Veterinary Microbiology and Immunobiology Commons^™

The Economic Impacts Of Blackbird (Icteridae) Damage To Sunflower In The Usa, Karina Ernst, Julie Elser, George Linz, Hans Kandel, Jason Holderieath, Samantha Degroot, Steven Shwiff, Stephanie Shwiff

Jason Holderieath

BACKGROUND: Blackbird (Icteridae) damage to ripening sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) has been a persistent economic issue in the USA for the last five decades. To quantify losses, we surveyed blackbird damage from 2001 to 2013 (excluding 2004) to physiologically mature sunflower in eight states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Colorado, Kansas, and Vermont.

RESULTS:We pooled data gathered during the most recent 5 years (2009 to 2013) of the survey and found losses averaged $US2.5 million and $US11.3 million for confectionery and oilseed hybrids, respectively. Three states, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, had sufficient acreage and bird damage …

Analysis Of Porcine Transcriptional Response To Salmonella Enterica Serovar Choleraesuis Suggests Novel Targets Of Nfkappab Are Activated In The Mesenteric Lymph Node, Yanfang Wang, Olivre P. Couture, Long Qu, Jolita J. Uthe, Shawn M. D. Bearson, Daniel Kuhar, Joan K. Lunney, Dan Nettleton, Jack C. M. Dekkers, Christopher K. Tuggle

Dan Nettleton

Background: Specific knowledge of the molecular pathways controlling host-pathogen interactions can increase our understanding of immune response biology as well as provide targets for drug development and genetic improvement of disease resistance. Toward this end, we have characterized the porcine transcriptional response to Salmonella enterica serovar Choleraesuis (S. Choleraesuis), a Salmonella serovar that predominately colonizes swine, yet can cause serious infections in human patients. Affymetrix technology was used to screen for differentially expressed genes in pig mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) responding to infection with S. Choleraesuis at acute (8 hours (h), 24 h and 48 h post-inoculation (pi)) and chronic …

Disease Will Limit Future Food Supply From The Global Crustacean Fishery And Aquaculture Sectors, G. Stentiford, D. Neil, E. Peeler, J. Shields, H. Small, T. Flegel, J. Vlak, B. Jones, F. Morado, S. Moss, J. Lotz, Lyric Bartholomay, D. Behringer, C. Hauton, D. Lightner

Lyric Bartholomay

Seafood is a highly traded food commodity. Farmed and captured crustaceans contribute a significant proportion with annual production exceeding 10 M metric tonnes with first sale value of $40bn. The sector is dominated by farmed tropical marine shrimp, the fastest growing sector of the global aquaculture industry. It is significant in supporting rural livelihoods and alleviating poverty in producing nations within Asia and Latin America while forming an increasing contribution to aquatic food supply in more developed countries. Nations with marine borders often also support important marine fisheries for crustaceans that are regionally traded as live animals and commodity products. …

Development And Evaluation Of A Replicon Particle Vaccine Expressing The E2 Glycoprotein Of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (Bvdv) In Cattle, John Dustin Loy, Jill Gander, Mark Mogler, Ryan Vander Veen, Julia Ridpath, Delbert Hank Harris, Kurt Kamrud

John Loy

Background: Bovine viral diarrhea virus is one of the most significant and costly viral pathogens of cattle worldwide. Alphavirus-derived replicon particles have been shown to be safe and highly effective vaccine vectors against a variety of human and veterinary pathogens. Replicon particles are non-propagating, DIVA compatible, and can induce both humoral and cell mediated immune responses. This is the first experiment to demonstrate that Alphavirus-based replicon particles can be utilized in a standard prime/boost vaccination strategy in calves against a commercially significant bovine pathogen. Findings: Replicon particles that express bovine viral diarrhea virus sub-genotype 1b E2 glycoprotein were generated and …

Acceptance Of Simulated Oral Rabies Vaccine Baits By Urban Raccoons, John Hadidian, Suzanne R. Jenkins, David H. Johnston, Peter J. Savarie, Victor F. Nettles, David M. Manski, George M. Baer

John Hadidian, PhD

In summer 1986, a study was conducted to evaluate raccoon (Procyon lotor) acceptance of oral baits that could be used for rabies vaccination, One thousand wax-coated sponge bait cubes were filled with 5 mg of a seromarker (iophenoxic acid), placed in polyethylene bags, and hand-distributed in an 80 ha area within an urban National Park in Washington, D.C. (USA), After 3 wk, target and nontarget animals were trapped and blood samples collected to evaluate bait uptake. Thirty-three of 52 (63%) raccoons had elevated blood iodine levels indicating they had eaten at least one bait, 13 (25%) were negative, and six …

Reo, Hamid Masood

Hamid Masood

No abstract provided.

