BACKGROUND: The protozoan Haemoproteus belongs to the Phylum Apicomplexa, Class Sporozoa, and Order Haemosporina. Avian haemosporidian are protozoan parasites that use birds as hosts around the world. Many species of wild and domestic doves are natural hosts of different species of Haemoproteus. Blood-sucking arthropods are the main vectors of these blood parasites.OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was the microscopic and molecular investigation of the protozoan Haemoproteus columbae in the blood of infected pigeons in Torkaman County, Iran.METHODS: Blood samples and tubes containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) anticoagulant were collected from 96 domestic pigeons randomly from 14 pigeon lofts and different parts of Torkaman County.Pigeons were also inspected for infection with the host-vector Pseudolynchia canariensis. In the next step, blood smears were stained with Giemsa and examined microscopically. Also, blood tubes containing EDTA were tested by PCR method on the cytochrome b gene.RESULTS: Microscopic and molecular examination of peripheral blood showed that 62 (64.58 %) and 73 (76.04 %) of the investigated pigeons were contaminated, respectively. Of the 62 infected pigeons infected with the Haemoproteus, 28 pigeons (66.66 %) were male, and 34 (62.96 %) were female. Also, the infestation with Pseudolynchia canariensis was observed in 4 (28.57 %) pigeon lofts.CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary investigation shows the high rate of Haemoproteus infection in pigeons in Torkaman County. Further studies to determine the prevalence and accurate identification of the species infecting pigeons in this region require PCR testing and sequencing of infected blood samples.

BACKGROUND: Congenital Toxoplasma gondii infection during pregnancy due to reduced maternal immune system could increase the risk of a child's autism disorder. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the Toxoplasma gondii infection in children with autism and normal children. METHODS: The research method was a case control study. The participants included 50 autistic children and 50 normal (N=100) children, aged between 3 and 12 years-old. They were matched according to age, socio-economic status, severity of the disorder, lack of physical and mental illness and other criteria considered in this research. From each group 5ml blood samples were collected to assess the prevalence of antibody against Toxoplasma gondii. To investigate the research hypotheses, the data were analyzed by Chi-square test. RESULTS: The results showed that children with autism had a higher level of frequency contamination with Toxoplasma gondii parasite infection than normal group (p < /em><0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Infection rate of Toxoplasma gondii in children with autism was significantly higher than in normal children.

BACKGROUND: Salmonellosis is a dangerous disease that can threaten the health of humans and animals. This disease can lead to economic losses annually; therefore, many studies have been conducted to prevent this disease.OBJECTIVES: The current study aims to design a recombinant chimera protein HBHA-Omp28 as a vaccine against Salmonella typhimurium.METHODS: The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of Omp28 and HBHA proteins were first extracted from the NCBI database. Then, the recombinant chimera of HBHA-Omp28 was bioinformatically assembled using a rigid linker. Epitope prediction of T and B cells, antigenicity, allergenicity, and physicochemical features assessments of HBHA-Omp28 were done using Immune Epitope Database (IEDB), ABCpred, VaxiJen, AllerTOP and ProtParam online servers, respectively. To assess the secondary and tertiary structures, the Self-Optimized Prediction Method with Alignment (SOPMA) and the Iterative Threading ASSEmbly Refinement (I-TASSER) server were used, respectively. Molecular docking between recombinant chimera and TLR4/MD2 receptor was assessed by ClusPro server. Finally, after codon optimization of nucleotide sequence of recombinant chimera to express in Escherichia Coli k-12 strain, the cloning of recombinant chimera in pET21-a (+) vector was examined.RESULTS: The designed recombinant chimera was classified as an antigenic and non-allergenic protein with molecular weight of 34.19 kDa. According to the results of molecular docking study, the HBHA-Omp28 protein was able to bind to TLR4/MD2 receptor using 9 hydrogen bonds. The results of cloning study demonstrated that HBHA-Omp28 successfully cloned into pET21-a (+).CONCLUSIONS: The designed recombinant chimera can be an appropriate vaccine against salmonella bacteria.

