Fasciola hepatica soluble antigens (FhAg) induce ovine PMN innate immune reactions and NET formation in vitro and in vivo
AbstractFasciola hepatica causes liver fluke disease, a worldwide neglected and re-emerging zoonotic disease, leading to hepatitis in humans and livestock. In the pathogenesis, flukes actively migrate through liver parenchyma provoking tissue damage. Here, parasites must confront leukocytes of the innate immune system in vivo. Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) are the most abundant granulocytes and first ones arriving at infection sites. PMN may display neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), consisting of nuclear DNA, decorated with histones, enzymes, and antimicrobial peptides. We investigated for the first time whether...
Source: Veterinary Research - November 12, 2023 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

3D sheep rumen epithelial structures driven from single cells in vitro
AbstractRuminants play a vital economic role as livestock, providing high-quality protein for humans. At present, 3D-cultured ruminant abomasum and intestinal organoids have been successfully established to study host and pathogen interaction. The rumen is a unique digestive organ of ruminants that occupies 70% of the volume of the digestive tract and its microbiota can decompose lignocellulose to support animal growth. Here we report a method for culturing rumen epithelial organoids. We found that single rumen epithelial cells form self-organized 3D structures representative of typical stratified squamous epithelium, whic...
Source: Veterinary Research - November 9, 2023 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Duck Tembusu virus induces incomplete autophagy via the ERK/mTOR and AMPK/mTOR signalling pathways to promote viral replication in neuronal cells
In this study, mouse neuroblastoma cells (Neuro-2a) were used to establish a cell model of DTMUV infection. Our experiments indicated that DTMUV infection induced incomplete autophagy in Neuro-2a cells. Then, we used different autophagy regulators to alter the autophagy induced by DTMUV and found that incomplete autophagy promoted DTMUV replication. Furthermore, we showed that DTMUV infection activated the ERK and AMPK pathways, resulting in decreased phosphorylation of the autophagy repressor mTOR, subsequently leading to autophagic induction. In addition, we utilized ICR mice in an animal model of DTMUV infection to eval...
Source: Veterinary Research - November 7, 2023 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Infection with Pythium flevoense in a harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) as a novel cause of dermatitis in marine mammals
AbstractThe oomycetePythium flevoense was diagnosed as the cause of dermatitis in a young adult female harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) that had been trapped in a pound net in a temperate saltwater environment. Disease fromPythium sp. infection —pythiosis—is infrequently diagnosed in humans, horses, dogs, cattle, and few other mammalian species. Pythiosis is typically associated with exposure to tropical or subtropical freshwater conditions, and typically caused byPythium insidiosum. However, until now, pythiosis has been reported in neither marine mammals nor temperate saltwater conditions, andP. flevoense is not ...
Source: Veterinary Research - November 2, 2023 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Infectious bursal disease virus: predicting viral pathotype using machine learning models focused on early changes in total blood cell counts
AbstractInfectious bursal disease (IBD) is an avian viral disease caused in chickens by infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). IBDV strains (Avibirnavirus genus,Birnaviridae family) exhibit different pathotypes, for which no molecular marker is available yet. The different pathotypes, ranging from sub-clinical to inducing immunosuppression and high mortality, are currently determined through a 10-day-long animal experiment designed to compare mortality and clinical score of the uncharacterized strain with references strains. Limits of this protocol lie within standardization and the extensive use of animal experimentation...
Source: Veterinary Research - October 30, 2023 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Metabolites of non-aureus staphylococci affect the ability of Staphylococcus aureus to adhere to and internalize into bovine mammary epithelial cells
This study investigated whether cell-free supernatants (SN) from four bovine non-aureus staphylococcal (NAS) isolates preventStaphylococcus aureus adhesion to and internalization into bovine mammary epithelial cells (MAC-T cells) and if so, to determine whether such effects were potentially associated with theS. aureus accessory gene regulator (agr) system. Overall, we demonstrated that all SN obtained from the NAS isolates promoted adhesion of aS. aureus agr+ strain to, yet reduced the internalization into MAC-T cells, while similar effects were not observed for itsagr− mutant strain. Our findings provide novel anti-vir...
Source: Veterinary Research - October 26, 2023 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Salmonella adhesion is decreased by hypoxia due to adhesion and motility structure crosstalk
In this study, we investigated the first stages ofSalmonella Typhimurium infection under hypoxic conditions in vitro and found that low oxygen levels significantly decreased bacterial adhesion. Using adhesion and motility assays, biofilm formation tests, as well as gene expression and cytokine secretion analysis, we identified a hypoxia-specific cross-talk between the expression of type 1 fimbriae and flagella, suggesting that altered flagellin expression levels affect the motility of bacteria and further impact their adhesion level, biofilm formation ability, and innate immune response. Overall, understanding howSalmonell...
Source: Veterinary Research - October 24, 2023 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Experimental transmission of ovine atypical scrapie to cattle
This study aimed to determine whether atypical scrapie could cause disease in cattle and to compare it with other known TSEs in cattle. Two groups of calves (five and two) were intracerebrally inoculated with atypical scrapie brain homogenate from two sheep with atypical scrapie. Controls were five calves intracerebrally inoculated with saline solution and one non-inoculated animal. Cattle were clinically monitored until clinical end-stage or at least 96 months post-inoculation (mpi). After euthanasia, tissues were collected for TSE diagnosis and potential transgenic mouse bioassay. One animal was culled with BSE-like clin...
Source: Veterinary Research - October 20, 2023 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Exploring the alternative virulence determinants PB2 S155N and PA S49Y/D347G that promote mammalian adaptation of the H9N2 avian influenza virus in mice
AbstractThe occurrence of human infections caused by avian H9N2 influenza viruses has raised concerns regarding the potential for human epidemics and pandemics. The molecular basis of viral adaptation to a new host needs to be further studied. Here, the bases of nucleotides 627 and 701 of PB2 were changed according to the uncoverable purine-to-pyrimidine transversion to block the development of PB2 627K and 701N mutations during serial passaging in mice. The purpose of this experiment was to identify key adaptive mutations in polymerase and NP genes that were obscured by the widely known host range determinants PB2 627K an...
Source: Veterinary Research - October 19, 2023 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Unmapped short reads from whole-genome sequencing indicate potential infectious pathogens in german black Pied cattle
In this study, unmapped reads from 302 German Black Pied cattle were analyzed to identify potential pathogenic DNA. These unmapped reads were assembled and blasted against NCBI ’s database to identify bacterial and viral sequences. The results provided evidence for the presence of pathogens. We found sequences ofBovine parvovirus 3 andMycoplasma species. These findings emphasize the information content of unmapped reads for gaining insight into bacterial and viral infections, which is important for veterinarians and epidemiologists. (Source: Veterinary Research)
Source: Veterinary Research - October 18, 2023 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

