Casos de anaplasmosis, babesiosis y tripanosomiasis bovina registradas en el INTA Rafaela (2012-2019)

Bovine anaplasmosis, babesiosis and trypanosomiasis are diseases of economic importance caused by Anaplasma marginale, Babesia bovis and/or Babesia bigemina, and Trypanosoma vivax, respectively. In this work, protocols received during 2012-2019 in the laboratory of hemoparasites of the EEA Rafaela with a presumptive diagnosis of one of these three diseases were analyzed. The confirmatory diagnosis was made by microscopic observation of the causal agent. Clinical signs and results of serological and molecular tests were used as complementary information. Association between cases of anaplasmosis (dependent variable), the season of the year and area with or without the presence of Rhipicephalus microplus (independent variables) was analyzed with a generalized linear model using a binomial distribution. 50% of the protocols came from Santa Fe. Confirmatory diagnosis was achieved in 48% (213/441) of the protocols, of which 73% were positive for anaplasmosis, 16% for babesiosis and 11% for trypanosomiasis. In the R. microplus free area, 55 cases of anaplasmosis were recorded. The proportion of anaplasmosis cases was significantly higher in autumn compared to summer (p<0.05). No significant differences were observed when anaplasmosis cases, the season of the year and area were analyzed together. The occurrence of anaplasmosis cases in areas considered naturally free of the disease confirms its expansion. Outbreaks of bovine babesiosis occurred in areas with R. microplus. Bovine trypanosomiasis is also an expanding disease and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hemoparasitic diseases.Anaplasmosis, babesiosis y tripanosomiasis de los bovinos son enfermedades de importancia económica provocadas por Anaplasma marginale, Babesia bovis y/o Babesia bigemina, y Trypanosoma vivax, respectivamente. En este trabajo se analizaron los protocolos recibidos durante 2012-2019 en el laboratorio de hemoparásitos de la EEA Rafaela con diagnóstico presuntivo de alguna de estas tres enfermedades. Se realizó diagnóstico etiológico de los casos mediante la observación microscópica del agente causal. Signos clínicos y resultados de pruebas serológicas y moleculares se consideraron como información complementaria. Se analizó la relación entre casos de anaplasmosis (variable dependiente), estación del año y zona con o sin presencia de Rhipicephalus microplus (variables independientes) mediante modelo lineal generalizado utilizando distribución binomial. El 50% de los protocolos provino de la Provincia de Santa Fe. Se arribó a un diagnóstico etiológico en el 48% (213/441) de los protocolos, de los cuales un 73% resultó positivo a anaplasmosis, 16% a babesiosis y 11% a tripanosomiasis. En zona libre de R. microplus se registraron 55 casos de anaplasmosis. La proporción de casos de anaplasmosis resultó significativamente mayor en otoño respecto a verano (p<0,05). El análisis conjunto de casos de anaplasmosis, estación del año y zona, no resultó significativo. La ocurrencia de casos de anaplasmosis en zonas consideradas naturalmente libres de la enfermedad confirma su estatus en expansión. Los brotes de babesiosis bovina continúan circunscriptos a las regiones con R. microplus. La tripanosomiasis bovina también es una enfermedad en expansión y debe ser considerada en el diagnóstico diferencial de enfermedades anemizantes

Interstrain conservation of babesial RAP-1 surface-exposed B-cell epitopes despite rap-1 genomic polymorphism

Members of the babesial rhoptry-associated protein 1 (RAP-1) family express surface-exposed B-cell epitopes and are candidate antigens for vaccine development. The relationship between rap-1 genomic polymorphism and surface-exposed B-cell epitope expression was analyzed by comparison of biological clones of Mexico strain Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis with strains isolated in Argentina. Despite genomic polymorphism between strains, including sequences located within the open reading frame, defined RAP-1 B-cell surface epitopes and RAP-1 molecular size were conserved in both B. bovis and B. bigemina

Conformational Dependence of Anaplasma marginale Major Surface Protein 5 Surface-Exposed B-Cell Epitopes

The Anaplasma marginale outer membrane is composed of immunogenic major surface proteins (MSPs) linked both covalently and noncovalently in multimeric complexes (M. C. Vidotto, T. C. McGuire, T. F. McElwain, G. H. Palmer, and D. P. Knowles, Infect. Immun. 62:2940–2946). Consequently, effective induction of antibody against surface-exposed MSP epitopes has been postulated to require maintenance of MSP secondary through quatenary structures. Using MSP5 as a model and the approach of epitope mapping with recombinant expressed full-length and truncated proteins, we demonstrated that the immunodominant surface epitope bound by monoclonal antibody (MAb) ANAF16C1 required disparate amino- and carboxy-terminal regions of MSP5, indicating the conformational dependence of this epitope. The required amino-terminal MSP5 region included the cysteines involved in intramolecular disulfide bonding. The dependence of the immunodominant epitope on disulfide bonding was confirmed by loss of MAb ANAF16C1 binding to MSP5 following disulfide bond reduction and covalent modification of the reduced sulfhydryl groups. The recognition of the MSP5 immunodominant epitope by antibody induced by protective immunization with A. marginale outer membranes was also conformationally dependent, as shown by the loss of epitope binding following serum adsorption with native but not reduced and denatured A. marginale . Importantly, the antibody response to all immunodominant MSP5 surface epitopes was restricted to conformationally dependent epitopes, since the binding of polyclonal anti-MSP5 antibody to the A. marginale surface could be blocked by adsorption with native but not denatured and reduced MSP5. These results confirm the importance of the secondary and tertiary structures of MSP epitopes as immune system targets and support the testing of immunogens which maintain the required conformation

The Spanish Infrastructure Stock, 1844-1935

This paper presents the first estimates of Spanish infrastructure stock and investment for the period 1845-1935. Several sources and techniques have been used in the estimation, and the new series are reasonably reliable to the standards of historical statistics. Two distinct periods may be distinguished in the series: the years before 1895 (characterized by the prominence of railroads) and the period 1895-1935 (when most investment was addressed to other assets). The new series allow a preliminary comparison of the Spanish infrastructure endowment with that of the most advanced countries, showing a gradual process of convergence before 1936