Host immune response to northern fowl mite: immunoblot and lectin blot identification of mite antigens

White leghorn hens were experimentally infested with northern fowl mites (Ornithonyssus sylviarum) and antibody responses to mite immunogens were monitored over 12 weeks. Mite burdens increased during the early phase of infestation and declined over the latter weeks of the study. Antigen was prepared from homogenized whole mites, which were then sonicated and extracted with non-ionic detergent. Antigen extract was fractionated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and antibody-reactive polypeptides were identified by immunoblotting. At the start of infestation, hens had natural, pre-existing antibodies that reacted with several mite-extract components. Individual hens had different natural antibody reactivities; however, all birds had immunoglobulins reactive with extract polypeptides of 117,000, 77,000 and 36,000 molecular weight. A variety of mite extract components reacted with hen antibodies generated in response to experimental infestation. The number of antibody-reactive mite polypeptides increased through week 8 of infestation and then decreased by week 12. Fifteen polypeptides of northern fowl mite extract were reactive with antibodies developed by the majority of infested birds. These commonly reactive polypeptides had molecular weights ranging from 40,000 to 160,000. Glycoconjugates of fractionated mite extract were identified by blotting with lectins that have different carbohydrate binding specificities. Also identified were lectins that bound extract components with the same molecular weights as those moieties complexed by immunoglobulins of infested birds.     

Bovine pneumonic pasteurellosis: chemiluminescent response of bovine peripheral blood leukocytes to living and killed Pasteurella haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, and Escherichia coli

A luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (LDCL) assay was used to evaluate the response of bovine polymorphonuclear leukocytes; (neutrophils [PMN]) to living and heat-killed Escherichia coli, Pasteurella multocida (type A, serotype 3), and P haemolytica (biotype A, serotype 1), and to heat-killed P haemolytica and sterile culture supernatant from living P haemolytica. Control cultures containing PMN that had not been phagocytically stimulated with bacteria had a modest increase in LDCL during the initial 10 minutes of incubation, followed by a gradual decline throughout the 120-minute incubation period. Bovine PMN emitted LDCL more efficiently when the cells were exposed to living E coli or P multocida than when they were exposed to the same bacteria killed by heat. The mean LDCL values for reaction mixtures containing living E coli or P multocida peaked at 30 minutes of incubation and remained above values for mixtures containing the same heat-killed bacteria. Kinetics of the LDCL response of bovine PMN to heat-killed P haemolytica were similar (although reduced in amplitude) to that observed with killed E coli or P multocida. The LDCL response of bovine PMN to living P haemolytica was not like that for E coli or P multocida, and was characterized by the development of a peak response at 10 minutes followed by a precipitous decrease in responsiveness and a subsequent complete cessation of LDCL. Addition of sterile culture supernatant from living P haemolytica to test samples containing heat-killed P haemolytica induced a response similar to that obtained with the living microorganism.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis exotoxin: fatal hemolytic anemia induced in gnotobiotic neonatal small ruminants by parenteral administration of preparations containing exotoxin

Inoculation of live Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, culture supernatant, ammonium sulfate-fractionated crude exotoxin, or chromatographically purified exotoxin preparations into gnotobiotic small ruminants (n = 13) caused death of the ruminants within 48 hours. Characteristic changes observed in animals living greater than or equal to 2 hours after inoculation included hemorrhage and edema at the site of injection, severe hemolytic anemia and hemoglobinuria, dark red fluid in body cavities, lung edema, and icterus. The crude exotoxin preparation caused a syndrome of acute shock in 2 lambs that died within 15 minutes after inoculation. Clinical and pathologic responses of animals inoculated with culture supernatant and purified toxin were similar. Histopathologic evidence indicated that the exotoxin caused necrotic changes in the proximal convoluted tubules of the kidneys. Inoculation with live organisms caused multiple foci of suppurative inflammation in skeletal muscle and adjacent adipose tissue, whereas such changes were not observed in animals administered exotoxin preparations. Although C pseudotuberculosis exotoxin induced a hemolytic anemia in the experimental animals, it did not lead to in vitro lysis of ovine, caprine, or bovine erythrocytes, unless they had been sensitized with Rhodococcus (Corynebacterium) equi filtrate. The toxic sphingomyelin-specific phospholipase D from C pseudotuberculosis had a molecular weight of 31,000 daltons and an isoelectric point of approximately 9.6. The elution profile of exotoxin on a carboxymethyl Sephadex column was studied and the majority of the enzymatic activity was eluted by a NaCl gradient (0.25M to 0.7M) with a maximum at 0.35M NaCl.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Common sequence variants in the LOXL1 gene confer susceptibility to exfoliation glaucoma

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness. A genome-wide search yielded multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 15q24.1 region associated with glaucoma. Further investigation revealed that the association is confined to exfoliation glaucoma (XFG). Two nonsynonymous SNPs in exon 1 of the gene LOXL1 explain the association, and the data suggest that they confer risk of XFG mainly through exfoliation syndrome (XFS). About 25% of the general population is homozygous for the highest-risk haplotype, and their risk of suffering from XFG is more than 100 times that of individuals carrying only low-risk haplotypes. The population-attributable risk is more than 99%. The product of LOXL1 catalyzes the formation of elastin fibers found to be a major component of the lesions in XFG.     

