Veterinary Medicine Commons^™

Experimental Oral Transmission Of Chronic Wasting Disease To Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus Elaphus): Early Detection And Late Stage Distribution Of Protease-Resistant Prion Protein, Aru Balachandran, Noel P. Harrington, James Algire, Andrei Soutyrine, Terry R. Spraker, Martin Jeffrey, Lorenzo González, Katherine I. O'Rourke

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), an important emerging prion disease of cervids, is readily transmitted by intracerebral or oral inoculation from deer-to-deer and elk-to-elk, suggesting the latter is a natural route of exposure. Studies of host range susceptibility to oral infection, particularly of those species found in habitats where CWD currently exists are imperative. This report describes the experimental transmission of CWD to red deer following oral inoculation with infectious CWD material of elk origin. At 18 to 20 months post-inoculation, mild to moderate neurological signs and weight loss were observed and animals were euthanized and tested using 3 conventional immunological …

Detection Of The Abnormal Isoform Of The Prion Protein Associated With Chronic Wasting Disease In The Optic Pathways Of The Brain And Retina Of Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus Elaphus Nelsoni), T. R. Spraker, Katherine I. O'Rourke, T. Gidlewski, J. G. Powers, J. J. Greenlee, M. A. Wild

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Eyes and nuclei of the visual pathways in the brain were examined in 30 Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) representing 3 genotypes of the prion protein gene PRNP (codon 132: MM, ML, or LL). Tissues were examined for the presence of the abnormal isoform of the prion protein associated with chronic wasting disease (PrP^CWD). Nuclei and axonal tracts from a single section of brain stem at the level of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve were scored for intensity and distribution of PrP^CWD immunoreactivity and degree of spongiform degeneration. This obex scoring …

Prion Genotypes Of Scrapie-Infected Canadian Sheep 1998–2008, Noel P. Harrington, Katherine I. O'Rourke, Yuquin Feng, Jasmine Rendulich, Cathleen Difruscio, Aru Balachandran

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

This report describes the genetics of the prion protein gene (PRNP) at codons 136, 154, and 171 for sheep diagnosed with naturally acquired classical scrapie in Canada between 1998 and 2008. Genotyping analysis was performed on 249 sheep with confirmed classical scrapie infection representing 98 flocks from 6 provinces. A further case-control analysis of 3 of these flocks compared the genotypes between infected sheep (n = 72) and those of their healthy flockmates (n = 1990). The incidence of classical scrapie in the Canadian sheep population was highly associated with the ARQ haplotype (91.8%) and the …

Increased Risk Of Chronic Wasting Disease In Rocky Mountain Elk Associated With Decreased Magnesium And Increased Manganese In Brain Tissue, Stephen N. White, Katherine I. O'Rourke, Thomas Gidlewski, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Michelle R. Mousel, Gregory E. Phillips, Terry R. Spraker

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) of Rocky Mountain elk in North America. Recent studies suggest that tissue and blood mineral levels may be valuable in assessing TSE infection in sheep and cattle. The objectives of this study were to examine baseline levels of copper, manganese, magnesium, zinc, selenium, and molybdenum in the brains of Rocky Mountain elk with differing prion genotypes and to assess the association of mineral levels with CWD infection. Elk with leucine at prion position 132 had significantly lower magnesium levels than elk with 2 copies of methionine. Chronic wasting disease-positive elk …

School Of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences: 2010 Annual Report

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Information and History

On September 4, 2009, The Department of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences was renamed the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The School is informally organized into six functional areas: • Undergraduate Teaching • Research and Graduate Studies • Extension • Veterinary Diagnostic Center (VDC) • Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center (GPVEC) • Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine (PPVM) While teaching and research activities bridge the entire faculty, subsets of the faculty are primarily involved with one area, i.e., the undergraduate program, the research and graduate program, the veterinary medical students clinical teaching at the GPVEC, the pre-clinical teaching …

Epizootiologic Survey Of Mycobacterium Bovis In Wildlife And Farm Environments In Northern Michigan, Gary W. Witmer, Amanda E. Fine, James Gionfriddo, Michael Pipas, Kirk Shively, Kim Piccolo, Patrick Burke

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

Bovine tuberculosis (bovine TB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, has reemerged in northern Michigan, USA, with detections in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in 1994 and in cattle in 1998. Since then, significant efforts have been directed toward reducing deer densities in the area in the hopes of reducing the bovine TB prevalence rate in deer and eliminating spillover of the disease into cattle. Despite the success of the efforts to reduce deer densities, additional cattle herds have become infected. Other mammals can be infected with M. bovis, and some carnivores and omnivores had been found to be infected …

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis: Annotated Bibliography

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

The bibliography includes 259 research publications from the years 1930-2010. It is international in scope, including articles relating to North and South America, Africa, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. It includes journal articles, dissertations, government publications, reports, and proceedings. Each publication entry includes citation, abstract, and key words.

The bibliography (PDF) was generated from an MS Access database. A "zipped" version of that database is attached below as a related file (it is approximately 175 Mb)

Evaluation Of A Rapid Serological Test For The Determination Of Mycobacterium Bovis Infection In Badgers (Meles Meles) Found Dead, Mark A. Chambers, Konstantin P. Lyashchenko, Rena Greenwald, Javan Esfandiari, Eurig James, Leslie Barker, Jeff Jones, Gavin Watkins, Simon Rolfe

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

Between October 2005 and May 2006, a total of 727 badgers found dead in Wales were reported, and 550 were delivered to the Regional Laboratories of the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA). Of the 459 carcasses suitable for examination, 55 were deemed to be infected with Mycobacterium bovis on the basis of culture, spoligotyping, and variable-number tandem repeat typing. Acid-fast bacteria were observed histologically in a further six badgers, but these bacteria were not confirmed as M. bovis by culture. A rapid serological test (BrockTB Stat-Pak) performed on thoracic blood showed a sensitivity of 35% and a specificity of 99%. Presence …

Estimating The Extent Of Spatial Association Of Mycobacterium Bovis Infection In Badgers In Ireland, G. E. Kelly, G. E. Mcgrath, S. J. More

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

Mycobacterium bovis infects the wildlife species badgers Meles meles who are linked with the spread of the associated disease tuberculosis (TB) in cattle. Control of livestock infections depends in part on the spatial and social structure of the wildlife host. Here we describe spatial association of M. bovis infection in a badger population using data from the first year of the Four Area Project in Ireland. Using second-order intensity functions, we show there is strong evidence of clustering of TB cases in each the four areas, i.e. a global tendency for infected cases to occur near other infected cases. Using …

Emergence Of Diseases From Wildlife Reservoirs, J. C. Rhyan, T. R. Spraker

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

Interest in the epidemiology of emerging diseases of humans and livestock as they relate to wildlife has increased greatly over the past several decades. Many factors, most anthropogenic, have facilitated the emergence of diseases from wildlife. Some livestock diseases have ‘‘spilled over’’ to wildlife and then ‘‘spilled back’’ to livestock. When a population is exposed to an infectious agent, depending on an interaction of factors involving the host, agent, and environment, the population may be resistant to infection or may become a dead-end host, a spillover host, or a maintenance host. Each exposure is unique; the same species of host …

Promiscuous Mating In Feral Pigs (Sus Scrofa) From Texas, Usa, Johanna Delgado-Acevedo, Angeline Zamorano, Randy W. Deyoung, Tyler A. Campbell, David G. Hewitt, David B. Long

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Context. Feral pigs represent a significant threat to agriculture and ecosystems and are disease reservoirs for pathogens affecting humans, livestock and other wildlife. Information on the behavioural ecology of feral pigs might increase the efficiency and effectiveness of management strategies.

