Selection of suitable reference genes for normalization of RT-qPCR in three tissues of Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) infected with eyeworm (Oxyspirura petrowi).

Background: The Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) is an economically important, and popular game bird in North America. Northern bobwhites have experiencing declines of > 3.5% annually in recent decades due to several factors.

MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF INSECT INTERMEDIATE HOSTS WITH POTENTIAL PARASITE TRANSMISSION TO THE DEFINITIVE HOST NORTHERN BOBWHITE (COLINUS VIRGINIANUS).

Grassland birds have been declining substantially for the past several years. Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation as well as climate change are all thought to be the main drivers of the decline. However, as the declines continue to accelerate, it is becoming imperative to examine other factors that may contribute to population fluctuations.

A Helminth Survey of Northern Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus) and Passerines in the Rolling Plains Ecoregion of Texas.

The Northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) is a popular game bird that has been experiencing a well-documented decline throughout Texas since the 1960s. While much of this decline has been attributed to habitat loss and fragmentation, recent studies have identified other factors that may also contribute to decreasing quail populations. Parasites, in particular, have become increasingly recognized as possible stressors of quail, and some species, particularly the eyeworm (Oxyspirura petrowi) and cecal worm (Aulonocephalus pennula) are highly prevalent in Texas quails.

Molecular phylogenetic and in silico analysis of glyceraldeyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene from northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus).

Many recent studies have been focused on prevalence and impact of two helminth parasites, eyeworm Oxyspirura petrowi and caecal worm Aulonocephalus pennula, in the northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus). However, few studies have attempted to examine the effect of these parasites on the bobwhite immune system. This is likely due to the lack of proper reference genes for relative gene expression studies.

Avian and Emerging Human Oxyspirura Species Compared by Morphology, Pathogenicity, Intermediate Host, and Sequence Homology.

Based on sequence homology and phylogenetic tree results, the first report of eyeworm Oxyspirura species larvae has been confirmed in a human patient from Vietnam. However, important information related to Oxyspirura larvae was not presented in the case study. This comment provides a more detailed comparison of the Oxyspirura larvae found in the human case study to the avian eyeworm Oxyspirura petrowi.

"Weight of evidence" as a tool for evaluating disease in wildlife: An example assessing parasitic infection in Northern bobwhite ().

The potential of parasites to affect host abundance has been a topic of heated contention within the scientific community for some time, with many maintaining that issues such as habitat loss are more important in regulating wildlife populations than diseases. This is in part due to the difficulty in detecting and quantifying the consequences of disease, such as parasitic infection, within wild systems. An example of this is found in the Northern bobwhite quail (), an iconic game bird that is one of the most extensively studied vertebrates on the planet.

Molecular Identification of Intermediate Hosts by Nested PCR Using Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 (ITS1).

Recently, the heteroxenous eyeworm, has gained attention due to its prevalence in the declining game bird, Northern bobwhite (), but the intermediate hosts of many nematodes remain unknown. However, identifying the intermediate host of with traditional techniques would be difficult and time-consuming, especially considering there are more than 80 potential orthopteran hosts just in Texas. To screen a large number of samples quickly and effectively, primers for nested PCR (nPCR) were developed using the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region.

Life-cycle of Oxyspirura petrowi (Spirurida: Thelaziidae), an eyeworm of the northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus).

Background: Oxyspirura petrowi (Spirurida: Thelaziidae), a heteroxenous nematode of birds across the USA, may play a role in the decline of the northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) in the Rolling Plains Ecoregion of West Texas. Previous molecular studies suggest that crickets, grasshoppers and cockroaches serve as potential intermediate hosts of O. petrowi, although a complete study on the life-cycle of this nematode has not been conducted thus far.

Identification of eyeworm () and caecal worm () infection levels in Northern bobwhite quail () of the Rolling Plains, TX using a mobile research laboratory: Implications for regional surveillance.

Over the last few decades, there has been a decline in Northern bobwhite quail () throughout their native range. While there are various factors that may be influencing this decline, it is suggested that parasites should be taken into consideration as a potential contributor in the Rolling Plains Ecoregion. High prevalence of the eyeworm () and caecal worm () in bobwhite of this region, coupled with a continuous decline, creates a need to assess infection through alternative methods for regional surveillance.

Quantitative analysis of Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) cytokines and TLR expression to eyeworm (Oxyspirura petrowi) and caecal worm (Aulonocephalus pennula) glycoproteins.

