Animal Diseases Commons^™

Identification Of Possible Vectors For Histomoniasis In Turkeys On Commercial Farms In Arkansas And Oklahoma, Treva Dillon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Histomonas meleagridis, is a parasitic protozoan, commonly found in the gallinaceous species of birds and is the causative agent of Blackhead disease. The cecal worm, known as Heteraskis gallinarum, acts as a vector in the spread of H. meleagridis in gallinaceous birds. H. meleagridis develops inside the cecal worm and in its eggs which allows H. meleagridis a method to survive in the environment. Blackhead disease causes high mortality rates in both chickens and turkeys; however, turkeys are noted to have a higher mortality rate compared to chickens. Molecular diagnostic testing such as PCR has been developed by creating primers …

Nexus Between Animal Welfare, Environment, And Sustainable Development: Resource Document, Wellbeing International

Nexus – UNEP – Animal Welfare, Environment, Sustainable Development

This Resource Document has been developed to explore the Nexus (links) between Animal Welfare, the Environment, and Sustainable Development. The document includes relevant citations and reports addressing the topics encompassed by the Nexus. It will be maintained as a “living document” (subject to revision) in the WellBeing International Studies Repository. The original document and subsequent revisions will be kept in the Repository to provide a record of the changes.

Stochastic Models Of Zoonotic Avian Influenza With Multiple Hosts, Environmental Transmission, And Migration In The Natural Reservoir, Kaia Smith

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Update On Monkeypox, Audra E. Haynes, Susan H. Davide, Anty Lam

Publications and Research

Monkeypox a viral transmissible disease caused by the monkeypox virus, a disease commonly found in Central and Western Africa, has caused a recent outbreak of monkeypox in the United States. Highlighting the importance of dental healthcare professionals to become knowledgeable about the transmission of the disease, and how to better protect themselves and the public from further spread, as well as educating patients about the disease.

This review examines the etiology of monkeypox, transmission, signs and symptoms, and preventive measures to reduce occurrence of the disease with an emphasis on who has largely been affected by the disease and the …

Intestinal Microbiota Analysis Of Broiler Chickens Under Necrotic Enteritis Challenge And Tributyrin Supplementation, Taylor Nicole Mckinney

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poultry is a staple protein source for most of the planet. Until recently, antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) were used to prevent illnesses in commercial chicken production. Currently, this is not possible due to regulations and consumer concern, but without such a preventative, diseases like necrotic enteritis (NE) have reemerged, posing a threat to bird health, and ultimately, our food source. Necrotic enteritis is a severe gastrointestinal disease caused by the gram-positive pathogen, Clostridium perfringens. Clinical features of this disease are diarrhea, intestinal lesions, and death, with a high transmission rate. In a subclinical form, growth performance is diminished and is …

Histomonosis In Turkeys – Factors Influencing Transmission, Pathogenesis, And The Search For Prophylactic Or Therapeutic Compounds, Thainá Landim De Barros

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The incidence of histomonosis has been increasing in poultry since the ban of prophylactic and therapeutic compounds. Histomonosis is caused by the protozoa Histomonas meleagridis. The objective of this dissertation was to investigate factors impacting the pathogenesis and transmission of histomonosis and to evaluate compounds that could potentially prevent or reduce the severity of histomonosis in turkeys. In the first study, the effect of sodium chlorate and sodium nitrate on reducing histomonads growth was tested in vitro and added to a basal turkey diet. A decrease in the growth of histomonads in vitro was observed, but no in vivo effect …

Metabolites From Trypanosome-Infected Cattle As Sensitive Biomarkers For Animal Trypanosomosis, Merid N. Getahun, John Ngiela, John Mark O. Makwatta, Peter Ahuya, Tawich K. Simon, Samuel K. Kamau, Baldwyn Torto, Daniel Masiga

