2015-02-01

The cause of zoonotic schistosomiasis in the Philippines is Schistosoma japonicum, which infects up to 46 mammalian hosts, including humans and bovines. In China, water buffaloes have been identified as major reservoir hosts for schistosomiasis japonica, contributing up to 75% of human transmission. In the Philippines, water buffaloes (carabao; Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) have, historically, been considered unimportant reservoirs. We therefore revisited the possible role of bovines in schistosome transmission in the Philippines, using the recently described formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation (FEA-SD) technique and a qPCR assay to examine fecal samples from 153 bovines (both carabao and cattle) from six barangays in Northern Samar. A high prevalence of S. japonicum was found using qPCR and FEA-SD in both cattle (87.50% and 77.08%, respectively) and carabao (80.00% and 55.24%, respectively). The average daily egg output for each bovine was calculated at 195,000. High prevalence and infection intensity of F. gigantica was also found in the bovines by qPCR and FEA-SD (95.33% and 96.00%, respectively). The identification of bovines as major reservoir hosts for S. japonicum transmission suggests that bovine treatment and/or vaccination, as one becomes available, should be included in any future control program that aims to reduce the disease burden due to schistosomiasis in the Philippines.

High Prevalence of Schistosoma japonicum and Fasciola gigantica in Bovines from Northern Samar, the Philippines

PubMed Central

Gordon, Catherine A.; Acosta, Luz P.; Gobert, Geoffrey N.; Jiz, Mario; Olveda, Remigio M.; Ross, Allen G.; Gray, Darren J.; Williams, Gail M.; Harn, Donald; Li, Yuesheng; McManus, Donald P.

2015-01-01

The cause of zoonotic schistosomiasis in the Philippines is Schistosoma japonicum, which infects up to 46 mammalian hosts, including humans and bovines. In China, water buffaloes have been identified as major reservoir hosts for schistosomiasis japonica, contributing up to 75% of human transmission. In the Philippines, water buffaloes (carabao; Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) have, historically, been considered unimportant reservoirs. We therefore revisited the possible role of bovines in schistosome transmission in the Philippines, using the recently described formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation (FEA-SD) technique and a qPCR assay to examine fecal samples from 153 bovines (both carabao and cattle) from six barangays in Northern Samar. A high prevalence of S. japonicum was found using qPCR and FEA-SD in both cattle (87.50% and 77.08%, respectively) and carabao (80.00% and 55.24%, respectively). The average daily egg output for each bovine was calculated at 195,000. High prevalence and infection intensity of F. gigantica was also found in the bovines by qPCR and FEA-SD (95.33% and 96.00%, respectively). The identification of bovines as major reservoir hosts for S. japonicum transmission suggests that bovine treatment and/or vaccination, as one becomes available, should be included in any future control program that aims to reduce the disease burden due to schistosomiasis in the Philippines. PMID:25643317

Clinical features of human salmonellosis caused by bovine-associated subtypes in New York.

PubMed

Cummings, Kevin J; Warnick, Lorin D; Gröhn, Yrjö T; Hoelzer, Karin; Root, Timothy P; Siler, Julie D; McGuire, Suzanne M; Wright, Emily M; Zansky, Shelley M; Wiedmann, Martin

2012-09-01

The objective of this study was to identify patient symptoms and case outcomes that were more likely to occur as a result of Salmonella infections caused by bovine-associated subtypes (isolates that matched contemporary bovine isolates from New York by serovar and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern), as compared to salmonellosis caused by non-bovine-associated subtypes. Data were collected in 34 counties of New York that comprise the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) catchment area of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Emerging Infections Program. Patients with specimen collection dates between March 1, 2008 and March 1, 2010 were included. Symptoms and outcomes of 40 cases infected with bovine-associated Salmonella subtypes were compared to those of 379 control-cases infected with Salmonella isolates that were not bovine-associated. Cases were significantly more likely to have invasive salmonellosis (odds ratio, 3.8; p-value=0.02), after adjusting for age group, gender, and race. In addition, there was a marginal association between case status and the presence of blood in the stool (p-value=0.1) while ill. These findings might have implications for patient management, as a history of consuming undercooked foods of bovine origin or having direct contact with cattle in the few days prior to illness could be useful for suggesting a more proactive diagnostic approach as well as close monitoring for the need to implement more aggressive therapy.

