NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCES FOR DETECTION OF SERPULINA HYODYSENTERIAE

The invention provides a method for detecting the presence of Serpulina hyOdysenteriae in a biological Sample, an oligonucleotide primer and an S. hyodysenteriae-specific oligonucleotide probe useful in that method, and an article of manufacture that contains the primers and/or probe. Also provided are an about 2.3-kb DNA fragment derived from genomic DNA of S. hyodysenteriae and encoding for an about 56 kDa polypeptide, a recombinant expression vector containing the DNA fragment, the 56 kDa polypeptide and a monoclonal antibody reactive with the peptide, and a method of assaying for antibodies reactive with the 56 kDa peptide

G85-748 Prevention and Control of Swine Dysentery

This NebGuide describes the causes and symptoms of swine dysentery and offers management recommendations and treatment procedures for its prevention and control. Swine dysentery is a highly contagious disease of growing and finishing pigs. First described in Indiana in 1921, it has been called black scours, bloody scours, and vibrionic dysentery. Swine dysentery causes important financial losses because of reduced feed efficiency and lower weight gain, costs of medication and additional animal care, and death. Substantial costs may result from loss of sales of breeding stock, or depopulation when necessary. Serpula (Treponema) hyodysenteriae, a spiral bacterium, is the cause of swine dysentery, and seven different types have been recognized worldwide. Types 1 and 2 are the most common in the United States

Pathology in Practice

A 1.5-year-old second-parity Large Black X Tamworth cross sow from a well-managed 20-sow, unvaccinated, pasture-raised herd of pigs in upstate New York aborted a litter of 7 variably mummified near-term fetuses and stillborn piglets. This sow had no signs of ill health other than abortion; it was housed in a group with 4 other sows and a 2-year-old Gloucestershire Old Spot boar. One of the stillborn piglets from this litter was submitted to the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center for necropsy; no placental tissue was submitted with the piglet. A second sow from this group had aborted a litter at the same late stage of gestation within the preceding 2 weeks; however, none of the fetuses were submitted for diagnostic investigation. No signs of ill health were reported for the rest of the herd. The referring veterinarian indicated that these pigs had access to corn standing in the field and that, because of recent wet weather, there was concern that mycotoxin contamination might be the cause of the abortions

Diet-Induced Alterations in Gut Microflora Contribute to Lethal Pulmonary Damage in TLR2/TLR4-Deficient Mice

SummaryChronic intake of Western diet has driven an epidemic of obesity and metabolic syndrome, but how it induces mortality remains unclear. Here, we show that chronic intake of a high-fat diet (HFD), not a low-fat diet, leads to severe pulmonary damage and mortality in mice deficient in Toll-like receptors 2 and 4 (DKO). Diet-induced pulmonary lesions are blocked by antibiotic treatment and are transmissible to wild-type mice upon either cohousing or fecal transplantation, pointing to the existence of bacterial pathogens. Indeed, diet and innate deficiency exert significant impact on gut microbiota composition. Thus, chronic intake of HFD promotes severe pulmonary damage and mortality in DKO mice in part via gut dysbiosis, a finding that may be important for immunodeficient patients, particularly those on chemotherapy or radiotherapy, where gut-microbiota-caused conditions are often life threatening

Certain Canine Weakly β-Hemolytic Intestinal Spirochetes Are Phenotypically and Genotypically Related to Spirochetes Associated with Human and Porcine Intestinal Spirochetosis

Four canine weakly β-hemolytic intestinal spirochetes associated with intestinal spirochetosis (IS-associated WBHIS) were compared with IS-associated human and porcine WBHIS and the type species for Serpulina hyodysenteriae and S. innocens by using phenotypic and genotypic parameters. The IS-associated canine, human, and porcine WBHIS belonged to a phyletic group distinct from but related to previously described Serpulina type species

Comparative transcriptional profiling of canine acanthomatous ameloblastoma and homology with human ameloblastoma

Ameloblastomas are odontogenic tumors that are rare in people but have a relatively high prevalence in dogs. Because canine acanthomatous ameloblastomas (CAA) have clinicopathologic and molecular features in common with human ameloblastomas (AM), spontaneous CAA can serve as a useful translational model of disease. However, the molecular basis of CAA and how it compares to AM are incompletely understood. In this study, we compared the global genomic expression profile of CAA with AM and evaluated its dental origin by using a bulk RNA-seq approach. For these studies, healthy gingiva and canine oral squamous cell carcinoma served as controls. We found that aberrant RAS signaling, and activation of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition cellular program are involved in the pathogenesis of CAA, and that CAA is enriched with genes known to be upregulated in AM including those expressed during the early stages of tooth development, suggesting a high level of molecular homology. These results support the model that domestic dogs with spontaneous CAA have potential for pre-clinical assessment of targeted therapeutic modalities against AM

NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCES FOR DETECTION OF SERPULINA HYODYSENTERIAE

The invention provides a method for detecting the presence of Serpulina hyOdysenteriae in a biological Sample, an oligonucleotide primer and an S. hyodysenteriae-specific oligonucleotide probe useful in that method, and an article of manufacture that contains the primers and/or probe. Also provided are an about 2.3-kb DNA fragment derived from genomic DNA of S. hyodysenteriae and encoding for an about 56 kDa polypeptide, a recombinant expression vector containing the DNA fragment, the 56 kDa polypeptide and a monoclonal antibody reactive with the peptide, and a method of assaying for antibodies reactive with the 56 kDa peptide

A Population Approach to Diagnosis of Grow-Finish Diarrhea Complex

Because the growing-finishing phase of pig production accounts for 60 to 70 percent of the total feed costs, improvements in feed efficiency during that period can significantly effect cost-benefit potential. Alimentary tract diseases caused by bacterial agents can significantly impact the capacity of growing-finishing pigs to utilize nutrients. Although disease problems in the poultry industry are most often diagnosed by complete examination of several live animals submitted for necropsy, such an approach is cost prohibitive for growing-finishing pigs. To better control enteric bacterial diseases of growing/finishing pigs, we investigated the value of examining fecal specimens taken front a representative number of potentially exposed or infected pigs for the presence of three major enteric bacterial pathogens. We hypothesized that examining such fecal specimens would provide useful information about a farm’s bacterial enteric infection status. These results indicated cost-effective control strategies aimed at enteric bacterial diseases on individual farms should be implemented. This approach also could form the basis of a surveillance program for control of bacterial agents with a public health significance

Penicillin-Binding Proteins in the Pathogenic Intestinal Spirochete \u3ci\u3eBrachyspira pilosicoli\u3c/i\u3e

Penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) of slightly different molecular masses (94, 62 or 68, 42 or 50, 25, and 22 kDa) were identified in one human and two porcine Brachyspira pilosicoli strains. Identification of PBPs of B. pilosicoli provides a basis for characterization of the genes encoding these proteins among pathogenic intestinal spirochetes of humans and animals