High resolution 16S rRNA gene Next Generation Sequencing study of brain areas associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are neurodegenerative conditions characterized by incremental deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ) and α-synuclein in AD and PD brain, respectively, in relatively conserved patterns. Both are associated with neuroinflammation, with a proposed microbial component for disease initiation and/or progression. Notably, Aβ and α-synuclein have been shown to possess antimicrobial properties.

Five new species of Yoyetta Moulds (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadettinae) from south-eastern Australia.

Five new species are described in the genus Yoyetta Moulds, each belonging to the Yoyetta tristrigata (Goding and Froggatt) species group. Yoyetta australicta n. sp.

Molecular survey of Babesia parasites in Kenya: first detailed report on occurrence of Babesia bovis in cattle.

Background: Among protozoan parasites in the genus Babesia, Babesia bigemina is endemic and widespread in the East African region while the status of the more pathogenic Babesia bovis remains unclear despite the presence of the tick vector, Rhipicephalus microplus, which transmits both species. Recent studies have confirmed the occurrence of R. microplus in coastal Kenya, and although B.

Approaches to Integrated Parasite Management (IPM) for with an Emphasis on Immunity.

Integrated parasite management (IPM) for pests, pathogens and parasites involves reducing or breaking transmission to reduce the impact of infection or infestation. For , the critical impact of infection is the first wave of parasitaemia from the virulent genotypes, Ikeda and Chitose, associated with the sequelae from the development of anaemia. Therefore, current control measures for advocate excluding the movement of naïve stock from non-endemic regions into infected areas and controlling the tick , the final host.

Investigating the Barrier Activity of Novel, Human Enhancer-Blocking Chromatin Insulators for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Gene Therapy.

Despite the unequivocal success of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell gene therapy, limitations still exist including genotoxicity and variegation/silencing of transgene expression. A class of DNA regulatory elements known as chromatin insulators (CIs) can mitigate both vector transcriptional silencing (barrier CIs) and vector-induced genotoxicity (enhancer-blocking CIs) and have been proposed as genetic modulators to minimize unwanted vector/genome interactions. Recently, a number of human, small-sized, and compact CIs bearing strong enhancer-blocking activity were identified.

Merozoites of Theileria orientalis buffeli reduce the parasitaemia of T. orientalis ikeda following tick challenge.

Theileria orientalis is a tick-borne protozoal parasite causing anaemia and death in susceptible cattle. This investigation aimed to confirm whether immunisation with the "benign" buffeli genotype of T. orientalis could reduce the parasitaemia of the virulent ikeda genotype.

A longitudinal study of infection with genotypes of Theileria orientalis in calves and introduced cattle at Dorrigo, New South Wales, and the effect on weight gains.

Background: In regions with endemic Theileria orientalis, recovered cattle are carriers, leaving newborn calves and introduced stock as the most susceptible groups to develop clinical disease after tick infestation with parasite transmission.

Methods: To gain information on the kinetics of infection and development and effects of theileriosis caused by virulent ikeda and chitose genotypes and the "benign" buffeli genotype of T.orientalis, this study sampled a total of 134 calves from 3 farms in Dorrigo, Australia, a region with multiple genotypes of the parasite.

Factors influencing the effectiveness of the Gudair vaccine for controlling Johne's disease in sheep flocks in Australia.

Ovine Johne's disease is a chronic debilitating disease of sheep caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Mptb) which results in diarrhoea, emaciation and mortalities in infected animals. Vaccination with Gudair® has been a key strategy for controlling the disease in Australia since its approval in 2002.

Unbiased Characterization of the Microbiome and Virome of Questing Ticks.

Due to their vector capacity, ticks are ectoparasites of medical and veterinary significance. Modern sequencing tools have facilitated tick-associated microbiota studies, but these have largely focused on bacterial pathogens and symbionts. By combining 16S rRNA gene sequencing with total RNA-sequencing methods, we aimed to determine the complete microbiome and virome of questing, female recovered from coastal, north-eastern New South Wales (NSW), Australia.

Comparison of Blood Bacterial Communities in Periodontal Health and Periodontal Disease.

The use of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) techniques has generated a wide variety of blood microbiome data. Due to the large variation in bacterial DNA profiles between studies and the likely high concentrations of cell-free bacterial DNA in the blood, it is still not clear how such microbiome data relates to viable microbiota. For these reasons much remains to be understood about the true nature of any possible healthy blood microbiota and of bacteraemic events associated with disease.

the life-cycle on dogs and cattle, with confirmation of its vector status for in Australia.

The intracellular protozoal parasite ikeda has rapidly spread across South-eastern Australia since 2006, causing deaths and production losses in cattle. The 3-host "bush tick" (Neumann) appears the principal biological vector in the endemic regions. To generate sufficient numbers of ticks to produce stabilate for infection to confirm vector competency and for acaricide trials, the optimal conditions and stage-specific intervals for the generational life-cycle of was defined on two dogs and two steers.

Molecular evidence confirms occurrence of Rhipicephalus microplus Clade A in Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: The tick vector Rhipicephalus microplus which transmits Babesia spp. and rickettsial pathogens has not been reported in Kenya since 1998. More recently, the pathogenic Babesia bovis has been detected in cattle blood DNA.

The potential for vaccines against scour worms of small ruminants.

