Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

Synlophe Structure For Species Of Longistrongylus (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea), Abomasal Parasites Among Ungulates From Sub-Saharan Africa, With Comparisons To The Global Ostertagiine Fauna, Eric P. Hoberg, Arthur Abrams, Patricia A. Pilitt

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

The synlophe, or system of longitudinal cuticular ridges characteristic of some trichostrongyloid nematodes, is examined in detail for 6 of 8 species in Longistrongylus (Ostertagiinae) that occur in ungulates across sub-Saharan Africa. Among the species of Longistrongylus examined, 5 are characterized by a tapering pattern laterally in the cervical zone (anterior to the esophageal-intestinal junction), which is largely consistent among multiple male and female specimens; in contrast, for Longistrongylus meyeri the lateral pattern is parallel. The synlophe is bilaterally symmetrical, with ridges extending from the base of the cephalic expansion to near the caudal extremity in males and females. Ridges …

Community Structure And Seasonal Dynamics Of Dactylogyrus Spp. (Monogenea) On The Fathead Minnow (Pimephales Promelas) From The Salt Valley Watershed, Lancaster County, Nebraska, Alaine Knipes, John J. Janovy Jr.

John Janovy Publications

The gill monogene communities of Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow) in three distinct sites on converging streams were investigated from 2004 to 2006 in three different seasons. Thirty collections of P. promelas were made in southeastern Nebraska along three converging tributaries: Elk Creek (40.88534°N, 96.83366°W), West Oak Creek (40.9082°N, 96.81432°W), and Oak Creek (40.91402°N, 96.770583°W), Lancaster County, Nebraska. In all, 103 P. promelas were collected from Elk Creek, 115 from West Oak Creek, and 78 from Oak Creek and examined for gill monogenes. Among the P. promelas collected, 93.5% were infected with up to three species of Dactylogyrus, including Dactylogyrus …

Where Are The Parasites? [Letters], Susan J. Kutz, Andy P. Dobson, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

First paragraph:

The review by E. Post et al. ("Ecological dynamics across the Arctic associated with recent climate change," 11 September 2009, p. 1,355) paid little heed to parasites and other pathogens. The rapidly growing literature on parasites in arctic and subarctic ecosystems provides empirical and observational evidence that climate-linked changes have already occurred. The life cycle of the protostrongylid lungworm of muskoxen, Umingmakstrongylus pallikuukensis, has changed, and the range of that organism and the winter tick, Dermacentor albipictus, has expanded.

Methods And Compositions For Vaccnation Of Animals With Prrsv Antigens With Improved Immunogenicity, Israrul H. Ansari, Fernando A. Osorio, Asit K. Pattnaik,

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Pigs challenged with hypoglycosylated variants of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) major surface protein GP5 exhibited increased production of PRRSV-neutralizing antibodies relative to the levels of neutralizing antibodies produced by pigs immunized with wild type (wt) or glycosylated GP5. This invention provides for methods of obtaining improved immune responses in pigs to PRRSV, compositions useful for obtaining the improved immune responses as well as isolated polynucleotides that encode hypoglycosylated variants of PRRSV major surface protein GP5.

Eimeria Spp. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) From The Plateau Pika, Ochotona Curzoniae, From Haibei Area, Qinghai Province, China, With The Description Of Two New Species, Yi-Fan Cao, Run-Roung Ye, Jian-Hua Wu, Jiang-Hui Bian, Donald W. Duszynski

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Fifty-two fecal samples from the Plateau pika, Ochotona curzoniae, collected in the Haibei Area, Qinghai Province, China, were examined for the presence of coccidia (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae). Five distinct morphotypes, all Eimeria species, were distinguished based on the structure of their sporulated oocysts. Three of these included Eimeria banffensis, Eimeria calentinei, and Eimeria cryptobarretti, all of which have been described previously from other Ochotona species. We also studied 2 morphotypes that we feel have sufficient qualitative and quantitative characters to distinguish them from all previously described species; herein, we identify them as putative new species. Eimeria qinghaiensis …

Comparative Life Cycles And Life Histories Of North American Rhabdias Spp. (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae): Lungworms From Snakes And Anurans, Gabriel J. Langford, John J. Janovy Jr.

