Theileria equi RAP-1a and RAP-1b proteins contain immunoreactive epitopes and are suitable candidates for vaccine and diagnostics development.

Theileria equi is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that causes severe hemolytic anaemia in most equid species. Similar to other apicomplexan parasites, T. equi contains rhoptries whose contents have been implicated in host cell invasion and formation of the parasitophorous vacuole that is crucial for survival of the species within cells.

Clinical Progression of in Splenectomized Horses Reveals Decreased Virulence Compared to .

The global importance of the hemoparasite to equine health was recently shown by its resistance to imidocarb dipropionate (ID) and its interference with clearance by ID in some co-infected horses. Genetic characterization of revealed marked genomic reduction compared to , and initial experiments demonstrated reduced clinical severity in spleen-intact horses. Furthermore, in early experiments, splenectomized horses survived infection and progressed to an asymptomatic carrier state, in stark contrast to the high fatality rate of in splenectomized horses.

Isolation of infectious Theileria parva sporozoites secreted by infected Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks into an in vitro tick feeding system.

Background: Vector-borne diseases pose an increasing threat to global food security. Vaccines, diagnostic tests, and therapeutics are urgently needed for tick-borne diseases that affect livestock. However, the inability to obtain significant quantities of pathogen stages derived from ticks has hindered research.

Flow Cytometric Analysis of the Cytotoxic T-Cell Recall Response to in Cattle Following Vaccination by the Infection and Treatment Method.

The apicomplexan hemoparasite, , causes East Coast fever (ECF), a frequently fatal disease of African cattle. Vaccine development has been impeded by incomplete understanding of protective immunity following natural exposure or the infection and treatment method (ITM) of immunization. This is attributable to a paucity of methods to characterize the memory T-cell repertoire following infection.

Differential pulmonary immunopathology of domestic sheep (Ovis aries) and bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) with Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae infection: A retrospective study.

Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae is a respiratory pathogen that impacts domestic sheep (Ovis aries; DS) and bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis; BHS). BHS are reported to be more susceptible than DS to developing polymicrobial pneumonia associated with M. ovipneumoniae infection.

Development of an Indirect ELISA to Detect Equine Antibodies to .

The apicomplexan parasite is one of two known causative agents of equine theileriosis. It causes milder clinical disease than its more virulent counterpart, , in experimentally infected horses, and can superinfect -positive horses. The current equi merozoite antigen 1 (EMA1)-based competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)used in the U.

Avoidance of the NLRP3 Inflammasome by the Stealth Pathogen, .

, a highly adapted obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen and the cause of the zoonosis Q fever, is a reemerging public health threat. employs a Type IV secretion system (T4SS) to establish and maintain its intracellular niche and modulate host immune responses including the inhibition of apoptosis. Interactions between and caspase-1-mediated inflammasomes are not fully elucidated.

Twenty Years of Equine Piroplasmosis Research: Global Distribution, Molecular Diagnosis, and Phylogeny.

Equine piroplasmosis (EP), caused by the hemoparasites , , and , is an important tick-borne disease of equines that is prevalent in most parts of the world. Infection may affect animal welfare and has economic impacts related to limitations in horse transport between endemic and non-endemic regions, reduced performance of sport horses and treatment costs. Here, we analyzed the epidemiological, serological, and molecular diagnostic data published in the last 20 years, and all DNA sequences submitted to GenBank database, to describe the current global prevalence of these parasites.

Capture-based enrichment of Theileria parva DNA enables full genome assembly of first buffalo-derived strain and reveals exceptional intra-specific genetic diversity.

Theileria parva is an economically important, intracellular, tick-transmitted parasite of cattle. A live vaccine against the parasite is effective against challenge from cattle-transmissible T. parva but not against genotypes originating from the African Cape buffalo, a major wildlife reservoir, prompting the need to characterize genome-wide variation within and between cattle- and buffalo-associated T.

Equid infective Theileria cluster in distinct 18S rRNA gene clades comprising multiple taxa with unusually broad mammalian host ranges.

Equine theileriosis, a tick-transmitted disease caused by the hemoprotozoan parasites Theileria equi and Theileria haneyi, affects equids throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is a significant regulatory concern in non-endemic countries, where testing for equine theileriosis is required prior to horse import to prevent parasite entry. Within endemic areas, infection causes significant morbidity and mortality, leading to economic losses.

A review of recent research on Theileria parva: Implications for the infection and treatment vaccination method for control of East Coast fever.

The infection and treatment (ITM) live vaccination method for control of Theileria parva infection in cattle is increasingly being adopted, particularly in Maasai pastoralist systems. Several studies indicate positive impacts on human livelihoods. Importantly, the first detailed protocol for live vaccine production at scale has recently been published.

