Biology Underlying Social and Emotional Profiles

This proposal research focuses on the biology underlying prosociality, which centers on emotions and behaviors that benefit others, in mother-baby-grandmother triads. One specific aim will center on how moral elevation, an emotional state generated through witnessing great acts of compassion, is related to caregiving behaviors and variations in the oxytocin system, a hormone important for an array of prosocial behaviors, including social bonding. In addition, the mothers and grandmothers will answer questionnaires to capture other aspects of their experiences. Our main investigation is to show that the emotional state of moral elevation is linked to epigenetic and genetic profiles of the oxytocin receptor gene, autonomic physiology, psychological profiles, behavioral displays, and oxytocin release. Altogether, this multimethod approach will explore the relationship between static (genetic) and dynamic (hormone, epigenetic) oxytocinergic profiles in the context of socioemotional processing influenced by nature and nurture

Faculty perceptions regarding the infusion of global perspectives into the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences curriculum: A comparative study

A comparative study was conducted to explore faculty perceptions regarding the infusion of global perspectives into the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) curriculum at Iowa State University. King (1991) provided the original base for the study which enabled a comparison with data recently collected. This study may fill a void in the literature published in the context of the CALS faculty members’ perceptions in infusing a global perspective into the curriculum over the periods covered. The gap between the original and current study may reveal a possible new mindset and trend in the perceived benefits and barriers of infusing global perspectives into the curriculum. An online survey using Qualtrics was used to collect data. The survey material was comprised of five parts: perception statements, critical content/topics, activities used to add global perspectives, opinions on the infusion of global perspectives and demographic information. Descriptive and inferential analyses were used to compare the data collected. Significant differences were found in the demographic and occupational information of gender, age and primary workload. There were also significant differences in students’ activities used to add international perspectives, comparative reasons for the departmental curriculum problems, and activities for curriculum improvement. Four of the 16 identified perception statements and 10 of the 48 identified critical content/topics were found to be statistically different in the two years that were compared. ANOVA results for both perception statements and the critical content/topics were significantly different on the identified races in the 1991 study but not on the 2016 study. Even after 25 years, the perceptions of CALS faculty members regarding the infusion of global perspectives has remained the same on majority of the statements for internationalization and perceived critical topics to be taught from a global perspectives

Lawsonia intracellularis ELISA: A New Test at the ISU-VDL

Porcine Proliferative Enteropathy (PPE) is a common disease of swine which is caused by the intracellular bacterium, Lawsonia intracellularis. The performance of a recently available commercial ELISA for L. intracellularis was evaluated by comparison with an immuno-peroxidase monolayer assay (IPMA) and found to have at least 97% correlation. The same assay when conducted at different laboratories showed 100% agreement in results. Examination of serum samples from various cases submitted to the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic laboratory indicated that 87% of the herds examined were sero-positive for L. intracellularis. Therefore, the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for Lawsonia intracellularis is a useful and reliable test which allows veterinary practitioners and producers to obtain same day results on swine serum samples submitted

Evaluation and use of a serological assay for the detection of antibodies to Lawsonia intracellularis in swine

Porcine proliferative enteropathy (PPE) is a common and economically important gastro-intestinal disease of swine caused by the intracellular bacterium, Lawsonia intracellularis. Conventional tests to detect antibody responses to L. intracellularisinclude the immuno-peroxidase monolayer assay (IPMA), immuno-fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and a lipopolysaccharide ELISA (LPS-ELISA). These tests are not commercially available. Therefore, objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of a commercial L. intracellularis blocking ELISA. Performance of the commercial ELISA was compared to the IPMA and LPS-ELISA using serum from experimentally infected animals (N = 40). The prevalence of L. intracellularis sero-positive animals was assessed by comparing suspect and randomly selected sera (N = 394). The commercial ELISA, IPMA and a non-commercial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) LPS-ELISA showed a 95% correlation when tested using experimentally derived known status samples. When compared to the IPMA the sensitivity of the commercial ELISA was 91% while the specificity was 100%. Therefore, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the commercial L. intracellularis ELISA was comparable to the LPS-ELISA and IPMA. A comparison of suspect and randomly selected field samples with the commercial ELISA indicated that L. intracellularis sero-positivity is widespread and does not correlate with possible disease status

Pro-opiomelanocortin co-localizes with corticotropin-releasing factor in axon terminals of the noradrenergic nucleus locus coeruleus

