Changes in Erythrocytes in 88 Hyperthyroid Cats.

Background: There is only a limited number of studies that show alterations in erythrocytes in feline hyperthyroidism. Discrepancies between the findings of these studies may be caused by the presence of concurrent diseases and the use of various haematological analysers.

Methods: This study analysed changes in red blood cells (RBCs) in 88 hyperthyroid cats without concurrent diseases, to identify associations between observed changes and to assess the influence of serum thyroxine (T4) concentration, cat age, and sex, on RBC changes.

Canine Babesiosis Caused by Large Species: Global Prevalence and Risk Factors-A Review.

Canine babesiosis is a disease caused by protozoan pathogens belonging to the genus . Four species of large cause canine babesiosis (, , , and the informally named ). Although canine babesiosis has a worldwide distribution, different species occur in specific regions: in sub-Saharan Africa, in Europe and Asia, and in the Eastern Atlantic United States, while occurs in Africa, southern parts of Europe and Asia, northern Australia, southern regions of North America, and in South America.

Pathogenesis of Anemia in Canine Babesiosis: Possible Contribution of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines and Chemokines-A Review.

Canine babesiosis is a tick-borne protozoan disease caused by intraerythrocytic parasites of the genus . The infection may lead to anemia in infected dogs. However, anemia is not directly caused by the pathogen.

Fatty Acid Binding Protein 1 Modulates Polarization by Promoting Dendritic Cell Thrombospondin-1 Secretion Without Affecting Metabolic Homeostasis in Obese Mice.

Background: The parasitic trematode evades host immune defenses through secretion of various immunomodulatory molecules. Fatty Acid Binding Proteins (FABPs) are among the main excreted/secreted proteins and have been shown to display anti-inflammatory properties. However, little is currently known regarding their impact on dendritic cells (DCs) and their subsequent capacity to prime specific CD4 T cell subsets.

The Role of Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NF-κB) in the Immune Response against Parasites.

The immune system consists of various cells, organs, and processes that interact in a sophisticated manner to defend against pathogens. Upon initial exposure to an invader, nonspecific mechanisms are raised through the activation of macrophages, monocytes, basophils, mast cells, eosinophils, innate lymphoid cells, or natural killer cells. During the course of an infection, more specific responses develop (adaptive immune responses) whose hallmarks include the expansion of B and T cells that specifically recognize foreign antigens.

Praziquantel use in aquaculture - Current status and emerging issues.

Parasitic diseases are major constraints in fish mariculture. The anthelmintic praziquantel (PZQ) can effectively treat a range of flatworm parasites in a variety of fish species and has potential for broader application than its current use in the global aquaculture industry. In this review we report on PZQ's current use in the aquaculture industry and discuss its efficacy against various flatworm parasites of fish.

The Role of the Intestinal Epithelium in the "Weep and Sweep" Response during Gastro-Intestinal Helminth Infections.

Helminths are metazoan parasites infecting around 1.5 billion people all over the world. During coevolution with hosts, worms have developed numerous ways to trick and evade the host immune response, and because of their size, they cannot be internalized and killed by immune cells in the same way as bacteria or viruses.

Inactivated tetanus as an immunological smokescreen: A major step towards harnessing tetanus-based therapeutics.

Background And Purpose: Tetanus neurotoxin has many potential therapeutic applications, due to its ability to increase localised muscle tone when injected directly into a muscle. It is a closely related molecule to botulinum neurotoxin (most commonly known as Botox), which has been widely used to release muscle tension for therapeutic and cosmetic applications. However, tetanus toxin has been relegated to the "maybe pile" for protein therapeutics - as most of the population is vaccinated, leading to highly effective antibody-mediated protection against the toxin.

Cholinesterase as an inflammatory marker of subclinical infection of dairy cows infected by Neospora caninum and risk factors for disease.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of Neospora caninum in dairy cows, as well as to verify the risk factors for N. caninum infection and inflammatory response in dairy cows. Using the indirect immunofluorescence reaction, the seroprevalence of neosporosis was determined to be 32.

Generation of a single-chain variable fragment phage display antibody library from naïve mice panned against Fasciola hepatica antigens.

Monoclonal antibodies have a wide range of applications in basic and applied research as well as in the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Phage display antibody libraries offer an alternative to hybridoma technology for the generation of monoclonal antibodies and can be applied to high-throughput screening and facilitate the generation of novel antibodies. Despite their utility in several fields of research there has been limited application of antibody libraries in the study of trematode parasites.

Isolates Induce Different Immune Responses in Unmaturated Bovine Macrophages.

Introduction: (liver fluke) is a parasite of great socioeconomic importance. A number of fluke isolates have been identified; however, to date the differences between the immunomodulatory properties of different parasite isolates have not been sufficiently investigated. The aim of this study was to explore differences between the immunomodulatory properties of two isolates using unmaturated bovine macrophages.

Protective efficacy of liver fluke DNA vaccines: A systematic review and meta-analysis: Guiding novel vaccine development.

The immunogenicity and efficacy of Fasciola DNA vaccines have not yet been comprehensively summarised in the form of a systematic review and meta-analysis. Though multiple vaccine studies with respect to Fasciola vaccines exist, the variance in the experimental parameters has made comparison difficult. We conducted a bibliographic database search in Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, EMBASE and Web of Science databases, limited to publications from 1998 to 2017.

Construction of a novel phage display antibody library against Fasciola hepatica, and generation of a single-chain variable fragment specific for F. hepatica cathepsin L1.

Phage display technology to produce recombinant monoclonal antibodies or antibody fragments permits the identification of sought after antibodies in short time frames at low cost along with direct and rapid selection for antibody characteristics. Monoclonal antibodies can facilitate the identification and characterisation of parasite molecules that function at the host-parasite interface to help understand at the molecular level the biology of the parasite and disease progression, which often leads to new drug targets, diagnostic antigens or vaccine candidates. The trematode Fasciola hepatica is an important veterinary and human parasite.

