Animal Diseases Commons^™

Senecavirus A: Pathogenicity And Interactions With Host Cell Death Pathway, Maureen Hoch Vieira Fernandes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Senecavirus A (SVA) is a positive sense single-strand RNA virus of the genus Senecavirus, family Picornaviridae. Senecavirus A is an emerging picornavirus of swine, which causes vesicular disease (VD) in pigs that is clinically indistinguishable from footand- mouth disease and other high consequence VDs of swine. There is evidence that SVA has been circulating in the US swine population since the late eighty’s, however, recently the virus emerged worldwide, and it has been associated with several VD outbreaks in pigs in many of the major swine producing countries. Despite the recent surge in the number of cases of …

Effects Of Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction And Prascend® Treatment On Endocrine And Immune Function In Senior Horses, Ashton B. Miller

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is one of the most common endocrine diseases affecting senior horses. PPID causes abnormally high concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in the plasma and a very distinct, long, shaggy haircoat (hypertrichosis). At present, the recommended treatment for PPID is daily oral administration of pergolide mesylate. Due to the increased ACTH levels associated with PPID, it is commonly thought that these horses are immunosuppressed and at increased risk of opportunistic infections, although current research in this area is sparse. Additionally, it is not well-understood how treatment with Prascend^® (pergolide tablets) affects endocrine measures other than …

Field Testing Integrated Interventions For Schistosomiasis Elimination In The People's Republic Of China: Outcomes Of A Multifactorial Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial, Gail M. Williams, Yue-Sheng Li, Darren J. Gray, Zheng-Yuan Zhao, Donald A. Harn, Lisa M. Shollenberger, Sheng-Ming Li, Xinglin Yu, Zeng Feng, Jia-Gang Guo, Jie Zhou, Yu-Lan Dong, Yuan Li, Biao Guo, Patrick Driguez, Marina Harvie, Hong You, Allen G. Ross, Donald P. Mcmanus

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Despite significant progress, China faces the challenge of re-emerging schistosomiasis transmission in currently controlled areas due, in part, to the presence of a range of animal reservoirs, notably water buffalo and cattle, which can harbor Schistosoma japonicum infections. Environmental, ecological and social-demographic changes in China, shown to affect the distribution of oncomelanid snails, can also impact future schistosomiasis transmission. In light of their importance in the S. japonicum, lifecycle, vaccination has been proposed as a means to reduce the excretion of egg from cattle and buffalo, thereby interrupting transmission from these reservoir hosts to snails. A DNA-based vaccine (SjCTPI) …

Control Efforts And Serologic Survey Of Pseudorabies And Brucellosis In Wild Pigs Of Tennessee, Lisa I. Muller, Neelam C. Poudyal, Roger Applegate, Chuck Yoest

Human–Wildlife Interactions

European wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are an introduced invasive species that now constitute a major threat to agriculture and the natural ecology of the environments they now inhabit. Wild pigs also carry many diseases known to infect wildlife, humans, and livestock. Two of these diseases, pseudorabies (PRV) and brucellosis, constitute major diseases in the United States. Better data are needed regarding the prevalence of these diseases in wild pigs to understand and manage the potential risks to wildlife, humans, and livestock. From July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2017, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency personnel trapped and euthanized 4,727 …

Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment For Parts, Ground, And Msc Poultry Product Including Intervention Analysis And Exploration Of Enterobacteriaceae As An Indicator Organism In Poultry Processing, Leigh Ann Parette

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Samples collected at five different large bird poultry processing facilities over a period of 7 months from prescald to post debone locations were enumerated for Enterobacteriaceae, Salmonella spp., and Campylobacter spp. and the results were used to create Quantitative Microbial Risk Analyses (QMRA) models for parts, ground, and mechanically separated chicken (MSC) products. Sensitivity analyses indicated the points in the process at which reductions would be most advantageous to the endpoint and simulation models were run to test reductions required to meet the current USDA performance standards.

