Killing of Trypanozoon Parasites by the Equine Cathelicidin eCATH1.

Trypanozoon parasites infect both humans, causing sleeping sickness, and animals, causing nagana, surra, and dourine. Control of nagana and surra depends to a great extent on chemotherapy. However, drug resistance to several of the front-line drugs is rising.

Solution structure and functional studies of the highly potent equine antimicrobial peptide DEFA1.

Defensins are small effector molecules of the innate immune system that are present in almost all organisms including plants and animals. These peptides possess antimicrobial activity against a broad range of microbes including bacteria, fungi and viruses and act as endogenous antibiotics. α-Defensins are a subfamily of the defensin family and their expression is limited to specific tissues.

Assessment of the safety and immunogenicity of Rhodococcus equi-secreted proteins combined with either a liquid nanoparticle (IMS 3012) or a polymeric (PET GEL A) water-based adjuvant in adult horses and foals--identification of promising new candidate antigens.

Rhodococcus equi is the most common infectious cause of mortality in foals between 1 and 6 months of age. Because of an increase in the number of antibiotic-resistant strains, the optimization of a prophylactic strategy is a key factor in the comprehensive management of R. equi pneumonia.

Mucosal co-immunization of mice with recombinant lactococci secreting VapA antigen and leptin elicits a protective immune response against Rhodococcus equi infection.

Rhodococcus equi causes severe pneumonia in foals and has recently gained attention as a significant opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised humans. However, no effective vaccine to prevent rhodococcosis is currently available. In this study, we have engineered the food-grade bacterium Lactococcus lactis to secrete the virulence-associated protein A from R.