John Janovy Publications

The present study used experimental infections to compare the life cycles and life histories of 6 Rhabdias spp. infecting snakes and anurans. Free-living development of anuran lungworms was primarily limited to heterogonic reproduction, and females utilized matricidal endotoky exclusively, whereas snake lungworms primarily reproduced homogonically and, when heterogonic reproduction occurred, females used a combination of releasing eggs and matricidal endotoky. Infective snake lungworms survived for longer periods in fresh water compared to anuran worms. Infective anuran lungworms penetrated into the skin of frogs and toads; few infections resulted from per os infections. In contrast, snake lungworms were unable to penetrate …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 31, No. 2, Summer 2009, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

An issue of the American Society of Parasitologists' quarterly newsletter, also called the Journal of Parasitology Newsletter.

Robustostrongylus Aferensis Gen. Nov. Et Sp. Nov. (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea) In Kob (Kobus Kob) And Hartebeest (Alcelaphus Buselaphus Jacksoni) (Artiodactyla) From Sub-Saharan Africa, With Further Ruminations On The Ostertagiinae, Eric P. Hoberg, Arthur Abrams, Patricia A. Pilitt

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Abomasal nematodes (Ostertagiinae: Trichostrongyloidea), representing a previously unrecognized genus and species, were discovered in kob (Kobus kob) and kongoni (hartebeest) (Alcelaphus buselaphus jacksoni) from Uganda during surveys of ungulate parasites in the 1960s. Robustostrongylus aferensis gen. nov. et sp. nov. is characterized by a ventriculus-like, bilobed valve at the junction of the esophagus and intestine, a synlophe with unusually robust ridges, cervical papillae and excretory pore situated posterior to the mid-length of the esophagus, a unique body form and large diameter in males and females, a relatively anterior position for the vulva, and strongly convoluted and …

Daggerblade Grass Shrimp (Palaemonetes Pugio): A Reservoir Host For Yellow-Head Virus (Yhv), Hongwei Ma, Robin M. Overstreet, Jean A. Jovonovich

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Yellow-head virus (YHV) is a major pathogen in penaeid shrimps. We surveyed 13 crustacean species in eight families from two orders that are commonly found in the Mississippi coastal area and freshwater environments as potential reservoir or carrier hosts of YHV. Using semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on relatively small sample sizes, we did not detect any natural infection. However, when the daggerblade grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, and the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, were exposed to YHV by injection and per os, YHV was detected in the tissue of P. pugio and in the hemolymph of C. sapidus …

Single-Amino-Acid Alterations In A Highly Conserved Central Region Of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus N Protein Differentially Affect The Viral Nucleocapsid Template Functions, Debasis Nayak, Debasis Panda, Subash C. Das, Ming Lou, Asit K. Pattnaik

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The nucleocapsid protein (N) of vesicular stomatitis virus and other rhabdoviruses plays a central role in the assembly and template functions of the viral N-RNA complex. The crystal structure of the viral N-RNA complex suggests that the central region of the N protein interacts with the viral RNA. Sequence alignment of rhabdovirus N proteins revealed several highly conserved regions, one of which spanned residues 282 to 291 (GLSSKSPYSS) in the central region of the molecule. Alanine-scanning mutagenesis of this region suggested that replacement of the tyrosine residue at position 289 (Y289) with alanine resulted in an N-RNA template that is …

Redescription Of The Frog Bladder Fluke Gorgoderina Attenuata From The Northern Leopard Frog, Rana Pipiens, Matthew G. Bolek, Scott D. Snyder, John J. Janovy Jr.

John Janovy Publications

Morphological characters used to differentiate North American bladder flukes, Gorgoderina spp., are problematic and different authors use different morphological characteristics for distinguishing species. More importantly, no type specimens exist for four of the 12 North American species infecting anuran and caudatan hosts. A redescription of Gorgoderina attenuata (Stafford, 1902) Stafford, 1905 is based on new collections from 6 species of anurans from Arkansas, Nebraska, New York, and Wisconsin. Morphological comparisons between gravid G. attenuata recovered from bullfrogs and northern leopard frogs indicated statistically significant differences in 11 of 28 morphological characters examined. However, there was overlap among all of these …

Alternative Life Cycle Strategies And Colonization Of Young Anurans By Gorgoderina Attenuata In Nebraska, Matthew G. Bolek, Scott D. Snyder, John J. Janovy Jr.