Clinical Features of Human Salmonellosis Caused by Bovine-Associated Subtypes in New York

PubMed Central

Warnick, Lorin D.; Gröhn, Yrjö T.; Hoelzer, Karin; Root, Timothy P.; Siler, Julie D.; McGuire, Suzanne M.; Wright, Emily M.; Zansky, Shelley M.; Wiedmann, Martin

2012-01-01

Abstract The objective of this study was to identify patient symptoms and case outcomes that were more likely to occur as a result of Salmonella infections caused by bovine-associated subtypes (isolates that matched contemporary bovine isolates from New York by serovar and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern), as compared to salmonellosis caused by non-bovine-associated subtypes. Data were collected in 34 counties of New York that comprise the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) catchment area of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Emerging Infections Program. Patients with specimen collection dates between March 1, 2008 and March 1, 2010 were included. Symptoms and outcomes of 40 cases infected with bovine-associated Salmonella subtypes were compared to those of 379 control-cases infected with Salmonella isolates that were not bovine-associated. Cases were significantly more likely to have invasive salmonellosis (odds ratio, 3.8; p-value=0.02), after adjusting for age group, gender, and race. In addition, there was a marginal association between case status and the presence of blood in the stool (p-value=0.1) while ill. These findings might have implications for patient management, as a history of consuming undercooked foods of bovine origin or having direct contact with cattle in the few days prior to illness could be useful for suggesting a more proactive diagnostic approach as well as close monitoring for the need to implement more aggressive therapy. PMID:22870888

Arterial supply of human and bovine testes: a topographic and morphometric comparison study.

PubMed

Polguj, M; Jędrzejewski, K S; Topol, M

2010-11-01

The aim of the study was to compare the arteries supplying human and bovine masculine gonads. The study was made on two extremely different types of location of the mediastinum testis. The study was made on 100 (50 human and 50 bovine) corrosive casts of the testicular, cremasteric, and deference duct arteries. The differences between the species included different courses of the testicular artery inside the spermatic duct, the relative size of the three arterial diameters, and the morphology of the anastomoses of the arteries. In human testicular arteries, the course inside the spermatic course was more variable than in that of bulls. The artery was straighter and in 80% of the cases did not form the loops which were present in 100% of the bovine specimens. The bovine testicular artery was significantly wider in relation to the cremasteric and deferens duct arteries than the human one. This finding suggests that collateral blood flow to the testis was less effective in bulls than in men. The human testicular artery directly connected the other two with its terminal branches. The bovine testicular artery connected with the cremasteric and deferens duct arteries indirectly by means of its deferens duct branch.

Annexin VI is a mannose-6-phosphate-independent endocytic receptor for bovine β-glucuronidase.

PubMed

Ramírez-Mata, Alberto; Michalak, Colette; Mendoza-Hernández, Guillermo; León-Del-Río, Alfonso; González-Noriega, Alfonso

2011-10-01

Endocytosis and transport of bovine liver β-glucuronidase to lysosomes in human fibroblasts are mediated by two receptors: the well-characterized cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (IGF-II/Man6PR) and an IGF-II/Man6PR-independent receptor, which recognizes a Ser-Trp*-Ser sequence present on the ligand. The latter receptor was detergent extracted from bovine liver membranes and purified. LC/ESI-MS/MS analysis revealed that this endocytic receptor was annexin VI (AnxA6). Several approaches were used to confirm this finding. First, the binding of bovine β-glucuronidase to the purified receptor from bovine liver membranes and His-tagged recombinant human AnxA6 protein was confirmed using ligand-blotting assays. Second, western blot analysis using antibodies raised against IGF-II/Man6PR-independent receptor as well as commercial antibodies against AnxA6 confirmed that the receptor and AnxA6 were indeed the same protein. Third, double immunofluorescence experiments in human fibroblasts confirmed a complete colocalization of the bovine β-glucuronidase and the AnxA6 receptor on the plasma membrane. Lastly, two cell lines were stably transfected with a plasmid containing the cDNA for human AnxA6. In both transfected cell lines, an increase in cell surface AnxA6 and in mannose 6-phosphate-independent endocytosis of bovine β-glucuronidase was detected. These results indicate that AnxA6 is a novel receptor that mediates the endocytosis of the bovine β-glucuronidase. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bovine brucellosis trends in Malaysia between 2000 and 2008