Aims. We assessed the frequency of promiscuous mating in relation to oestrous synchrony in feral pigs from southern Texas, USA, an agroecosystem with a widespread and well established population of feral pigs. An association between multiple paternity of single litters and synchrony of oestrous may indicate alternative mating strategies, such as mateguarding.

Methods. We collected gravid sows at …

Method For Identification Of Virulence Determinants, Raul G. Barletta, Beth Harris

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Disclosed are methods for the determination of virulence determinants in bacteria and in particular bacteria of the genus Mycobacterium. Also disclosed are compositions and methods for stimulating an immune response in an animal using bacteria and virulence determinants identified by the methods of the present invention.

A Deletion Mutation In Bovine Slc4a2 Is Associated With Osteopetrosis In Red Angus Cattle, Stacey N. Meyers, Tara G. Mcdaneld, Shannon L. Swist, Brandy M. Marron, David J. Steffen, Donal O'Toole, Jeffrey R. O'Connell, Jonathan E. Beever, Tad S. Sonstegard, Timothy P.L. Smith

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Osteopetrosis is a skeletal disorder of humans and animals characterized by the formation of overly dense bones, resulting from a deficiency in the number and/or function of bone-resorbing osteoclast cells. In cattle, osteopetrosis can either be induced during gestation by viral infection of the dam, or inherited as a recessive defect. Genetically affected calves are typically aborted late in gestation, display skull deformities and exhibit a marked reduction of osteoclasts. Although mutations in several genes are associated with osteopetrosis in humans and mice, the genetic basis of the cattle disorder was previously unknown.

Results: We have conducted a whole-genome …

Induction Of Interferon And Interferon Signaling Pathways By Replication Of Defective Interfering Particle Rna In Cells Constitutively Expressing Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Replication Proteins, Debasis Panda, Phat X. Dinh, Lalit Beura, Asit K. Pattnaik

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

We show here that replication of defective interfering (DI) particle RNA in HEK293 cells stably expressing vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) replication proteins potently activates interferon (IFN) and IFN signaling pathways through upregulation of IFN- promoter, IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE) promoter, and NF-κB promoter activities. Replication of DI particle RNA, not mere expression of the viral replication proteins, was found to be critical for induction of IFN and IFN signaling. The stable cells supporting replication of DI RNA described in this report will be useful in further examining the innate immune signaling pathways and the host cell functions in viral genome …

Towards An Understanding Of The Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Latency-Reactivation Cycle, Guey-Chuen Perng, Clinton Jones

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Infection by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) can cause clinical symptoms in the peripheral and central nervous system. Recurrent ocular shedding can lead to corneal scarring and vision loss making HSV-1 a leading cause of corneal blindness due to an infectious agent. The primary site of HSV-1 latency is sensory neurons within trigeminal ganglia. Periodically, reactivation from latency occurs resulting in virus transmission and recurrent disease. During latency, the latency-associated transcript (LAT) is abundantly expressed. LAT expression is important for the latency-reactivation cycle in animal models, in part, because it inhibits apoptosis, viral gene expression, and productive infection. A …

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.

Evaluation Of The Cervidtb Stat-Pak For The Detection Of Mycobacterium Bovis Infection In Wild Deer In Great Britain, S. Gowtage-Sequeira, A. Paterson, K. P. Lyashchenko, S. Lesellier, M. A. Chambers

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

Deer are acknowledged as hosts of Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), and determining the prevalence of infection in deer species is one of the key steps in understanding the epidemiological role played by cervids in the transmission and maintenance of bTB in the United Kingdom. This study evaluated a rapid lateral-flow test for the detection of bTB in samples from wild deer species in the United Kingdom. Fallow deer (Dama dama), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and red deer (Cervus elaphus) from areas in Wales, the Cotswolds, and southwestern England …

Atp Release By Infected Bovine Monocytes Increases The Intracellular Survival Of Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis, Seng-Ryong Woo, Raul G. Barletta, Charles Czuprynski

