Hemoprotozoa of domestic animals in France: Prevalence and molecular characterization

Very limited information is available on epizootiology of haematozoan infections in French domestic animals. In an attempt to address this issue, prevalence of piroplasmida was studied in carnivores and ruminants, whereas prevalence of Hepatozoon spp. was only investigated in carnivores. In total, 383 animals were included in the survey (namely 116 cats, 108 dogs, 91 sheep and 68 cows). Parasite diagnosis was carried out using molecular methods such as PCR and sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene. In addition, ruminant samples were analyzed with the reverse line blotting technique (RLB). Results of RLB and PCR plus sequencing were in total agreement. In carnivores, haematozoan prevalence was clo…

Tick-borne pathogens in sheep and goats in Southern Italy

Mycoplasma agalactiae infection in Italy: past, present and future

Microclimatic conditions and Environmental differences of Sicilian coastal areas and Ixodidae phenology

Prevalence of Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia and Coxiella in different tick species

Characterization of a novel Babesia bigemina gene and its potential use as molecular marker for strain discrimination

Caratterizzazione dell'antigene AMA1 in ceppi di Babesia bigemina isolati in Italia

Babesia bigemina is an endemic parasite in different parts of the world, including Europe and the Americas. One of the few genes characterized in this species codifies for the apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1), a transmembrane antigen recently identified. We characterized the ama-1 gene from three Italian B. bigemina strains. Italian sequences were compared to those of the Australian strain. The results obtained confirmed that this newly described ama-1 gene is highly conserved among Italian and foreign strains, which has implications for vaccine development.

Babesia bovis and B. bigemina diffusion in Eastern Sicily

Survey of ecology and pathogenicity of Hyalomma lusitanicum population in the Natural Oriented Zingaro Reserve (TP): preliminary results

Sequence variability in the Babesia bigemina merozoite surface antigen GP45 gene among Mexican and Italian isolates

Easy detection and differentiation of Anaplasma ovis and Anaplasma marginale by PCR based on MSP4 gene

Detection of Babesia bovis and B. bigemina in Dama dama

Antigen-specific T cells and cytokines detection as useful tool for understanding immunity against zoonotic infections.

Zoonoses include a broad range of diseases, that are becoming of great interest, due to the climate changing, that cause the adaptation of vectors to new niches and environments. Host immune responses play a crucial role in determining the outcome of infections, as documented by expansion of antigen-specific T cells during several zoonotic infections. Thus, understanding of the contribution of antigen-specific T-cell subsets in the host immune response is a powerful tool to evaluate the different immunological mechanisms involved in zoonotic infections and for the development of effective vaccines. In this paper we discuss the role of T cells in some eukaryotic and prokaryotic infectious mo…

First detection of SARS-CoV-2 A.23.1 sub-lineage in migrants arriving to Italy via the Mediterranean Sea and public health implications

Molecular characterization of B. bovis Merozoite surface antigen 2c (Msa2c) from Italian strains

Timing of activation of CD4+ memory cells as a possible marker to establish the efficacy of vaccines against contagious agalactia in sheep

Mycoplasma agalactiae is a major pathogen of sheep and goats in many areas of the world and particularly in Mediterranean countries. It causes contagious agalactia, an infectious disease primarily affecting mammary glands. Many vaccines against the pathogen are currently under development. The aim of the study was to investigate the involvement of T cell-mediated immunity during vaccination and challenge experiments against Mycoplasma agalactiae. A comparison of the antigen-specific expansion of interferon gamma positive T cell memory and naïve subsets was performed between vaccinated and non-vaccinated sheep to identify cellular subsets whose activation was different between protected and …

Characterization of the Apical Membrane Antigen-1 in Italian Strains of Babesia bigemina

Summary Babesia bigemina is a parasite endemic in different parts of the world, including Europe and the Americas. One of the few genes characterized in this species codifies for the Apical Membrane Antigen 1 (AMA-1), a trans-membrane antigen recently identified. In this research, we characterized the ama-1 gene from three Italian B. bigemina strains, two B. bigemina strains obtained from Ragusa, Sicily (ITA1 and ITA3) and a third one obtained from Benevento, Campania (ITA2). Italian sequences were compared with those of the Australian strain obtained from the Sanger Institute web site and to strains from different parts of the world. The results obtained confirmed that this newly described…