These data were analyzed to determine the reductions from one node (location) to …

Microbiota Metabolic Product Deoxycholic Acid Prevents Campylobacter Jejuni Chicken Colonization Through Modulating Ceca Anaerobes, Bilal Ali Alrubaye

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Campylobacter jejuni is a prevalent infectious enteritis mainly foodborne from chickens. Despite of reducing C. jejuni food contamination dramatically decreases campylobacteriosis, few effective approaches are available for the bacterial reduction in chickens. The aim of this study was to use microbial metabolic product deoxycholic acid (DCA) to reduce C. jejuni chicken colonization. Broiler chicks were fed 0 or 1.5 g/kg DCA, lithocholic acid (LCA), or urodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in diets or orally gavaged with cholic acid (CA, 1.5g/kg body weight). Birds were also transplanted with DCA modulated anaerobes (DCA-Anearo) or aerobes (DCA-Aero). Birds were infected with 109 CFU/bird human clinical …

Sodalis Glossinidius Presence In Wild Tsetse Is Only Associated With Presence Of Trypanosomes In Complex Interactions With Other Tsetse-Specific Factors 06 Biological Sciences 0604 Genetics, Manun Channumsin, Marc Ciosi, Dan Masiga, C. Michael R. Turner, Barbara K. Mable

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: Susceptibility of tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) to trypanosomes of both humans and animals has been associated with the presence of the endosymbiont Sodalis glossinidius. However, intrinsic biological characteristics of the flies and environmental factors can influence the presence of both S. glossinidius and the parasites. It thus remains unclear whether it is the S. glossinidius or other attributes of the flies that explains the apparent association. The objective of this study was to test whether the presence of Trypanosoma vivax, T. congolense and T. brucei are related to the presence of S. glossinidius in tsetse flies when other factors …

Enhancing Vector Refractoriness To Trypanosome Infection: Achievements, Challenges And Perspectives, Henry M. Kariithi, Irene K. Meki, Daniela I. Schneider, Linda De Vooght, Fathiya M. Khamis, Anne Geiger, Guler Demirbaş-Uzel, Just M. Vlak, Ikbal Agah Ince, Sorge Kelm, Flobert Njiokou, Florence N. Wamwiri, Imna I. Malele, Brian L. Weiss, Adly M.M. Abd-Alla

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

With the absence of effective prophylactic vaccines and drugs against African trypanosomosis, control of this group of zoonotic neglected tropical diseases depends the control of the tsetse fly vector. When applied in an area-wide insect pest management approach, the sterile insect technique (SIT) is effective in eliminating single tsetse species from isolated populations. The need to enhance the effectiveness of SIT led to the concept of investigating tsetse-trypanosome interactions by a consortium of researchers in a five-year (2013-2018) Coordinated Research Project (CRP) organized by the Joint Division of FAO/IAEA. The goal of this CRP was to elucidate tsetse-symbiome-pathogen molecular interactions …

Hidden Cost Of Disease In A Free-Ranging Ungulate: Brucellosis Reduces Mid-Winter Pregnancy In Elk, Gavin C. Cotterill, Paul C. Cross, Arthur D. Middleton, Jared D. Rogerson, Brandon M. Scurlock, Johan T. Du Toit

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Demonstrating disease impacts on the vital rates of free‐ranging mammalian hosts typically requires intensive, long‐term study. Evidence for chronic pathogens affecting reproduction but not survival is rare, but has the potential for wide‐ranging effects. Accurately quantifying disease‐associated reductions in fecundity is important for advancing theory, generating accurate predictive models, and achieving effective management. We investigated the impacts of brucellosis (Brucella abortus) on elk (Cervus canadensis) productivity using serological data from over 6,000 captures since 1990 in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, USA. Over 1,000 of these records included known age and pregnancy status. Using Bayesian multilevel models, …

Molecular Survey For The Honey Bee Trypanosome Parasites Crithidia Mellificae And Lotmaria Passim, Mary-Kate Williams

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Honey bee populations have been fluctuating within recent years. No one cause has been attributed to colony fluctuations due to the theory that multiple stressors interact with one another to impact colony health. Consequently, microorganisms such as internal parasites of honey bees have been understudied as a contributor to colony health decline.

Molecular diagnostics were utilized to detect the presence of two honey bee trypanosome parasites, Crithidia mellificae and Lotmaria passim, in managed and feral honey bee populations from eight states in the United States (USA). Because studies on trypanosome infections are lacking in the USA, it is important to …

Shifts In Assemblage Of Foraging Bats At Mammoth Cave National Park Following Arrival Of White-Nose Syndrome, Marissa M. Thalken, Michael J. Lacki, Joseph S. Johnson

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

The arrival of white-nose syndrome (WNS) to North America in 2006, and the subsequent decline in populations of cave-hibernating bats have potential long-term implications for communities of forest-dwelling bats in affected regions. Severe declines in wintering populations of bats should lead to concomitant shifts in the composition and relative abundance of species during the staging, maternity, and swarming seasons in nearby forested habitats. We examined capture rates of bats collected in mist nets from 2009 to 2016 to evaluate summer patterns in abundance of species pre- and post-arrival of WNS to Mammoth Cave National Park, KY. The data demonstrated a …