John Janovy Publications

Studies on life cycles and epizootiology of North American frog bladder flukes indicate that adult frogs become infected predominantly by ingesting tadpoles or other frogs that serve as second intermediate hosts for gorgoderid metacercariae. Other studies have indicated that newly metamorphosed frogs are rarely infected with these parasites because they are gape-limited predators that cannot feed on large intermediate hosts such as tadpoles and other frogs. We examined the role of potential intermediate hosts in the recruitment of the frog bladder fluke, Gorgoderina attenuata, to metamorphosed northern leopard frogs, Woodhouse’s toads, and bullfrogs from western Nebraska. We completed the …

Taxonomic Revision Of Species Of The Genus Monoecocestus (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae), Terry R. Haverkost

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

My dissertation research is an important contribution to the taxonomy of anoplocephalid cestodes. Almost all research conducted for these chapters was done by staining, mounting, and measuring anoplocephalid cestodes from the Bolivian Biodiversity Survey conducted in Bolivia from 1984-2000. These specimens were collected and processed in the field and deposited in the Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology. I was particularly interested in species of the genus Monoecocestus Beddard, 1914 that parasitize caviid and sigmodontine rodents. In all instances, the material studied has lead to the description of new species or the redescription of existing species of Monoecocestus. In …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 31, No. 1, April 26, 2009, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

An issue of the American Society of Parasitologists' quarterly newsletter, also called the Journal of Parasitology Newsletter.

Why Museums Matter: A Tale Of Pinworms (Oxyuroidea: Heteroxynematidae) Among Pikas (Ochotona Princeps And O. Collaris) In The American West [Critical Comment], Eric P. Hoberg, Patricia A. Pilitt, Kurt Galbreath

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Permanent and well-supported museum or natural history collections provide a solid foundation for the process of systematics research through creation of an empirical record which validates our understanding of the biosphere. We explore the role of museums in ongoing studies of the complex helminth fauna characteristic of pikas (Ochotona spp.) in the American west. These studies address the taxonomy for pinworms of the Labiostomatinae and the problems associated with the absence of adequate type series and vouchers and with misidentifications in original descriptions. We demonstrate that the types for Labiostomum (Labiostomum) coloradensis are identical to some specimens …

Biarsenical Labeling Of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Encoding Tetracysteine-Tagged M Protein Allows Dynamic Imaging Of M Protein And Virus Uncoating In Infected Cells, Subash C. Das, Debasis Panda, Debasis Nayak, Asit K. Pattnaik

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

A recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV-PeGFP-M-MmRFP) encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein fused in frame with P (PeGFP) in place of P and a fusion matrix protein (monomeric red fluorescent protein fused in frame at the carboxy terminus of M [MmRFP]) at the G-L gene junction, in addition to wild-type (wt) M protein in its normal location, was recovered, but the MmRFP was not incorporated into the virions. Subsequently, we generated recombinant viruses (VSV-PeGFP-∆M-Mtc and VSV-∆M-Mtc) encoding Mprotein with a carboxy-terminal tetracysteine tag (Mtc) in place of the M protein. These recombinant viruses incorporated Mtc at levels similar to M in …

Why We Have Field Stations: Reflections On The Cultivation Of Biologists, John J. Janovy Jr., Krista M. Major

John Janovy Publications

For a resident of the state of Nebraska, the Cedar Point Biological Station (CPBS), located in scenic limestone bluffs below Kingsley Dam, an earth-filled artificial mountain that impounds a lake 35 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide, is a bargain in American higher education. In three weeks a student can earn four credits of upper-division coursework, get original research experience, and, most importantly—especially in an educational milieu increasingly characterized by electronic content and electronic course management—get his or her hands on some live wild plants and animals in an appropriate ecological context. This encounter with nature is typically the first …

Seasonal Variation Of Ectosymbiotic Ciliates On Farmed And Wild Shrimps From Coastal Yucatan, Mexico, Norma A. López-Téllez, Victor M. Vidal-Martínez, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

High levels of ciliate infestation can affect respiration, feed intake, and locomotion in farmed shrimps in the tropics. Information on seasonal variation of the infestation parameters of ciliates is scarce, but it would be useful for determining the suitability of preventive measures or therapeutic treatment if necessary. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and mean intensity of infestation (MII) of ciliates on wild native shrimps Penaeus (Farfantepenaeus) brasiliensis and P. (Farfantepenaeus) duorarum and farm-cultured juvenile shrimp Penaeus (Litopenaeus) vannamei over an annual cycle and to determine whether an association existed among physicochemical factors …

Eimeria Spp. In Brazilian Water Buffalo, Antonio Carlos F. De Noronha, Jr., Wilma A. Starke-Buzetti, Donald W. Duszynski