Theileria parasites subvert E2F signaling to stimulate leukocyte proliferation.

Intracellular pathogens have evolved intricate mechanisms to subvert host cell signaling pathways and ensure their own propagation. A lineage of the protozoan parasite genus Theileria infects bovine leukocytes and induces their uncontrolled proliferation causing a leukemia-like disease. Given the importance of E2F transcription factors in mammalian cell cycle regulation, we investigated the role of E2F signaling in Theileria-induced host cell proliferation.

Changes in the Molecular and Functional Phenotype of Bovine Monocytes during Infection.

is the causative agent of East Coast fever (ECF), a tick-borne disease that kills over a million cattle each year in sub-Saharan Africa. Immune protection against involves a CD8 cytotoxic T cell response to parasite-infected cells. However, there is currently a paucity of knowledge regarding the role played by innate immune cells in ECF pathogenesis and control.

Mycoplasma ovis infection in domestic sheep (Ovis aries) in the United States: Prevalence, distribution, associated risk factors, and associated outcomes.

Mycoplasma ovis is a hemotropic bacterium reported to infect sheep, goats, and deer species. Infection in these species can result in anemia, jaundice, and ill-thrift. Although of worldwide distribution, only rare reports of this bacterium in the United States exist.

Infection dynamics of Theileria equi and Theileria haneyi, a newly discovered apicomplexan of the horse.

Theileria equi infection, exotic to the United States has reemerged through intravenous (iatrogenic) and tick-borne transmission. Surveillance at the US-Mexico border identified a new species, Theileria haneyi, (T. haneyi) (EP = Eagle Pass, Texas) which warranted additional investigation due to inability to detect by PCR targeting of T.

Molecular and Antigenic Properties of Mammalian Cell-Expressed Antigen Tp9.

East Coast Fever (ECF), caused by the tick-borne apicomplexan parasite , is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in cattle of sub-Saharan Africa. The infection and treatment method (ITM) is currently the only vaccine available to control . Although ITM elicits levels of protection, its widespread adoption is limited by costs, laborious production process, and antibiotic co-treatment requirement, necessitating the development of a more sustainable vaccine.

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 and interleukin-10 in serum from naïve and scrapie infected sheep.

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were identified as potential biomarkers for ovine scrapie in a mouse model. The development of novel diagnostic methods to identify pre-clinical scrapie-infected animals is needed. In this study, ELISA was used to assess TIMP-1 and IL-10 levels in 158 serum samples from naïve and preclinical scrapie-infected sheep.

Gene gun DNA immunization of cattle induces humoral and CD4 T-cell-mediated immune responses against the Theileria parva polymorphic immunodominant molecule.

Theileria parva kills over one million cattle annually in sub-Saharan Africa. Parasite genetic complexity, cellular response immunodominance, and bovine MHC diversity have precluded traditional vaccine development. One potential solution is gene gun (GG) immunization, which enables simultaneous administration of one or more DNA-encoded antigens.

Evaluation of glycoprotein Ov8 as a potential antigen for an OvHV-2-specific diagnostic assay.

Gammaherpesviruses in the genus Macavirus establish clinically unapparent persistent infections in reservoir species. Transmission of some of these viruses, including alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 (AlHV-1) and ovine herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2), to clinically susceptible species in the order Artiodactyla can result in malignant catarrhal fever (MCF), a usually fatal lymphoproliferative disease. Serology can be used to identify MCF virus (MCFV)-infected carrier animals.

Discovery of a novel species, Theileria haneyi n. sp., infective to equids, highlights exceptional genomic diversity within the genus Theileria: implications for apicomplexan parasite surveillance.

A novel apicomplexan parasite was serendipitously discovered in horses at the United States - Mexico border. Phylogenetic analysis based on 18S rDNA showed the erythrocyte-infective parasite to be related to, but distinct from, Theileria spp. in Africa, the most similar taxa being Theileria spp.

Assessment of Draxxin (tulathromycin) as an inhibitor of in vitro growth of Babesia bovis, Babesia bigemina and Theileria equi.

Babesia bovis, Babesia bigemina and Theileria equi are worldwide tick-borne hemoprotozoan that cause diseases characterized by fever, anemia, weight loss and abortion. A common feature of these diseases are transition from acute to chronic phases, in which parasites may persist in the host for life, and becoming a reservoir for tick transmission. The live-attenuated vaccines for B.

Stable transformation of Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis using a single transfection plasmid.

Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis, are the two major causes of bovine babesiosis, a global neglected disease in need of improved methods of control. Here, we describe a shared method for the stable transfection of these two parasites using electroporation and blasticidin/blasticidin deaminase as a selectable marker. Stably transfected B.