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Bovine brucellosis is an important disease affecting cattle characterised by abortion, still birth, reduced milk production, weak foetus and infertility in both males and females. There is wide distribution of the disease among cattle and several wildlife species. Bovine brucellosis is commonly caused by B. abortus and very occasionally B. melitensis and B. suis. The distribution of bovine brucellosis in cattle has not been described in Malaysia. In this paper we describe the distribution, pattern and trend of bovine brucellosis in Peninsular Malaysia between 2000 and 2008 based on serological data obtained from nationwide B. abortus serosurveillance activities in cattle populations. Results Brucella antibodies were detected in 21.8% of sampled herds (95% CI, 21.01–22.59) and 2.5% (95% CI; 2.45–2.55) of sampled cattle. The state of Pahang had the highest animal and herd-level seroprevalence of 5.3 and 43.6%, respectively. The herd-level seroprevalence varied but remained high (18-26%) over the period of study and generally increased from 2000 to 2008. Seropositive herds clustered around the central part of the peninsula within the period of the study. The months of September, October and November illustrated the highest rates with corresponding seroprevalences of 33.2, 38.4 and 33.9%, respectively. A noticeable variation was observed in the cattle-level seroprevalence, but the rate remained relatively low (<5%). The chi-square statistics showed herd size (χ2 = 1206.077, df = 2, p = 0.001), breed (χ2 = 37.429, df = 1, p = 0.001), month of sampling (χ2 = 51.596, df = 11 p = 0.001), year (χ2 = 40.08, df = 8, p = 0.001) and state (χ2 = 541.038, df = 10, p = 0.001) to be associated with increased seropositivity. Conclusion Bovine brucellosis is widespread among herds in Peninsular Malaysia at a low within-herd seroprevalence rate. PMID:24246015

Effect of triiodothyronine on developmental competence of bovine oocytes.

PubMed

Costa, N N; Cordeiro, M S; Silva, T V G; Sastre, D; Santana, P P B; Sá, A L A; Sampaio, R V; Santos, S S D; Adona, P R; Miranda, M S; Ohashi, O M

2013-09-01

Developmental competence of in vitro-matured bovine oocytes is a limiting factor in production of embryos in vitro. Several studies have suggested a potential positive effect of thyroid hormones on cultured oocytes and/or their supporting cells. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to ascertain whether medium supplementation with triiodothyronine (T3) improved subsequent developmental competence of in vitro-matured bovine oocytes. For this purpose, we first documented (using reverse transcription PCR) that whereas bovine cumulus cells expressed both thyroid hormone receptor (TR)-α and TRβ, immature bovine oocytes expressed TRα only. Thereafter, to test the effects of TH on developmental competence, abattoir-derived oocytes were matured in vitro in a medium containing 0, 25, 50, or 100 nM T3 and subjected to in vitro fertilization. Embryo quality was evaluated by assessing cleavage and blastocyst rates, morphological quality, development kinetics, and total cell number on Day 8 of culture. Notably, addition of 50 or 100 nM T3 to the in vitro maturation medium increased (P < 0.05) the rate of hatched blastocysts on the eighth day of culture, as compared with other groups (62.4 ± 11.7, 53.1 ± 16.3, and 32.4 ± 5.3, respectively). Next, the relative expression levels of genes related to embryo quality POU-domain transcription factor (POU5F1) and glucose transporter-1 (GLUT 1) were compared between in vivo- and in vitro-produced blastocysts. On the basis of the previous experiments, IVP embryos originating from oocytes that were matured in vitro in the presence or absence of 50 nM T3 were evaluated. The treatment had no effect (P > 0.05) on gene expression. We concluded that supplementation of bovine oocyte in vitro maturation medium with T3 may have a beneficial effect on the kinetics of embryo development. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bacteriocins of Non-aureus Staphylococci Isolated from Bovine Milk

