Herpetiform genital lesions in a heifer with mucosal disease

A 14-month-old heifer with a 17-day history of unresponsive bloody diarrhea was necropsied. There were focal, pink-red erosions of the nares and hard palate; ulcers and fissures of the tongue; and multiple ulcerative lesions of the alimentary canal. Interdigital skin of both rear limbs was ulcerated and bleeding; and the margins of the vulva contained punctiform red ulcers. The gross lesions were consistent with mucosal disease. Histopathology and laboratory testing ruled out rinderpest, foot-and-mouth disease, and vesicular stomatitis, and identified bovine virus diarrhea virus to be the cause of this disease. Lesions of the vulva similar to those seen in some stages of infectious pustular vulvovaginitis were negative for bovine herpesvirus-1 and tested positive for bovine viral diarrhea virus antigen by immunohistochemistry.     

Positive inductive effect of IL-2 on virus-specific cellular responses elicited by a PRRSV-ORF7 DNA vaccine in swine

This study investigated the effect of swine interleukin 2 (IL-2) and swine interleukin 4 (IL-4) on the development of immune responses induced by a PRRSV-ORF7 DNA vaccine (phCMV-ORF7). The two cytokines were cloned separately in the eukaryotic expression vector phCMV, and delivered via gene gun as adjuvants for the DNA vaccine. Groups of 3-week-old certified PRRSV-free, castrated male, Yorkshire crossbred pigs, were vaccinated with or without the IL-2 or IL-4. The ensuing humoral and cellular immune responses were analyzed by a PRRSV-specific ELISA, and by an in vitro blastogenic response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated by viral antigen, respectively. The animals were boosted 21 days post-vaccination and challenged 28 days afterward. The virus loads post-challenge were measured by real time PCR. The group of swine receiving the vaccine plus IL-2 had significant virus-specific blastogenic responses 3 weeks after the vaccine-cytokine boost, when compared to those of the experimental pigs that received the vaccine plus IL-4, vaccine alone, unvaccinated controls or the pigs vaccinated with the DNA vaccine cloned in the reverse orientation (phCMV-ORF7(Rev)). None of the experimental swine had detectable specific antibodies against the virus during the vaccination phase. The virus load peak in vaccinated animals was delayed by about 72h as compared to that of the control pigs (unvaccinated and vaccinated with the phCMV-ORF7(Rev) construct). Interestingly, animals that received the phCMV-ORF7 vaccine alone consistently had low virus loads throughout the study. These results demonstrate that IL-2 has a positive inductive effect on the activation of vaccine-induced virus-specific cellular immunity, while IL-4 appeared to have a suppressive effect. Our data also suggest that ORF7 may play a role in reducing the virus load in PRRSV infected animals.     

Plant Phenology Influences the Effect of Mycorrhizal Fungi on the Development of Verticillium-induced Wilt in Pepper

Verticillium dahliae alters water status and consequently, growth and production of pepper plants. On the other hand, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can reduce damage caused by specific soil-borne plant pathogens and improve drought resistance of pepper. Therefore, one objective of this research was to assess if AMF can modify the development of Verticillium-wilt in pepper plants. A second objective was to study the influence of plant phenology at the moment when V. dahliae was inoculated on the possible biocontrol of the disease by AMF. Results suggested that AMF reduce the deleterious effect of V. dahliae on pepper growth and yield. However, bioprotection against Verticillium-wilt was conditioned by plant phenology at the moment of pathogen attack. The highest efficacy of AMF occurred when V. dahliae was inoculated during the vegetative stage of plants. AMF allowed leaf relative water content to be maintained for longer and delayed both the appearance of disease symptoms and the decrease of photosynthesis in Verticillium-inoculated plants. These benefits on plant physiology increased pepper yield.     

