Veterinary Microbiology and Immunobiology Commons^™

Note On Ehrlichia Chaffeensis, Ehrlichia Ewingii, And “Borrelia Lonestari” Infection In Lone Star Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae), Nebraska, Usa, Amanda Maegli, J. Dustin Loy, Roberto Cortinas

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (L.) (Acari: Ixodidae), is established in southeastern Nebraska, yet the prevalence of tick-associated microorganisms is not known. An initial PCR-based analysis for Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Ehrlichia ewingii, and Borrelia infection in host-seeking adult ticks collected in southeast Nebraska was conducted. A total of 251 adult ticks collected in six sites in southeast Nebraska were tested. E. chaffeensis, E. ewingii, and Borrelia spp. were present, and the prevalence of each was approximately 1.6%. This study demonstrates that Ehrlichia spp. are present in Nebraska lone star tick populations.

Expression And Distribution Of Thiol-Regulating Enzyme Glutaredoxin 2 (Grx2) In Porcine Ocular Tissues, Bijaya Upadhyaya, Xiaoli Tian, Hongli Wu, Marjorie F. Lou

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Glutaredoxin2 (Grx2) is a mitochondrial isozyme of the cytosolic glutaredoxin1 (thioltransferase or TTase). Both belong to the large oxidoreductase family and play an important role in maintaining thiol/disulfide redox homeostasis in the cells. Grx2 is recently found in the lens where its activities of disulfide reductase and peroxidase, similar to TTase, can protect the lens against oxidative stress. Since other eye tissues are also highly sensitive to oxidative stress, and TTase’s distribution in the eye is known, we focused on this study by investigating the Grx2 distribution in the ocular tissues in comparison to the lens. Fresh porcine eyes were …

Analysis Of Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis Mutant Libraries Reveals Loci-Dependent Transposition Biases And Strategies For Novel Mutant Discovery, Govardhan Rathnaiah, John Bannantine, Darrell O. Bayles, Denise K. Zinniel, Judith R. Stabel, Yrjö T. Gröhn, Raúl G. Barletta

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), the aetiological agent of Johne’s disease, is one of the most important bacterial pathogens in ruminants. A thorough understanding of MAP pathogenesis is needed to develop new vaccines and diagnostic tests. The generation of comprehensive random transposon mutant libraries is a fundamental genetic technology to determine the role of genes in physiology and pathogenesis. In this study, whole MAP genome analysis compared the insertion sites for the mycobacterial transposon Tn5367 derived from the Mycobacterium smegmatis insertion sequence IS1096 and the mariner transposon MycoMarT7 carrying the Himar1 transposase. We determined that only MycoMarT7 provides …

Mosquito Host Choices On Livestock Amplifiers Of Rift Valley Fever Virus In Kenya, David P. Tchouassi, Robinson O. Okiro, Rosemary Sang, Lee W. Cohnstaedt, D. Scott Mcvey, Baldwyn Torto

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Animal hosts may vary in their attraction and acceptability as components of the host location process for assessing preference, and biting rates of vectors and risk of exposure to pathogens. However, these parameters remain poorly understood for mosquito vectors of the Rift Valley fever (RVF), an arboviral disease, and for a community of mosquitoes.

Methods: Using three known livestock amplifiers of RVF virus including sheep, goat and cattle as bait in enclosure traps, we investigated the host-feeding patterns for a community of mosquitoes in Naivasha, an endemic area of Rift Valley fever (RVF), in a longitudinal study for six …

The Neurobiology Of Circadian Rhythms, Patricia J. Sollars, Gary E. Pickard

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Daily rhythms in nature, such as the opening and closing of flowers or our patterns of sleep and wakefulness and their association with the perpetual alteration of night and day, were recognized in antiquity although their origins were not questioned until the eighteenth century. The French Astronomer Jean-Jacques d’Ortous de Mairan conducted an investigation into whether the leaves of the Mimosa plant opened in response to light.¹ While de Mairan’s experiments were the first to question the origin of such daily rhythms, Augustin Pyramus de Candolle is credited with the first suggestion that they arose through an internal timekeeping …

