Use of Recombinant CP2 and CP23 Antigens of Cryptosporidium parvum for Serodiagnosis of Human Cryptosporidiosis

Background: Cryptosporidium parvum is an important coccidian parasite infecting many mammals, including human. This parasite can manifest as chronic severe diarrhea in immunocompromised individuals, especially those with AIDS. The present study reports the recombinant production of rP2 and rP23 antigens of C. parvum as antigens for detecting human cryptosporidiosis using indirect ELISA tests. Methods:The coding sequences of rP2 and rP23 proteins were codon-optimized, commercially synthesized and sub-cloned in the pET28a expression vector. The expressed proteins were purified by Ni-NTA column chromatography and confirmed by Western blotting. The efficacy of rP2/rP23 proteins for serodiagnosis was evaluated by positive (n = 20) and negative (n = 20) human sera, confirmed by the Ziehl-Neelsen staining as the gold standard test. Results:In ELISA test, the sera from C. parvum-infected patients reacted strongly to rP2/rP23. The sensitivity and specificity related to the diagnostic potential of rP2/rP23 in the ELISA assay were 100%. Conclusion:Our results showed that combination of rP23 and rP2 antigens in ELISA significantly increases the performance of C. parvum serodiagnosis in human cryptosporidiosis. Key Words: Cryptosporidiosis, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Western blotting     

A new look at the genus Crocus L. phylogeny and speciation: Insight from molecular data and chromosome geography

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - The genus Crocus of the family Iridaceae is a monophyletic genus with over 100 species. Due to the high degree of hybridization and the changes in the number...     

Seasonal changes of mineral nutrients and phenolics in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit

Pomegranate fruit is an important source of potentially healthy bioactive compounds and mineral nutrients. Changes in total phenolic compound, concentrations, and levels of macronutrients (P, K, N, Mg, Ca and Na) and micronutrients (Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe and B) in arils and peel of pomegranate fruit were recorded from 10 days after full bloom until harvest. Total phenolics levels increased at early stage of growth both in peel and arils of fruit, but thereafter generally decreased during maturation and reached to 3.70 and 50.22 mg g⁻¹ of dry weight in arils and peel, respectively, at harvest. The amount of total phenolics in peel was markedly higher than arils of pomegranate fruit. The concentration of most elements in arils and peel decreased during fruit growth and development. At harvest the relative order of concentration of macronutrients both in arils and peel was K > N > Ca > P > Mg > Na. The concentration of most micronutrients was greater in the arils than in the peel especially in early season. The relative order of concentration of micronutrients in arils was B > Fe > Zn > Cu > Mn. The accumulation of all the macro- and microelement within the fruit also increased during fruit growth and development. These results provide important data on total phenolics and macro- and micronutrient changes during fruit growth and development, emphasizing that pomegranate fruit can be a good source of bioactive compounds and minerals.     

Laboratory diagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis by immunosorbent agglutination assay (IgM ISA)

A group of 401 patients suspected for toxoplasmosis was examined by the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT). All patients positive in IFAT (176) were examined by the immunosorbent agglutination assay (IgM ISA). In the IgM ISA 154 of them were negative, 10 temporarily and 12 high-positive. Some of high-positive patients were examined repeatedly; decrease of high levels of specific IgM antibodies occurred 2-9 months after the first examination. For the IgM ISA antigen prepared from peritoneal exudate of experimentally infected mice was used. The antigen was stable at 4 degrees C or in liquid nitrogen at least 1 year. The IgM ISA combined with IFAT and IgM IFAT was proved satisfactory for the diagnosis of acquired acute toxoplasmosis and can be recommended for laboratories with lower capacity.     

Hygienic acceptance of wood in food industry

Food is physically manipulated by other materials during production processes, and therefore, food quality and safety are vital in processes where foods are in contact with various materials. Wooden frames were used for centuries for dried egg pasta trays; however, with the development of different materials, wood was slowly abandoned and replaced by plastic. Nevertheless, there are some hygienic considerations concerning plastic frames in the dried egg pasta making industry. In this study, plastic and wooden trays were analysed by swabbing (n?=?210) and evaluated in regard to total number of aerobic counts (TAC), Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, moulds, yeasts and Staphylococcus aureus using dry medium plates. The aims of the research were to (1) evaluate the total number of microorganisms on wood and plastic material used for pasta trays and (2) make a hygienic evaluation of analysed materials for application in the pasta industry. The research was aimed to answer the question, ‘Does the tray material and/or location of the swab sample influence the colony forming unit (CFU)/20?cm²?’ Results showed a statistical difference in CFU/20?cm² for all bacterial determinations, except for E. coli which was not detected in swabs taken from wooden or plastic trays. This hygiene evaluation study supported the conclusion that the use of wood is appropriate in the food industry from a hygienic and technological point of view.     

A survey to identify economic opportunities for smallholder dairy farms in Bangladesh

Identified economic opportunities for planning interventions greatly increase farmers’ compliance with an extension programme. We investigated opportunities for interventions to increase dairy farmers’ income in four areas of Bangladesh, including the districts of Mymensingh, Khulna-Satkhira, Sirajgonj-Pabna and Chittagong. The data were collected from 1440 dairy farms at a one-day visit and were summarized as the difference between management targets and each herd’s calculated management indices. The average number of lactating cows, feed cost as a percentage of income from milk, milk sold as percentage of milk produced, lactating cows as a percentage of mature cows, and lactating cows as a percentage of total cattle varied from 1.5 to 3.4, from 52.5% to 92.1%, from 78.7% to 92.6%, from 81.9% to 86.7% and from 34.3% to 37.7%, respectively. The average age at first calving, calf production interval, lactation length, and milk production were 35.0–44.3 months, 14.0–17.6 months, 249–286 days and 3.5–7.2 litres, respectively, depending on the locality. The average cost for producing 100 litres of milk was 18.9–35.1 US dollars. The production cost increased when daily milk production per cow decreased (r² = 0.43–0.55). Management improvements directed towards increasing average milk production per cow per day, increasing lactation length, decreasing age to first calving, and decreasing calf production interval could expect to yield an average income increase up to a range of 676.3–1730.6 US dollars depending on the milk-producing area.