Strongyle egg shedding and egg reappearance periods in horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction.

Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is the most common endocrine disorder of older horses. Immune dysfunction in horses with PPID could increase susceptibility to infectious diseases, including strongyle infections; however, few data are available. The aim of this study was to determine if horses with PPID had increased strongyle faecal egg counts (FEC) compared with control horses, over a fourteen-week period in Victoria, Australia.

Evaluation of LAMP for Fasciola hepatica detection from faecal samples of experimentally and naturally infected cattle.

Fasciola hepatica causes liver fluke disease in production animals and humans worldwide. Faecal egg counts (FEC) are the most common diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of liver fluke disease. However, FEC has low sensitivity and is often unreliable for the detection of patent infection.

The Immune Response to Nematode Infection.

Nematode infection is a major threat to the health of humans, domestic animals and wildlife. Nematodes vary in their effect on the host and in the mechanisms underlying immunity but the general features are becoming clear. There is considerable variation among individuals in resistance to infection and much of this variation is due to genetic variation in the immune response.

Evaluation of the Role of Galectins in Parasite Immunity.

Galectin-11 (LGALS-11) and galectin-14 (LGALS-14) are ruminant specific galectins, first reported in sheep. Although their roles in parasite immunity are still being elucidated, it appears that they influence protection against parasites. In gastrointestinal infections with the nematode Haemonchus contortus, both galectin-11 and galectin-14 appear to be protective.

The heritability of fecal egg counts.

Although Nematodirus battus is a serious threat to the health and survival of young lambs, there are few options to control this parasite. Bayesian Monte Carlo Markov Chain modelling with a zero-inflated Poisson distribution was used to estimate the heritability of egg counts in both June and July for each of five consecutive cohorts of 200 Scottish Blackface lambs. In one of the 10 analyses, the results failed the diagnostic tests.

Investigation of the combined efficacy of two Haemonchus contortus vaccines in weaner Merino sheep.

This study was conducted to investigate whether co-administration of Barbervax® (Bvax) with Haemonchus contortus surface larval antigen (HcsL3) would increase the protective efficacy and duration of protection against H. contortus infection in weaner Merino sheep. A total of 132 10-month-old weaned Merino ewe lambs were randomly allocated into six treatment groups (n = 22).

Quantifying the sources of variation in eosinophilia among Scottish blackface lambs with mixed, predominantly Teladorsagia circumcincta nematode infection.

Eosinophils play a key role in defence against gastrointestinal nematodes. There is considerable variation among animals in the intensity of eosinophilia following nematode infection. However, the statistical distribution of eosinophils among animals has still to be determined.

Comparative evaluation of different molecular methods for DNA extraction from individual Teladorsagia circumcincta nematodes.

Background: The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable DNA extraction protocol to use on individual Teladorsagia circumcincta nematode specimens to produce high quality DNA for genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Pooled samples have been critical in providing the groundwork for T. circumcincta genome construction, but there is currently no standard method for extracting high-quality DNA from individual nematodes.

Variation in gut bacterial composition is associated with Haemonchus contortus parasite infection of sheep.

Background: One of the greatest impediments to global small ruminant production is infection with the gastrointestinal parasite, Haemonchus contortus. In recent years there has been considerable interest in the gut microbiota and its impact on health. Relatively little is known about interactions between the gut microbiota and gastrointestinal tract pathogens in sheep.

Will helminth co-infection modulate COVID-19 severity in endemic regions?

As COVID-19 spreads through the world, most cases to date are in middle- and high-income nations. The impact on resource-poor nations remains unknown. Amongst many factors likely to affect the impact of COVID-19 in these areas, co-infections need to be considered.

Increased susceptibility to Haemonchus contortus infection by interleukin-5 modulation of eosinophil responses in sheep.

Eosinophils are prominent effector cells in immune responses against gastrointestinal nematode infections in ruminants, but their in vivo role has been hard to establish in large animals. Interleukin-5 is a key cytokine in the induction and stimulation of anti-parasitic eosinophil responses. This study attempted to modulate the eosinophil response in sheep through vaccination with recombinant interleukin-5 (rIL-5) and determine the effect on subsequent Haemonchus contortus infection.

The composition and stability of the faecal microbiota of Merino sheep.

Aims: To determine the composition and temporal stability of the gut (faecal) microbiota of sheep (Ovis aries).

Methods And Results: Microbial population dynamics was conducted using ARISA (28 sheep) and 16S rRNA sequencing (11 sheep). Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the predominant bacterial phyla, constituting ~80% of the total population.

Proteomic identification of galectin-11 and -14 ligands from Fasciola hepatica.

Fasciola hepatica is a globally distributed zoonotic trematode that causes fasciolosis in livestock, wildlife, ruminants and humans. Fasciolosis causes a significant economic impact on the agricultural sector and affects human health. Due to the increasing prevalence of triclabendazole resistance in F.