We previously demonstrated that the opioid peptide, enkephalin, and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) are occasionally co-localized in individual axon terminals but more frequently converge on common dendrites in the locus coeruleus (LC). To further examine potential opioid co-transmitters in CRF afferents, we investigated the distribution of proopiomelanocortin (POMC), the precursor that yields the potent bioactive peptide, ß-endorphin, with respect to CRF immunoreactivity using immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopic analyses of the LC. Coronal sections were collected through the dorsal pontine tegmentum of rat brain and processed for immunocytochemical detection of POMC and CRF or tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). POMC-immunoreactive processes exhibited a distinct distribution within the LC as compared to the enkephalin family of opioid peptides. Specifically, POMC fibers were enriched in the ventromedial aspect of the LC with fewer fibers present dorsolaterally. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed frequent co-existence of POMC and CRF in varicose processes that overlapped TH-containing somatodendritic processes in the LC. Ultrastructural analysis showed POMC immunoreactivity in unmyelinated axons and axon terminals. Axon terminals containing POMC were filled with numerous large dense core vesicles. In sections processed for POMC and TH, approximately 29% of POMC-containing axon terminals (n = 405) targeted dendrites that exhibited immunogold-silver labeling for TH. Whereas, sections processed for POMC and CRF showed that 27% of POMC-labeled axon terminals (n = 657) also exhibited CRF immunoreactivity. Taken together, these data indicate that a subset of CRF afferents targeting the LC contain POMC and may be positioned to dually impact LC activity

Differential antigenicity of individual Mycoplasma hyorhinis variable lipoproteins

The Mycoplasma hyorhinis (Mhr) variable lipoprotein (Vlp) family, comprising Vlps A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, are highly variable in expression, size, and cytoadhesion capabilities across Mhr strains. The ‘Vlp system’ plays a crucial role in cytoadhesion, immune evasion, and in eliciting a host immunologic response. This pilot study described the development of Vlp peptide-based ELISAs to evaluate the antigenic reactivity of individual Vlps against Mhr antisera collected throughout a longitudinal study focused on Mhr strain 38983, reproducing Mhr-associated disease under experimental conditions. Specifically, serum samples were collected at day post-inoculation 0, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, 28, 35, 42, 49, and 56 from Mhr- and mock (Friis medium)-inoculated cesarean-derived, colostrum-deprived pigs. Significant Mhr-specific IgG responses were detected at specific time points throughout the infection, with some variations for each Vlp. Overall, individual Vlp ELISAs showed consistently high accuracy rates, except for VlpD, which would likely be associated with its expression levels or the anti-Vlp humoral immune response specific to the Mhr strain used in this study. This study provides the basis and tools for a more refined understanding of these Vlp- and Mhr strain-specific variations, which is foundational in understanding the host immune response to Mhr.This article is published as Magtoto, P.D., Arruda, B.L., Magtoto, R.L., Mora-Díaz, J.C., Opulencia, R.B., Baum, D.H., Zimmerman, J.J. and Giménez-Lirola, L.G., 2024. Differential antigenicity of individual Mycoplasma hyorhinis variable lipoproteins. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology, p.110768. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetimm.2024.110768. Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted

Detection of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV)-specific IgM-IgA in oral fluid samples reveals PRRSV infection in the presence of maternal antibody

The ontogeny of PRRSV antibody in oral fluids has been described using isotype-specific ELISAs. Mirroring the serum response, IgM appears in oral fluid by 7 days post inoculation (DPI), IgA after 7 DPI, and IgG by 9 to 10 DPI. Commercial PRRSV ELISAs target the detection of IgG because the higher concentration of IgG relative to other isotypes provides the best diagnostic discrimination. Oral fluids are increasingly used for PRRSV surveillance in commercial herds, but in younger pigs, a positive ELISA result may be due either to maternal antibody or to antibody produced by the pigs in response to infection. To address this issue, a combined IgM-IgA PRRSV oral fluid ELISA was developed and evaluated for its capacity to detect pig-derived PRRSV antibody in the presence of maternal antibody. Two longitudinal studies were conducted. In Study 1 (modified-live PRRS vaccinated pigs), testing of individual pig oral fluid samples by isotype-specific ELISAs demonstrated that the combined IgM-IgA PRRSV ELISA provided better discrimination than individual IgM or IgA ELISAs. In Study 2 (field data), testing of pen-based oral fluid samples confirmed the findings in Study 1 and established that the IgM-IgA ELISA was able to detect antibody produced by pigs in response to wild-type PRRSV infection, despite the presence of maternal IgG. Overall, the combined PRRSV IgM-IgA oral fluid ELISA described in this study is a potential tool for PRRSV surveillance, particularly in populations of growing pigs originating from PRRSV-positive or vaccinated breeding herds

Seroprevalence of Senecavirus A in sows and grower-finisher pigs in major swine producing-states in the United States

