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Full-Text Articles in Veterinary Pathology and Pathobiology

Mapping And Modeling Of Neglected Tropical Diseases In Brazil And Bolivia, Paula Mischler Jan 2011

Mapping And Modeling Of Neglected Tropical Diseases In Brazil And Bolivia, Paula Mischler

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Accurately defining disease distributions and calculating disease risk is an important step in the control and prevention of diseases. This study used geographical information systems and remote sensing technologies within the MaxEnt ecological niche modeling program to create predictive risk maps for leprosy and Schistosomiasis in Brazil and Chagas disease in both Brazil and Bolivia. New disease cases were compiled for leprosy, Schistosomiasis, and Chagas disease from the Brazilian ministry of Health for 2001 to 2009 and the data was stratified to a 10,000 population for each municipality. Bolivian Chagas prevalence rates were calculated from 2007 to 2009 survey data. …


Characterization Of Spiroplasma Mirum And Its Role In Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Hilari Maree French Jan 2011

Characterization Of Spiroplasma Mirum And Its Role In Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Hilari Maree French

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

There are many contradictory reports in the literature involving the culture of Spiroplasma mirum, its resistance to disinfectants and antibiotics, and its potential role in Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs). These contradictions led to an interest in a possible link between spiroplasma and TSEs and the development of a research plan to elucidate this connection. It was hypothesized that Spiroplasma was associated with a neurodegenerative disease such as TSE. In this work we further characterized S. mirum laboratory strains and continued to evaluate the possible correlations they have with TSE infections and the prion. To optimize recovery of S. mirum from …


Arginine Metabolism In The Edwardsiella Ictaluri- Channel Catfish Macrophage Dynamic, Wes Arend Baumgartner Jan 2011

Arginine Metabolism In The Edwardsiella Ictaluri- Channel Catfish Macrophage Dynamic, Wes Arend Baumgartner

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Edwardsiella ictaluri encodes a urease operon and an arginine decarboxylase (AdiA) that are required for virulence in head kidney derived macrophages (HKDM). The urease produces ammonia in amounts sufficient to alter environmental pH from acid to neutral. A hypothetical model was proposed, involving arginine metabolism in E. ictaluri infected HKDM, focusing on bacterial urease, AdiA, a second arginine decarboxylase (SpeA), and agmatinase (SpeB). Using fluorescence based ratiometric pH determination of E. ictaluri in live HKDM, it was shown that E. ictaluri modulates HKDM phagosome pH to above six. Urease and AdiA mutants failed to up-regulate vacuole pH, while vacuole pH …


Ospc In The Pathogenesis Of Borrelia Burgdorferi, Sunita V. Seemanapalli Jan 2010

Ospc In The Pathogenesis Of Borrelia Burgdorferi, Sunita V. Seemanapalli

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Lyme disease is a multisystem disorder caused by the tick vector Borrelia burgdorferi. During its life cycle between the tick vector and the mammalian host, Borrelia up- and down-regulates the expression of its surface lipoproteins. Of its many surface lipoproteins, the Outer surface protein C (OspC) is crucial for initial mammalian infection. OspC has a common role shared with other lipoproteins of protection against host innate defences and a unique function in facilitating the dissemination of B. burgdorferi in the murine host. The structure of OspC was solved in 2001 and the lipoprotein was found to be predominantly alpha-helical with …


In Vivo And In Vitro Pathogenesis Of Francisella Asiatica In Tilapia Nilotica (Oreochromis Niloticus), Esteban Soto Jan 2010

In Vivo And In Vitro Pathogenesis Of Francisella Asiatica In Tilapia Nilotica (Oreochromis Niloticus), Esteban Soto

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Francisella asiatica is a Gram negative, facultative intracellular pathogen that causes fish francisellosis. In this project, homologues to the F. tularensis iglABCD genes were found present in F. asiatica. As few as 23 F. asiatica bacteria injected in the peritoneum were found capable of causing mortalities in tilapia nilotica (Oreochromis niloticus), and even fewer were enough to cause pathological changes. We examined the in vivo and in vitro interaction of F. asiatica wild type (WT) and a ÄiglC strain with tilapia and tilapia head kidney derived macrophages (HKDM). The ÄiglC was found to be attenuated following intraperitoneal and immersion challenges …


The Role Of Bone Marrow In Siv Pathogenesis Using The Rhesus Macaque Model, Amy F. Gill Jan 2010

