Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Medicine and Health Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 10 of 10

Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Early Tissue Migration Of And Host Response To Brugia Pahangi In Gerbils, Kristina Houpe Porthouse Jan 2004

Early Tissue Migration Of And Host Response To Brugia Pahangi In Gerbils, Kristina Houpe Porthouse

LSU Master's Theses

The host-parasite interaction during early filarial nematode migration is poorly understood. The objective of this study was to develop a model of early cutaneous filarid migration using Brugia pahangi in the jird (gerbil) host and measure the histologic and cytokine responses during this period. Male gerbils were intradermally inoculated in the left hindlimb with 100 B. pahangi L3 then necropsied at 3 hours, 24 hours, 3 days, 7 days, and 28 days post-infection. Larvae were recovered and tissues collected for histology and cytokine measurement. At 3 hours, most larvae (96.3%) were recovered from tissues associated with the infection site. Migration …


A Study Of The Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Microbial And Immunomodulatory Properties Of Thalidomide In Leprosy, Azeb Tadesse Argaw Jan 2004

A Study Of The Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Microbial And Immunomodulatory Properties Of Thalidomide In Leprosy, Azeb Tadesse Argaw

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

During the course of their disease, leprosy patients may experience two types of inflammatory reactions- erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) or reversal reaction (RR). Thalidomide is effective treatment for ENL, but not for RR. Using concentrations of thalidomide similar to that achieved in the treatment of ENL, we investigated thalidomide’s effect on reactions, viability of M. leprae, and integrity of plasma membranes. Cells from patients with and without RR were stimulated with M. leprae (AFB), a cytosol fraction of M. leprae (MLSA) or DHAR (DHAR) antigen, and the effect of thalidomide on lymphocyte proliferation, expression of TNF-a mRNA and synthesis of …


Estimation Of The Effect Of Misclassifications On Diagnostic Test Performance In Two Persistent Bovine Viral Infections, Kimberly Orr Jan 2004

Estimation Of The Effect Of Misclassifications On Diagnostic Test Performance In Two Persistent Bovine Viral Infections, Kimberly Orr

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Validation of diagnostic assay performance is hampered where no gold standard exists. Bayesian estimates of the sensitivity and specificity were applied to studies of two persistent bovine infections: bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV), and bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV). BVDV pathogenesis is well described. Losses of $20 million in 1992 alone led the Danish government to mandate eradication. Two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests were developed; one antibody-based to detect exposure, one antigen-based to detect persistent infection. Bayesian estimates of the sensitivity and specificity were 96.6% and 99.2%, and 98.2% and 99.8% for the antibody and antigen ELISA, respectively. Maximum Likelihood …


Investigations Into Dna Vaccination Against Channel Catfish Virus, Heather C. Harbottle Jan 2004

Investigations Into Dna Vaccination Against Channel Catfish Virus, Heather C. Harbottle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The leading viral killer of commercially produced channel catfish is Channel Catfish Virus (CCV). Studies conducted to evaluate DNA vaccination against CCV compared encoded gene, dose, multiple DNA vaccines, and immune response to vaccination. Genes were selected (ORFs 1 and 3 [immediate early genes], ORFs 6, 19, and 46 [membrane genes], and ORF59 [putative major envelope glycoprotein gene], cloned into a plasmid, and expressed in mammalian and fish cell culture to detect predicted molecular weight proteins. Plasmid vaccines were injected into fish muscle in doses of 50 μg, 25 μg, 5 μg, or 1 μg and efficacy was evaluated upon …


Isolation And Characterization Of Carbonic Anhydrase From Ostertagia Ostertagi, Andrew Allan Derosa Jan 2004

Isolation And Characterization Of Carbonic Anhydrase From Ostertagia Ostertagi, Andrew Allan Derosa

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The first event in the infection process of Ostertagia ostertagi in cattle is the process of exsheathment. Before trichostrongylid nematodes can transition from a free-living infective stage larva (L3) on pasture to a parasitic existence within the ruminant host, it must first undergo exsheathment. Exsheathment is the process whereby the L2 cuticle retained from the previous molt is cast from the L3. Exsheathment enables the developmental transition from a free-living stage on pasture to a parasitic existence in the bovine host. For those species with a predilection site in the abomasum, such as O. ostertagi, …


Genetics And Functions Of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Membrane Proteins In Virus-Induced Cell Fusion, Virion Morphogenesis And Egress, Jeffrey Michael Melancon Jan 2004

