Veterinary Microbiology and Immunobiology Commons^™

The Effect Of A Lactobacillus Containing Gel On The Clitoral Microbiome Of The Mare, Fiona E. Herzog

LSU Master's Theses

The equine lower reproductive tract harbors bacterial populations that serve as a reservoir for potential pathogens. Dysbiosis of urogenital sites may play a role in reproductive disease of the mare, including endometritis. Metagenetic studies have evaluated microbiomes in the uterus, vagina and placenta, while the clitoral microbiome has yet to be described. In this study, the following hypotheses were tested; 1) the clitoris harbors a unique microbiome, 2) topical Lactobacillus genus complex (LGC) probiotic will alter this microbiome, 3) acceptable per cycle pregnancy rates (PCPR) following probiotic application will be achieved. Reproductively normal mares (n=14) were selected, and clitoral fossa …

Evaluating Vaccine Management Strategies For Edwardsiella Ictaluri Infections In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Brandy Malbrough

LSU Master's Theses

Aquaculture is a globally important industry that faces significant challenges due to infectious diseases, which can result in substantial financial losses. In 2011, a new strain of Edwardsiella ictaluri emerged as a major pathogen affecting zebrafish in the ornamental fish industry, leading to high mortality rates and posing a severe threat to the sector. Vaccines provide potential benefits for disease prevention in aquaculture, particularly live-attenuated vaccines (LAVs), which induce strong host immune responses. Bacterial attenuation for vaccine development has evolved from serial passage to more targeted genetic modification techniques. However, regulatory constraints limit the availability of licensed LAVs for aquaculture. …

Corticosterone Measurement In A Cryptosporidium-Positive Population Of Louisiana Pine Snakes (Pituophis Ruthveni), Corinne Mayer

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana pine snakes (Pituophis ruthveni) are one of the rarest snake species in North America, and federally classified as “threatened” (United States Fish and Wildlife, 2018). Recent establishment of sustainable captive breeding populations combined with decades of field research by conservation biologists has led to several advancements in our knowledge of this species; however, further investigations into health parameters and the physiology of this species are needed to optimize management of captive populations.

One recent investigation highlighted the difficulties in reliably differentiating the sexes in P. ruthveni using traditional tail probing techniques (Katz et al., 2020). Prior to …

Evaluation Of Residual Antibacterial Effects On Canine Skin Surface And Hairs Following Treatment With Five Commercial Mousse Products Against Staphylococcus Pseudintermedius In Vitro, Chi-Yen Wu

LSU Master's Theses

Topical products are essential treatments for canine superficial bacterial folliculitis. However, studies for commercial products typically evaluate antibacterial effects on hairs rather than the skin surface. In addition, the interference from the hair length has not been evaluated in these studies. Therefore, the study objective for this study was to evaluate the residual antibacterial effects of five mousse products, (1) 2% chlorhexidine and 2% miconazole, (2) 0.05% phytosphingosine, (3) 2% salicylic acid and 10% ethyl lactate, (4) 3% chlorhexidine and 0.5% climbazole, and (5) 2% chlorhexidine and 1% ketoconazole on both the skin surface and hairs in both short- and …

Characterization Of Memory T-Lymphocyte Subsets In Dogs, Annie Beth Bauman

LSU Master's Theses

A more complete understanding of canine T-cell immunity is necessary for improving diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to canine diseases, developing cell-based canine immunotherapeutics, and evaluating dogs as large mammal models for comparative immunology research. Canine immunological studies are limited by the lack of established phenotypic markers identifying diverse differentiation states in canine T-cells. Differential expression of CD45RA (indicating antigen experience) and CD62L (indicating lymph node homing capability), shows promise as a tool to delineate canine naïve (TN), central memory (TCM), effector memory (TEM), and terminal effector memory (TEMRA) T-cells. The aim of this study was to characterize canine memory T-cell …