Publications by authors named "Theresa Wood"

Understanding SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology in companion animals is critical for evaluating their role in viral transmission and their potential as sentinels for human infections. This large-scale serosurvey analyzed serum samples from 706 cats and 2,396 dogs collected across the USA in 2023 using a surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Overall, 5.

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High-volume spay/neuter events may facilitate access to free-roaming dogs to administer rabies vaccination, but important questions remain regarding the effect of surgery and anesthesia on the immune response to a vaccine administered in the perioperative period. This study evaluated the immunogenicity of primary rabies vaccination in dogs when administered during the immediate perioperative period at the time of surgical sterilization (ovariohysterectomy/orchidectomy). Healthy dogs of both sexes presenting for surgical sterilization who had never been vaccinated against rabies virus were eligible for enrollment in the study.

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Background: Feline heartworm disease (HWD) is a complex and often misdiagnosed disease in cats, caused by the filarial nematode Dirofilaria immitis. Despite its significant impact, studies reporting the prevalence of D. immitis in apparently healthy pet cats in the USA are lacking.

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Background: Heartworms, Dirofilaria immitis, are known to be widespread in dogs and cats in the USA, but there have been no country-wide prevalence studies performed to date. There have also been no large-scale studies to determine whether the closely related species, Dirofilaria repens, occurs in the USA.

Methods: To provide this large-scale data, we examined whole blood samples (n = 2334) submitted from around the USA to the Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory at Auburn University between 2016 and 2022.

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To provide more complete data on SARS-CoV-2 infections in dogs and cats in the U.S., we conducted a serosurvey on convenience serum samples from dogs (=1336) and cats (=956) collected from 48 states of the USA in 2020.

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A feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary administration of probiotic with Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus oryzae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on growth, innate immune response, Hemato-immunological parameters and disease resistance of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. Animals were distributed in three equal groups, each of five replicates and received one of the following experimental diets for four weeks: Control, non-supplemented diet; 5 g kg(-1) probiotic mixture (B. subtilis 1.

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Vertebrates including teleost fish have evolved an array of pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs) for detecting and responding to various pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), including Toll-like receptors (TLRs), nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat containing receptors (NLRs), and the retinoic acid inducible gene I (RIG-I) like receptors (RLRs). As a part of the series of studies targeted to characterize catfish PRRs, we described 22 NLR receptors in the sister contribution. Here in this study, we focused on cytosolic PRRs recognizing nucleotide pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) of invading viruses, the retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I)-like receptors (RLR receptors).

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