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Eimeria species are frequently found in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in Brazil. Here, we report those Eimeria spp. that infect buffalos during their first year of life. Fresh fecal samples were examined from 2 groups (1 group/yr for 2 yr, 2000-2002), each with 18 water buffalo calves (both sexes), from birth through 12 months of age, in Selvíria, MS, Brazil. Five oocyst morphotypes were observed, i.e., Eimeria ellipsoidalis and Eimeria zuernii, both previously described from water buffalo, and 3 other morphotypes consistent with descriptions of known Eimeria spp. from Artiodactyla hosts, but originally described from other …

Light-Induced Fos Expression In Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells In Melanopsin Knockout (Opn4-/-) Mice, Gary E. Pickard, Scott B. Baver, Malcolm D. Ogilvie, Patricia J. Sollars

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Retinal ganglion cells that express the photopigment melanopsin are intrinsically photosensitive (ipRGCs) and exhibit robust synaptically driven ON-responses to light, yet they will continue to depolarize in response to light when all synaptic input from rod and cone photoreceptors is removed. The light-evoked increase in firing of classical ganglion cells is determined by synaptic input from ON-bipolar cells in the proximal sublamina of the inner plexiform layer. OFF-bipolar cells synapse with ganglion cell dendrites in the distal sublamina of the inner plexiform layer. Of the several types of ipRGC that have been described, M1 ipRGCs send dendrites exclusively into the …

Coccidia (Apicomplexa : Eimeriidae) From The Lagomorph Lepus Tolai In Mongolia, Scott Lyell Gardner, Nathan A. Seggerman, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Sumiya Ganzorig, David S. Tinnin, Donald W. Duszynski

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

In 1999, a single specimen of the Tolai hare, Lepus tolai Pallas, 1778, from the Gobi region of Mongolia was examined and had a new species of eimerian parasite in its intestinal contents. Eimeria gobiensis n. sp. is relatively large; it possesses 2 oocyst walls and a very well-developed oocyst residuum. Oocysts of the new species possess a thick wall with a double layer, a massive 3-layered micropyle, and are ellipsoidal, with average length and width of the oocyst of 38.6 × 24.2 μm, respectively. The range in measurements of these oocysts extends from 27.3 to 49.2 μm in length …

Historical Account Of The Two Family-Group Names In Use For The Single Accepted Family Comprising The "Fish Blood Flukes", Stephen A. Bullard, Kirsten Jensen, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

The family-group name for the “fish blood flukes” is unstable, with both “Aporocotylidae Odhner, 1912” and “Sanguinicolidae von Graff, 1907” in use for the single family. Although “Sanguinicolidae von Graff, 1907” (or “Graff, 1907”) has been a widely-accepted family-group name for the fish blood flukes subsequent to Yamaguti'’s 1954 and 1958 synoptical publications (“Systema Helminthum”), a critical examination of the relevant literature, much of it published in German during 1900 through 1926, reveals that “Aporocotylidae Odhner, 1912” is the earliest available family-group name for these flukes. The name Aporocotylidae, moreover, was in wide usage by alpha taxonomists before …

Nagmia Rodmani N. Sp., Nagmia Cisloi N. Sp. And Probolitrema Richiardii (López, 1888) (Gorgoderidae: Anaporrhutinae) From Elasmobranchs In The Gulf Of California, Mexico, Stephen S. Curran, Charles K. Blend, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

The generic diagnosis of Nagmia Nagaty, 1930, is emended to include species having some vitelline follicles extending into the extracecal space. Two new species belonging in the genus are described from the Gulf of California: Nagmia rodmani n. sp. from the body cavity of the giant electric ray, Narcine entemedor Jordan and Starks, 1895, and Nagmia cisloi n. sp. from the body cavity of the smoothtail mobula, Mobula thurstoni (Lloyd, 1908). Both species are distinguished from each other and the 13 other known congeners by the number of testicular follicles, ratio of widths of oral sucker to ventral sucker, and …

A Molecular View Of The Superfamily Dioctophymatoidea (Nematoda), Anson V.A. Koehler, Eric P. Hoberg, Fernando Torres-Pérez, Joseph A. Cook

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Monophyly of the superfamily Dioctophymatoidea was assessed based on analyses of DNA sequence variation among 3 of 4 constituent genera (5 species). Represented is the first molecular phylogenetic evaluation of the Dioctophymatoidea using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference of 18S nuclear DNA (786 base-pair [bp] segment) and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (293 bp) genes. Dioctophymatoidea is monophyletic and includes a clade with Dioctophyme renale and Eustrongylides ignotus (Dioctophymatidae) as the sister of Soboliphyme baturini, Soboliphyme jamesoni, and Soboliphyme abei (Soboliphymatidae). Within Soboliphymatidae, S. baturini is the sister of S. jamesoni and S. abei.