Genetics And Functions Of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Membrane Proteins In Virus-Induced Cell Fusion, Virion Morphogenesis And Egress, Jeffrey Michael Melancon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Herpes Simplex Virus life cycle contains a number of membrane fusion events that must function properly to ensure a productive infection, including: virus attachment and entry into susceptible cells, de-envelopment at the outer nuclear lamellae, and virus-induced cell-to-cell fusion. A virus-free cell fusion assay was recently developed in order to attempt to understand the underlying mechanisms that are responsible for viral fusion events and was utilized in order to investigate the effect of mutations targeted to the carboxyl terminus of gB. We showed that the predicted alpha helical domain H17b within the carboxyl-terminus of gB is involved in both …


Improved Methods For The Isolation And Characterization Of Flavobacterium Columnare, Bradley Donovan Farmer Jan 2004

Improved Methods For The Isolation And Characterization Of Flavobacterium Columnare, Bradley Donovan Farmer

LSU Master's Theses

Columnaris disease, caused by the bacterium Flavobacterium columnare, is an economically significant problem in many warmwater fish species. Difficulties encountered in the isolation and culture of F. columnare have been an impediment to research on the organism and the disease it causes. The goal of this study was to improve the methods for isolation, culture, identification and maintenance of F. columnare. Following the evaluation of different culture media selective cytophaga agar was determined to be the optimum isolation medium, Flavobacterum columnare growth medium proved to be the optimum culture medium, and tryptone yeast extract agar with increased moisture was best …


Evaluation Of Rough Brucella Strains As Vaccines For Brucellosis And Pseudorabies In Swine, Lorraine Harrow Molin Jan 2004

Evaluation Of Rough Brucella Strains As Vaccines For Brucellosis And Pseudorabies In Swine, Lorraine Harrow Molin

LSU Master's Theses

Brucellosis and pseudorabies lead to abortion in pregnant sows and are perpetuated by feral swine reservoirs. A multivalent oral vaccine for these diseases would improve vaccination and eradication programs worldwide. Previous studies have shown that the rough attenuated Brucella strains RB51 and VTRS1, when administered subcutaneously to swine, stimulate host immune responses, transiently colonize tissues, and provide partial protection against virulent B. suis infection in pregnant sows. A plasmid encoding for the pseudorabies virus glycoprotein D (PRV gD) has also been added to these strains as part of this project. This study evaluates the use of these strains as oral …


Chromosomal Localization Of A Proinsulin Transgene Inserted With A Transposon-Based Vector Into Japanese Quail, Coturnix Coturnix, Lacey R. Mcnally Jan 2004

Chromosomal Localization Of A Proinsulin Transgene Inserted With A Transposon-Based Vector Into Japanese Quail, Coturnix Coturnix, Lacey R. Mcnally

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The overall goals of this research were to develop a reproducible method of detecting stable DNA insertion into Japanese quail and provide a method for gene location on avian chromosomes. This research resulted in the development of a different method of obtaining chromosome spreads in Japanese quail, the establishment of primed in situ hybridization as a method for the chromosomal gene detection in birds, development of Teflon-coated coverslip slides to facilitate laser microdissection of 0.5 ƒÝm samples, and chromosomal identification of proinsulin transgene insertions by laser microdissection and nucleotide sequence from G2 Japanese quail. The 28S rDNA was found on …


A Novel Strategy Of Controlling Bovine Pneumonic Pasteurellosis: Transfecting The Upper Respiratory Tract Of Cattle With A Gene Coding For The Antimicrobial Peptide Cecropin B, Charles Mitchell Boudreaux Jan 2004

A Novel Strategy Of Controlling Bovine Pneumonic Pasteurellosis: Transfecting The Upper Respiratory Tract Of Cattle With A Gene Coding For The Antimicrobial Peptide Cecropin B, Charles Mitchell Boudreaux

LSU Master's Theses

The very potent antibacterial activity of cecropin B makes it a likely candidate to prevent and/or treat Mannheimia haemolytica 1:A infection in the upper respiratory tract (URT) of cattle. The purpose of this study was to ascertain if the URT could be transfected with a gene coding for the antimicrobial peptide cecropin B. By transfecting cattle with a gene coding for cecropin B, this study attempted to inhibit colonization of a virulent strain of M. haemolytica 1:A in the URT while investigating any possible changes in the indigenous and transient nasal flora. In this study the antibacterial efficacy of cecropin …