Senecavirus A (SVA) is a single-stranded RNA virus in the family Picornaviridae. Recently, SVA has been associated with idiopathic vesicular disease and increased neonate mortality outbreaks in the United States, Brazil, China, Colombia, and Thailand, with increasing incidence since 2014. Indirect detection by antibody detection methods, including indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), virus neutralization assay, and competitive or indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), have been reported in clinical and experimental trials. The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of SVA in nonclinical affected herds in the United States. Individual samples were collected from 3654 and 2433 clinically healthy grower-finisher pigs and sows, respectively, from 219 unique commercial swine production sites. SVA seroprevalence was evaluated by SVA rVP1 ELISA and SVA IFA. The estimated seroprevalence for grower-finisher pigs and sows was 12.2% and 34.0%, respectively. The herd prevalence was 42.7% for grower-finisher farms and 75.8% for sow farms. The SVA rVP1 ELISA and SVA IFA exhibited a fair (sows) and moderate (grower-finisher) agreement at the herd level, while a fair agreement was observed at the individual level for both pig categories evaluated. The McNemar’s test was significant at the individual and herd level (p <  0.05). In this study, we demonstrated the presence of SVA IgG antibodies in pigs from clinically healthy grower-finisher and sow herds. These results suggest that SVA is circulating subclinically in sow farms and grower-finisher pig farms in major swine producing-states in the United States.This is a manuscript of the article Published as Houston, Elizabeth, Luis Gabriel Giménez-Lirola, Ronaldo Magtoto, Juan Carlos Mora-Díaz, David Baum, and Pablo Enrique Piñeyro. "Seroprevalence of Senecavirus A in sows and grower-finisher pigs in major swine producing-states in the United States." Preventive veterinary medicine 165 (2019): 1-7. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2019.01.012. © 2019 Elsevier B.V. CC BY-NC-ND. Posted with Permission

The porcine circovirus 3 humoral response: characterization of maternally derived antibodies and dynamic following experimental infection

Since Porcine Circovirus 3 (PCV3) was first identified in 2016, our understanding of the humoral response is still relatively scarce. Current knowledge of the PCV3 humoral response is primarily based on field studies identifying the seroprevalence of PCV3 Cap-induced antibodies. Studies on the humoral response following experimental PCV3 infection have conflicting results where one study reports the development of the Cap IgG response 7 days postinfection with no concurrent Cap IgM response, while a second study shows a Cap IgM response at the same time point with no detection of Cap IgG. The dynamics of the PCV3 Cap and Rep IgG following maternal antibody transfer and experimental infection have not been well characterized. Additionally, the cross-reactivity of convalescent serum from PCV2 and PCV3 experimentally infected animals to serologic methods of the alternate PCV has limited evaluation. Here, we show that maternally derived antibodies were detectable in piglet serum 7–9 weeks postfarrowing for the Cap IgG and 5-weeks-post farrowing for the Rep IgG using Cap- and Rep-specific enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and immunofluorescent assays (IFA) methods. Following experimental inoculation, Cap IgG was detected at 2-weeks-post inoculation and Rep IgG detection was delayed until 4-weeks-post inoculation. Furthermore, convalescent serum from either PCV2 or PCV3 methods displayed no cross-reactivity by serological methods against the other PCV. The information gained in this study highlights the development of both the Cap- and Rep-specific antibodies following experimental infection and through the transfer of maternal antibodies. The increased understanding of the dynamics of maternal antibody transfer and development of the humoral response following infection gained in the present study may aid in the establishment of husbandry practices and potential application of prophylactics to control PCV3 clinical disease.This article is published as Kroeger, Molly, Gun Temeeyasen, Steven Dilberger-Lawson, Eric Nelson, Ronaldo Magtoto, Luis Gimenez-Lirola, and Pablo Piñeyro. "The porcine circovirus 3 humoral response: characterization of maternally derived antibodies and dynamic following experimental infection." Microbiology Spectrum (2024): e00870-24. doi: https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.00870-24. Copyright © 2024 Kroeger et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Evaluation of the IgA response to attenuated-live oral Lawsonia intracellularis vaccine

Porcine proliferative enteropathy (PPE), commonly referred to as ileitis, is an infectious enteric disease leading to decreased production performance of growing pigs. The etiological agent of this disease, Lawsonia intracellularis, is a Gram-negative bacterium found in swine worldwide.1 An avirulent live oral vaccine, Enterisol® Ileitis (Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc.), is currently available to immunize pigs to prevent this disease and subsequent economic loss from mortality, decreased feed efficiency, and poor weight gain.2 Recent research has found that anti-L intracellularis immunoglobin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) can be observed in oral fluids and serum following experimental L intracellularis challenge.3 Given the role that IgA plays in protecting the intestine and mucosal surfaces, we elected to evaluate IgA.4,5 The objective of this study was to investigate if IgA against L intracellularis could be detected in serum and in oral fluids following vaccination with Enterisol® Ileitis.This proceeding is published as Sattler, Kendall, Melissa Farber Billing, Luis Gimenez-Lirola, Ronaldo L. Magtoto, Juan Carlos Mora-Diaz, and Fernando Leite. "Evaluation of the IgA response to attenuated-live oral Lawsonia intracellularis vaccine." doi: https://doi.org/10.54846/am2023/23. Posted with permission