Veterinary Infectious Diseases Commons^™

Malignant Catarrhal Fever Viruses In Tennessee Ruminants, Robin Lynn Cissell

Doctoral Dissertations

Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) is a lymphoproliferative and inflammatory syndrome affecting primarily ruminant species. The disease, which is often fatal, is most often described as affecting bovids and cervids. No vaccines are available for prevention of MCFV infection. The primary method to control spread of disease is to prevent contact between carriers and clinically susceptible species. There is no known method to control infection of malignant catarrhal fever virus-white-tailed deer variant (MCFV-WTD), as the carrier animal of this virus is unknown.

To determine the prevalence of malignant catarrhal fever viruses in Tennessee ruminant populations, blood and/or lymph node samples were …

Methicillin Resistance In Staphylococcus Pseudintermedius, Chad Christopher Black

Doctoral Dissertations

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius affecting dogs is analogous to S. aureus on humans, acting as both normal flora and opportunistic pathogen. Methicillin resistance in S. pseudintermedius is recent, with the first documented occurrence of an isolate bearing the methicillin resistance gene, mecA, in 1999. This gene encodes penicillin binding protein 2a, which renders all beta-lactam drugs ineffective and functions as a “gateway” antibiotic resistance determinant. In the presence of ineffective antibiotics, opportunities for mutational events and acquisition of mobile genetic elements increase as microbial densities increase, often leading to multi-drug resistance. Methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) infections have become increasingly common. For …

Tactics For Identifying And Eliminating Tritrichomonas Foetus From Infected Beef Herds, Jeff D. Ondrak

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The protozoan, Tritrichomonas foetus (TF), has been recognized as a cause of bovine infertility for more than 100 years (Skirrow and BonDurant, 1988). As an obligate parasite of the bovine reproductive tract its control and eradication seems achievable (Harding, 1950). However, this disease continues to trouble US cattle producers and a recent epidemic in the Western US has lead to increased interest in research and regulatory efforts (Cima, 2009).

Outbreak investigations were carried out on three Nebraska ranches to assess the efficiency of currently available diagnostic tests, culture, gel polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and real time PCR (rtPCR), in identifying …

Elaboración De Un Anticuerpo Monoclonal Contra Leptospira Interrogans Serovar Pomona, Yuly Andrea Guerrero Quiroga, Juan Carlos Villarraga Micolta

Medicina Veterinaria

La leptospirosis es una zoonosis de distribución mundial, más común en áreas tropicales donde las condiciones para su transmisión son favorables. Su incidencia a nivel mundial depende del clima, los reservorios, y su vigilancia; pero en Colombia estos índices no son bien valorados por la falta de investigaciones certeras en el tema. Es considerada una enfermedad ocupacional que afecta a personas que se dedican a la agricultura, limpieza de desagües, minería y aquellos que tienen contacto con animales como los trabajadores de famas y los veterinarios (Céspedes M, et.al, 2003; Slak A, et.al, 2007), sin contar que puede ser trasmitida …

An Enzootic Vector-Borne Virus Is Amplified At Epizootic Levels By An Invasive Avian Host, Valerie A. O'Brien, Amy T. Moore, Ginger R. Young, Nicolas Komar, William K. Reisen, Charles R. Brown

Other Publications in Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease

Determining the effect of an invasive species on enzootic pathogen dynamics is critical for understanding both human epidemics and wildlife epizootics. Theoretical models suggest that when a naive species enters an established host–parasite system, the new host may either reduce (‘dilute’) or increase (‘spillback’) pathogen transmission to native hosts. There are few empirical data to evaluate these possibilities, especially for animal pathogens. Buggy Creek virus (BCRV) is an arthropod-borne alphavirus that is enzootically transmitted by the swallow bug (Oeciacus vicarius) to colonially nesting cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota). In western Nebraska, introduced house sparrows (Passer domesticus …

Prion Genotypes Of Scrapie-Infected Canadian Sheep 1998–2008, Noel P. Harrington, Katherine I. O'Rourke, Yuquin Feng, Jasmine Rendulich, Cathleen Difruscio, Aru Balachandran

Other Publications in Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease

This report describes the genetics of the prion protein gene (PRNP) at codons 136, 154, and 171 for sheep diagnosed with naturally acquired classical scrapie in Canada between 1998 and 2008. Genotyping analysis was performed on 249 sheep with confirmed classical scrapie infection representing 98 flocks from 6 provinces. A further case-control analysis of 3 of these flocks compared the genotypes between infected sheep (n = 72) and those of their healthy flockmates (n = 1990). The incidence of classical scrapie in the Canadian sheep population was highly associated with the ARQ haplotype (91.8%) and the …

Prevalencia De Hemoparásitos En Bovinos De Seis Veredas Del Municipio De Purificación Tolima, Jorge Mario Useche Meneses

