Assessment of pathogenicity in goats: implications for transmission dynamics and host resistant.

, commonly associated with ovine babesiosis, poses a significant threat to sheep health, often resulting in severe clinical manifestations and high mortality rates. However, the impact of on goats has remained uncertain, prompting us to investigate its pathogenicity in caprine hosts. Experimental infections using -infected blood inoculation and infected tick infestation, were conducted on spleen-intact (n=5) and splenectomized (n=5) goats.

New insights in the diagnosis and treatment of equine piroplasmosis: pitfalls, idiosyncrasies, and myths.

Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a global tick-borne disease of equids caused by the intraerythrocytic apicomplexan parasites and , and the more recently discovered . These parasites can be transmitted by several tick species, including , , and , but iatrogenic and vertical transmission are also common. Clinical signs of EP include poor performance, fever, icterus, abortions, among others, and peracute or acute forms of infection are associated with high mortality in non-endemic areas.

Transient efficacy of buparvaquone against the US isolate of Ikeda genotype in sub-clinically infected cattle.

Introduction: , an economically significant tick-borne hemoparasite, infects cattle globally. The Ikeda genotype, transmitted by ticks, is associated with clinical manifestations characterized by anemia, abortions, and mortality, although subclinical infections prevail. Despite the common occurrence of subclinical infections, therapeutic interventions targeting Ikeda in such cases are currently lacking, impeding effective parasite control measures.

Role of larvae in transstadial transmission and endemicity of in chronically infected sheep.

, transmitted by ticks, is the causative agent of ovine babesiosis, a disease characterized by fever, anemia, hemoglobinuria, and high mortality in sheep. This study investigates whether sheep that survived babesiosis without treatment can serve as a source of infection for -free host-seeking larvae in a later season. Three donor sheep were experimentally infected with , and after six months, persistence of was assessed through blood and tick transmission experiments.

Transient efficacy of buparvaquone against Theileria haneyi in chronically infected horses.

Background: Theileria haneyi is one of the three known causative agents of equine piroplasmosis. While imidocarb is generally effective in the clearance of the highly pathogenic Theileria equi, it is ineffective in the treatment of T. haneyi.

Expression of IL-10 and TGF-β1 in horses experimentally infected with merozoites is associated with antibody production but not modulation of pro-inflammatory responses.

() is an apicomplexan parasite that causes severe hemolytic anemia in equids. Presently, there is inadequate knowledge of the immune responses induced by in equid hosts impeding understanding of the host parasite relationship and development of potent vaccines for control of infections. The objective of this study was to evaluate the host-parasite dynamics between merozoites and infected horses by assessing cytokine expression during primary and secondary parasite exposure, and to determine whether the pattern of expression correlated with clinical indicators of disease.

A conserved motif in the immune-subdominant RAP-1 related antigen of contains a B-cell epitope recognized by antibodies from protected cattle.

Introduction: , a tick-borne apicomplexan parasite causing bovine babesiosis, remains a significant threat worldwide, and improved and practical vaccines are needed. Previous studies defined the members of the rhoptry associated protein-1 (RAP-1), and the neutralization-sensitive rhoptry associated protein-1 related antigen (RRA) superfamily in , as strong candidates for the development of subunit vaccines. Both RAP-1 and RRA share conservation of a group of 4 cysteines and amino acids motifs at the amino terminal end (NT) of these proteins.

Ovine Herpesvirus 2 Glycoprotein B Complementation Restores Infectivity to a Bovine Herpesvirus 4 gB-Null Mutant.

Ovine herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2) and bovine herpesvirus 4 (BoHV-4) are gamma herpesviruses that belong to the genera and , respectively. As with all herpesviruses, both OvHV-2 and BoHV-4 express glycoprotein B (gB), which plays an essential role in the infection of host cells. In that context, it has been demonstrated that a BoHV-4 gB-null mutant is unable to infect host cells.

Experimental infection of non-immunosuppressed and immunosuppressed goats reveals differential pathogenesis of n. sp.

Babesiosis is an acute and persistent tick-borne disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus . These hemoparasites affect vertebrates globally, resulting in symptoms such as high fever, anemia, jaundice, and even death. Advancements in molecular parasitology revealed new species/genotypes affecting sheep and goats, including n.

B-cell leukemia in an adult sheep.

B-cell leukemia is a rare form of hematologic neoplasia in sheep, especially in adult animals. We present a case report of a 5-year-old WhiteFace Sheep wether with suspected acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The patient, a second-generation relative of ewes experimentally inoculated with atypical scrapie, exhibited acute lethargy and loss of appetite.

Vaccination of cattle with the Babesia bovis sexual-stage protein HAP2 abrogates parasite transmission by Rhipicephalus microplus ticks.

The apicomplexan parasite Babesia bovis is responsible for bovine babesiosis, a poorly controlled tick-borne disease of global impact. The widely conserved gametocyte protein HAPLESS2/GCS1 (HAP2) is uniquely expressed on the surface of B. bovis sexual stage parasites and is a candidate for transmission-blocking vaccines (TBV).

