A review of the human vs. porcine female genital tract and associated immune system in the perspective of using minipigs as a model of human genital Chlamydia infection

International audienceAbstractSexually transmitted diseases constitute major health issues and their prevention and treatment continue to challenge the health care systems worldwide. Animal models are essential for a deeper understanding of the diseases and the development of safe and protective vaccines. Currently a good predictive non-rodent model is needed for the study of genital chlamydia in women. The pig has become an increasingly popular model for human diseases due to its close similarities to humans. The aim of this review is to compare the porcine and human female genital tract and associated immune system in the perspective of genital Chlamydia infection. The comparison of women and sows has shown that despite some gross anatomical differences, the structures and proportion of layers undergoing cyclic alterations are very similar. Reproductive hormonal cycles are closely related, only showing a slight difference in cycle length and source of luteolysing hormone. The epithelium and functional layers of the endometrium show similar cyclic changes. The immune system in pigs is very similar to that of humans, even though pigs have a higher percentage of CD4+/CD8+ double positive T cells. The genital immune system is also very similar in terms of the cyclic fluctuations in the mucosal antibody levels, but differs slightly regarding immune cell infiltration in the genital mucosa - predominantly due to the influx of neutrophils in the porcine endometrium during estrus. The vaginal flora in Göttingen Minipigs is not dominated by lactobacilli as in humans. The vaginal pH is around 7 in Göttingen Minipigs, compared to the more acidic vaginal pH around 3.5–5 in women. This review reveals important similarities between the human and porcine female reproductive tracts and proposes the pig as an advantageous supplementary model of human genital Chlamydia infection

Ceratodon purpureus

Bryophyte

Intricate web exhibit catalog

Full name of exhibit is The Intricate Web: Lacemaking, Trade, and TraditionCatalog for The Intricate Web exhibit that run from August 30, 2013-May 16, 2014. Includes information about the history of lace and samples in the exhibit

The pathology of the spleen in lethal canine babesiosis caused by Babesia rossi

To provide useful information based on the macropathology, histopathology and immunohistochemical investigation in the spleens of dogs with Babesia rossi infection. Control spleens were collected from four healthy dogs euthanized for welfare reasons. Nine dogs that died naturally because of a mono‐infection with Babesia rossi were selected for the diseased group. One haematoxylin‐and‐eosin–stained section of splenic tissue from each of the infected and control dogs was examined under the light microscope. Immunohistochemical markers were applied to characterize different immunocyte populations. The application of analytic software enabled semi‐quantitative comparison of leucocyte subpopulations. Routine splenic histopathology revealed diffuse intermingling of white and red pulp from infected dogs with a clear loss of distinction between these zones. Immunohistochemistry revealed an increase in the proportion of tissue resident and bone marrow origin macrophages in the infected spleens. Apart from a few remnant lymphocytes within the peri‐arteriolar lymphatic sheaths and follicles, the majority of the immunocytes redistributed to the red pulp, supporting the observation of white and red pulp intermingling. The majority of our findings are in agreement with histomorphological descriptions of the spleen in a variety of noncanid mammalian hosts with lethal malaria or babesiosis.The National Research Foundationhttp://www.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pim2021-03-02hj2021Companion Animal Clinical StudiesParaclinical Science