The Role Of Bone Marrow In Siv Pathogenesis Using The Rhesus Macaque Model, Amy F. Gill

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

CD4+ memory T cells are depleted in mucosal tissues post human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection without restoration to pre-infection levels during progressive course of disease. Bone marrow (BM) as a hematopoietic organ has been investigated for hematologic and morphologic changes during HIV infection. However, BM as a primary lymphoid tissue during HIV infection has been poorly characterized. We proposed BM was also a site of CD4+ T cell depletion driven by increased apoptosis during progressive HIV disease. We chose to investigate bone marrow changes using the premier non-human primate Rhesus macaque SIV model for the …


In Vitro And In Vivo Evaluation Of A Brucella Putative Hemagglutinin, Lauren E. Duhon Jan 2010

In Vitro And In Vivo Evaluation Of A Brucella Putative Hemagglutinin, Lauren E. Duhon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Brucellosis, a zoonotic disease caused by Brucella spp., presents both health and economic difficulties for livestock, wildlife, and humans. While brucellosis is nearly eradicated in the United States, the disease remains detrimental in many countries worldwide. Attempts to produce a safe and effective small ruminant vaccine have been met with limited success. The current vaccine for bovine brucellosis in the United States is B. abortus RB51. This strain transiently colonizes the host and induces a cell-mediated immune response. Levels of protection have not been demonstrated in goats and thus it is considered a relatively poor caprine vaccine that probably does …


Ecological Risk Models For Visceral Leishmaniais [Sic] In Bahia, Brazil And Diagnosis Of Trypanosoma Cruzi Infection In Dogs In South Central Louisiana, Prixia Nieto Jan 2009

Ecological Risk Models For Visceral Leishmaniais [Sic] In Bahia, Brazil And Diagnosis Of Trypanosoma Cruzi Infection In Dogs In South Central Louisiana, Prixia Nieto

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Three predictive models were developed within a geographic information system using earth observing satellite remote sensing (RS), the Genetic Algorithm for Rule-Set Prediction (GARP) and the growing degree day-water budget (GDD-WB) concept to predict the distribution and potential risk of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the State of Bahia, Brazil. The objective was to define the environmental suitability of the disease as well as to obtain a deeper understanding of the eco-epidemiology of VL by associating environmental and climatic variables with disease prevalence. The RS, the GARP model and the GDD-WB model, using different analysis approaches and with the same human …


Innate Immune Responses In The Central Nervous System Following Toll-Like Receptor (Tlr) 7 And Tlr9 Activation, Niranjan Babu Butchi Jan 2009

Innate Immune Responses In The Central Nervous System Following Toll-Like Receptor (Tlr) 7 And Tlr9 Activation, Niranjan Babu Butchi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Activation of astrocytes and microglia and the production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines are often associated with virus infection in the central nervous system (CNS) as well as a number of neurological diseases of unknown etiology. These inflammatory responses may be initiated by recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns that stimulate toll-like receptors (TLRs). Recent studies demonstrated that TLR9 family receptors play a role in neuropathogenesis and the agonists of these receptors may be used in therapeutics treatment of brain tumors and viral infections. However, we lack the basic understanding of how these receptors function in the CNS. In the present …


Expression Of The Edwardsiella Ictaluri Type Iii Secretion System And Its Relationship To The Native Plasmids, Matthew Lee Rogge Jan 2009

Expression Of The Edwardsiella Ictaluri Type Iii Secretion System And Its Relationship To The Native Plasmids, Matthew Lee Rogge

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Edwardsiella ictaluri encodes a type III secretion system (T3SS) required for intracellular replication. Analysis of in vitro gene expression indicates the T3SS translocon proteins express and secrete in acidic pH. Expression of other T3SS genes, however, requires that phosphate be limited in the culture media, in addition to acidic pH. Responses to environmental stimuli are mediated through the T3SS-encoded regulatory proteins EsrA, EsrB, and EsrC. Mutations in these genes result in differing phenotypes. Mutation of EsrA results in moderately reduced expression of T3SS genes, but translocon protein secretion is retained in the mutant. However, the EsrA mutant is attenuated intracellularly …


Characterizing The Epidemiology Of Isospora Amphiboluri In Captive Bearded Dragons (Pogona Vitticeps), Michael Robison Walden Jan 2009

Characterizing The Epidemiology Of Isospora Amphiboluri In Captive Bearded Dragons (Pogona Vitticeps), Michael Robison Walden

