Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases.
Publisher:
Pergamon Press.. Exeter : Elsevier Science Ltd
Frequency: Six no. a year 2002-
Country: England
Language: English
Start Year:1978 -
ISSN:
0147-9571 (Print)
1878-1667 (Electronic)
0147-9571 (Linking)
1878-1667 (Electronic)
0147-9571 (Linking)
Impact Factor
2
2022
| NLM ID: | 7808924 |
| (DNLM): | C33740000(s) |
| (OCoLC): | 04172813 |
| Coden: | CIMIDV |
| LCCN: | sn 79005691 |
| Classification: | W1 CO435K |
PCR based differentiation between Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis strains isolated from humans and horses. Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE) can be severely pathogenic in humans and is increasingly isolated from horses with respiratory, reproductive or other diseases, although it is often considered a commensal bacterium. Here a PCR protocol is described for identifying SDSE recovered from humans. A multiplex PCR targeting the 16S rRNA and the streptokinase precursor gene has been optimized for differentiating between SDSE strains isolated from humans and those isolated from horses. Previously, the sequence of the streptokinase precursor gene of SDSE recovered from horses has bee...
Zoonotic fecal pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in county fair animals. Livestock fairs present a unique opportunity for the public to experience close contact with animals, but may also expose people to zoonotic pathogens through contact with animal feces. The goal of this study was to screen cattle, sheep, goat, chicken, rabbit and horse feces from a livestock fair in California for the potentially zoonotic pathogens Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Vibrio, Cryptosporidium and Giardia spp., as well as determining the level of antimicrobial resistance in E. coli and Salmonella. Notably, E. coli O157:H7 was reported for the first time in a pig ...
Persistence and chronic urinary shedding of the aphthovirus equine rhinitis A virus. Equine rhinitis A virus (ERAV) is a member of the Aphthovirus genus, and has many physical and structural similarities to the prototype Aphthovirus foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). The pathogenesis of FMDV has been extensively studied, however, the similarities in the pathogenesis of ERAV and FMDV disease has not been well documented. This study describes and compares the pathogenesis of ERAV both in the natural host and a small animal model alternative (CBA mice). Distinct parallels in the pathogenesis of the acute infection of these two viruses are described where infection in the upper ...
Isolation and identification of Mycobacterium avium subspecies silvaticum from a horse. Routine cultivation methods are able to distinguish between isolates of the Mycobacterium avium and the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. However, molecular tools are needed to further identify the several subspecies in the M. avium complex, especially for the subspecies avium and silvaticum. A rapid technique using HhaI restriction digestion of a 349 bp amplification product of the 85B antigen (α-antigen) gene was used for the identification of M. avium subsp. silvaticum in a three-year-old gelding presenting with caseous, necrotizing, granulomatous lesions. The result was confirmed by seq...
Bartonellae in animals and vectors in New Caledonia. Bartonellae are gram-negative facultative intracellular alpha-proteobacteria from the family Bartonellaceae. The natural history of bartonellae consists of a reservoir/host, which is a vertebrate with chronic intravascular infection with sustained bacteremia, and a vector (usually an arthropod) that transfers the bacteria from the reservoir to a susceptible yet uninfected host. In order to reveal the sources and reservoirs of Bartonella infection in animals and vectors in New Caledonia, we collected the blood samples of 64 dogs, 8 cats, 30 bovines, 25 horses and 29 wild deer Cervus timorensis ...
Preliminary molecular analysis of Clostridium difficile isolates from healthy horses in northern Italy. Clostridium difficile, associated with a wide spectrum of diseases in humans, as well as in several animal species, is an important cause of colitis in adult horses and foals. The aim of this study was to investigate by toxin gene profile and PCR-ribotyping the molecular characteristics of 14 C. difficile strains isolated from 42 faeces of healthy horses. Both toxin genes, tcdA and tcdB, were present in only 1 isolate (7.1%). Six isolates (42.9%) demonstrated tcdA-/tcdB+ genotype, and seven isolates (50.0%) were tcdA-/tcdB-. All strains were binary toxin genes negative (cdtA-/cdtB-). The PCR-p...
Expression of biologically active recombinant equine interferon-gamma in Escherichia coli. Interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) is a pleiotropic cytokine that is recognized as an important modulator of the immune response. To date, there is no report that prokaryocyte-derived recombinant equine IFN-gamma has antiviral activity. In this report, the gene coding equine IFN-gamma (EIFN-gamma) mature protein was cloned into pET-28a (+) and the recombinant EIFN-gamma was expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli). The antiviral activity of expressed recombinant EIFN-gamma was evaluated by using a recombinant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus expressing green fluorescence protein (rVSV-GFP) system in the eq...
Anaplasma phagocytophilum in horses and ticks: a preliminary survey of Central Italy. Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the causative agent of granulocytic ehrlichiosis, affects several species of wild and domesticated mammals, including horses. In this work we compared direct and indirect methods to evaluate A. phagocytophilum presence in Central Italy: 135 sera were screened by IFA for A. phagocytophilum and other haemopathogens (Theileria equi and Babesia caballi). Each horse was also tested for A. phagocytophilum 16S rRNA with a nested-PCR technique. In order to examine the risk of A. phagocytophilum transmission, 114 ticks were examined for the presence of A. phagocytophilum by P...
Ovine anti-rabies antibody production and evaluation. In view of the disadvantages of human and equine rabies immunoglobulin still there is urgent needs for safe and cost-control anti-rabies immunoglobulins especially for person who have been severely exposed (categories III) to the virus. Our attempt to produce a less immunogenic and cheaper anti-rabies immunoglobulin affordable for those people living in developing countries, has been harnessed the ovine as a bioreactor instead the horse. The animals have been intramuscular immunized, and the plasma processed with 5% caprylic acid to yield IgG with purity of 95%. Moreover, antibody apparently i...
Clinical and epidemiological investigation of chronic upper respiratory diseases caused by beta-haemolytic Streptococci in horses. An outbreak of strangle-like disease involving 26 horses farmed in central Italy was investigated by clinic examination, endoscopy, cytology, bacteriology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). At weekly interval, a total of three nasal swabs and one guttural pouches lavage fluid (GPLF) were collected, and no Streptococcus equi subsp. equi carrier was found. Some horses showed upper airways disease and endoscopic signs of pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia of different grade and/or abnormal endoscopic appearance of guttural pouches. Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis was isolated from 14...
Toxin production by and adhesive properties of Clostridium difficile isolated from humans and horses with antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Clostridium difficile is a common nosocomial pathogen in humans and animals that causes diarrhea and colitis following antibiotic therapy. Isolates of C. difficile obtained from faecal material from 20 human patients and 6 equine subjects with antibiotic-associated diarrhea were investigated regarding production of toxins A and B, their capacity to adhere to the human intestinal Caco-2 cell line and equine intestinal cells, and for the presence of fimbriae. The results showed that most (17/20) of the human clinical isolates produced both toxins A and B. One of the human isolates proved toxin A...
Seroepidemiological survey of Rhodoccocus equi infection in asymptomatic horses from Bursa, Izmir and Istanbul provinces, Turkey. In order to assess the Rhodococcus equi infection in three provinces of Turkey (Bursa, Izmir and Istanbul), 696 sera from healthy foals and adult horses were tested by indirect ELISA using a R. equi reference strain (ATCC 6939) as antigen. 103 sera (14.80%) with titres >0.646 resulted positive. Seroprevalence was significantly higher (P=0.0053) in male than in female horses of Istanbul province, although higher antibody titres (mean value) were observed in the female group of Bursa and Izmir provinces with differences estimated between provinces (P=0.0002). Seroprevalence was correlated wit...
Nonspecific immune response of peripheral blood neutrophils in two horse breeds (Anglo-Arabian and Spanish-Arabian): response to exercise. The aim of the present paper was: (1) to find out if there were any differences in the nonspecific immunological pattern of peripheral blood neutrophil between two breeds of horses (AA and SA); (2) to evaluate the effects of an exercise in the aerobic-anaerobic threshold. This has been observed in a group of 11 untrained horses (6 SA and 5 AA) of 2.5 years old. No statistically significant differences were found in the different stages of immune response between the rest and immediately after physical exercise to two breeds. However, the chemotaxis was significant higher at rest in the AA than...
Molecular epidemiology of virulent Rhodococcus equi from foals in Brazil: virulence plasmids of 85-kb type I, 87-kb type I, and a new variant, 87-kb type III. We investigated the prevalence of virulent Rhodococcus equi in clinical isolates from 41 foals (19 sporadic and seven endemic cases) in Brazil between 1991 and 2003. Of the 41 virulent isolates, six contained an 85-kb type I plasmid, 33 contained an 87-kb type I plasmid, both of which have been found in isolates from the Americas, and the remaining two contained a new variant, which did not display the EcoRI, EcoT22I and BamHI digestion patterns of the 11 representative plasmids already reported (85-kb types I-IV; 87-kb types I and II; 90-kb types I-V). We tentatively designated the new varian...
Prevalence of antibodies against Saint Louis encephalitis and Jamestown Canyon viruses in California horses. Jamestown Canyon (JC) and Saint Louis encephalitis (SLE) viruses are mosquito-transmitted viruses that have long been present in California. The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of these two viruses in horses prior to the introduction of West Nile (WN) virus. Approximately 15% of serum samples collected in 1998 from 425 horses on 44 equine operations horses throughout California had serum antibodies to JC virus, whereas antibodies were not detected to SLE virus. The results indicate that horses in California were commonly infected prior to 1998 with mosquito-transmit...
The serologic response of horses to equine arteritis virus as determined by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (c-ELISAs) to structural and non-structural viral proteins. In an effort to further characterize the humoral immune response of horses to equine arteritis virus (EAV), direct and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (c-ELISAs) were developed using monoclonal and polyclonal anti-sera to structural (G(L), N and M) and non-structural (nsp1) viral proteins. A nsp1-specific monoclonal antibody was produced to facilitate development of a c-ELISA to this protein. Data obtained using the various c-ELISAs confirm that the M protein is a major target of the antibody response of horses to EAV. However, none of the c-ELISAs that were developed were as se...
A serological survey of Rhodococcus equi infection in foals in central Italy: comparison of two antigens using an ELISA test. A serological survey of Rhodococcus equi infection was carried out on 602 blood samples collected from foals in central Italy. The assay was performed with an ELISA test using two different antigens prepared with reference strains of R. equi, ATCC 33071 and ATCC 6939. A positive reaction was obtained on 81 serum samples (13.45%) (OD > or = 0.3) using antigen ATCC 33071, and on 73 serum samples (12.12%) using antigen ATCC 6939. Although the frequency of the disease was not high, the serological positivity was about 13%. There was no statistically significant difference between males and fema...
Isolation of virulent Rhodococcus equi from native Japanese horses. R. equi was isolated from soil samples obtained from the environment of seven native Japanese horse breeds (Hokkaido, Kiso, Noma, Misaki, Tokara, Miyako and Yonaguni) and from fecal samples collected from three native horse breeds (Hokkaido, Kiso and Misaki). Virulent R. equi at various levels (ranging from 0.5 to 12.9%) was isolated from the feces or soil environment of Hokkaido, Kiso and Misaki horses. Isolates were investigated both for the presence of 15- to 17-kDa antigens (virulence-associated protein antigens; VapA) by colony blotting, using the monoclonal antibody 10G5, and the gene of...
Chronic fatigue syndrome in horses: diagnosis and treatment of 4 cases. A report from England has suggested that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome exists in equines and constitutes an emerging veterinary problem. Preliminary epidemiological studies seem to confirm the zoonotic implications of CFS. An arsenical drug, sodium thiacetarsamide, was administered to four horses with a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), already treated unsuccessfully with different medications. The CFS-like lethargy, with accompanying symptoms and signs, of the four animals obtained a complete remission after intravenous treatment with this drug at low dosage (0.1 mg/kg/day). No adverse ...
Detection of equine arteritis virus in semen by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction-ELISA. The reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was used to detect Equine Arteritis Virus (EAV) in the semen of 88 horses and 2 donkeys, with neutralising antibodies against EAV, on the basis of the amplification of a 279 bp long fragment located in the viral polymerase gene. The RT-PCR assay revealed the virus at 4 TCID50/ml in cell culture and showed a greater sensitivity (54.4%) than cell culture isolation (33.3%). Moreover, the two samples of donkey semen were found positive. The cDNAs obtained from 14 samples of horse and 2 of donkey semen were sequenced. Comparing the ...
Contagious equine metritis. Contagious equine metritis (CEM) is a highly contagious venereal infection of equids caused by Taylorella equigenitalis, a bacterium with fastidious growth requirements. A disease of major international concern, CEM can be the cause of short-term infertility and, very rarely, abortion in mares. Unlike the mare, stallions exposed to T. equigenitalis do not develop clinical signs of disease. CEM is transmitted by direct or indirect venereal contact. The carrier state occurs in the mare and the stallion and carrier animals are frequently the source of infection for new outbreaks of the disease. T...
Equine influenza. A highly contagious virus infection of horses, influenza is the single most important equine respiratory disease in many countries. Two subtypes of equine influenza virus have been identified, A/equine-1 and A/equine-2, neither of which immunologically cross-reacts. In the case of A/equine-2 virus, two lineages exist, American and European, which appear to have evolved independently of one another. The acute febrile respiratory disease characteristic of influenza is frequently complicated by secondary bacterial infection, especially in unvaccinated horses. Primarily a respiratory-borne infecti...
A note on the concurrent isolation, from horses and ponies, of influenza A/EQ-1 and A/EQ-2 viruses from an epidemic of equine influenza in India. A/eq-1 and A/eq-2 influenza viruses were isolated simultaneously from an epidemic of equine influenza in north India. Evidently, both types of equine influenza viruses circulated in the equine population at the same time.
Diagnosis of African horsesickness. African horsesickness (AHS) is a very serious, non-contagious disease of horses and other solipeds caused by an arthropod-borne orbivirus of the family Reoviridae. The epizootic nature of the disease makes rapid, accurate diagnosis of AHS absolutely essential. Currently, diagnosis of AHS is based on typical clinical signs and lesions, a history consistent with vector transmission and confirmation by laboratory detection of virus and/or anti-AHS virus antibodies. The clinicopathologic presentation of AHS, current and next generation laboratory diagnostic methods are discussed.
African horsesickness: pathogenesis and immunity. African horsesickness (AHS) is a serious, non-contagious disease of horses and other solipeds caused by an arthropod-borne orbivirus of the family Reoviridae. In horses, AHS causes three distinct clinicopathologic syndromes, the pulmonary, cardiac and fever forms of the disease. Recent work has shown that the primary determinant of the form of disease expressed by naive horses is the virulence of the virus inoculum. Horses which recover from AHS exhibit solid humoral immunity against homologous challenge. Protective antibodies appear to be directed towards neutralizing epitopes on AHS virus VP...
Epizootiology and vectors of African horse sickness virus. African horse sickness (AHS) virus causes a non-contagious, infectious, arthropod-borne disease of equines and is enzootic in sub-Saharan Africa. The major vectors are species of Culicoides but mosquitoes and ticks may be involved. Periodically the virus makes excursions beyond its enzootic zones but until recently has not been able to maintain itself outside these areas for more than 2-3 consecutive years. This is probably due to a number of factors including the absence of a long term vertebrate reservoir, the prevalence and seasonal incidence of the vectors and the efficiency of control mea...
Comparative features of retroviral infections of livestock. Retroviral infections of livestock have become of increasing importance due to their usefulness as comparative models for human retroviral infections and their effects upon animal health and marketability of animals and animal products nationally and internationally. This paper presents a perspective on the retroviruses of economic concern in veterinary medicine with emphasis on the importance of understanding the modes of virus transmission and the species specificity of the viruses. The retroviruses reviewed include the oncovirus, bovine leukosis virus, and the lentiviruses, equine infectiou...
[The effect of a single dose of dexamethasone on the production of superoxide anion and on the chemotaxis of blood polynuclear neutrophils in the horse]. Chemotaxis and superoxide anion production of neutrophils in healthy horses were investigated before and 8 h after, a single injection of dexamethasone at a dose of 0.045 mg/kg. Chemotaxis was studied by the technique of migration under agarose and superoxyde production was measured by ferricytochrome c reduction. Superoxide anion production was not changed, but the chemotactic index, with zymosan activated horse serum, was increased. The FMLP chemoattractant effect, at 10(-4) M, was slightly enhanced.
In vitro susceptibility of Pseudomonas mallei to antimicrobial agents. Pseudomonas mallei was isolated from pus samples obtained from 34 mallein-positive horses. The isolates were subjected to in vitro sensitivity test using 16 different antimicrobial discs. All isolates (34) were sensitive to sulfamethizole, gentamycin, tetracycline, sulfathiazole, kanamycin, tobramycin, streptomycin and a combination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole while none of them were sensitive to cephalothin, colistin, ampicillin, penicillin and nitrofurantoin. Rifapicin, chloramphenicol and carbenicillin were effective against 32, 26 and 18 isolates respectively. The minimum inhibito...
Propagation and quantitation of animal herpesviruses in eight cell culture systems. A comparative study was carried out to determine the relative sensitivities of eight different cell culture systems to six different herpesviruses of animals. The cells used were: OFL (ovine fetal lung), ML (mink lung), FK (ferret kidney), PTK-2 (potoroo kidney), TEK (turkey embryo kidney), ED (equine dermal), BT (bovine turbinate), and PK15 (porcine kidney). The viruses tested were: PRV (pseudorabies) of swine, CPHV (caprine herpesvirus), IBRV (infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus), DN-599 strain of bovine herpesvirus type 4, EHV-1 (equine herpesvirus), and CHV (canine herpesvirus). On the...