Characterization Of Isolates And Whole Samples From Turkeys Infected With Bordetellosis, Alexandra Lovrinic

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Bordetellosis is a disease in turkeys attributed to the Gram-negative bacterium, Bordetella avium. The closely related species, B. hinzii, is known to colonize in turkeys as well but was not thought to cause disease. However, over the past few years, B. hinzii has been isolated from turkeys diagnosed with bordetellosis. The presumed identification of isolates obtained from Butterball farms in different locations was conducted through standard identification tests, including hemagglutination, PCR of B. avium specific genes, 16s rDNA PCR, carbohydrate utilization tests, and complete genome sequencing of a few strains. Out of ~100 isolates tested, 14 yielded contradictory …

Immunostimulatory Effects Of Antigen-Conjugated Inp/Zns Quantum Dot Nanoparticles In An Avian Model, Christopher Lyle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Due to their unique physicochemical and enhanced immunostimulatory properties, quantum dot (QD) nanoparticles have shown increasing promise in biomedical research applications including bioimaging, drug delivery, and as vaccine adjuvants. Toxicity, however, remains a concern for the use of QD in these applications and thus, there is an increased demand for effective in vitro and in vivo systems to measure the bioactivity of QD. In this study in vitro and in vivo chicken models were used to investigate the effects of QD on innate and adaptive immunity. Chicken macrophage cultures were treated in vitro with QD to measure macrophage activation and …

Defending Wild Dogs: Population Dynamics And Disease In Endangered African Wild Dogs, Elizabeth Claire Arredondo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) are endangered carnivores whose population is decreasing from habitat loss and fragmentation, interspecific competition, and disease. Survival rates are especially low in Kruger National Park (KNP), though it is unclear why. I estimated the abundance in KNP and survival rates over different time spans, six years and nine months, using public photographic survey data. In 2015, there were 298 (SE=12.1) individuals. Using a mark-recapture analysis in program R, I found that the survival rate between 2009-2015 was only 3.2%, and within the 9-month survey period (September 2014 – June 2015), monthly survival rates for the …

Investigation Into The Role Of Platelet Derived Growth Factor (Pdgf) In Type I Collagen Glomerulopathy, Isaac C. Springer

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Progressive accumulation of collagen and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins within renal glomeruli have implications for or result in renal fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis, with both events culminating in renal failure. To model this accumulation the Col1a2-deficient mouse model was used. The Col1a2-deficientmouse model is characterized by a mutation in the a2(I) chain, preventing incorporation into the type I collagen molecule. As a result, an α1(I) collagen chain incorporates into the collagen triple helix forming homotrimeric type I collagen, as opposed to heterotrimeric type I collagen. This change is due to the secondary wound healing response in response to ECM accumulation, …

Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of A Candidate Turkey Dermatitis/Cellulitis Oil Emulsion Vaccine On Immune Response, Morbidity, And Mortality Under Laboratory And Commercial Conditions, Brittany Danielle Graham

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alpha-toxigenic Clostridium septicum (CS), the cause of turkey cellulitis, results in devastating mortality with high costs for the industry. Various vaccinations have been evaluated to prevent this disease with moderate success. Ability of a CS bacterin-toxoid, in conjunction with adjuvants such as aluminum hydroxide, mannoslyated chitosan, or a water-in-oil Seppic Montanide 71 R VG adjuvant (OE) to induce immunity was evaluated in a 7-week study (Experiment 1). Poults (20/group) were vaccinated day-of-hatch, boosted at 5 weeks-of-age and compared to unvaccinated controls. Antibody titers were determined by ELISA for all experiments. In experiment 1, initial vaccination with OE resulted in significantly …

Evaluation Of The Effects Of Formaldehyde On Growth Parameters Of Broiler Chicks, Paula Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Formaldehyde has been used as a disinfectant in poultry hatching cabinets to aid in controlling key pathogenic organisms, such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli (E.coli). There is some evidence that prolonged exposure of chicks to formaldehyde can reduce tracheal ciliary function and thus reasons to believe that exposure to formaldehyde, in the absence of pathogen challenge, may reduce chick vitality. It has been found that elevated temperatures during incubation may adversely affect body weights of broiler chicks, as well as post-hatch environmental heat stress on performance in poultry. Post-hatch environmental heat stress has been shown to impact performance in poultry. …

