The main etiologic agent of human toxocariasis, a zoonotic disease, is the helminth Toxocara canis. Among the diagnostics used for human toxocariasis, ELISA using T. canis excretion and secretion antigen (TES) is considered as a standard technique.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBovine sex-sorted sperm have been commercialized and successfully used for the production of transgenic embryos of the desired sex through the sperm-mediated gene transfer (SMGT) technique. However, sex-sorted sperm show a reduced ability to internalize exogenous DNA. The interaction between sperm cells and the exogenous DNA has been reported in other species to be a CD4-like molecule-dependent process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe successful production of new, safe, and effective vaccines that generate immunological memory is directly related to adjuvant feature, which is responsible for increasing and/or modulating the immune response. Several compounds display adjuvant activity, including carbohydrates. These compounds play important roles in the immune response, as well as having biocompatible properties in vaccine formulations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeosporosis, caused by the apicomplexan protozoan Neospora caninum, is a disease which affects a wide range of mammalian hosts (mainly cattle and dogs). N. caninum infection is considered the major cause of livestock abortions worldwide, and therefore is responsible for great losses in the industry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnzootic Pneumonia (EP) is caused by the Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae pathogenic bacteria, and it represents a significant respiratory disease that is responsible for major economic losses within the pig industry throughout the world. The bacterins that are currently commercially available have been proven to offer only partial protection against M. hyopneumoniae, and the development of more efficient vaccines is required.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the present paper, we announce new draft genomes of four Leptospira interrogans strains named Acegua, RCA, Prea, and Capivara. These strains were isolated in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from cattle, dog, Brazilian guinea pig, and capybara, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeptospirosis is a global zoonosis caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp. In this study, we characterized two Leptospira kirschneri serogroup Pomona serovar Mozdok isolates, one obtained from a dog and the other from a patient with severe leptospirosis, 4 years later. Histopathological analysis showed that both isolates caused severe tissue damage when used to infect hamsters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic spirochetes from the genus Leptospira, which includes 20 species and more than 300 serovars. Canines are important hosts of pathogenic leptospires and can transmit the pathogen to humans via infected urine. Here, we report the phenotypic and molecular characterization of Leptospira interrogans isolated from Canis familiaris in Southern Brazil.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCattle are commonly infected with pathogenic leptospires, and similarly to rodents, they excrete the bacteria in their urine and can transmit the pathogen from animal to animal or animal to human. Thus, surveillance and monitoring systems for detection of new Leptospira serovars are important for the control of leptospirosis. Here, we report the isolation of a spirochete from a stillborn bovine foetus and its characterization by immunological and molecular techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeospora caninum is the etiologic agent of neosporosis, which leads to economic impacts on cattle industry. The reference method for serodiagnosis of neosporosis is the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). However, IFAT is laborious, expensive, and is not practicable in high throughput screening.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeosporosis is a disease caused by the apicomplexan parasite Neospora caninum, which is closely related to Toxoplasma gondii. N. caninum infection represents an important cause of reproductive failure in sheep, goats, horses, and cattle worldwide.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathogenic Leptospira spp. are the etiological agents of leptospirosis, an important disease of both humans and animals. In urban settings, L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe anti-tumor effects of a newly-discovered lectin, isolated from okra, Abelmoschus esculentus (AEL), were investigated in human breast cancer (MCF7) and skin fibroblast (CCD-1059 sk) cells. AEL induced significant cell growth inhibition (63 %) in MCF7 cells. The expression of pro-apoptotic caspase-3, caspase-9, and p21 genes was increased in MCF7 cells treated with AEL, compared to those treated with controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeptospirosis is a worldwide zoonotic infection caused by pathogenic Leptospira. Synanthropic rodents are recognized carriers of leptospires; however, the role of wild rodents in the epidemiology of the disease is still incipient. In this work, we describe Leptospira strain isolated from Cavia aperea (Brazilian guinea pig).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe search for new compounds with antifungal activity is accelerating due to rising yeast and fungal resistance to commonly prescribed drugs. Among the molecules being investigated, plant lectins can be highlighted. The present work shows the potential of six plant lectins which were tested in vitro against yeasts of medical importance, Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Candida parapsilosis, Cryptococcus gattii, Cryptococcus neoformans, Malassezia pachydermatis, Rhodotorula sp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeptospirosis is an important global zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp. species. Swine leptospirosis has a major economic impact because pigs are sources of animal protein and by-products.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeptospirosis is a globally prevalent zoonosis caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp.; several serologic variants have reservoirs in synanthropic rodents. The capybara is the largest living rodent in the world, and it has a wide geographical distribution in Central and South America.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiagnosis of leptospirosis by PCR is hampered due to the presence of substances on biological fluids. Here, we report an immunomagnetic separation step prior to PCR which improved the detection of Leptospira spp. in blood and urine samples from dogs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis
September 2011
Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira that affects humans and a wide variety of animals. Recently the genomes of Leptospira interrogans, Leptospira borgpetersenii and Leptospira biflexa species were sequenced allowing the identification of new virulence factors involved in survival and pathogenesis of bacteria. LigA and LigB are surface-exposed bacterial adhesins whose expression is correlated with the virulence of Leptospira strains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. The illness is characterized by an acute bacteremic phase followed by an immune phase, in which specific antibodies are found in blood and leptospires are eliminated in urine. Novel diagnostic strategies for use in the acute phase of leptospirosis are needed since clinical manifestations in this phase mimic other feverish tropical diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF