Characterisation of exon 9 of solute carrier family 11 member A1 gene in Vechur cattle

The solute carrier family 11 member A1 (SLC11A1) gene has been associated with natural resistance to intracellular pathogens such as Brucella, Salmonella, Leishmania and Mycobacterium in several species including bovine and plays a critical role in elimination of pathogens by generating hydroxyl free radicals. The objective of the present study was to investigate the polymorphism in exon 9 of SLC11A1 gene in Vechur cattle, one of the dwarf cattle of India which is known for its disease resistance. A 198 bp fragment containing exon 9 of the gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The amplicons upon single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis revealed two different banding patterns. A novel non synonymous SNP (g.46C>T) with predominance of CC genotype was also detected in Vechur cattle. These results suggest that there exists a considerable genetic variation at SLC11A1 locus and further association studies may help in development of a PCR based genotyping assay to select cattle with better immunity to intracellular pathogens

Comparative analysis of conventional and real time PCR for detection of haemoparasites in dogs

9-15Ehrlichiosis and babesiosis are the most pathogenic tick-borne diseases of dogs worldwide. The present study reports that the development of SYBR green based real time PCR (RT-PCR) protocols with novel primers targeting small subunit ribosomal RNA genes to detect natural infections of Ehrlichia canis, Babesia vogeli and B. gibsoni in dogs and its comparison with conventional PCR. Statistical analysis revealed that RT- PCR is more superior to conventional PCR assay to detect low level rickettsaemia (p < 0.05). The high prevalence of these pathogens in the study population also warrants immediate attention to the adoption of efficient and sustainable control strategies

Molecular characterization of the hypervariable regions of S1 gene of infectious bronchitis virus isolates

A preliminary study was conducted for the detection of the infectious bronchitis virus circulating among the poultry flocks of Kerala employing a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, where, a high prevalence of the virus was reported. The present study is the first comprehensive study pertaining to the molecular characterization of hypervariable regions of the S1 gene of IBV in Kerala. The positive samples were sequenced with primers targeting the three hypervariable regions of the S1 subunit of spike gene. It was observed that the isolates of Kerala shared more than 95% similarity with isolates from different parts of India. On phylogenetic analysis of hypervariable regions 1 and 2, all the Kerala isolates clustered with isolates from other parts of the country. Phylogenetic analysis of the hypervariable region 3 revealed that the Kerala isolates branched separately from the isolates belonging to different parts of India. The study advocated the need of an area specific vaccine in Kerala, employing the potential candidate vaccine strain isolated in the study