PubMed Central

Carson, Domonique A.; Barkema, Herman W.; Naushad, Sohail

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Non-aureus staphylococci (NAS), the bacteria most commonly isolated from the bovine udder, potentially protect the udder against infection by major mastitis pathogens due to bacteriocin production. In this study, we determined the inhibitory capability of 441 bovine NAS isolates (comprising 26 species) against bovine Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, inhibiting isolates were tested against a human methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolate using a cross-streaking method. We determined the presence of bacteriocin clusters in NAS whole genomes using genome mining tools, BLAST, and comparison of genomes of closely related inhibiting and noninhibiting isolates and determined the genetic organization of any identified bacteriocin biosynthetic gene clusters. Forty isolates from 9 species (S. capitis, S. chromogenes, S. epidermidis, S. pasteuri, S. saprophyticus, S. sciuri, S. simulans, S. warneri, and S. xylosus) inhibited growth of S. aureus in vitro, 23 isolates of which, from S. capitis, S. chromogenes, S. epidermidis, S. pasteuri, S. simulans, and S. xylosus, also inhibited MRSA. One hundred five putative bacteriocin gene clusters encompassing 6 different classes (lanthipeptides, sactipeptides, lasso peptides, class IIa, class IIc, and class IId) in 95 whole genomes from 16 species were identified. A total of 25 novel bacteriocin precursors were described. In conclusion, NAS from bovine mammary glands are a source of potential bacteriocins, with >21% being possible producers, representing potential for future characterization and prospective clinical applications. IMPORTANCE Mastitis (particularly infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus) costs Canadian dairy producers $400 million/year and is the leading cause of antibiotic use on dairy farms. With increasing antibiotic resistance and regulations regarding use, there is impetus to explore bacteriocins (bacterially produced antimicrobial peptides) for treatment and prevention of bacterial infections

Concepts of diffusion theory and a graphic approach to the description of the epidemic flow of contagious disease.

PubMed Central

Angulo, J J; Pederneiras, C A; Ebner, W; Kimura, E M; Megale, P

1980-01-01

Concepts used to analyze sociological, geographic, and economic processes were adapted to an examination of the diffusion of contagious disease. The example used in applying these concepts was an epidemic of variola minor which continued for 12 months in an area of 1,006 square kilometers centered on the city of Bragança Paulista, Sao Paulo State (Brazil). A graphic procedure is proposed that depicts aspects of the epidemic flow of person-to-person transmission. Spatial, temporal, and sociological characteristics of the epidemic flow are disclosed in sequential diagrams. They represent geographic areas as well as schools and agglomerates of households affected by the epidemic at a given time, the mode of diffusion, and the source of the infection. The procedure yielded indirect evidence of the role of school pupils as introducers of variola minor into households and school classes. All subdivisions of the city, six of the seven rural districts, and four of the five elementary schools were affected through hierarchical (between-areas) diffusion. Subsequently, there was neighborhood (within-area) diffusion, and this resulted in new interactions between areas. PMID:7422812

Multilaboratory trial for determination of ceftiofur residues in bovine and swine kidney and muscle, and bovine milk.

PubMed

Hornish, Rex E; Hamlow, Philip J; Brown, Scott A

2003-01-01

A multilaboratory trial for determining ceftiofur-related residues in bovine and swine kidney and muscle, and bovine milk was conducted following regulatory guidelines of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine. The methods convert all desfuroylceftiofur-related residues containing the intact beta-lactam ring to desfuroylceftiofur acetamide to establish ceftiofur residues in tissues. Four laboratories analyzed 5 sets of samples for each tissue. Each sample set consisted of a control/blank sample and 3 control samples fortified with ceftiofur at 0.5 Rm, Rm, and 2 Rm, respectively, where Rm is the U.S. tolerance assigned for ceftiofur residue in each tissue/matrix: 0.100 microg/mL for milk, 8.0 microg/g for kidney (both species), 1.0 microg/g for bovine muscle, and 2.0 microg/g for swine muscle. Each sample set also contained 2 samples of incurred-residue tissues (one > Rm and one < Rm) from animals treated with ceftiofur hydrochloride. All laboratories completed the method trial after a familiarization phase and test of system suitability in which they demonstrated > 80% recovery in pretrial fortified test samples. Results showed that the methods met all acceptable performance criteria for recovery, accuracy, and precision. Although sample preparation was easy, solid-phase extraction cartridge performance must be carefully evaluated before samples are processed. The liquid chromatography detection system was easily set up; however, the elution profile may require slight modifications. The procedures could clearly differentiate between violative (> Rm) and nonviolative (< Rm) ceftiofur residues. Participating laboratories found the procedures suitable for ceftiofur residue determination.

Effects of different feeder layers on culture of bovine embryonic stem cell-like cells in vitro.