A 474-base pair segment covering the hypervaible region of VP2 gene from six Korean infectious bursal disease virus(K-IBDV) isolates(K1, K2, SH/92, 225, 269, 310) and one attenuated IBDV(DAE) were amplified using RT-PCR, sequenced, and compared with published sequences for IBDV. K-IBDV isolates(K1, K2, SH/92, 225, 269) and foreigh very virulent(vv) IBDV strains had 94.93-100% amino cid sequence similarity. K-IBDV isolate 310 and other K-IBDV isolates had 84.31%-86.07% amino acid sequence similarity. Attenuated strain(DAE), like other attenuated strain, has substitution at positions 279(D to N) and 284(A to T) as well as in the serine-rich heptapeptide region. Five K-IBDV isolates except 310 isolate share unique amino acid residues at positions 222(A), 256(I), 294(I) which are not present in other standard and attenuated strains. At the two hydrophilic region, K-IBDV isolates except 310 isolate had identical amino cids comparing with Belgium vv IVDV 894VB but had four amino acid substitutions comparing with Chinese vv IBDV F9502. The SWSASGS heptapeptide is conserved in all KIBDV isolates. The sequence of K-IBDV isolate 310 was markedly different from other IBDV strains, evolving from a separate lineage than the others. By phylogenetic analysis, Five K-IBDV isolates except 310 isolate were categorized in one group with foreign vv IBDV isolates but K-IBDV isolate 310 was categorized ina separate group which was differentiated form other compared IBDV strains.

We studied the uptake and sequential transneuronal passage of pseudorabies virus (PRV) in rat CNS by use of a combination of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Protocols for rapid detection of PRV by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization in rats with PRV infection of the CNS after intranasal instillation of a wild-type strain of PRV were optimized in vitro, using porcine kidney-15 cells. Pseudorabies virus-specific hybridization signals appeared in the cytoplasm and nucleus of PRV-infected porcine kidney-15 cells by postinoculation (PI) hour 6. In tissue sections of PRV-infected rats, PRV nucleic acids were detected in areas of the rat brain in close proximity to the areas in which PRV antigens were evident. The PRV was initially found in the nucleus of trigeminal ganglion neurons at PI hour 24. At PI hour 72, PRV antigens were observed in the mid-brain, and 24 hours later, in the telencephalon. We also found evidence of specific progressive transsynaptic transmission of the virus, and, on the basis of that, we have constructed a map of the synaptic contacts and pathways in the brain. Therefore, combined use of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization was useful for characterizing the pathogenesis of PRV in the CNS of rats after intranasal inoculation, following a pattern that mimics PRV infection of the natural host.

Efficacy of sulbactam, a beta-lactamase inhibitor, in combination with ampicillin, was evaluated for treatment of experimentally induced pneumonia caused by beta-lactam-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Infection was experimentally induced in 18 healthy weanling foals that were randomly allocated to 3 treatment groups: sulbactam plus ampicillin (S/A, 3.3 and 6.6 mg/kg of body weight, respectively), ampicillin (6.6 mg/kg), or vehicle only. Foals were treated daily for 7 days; the observer was unaware of treatment status. Compared with ampicillin and vehicle, treatment with S/A resulted in a statistically significant (P < 0.05) decrease in severity of pneumonia, with regard to bronchoalveolar lavage cytologic findings (decreased total cell and neutrophil numbers, and increased lymphocyte numbers) and extent of macroscopic lesions in lung tissue of the noninoculated regions. Marked trends toward improvement of S/A-treated foals were observed for quantitative results of bacteriologic culture of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples (P < 0.07), macroscopic pathologic features of the whole lung (P < 0.1), and histopathologic variables (P < 0.07), compared with ampicillin- and vehicle-treated foals. Treatment effects were not observed for radiographic, hematologic, and blood gas abnormalities that resulted from infection. In conclusion, the combination of sulbactam plus ampicillin was found to have synergistic effects in vivo, to reduce the extent and severity of experimentally induced grain-negative lung infection in foals.