A Synthetic Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus Strain Confers Unprecedented Levels Of Heterologous Protection, Hiep Vu, Fangrui Ma, William W. Laegreid, Asit K. Pattnaik, David Steffen, Alan R. Doster, Fernando Osorio

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Current vaccines do not provide sufficient levels of protection against divergent porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) strains circulating in the field, mainly due to the substantial variation of the viral genome. We describe here a novel approach to generate a PRRSV vaccine candidate that could confer unprecedented levels of heterologous protection against divergent PRRSV isolates. By using a set of 59 nonredundant, full-genome sequences of type 2 PRRSVs, a consensus genome (designated PRRSV-CON) was generated by aligning these 59 PRRSV full-genome sequences, followed by selecting the most common nucleotide found at each position of the alignment. Next, the …

Detection Methods And Intestinal Adherence Of Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli, Zachary R. Stromberg

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are enteric pathogens of humans. Cattle serve as a reservoir and harbor STEC in their intestines. Intimin-positive STEC are referred to as enterohemorrhagic E.coli (EHEC). Seven serogroups (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145, and O157) account for the majority of illness due to STEC and are hereafter referred to as STEC/EHEC-7. To improve detection, enrichment broths were compared for supporting growth of STEC-7 and STEC O104:H4 (STEC-8). In pure culture, STEC enriched in trypticase soy broth (TSB) had significantly greater growth compared to TSB containing antimicrobials. In fecal samples, E. coli broth enrichment yielded …

Dynamic Ubiquitination Drives Herpesvirus Neuroinvasion, Nicholas J. Huffmaster, Patricia J. Sollars, Alexsia L. Richards, Gary E. Pickard, Gregory A. Smith

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Neuroinvasive herpesviruses display a remarkable propensity to enter the nervous system of healthy individuals in the absence of obvious trauma at the site of inoculation. We document a repurposing of cellular ubiquitin during infection to switch the virus between two invasive states. The states act sequentially to defeat consecutive host barriers of the peripheral nervous system and together promote the potent neuroinvasive phenotype. The first state directs virus access to nerve endings in peripheral tissue, whereas the second delivers virus particles within nerve fibers to the neural ganglia. Mutant viruses locked in either state remain competent to overcome the corresponding …

Trim21 Regulates Nmi-Ifi35 Complex-Mediated Inhibition Of Innate Antiviral Response, Anshuman Das, Phat X. Dinh, Asit K. Pattnaik

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

In this study, using an immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectrometry approach, we have identified the E3 ubiquitin ligase Trim21 as an interacting partner of IFI35 and Nmi. We found that this interaction leads to K63-linked ubiquitination on K22 residue of Nmi, but not IFI35. Using domain deletion analysis, we found that the interaction is mediated via the coiled-coil domain of Nmi and the carboxyl-terminal SPRY domain of Trim21. Furthermore, we show that depletion of Trim21 leads to significantly reduced interaction of Nmi with IFI35, which results in the abrogation of the negative regulatory function of the Nmi-IFI35 complex on innate …

Development Of An Indirect Elisa, Blocking Elisa, Fluorescent Microsphere Immunoassay And Fluorescent Focus Neutralization Assay For Serologic Evaluation Of Exposure To North American Strains Of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus, Faten Okda, Xiaodong Liu, Aaron Singrey, Travis Clement, Julie Nelson, Jane Christopher-Hennings, Eric A. Nelson, Steven Lawson

Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Recent, severe outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in Asia and North America highlight the need for well-validated diagnostic tests for the identification of PEDV infected animals and evaluation of their immune status to this virus. PEDV was first detected in the U.S. in May 2013 and spread rapidly across the country. Some serological assays for PEDV have been previously described, but few were readily available in the U.S. Several U.S. laboratories quickly developed indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) assays for the detection of antibodies to PEDV in swine serum, indicating prior exposure. However, the IFA has several disadvantages, including …