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Trypanosomes are important global livestock and human pathogens of public health importance. Elucidating the chemical mechanisms of trypanosome-relevant host interactions can enhance the design and development of a novel, next-generation trypanosomosis diagnostics. However, it is unknown how trypanosome infection affects livestock volatile odors. Here, we show that Trypanosoma congolense and Trypanosoma vivax infections induced dihydro-β- ionone and junenol, while abundance of dihydro-α-ionone, phenolics, p-cresol, and 3-propylphenol significantly elevated in cow urine. These biomarkers of trypanosome infection are conserved in cow breath and the urine metabolites of naturally infected cows, regardless of population, diet, or environment differences. Furthermore, treating trypanosome-infected cows …

Host-Pathogen Interactions During Leptospirosis In Male C3h/Hej Mice, Advait Bhaskar Shetty

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease transmitted from reservoir hosts like rodents to other animals and humans, who are incidental hosts. This infection is prevalent in the areas of Southeast Asia, Africa and South America. Inactivated Leptospira serovars vaccines are available in endemic areas but they have certain limitations such as serovar specificity and short-term protection. Antibiotics are effective treatment strategies useful at least during early stages of infection. Early diagnosis of Leptospirosis is difficult due to lack of accessible laboratory and point of care tests and due to clinical similarities with other diseases. Thus, it is important to understand host-Leptospira …

How Environmental Change Will Impact Mosquito-Borne Diseases, Arsal Khan

Master's Projects and Capstones

Mosquitos, the most lethal species throughout human history, are the most prevalent source of vector-borne diseases and therefore a major global health burden. Mosquito-borne disease incidence is expected to shift with environmental change. These changes can be predicted using species distribution models. With the wide variety of methods used for models, consensus for improving accuracy and comparability is needed. A comparative analysis of three recent modeling approaches revealed that integrating modeling techniques compensates for trade-offs associated with a singular approach. An area that represents a critical gap in our ability to predict mosquito behavior in response to changing climate factors, …

Monkeypox Virus Hosts And Transmission Routes: A Systematic Review Of A Zoonotic Pathogen, Mary Walker

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is an etiological agent of Monkeypox with origins believed to be of Central/West Africa. As a member of the orthopoxvirus family and due to its increasing emergence, it has become a pathogen in need of research. This paper works to find common trends of transmission routes and reservoir hosts in previous publications through a systematic review. Articles found on Web of Science containing the search term “Monkeypox” were sorted based on relevance to the review topics of potential reservoir hosts and transmission routes of Monkeypox virus. Through Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), 1,036 …

Investigating Molecular Mechanisms Behind Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis (Bco) Pathogenesis In Modern Broilers, Alison Ramser

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO), a leading cause of lameness in broiler chickens, is characterized by infection, inflammation, and bone attrition. There are currently no effective treatments and positive diagnosis is only possible through necropsy evaluations. Lameness is also a rising animal welfare and economic concern, making prevention and detection of BCO all the more critical. These challenges are exacerbated by a lack of mechanistic understanding of BCO’s etiology. The question I asked during my dissertation was how bacteria induce bone attrition in BCO pathology. My research has shown that mitochondrial dysfunction is characteristic of BCO conditions along with autophagy …

Evaluation Of The Effect Of A Lippia Organoides Essential Oil Extract On Clostridium Perfringens Proliferation In Vitro And Necrotic Enteritis In Broiler Chickens, Makenly E. Coles

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present research was to assess the effects of essential oils derived from the plant Lippia organoides on performance parameters, intestinal integrity, and necrotic enteritis (NE) in broiler chickens. To do this, a previously established challenge model for NE was utilized which included challenging with Salmonella Typhimurium on day 0, Eimeria maxima on day 18, and Clostridium perfringens on days 22 and 23. Treatment groups included a 1) non-challenged, negative control, 2) challenged control, and 3) challenged, Lippia origanoides (37ppm in the diet). Group 1 (negative control) had significantly (P < 0.05) higher body weight gain from d8-25 and d0-25 compared to both challenged groups. Feed intake was significantly different for all three groups (P < 0.05) at 8-25 days and 0-25 days with group 1 having the highest feed intake for both time periods. Total mortality was greater in the positive control when compared to both the negative and treatment groups. NE lesion scores were significantly different between all groups with the positive control having the highest mean lesion scores and the negative control having a mean lesion score of 0. The positive control group had the highest FITC-d amounts detected in the sera, being statistically higher than both the treatment group and negative group which were both statistically different from each other. At the present inclusion rate for the essential oil (37 ppm), there was an overall reduction in the negative impact from the NE infection. Further studies should be conducted to reach more significant conclusions.