The current status of anthelmintic resistance in a temperate region of Australia; implications for small ruminant farm management.

Widespread anthelmintic resistance in small ruminants is a constraint on the profitability of the meat/wool industry. Limited published data is available on the prevalence and efficacy of anthelmintics, particularly in Australia where parasites affecting ruminant systems vary greatly between geographic regions. This paper reports on the anthelmintic resistance status in a temperate region of Victoria, Australia, a major sheep producing state largely affected by Trichostrongylus species and Teladorsagia circumcincta.

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.

Proteomic identification of galectin-11 and 14 ligands from .

is the most pathogenic nematode of small ruminants. Infection in sheep and goats results in anaemia that decreases animal productivity and can ultimately cause death. The involvement of ruminant-specific galectin-11 (LGALS-11) and galectin-14 (LGALS-14) has been postulated to play important roles in protective immune responses against parasitic infection; however, their ligands are unknown.

A novel ex vivo immunoproteomic approach characterising Fasciola hepatica tegumental antigens identified using immune antibody from resistant sheep.

A more thorough understanding of the immunological interactions between Fasciola spp. and their hosts is required if we are to develop new immunotherapies to control fasciolosis. Deeper knowledge of the antigens that are the target of the acquired immune responses of definitive hosts against both Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica will potentially identify candidate vaccine antigens.

Modulation of Haemonchus contortus infection by depletion of γδ T cells in parasite resistant Canaria Hair Breed sheep.

Canaria Hair Breed (CHB) sheep display resistance against the adult stage of the nematode, Haemonchus contortus. Previous studies have suggested significant correlations between γδ T lymphocytes and fecundity of female adult worms, suggesting a novel role in immune modulation by these cells. The largest proportion of γδ T lymphocytes in sheep are the subpopulation of γδ/WC1 T cells.

Selection of multi-drug resistant influenza A and B viruses under zanamivir pressure and their replication fitness in ferrets.

Background: Intravenous zanamivir has been used to treat patients with severe influenza. Because the majority of cases (including immunocompromised patients) require the drug for an extended period of treatment, there is a higher risk that the virus will develop resistance. Therefore, knowing the possible amino acid substitutions that may arise in recently circulating influenza strains under prolonged zanamivir exposure and their impact on antiviral susceptibility is important.

Immunity to Haemonchus contortus and Vaccine Development.

Sheep are capable of developing protective immunity to Haemonchus contortus through repeated exposure to this parasite, although this immune protection is the result of a complex interaction among age, gender, physiological status, pregnancy, lactation, nutrition and innate and adaptive immunity in the host animal. There are multiple effectors of the protective immune response, which differ depending on the developmental stage of the parasite being targeted, and our understanding of the effector mechanisms has developed considerably in the 2000s. The rational design of vaccines based on 'natural' or 'exposed' antigens depends on an understanding of this exposure-induced immunity.

Potential role for mucosal IgA in modulating Haemonchus contortus adult worm infection in sheep.

Haemonchus contortus (H. contortus) is a haematophagous parasite which causes important economic losses in small ruminants. On the island of Gran Canaria, two sheep breeds coexist which differ in their susceptibility to the infection with H.

Generation of a Novel Bacteriophage Library Displaying scFv Antibody Fragments from the Natural Buffalo Host to Identify Antigens from Adult Schistosoma japonicum for Diagnostic Development.

The development of effective diagnostic tools will be essential in the continuing fight to reduce schistosome infection; however, the diagnostic tests available to date are generally laborious and difficult to implement in current parasite control strategies. We generated a series of single-chain antibody Fv domain (scFv) phage display libraries from the portal lymph node of field exposed water buffaloes, Bubalus bubalis, 11-12 days post challenge with Schistosoma japonicum cercariae. The selected scFv-phages showed clear enrichment towards adult schistosomes and excretory-secretory (ES) proteins by immunofluorescence, ELISA and western blot analysis.

Dynamics of IL-4 and IL-13 expression in the airways of sheep following allergen challenge.

Background: IL-4 and IL-13 play a critical yet poorly understood role in orchestrating the recruitment and activation of effector cells of the asthmatic response and driving the pathophysiology of allergic asthma. The house dust mite (HDM) sheep asthma model displays many features of the human condition and is an ideal model to further elucidate the involvement of these critical Th2 cytokines. We hypothesized that airway exposure to HDM allergen would induce or elevate the expression profile of IL-4 and IL-13 during the allergic airway response in this large animal model of asthma.

Cloning, expression, purification and crystallographic studies of galectin-11 from domestic sheep (Ovis aries).

Galectins are an evolutionarily conserved family of proteins that translate glycan recognition into cellular effects. Galectin-11 is a unique member of the galectin family that is only expressed in ruminants such as sheep, goat and cattle and that plays a critical role in several important biological processes, such as reproduction and parasite-mediated innate immune responses. Currently, these two areas are of major importance for the sustainability of ruminant livestock production.