Serosurveillance and vaccine development as a strategy for control of Toxoplasma infection

帯広畜産大学博士（畜産衛生学）2016application/pdf博士学位論文大学院畜産学研究科畜産衛生学専攻Doctor’s Course of Animal and Food Hygienedoctoral thesi

Locating Kashmir in Lal Ded: Communicating Identity and Meaning Through Narrative

The fourteenth century Kashmiri saint Lal Ded, also known as Lalla, has had a profound effect on the people of Kashmir. To this day, her sayings are an everyday occurrence, and have been passed down through the generations orally, revered by all Kashmiris. Many say Lalla is synonymous with Kashmir. Her legends, lore, and her vaks (the oral sayings) have become an integral part of all things Kashmiri – so much so, that as we move into the twenty-first century, and identities are shifting and changing faster than one can imagine, so too are the identities of Kashmiris spread all over the globe, and along with them, Lalla is changing too. How she changes and how Kashmiri identity changes is reflected in her narratives told by Kashmiris to each other, to friends, written in books and on the internet, told in stories, sung in songs, enacted in films and portrayed in media. These narratives form a bond not only between Kashmiris as a cultural group, but also between Lalla and identity as a Kashmiri. This thesis explores the nature of narrative by utilizing the works of Peter Gottschalk and Jordan Peterson to form a framework of analysis, and apply said framework to the narratives of Lalla’s story. In doing so, a multi-layered form of communication and identity is revealed – a communication that can speak both literally and figuratively of the multiple layers of identity all human beings navigate

Evaluation of Clinical and Biochemical Traits in Egyptian Barki Sheep with Different Growth Performances.

The Barki sheep industry is becoming increasingly important in Egypt because of the high quality of their meat and wool. This sheep breed is also commonly known for its resistance to arid and harsh environmental conditions. Such characteristics can be exploited in solving the problematic situation of inadequate animal protein for human consumption, particularly under climatic changes. However, very few studies have investigated aspects of breeding, nutrition, and susceptibility to infectious or non-infectious diseases in Barki sheep. Herein, we propose to unravel the differences in the clinical and biochemical profiles among Barki sheep of different growth rates. We measured clinical and biochemical parameters in stunted (n = 10; test group) and in good body condition (n = 9; control group) Barki sheep. Animals subjected to this experiment were of the same sex (female), age (12 months old), and housed in the same farm with similar conditions of feeding, management practice, and vaccination and deworming regimens. Regarding clinical examination, stunted/tested sheep showed a significantly higher pulse and respiratory rate compared to sheep with a good body condition/control group. The appetite, body temperature, and digestion processes were the same in both groups. In biochemical investigations, nutritional biomarkers were reduced markedly in stunted sheep compared with the control sheep, including total protein (p = 0.0445), albumin (p = 0.0087), cholesterol (p = 0.0007), and triglycerides (p = 0.0059). In addition, the Barki sheep test group suffered from higher levels of urea and blood urea nitrogen than the control group. Consistently, growth and thyroid hormone levels were lower in stunted sheep than the control sheep, although the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). No significant differences were detected in both groups for serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and zinc (p > 0.05). To detect the reasons for emaciation, certain debilitating infections were tested. All tested sheep showed negative coprological tests for gastrointestinal parasites, and had no obvious seropositivity to brucellosis, toxoplasmosis, neosporosis, or Q fever. This study demonstrates the useful biochemical markers for monitoring growth performance in Egyptian Barki sheep and unravels the usefulness of this breed in nationwide breeding and farming

Peroxiredoxin 3 promotes IL-12 production from macrophages and partially protects mice against infection with Toxoplasma gondii

application/pdfToxoplasmosis remains a life-threatening infection of humans and various domestic and wild animals worldwide. It is caused by the obligatory intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are a family of antioxidant enzymes that protect cells from oxidative stress from hydroperoxides. In the recent years, several studies have reported the potential use of T. gondii-derived enzymes in triggering protective immunity against T. gondii infection. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of TgPrx3. In vitro stimulation of peritoneal macrophages with recombinant TgPrx3 protein fused to glutathione-S transferase (TgPrx3-GST) enhanced IL-12p40 production, indicating the immune-stimulating potentials of TgPrx3. Next, protective efficacy was investigated by subcutaneous inoculation of mice with TgPrx3-GST (25 pmol), and recombinant GST or PBS were used as the controls. Mice immunized with TgPrx3-GST exhibited a significant elevation of specific antibodies in terms of IgG1 and IgG2c isotypes. Moreover, interferon-gamma production and spleen cell proliferation dramatically increased in the TgPrx3-GST-sensitized cells from mice immunized with the same antigen. The severity of the T. gondii infections tended to be attenuated in the TgPrx3-GST-immunized mice, as evidenced by their higher survival rates and lower parasite burdens in the brain. Altogether, TgPrx3 immunization induced specific humoral and cellular immune responses and partially protected the mice against lethal toxoplasmosis. Our results suggest the possible use of TgPrx3 as a vaccine candidate against T. gondii infections. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.journal articl

Toxoplasma gondii prevalence and risk factors in owned domestic cats from Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand

Domestic cats are a potential source of Toxoplasma gondii infection for humans. This study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors for T. gondii infection in domestic cats. Cat sera (n = 182) were tested for T. gondii IgG antibodies using the latex agglutination test (LAT) and the GRA7 of T. gondii (TgGRA7)-indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify the factors associated with T. gondii infection. The overall prevalence rates were 18.1% (33/182) according to LAT, 19.2% (35/182) according to the iELISA and 17.0% (31/182) according to LAT and iELISA. Univariable analyses identified, outdoor access (P = 0.006), being a former stray cat (P = 0.001) and successful hunting behaviors (P = 0.04) as risk factors for T. gondii infection. Outdoor access (OR 2.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–6.72) and is a former stray cat (OR 3.69, 95% CI 1.52–8.96) remained significant risk factors in multivariable analyses. This study indicated a relatively high seroprevalence of T. gondii among domestic cats. Cat owners can reduce the risk for T. gondii infection by not allowing their cats to roam free. Furthermore, education about the transmission of the parasite should be provided to prevent infection to the owners

Tick-borne pathogens in camels: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence in dromedaries

application/pdfPublished data on tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) in camels worldwide have been collected to provide an overview of the global prevalence and species diversity of camelid TBPs. Several TBPs have been detected in dromedary camels, raising concerns regarding their role as natural or maintenance hosts for tick-borne pathogens. Insubstantial evidence exists regarding the natural infection of camels with Babesia spp., Theileria spp., Anaplasma spp., and Ehrlichia spp., particularly because most of the camels were considered healthy at the time of sampling. Based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, a pooled prevalence of 35.3% (95% CI: 22.6–48.1%) was estimated for Anaplasma, which was the most frequently tested TBP in dromedaries, and DNA of Anaplasma marginale, Anaplasma centrale, Anaplasma ovis, Anaplasma platys, and A. platys-like were isolated, of which ruminants and dogs are reservoirs. Similarly, the estimated pooled prevalence for the two piroplasmid genera; Babesia and Theileria was approximately equal (10–12%) regardless of the detection method (microscopy or PCR testing). Nevertheless, Babesia caballi, Theileria equi, and Theileria annulata DNA have frequently been detected in camels but they have not yet been proven to be natural hosts. Scarce data detected Babesia microti, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) DNA in blood of dromedaries, although ticks of the genus Ixodes are distributed in limited areas where dromedaries are raised. Interestingly, a pooled seroprevalence of 47.7% (26.3–69.2%) was estimated for Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, and viral RNA was detected in dromedary blood; however, their contribution to maintain the viral transmission cycles requires further experimental investigation. The substantially low incidence and scarcity of data on Rickettsia and Ehrlichia species could imply that camels were accidentally infected. In contrast, camels may play a role in the spread of Coxiella burnetii, which is primarily transmitted through the inhalation of aerosols emitted by diseased animals and contaminated environments. Bactrian camels showed no symptoms due to the examined TBPs, meanwhile, clinical disease was seen in alpacas infected with A. phagocytophilum. Similar to dromedaries, accidental tick bites may be the cause of TBP DNA found in the blood of Bactrian camels. © 2023journal articl

Past achievements, current situation and future challenges for vaccine development against Cryptosporidium parvum and C. hominis infections

application/pdfIn developing and developed countries, infection with Cryptosporidium species is considered as a disease of major health and economic concerns. Among the several identified species, C. parvum (zoonotic and anthroponotic agent) and C. hominis (anthroponotic agent) are the most important species, inducing diarrhea in humans and calves. Fatality of cryptosporidiosis in AIDS patients and immunocompromized individuals engender the importance of immune response against such disease. As most of parasitic diseases, the vaccine development against Cryptosporidium is still problematic because of great complexity of developmental parasitic stages. However, the immuno-prophylactic and therapeutic approaches have exhibited promising results in mouse and cattle models. Both cellular and humoral immunities are required for conferring protective immunity in the tested animal models. Recombinant DNA and protein based on glycoprotein Cp15 and P23 are the predominantly evaluated candidates and the mostly successful vaccine antigens. This review highlighted the previous studies with successful vaccine antigens, summarizes the current challenges and limitations, and suggests solutions for future application in vaccine development against Cryptosporidium infection.journal articl

Identification of the antigenic region of Neospora caninum dense granule protein 7 using ELISA

application/pdfDense granule protein 7 (NcGRA7) is a potent diagnostic antigen of Neospora caninum. Some studies have reported on the difficult expression, low yield, and variable degree of solubility of recombinant NcGRA7. We aimed to unravel the possible causes for these issues and tested NcGRA7 antigenicity in enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). The NcGRA7 coding sequence (217 amino acids) was split into five amino acid regions: NcGRA7m (27–217), NcGRA7m3 (27–160), NcGRA7m4 (27–135), NcGRA7m5 (161–190), and NcGRA7m6 (188–217). Three fragments, NcGRA7m, NcGRA7m3 and NcGRA7m4, exhibited high antigenic properties when tested against experimentally-infected mice and dog sera by ELISA. High levels of IgG2 antibodies against NcGRA7m3 were observed in field dog sera. In experimentally and naturally-infected cattle, the N. caninum-specific sera only reacted with NcGRA7m, indicating that this antigenic region differs among the three animal species. This study presents valuable information about the antigenic properties and topology of NcGRA7, and highlights its suitability for diagnostic purposes. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.journal articl