Surgical Intervention With Adjunctive Cryotherapy For Canine Conjunctival Hemangiosarcomas Versus Hemangiomas, Lisa M. Hoard

Biomedical Engineering ETDs

Conjunctival hemangiomas and hemangiosarcomas are vascular tumors that affect the tissue in the eyes of canines. While relatively rare, these tumors can be costly to remove, and have a possibility of recurrence. Therefore, more understanding of the nature of these tumors and recurrence rates is of importance to the veterinary ophthalmologist. To date, there is limited data in the literature (2 retrospective studies) that examine the development, treatment, and recurrence of these vascular tumors; furthermore, the analyses do not examine the potential recurrence of tumors after treatment with therapies adjunctive to surgery (such as cryoablation, radiotherapy, and others). For this …

Variations In Antibody Response To Aspergillus Fumigatus Inhalation In Mice, Andrea Wells

Student Academic Conference

Studies have configured immunological responses to Aspergillus fumigatus in mice, leading to advanced understandings. However, the comparisons of the immune responses between juvenile (younger than 6 weeks) male and female C57BL/6J mice after A. fumigatus exposure, remains uninvestigated. In this study, we intranasally inoculated 3 week old male and female mice with Aspergillus fumigatus spores dilution of 2 106spores per 40 l. They were exposed to the allergen once a week for 8 consecutive weeks and euthanized on day 28 post the last inoculation. As compared to our last report, we increased the sample size for each group in this …

Genetic Connectivity Of Trypanosomes Between Tsetse-Infested And Tsetse-Free Areas Of Kenya, Naomi N. Kimenyi, Kelvin M. Kimenyi, Nelson O. Amugune, Merid N. Getahun

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The prevalence rates of trypanosomes, including those that require cyclical transmission by tsetse flies, are widely distributed in Africa. Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma congolense are actively maintained in regions where there are no tsetse flies although at low frequencies. Whether this could be due to an independent evolutionary origin or multiple introduction of trypanosomes due to continuous movement of livestock between tsetse-free and -infested areas is not known. Thus, the aim of the study was to carry out microsatellite genotyping to explore intra-specific genetic diversity between T. (Trypanozoon), T. congolense and Trypanosoma vivax from the two regions: tsetse infested and …

The Combat Project: Controlling And Progressively Minimizing The Burden Of Vector-Borne Animal Trypanosomosis In Africa, Alain Boulangé, Veerle Lejon, David Berthier, Sophie Thévenon, Geoffrey Gimonneau, Marc Desquesnes, Samuel Abah, Prudenciène Agboho, Kalinga Chilongo, Tsegaye Gebre, Assane Gueye Fall, Dramane Kaba, Stefan Magez, Daniel Masiga, Enock Matovu, Aldjibert Moukhtar, Luis Neves, Pamela A. Olet, Soumaïla Pagabeleguem, William Shereni, Brice Sorli, Moeti O. Taioe, María Teresa Tejedor Junco, Rehab Yagi, Philippe Solano, Giuliano Cecchi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Vector-borne diseases affecting livestock have serious impacts in Africa. Trypanosomosis is caused by parasites transmitted by tsetse flies and other blood-sucking Diptera. The animal form of the disease is a scourge for African livestock keepers, is already present in Latin America and Asia, and has the potential to spread further. A human form of the disease also exists, known as human African trypanosomosis or sleeping sickness. Controlling and progressively minimizing the burden of animal trypanosomosis (COMBAT) is a four-year research and innovation project funded by the European Commission, whose ultimate goal is to reduce the burden of animal trypanosomosis (AT) …

Molecular Detection Of Novel Anaplasma Sp. And Zoonotic Hemopathogens In Livestock And Their Hematophagous Biting Keds (Genus Hippobosca) From Laisamis, Northern Kenya, Daniel M. Mwaki, Kevin O. Kidambasi, Johnson Kinyua, Kenneth Ogila, Collins Kigen, Dennis Getange, Jandouwe Villinger, Daniel K. Masiga, Mark Carrington, Joel L. Bargul