Co-delivery of IL-2 or liposomes augment the responses of mice to a DNA vaccine for pseudorabies virus IE180

Recently we have demonstrated, with a DNA vaccine, that the immediate early protein (IE180) of pseudorabies virus provides a moderate level of protection in mice. In order to improve its immunogenicity and protective capacity, this IE180 DNA vaccine was delivered to C3H/HeJ mice either in combination with an IL-2 expressing plasmid or complexed with cationic liposomes. Co-delivery of the vaccine and IL-2 DNA by gene gun resulted in seroconversion in 5/5 of the vaccinated mice after a single administration, whereas two intramuscular (i.m.) injections were required to achieve seroconversion in all mice. Antibody and delayed-type hypersensitivity responses were augmented in mice, which received the DNA vaccine and the IL-2 gene compared to those of mice receiving the DNA vaccine alone. In addition, the time of death after challenge was significantly delayed in mice, which received the IL-2 gene. The proportion of surviving mice (40%), however, was similar to that obtained in mice which received the vaccine alone by gene gun. Liposome-mediated vaccine delivery also resulted in a higher rate of seroconversion when compared with that induced by the naked DNA vaccine. Thus, all vaccinated mice seroconverted after either two i.v. or three i.m. injections of the liposome/DNA complex, with 40 and 25% of these mice being protected against challenge, respectively. These data support that co-administration of the IE180 DNA vaccine with the IL-2 gene or delivery in liposomes are two effective approaches to increase its immunogenicity.     

Relationship among weight change, body condition and reproductive performance of range beef cows

A 5-yr study involving 45 to 78 pregnant Hereford range cows each year evaluated relationships among prepartum nutrition, body condition scores, BW changes and reproductive performance. Four prepartum nutritional treatments were imposed. One group of cows were fed to maintain (M) their November BW until calving in March and April. The other three groups of cows were fed to lose about 5% of their November BW by 8 wk before parturition, then to maintain BW (LM), lose an additional 5% of their BW (LL) or gain 5% of their BW (LG). After calving, all cows were fed to maintain BW. Body condition scores and BW were recorded every 14 d throughout the trial. Linear regression analyses were conducted to examine treatment effects on BW, body condition score and measures of reproductive performance. A discriminant analysis was performed on pregnancy rate and percentage of cows with ovarian luteal activity by 85 d after parturition. The M cows had a greater pregnancy rate (71%) than cows on other treatment groups. The LL cows had a reduced pregnancy rate (42%) compared with LM (51%) and LG (58%) cows. Prepartum nutritional treatment did not affect the days from parturition to conception. Precalving body condition score and November to January BW changes influenced pregnancy rate (P less than .001). A cubic response curve described the relationship between pregnancy rate and precalving body condition score for cows with condition scores of 3 through 7.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Small ruminant macrophage polarization may play a pivotal role on lentiviral infection

Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) infect the monocyte/macrophage lineage inducing a long-lasting infection affecting body condition, production and welfare of sheep and goats all over the world. Macrophages play a pivotal role on the host’s innate and adaptative immune responses against parasites by becoming differentially activated. Macrophage heterogeneity can tentatively be classified into classically differentiated macrophages (M1) through stimulation with IFN-γ displaying an inflammatory profile, or can be alternatively differentiated by stimulation with IL-4/IL-13 into M2 macrophages with homeostatic functions. Since infection by SRLV can modulate macrophage functions we explored here whether ovine and caprine macrophages can be segregated into M1 and M2 populations and whether this differential polarization represents differential susceptibility to SRLV infection. We found that like in human and mouse systems, ovine and caprine macrophages can be differentiated with particular stimuli into M1/M2 subpopulations displaying specific markers. In addition, small ruminant macrophages are plastic since M1 differentiated macrophages can express M2 markers when the stimulus changes from IFN-γ to IL-4. SRLV replication was restricted in M1 macrophages and increased in M2 differentiated macrophages respectively according to viral production. Identification of the infection pathways in macrophage populations may provide new targets for eliciting appropriate immune responses against SRLV infection.