PubMed

Cong, Shan; Cao, Guifang; Liu, Dongjun

2014-12-01

To find a suitable feeder layer is important for successful culture conditions of bovine embryonic stem cell-like cells. In this study, expression of pluripotency-related genes OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG in bovine embryonic stem cell-like cells on mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder layers at 1-5 passages were monitored in order to identify the possible reason that bovine embryonic stem cell-like cells could not continue growth and passage. Here, we developed two novel feeder layers, mixed embryonic fibroblast feeder layers of mouse and bovine embryonic fibroblast at different ratios and sources including mouse fibroblast cell lines. The bovine embryonic stem cell-like cells generated in our study displayed typical stem cell morphology and expressed specific markers such as OCT4, stage-specific embryonic antigen 1 and 4, alkaline phosphatase, SOX2, and NANOG mRNA levels. When feeder layers and cell growth factors were removed, the bovine embryonic stem cell-like cells formed embryoid bodies in a suspension culture. Furthermore, we compared the expression of the pluripotent markers during bovine embryonic stem cell-like cell in culture on mixed embryonic fibroblast feeder layers, including mouse fibroblast cell lines feeder layers and mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder layers by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results suggested that mixed embryonic fibroblast and sources including mouse fibroblast cell lines feeder layers were more suitable for long-term culture and growth of bovine embryonic stem cell-like cells than mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder layers. The findings may provide useful experimental data for the establishment of an appropriate culture system for bovine embryonic stem cell lines.

Vaccines for bovine neosporosis: current status and key aspects for development.

PubMed

Horcajo, P; Regidor-Cerrillo, J; Aguado-Martínez, A; Hemphill, A; Ortega-Mora, L M

2016-12-01

Bovine neosporosis is a worldwide concern due to its global distribution and great economic impact. Reproductive failure in cattle due to abortion leads to major economic losses associated with the disease. Currently, there is no treatment or vaccine available against abortion or transmission caused by Neospora caninum infection in cattle. However, vaccination is considered the best measure of control against bovine neosporosis. Several host and parasite factors can influence the dynamics of the infection in bovines. Moreover, the availability of well-defined infection models is a key factor for the evaluation of vaccine candidates. However, working with cattle is not easy due to difficult handling, facilities and costs, and therefore, 'more affordable' models could be used for screening of promising vaccines to establish proof of concept. So far, live-attenuated vaccines have shown good efficacy against exogenous transplacental transmission; however, they have relevant disadvantages and associated risks, which render inactivated or subunit vaccines the best way forward. The identification of novel potential targets and vaccines, and the application of innovative vaccine technologies in harmonized experimental animal models, will accelerate the development of an effective vaccine against bovine neosporosis. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Identification of immunoreactive extracellular proteins of Streptococcus agalactiae in bovine mastitis.

PubMed

Trigo, Gabriela; Ferreira, Paula; Ribeiro, Niza; Dinis, Márcia; Andrade, Elva Bonifácio; Melo-Cristino, José; Ramirez, Mário; Tavares, Delfina

2008-11-01

Streptococcus agalactiae is a common pathogen that causes bovine mastitis. The aims of this study were to evaluate the antibody response against S. agalactiae extracellular proteins in the whey and serum of naturally infected bovines and to identify possible immunodominant extracellular antigens. IgG1 antibodies against S. agalactiae extracellular proteins were elevated in the whey and serum of naturally infected bovines. In the whey, the levels of IgG1 specific for S. agalactiae extracellular proteins were similar in infected and noninfected milk quarters from the same cow, and the production of antibodies specific for S. agalactiae extracellular proteins was induced only by infection with this bacterium. The immunoreactivity of extracellular proteins with bovine whey was clearly different in infected versus control animals. Group B protective surface protein and 5'-nucleotidase family protein were 2 major immunoreactive proteins that were detected only in the whey of infected cows, suggesting that these proteins may be important in the pathogenesis of S. agalactiae-induced mastitis. This information could be used to diagnose S. agalactiae infection. In addition, these antigens may be useful as carrier proteins for serotype-specific polysaccharides in conjugate vaccines.

First isolation of Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum, one of the causal agents of caprine contagious agalactia, on the island of Lanzarote (Spain).

PubMed

De la Fe, C; Gutiérrez, A; Poveda, J B; Assunção, P; Ramírez, A S; Fabelo, F

2007-03-01

During an unusually long period of bad weather, several outbreaks of caprine contagious agalactia (CCA) were reported in a number of flocks on the island of Lanzarote (Canary Islands, Spain). Clinical and subclinical mastitis in lactating goats and some cases of arthritis and pneumonia in kids were observed in the affected flocks. Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum was isolated as the main causal agent of the outbreaks, associated with M. mycoides subsp. mycoides "large colony type" (Mmm LC) in two flocks. This is the first report of an isolation of M. capricolum subsp. capricolum on the island of Lanzarote. The finding is of epidemiological importance and could complicate plans to control the disease. The significance of this mycoplasma species in association with CCA must now be studied in detail.