This review addresses the research landscape regarding vaccines against scour worms, particularly Trichostrongylus spp. and Teladorsagia circumcincta. The inability of past research to deliver scour-worm vaccines with reliable and reproducible efficacy has been due in part to gaps in knowledge concerning: (i) host-parasite interactions leading to development of type-2 immunity, (ii) definition of an optimal suite of parasite antigens, and (iii) rational formulation and administration to induce protective immunity against gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) at the site of infestation.

Haemaphysalis longicornis: the life-cycle on dogs and cattle, with confirmation of its vector status for Theileria orientalis in Australia.

The intracellular protozoal parasite Theileria orientalis ikeda has rapidly spread across South-eastern Australia since 2006, causing deaths and production losses in cattle. The 3-host "bush tick" Haemaphysalis longicornis (Neumann) appears the principal biological vector in the endemic regions. To generate sufficient numbers of ticks to produce stabilate for infection to confirm vector competency and for acaricide trials, the optimal conditions and stage-specific intervals for the generational life-cycle of H.

The brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu Roberts, 1965 across Australia: Morphological and molecular identification of R. sanguineus s.l. tropical lineage.

The brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille, 1806) is the most widely distributed tick species globally. Throughout the world there are at least two divergent lineages on dogs that are traditionally grouped into what was known as R. sanguineus.

Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato from dogs and dromedary camels in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: low prevalence of vector-borne pathogens in dogs detected using multiplexed tandem PCR panel.

Despite the global distribution of the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille, 1806) sensu lato (s.l.), limited information exists about their identity from the Arabian Peninsula.

Reactive Tandem Ion Mobility Spectrometry with Electric Field Fragmentation of Alcohols at Ambient Pressure.

A tandem ion mobility spectrometer at ambient pressure with a reactive stage produced fragment ions by water elimination from protonated monomers of alcohols with carbon numbers three to nine. Protonated monomers of individual alcohols were mobility isolated in a first drift region and were fragmented to carbocations at 64 to 128 Td and 45 to 89°C. Precursor and fragment ions were mobility characterized in a second drift region.

Correction to: Mosquito-borne heartworm Dirofilaria immitis in dogs from Australia.

Since publication of the original version of this article [1], it has been flagged that unfortunately there is an error in dosage units in the Discussion section, in the sentence "For example a microfilaricide, either ivermectin (50-200 mg/kg) or milbemycin oxime (500-1,000 mg/kg)".

16S rRNA Next Generation Sequencing Analysis Shows Bacteria in Alzheimer's Post-Mortem Brain.

The neurological deterioration associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), involving accumulation of amyloid-beta peptides and neurofibrillary tangles, is associated with evident neuroinflammation. This is now seen to be a significant contributor to pathology. Recently the tenet of the privileged status of the brain, regarding microbial compromise, has been questioned, particularly in terms of neurodegenerative diseases.

Reduced cellularity of bone marrow in multiple sclerosis with decreased MSC expansion potential and premature ageing in vitro.

Background: Autologous bone-marrow-derived cells are currently employed in clinical studies of cell-based therapy in multiple sclerosis (MS) although the bone marrow microenvironment and marrow-derived cells isolated from patients with MS have not been extensively characterised.

Objectives: To examine the bone marrow microenvironment and assess the proliferative potential of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in progressive MS.

Methods: Comparative phenotypic analysis of bone marrow and marrow-derived MSCs isolated from patients with progressive MS and control subjects was undertaken.

The cHS4 Chromatin Insulator Reduces the Rate of Retroviral Vector-Mediated Gene Dysregulation Associated with Aberrant Vector Transcription.

Integrating gammaretroviral vectors can dysregulate the expression of cellular genes through a variety of mechanisms, leading to genotoxicity and malignant transformation. Although most attention has focused on the activation of cellular genes by vector enhancers, aberrant fusion transcripts involving cellular gene sequences and vector promoters, vector splice elements, and vector transcription termination sequences have also been mechanistically associated with dysregulated expression of cellular genes. Chromatin insulators have emerged as an effective tool for reducing the frequency of vector-mediated genotoxicity and malignant transformation and have been shown to block the activation of cellular genes by vector enhancers.

Descriptions of four new species of Matsumura (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Psithyristriini) from Vietnam, with a key to the species of .

This paper provides descriptions of four new species of the genus Semia Matsumura, 1917 from Vietnam: Semia magna sp. nov., Semia spiritus sp.

Cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) from cats and dogs in New Zealand: Molecular characterisation, presence of Rickettsia felis and Bartonella clarridgeiae and comparison with Australia.

The cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) is the most common flea species parasitising both domestic cats and dogs globally. Fleas are known vectors of zoonotic pathogens such as vector borne Rickettsia and Bartonella. This study compared cat fleas from domestic cats and dogs in New Zealand's North and South Islands to Australian cat fleas, using the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) marker, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and II (cox1, cox2).

Haemonchus contortus: the then and now, and where to from here?

Haemonchus contortus (Barber's pole worm or "BPW") is the nematode "nemesis" of small ruminant production systems in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Its reputation derives from a combination of high fecundity and a short generational interval that provides an enviable developmental plasticity for adaptation or resistance to control measures. This review critically examines the historical and current literature on the host-parasite-environment interaction for H.