A systematic review of mechanistic models used to study avian influenza virus transmission and control
AbstractThe global spread of avian influenza A viruses in domestic birds is causing increasing socioeconomic devastation. Various mechanistic models have been developed to better understand avian influenza transmission and evaluate the effectiveness of control measures in mitigating the socioeconomic losses caused by these viruses. However, the results of models of avian influenza transmission and control have not yet been subject to a comprehensive review. Such a review could help inform policy makers and guide future modeling work. To help fill this gap, we conducted a systematic review of the mechanistic models that hav...
Source: Veterinary Research - October 18, 2023 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Cellular vimentin regulates the infectivity of Newcastle disease virus through targeting of the HN protein
AbstractThe haemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein plays a crucial role in the infectivity and virulence of Newcastle disease virus (NDV). In a previous study, the mutant HN protein was identified as a crucial virulence factor for the velogenic variant NDV strain JS/7/05/Ch, which evolved from the prototypic vaccine strain Mukteswar. Furthermore, macrophages are the main susceptible target cells of NDV. However, the possible involvement of cellular molecules in viral infectivity remains unclear. Herein, we elucidate the crucial role of vimentin, an intermediate filament protein, in regulating NDV infectivity through tar...
Source: Veterinary Research - October 17, 2023 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Novel polymorphisms in the prion protein gene (PRNP) and stability of the resultant prion protein in different horse breeds
In this study, we have analysed 207 horses from 20 different breeds, discovering 3 novelPRNP polymorphisms. By using computer programmes such as PolyPhen-2, PROVEAN, PANTHER, Meta-SNP and PredictSNP, we have predicted the possible impact that these new polymorphisms would have on the horse prion protein. In addition, we measured the propensity for amyloid aggregation using AMYCO and analysed the lack of hydrogen bridges that these changes would entail together with their electrostatic potentials using Swiss-PdbViewer software, showing that an increased amyloid propensity could be due to changes at the level of electrostati...
Source: Veterinary Research - October 17, 2023 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Presence of potentially novel Helicobacter pylori-like organisms in gastric samples from cats and dogs
In conclusion, cats and dogs may be (co-)infected with gastricHelicobacter organisms other than the known gastric NHPHs. Culture and isolation should be performed to confirm this hypothesis. (Source: Veterinary Research)
Source: Veterinary Research - October 17, 2023 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research

Development and application of classical swine fever virus monoclonal antibodies derived from single B cells
AbstractVaccination with E2 subunit vaccines is currently the main measure to control classical swine fever virus (CSFV), which is an endemic disease, and detection of antibodies against CSFV E2 is the most effective way to evaluate herd immunity. In the present study, the E2 protein was expressed by a baculovirus expression system, and two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), namely, 3A9 and 4F7, were successfully produced using techniques for the isolation of single B cells from splenocytes from mice immunized with the E2 protein. Moreover, two linear B-cell epitopes,25GLTTTWKEYSHDLQL39 and259GNTTVKVHASDERGP273, reactive to 3A9...
Source: Veterinary Research - October 16, 2023 Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research