[Isolation and characterization of siphovirus phages infecting bovine Streptococcus agalactiae].

PubMed

Bai, Qinqin; Yang, Yongchun; Lu, Chengping

2016-02-04

To isolate and identify Streptococcus agalactiae phages and screen candidate phages to control infection caused by bovine S. agalactiae. We used two methods for isolation of S. agalactiae phages, namely (1) isolation of phages from milk and environmental samples, and (2) isolation of phages via induction of lysogens with Mitomycin C. Double-layer agar culture method was used to purify phages. Then the newly obtained phages, with S. agalactiae phage JX01 isolated from mastitis milk, were comparatively analyzed in the following aspects: morphology of phages by transmission electron microscopy, host range of phages to 55 S. agalactiae strains and other Streptococcus strains, phages DNA using EcoR I, Xba I, Pst I and Sal I, the optical multiplicity of infection, absorption curve and one step growth curve, and the stability of phages at different storage conditions. The comparative analysis of the 3 novel phages LYGO9, HZ04 and pA11 (induced from S. agalctiae bovine clinical isolate HAJL2011070601) with JX01 showed that the 4 phages were classified as the member of Siphovirdae family. EcoR I, Sal I, Xba I and Pst I separately digested the 4 phages DNA provided 4, 3, 3 and 2 profiles, respectively. This suggested that they were different strains. All the 4 phages specifically infected bovine S. agalactiae isolates. LYGO9, pA11, JX01 and HZ04 could lyse 12, 13, 20 and 23 of 42 tested bovine S. agalctiae isolates, respectively. This clearly indicated that these 4 phages are closely related. The 3 new phages which specifically lyse bovine S. agalactiae isolates are siphovirus phages. Phage LYGO9 was shown having a short latent period and a larger burst size.

Antimicrobial activity of bovine NK-lysin-derived peptides on Mycoplasma bovis

PubMed Central

Falkenberg, Shollie M.; Register, Karen B.; Samorodnitsky, Daniel; Nicholson, Eric M.; Reinhardt, Timothy A.

2018-01-01

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a diverse group of molecules which play an important role in the innate immune response. Bovine NK-lysins, a type of AMP, have been predominantly found in the granules of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and NK-cells. Bovine NK-lysin-derived peptides demonstrate antimicrobial activity against various bacterial pathogens, including several involved in bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) in cattle; however, such studies are yet to be performed with one important contributor to the BRDC, Mycoplasma bovis. Therefore, the goal of this study was to assess the antimicrobial activity of bovine NK-lysin-derived peptides on M. bovis. Thirty-mer synthetic peptides corresponding to the functional region helices 2 and 3 of bovine NK-lysins NK1, NK2A, NK2B, and NK2C were evaluated for killing activity on M. bovis isolates. Among four peptides, NK2A and NK2C showed the highest antimicrobial activity against the M. bovis isolates tested. All four NK-lysin peptides induced rapid plasma membrane depolarization in M. bovis at two concentrations tested. However, based on propidium iodide uptake, only NK2A and NK2C appeared capable of causing structural damage to M. bovis plasma membrane. Confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, and transmission electron microscopy further suggested NK-lysin-induced damage to the plasma membrane. Taken together, the findings in this study suggest that plasma membrane depolarization alone was insufficient to induce lethality, but disruption/permeabilization of the M. bovis plasma membrane was the cause of lethality. PMID:29771981

Evaluation of modified Dennis parasitological technique for diagnosis of bovine fascioliasis.

