Comparison of fluorescent antibody test, immunohistochemistry, and PCR testing for diagnostic confirmation of neurolisteriosis in 25 goats.

Neurolisteriosis, a common disease of small ruminants, is most often caused by . Here we describe 25 cases of caprine neurolisteriosis diagnosed in our laboratory over a 5-y period and compare our fluorescent antibody test (FAT) results with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for diagnostic confirmation. Neurohistologic changes consistent with neurolisteriosis affected the pons in all cases, extending rostrally to the mesencephalon in 6 cases, caudally to the medulla oblongata in 6 cases, and/or dorsally to the cerebellum in 4 cases.

PfClpC Is an Essential Clp Chaperone Required for Plastid Integrity and Clp Protease Stability in Plasmodium falciparum.

The deadly malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum contains a nonphotosynthetic plastid, known as the apicoplast, that functions to produce essential metabolites, and drugs that target the apicoplast are clinically effective. Several prokaryotic caseinolytic protease (Clp) genes have been identified in the Plasmodium genome. Using phylogenetic analysis, we focused on the Clp members that may form a regulated proteolytic complex in the apicoplast.

Dose response of Listeria monocytogenes invasion, fetal morbidity, and fetal mortality after oral challenge in pregnant and nonpregnant Mongolian gerbils.

Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen that can result in adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as stillbirth or premature delivery. The Mongolian gerbil was recently proposed as the most appropriate small-animal model of listeriosis due to its susceptibility to the same invasion pathways as humans. The objectives of this study were to investigate invasion and adverse pregnancy outcomes in gerbils orally exposed to L.

Producing timed-pregnant Mongolian gerbils for developmental studies.

The developing fetus is differentially susceptible to chemicals and pathogens depending on the stage of its development. In developmental studies, embryos or fetuses therefore must be exposed to experimental interventions at the same gestational stage. Acquiring sufficient numbers of embryos of the same developmental stage requires the use of timed-pregnant animals.