Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

Development And Evaluation Of Novel Vaccination Strategies For Campylobacter Control In Poultry, Xiang Liu

Masters Theses

Chicken is the primary natural host of Campylobacter, the leading bacterial cause of human enteritis in the US and other developed countries. Thus, mitigation of Campylobacter in chicken using innovative approaches, such as vaccination, will have a significant impact on food safety and public health. Our previous studies have demonstrated that the two outer membrane proteins, CmeC (the essential component of the CmeABC multi-drug efflux pump) and CfrA (a ferric enterobactin receptor), are feasible candidates for immune intervention against Campylobacter. DNA vaccine has appeared to offer various advantages for poultry, particularly when combined with in ovo vaccination. Chitosan-encapsulated …

Impacts Of Predation Risk And Development On Susceptibility Of North American Anurans To Ranaviruses, Nathan Alden Haislip

Masters Theses

For over three decades, amphibian populations have been declining across the globe. Emerging infectious diseases are responsible for some of these declines. Ranaviruses have caused die-offs in wild amphibian populations on 4 continents, in 5 Canadian provinces, and in over 25 U.S. states. In order to understand host-pathogen dynamics, it is critical to establish baseline information on species susceptibility and the effects of natural stressors. The goal of my thesis research was to quantify the effects of anuran development and exposure to invertebrate predators on species-specific susceptibility to ranavirus. My experiments were designed in factorial arrangements, and consisted of exposure …

Transfer Of Immunity Against Hymenolepis Diminuta Parasites In Mice, Jerome F. Atta-Fynn

Masters Theses

The potential transfer of resistance against the rat tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta, from adult BALB/c mice to their young, was tested by comparing the worm burdens of 24 experimentally infected pups from previously infected females to 14 experimentally infected pups from uninfected females. The mean number of worms recovered, mean weight of recovered worms and frequency of mice pups with eggs of the parasite in their feces were significantly lower in infected pups from infected mothers than in infected pups from uninfected mothers. The lower worm burden observed in the infected pups from infected mothers suggested that the resistance to …

Ectoparasites Of Geomys Bursarius Illinoensis, Rick L. Miller

Masters Theses

This study was conducted to determine what ectoparasitic organisms are found on the pairie pocket gophers, Geomys burasrius, occurring in an isolated population in northeastern Illinois. The study area was a five hectare grassland community composed predominately of sandy soil, located in northeastern Iriquois Co., two miles north and three miles east of Beaverville, IL.

A total of 19 pocket gophers were captured from October 2 to November 17, 1983. Blood was collected and smears were made in the field. Hosts were examined for ectoparasites in the laboratory. Six hundred and nine ectoparasitic organisms were isolated representing a mean …

Gastrointestinal Cestodes And Nematodes Of Coyotes From Southeastern Illinois, Valerie Keener

Masters Theses

Gastrointestinal tracts of 45 coyotes, Canis latrans, from southeastern Illinois were examined for cestodes and nematodes. The following parasites and incidences (%) were observed: Taenia sp. (71.1); Physaloptera sp. (53.3); Ancylostoma sp. (20.0); Ascarididae (11.1); Thelazia sp. (2.2); Trichuris sp. (2.2); Uncinaria sp. (2.2). Ancylostoma sp. occurred significantly more often in juveniles than adults. Parasites averaged low numbers per coyote, and no ulceration or blood in the tracts was seen.

Dirofilaria Immitis In The Wild Canids Of Illinois, Thomas J. Kick

Masters Theses

The heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, is widespread in dogs in North America and has been reported in wild canids in many states. This is a report of this parasite in hearts removed from coyote, red fox and gray fox carcasses collected in Illinois. A total of 415 coyotes had a significantly higher infection rate (23.6%) than 225 red foxes (3.6%) and 99 gray foxes (3.0%). Infection rates in red foxes and coyotes were significantly higher in or near the Wabash Border Natural Division along the eastern side of the state, suggesting a relationship between infection rates and this region. The …

Notes On Seasonal Variation And Infectivity Of Haemogamasus Reidi, A Vector Of Hepatozoon Griseisciuri, On Eastern Gray Squirrels, Sciurus Carolinensis, Mohammed Bashiru

Masters Theses

Five hundred and twenty-two squirrels were trapped and retrapped from a population in Montgomery County, Maryland during 1974-1975. One hundred and forty-one squirrels were found to harbor an average of 10.6 mites (Range 175-1). While male squirrels outnumbered females (79 vs 62) females harbored more mites than males (829 vs 666). During the spring the average number of mites per captured squirrel increased to an average of 18.1 per squirrel. The average declined to 6.8, 4.8 and 3.3 per squirrel in summer, fall and winter respectively. Throughout the collection period adult female mites were by far more numerous on hosts …