An Evaluation Of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Survival In Individual Feed Ingredients In The Presence Or Absence Of A Liquid Antimicrobial, Scott Dee, Casey Neill, Travis Clement, Aaron Singrey, Jane Christopher-Hennings, Eric A. Nelson

Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Contaminated complete feed and porcine plasma are risk factors for PEDV introduction to farms and a liquid antimicrobial has been proven useful for reducing risk. This study provides information on the survivability of PEDV across common swine feed ingredients in the presence or absence of the liquid antimicrobial.
Results: Eighteen ingredients commonly included in commercial swine diets were selected, including 3 grain sources (corn, soybean meal (SBM), dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS)), 5 porcine by-products (spray-dried plasma, purified plasma, intestinal mucosa, meat and bone meal and red blood cells (RBCs)), 3 vitamin/trace mineral (VTM) mixes (sow, nursery, finishing), …

La Souffrance Animale À Distance: Des Vétérinaires Dans L’Action Humanitaire, Frédéric Keck, Miriam Ticktin

Publications and Research

Résumé

Cet article étudie le rôle des vétérinaires dans l’humanitaire à partir de deux types de pratique : la défense des animaux contre la cruauté et la surveillance des animaux touchés par les épidémies. En suivant l’extension de l’action humanitaire aux animaux comme nouvelles figures de victimes innocentes, nous cherchons à dépasser l’approche compassionnelle de l’humanitaire pour étudier les nouvelles formes scientifiques impliquant des non-humains, comme la médecine vétérinaire légale, les neurosciences et l’immunologie. Nous soutenons finalement que ces sciences produisent de nouveaux collectifs d’humains et de non-humains.

Abstract

This article traces the role of veterinarians in humanitarian action, focusing …

Development Of An In Vivo Exsheathment Assay Of Infective L3 Haemonchus Contortus Larvae In Fistualated Sheep, Holly N. Williams, Katherine Petersson, Carly Barone

Senior Honors Projects

Purpose: Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) hinder the sustainable production of small ruminants on pasture and parasite resistance to chemical dewormers is becoming a growing concern. Condensed tannin containing legume forages are being tested to evaluate their anti-parasitic properties and potential contribution to an overall parasite control program for small ruminants such as sheep and goats. One of the most pathogenic GIN of small ruminants is Haemonchus contortus. The final step to full infectivity of H. contortus third stage larvae (L3) is exsheathment in the rumen. The objective of this study was to establish an in-vivo exsheathment assay in fistulated sheep …

Osteomyelitis Associated With Nocardiopsis Composta In A Dog, Elisa N. Salas, Debra Royal, Lance Kurz, J. Dustin Loy

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Osteomyelitis can be caused by bacterial or fungal agents or may be idiopathic. Cocci, bacilli, and filamentous bacteria such as members of the Actinomycetes have all been determined to be causes of osteomyelitis. Differential diagnoses for Gram-positive filamentous rods in the family Actinomycetales causing osteomyelitis in the dog, include members of the more frequently encountered genera Nocardia and Actinomyces. Bacteria gain access to the bone via several routes but are most often associated with direct inoculation (such as percutaneous injuries, compound fractures, or secondary to foreign bodies such as surgical or other material including dirt and wood) and fracture …

Relationship Between Heat-Labile Enterotoxin Secretion Capacity And Virulence In Wild Type Porcine-Origin Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli Strains, Prageeth Wijemanne, Jun Xing, Emil M. Berberov, David B. Marx, David H. Francis, Rodney A. Moxley

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) is an important virulence factor secreted by some strains of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). The prototypic human-origin strain H10407 secretes LT via a type II secretion system(T2SS). We sought to determine the relationship between the capacity to secrete LT and virulence in porcine-origin wild type (WT) ETEC strains. Sixteen WT ETEC strains isolated from cases of severe diarrheal disease were analyzed by GM1ganglioside enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay tomeasure LT concentrations in culture supernatants. All strains had detectable LT in supernatants by 2 h of culture and 1 strain, which was particularly virulent in gnotobiotic piglets (3030-2), had …

Environmental Microbes And Uveitis: Is Microbial Exposure Always Bad?, Chandirasegaran Massilamany, A. Gangaplara, J. Reddy

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The eye generally is considered to be an immune-privileged organ, but this notion is being increasingly challenged as ocular antigens can be expressed in the generative lymphoid organs, resulting in attainment of self-tolerance. What triggers a break in this tolerant state is a fundamental question in autoimmunity research. The general belief is that exposure to environmental microbes can break self-tolerance in genetically susceptible individuals, leading to the induction of autoimmune responses. The molecular mimicry hypothesis has been proposed as one major mechanistic, pathway through which microbes, by generating crossreactive immune responses, can induce ocular damage of the kind that might …

Exogenous Administration Of Lipids To Steers Alters Aspects Of The Innate Immune Response To Endotoxin Challenge, Nicole C. Burdick Sanchez, Jeffery A. Carroll, Janet R. Donaldson, Joe O. Buntyn, Ty B. Schmidt

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

This study examined the effects of increasing energy availability from both dextrose and lipid treatments on the proinflammatory response to LPS in Holstein steers. Steers were randomly assigned to one of three groups: saline at 0.5 ml/ kg body weight (Control) or 50% dextrose [0.5 ml/kg body weight (Dextrose) to mimic calm cattle’s response to LPS] administered immediately prior to LPS (0.5 mg/kg body weight at 0 h) or continuous lipid emulsion infusion from –1 to 6 h [Intralipid 20% (Baxter, Deerfield, IL USA); 0.5 ml/kg/hr (Lipid) to mimic temperamental cattle]. Concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) were greater in …

Virus-Like Particles Generaged By Expressing Proteins Of Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus (Prrsv) Using The Recombinant Baculovirus Expression System, April Anne Nelsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is an enveloped, single stranded, positive sense RNA virus and a member of Arteriviridae. Its genome encodes 10 open reading frames for at least 7 structural proteins and 14 non-structural proteins. Membrane (M), Nuclepcapsid (N), and Glycoprotein-5 (GP5) are the major structural proteins of PRRSV, while Envelope (E), Glycoprotein-2 (GP2), Glycoprotein-3 (GP3), and Glycoprotein-4 (GP4) are the minor structural proteins of PRRSV. GP5 induces neutralizing antibodies and forms heterodimers with M, while N is the most immunogenic protein of PRRSV. Previous studies have shown viral structural proteins are able to form virus-like particles …

Relationship Between Heat-Labile Enterotoxin Secretion Capacity And Virulence In Wild Type Porcine-Origin Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli Strains, Prageeth Wijemanne, Jun Xing, Emil M. Berberov, David H. Francis, Rodney A. Moxley

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) is an important virulence factor secreted by some strains of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). The prototypic human-origin strain H10407 secretes LT via a type II secretion system(T2SS). We sought to determine the relationship between the capacity to secrete LT and virulence in porcine-origin wild type (WT) ETEC strains. Sixteen WT ETEC strains isolated from cases of severe diarrheal disease were analyzed by GM1ganglioside enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay tomeasure LT concentrations in culture supernatants. All strains had detectable LT in supernatants by 2 h of culture and 1 strain, which was particularly virulent in gnotobiotic piglets (3030-2), had …

Temperatures Of Storage Areas In Large Animal Veterinary Practice Vehicles In The Summer And Comparison With Drug Manufacturers’ Storage Recommendations, Jeff D. Ondrak, Meredyth L. Jones, Virginia R. Fajt

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Large animal veterinarians carry drugs in their practice vehicles in storage areas that are not typically refrigerated. The most common upper limits of manufacturers’ storage temperatures for United States (U.S.)-approved non-refrigerated drugs are 25 or 30 °C. Because ambient temperatures in many locations in the U.S. exceed these temperatures during the summer, we measured storage area temperatures over 4 months in the summer of 2013 to evaluate the extent to which labeled storage temperatures are exceeded.

Methods: A convenience sample of 12 vehicles from 5 central Texas practices and 12 vehicles from 4 south central Nebraska practices was …