Helminth parasites have been a popular research topic due to their global prevalence and adverse effects on livestock and game species. The Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), a popular game bird in the USA, is one species subject to helminth infection and has been experiencing a decline of > 4% annually over recent decades. In the Rolling Plains Ecoregion of Texas, the eyeworm (Oxyspirura petrowi) and caecal worm (Aulonocephalus pennula) helminths are found to be highly prevalent in bobwhite.

Predicting seasonal infection of eyeworm () and caecal worm () in northern bobwhite quail () of the Rolling Plains Ecoregion of Texas, USA.

The northern bobwhite quail () is a popular gamebird in the Rolling Plains Ecoregion of West Texas. However, there has been a population decline in this area over recent decades. Consistent reports indicate a high prevalence of the eyeworm () and caecal worm (), which may be of major influence on the bobwhite population.

Molecular identification of Physaloptera sp. from wild northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) in the Rolling Plains ecoregion of Texas.

Physaloptera spp. are common nematodes found in the stomach and muscles of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds. Physaloptera spp.

Development of a multiplex quantitative PCR assay for eyeworm (Oxyspirura petrowi) and caecal worm (Aulonocephalus pennula) detection in Northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) of the Rolling Plains Ecoregion, Texas.

The Northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) is an economically significant gamebird that has experienced a decline throughout the Rolling Plains ecoregion of Texas. Recent surveys of this area have revealed a high prevalence in eyeworm (Oxyspirura petrowi) and caecal worm (Aulonocephalus pennula) infection that may contribute to this decline. In order to further understand these parasites role in bobwhite populations, a time-, and cost-effective multiplex quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay was developed in this study to detect eyeworm and caecal worm infection through egg detection using the ITS2 and COX1 gene region, respectively.

Molecular identification and characterization of partial COX1 gene from caecal worm () in Northern bobwhite () from the Rolling Plains Ecoregion of Texas.

is a nematode living in the caeca of the wild Northern bobwhite quail () present throughout the Rolling Plains Ecoregion of Texas. The cytochrome oxidase 1 (COX 1) gene of the mitochondrial genome was used to screen in wild quail. Through BLAST analysis, similarity of to other nematode parasites was compared at the nucleotide level.

Genotyping of benzimidazole resistant and susceptible isolates of from sheep by allele specific PCR.

Extensive and indiscriminate use of the benzimidazole class of drugs has led to the onset of anthelmintic resistance. In tropical countries like India, is the most pathogenic parasite infecting sheep and goats. The widespread presence of resistant helminths (especially ) threatens the livestock farming.

Comparative immunoprophylactic efficacy of Haemonchus contortus recombinant enolase (rHcENO) and Con A purified native glycoproteins in sheep.

Haemonchus contortus is the most economically important blood feeding nematode parasite of sheep and goats all over the world. Enolase in helminth parasites is a multi-functional enzyme which involves in glycolysis and host tissue invasion. In this study, the recombinant H.

Transcriptome profiling reveals higher vertebrate orthologous of intra-cytoplasmic pattern recognition receptors in grey bamboo shark.

From an immunologist perspective, sharks are an important group of jawed cartilaginous fishes and survey of the public database revealed a great gap in availability of large-scale sequence data for the group of Chondrichthyans the elasmobranchs. In an attempt to bridge this deficit we generated the transcriptome from the spleen and kidney tissues (a total of 1,606,172 transcripts) of the shark, Chiloscyllium griseum using the Illumina HiSeq2000 platform. With a cut off of > = 300 bp and an expression value of >1RPKM we used 43,385 transcripts for BLASTX analysis which revealed 17,548 transcripts matching to the NCBI nr database with an E-value of < = 10(-5) and similarity score of 40%.

Intracellular Copper Zinc Superoxide dismutase (icCuZnSOD) from Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer): molecular cloning, characterization and gene expression with reference to Vibrio anguillarum infection.

Copper Zinc Superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) is the family of most important antioxidant metalloenzymes that protects tissues from damage by reactive oxygen species (ROS). In the present study, the intracellular copper zinc SOD from the Asian seabass Lates calcarifer (Lc-icCuZnSOD) was identified by RNA ligase mediated rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RLM-RACE) technique. The full-length cDNA of Lc-icCuZnSOD consisted of 809 nucleotides with an open-reading frame of 465 bp encoding 154 amino acids and N-Glycosylation site (NVTA) within.