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

First described in 1967, Isospora amphiboluri has become recognized as an important pathogen of bearded dragons. To date, no cross-sectional, pathogenesis, or treatment study has been performed to shed light on the epidemiology or treatment of I.amphiboluri. Two large breeding populations of bearded dragons were examined for the presence of I. amphiboluri oocysts using sucrose flotation and fecal direct saline smears. Parasites were more likely to be identified on fecal flotation (p= 0.03). A previously unidentified Eimeria species was examined and described as a new species for which we suggest the name Eimeria pogonae. To develop an understanding of the …


Arthropod And Vertebrate Determinants For Horizontal Transmission Of Rickettsia Felis, Kathryn Elizabeth Reif Jan 2009

Arthropod And Vertebrate Determinants For Horizontal Transmission Of Rickettsia Felis, Kathryn Elizabeth Reif

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Rickettsia felis is a gram-negative bacterium predominantly described in the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis. Since first described in 1990 in a commercial cat flea colony in the United States, R. felis has been detected in numerous arthropod species in 28 countries around the world. Additionally, as the etiologic agent of flea-borne rickettsiosis, R. felis can cause disease in humans, with patients presenting with clinical symptoms typical of rickettsial diseases including: fever, headache, and myalgia. Transmission of R. felis within flea colonies is predominantly via vertical (transovarial and transstadial) transmission and mechanisms of horizontal transmission are undescribed. Studies are needed to …


Antiviral Chemotherapeutic Agents Against Equine Herpesvirus Type 1: The Mechanism Of Antiviral Effects Of Porphyrin Derivatives, Galena V. Rybachuk Jan 2009

Antiviral Chemotherapeutic Agents Against Equine Herpesvirus Type 1: The Mechanism Of Antiviral Effects Of Porphyrin Derivatives, Galena V. Rybachuk

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is an important ubiquitous enzootic equine pathogen, causing significant economic losses to the horse industry. Despite extensive vaccination protocols, EHV-1 continues to be a major cause of epidemic abortion, perinatal mortality, respiratory disease and neurologic disease. EHV-1 infections are usually dealt with by using management practices that limit spread of the disease and secondary complications, providing symptomatic relief to infected horses, but no specific treatment is available. New therapeutic or virucidal agents could have great utility in slowing both the progression and spread of the disease in an epidemic situation. A number of porphyrins and their derivatives …


Phylogenetics And New Approaches To Vaccine Development For West Nile, Arun Venkatesh Iyer Jan 2008

Phylogenetics And New Approaches To Vaccine Development For West Nile, Arun Venkatesh Iyer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

West Nile virus (WNV) was first isolated in 1937 from a febrile Ugandan woman. WNV now has a worldwide distribution from Australia and India in the east to Europe and the United States in the west. The first human cases of WNV in the United States were detected in New York in 1999. The North American isolates were also found to be highly neuroinvasive and neurovirulent and in many cases leading to mortality or permanent CNS sequelae among humans. WNV was first isolated in Louisiana in 2001. The genome of this virus named LSU-AR01was sequenced and a detailed genetic analysis …


The Zinc Induction Of Heme Oxygenase-1 Gene Promoter In Mouse Hepa Cells, Salim M. Alawneh Jan 2008

The Zinc Induction Of Heme Oxygenase-1 Gene Promoter In Mouse Hepa Cells, Salim M. Alawneh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) catalyzes the initial and rate-limiting reaction in heme catabolism (yielding equimolar quantities of iron, carbon monoxide, and biliverdin), which is further metabolized to bilirubin by biliverdin reductase. HO-1, an important enzyme with antioxidant and cytoprotective properties, functions against oxidative stress generated in response to heme and to various stress stimuli, such as zinc. The cytoprotective function of HO-1 is dependent on both the activities of the reaction products and on the inducibility of the heme oxygenase gene (hmox-1), which is regulated primarily at the level of gene transcription by two distal enhancers, E1 and E2. Characterization of …


Novel Oncolytic Herpesviruses For Breast Cancer Treatment, Anna Israyelyan Jan 2008