First report of an outbreak of "Q" fever IN an abattoir from Argentina.

In late October 2021, one of the veterinarians and the occupational physician of a bovine and swine abattoir from Entre Ríos Province, Argentina were alerted about workers with atypical pneumonia symptoms, raising suspicious of a possible Q fever outbreak. An outbreak epidemiological investigation was carried out. Analysis was based on the description of the study population, according to gender, age, symptoms, and position within the abattoir, as well as on outbreak epidemic curve and its probable origin.

Vaccination with an culture attenuated strain safely protects highly susceptible adult cattle against acute bovine babesiosis.

Introduction: Live attenuated vaccines produced by sequential passages in splenectomized calves have historically been used to control acute bovine babesiosis in endemic areas worldwide. However, several constraints prevent the widespread use of these vaccines, including the need for several splenectomized calves to produce vaccine batches, and potential inconsistent parasite attenuation, which contraindicates their use for highly -susceptible adult cattle. Thus, the use of vaccines based on well-defined culture attenuated strains emerges as a more sustainable and efficient alternative.

Identification of novel immune correlates of protection against acute bovine babesiosis by superinfecting cattle with culture attenuated and virulent strains.

The apicomplexan tickborne parasites and are the major causative agents of bovine babesiosis, a disease that negatively affects the cattle industry and food safety around the world. The absence of correlates of protection represents one major impediment for the development of effective and sustainable vaccines against bovine babesiosis. Herein we superinfected cattle with attenuated and virulent strains of to investigate immune correlates of protection against acute bovine babesiosis.

Lactate Dehydrogenase as a Potential Therapeutic Drug Target to Control .

is a tick-borne apicomplexan hemoprotozoan responsible for bovine babesiosis. The current drugs used for bovine babesiosis treatment have several drawbacks, including toxicity, the lack of effectiveness to clear the parasite, and potential to develop resistance. Identifying compounds that target essential and unique parasite metabolic pathways is a rational approach toward finding alternative drug treatments.

Theileria equi RAP-1a and RAP-1b proteins contain immunoreactive epitopes and are suitable candidates for vaccine and diagnostics development.

Theileria equi is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that causes severe hemolytic anaemia in most equid species. Similar to other apicomplexan parasites, T. equi contains rhoptries whose contents have been implicated in host cell invasion and formation of the parasitophorous vacuole that is crucial for survival of the species within cells.

Identification of CCp5 and FNPA as Novel Non-canonical Members of the CCp Protein Family in .

Bovine babesiosis, caused by , is an economically significant tick-borne disease that imposes restrictions to livestock production worldwide. Current methods to control bovine babesiosis have severe limitations and novel approaches, including transmission-blocking vaccines, are needed. Members of the widely conserved CCp family are multidomain adhesion proteins containing LCCL motifs, which are differentially expressed on gametocytes of apicomplexans, including spp.

A Culture-Adapted Strain of Has Reduced Subpopulation Complexity and Is Unable to Complete Its Natural Life Cycle in Ticks.

natural field strains are composed of several geno-phenotypically distinct subpopulations. This feature, together with possible epigenetic modifications, may facilitate adaptation to variable environmental conditions. In this study we compare geno-phenotypical features among long-term (more than 12 years) (LTCP) and short-term cultured parasites (STCP) derived from the S74-T3Bo strain.

Harnessing BCG Trained Immunity to Control Human and Bovine Babesiosis.

Babesiosis is a disease caused by tickborne hemoprotozoan apicomplexan parasites of the genus that negatively impacts public health and food security worldwide. Development of effective and sustainable vaccines against babesiosis is currently hindered in part by the absence of definitive host correlates of protection. Despite that, studies in and , major causative agents of human and bovine babesiosis, respectively, suggest that early activation of innate immune responses is crucial for vertebrates to survive acute infection.

Isolation of infectious Theileria parva sporozoites secreted by infected Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks into an in vitro tick feeding system.

Background: Vector-borne diseases pose an increasing threat to global food security. Vaccines, diagnostic tests, and therapeutics are urgently needed for tick-borne diseases that affect livestock. However, the inability to obtain significant quantities of pathogen stages derived from ticks has hindered research.

Immunoreactive Rhoptry-Associated Protein-1 Paralogs Are Ancestral Members of the Piroplasmid-Confined RAP-1 Family.

, and are tick-borne apicomplexan parasites of the order Piroplasmida, responsible for diseases in humans and animals. Members of the piroplasmid rhoptry-associated protein-1 (pRAP-1) family have a signature cysteine-rich domain and are important for parasite development. We propose that the closely linked genes annotated as BMR1_03g00947 and BMR1_03g00960 encode two paralogue pRAP-1-like proteins named BmIPA48 and Bm960.

Babesiosis as a potential threat for bovine production in China.

Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease with global impact caused by parasites of the phylum Apicomplexa, genus Babesia. Typically, acute bovine babesiosis (BB) is characterized by fever, anemia, hemoglobinuria, and high mortality. Surviving animals remain persistently infected and become reservoirs for parasite transmission.