Capillaria Sp. From Cryptotis Parva, Joseph N'Dong

Masters Theses

Twenty-nine Cryptotis parva were trapped at Lincoln Log Cabin State Park in Coles County Illinois between 22 December 1976 and 31 January 1978. Trapped specimens were necropsied and examined for the presence of helminth parasites. Nematode infections were found to be present in eight (27.2%) of the shrews collected with five (17.2%) of the males and three (10.3%) of the females infected. Three adult female nematodes were recovered from the small intestines of the host specimens, described and identified as the genus Capillaria. No male Capillaria were obtained and therefore species identification was impossible. However, the general appearance of …

Epizoic Protozoa Of Planktonic Copepoda And Cladocera From A Small Eutrophic Lake, And Their Possible Use As Indicators Of Organic Water Pollution, Michael Stevens Henebry

Masters Theses

The epizoic protozoa of planktonic copepoda and cladocera from a eutrophic lake (Ashmore Lake, Coles County, Illinois) were studied over a 13-week period in the summer and fall of 1975. All organisms were collected with a 125 micron mesh plankton net. Epizoans (all peritrichs and suctorians) were hosted by three of four species of copepods and four of the ten species of cladocerans. The percentage of total organisms hosting epizoans varied significantly (0.001 alpha level) by month, but averaged 11.6 percent. This high occurrence of epizoans was thought to be related to the highly-eutrophic conditions existing in the lake. If …

Blood Parasites Of Squirrels From Coles And Lake Counties In Illinois, Nicholas I. Obiri

Masters Theses

Hepatozoon and microfilariae are described from the blood of fox and gray squirrels captured in Coles and Lake Counties in Illinois during 1976 and 1977. The hepatozoon species is identified as Hepatozoon griseisciuri on the basis of parasite morphology and hosts. A higher rate of infection (35.7% : 11.1%) was observed in gray squirrels than in fox squirrels and more adults were infected than juveniles. No microfilariae were found in gray squirrels but fox squirrels had a 57.1% infection rate with no difference based on age. The observed microfilariae are similar to that described by Davidson from Maryland gray squirrels …

The Arthropod Ectosymbionts Of The Fox Squirrel In Coles County, Illinois, Jeanine L. Stanis

Masters Theses

The body surface areas of 18 squirrels (Sciurus niger) were calculated by regions, and the numbers and densities of the ectoparasite populations present on each region determined. Four species representing four genera of arthropods were recovered. The louse, Neohaematopinus antennatus was the most abundant organism with Orchopeas howardii, Haemagamasus reidi, and Dermacentor variabilis being also present. The average population density of all parasite species combined was highest on the back and decreased on the belly, tail, legs, and the head respectively. Body regions showing greatest average total population densities were different for males and females. The …

Gastro-Intestinal And Abdominal Helminths Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) From Carroll And Jo Daviess Counties In Northern Illinois, Jeffrey Joseph Hodge

Masters Theses

Forty-four white-tailed deer shot by hunters in November and December, 1971, in Carroll and Jo Daviess counties in northwestern Illinois were necropsied for gastro-intestinal and abdominal helminths. Five species of gastro-intestinal nematodes were found: Gongylonema pulchrum, Ostertagia odocoilei, Haemonchus contortus, Trichuris ovis and Nematodirus sp. Setaria yehi, a filiariad nematode, was found in the abdominal cavity. Moniezia benedeni was the only cestode found. No trematodes were recovered. Differences in numbers and kinds of parasites found in northern Illinois and southern Illinois are discussed. Prevalence increased with host age for certain species of parasites and decreased or …

Gastro-Intestinal And Abdominal Helminths Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) In Southern Illinois, Thomas W. Cook

Masters Theses

In November and December 1971, forty deer from five southern Illinois counties were examined by necropsy for gastro-intestinal and abdominal helminths. Eight species of gastro-intestinal nematodes were found: Gongylonema pulchrum, Spiculopteroides odocoilei, Ostertagia mossi, Haemonchus contortus, Cooperia sp., Capillaria sp., Trichuris ovis and Oesophagostomum venulosum. Setaria yehi, a filiariad nematode, was found in the abdominal cavity. Moniezia benedeni was the only cestode found. No trematodes were recovered.

Protozoan And Helminth Parasites Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) In Southern Illinois, Sarah M. Mugwanya

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.