Previous work had indicated that the 2 canine hookworms, Ancylostoma caninum and Uncinaria stenocephala, may differ in their susceptibility to treatment with milbemycin oxime. Thus, the study reported here was to examine the effects of this drug on concomitant infections in experimentally infected dogs. Twenty specific-pathogen-free Beagles were inoculated orally with 500 infective-stage larvae from a mixture of larval A caninum and U stenocephala. Quantitative fecal examinations were performed weekly, beginning the day of infection. The dogs were assigned to 2 equal groups, 1 group that received the compound and 1 that received a placebo. The dogs were treated on postinoculation days 30, 60, and 90. For A caninum, egg counts dropped precipitously after the first treatment, and no eggs of this species were found in the feces of any of the treated dogs after the second treatment. The treatments had no significant effect on the mean egg counts made on U stenocephala, although 2 dogs stopped passing eggs entirely after the second treatment. At necropsy, no A caninum were found in any of the treated dogs; the mean number recovered from the control-group dogs was 56.1. Significant difference was not found in the mean number of adult U stenocephala recovered from the treated and control groups (27.0 and 21.7, respectively).

Fifty-five dogs, naturally infected with Taenia sp or Dipylidium caninum or both, were assigned to the following treatment groups for dose titration studies with epsiprantel: nonmedicated control dogs (n = 14), medicated dogs given a dosage of 2.75 mg/kg of body weight (n = 15), medicated dogs given a dosage of 5.5 mg/kg (n = 16), and medicated dogs given a dosage of 8.25 mg/kg (n = 10). Medication was given orally in a tablet formulation. Feces were examined for cestodes passed and the gastrointestinal tract was examined at necropsy for retained cestodes. Efficacy of epsiprantel was 92.9% against Taenia and 44.8% against Dipylidium for a dosage of 2.75 mg/kg, 100% against Taenia and 99.8% against Dipylidium for a dosage of 5.5 mg/kg, and 94.6% against Taenia and 100% against Dipylidium for a dosage of 8.25 mg/kg. For dose confirmation, 36 dogs naturally infected with Taenia sp or D caninum or both were allotted to 2 treatment groups: nomedicated control dogs (n = 16) and dogs medicated with epsiprantel at a dosage of 5.5 mg/kg (n = 20). Efficacy was 100% for both Taenia sp and D caninum.

A study was conducted to compare immunogenicity of a Brucella abortus lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the duration of infection in 5 strains of mice. Mice of strains CBA/NJ, BALB/c, CD-1, C3H/HeN, and C3H/HeJ were allotted into 2 large groups (vaccinated with proteinase K-treated LPS or nonvaccinated) and 6 subgroups based on the intervals between challenge exposure to B abortus strain 2308 and the week the response data were obtained. Criteria used in comparing responses between the various strains of mice as well as betweeen vaccinated and nonvaccinated mice were splenomegaly, colony-forming units (CFU) from spleens, and antibody titers. Responses were evaluated at 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, and 12 weeks after challenge exposure. Results indicated that all strains of mice became infected and maintained infection throughout the 12-week period, the percentages of mice infected were significantly (P less than 0.05) less in vaccinated mice for the first 5 weeks after challenge exposure, and there were no direct correlations between increased immunoglobulins (IgM and IgG titers) and reduction in CFU. Vaccinated mice of strains BALB/c, CD-1, C3H/HeN, and C3H/HeJ had increased titers when challenge exposed and also had significantly (P less than 0.05) smaller spleens and lower CFU. Vaccinated CBA/NJ mice did not have marked antibody titers. The overall results indicated that vaccination with LPS offers some initial protection against B abortus strain 2308 infection, but this protection disappears gradually and in various degrees in the 5 strains of mice studied.

The amphotropic murine leukemia virus (MLV) has been shown to infect mammalian species other than mice. If this virus infects and expresses genes in cells of livestock species (cattle, sheep, and pigs) it has potential for use as a vector to produce transgenic livestock. Because the gene-injection technique for producing transgenic animals is inherently inefficient, our laboratory was interested in identifying or constructing retroviral vectors capable of infecting livestock embryos. The infectivity of an amphotropic MLV-based vector for ovine, bovine, and porcine cells was tested. Experiments were also conducted to test the ability of the amphotropic MLV promoter, compared with known strong promoters, to express genes in cells from these species. Results indicated that amphotropic MLV infects and expresses genes efficiently in porcine cells and is, therefore, a potential vector for producing transgenic pigs. Infection was not detected in cells from adult bovine and ovine species; however, low levels of infection, with subsequent gene expression, were detected in cells derived from bovine embryos.