Novel Oncolytic Herpesviruses For Breast Cancer Treatment, Anna Israyelyan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Oncolytic herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) has shown great potential as an effective agent for cancer therapy ¨C oncolytic virotherapy. To enhance oncolytic capabilities of previously reported agents, new oncolytic and fusogenic HSV-1 OncSyn and OncdSyn viruses were constructed based on wild type HSV-1 (F) strain. To provide for safety and tumor selectivity, the viruses carried a large deletion including one of the two ¦Ã134.5 genes. The ¦Ã134.5 gene, a major neurovirulence factor, was replaced by a gene cassette constitutively expressing the red fluorescent protein. Homologous recombination was utilized to transfer the fusogenic gBsyn3 mutation to the viral genome to …


Evaluation Of Selected Immune Response To Haemonchus Contortus In Gulf Coast Native Compared To Suffolk Lambs, Krishna P. Shakya Jan 2007

Evaluation Of Selected Immune Response To Haemonchus Contortus In Gulf Coast Native Compared To Suffolk Lambs, Krishna P. Shakya

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Haemonchus contortus is one of the major nematode parasites causing substantial economic losses in small ruminant farming worldwide. Recently, effect of anthelmintic treatment has decreased due to an increasing problem of nematode populations that have developed resistance to anthelmintics. There are certain breeds of sheep that are identified as being relatively resistant to the parasite including Gulf Coast Native (Native) sheep. Understanding the mode of immune response that helps these breeds of sheep control infection could help design vaccines and enhance control programs. This experiment was designed to evaluate the immunological responses of Native, compared with susceptible Suffolk sheep that …


Genetics Of Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 Tegument Proteins Involved In Virion Morphogenesis And Egress, Preston A. Fulmer Jan 2007

Genetics Of Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 Tegument Proteins Involved In Virion Morphogenesis And Egress, Preston A. Fulmer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) morphogenesis occurs in multiple stages within infected cells. Initially, the virion capsid assembles within the nucleus and buds through the nuclear membrane into the cytoplasm. Within the cytoplasm, additional tegument proteins attach to the capsid and the fully tegumented capsids bud into trans-Golgi network (TGN) derived vesicles. Enveloped virions are ultimately secreted to extracellular spaces. The process by which the cytoplasmic capsids bud into TGN-derived vesicles is not well understood. The prevalent model calls for specific interactions among viral tegument proteins and membrane proteins and glycoproteins embedded within TGN membranes. To further investigate the roles …


Brucella Melitensis: The Evaluation Of A Putative Hemagglutinin Gene's Effect On Virulence In The Caprine Model, Quinesha Laticia Perry Jan 2007

Brucella Melitensis: The Evaluation Of A Putative Hemagglutinin Gene's Effect On Virulence In The Caprine Model, Quinesha Laticia Perry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Brucella melitensis is a facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes abortions in goats and sheep and Malta fever in humans. The zoonotic disease brucellosis causes severe economic losses in the Mediterranean region and parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. With the completion of the genomic sequences of B. abortus 2308 and B. melitensis 16M, no classical virulence factors were found; and the chromosomes were virtually identical. However, in B. melitensis, a putative hemagglutinin gene was identified which is absent in B. abortus. The possibility of the hemagglutinin gene being a potential virulence factor was evaluated via gene replacement/deletion in …


The Epidemiology Of West Nile Virus In Louisiana, Karen Ruth Gruszynski Jan 2006

The Epidemiology Of West Nile Virus In Louisiana, Karen Ruth Gruszynski

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

West Nile virus (WNV), a member of the genus Flavivirus transmitted by mosquitoes, first appeared in the New York in 1999. Within five years WNV was detected throughout the contiguous 48 states causing disease in reservoirs and accidental hosts alike. In Louisiana, WNV was first detected in 2001 with one human case, ten equine cases, and six dead birds reported. The introduction of WNV into Louisiana presented an unique opportunity to observe an emerging disease unfold, so a study was launched to gain insight into the epidemiology of WNV in Louisiana. The first component, an environmental predictive model for West …


Power Analysis For A Mixed Effects Logistic Regression Model, Yinmei Li Jan 2006

Power Analysis For A Mixed Effects Logistic Regression Model, Yinmei Li

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In herd health studies, the mixed effects logistic regression model with random herd effects are commonly used for modeling clustered binary data. These models are well developed and widely used in the literature, among which is the logistic-normal regression model. In contrast to the rich literature in modeling methods, the sample size/power analysis methods for such mixed effects models are sparse. The sample size/power analysis method for the logistic-normal regression model is not readily available. This study is to develop a power analysis/sample size estimation method for the logistic-normal regression model. Extended from the sample size method for the likelihood …


Racial Disparities, Birth Outcomes, And Changing Demographics Of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, Misty D. Richard Jan 2006