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: Livestock are key sources of livelihood among pastoral communities. Livestock productivity is chiefly constrained by pests and diseases. Due to inadequate disease surveillance in northern Kenya, little is known about pathogens circulating within livestock and the role of livestock-associated biting keds (genus Hippobosca) in disease transmission. We aimed to identify the prevalence of selected hemopathogens in livestock and their associated blood-feeding keds. Methods: We randomly collected 389 blood samples from goats (245), sheep (108), and donkeys (36), as well as 235 keds from both goats and sheep (116), donkeys (11), and dogs (108) in Laisamis, Marsabit County, northern Kenya. …

Comparative Metabolism Of Aflatoxin B1 In Two Quail Genera Coturnix Japonica And Callipepla Californica, Sean Moody

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Avian species are highly susceptible to the hepatotoxic mycotoxin aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁). Domesticated turkeys are exquisitely sensitive, due to a combination of highly-efficient hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated bioactivation, and to dysfunctional alpha-class glutathione S-transferases (GSTAs) which typically detoxify the bioactivated electrophilic metabolite exo-AFB₁-8,9-epoxide (AFBO). Wild turkeys are relatively resistant to AFB₁ in large part due to expression of functional GSTAs. Quail, a related Galliforme, are slightly less sensitive in vivo to AFB₁, but whether this is related to the hepatic metabolic profiles of these two critical enzymes has not been rigorously evaluated. …

Ehrlichia Spp. Close To Ehrlichia Ruminantium, Ehrlichia Canis, And “Candidatus Ehrlichia Regneryi” Linked To Heartwater-Like Disease In Kenyan Camels (Camelus Dromedarius), Mario Younan, Daniel O. Ouso, Boku Bodha, Edward K. Keitany, Hezron O. Wesonga, Rinah Sitawa, Joshua Kimutai, Wilson Kuria, Wario Sori Sake, Nicholas Svitek, Tobias Landmann, Diba Dida Wako, Jandouwe Villinger

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

We present findings from an outbreak of a heartwater-like disease in camels that killed at least 2000 adult animals in Kenya in 2016. Clinical signs included excitability, head pressing, aimless wandering, recumbency, and fast breathing followed by death after about 4 days. The observed morbidity in one herd was 40% with an average mortality of 7.5% in animals that received early antibiotic treatments. In untreated adults, the case fatality rate reached 100%. Gross pathology showed pulmonary edema, pleural exudate, hydrothorax, hydropericardium, ascites, enlarged “cooked” liver, nephrosis, and blood in the abomasum and intestine. Using established PCR-based protocols for tick-borne pathogens, …

Environmental And Genetic Factors Affecting Bone Diseases And Phenotypes In Mouse Models, Wei Dong

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Bone diseases and phenotypes are affected in multiple ways. We focused on studying the effects of genetic and environmental factors, especially their impact on bone properties. Firstly, we investigated the effects of β-caryophyllene (BCP), a naturally occurring dietary cannabinoid, on protecting bone from vitamin D deficiency in mice fed on a diet lacking or supplemented with vitamin D (VD). We found that the VD-deficient diet enhanced the length of femur and tibia bones (P<0.05), and increased bone volume (BV; P<0.01) and the trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV; P <0.01) compared to the D+ diet. When given BCP-containing diet, mice exhibited higher BV and bone mineral density (BMD; P<0.05) than the control group. The trabecular and cortical bone were also affected by VD and BCP. In addition, the inclusion of dietary BCP improved the serum concentrations of klotho (P < 0.05). In summary, these data indicate that BCP enhances the level of klotho in the serum, leading to improved bone properties and mineralization in an experimental mouse model. Under conditions lacking UV light, the D-deficient diet could affect multiple properties of bone, including trabecular and cortical bone, in mice. The D-deficient diet can also result in weight loss in mice.

My second project is to evaluate the bone properties in a mouse model with Il-1rn mutation. When knockout for IL-1rn, mice of Balb/c genomic background exhibited …