Babesia bigemina Apical Membrane Antigen-1: features of the gene and predictive information of the protein from Italian strains

Babesia bigemina is a tick-borne haemoparasite affecting cattle in different parts of the world. One of the few antigens characterized in this species codifies for the Apical Membrane Antigen 1 (AMA-1), a transmembrane protein recently identified. In this work, we characterized the ama-1 gene from four Italian B.bigemina strains, two obtained from Ragusa, Sicily (ITA1 and ITA3), one obtained from Benevento, Campania (ITA2) and one coming from Perugia, Umbria (ITA4). Italian sequences were compared to the Australian strain, whose sequence is available in the Sanger Institute web site, and to some strains coming from different parts of the world. This study provides useful information on the …

Mycoplasma agalactiae infection in Italy: past, present and future

A comparison of the efficacy of commercial and experimental vaccines for contagious agalactia in sheep

Abstract An effective vaccine that improves the control of contagious agalactia in Mediterranean regions would be beneficial for poorer farmers who use traditional husbandry methods for sheep and goat production. However while there is little published data on the efficacy of commercially available vaccines for contagious agalactia, evidence from the field suggests that some provide inadequate protection. This paper compares four different vaccine formulations, including a widely used commercial vaccine, using clinical signs and mycoplasma excretion as measures of protection in sheep. Results showed that protection afforded by the vaccines, following contact challenge with experimentally in…

Expansion of intracellular IFN-γ positive lymphocytes during Mycoplasma agalactiae infection in sheep.

Abstract A method to assess the expansion of antigen-specific intracellular IFN-γ positive T cell subsets during the infection will be helpful for a better understanding of mycoplasmal infections physiopathology in the sheep. We analysed the percentage of antigen-specific lymphocytes positive for intracellular IFN-γ during the infection of sheep with Mycoplasma agalactiae by culturing peripheral blood mononuclear cells of infected or uninfected animals with irradiated M. agalactiae . The expansion of antigen-specific IFN-γ positive lymphocytes in infected sheep was initially sustained by CD4 + T cells at day 15 after infection, when antigen specific IgG start to be detectable, followed by C…

Iatrogenic transmission of multiple babesiosis in a confined dairy cattle herd in Veneto region

Development and validation of two PCR tests for the detection of and differentiation between Anaplasma ovis and Anaplasma marginale

Anaplasma ovis and Anaplasma marginale are tick-transmitted bacteria that cause anaplasmosis in domestic and wild animals. Recent results show that some domestic and wild animals and ticks are susceptible to both A. ovis and A. marginale, thus supporting the need to differentiate between these species in hosts and ticks diagnosed with Anaplasma infection. However, although anaplasmosis is one of the most common diseases of grazing animals worldwide, rapid and effective tests are not available for the detection of and discrimination between these 2 Anaplasma species. The objective of this research was to develop an easy and reliable method to identify and discriminate between the closely rel…

Investigation on the presence of Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina in wild boars (Sus scrofa).

Detection of natural killer T cells in mice infected with Rickettsia conorii.

Little information is available regarding the role of natural killer T (NKT) cells during the early stage of Rickettsia conorii infection. Herein, C3H/HeN mice were infected with the Malish 7 strain of R. conorii. Splenocytes from these mice were analysed in the early stage of the infection by flow cytometry and compared with uninfected controls. Our results showed an increase in NKT cells in infected mice. Additionally, NKT interleukin (IL)-17(+) cells increased three days after infection, together with a concurrent decrease in the relative amount of NKT interferon (IFN)-γ(+) cells. We also confirmed a higher amount of NK IFN-γ(+) cells in infected mice. Taken together, our data showed tha…

Development of fluorogenic probe-based PCR assays for the detection and quantification of bovine piroplasmids.

This paper reports two new quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays, developed in an attempt to improve the detection of bovine piroplasmids. The first of these techniques is a duplex TaqMan assay for the simultaneous diagnosis of Babesia bovis and B. bigemina. This technique is ideal for use in South America where bovids harbour no theilerids. The second technique, which is suitable for the diagnosis of both babesiosis and theileriosis worldwide, involves fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) probes. In FRET assays, Babesia bovis, B. divergens, Babesia sp. (B. major or B. bigemina), Theileria annae and Theileria sp. were all identifiable based on the melting temperatures of their amplified f…