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis is the etiologic agent of Johne’s disease, a chronic intestinal infection in ruminants. Adenosine 5′-Triphosphate (ATP) has been reported to induce killing of several Mycobacterium species in human and murine macrophages. We investigated whether ATP secreted from M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-infected bovine monocytes affects intracellular survival of the bacilli. Bovine monocytes constitutively secreted ATP during an 8-day incubation period in vitro; however, M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection did not enhance ATP release. Removal of extracellular ATP by the addition of apyrase increased the viability of infected monocytes, but surprisingly decreased the number of viable intracellular …

A New Approach For Managing Bovine Tuberculosis: Veterinary Services’ Proposed Action Plan

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a serious disease with animal health, public health, and international trade consequences. The cooperative Federal-State-industry effort to eradicate bovine TB from cattle in the United States has made significant progress since the program’s inception in 1917. However, the goal of eradication remains elusive.

This proposed action plan presents Veterinary Services’ (VS’) current thinking about changes we are considering for the TB program to address our current challenges.

This action plan will:
1. Reduce the introduction of TB into the U.S. national herd from imported animals and wildlife by:
o Applying additional requirements to cattle imports from …

Gp3 Is A Structural Component Of The Prrsv Type Ii (Us) Virion, M. De Lima, I. H. Ansari, P. B. Das, B. J. Ku, F. J. Martinez-Lobo, Fernando A. Osorio

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Abstract Glycoprotein 3 (GP3) is a highly glycosylated PRRSV envelope protein which has been reported as being present in the virions of PRRSV type I, while missing in the type II PRRSV (US) virions. We herein present evidence that GP3 is indeed incorporated in the virus particles of a North American strain of PRRSV (FL12), at a density that is consistent with the minor structural role assigned to GP3 in members of the Arterivirus genus. Two 15aa peptides corresponding to two different immunodominant linear epitopes of GP3 derived from the North American strain of PRRSV (FL12) were used as antigen …

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 …

A Replicon Trans-Packaging System Reveals The Requirement Of Nonstructural Proteins For The Assembly Of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (Bvdv) Virion, Delin Liang, Limei Chen, Israrul H. Ansari, Laura H. V. G. Gil, Christina L. Topliff, Clayton L. Kelling, Ruben O. Donis

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

A selective trans-packaging system was developed to produce and isolate bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) pseudo-particles with complementing reporter replicons and their packaging proteins expressed in trans with recombinant vaccinia virus. The encapsidation of replicon rNS3-5B was dependent not only on the in trans expression of structural proteins C, Erns, E1 and E2, but also the nonstructural proteins, p7 and contiguous precursor NS2-3-4A. Nonstructural p7, NS4B, NS5A or NS5B could be expressed in cis and in trans with precursor NS2-3-4A without significantly affecting virion assembly efficiency. NS2-3-4A was identified as an in trans functional precursor in virion assembly. BVDV …

Chronic Wasting Disease Prions In Elk Antler Velvet, Rachel C. Angers, Tanya S. Seward, Dana Napier, Michael Green, Edward Hoover, Terry Spraker, Katherine O'Rourke, Aru Balachandran, Glenn C. Telling

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious, fatal prion disease of deer and elk that continues to emerge in new locations. To explore the means by which prions are transmitted with high efficiency among cervids, we examined prion infectivity in the apical skin layer covering the growing antler (antler velvet) by using CWD-susceptible transgenic mice and protein misfolding cyclic amplification. Our finding of prions in antler velvet of CWD-affected elk suggests that this tissue may play a role in disease transmission among cervids. Humans who consume antler velvet as a nutritional supplement are at risk for exposure to prions. The …

Contact Networks In A Wildlife-Livestock Host Community: Identifying High-Risk Individuals In The Transmission Of Bovine Tb Among Badgers And Cattle, Monika Böhm, Michael R. Hutchings, Piran C. L. White