Genetic Diversity And Population Structure Of Theileria Parva In South Sudan, Diaeldin A. Salih, Joram M. Mwacharo, Roger Pelle, Moses N. Njahira, David O. Odongo, Mary N. Mbole-Kariuki, Wani L. Marcellino, Agol K. Malak, Henary Kiara, Abdel Rahim M. El Hussein, Richard P. Bishop, Robert A. Skilton

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Theileria parva is a parasitic protozoan that causes East Coast fever (ECF), an economically important disease of cattle in eastern, central and southern Africa. In South Sudan, ECF is considered a major constraint for livestock development in regions where the disease is endemic. To obtain insights into the dynamics of T. parva in South Sudan, population genetic analysis was performed. Out of the 751 samples included in this study, 178 blood samples were positive for T. parva by species-specific PCR, were collected from cattle from four regions in South Sudan (Bor = 62; Juba = 45; Kajo keji = 41 …

Survey Of Rickettsia Spp. In Ticks In Nacogdoches County, Texas, Nathaniel Blakley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rickettsia parkeri is an obligate intracellular pathogenic bacterium that is commonly transmitted by the Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum. Rickettsia parkeri is the causative agent of Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis, which is a disease characterized by nonspecific symptomology. Significant effort by numerous research groups focuses on determining the geographic distribution of potential vectors of this pathogen. The purpose of this study was to study A. maculatum populations in Nacogdoches County, Texas, for the presence of Rickettsia parkeri. Over a two-year period, 49 ticks were collected in Nacogdoches county and taxonomically identified. The DNA was extracted using DNeasy Blood and Tissue …

Can Prescribed Fire Reduce Tick Parasitism Of Birds?, Leslie A. Sterling, Kim Medley, Katie Westby, Solný Adalsteinsson

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Tick-borne diseases spread through enzootic transmission cycles that often involve ticks parasitizing bird hosts. Some avian species are competent reservoirs, amplifying the pathogens that cause tick-borne illnesses in humans. Prescribed burns in forests have the potential to reduce tick-borne disease risk if they limit interactions between ticks and infectious wildlife hosts. Although prescribed burns are increasingly being used for a variety of habitat management purposes, little is known about how they affect tick-host interactions. We hypothesize that if prescribed fires reduce tick abundance, then birds in burned forest plots will host fewer ticks than birds in unburned forest plots. Experimental …

Interactions And Pathogen Transmission Between Carnivores In Madagascar, Fidisoa Rasambainarivo

Dissertations

Introduced carnivores exert considerable pressure on native predators through predation, competition and disease transmission. Improved understanding of determinant factors of interactions and pathogen transmission between introduced and endemic wildlife may help to predict disease emergence, avoid pathogen spillover and help control outbreaks. Using non-invasive camera traps, I identified areas where transmission of pathogens might happen through records of shared space-use within a protected area in Eastern Madagascar. I showed that indirect interactions between animals were more likely to occur near the research station which may constitute a disease transmission hotspot for carnivores in the landscape. Secondly, I investigated the associations …

Amphibians And Reptiles As A Source Of Salmonella – A Review Of Salmonella Outbreaks In A Period Of Last Ten Years, Mateusz Drozdz, Gabriela Bugla-Plooskonska

Appalachian Student Research Forum

Salmonellosis is a serious problem of public health that mainly infants, young children and people with immunodeficiencies face. Human direct contact with animals is one of the possible ways of transmission of the disease. An increasing trend of keeping exotic pets, including amphibians and reptiles, has been observed for recent years in the United States and developing European countries. Most of these animals are asymptomatic carriers of Salmonella. However, in this review we introduced new and the most dangerous outbreaks of salmonellosis caused by contact with amphibians and reptiles that appeared in all continents in last ten years.