Reoviridae, Hamid Masood

Hamid Masood

reovirus, any of a group of ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses constituting the family Reoviridae, a small group of animal and plant viruses. The virions of reoviruses (the name is a shortening of respiratory enteric orphan viruses) lack an outer envelope, appear spheroidal, measure about 70 nanometres (nm; 1 nm = 10-9 metre) across, have two icosahedral capsids, and contain a core of segmented, double-stranded RNA. Characteristic features of structure, preferred hosts, and chemistry are the basis for dividing reoviruses into several genera, of which Orthoreovirus, Orbivirus, Rotavirus, and Phytoreovirus are among the best known. Although orthoviruses have been found in …

The Genome And Developmental Transcriptome Of The Strongylid Nematode Haemonchus Contortus, Erich M. Schwarz, Pasi K. Korhonen, Bronwyn E. Campbell, Neil D. Young, Aaron R. Jex, Abdul Jabbar, Ross S. Hall, Alinda Mondal, Adina C. Howe, Jason Pell, Andreas Hofmann, Peter R. Boag, Xing-Quan Zhu, T. Ryan Gregory, Alex Loukas, Brian A. Williams, Igor Antoshechkin, C. Titus Brown, Paul W. Sternberg, Robin B. Gasser

Adina Howe

Background The barber's pole worm, Haemonchus contortus, is one of the most economically important parasites of small ruminants worldwide. Although this parasite can be controlled using anthelmintic drugs, resistance against most drugs in common use has become a widespread problem. We provide a draft of the genome and the transcriptomes of all key developmental stages of H. contortus to support biological and biotechnological research areas of this and related parasites. Results The draft genome of H. contortus is 320 Mb in size and encodes 23,610 protein-coding genes. On a fundamental level, we elucidate transcriptional alterations taking place throughout the life …

Efficacy Of A Doxycycline Treatment Regimen Initiated During Three Different Phases Of Experimental Ehrlichiosis, Jennifer C. Mcclure, Michelle L. Crothers, John J. Schaefer, Patrick D. Stanley, Glen R. Needham, S A. Ewing, Roger W. Stich

John J Schaefer

Doxycycline is the treatment of choice for canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME), a well-characterized disease and valuable model for tick-borne zoonoses. Conflicting reports of clearance of Ehrlichia canis after treatment with doxycycline suggested that the disease phase during which treatment is initiated influences outcomes of these treatments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a 28-day doxycycline regimen for clearance of experimental E. canis infections from dogs treated during three phases of the disease. Ten dogs were inoculated with blood from E. canis carriers and treated with doxycycline during acute, subclinical, or chronic phases of CME. Daily …

Development And Characterization Of A Normalized Canine Retinal Cdna Library For Genomic And Expression Studies, Barbara Zangerl, Qi Sun, Jarek Pillardy, Jennifer L. Johnson, Peter A. Schweitzer, Alvaro G. Hernandez, Lei Liu, Gregory M. Acland, Gustavo D. Aguirre

Gustavo D. Aguirre, VMD, PhD

Prediction Of Chicken Embryo Lethality With The Avian Escherichia Coli Traits Complement Resistance, Colicin V Production, And Presence Of The Increased Serum Survival Gene Cluster (Iss), Penelope S. Gibbs, John J. Maurer, Lisa K. Nolan, Richard E. Wooley

Lisa K. Nolan

Differentiating between virulent and avirulent avian Escherichia coli isolates continues to be a problem for poultry diagnostic laboratories and the study of colibacillosis in poultry. The ability of a laboratory to conduct one simple test that correlates with virulence would simplify studies in these areas; however, previous studies have not enabled researchers to establish such a test. In this study, the occurrence of certain phenotypic and genotypic traits purported to contribute to avian E. coli virulence in 20 avian E. coli isolates was correlated with the results of embryo challenge studies. This analysis was undertaken in an effort to determine …

Characterization Of Integron Mediated Antimicrobial Resistance In Salmonella Isolated From Diseased Swine, David G. White, Shaohua Zhao, Patrick F. Mcdermott, Sherry Ayers, Sharon Friedman, Julie Sherwood, Missy Breider-Foley, Lisa K. Nolan

Lisa K. Nolan

Forty-two Salmonella isolates obtained from diseased swine were genetically characterized for the presence of specific antimicrobial resistance mechanisms. Twenty of these isolates were characterized as S. Typhimurium DT104 strains. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was used to determine genetic relatedness and revealed 20 distinct genetic patterns among the 42 isolates. However, all DT104 isolates fell within 2 closely related genetic clusters. Other Salmonella isolates were genetically grouped together according to serotype. All DT104 isolates displayed the penta-resistance phenotype to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline. Resistance to sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, streptomycin, kanamycin, and ampicillin was most common among the non-DT104 Salmonella isolates. All …

Monoclonal Antibodies To Avian Escherichia Coli Iss, Steven L. Foley, Shelley M. Horne, Catherine W. Giddings, Thomas R. Gustad, Erick D. Handegard, Michael Robinson, Lisa K. Nolan

Lisa K. Nolan

Escherichia coli infections are a major problem for the poultry industry in the United States. Yet, the virulence mechanisms operative in avian E. coli are poorly understood. In the present studies, monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) have been generated that may facilitate study of the pathogenesis of avian colibacillosis. These MAbs are directed against the Iss protein because results from our laboratory have shown that the possession of iss DNA sequences is strongly correlated with the E. coli implicated in avian colibacillosis. As part of an overall effort to explore the role of iss/Iss in colibacillosis pathogenesis, Iss protein has been purified, …

Characterization Of A Piscirickettsiosis-Like Disease In Hawaiian Tilapia., M. J. Mauel, Debra L. Miller, K. Frazier, A. Liggett, E. Styer, D. Montgomery-Brock, J. Brock

Debra L Miller

In 1994, tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus and Sarotherodon melanotheron) in wild and farmed populations on Oahu, Hawaii, USA, began to die of an unknown disease that was similar but not identical to piscirickettsiosis in salmonids. Only tilapia were affected. Diseased tilapia often swam erratically and had trouble staying at depth. Scattered cutaneous haemorrhage and exophthalmia were often noted. In many cases, fish were found dead with no clinical signs. Gills exhibited epithelial hyperplasia with severe multifocal consolidation of secondary lamellae. Multiple granulomas were observed in the gills, spleen, kidney, choroid gland and testes, but not in the liver. Tilapia mortalities occurred …

Complement Resistance, As Determined By Viable Count And Flow Cytometric Methods, And Its Association With The Presence Of Iss And The Virulence Of Avian Escherichia Coli, Lisa K. Nolan, Catherine W. Giddings, Shelley M. Horne, Curt Doetkott, Penelope S. Gibbs, Richard E. Wooley, Steven L. Foley

Lisa K. Nolan

Previous work in our labs has shown that avian Escherichia coli virulence is correlated with resistance to complement. Also, our studies have revealed that the presence of the increased serum survival gene (iss), known to contribute to the complement resistance and virulence of mammalian E. coli, may predict the virulent nature of an avian E. coli isolate. This relationship warrants further research, but further clarification of the relationship among virulence, complement resistance, and iss sequences requires use of complement susceptibility assays. Such assays, unfortunately, are labor-intensive, expensive, and difficult to perform. In the present study, the results of two complement …

Location Of Increased Serum Survival Gene And Selected Virulence Traits On A Conjugative R Plasmid In An Avian Escherichia Coli Isolate, Timothy J. Johnson, Catherine W. Giddings, Shelley M. Horne, Penelope S. Gibbs, Richard E. Wooley, Jerod Skyberg, Pam Olah, Ronda Kercher, Julie S. Sherwood, Steven L. Foley, Lisa K. Nolan