PubMed

Correa, Stefanya; Martínez, Yudy Liceth; López, Jessika Lissethe; Velásquez, Luz Elena

2016-02-23

Bovine fascioliasis causes important economic losses, estimated at COP$ 12,483 billion per year; its prevalence is 25% in dairy cattle. Parasitological techniques are required for it diagnosis. The Dennis technique, modified in 2002, is the one used in Colombia, but its sensitivity, specificity and validity are not known.  To evaluate the validity and performance of the modified Dennis technique for diagnosis of bovine fascioliasis using as reference test the observation of parasites in the liver.  We conducted a diagnostic evaluation study. We selected a convenience sample of discarded bovines sacrificed between March and June, 2013, in Frigocolanta for the study. We collected 25 g of feces from each animal and their liver and bile ducts were examined for Fasciola hepatica. The sensitivity, specificity, predictive positive value, predictive negative value, and validity index were calculated with 95% confidence intervals. The post-mortem evaluation was used as the gold standard.  We analyzed 180 bovines. The sensitivity and specificity of the modified Dennis technique were 73.2% (95% CI=58.4% - 87.9%) and 84.2% (95% CI= 77.7% - 90.6%), respectively. The positive predictive value was 57.7% (95% CI= 43.3% - 72.1%) and the negative one 91.4% (95% CI= 86.2% - 96.6%). The prevalence of bovine fascioliasis was 22.8% (95% CI= 16.4% - 29.2%).  The validity and the performance of the modified Dennis technique were higher than those of the traditional one, which makes it a good screening test for diagnosing fascioliasis for population and prevalence studies and during animal health campaigns.

Characterization of newly established bovine intestinal epithelial cell line.

PubMed

Miyazawa, Kohtaro; Hondo, Tetsuya; Kanaya, Takashi; Tanaka, Sachi; Takakura, Ikuro; Itani, Wataru; Rose, Michael T; Kitazawa, Haruki; Yamaguchi, Takahiro; Aso, Hisashi

2010-01-01

Membranous epithelial cells (M cells) of the follicle-associated epithelium in Peyer's patches have a high capacity for transcytosis of several viruses and microorganisms. Here, we report that we have successfully established a bovine intestinal epithelial cell line (BIE cells) and developed an in vitro M cell model. BIE cells have a cobblestone morphology and microvilli-like structures, and strongly express cell-to-cell junctional proteins and cytokeratin, which is a specific intermediate filament protein of epithelial cells. After co-culture with murine intestinal lymphocytes or treatment with supernatant from bovine PBMC cultured with IL-2, BIE cells acquired the ability of transcytosis. Therefore, BIE cells have typical characteristics of bovine intestinal epithelial cells and also have the ability to differentiate into an M cell like linage. In addition, our results indicate that contact between immune cells and epithelial cells may not be absolutely required for the differentiation of M cells. We think that BIE cells will be useful for studying the transport mechanisms of various pathogens and also the evaluation of drug delivery via M cells.

Risk assessment of bovine spongiform encephalopathy transmission through bone graft material derived from bovine bone used for dental applications.

PubMed

Sogal, A; Tofe, A J

1999-09-01

Several commercial products are currently available for clinical application as bone graft substitutes. These products can be broadly classified into two categories: synthetic and natural. Bovine bone is a popular source for several of the natural bone substitutes. The availability of bovine derived xenogenic bone substitutes has made it possible to avoid traumatic and expensive secondary surgery to obtain autogenous bone once thought essential for effective bone replacement. While autogenous bone still remains the undisputed "gold standard" in bone grafting, the realization that bone requirement in several clinical applications is as effectively met by xenografts has lead to their widespread use. But the convenience of using xenografts is tempered by the possibility of disease transmission from cattle to humans. The recent incidents of bovine spongiform encephalopathies (BSE) in humans have underscored this likelihood. In this paper, we report a risk analysis performed to assess the possibility of such disease transmission from a commercially available bone graft substitute (BGS) that is popularly used in clinical dentistry. An extensive review of current literature on the status of risk assessment of BSE transmission was conducted, and two risk assessment models were identified as applicable to the present study. Risk assessment models developed by the German Federal Ministry of Health and by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association of America were applied to BGS. Results from the analyses conducted using both models showed that the risk of disease (BSE) transmission from BGS was negligible and could be attributed to the stringent protocols followed in sourcing and processing of the raw bovine bone used in the commercial product. Based on the risk analysis, it is evident that the risk of BSE infection from BGS is several orders of magnitude less than that posed by the risk of death related to, lightning, tornadoes, or similar remote events

Bovine coronavirus antibody titers at weaning negatively correlate with incidence of bovine respiratory disease in the feed yard

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) is a multifactorial disease caused by complex interactions among viral and bacterial pathogens, stressful management practices and host genetic variability. Although vaccines and antibiotic treatments are readily available to prevent and treat infection caus...

Bovine lactotroph cultures for the study of prolactin synthesis functions.