Survival of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in axenic purulent exudate on common barnyard fomites

Several inanimate surfaces (eg, plastic, wood, and steel) and particulate fomites (eg, wood shavings, hay, straw, and feces), common to the environment of confined small ruminants, were inoculated with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in axenic purulent exudate that had been surgically removed from a naturally occurring case of caprine caseous lymphadenitis. Each inoculated fomite was incubated at 37, 22, and 4 C, and the length of time that C pseudotuberculosis survived was determined by isolation of bacteria from the fomite. The organism remained viable longer when caseous lymphadenitis abscess contents were mixed with particulate fomites than when spread on surfaces. Incubation at lower temperatures generally extended the survival potential of C pseudotuberculosis. Depending on the particulate fomite and the incubation temperature, viable C pseudotuberculosis organisms were isolated for mean periods ranging from 7 to 55 days, whereas recovery of bacteria from surfaces varied from 1 to 8 days.     

Use of hybridoma antibodies and recombinant DNA technology in protozoan vaccine development

The use of hybridoma antibodies developed against the sporozoite stage of avian coccidia, coupled with genetic-engineering techniques, has made it possible to begin bird-immunization studies utilizing an Escherichia coli-elicited coccidial protein. The coccidia are currently controlled in the poultry industry by use of anticoccidial compounds, but it now may be possible to use the bird's own immune system for defense against the parasitic infection. Since the sporozoite stage, which initiates the infection in poultry, is quite complex and is made up of hundreds of proteins or antigens, hybridoma antibodies were produced to identify specific antigens. These antigens, once identified, were found in such minute amounts that it became necessary to utilize genetic engineering in order to produce enough protein for immunization studies. One such protein, designated 5401, has been shown to stimulate an antibody response in immunized birds and to impart partial protection against a coccidial challenge infection. The results of these studies indicate that development of a vaccine against coccidial parasites may someday be possible.     

Decreased osmotic fragility of red blood cells of Eimeria adenoeides-infected turkeys

The osmotic fragility of red blood cells (RBC) from Eimeria adenoeides-infected turkey poults was compared with that of RBC from control and water-deprived poults. At different hypotonic NaCl concentrations, lysis of RBC from infected poults was 10 to 35% less on day 4 postinoculation (PI) and 50 to 65% less on day 7 PI than that of controls. Red blood cells of poults deprived of water for 3 days were also resistant to lysis; the percent lysis was roughly the same as that of RBC from infected poults at day 7 PI. Incubating control RBC in plasma from infected poults, in extracts of infected ceca, or at different pH levels did not increase their resistance to lysis, suggesting that neither a stabilizing factor in the plasma that had rapid effect on the RBC nor a transient shift in blood pH was involved. Mean RBC size differed little among infected, water-deprived, and control poults (14.0-14.2 X 8.0-8.1 X 3.8 microns). However, although 3.5% of RBC population of control and water-deprived poults were immature (mid to late polychromatic erythrocytes), only 0.4% of the RBC of infected poults were immature. The data suggest that reduced water intake as well as other factors may be involved in the decreased osmotic fragility of RBC from poults infected with E. adenoeides.     

Response of mountain plovers to plague-driven dynamics of black-tailed prairie dog colonies

Sylvatic plague is a major factor influencing the dynamics of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies in the western Great Plains. We studied the nesting response of the mountain plover (Charadrius montanus), a grassland bird that nests on prairie dog colonies, to plague-driven dynamics of prairie dog colonies at three sites in the western Great Plains. First, we examined plover nest distribution on colonies that were previously affected by plague, but that had been recovering (expanding) for at least 6 years. Plovers consistently nested in both young (colonized in the past 1–2 years) and old (colonized for 6 or more years) portions of prairie dog colonies in proportion to their availability. Second, we examined changes in plover nest frequency at two sites following plague epizootics, and found that mountain plover nest numbers declined relatively rapidly (≤2 years) on plague-affected colonies. Taken together, our findings indicate that available plover nesting habitat associated with prairie dog colonies closely tracks the area actively occupied by prairie dogs each year. Given the presence of plague throughout most of the mountain plover’s breeding range in the western Great Plains, important factors affecting plover populations likely include landscape features that determine the scale of plague outbreaks, the distance that plovers move in response to changing breeding habitat conditions, and the availability and quality of alternate breeding habitat within the landscape.     

Pb/Ca ion exchange on kaolinite clay modified with phosphates

Purpose  

Pollution of soils by heavy metal ions has attracted global concern because of the subsequent translocation into food chain which when taken up to a certain level can cause serious health problems. The influence of preadsorbed calcium by kaolinite clay modified with orthophosphate and tripolyphosphate reagents on the mobility of Pb²⁺ in kaolinitic soil system is studied. This is with the view to understand the fate of Pb²⁺ in phosphate-fertilized kaolinitic soils that are subsequently limed.