Medicina Veterinaria

Los hemoparásitos son organismos que se transmiten a los bovinos a través de vectores mecánicos y biológicos, se encuentran en zonas tropicales, particularmente en animales con predisposición a sufrir de las enfermedades que generan, teniéndose identificada su relación con algunas razas específicas. Los signos clínicos que aportan indicios sobre su presencia y que son observados más frecuentemente incluyen: cambios en el cuadro hemático, anemia, hemoglobinuria y pérdida de peso. Esta investigación se desarrolló con el objeto de determinar la presencia y prevalencia de estos agentes en seis veredas del Municipio de Purificación – Tolima-, de cuyo análisis previo no fue …

Increased Risk Of Chronic Wasting Disease In Rocky Mountain Elk Associated With Decreased Magnesium And Increased Manganese In Brain Tissue, Stephen N. White, Katherine I. O'Rourke, Thomas Gidlewski, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Michelle R. Mousel, Gregory E. Phillips, Terry R. Spraker

Other Publications in Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) of Rocky Mountain elk in North America. Recent studies suggest that tissue and blood mineral levels may be valuable in assessing TSE infection in sheep and cattle. The objectives of this study were to examine baseline levels of copper, manganese, magnesium, zinc, selenium, and molybdenum in the brains of Rocky Mountain elk with differing prion genotypes and to assess the association of mineral levels with CWD infection. Elk with leucine at prion position 132 had significantly lower magnesium levels than elk with 2 copies of methionine. Chronic wasting disease-positive elk …

Molecular Genealogy Tools For White-Tailed Deer With Chronic Wasting Disease, Holly B. Ernest, Bruce R. Hoar, Jay A. Well, Katherine I. O'Rourke

Other Publications in Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease

Molecular genetic data provide powerful tools for genealogy reconstruction to reveal mechanisms underlying disease ecology. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) congregate in matriarchal groups; kin-related close social spacing may be a factor in the spread of infectious diseases. Spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disorder of deer and their cervid relatives, is presumed to be associated with direct contact between individuals and by exposure to shared food and water sources contaminated with prions shed by infected deer. Key aspects of disease ecology are yet unknown. DNA tools for pedigree reconstruction were developed to fill knowledge gaps in …

Experimental Oral Transmission Of Chronic Wasting Disease To Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus Elaphus): Early Detection And Late Stage Distribution Of Protease-Resistant Prion Protein, Aru Balachandran, Noel P. Harrington, James Algire, Andrei Soutyrine, Terry R. Spraker, Martin Jeffrey, Lorenzo González, Katherine I. O'Rourke

Other Publications in Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), an important emerging prion disease of cervids, is readily transmitted by intracerebral or oral inoculation from deer-to-deer and elk-to-elk, suggesting the latter is a natural route of exposure. Studies of host range susceptibility to oral infection, particularly of those species found in habitats where CWD currently exists are imperative. This report describes the experimental transmission of CWD to red deer following oral inoculation with infectious CWD material of elk origin. At 18 to 20 months post-inoculation, mild to moderate neurological signs and weight loss were observed and animals were euthanized and tested using 3 conventional immunological …

Detection Of The Abnormal Isoform Of The Prion Protein Associated With Chronic Wasting Disease In The Optic Pathways Of The Brain And Retina Of Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus Elaphus Nelsoni), T. R. Spraker, Katherine I. O'Rourke, T. Gidlewski, J. G. Powers, J. J. Greenlee, M. A. Wild

Other Publications in Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease

Eyes and nuclei of the visual pathways in the brain were examined in 30 Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) representing 3 genotypes of the prion protein gene PRNP (codon 132: MM, ML, or LL). Tissues were examined for the presence of the abnormal isoform of the prion protein associated with chronic wasting disease (PrP^CWD). Nuclei and axonal tracts from a single section of brain stem at the level of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve were scored for intensity and distribution of PrP^CWD immunoreactivity and degree of spongiform degeneration. This obex scoring …

Promiscuous Mating In Feral Pigs (Sus Scrofa) From Texas, Usa, Johanna Delgado-Acevedo, Angeline Zamorano, Randy W. Deyoung, Tyler A. Campbell, David G. Hewitt, David B. Long

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Context. Feral pigs represent a significant threat to agriculture and ecosystems and are disease reservoirs for pathogens affecting humans, livestock and other wildlife. Information on the behavioural ecology of feral pigs might increase the efficiency and effectiveness of management strategies.

Aims. We assessed the frequency of promiscuous mating in relation to oestrous synchrony in feral pigs from southern Texas, USA, an agroecosystem with a widespread and well established population of feral pigs. An association between multiple paternity of single litters and synchrony of oestrous may indicate alternative mating strategies, such as mateguarding.

Methods. We collected gravid sows at …

Detection And Molecular Characterization Of Canine Enteric Viruses In Southern Ireland., Susan Mcelligott

Theses

Enteric viruses, such as canine parvovirus (CPV) and canine coronavirus (CCoV), are a major cause of gastroenteritis in dogs. More serious clinical symptoms occur in young pups, or when both of these viruses infect an animal simultaneously. Caliciviruses and rotaviruses can also cause gastroenteritis in dogs, but these viruses, while causing significant problems in other animal species and humans, are considered to be less significant pathogens of canines. However, on occasion, these viruses have been reported to produce severe clinical symptoms such as vomiting, haemorrhagic enteritis and severe dehydration.

Many viral vaccines for canines are formulated using old vaccine viral …