Characterization Of Dictyocaulus Species (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea) From Three Species Of Wild Ruminants In Northwestern Spain, Ramon A. Carreno, Natividad Diez-Baños, Maria Del Rosario Hidalgo-Argüello, Steven A. Nadler

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Specimens of Dictyocaulus spp. were extracted from the respiratory tracts of 3 ruminant hosts including roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), and chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) from wild populations in the province of Leo´n, northwestern Spain. The near-complete nuclear small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene, and 2 regions of the large-subunit ribosomal RNA gene, were amplified by PCR and sequenced. The SSU rDNA gene sequences indicated a high level of similarity between the isolate from C. elaphus and the published sequences for Dictyocaulus eckerti. SSU rDNA gene sequences were identical in the isolates from …

Spontaneous Idiopathic Arteritis Of The Testicular Artery In Raccoons (Procyon Lotor), A. N. Hamir, M. V. Palmer, H. Li, J. Stasko, D. G. Rogers

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The testes and the spermatic cord of raccoons (Procyon lotor, kits to adult breeders; n = 48) were examined. Segmental arteritis confined to the extratesticular portions of the testicular artery was present in raccoons of all ages. The arterial changes were seen in laboratory-confined experimental and control animals as well as in wild-caught raccoons. The lesions consisted of proliferative endarteritis with presence of inflammatory cells within the intima, media, and the adventitial regions of most affected vessels. Some aspects of the proliferative arterial lesions were reminiscent of systemic necrotizing vasculitis (polyarteritis nodosa), an immunologically mediated condition of animals and humans. …

A Herpesvirus Encoded Deubiquitinase Is A Novel Neuroinvasive Determinant, Joy I. Lee, Patricia J. Sollars, Scott B. Baver, Gary E. Pickard, Mindy Leelawong, Gregory A. Smith

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The neuroinvasive property of several alpha-herpesviruses underlies an uncommon infectious process that includes the establishment of life-long latent infections in sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system. Several herpesvirus proteins are required for replication and dissemination within the nervous system, indicating that exploiting the nervous system as a niche for productive infection requires a specialized set of functions encoded by the virus. Whether initial entry into the nervous system from peripheral tissues also requires specialized viral functions is not known. Here we show that a conserved deubiquitinase domain embedded within a pseudorabies virus structural protein, pUL36, is essential for initial …

Regulation Of Innate Immune Responses By Bovine Herpesvirus 1 And Infected Cell Protein 0 (Bicp0), Clinton Jones

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) infected cell protein 0 (bICP0) is an important transcriptional regulatory protein that stimulates productive infection. In transient transfection assays, bICP0 also inhibits interferon dependent transcription. bICP0 can induce degradation of interferon stimulatory factor 3 (IRF3), a cellular transcription factor that is crucial for activating beta interferon (IFN-β) promoter activity. Recent studies also concluded that interactions between bICP0 and IRF7 inhibit trans-activation of IFN-β promoter activity. The C3HC4 zinc RING (really important new gene) finger located near the amino terminus of bICP0 is important for all known functions of bICP0. A recombinant virus that contains a single …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 31, No. 3, Winter 2009, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

An issue of the American Society of Parasitologists' quarterly newsletter, also called the Journal of Parasitology Newsletter.

Caecincola Longiscens N. Sp. (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae) From The White Crappie, Pomoxis Annularis, In Mississippi, U.S.A., Stephen S. Curran, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

A new cryptogonimid trematode is described from the white crappie, Pomoxis annularis Rafinesque, 1818, collected from Lake Chotard, an oxbow lake directly connected to the Mississippi River in Issaquena County, and from a small ephemeral oxbow periodically connected with the Pascagoula River in Jackson County, both in Mississippi, U.S.A. Caecincola longiscens n. sp. is characterized by having an elongated body with a length to width ratio of 5.5-7.5:1, tandem testes, an elongated tubular seminal vesicle, and vitelline follicles confined to the hindbody.