Lisa K. Nolan

Avian colibacillosis is a costly disease for the poultry industry. The mechanisms of virulence employed by the etiologic agent of this disease remain ill defined. However, accumulated evidence suggests that complement resistance and the presence of the increased serum survival gene (iss) in an avian Escherichia coli isolate may be indicative of its ability to cause disease. This association of iss with the E. coli implicated in avian disease may mean that iss and/or, perhaps, the genes associated with it are important contributors to avian E. coli virulence. For this reason, we have begun a search for iss's location in …

Virulence Factors Of Escherichia Coli From Cellulitis Or Colisepticemia Lesions In Chickens, J. S. Jeffrey, Lisa K. Nolan, K. H. Tonooka, S. Wolfe, C. W. Giddings, S. M. Horne, S. L. Foley, A. M. Lynne, J. O. Ebert, L. M. Elijah, G. Bjorklund, S. J. Pfaff-Mcdonough, R. S. Singer, C. Doetkott

Lisa K. Nolan

This study was designed to compare virulence factors of cellulitis-derived Escherichia coli to colisepticemic E. coli in order to clarify whether E. coli associated with cellulitis comprise a unique subset of pathogenic E. coli. Isolates were tested for serotype, capsule, aerobactin production, colicin production, the presence of the iss gene, and serum resistance. Untypable isolates made up the greatest percentage of each group. Serotypes O2 and O78 were the most commonly identified among both groups of isolates. No statistical differences in the distribution of aerobactin or colicin production, capsule, or iss gene were observed between groups. Cluster analysis showed that …

Cloning And Sequencing Of The Iss Gene From A Virulent Avian Escherichia Coli, Shelley M. Horne, Samantha J. Pfaff-Mcdonough, Catherine W. Giddings, Lisa K. Nolan

Lisa K. Nolan

Control of colibacillosis is important to the poultry industry. We have found that the presence of a gene for increased serum survival, iss, is strongly correlated with Escherichia coli isolated from birds with colibacillosis. Therefore, the iss gene and its protein product, Iss, are potential targets for detection and control of avian colibacillosis. The iss gene was amplified from a virulent avian E. coli isolate and sequenced. The sequences of the gene and the predicted protein product were compared with those of iss from a human E. coli isolate and lambda bor. The iss gene from the avian E. coli …

Iss From A Virulent Avian Escherichia Coli, Steven L. Foley, Shelley M. Horne, Catherine W. Giddings, Michael Robinson, Lisa K. Nolan

Lisa K. Nolan

No single characteristic of virulent avian Escherichia coli has been identified that can be exploited in colibacillosis detection protocols. Research in our lab suggests a strong association between the presence of an iss DNA sequence with an isolate's disease-causing ability. The study presented here focuses on the techniques used in the expression, purification, and characterization of avian E. coli Iss protein. In brief, iss was cloned into an expression vector, the construct was transformed into a protease-deficient E. coli, and expression was induced. The protein was expressed as a glutathione-S-transferase (GST) fusion and purified by affinity chromatography. The GST portion …

Complement Resistance-Related Traits Among Escherichia Coli Isolates From Apparently Healthy Birds And Birds With Colibacillosis, Samantha J. Pfaff-Mcdonough, Shelley M. Horne, Catherine W. Giddings, Jessica O. Ebert, Curt Doetkott, M. Herbert Smith, Lisa K. Nolan

Lisa K. Nolan

In this study, 294 Escherichia coli isolates from birds with colibacillosis were collected from disease outbreaks throughout the United States and were compared with 75 fecal E. coli isolates of apparently healthy chickens by their possession of several purported virulence genes, resistance to rough-lipopolysaccharide-specific bacteriophages (rLPSr), and elaboration of capsule. Traits were selected for study on the basis of their association with complement resistance. The genes targeted in this study included those encoding colicin V (cvaC) and the outer membrane proteins TraT (traT), OmpA (ompA), and Iss (iss). No significant differences were found between the two groups of isolates in …