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

Background: The management of many pathogens, which are of concern to humans and their livestock, is complicated by the pathogens’ ability to cross-infect multiple host species, including wildlife. This has major implications for the management of such diseases, since the dynamics of infection are dependent on the rates of both intra- and inter-specific transmission. However, the difficulty of studying transmission networks in free-living populations means that the relative opportunities for intra- versus inter-specific disease transmission have not previously been demonstrated empirically within any wildlife-livestock disease system. Methodology/Principal Findings: Using recently-developed proximity data loggers, we quantify both intra-and interspecific contacts in …

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 …

Feedyard Assessment: Assessor's Guide

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

The BQA Feedyard Assessment is an on-site educational tool that allows for assessing and benchmarking key indicators of animal care and well-being as well as feedyard conditions. The Feedyard Assessment focuses on three main areas – Animals, Records and Best Management Practices (BMP), and Facilities and Equipment.

Stocker And Backgrounding Self Assessment

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program

Cattlemen in stocker operations have long recognized the need to properly care for livestock. Sound animal husbandry practices, based on decades of practical experience and research, are known to impact the well-being of stocker cattle, individual animal health and herd productivity. Stocker cattle operations are located in many diverse environments and geographic locations in the United States. A universal set of production practices can not be recommended for all stocker cattle producers in light of the divergent climate and geographic variations of the stocker and backgrounding segment. Personal experience, training and professional judgment can serve as a valuable resource for …

Risk Factors For Human Infection With Puumala Virus, Southwestern Germany, Anne Caroline Schwarz, Ulrich Ranft, Isolde Piechotowski, James E. Childs, Stefan O. Brockmann

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Puumala virus, which causes nephropathia epidemica (NE), is the most prevalent hantavirus in Germany; bank voles serve as the main reservoir. During 2001–2007, most NE cases reported from Germany occurred in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg. We investigated the influence of bank vole habitats (beech forest, seed plants), vole food supply (beechnut mast), climate factors (winter and spring temperatures), and human population density on spatial and temporal occurrence of NE cases in Baden- Württemberg. Using Poisson-regression analyses, we found that all these factors influenced disease incidence. Furthermore, an independent trend of increasing incidence predicted that incidence will nearly double each …

Avian Host-Selection By Culex Pipiens In Experimental Trials, Jennifer E. Simpson, Corrine M. Folsom-O’Keefe, James E. Childs, Leah E. Simons, Theodore G. Andreadis, Maria A. Diuk-Wasser

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Evidence from field studies suggests that Culex pipiens, the primary mosquito vector of West Nile virus (WNV) in the northeastern and north central United States, feeds preferentially on American robins (Turdus migratorius). To determine the contribution of innate preferences to observed preference patterns in the field, we conducted host preference trials with a known number of adult female C. pipiens in outdoor cages comparing the relative attractiveness of American robins with two common sympatric bird species, European starling, Sternus vulgaris and house sparrow, Passer domesticus. Host seeking C. pipiens were three times more likely to enter robin-baited …

Antemortem Detection Of PrpCwd In Preclinical, Ranch-Raised Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus Elaphus Nelsoni) By Biopsy Of The Rectal Mucosa, Terry R. Spraker, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Thomas Gidlewski, David A. Schneider, Randy Munger, Aru Balachandran, Katherine I. O'Rourke

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Antemortem biopsy of the rectal mucosa was evaluated as a method for the preclinical diagnosis of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a herd of ranch-raised Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) quarantined because of exposure to CWD. Biopsy samples were obtained from 41 elk during the winter of 2005–2006 and from 26 elk from that herd still alive and available for testing during the winter of 2006–2007. Samples were examined for PrP^CWD, the protein marker for CWD infection, by immunohistochemistry. PrP^CWD was detected in follicles of the rectoanal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue in biopsy samples from …