What can we gain from co-analyzing experimental cultures, regionalization, and disciplinary phenomena of late twentieth century life sciences under our historiographic looking glass? This essay investigates the potential of such a strategy for the case of cell biology after 1960. By merging perspectives from historical epistemology inspired by the work of Hans-Jörg Rheinberger with a focus on boundary work in the realm of scientific publishing, community building, and disciplinary norms, a set of understudied scientific practices is exposed. These practices, historically subsumed under the label descriptive, have been as central in cell biology as hypothesis-driven research aiming at mechanistic explanations of cellular function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCystoisospora (syn. Isospora) suis is a leading cause of diarrheal disease in neonatal piglets. To address the possibility of maternal immunization against C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCystoisospora suis is the most pathogenic species of coccidia in suckling piglets, affecting them predominantly within their first three weeks of life. The clinical signs of neonatal cystoisosporosis include watery diarrhea and wasting, leading to significant economic losses for the farmer. Since neonatal piglets have an immature immune system, colostral transfer of maternal factors such as immune cells or antibodies is essential for controlling infections at that age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoccidian parasites are of major importance in animal production, public health and food safety. The most frequently used representative in basic research on this group is Toxoplasma gondii. Although this parasite is well investigated there is no adequate in vitro model for its sexual development available and knowledge on this important life cycle phase is therefore scarce.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFQuantification of immunohistochemical results constitutes an important tool in the analysis of cells and tissue that is not readily replaced by other techniques. For reliable quantification, it is essential to consider factors such as tissue fixation and tissue sampling. We report a study on the model of the intestine of Isospora suis-infected piglets, in which we addressed (1) whether the quantity of detectable T cells in the intestinal mucosa is the same in formalin-, HOPE®-, and cryo-conserved material or whether the amounts of T cells at least correlate with one another; and (2) whether single jejunal segments differ in regard to the quantity of mucosal T cells and variability of lymphocyte infiltration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPorcine coccidiosis caused by Isospora suis is one of the leading causes of neonatal diarrhea in suckling piglets. Currently the only registered drug for metaphylaxis is toltrazuril. To evaluate the effect of treatment on piglets from 7 Austrian farms without and 8 Austrian farms with toltrazuril application we examined oocyst excretion (including determination of oocysts per gram of feces; OPG), diarrhea (fecal score FS 1-4 with 3 and 4 being diarrhea), and general health (health score HS 1-4 with 3 and 4 describing poor health).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Syst Evol Microbiol
December 2007
A polyphasic study was undertaken to clarify the taxonomic position of endospore-forming strains 433-D9, 433-E17 and 121-X1. BOX-PCR-generated fingerprints indicated that they may be members of a single species. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity demonstrated that a representative of this group, 433-D9, is affiliated closely with Bacillus arvi DSM 16317(T) (100 %), Bacillus arenosi DSM 16319(T) (99.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA set of 20 Mollicutes strains representing different lines of descent, including the type species of the genus Mycoplasma, Mycoplasma mycoides, Acholeplasma laidlawii and a strain of Mesoplasma, were subjected to polar lipid and fatty acid analyses in order to evaluate their suitability for classification purposes within members of this group. Complex polar lipid and fatty acid profiles were detected for each examined strain. All strains contained the polar lipids phosphocholine-6'-alpha-glucopyranosyl-(1'-3)-1, 2-diacyl-glycerol (MfGL-I), 1-O-alkyl/alkenyl-2-O-acyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine (MfEL), sphingomyelin (SphM), 1-O-alkyl/alkenyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine (lysoMfEL), the unknown aminophospholipid APL1 and the cholesterol Chol2.
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