Intranasal delivery of a formulation containing stage-specific recombinant proteins of Fasciola hepatica cathepsin L5 and cathepsin B2 triggers an anti-fecundity effect and an adjuvant-mediated reduction in fluke burden in sheep.

Fasciola hepatica infection continues to be a major problem in the agriculture sector, particularly in sheep and cattle. Cathepsin L and B proteases are major components of the excretory/secretory material of the parasite, and their roles in several important aspects of parasite invasion and survival has led to their use as targets in rational vaccine design. Previous studies in rats demonstrated that the use of stage-specific antigens, cathepsin B2 and cathepsin L5, as part of a multivalent vaccine, was able to confer significant protection against challenge.

Sex and vaccination: Insights from female rats vaccinated with juvenile-specific proteases from Fasciola hepatica.

Most animal research is less evidence-based for females, with the majority of studies conducted on males. Since immune responses vary between males and females, sexual dimorphism in immunity contributes, among other things, to sex-based differences post-vaccination. However, the issue of sex effects in animal vaccine research is rarely considered in vaccine study design.

Vaccination against Fasciola hepatica using cathepsin L3 and B3 proteases delivered alone or in combination.

No licensed vaccine is currently available for prevention of Fasciola hepatica infections. However, considering the alarming increase in drug resistance, there is an urgent need for a safe and fully effective vaccine against fasciolosis. Here, we tested if cathepsins L (FhCL3-1, FhCL3-2) and B (FhCB3) secreted by juvenile liver flukes are viable vaccine targets when delivered alone or in combination in a rat model.

Excretory/secretory products from two Fasciola hepatica isolates induce different transcriptional changes and IL-10 release in LPS-activated bovine "BOMA" macrophages.

Fasciola hepatica are trematodes that reside in the bile ducts of mammals. Infection causes US$3 billion in losses annually in animal production and is considered a zoonosis of growing importance. An under-represented area in F.

Lymphocyte responses of rats vaccinated with cDNA encoding a phosphoglycerate kinase of Fasciola hepatica (FhPGK) and F. hepatica infection.

Lymphocyte responses in the blood, peritoneal fluid and both mesenteric and hepatic lymph nodes of cDNA-FhPGK/pCMV vaccinated and/or Fasciola hepatica infected rats of both sexes were investigated to provide an insight into the immune responses that develop in different body compartments. The immune response that developed in cDNA-FhPGK/pCMV vaccinated females contributed to partial protection against F. hepatica infection (54% reduction in fluke recovery), while more liver flukes were found in the livers and bile ducts of cDNA-FhPGK/pCMV vaccinated male rats than in unvaccinated animals (increase of 13%).

Dictyocaulosis in dairy cows in Brazil: an epidemiological, clinical-pathological and therapeutic approach.

An outbreak of severe parasitic pneumonia caused by Dictyocaulus viviparus was diagnosed in adult dairy cows in the municipality of Arabutã, Southern Brazil. The total morbidity in the herd was 71.9%, and the morbidity amongst adult lactating cattle was 100%.

Immune protection conferred by recombinant MRLC (myosin regulatory light chain) antigen in TiterMax Gold® adjuvant against experimental fasciolosis in rats.

Protection against experimental fasciolosis in rats immunized with recombinant myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) in TiterMax Gold® adjuvant was assessed. The experimental trial consisted of four groups of 15 animals; group 1 was unimmunized and infected, group 2 was immunized with MRLC in adjuvant and infected, group 3 was infected and immunized with adjuvant only and group 4 was unimmunized and uninfected. Immunization with MRLC in TiterMax Gold® adjuvant (group 2) induced a reduction in fluke burdens of 51.

Immune responses in rats and sheep induced by a DNA vaccine containing the phosphoglycerate kinase gene of Fasciola hepatica and liver fluke infection.

Immune responses of rats and sheep following vaccination with cDNA encoding phosphoglycerate kinase of Fasciola hepatica (cDNA-FhPGK/pCMV) and F. hepatica infection were investigated in the present study. cDNA-FhPGK/pCMV vaccinated female Sprague-Dawley rats were better protected by vaccination than their male counterparts - 48% reduction in fluke burden for females and no protection for males when compared with appropriate infection control groups.

Excretory/secretory products of Fasciola hepatica but not recombinant phosphoglycerate kinase induce death of human hepatocyte cells.

The liver fluke Fasciola hepatica infects a wide range of hosts, and has a considerable impact on the agriculture industry, mainly through infections of sheep and cattle. Further, human infection is now considered of public health importance and is hyperendemic in some regions. The fluke infection causes considerable damage to the hosts' liver.

Evaluation of the immune response of male and female rats vaccinated with cDNA encoding a cysteine proteinase of Fasciola hepatica (FhPcW1).

Not only do males and females of many species vary in their responses to certain parasitic infections, but also to treatments such as vaccines. However, there are very few studies investigating differences among sexes following vaccination and infection. Here we demonstrate that female Sprague-Dawley rats vaccinated with cDNA encoding a recently discovered cysteine proteinase of Fasciola hepatica (FhPcW1) develop considerably lower liver fluke burdens after F.

Microarray analysis of rat immune responses to liver fluke infection following vaccination with Fasciola hepatica phosphoglycerate kinase.

Fasciolosis is a considerable veterinary problem, causing significant economic losses to livestock production and the food industry. Research in the area of Fasciola hepatica infection immunology is necessary to improve our knowledge about immunological mechanism evoked by the parasite and to develop new control strategies against liver fluke. In this present paper we analyzed the expression levels of cytokines in rats infected with F.