Further Characterization Of A Complement-Sensitive Mutant Of A Virulent Avian Escherichia Coli Isolate, Theodore J. Kottom, Lisa K. Nolan, Michael Robinson, John Brown, Tom Gustad, Shelley M. Horne, Catherine W. Giddings

Lisa K. Nolan

An attempt was made to characterize the mechanism of complement resistance operating in a virulent avian Escherichia coli isolate. Using flow cytometry to detect antibody to C3, we found that there was significantly more antibody bound to a complement-sensitive mutant of this wild type than to the parent organism, suggesting that more C3 subunits were bound to the wild type. Neither the wild type nor the mutant degraded C3. Further, the mutant was phagocytosed to a significantly greater degree than the wild type by cultured phagocytes in the presence of C5-deficient serum. These data suggest that the wild type is …

Decreased Intracellular Survival Of An Fkpa Mutant Of Salmonella Typhimurium Copenhagen, Shelley M. Horne, Theodore J. Kottom, Lisa K. Nolan, Kevin D. Young

Lisa K. Nolan

The fkpA gene of Salmonella typhimurium encodes a protein similar to the macrophage infectivity potentiator (Mip) proteins of Legionella pneumophila and Chlamydia trachomatis. Because Mip proteins enhance the ability of these intracellular pathogens to survive within macrophages and epithelial cells, we tested whether the product of the fkpA gene would have the same effect on the intracellular growth of a virulent strain of S. typhimurium. By a series of P22 transductions, the fkpA gene of S. typhimurium Copenhagen was replaced with the inactive fkpA1::omega-Cm gene from Escherichia coli, creating the mutant S. typhimurium KY32H1. The Copenhagen and KY32H1 strains were …

Large Plasmids Of Avian Escherichia Coli Isolates, Dawn M. Doetkott, Lisa K. Nolan, Catherine W. Giddings, David L. Berryhill

Lisa K. Nolan

The plasmid DNA of 30 Escherichia coli isolates from chickens was extracted and examined using techniques designed to isolate large plasmids. This plasmid DNA was examined for the presence of certain known virulence-related genes including cvaC, tra7 and some aerobactin-related sequences. Seventeen of the 30 isolates contained from one to four plasmids greater than 50 kb in size. Eleven of these 17 strains possessed plasmids greater than 100 kb in size. Therefore, E. coli isolates of chickens frequently contain large plasmids, and many of these plasmids are likely to contain virulence related sequences.

Analysis Of Plasmids Cloned From A Virulent Avian Escherichia Coli And Transformed Into Escherichia Coli Dh5Α, Richard E. Wooley, Penelope S. Gibbs, Harry W. Dickerson, John Brown, Lisa K. Nolan

Lisa K. Nolan

Three of four plasmids from a virulent wild-type avian Escherichia coli were cloned or transformed into an avirulent laboratory recipient E. coli DH5a and tested for the ability to confer a virulence phenotype. The three plasmids transformed into E. coli DH5a were 5, 6, and 56 kb. A fourth plasmid of 64 kb was not successfully transformed. Parameters used to measure virulence included presence of type 1 pili and a smooth lipopolysaccharide (LPS) layer, motility, production of Colicin V, resistance to host complement, and embryo lethality. The 5-kb plasmid encoded for ampicillin resistance, whereas the 6-kb plasmid encoded for tetracycline …

Invasion Of Caco-2 Cells By Salmonella Typhimurium (Copenhagen) Isolates From Healthy And Sick Chickens, Theodore J. Kottom, Lisa K. Nolan, John Brown

Lisa K. Nolan

In a previous study, Salmonella isolates of sick birds were distinguished from those of apparently healthy birds by their high degree of invasion of tissue culture cells. In this study, a single pair of Salmonella isolates was examined to determine the source of this observed difference in invasion. When isolates were allowed to invade Caco-2 cells for 8 hours, the isolate from the sick bird (S) appeared to invade in greater numbers than did the isolate from the healthy bird (H). However, when invasion was distinguished from intracellular growth/survival, it was found that H invaded in greater numbers than S, …

Phenotypic Expression Of Recombinant Plasmids Pkt107 And Phk11 In An Avirulent Avian Escherichia Coli, Richard E. Wooley, Lisa K. Nolan, John Brown, Penelope S. Gibbs, Denise I. Bounous

Lisa K. Nolan

An avirulent wild-type avian Escherichia coli strain (Av) was electrotransformed with plasmids coding for complement resistance (pKT107) and Colicin V (ColV) production (pHK11) in order to study the effects of complement resistance and ColV production on virulence. Transformants were also compared with the wild type for embryo lethality, uptake by macrophages, motility, growth rate, plasmid content, and hemolysis. Growth rates and complement resistance patterns of strain Av and transformant Av+pHK1 1 were similar, but Av+pHK11 caused a significantly greater number of deaths in embryos and acquired motility. Transformant Av+pKT107 had a lower rate of phagocytosis, a slower growth rate, and …

Characterization Of An Avirulent Mutant Of A Virulent Avian Escherichia Coli Isolate, Lisa K. Nolan, Richard E. Wooley, Catherine W. Giddings, John Brown

Lisa K. Nolan

A virulent, complement-resistant avian Escherichia co/lisolate and its avirulent, complement-sensitive, transposon-insertion mutant were compared for the purpose of revealing structures associated with complement resistance. Both had a smooth lipopolysaccharide layer, contained traT, and lacked a capsule, but the mutant possessed a 16.2-kilodalton outer-membrane protein (OMP) not present in the wild-type. This protein may be the product of a coding region interrupted by transposon insertion. Such results suggest that an OMP greater than 16.2 kilodaltons in size may be responsible for the complement resistance and virulence of this wild-type E. coli.

Effect Of Normal Intestinal Flora Of Chickens On Colonization By Virulent Colicin V-Producing, Avirulent, And Mutant Colicin V-Producing Avian Escherichia Coli, Richard E. Wooley, John Brown, Penelope S. Gibbs, Lisa K. Nolan, Kathy R. Turner

Lisa K. Nolan

Colonization of the intestinal tracts of newly hatched chicks with Escherichia coli was attempted by swabbing test organisms onto the air-shell of 19-day-old embryos. Test organisms consisted of two virulent E. coli isolates, one avirulent isolate, and one laboratory-derived mutant of the avirulent isolate carrying a recombinant plasmid coding for Colicin V production. Chicks were cultured weekly for 3 weeks for total E. coliand for the test organisms using selective media. Control chicks were sampled on weeks 1 and 5, and the normal E. coli intestinal microflora were examined for the production of colicins. The two virulent E. coli isolates …

Association Of K-1 Capsule, Smooth Lipopolysaccharides, Trat Gene, And Colicin V Production With Complement Resistance And Virulence Of Avian Escherichia Coli, Richard E. Wooley, Lisa K. Nolan, John Brown, Penelope S. Gibbs, Catherine W. Giddings, Kathy S. Turner

Lisa K. Nolan

A group of complement-resistant, virulent avian Eschberichia coli isolates were compared with a group of complement-sensitive, avirulent avian isolates for the presence of K-1 capsule, smooth lipopolysaccharides (LPS), the traT gene, and Colicin V (ColV) production. These parameters were selected because of their reported association with complement resistance and virulence in E. coli. Lethality in chicken embryos has also been shown to be correlated with virulence of avian E. colifor chickens. The complement-resistant, virulent E. coli isolates did not possess a K-1 capsule. Production of ColV and the presence of smooth LPS were significantly correlated with embryo lethality. There was …

Protection Of Pasteurella Multocida Dermonecrotic Toxin-Challenged Rats By Toxoid-Induced Antibody, R. K. Pettit, R. B. Rimler, Mark R. Ackermann

Mark R. Ackermann

Two different doses of glutaraldehyde-treated Pasteurella multocida dermonecrotic toxin (PMDT) were used to immunize rats. Rats developed serum IgG antibodies specific for native PMDT, and IgG titers increased with dose and number of toxoid immunizations. Survival rates in both active immunization and passive serum neutralization experiments were dependent on dose of toxoid vaccination and serum levels of anti-PMDT IgG. Vaccination with toxoid prevented weight loss but not leukocytosis and increased complement titers in toxin-challenged rats. Toxoid, itself, induced minimal leukocytosis but no alterations in complement titers or weight gain.