It was …

Datasets For Mapping Pastoralist Movement Patterns And Risk Zones Of Rift Valley Fever Occurrence, Gladys Mosomtai, Magnus Evander, Charles Mundia, Per Sandström, Clas Ahlm, Osama Ahmed Hassan, Olivia Wesula Lwande, Moses K. Gachari, Tobias Landmann, Rosemary Sang

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic disease affecting humans and animals. It is caused by RVF virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes. The data presented in this article propose environmental layers suitable for mapping RVF vector habitat zones and livestock migratory routes. Using species distribution modelling, we used RVF vector occurrence data sampled along livestock migratory routes to identify suitable vector habitats within the study region which is located in the central and the north-eastern part of Kenya. Eleven herds monitored with GPS collars were used to estimate cattle utilization distribution patterns. We used kernel density estimator to produce …

Bulgaria: Brucellosis, Austin Wheeler

Global Public Health

In this brief we will discuss how a disease called Brucellosis has affected the country of Bulgaria. Bulgaria is a European country located towards the South Eastern part of Europe. A few points mentioned in the brief are what the disease can do to your body, through education of the disease we can show what a serious problem it is. The brief will also cover how you can contract the disease through animals, and how you can prevent contraction from occurring. The brief also includes a lot about the religious background of the country. This should hopefully be used to …

United Arab Emirates: Mers-Cov, Sarmad Nawaz Khan

Global Public Health

United Arab Emirates is a federal absolute monarchy in Western Asia at the South East end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the East and Saudi Arabia to the south, as well as sharing maritime borders with Qatar to the west and Iran to the north. The current population of the UAE is 9,457,851. It is a federation of hereditary absolute monarchies, governed by a Federal Supreme Council made up of seven Emirs. The external and internal challenges faced by United Arab Emirates are some security and political issues and in the field of business. …

Ms Environmental Biology Capstone Project, Annamaria Marcel

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Due to the worldwide decline of biodiversity, protected nature reserves are necessary for species facing extinction. Many frog species have been experiencing rapid population decline and extinction due to the threat of the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which inflicts the highly transmittable and deadly disease chytridiomycosis. Chytridiomycosis causes increased skin tissue growth which disrupts respiration and the maintenance of water balance, which can ultimately lead to death. Certain ecological and geographical characteristics have been studied in order to assess their influence on Bd’s prevalence. Specifically, it is hypothesized that high elevations, lotic habitats, and low species richness have a positive …

Exogenous Fniii 12-14 Regulates Tgf-Β1-Induced Markers, Hilmi M. Humeid

Theses and Dissertations

The extracellular matrix protein Fibronectin (FN) plays an important role in cell contractility, differentiation, growth, adhesion, and migration. The 12th -14th Type III repeats of FN (FNIII 12-14), also referred to as the Heparin-II domain, comprise a highly promiscuous growth factor (GF) binding region. This binding domain aids in cellular signaling initiated from the ECM. Additionally, FN has the ability to assemble into fibrils under certain conditions, mostly observed during cell contractile processes such as those that initiate due to upregulation of Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1 (TGF-β1) [1], [2]. Previous work from our lab has shown that self-assembly of …

Comparative Analysis Of Low Molecular Weight Fraction Of Conditioned Media Derived From Starvation-Dormant And Anaerobically-Dormant Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis, Marina Buciuc

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Johne's disease (JD) caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is a contagious chronic enteritis affecting all ruminants and causing economic loss of at least $250 million annually in the US dairy industry. One of the major limitations in the diagnosis of JD is the low sensitivity of fecal culture in animals with no clinical signs of the disease, but who are actively shedding MAP. Persistence of MAP in the host with no apparent signs of infection is attributed to its ability to enter a dormant state wherein the bacterium is viable, but is not able to replicate until conditions …

Cellular And Molecular Basis Of Equine Arteritis Virus Persistent Infection In The Stallion Reproductive Tract: Characterization Of Local Host-Pathogen Interactions Mediating Long-Term Viral Persistence, Mariano Carossino

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Equine arteritis virus (EAV) has a global impact on the equine industry being the causative agent of equine viral arteritis (EVA), a reproductive, respiratory, and systemic disease of equids. A distinctive feature of EAV infection is that it establishes long-term persistent infection in the reproductive tract of stallions and is continuously shed in the semen (carrier state). Recent studies showed that long-term persistence is associated with a specific allele of the CXCL16 gene (CXCL16S). However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the establishment and maintenance of persistent infection are yet to be determined. The studies were undertaken herein …

Lack Of Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity In Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis), Jessica Shannon Miller

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Mycobacteriosis is a fatal disease in fishes caused by acid-fast bacteria in the genus Mycobacterium. This disease impacts aquaculture, aquariums, and wild fishes. Unfortunately, there are currently no non-lethal diagnostic tests for mycobacterial infection in fishes. Type IV delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses in vivo and in vitro are currently used for the non-lethal detection of mycobacterial infections in humans and in animals; however, there is little information available on DTH responses in fishes. In this work, we examine in vivo DTH response in Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), an important U.S. Eastern seaboard fish species, experimentally …