Racial Disparities, Birth Outcomes, And Changing Demographics Of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, Misty D. Richard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Racial and socioeconomic disparities persist throughout the country regardless of which specific disparity is studied; however, some geographic regions experience more significant racial disparities. East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana has a large racial disparity among birth outcomes. Many factors impact the degree of racial disparities, some of which include racial segregation, isolation, or centralization, access to and quality of medical care, and factors of the neighborhood environment. EBRP has undergone dramatic shifts in the demographics of its residents. The purpose of this dissertation was to study the demographic changes in the population; as well as to study the disparities among …


Voluntary Exercise In The C57b1/6j Mouse: Phenotypic Effects Of Varying Dietary Fat Levels And Hippocampal Gene Expression Differences Between High-Level And Low-Level Exercisers, Leslie Debardeleben Mclaughlin Jan 2005

Voluntary Exercise In The C57b1/6j Mouse: Phenotypic Effects Of Varying Dietary Fat Levels And Hippocampal Gene Expression Differences Between High-Level And Low-Level Exercisers, Leslie Debardeleben Mclaughlin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The drive to exercise voluntarily likely results from complex interactions between genes in many organ systems and various psychological parameters, such as motivation and the perception of fatigue. Reproducible variations in exercise intensity and duration are well established in laboratory rodents, but the genes responsible remain largely unknown. Also, to date, studies addressing the adaptive changes to exercise that might prevent dietary-induced obesity have focused primarily on energy intake and nutrient oxidation/partitioning, as opposed to genetics. We hypothesize that increased voluntary physical activity may be a normal mechanism in certain rodent strains to deter dietary-induced obesity and that in an …


Cytokines And Aeroallergens In The Pathogenesis Of Summer-Pasture Associated Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Effects On Endothelin Production, Neutrophil Activation And Chemotaxis, Lais Rosa Rodrigues Costa Jan 2005

Cytokines And Aeroallergens In The Pathogenesis Of Summer-Pasture Associated Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Effects On Endothelin Production, Neutrophil Activation And Chemotaxis, Lais Rosa Rodrigues Costa

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Summer pasture-associated obstructive pulmonary disease (SPAOPD), a naturally occurring airway disease of horses, is characterized by clinical exacerbation associated with exposure to pasture environment during the summer. Aeroallergens are believed to trigger exacerbation of SPAOPD, cytokines are likely associated with the anamnestic response to aeroallergens, and endothelin (ET)-1 is a potential mediator of airway obstruction. The goal of this dissertation was to describe and explore the interaction of aeroallergens triggering inflammation and T lymphocytes cytokine profile with the recruitment and activation of neutrophils and synthesis of ET-1 by mononuclear leukocytes and airway epithelial cells. The temporal pattern of clinical exacerbation …


Genetics And Functions Of The Sars Coronavirus Spike Protein, Chad Michael Petit Jan 2005

Genetics And Functions Of The Sars Coronavirus Spike Protein, Chad Michael Petit

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The SARS-Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is the etiological agent of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The SARS-CoV spike (S) glycoprotein mediates membrane fusion events during virus entry and virus-induced cell-to-cell fusion. Investigations, described herein, have focused on the genetic manipulation of the SARS-CoV S glycoprotein in order to delineate functional domains within the protein. This was accomplished by incorporating single point mutations, cluster-to-lysine and cluster-to-alanine mutations, as well as carboxyl terminal truncations into the protein and investigating these mutants in transient expression experiments. Mutagenesis of either the coiled-coil domain of the S glycoprotein amino terminal heptad repeat, the predicted fusion peptide, …


The Role Of Urease In The Pathogenesis Of Edwardsiella Ictaluri, Natha Joy Booth Jan 2005

The Role Of Urease In The Pathogenesis Of Edwardsiella Ictaluri, Natha Joy Booth

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An Edwardsiella ictaluri strain with disruption of ureG was identified through the use of signature tagged insertion mutagenesis as being attenuated for virulence in the channel catfish host. Sequencing of the flanking regions surrounding the insert showed that the gene was part of a urease gene complex that included ureE, ureF, ureG, ureD, ureI, and an ammonium transporter homologue. The ureG gene encodes a GTP-binding accessory protein which is thought to function in energy-dependent urease assembly. The ureG mutant strain was found to be attenuated for mortality, persistence, and for the ability to establish infection in a competition challenge during …


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 …


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 …


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 …


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 …