| Records |
Author  |
Traversa, D.; Giangaspero, A.; Iorio, R.; Otranto, D.; Paoletti, B.; Gasser, R.B. |
| Title |
Semi-nested PCR for the specific detection of Habronema microstoma or Habronema muscae DNA in horse faeces |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2004 |
Publication |
Parasitology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Parasitology |
| Volume |
129 |
Issue |
Pt 6 |
Pages |
733-739 |
| Keywords |
Animals; DNA, Helminth/*analysis; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/*chemistry; Feces/*chemistry; Female; Horse Diseases/*diagnosis/parasitology; Horses; Male; Polymerase Chain Reaction/*methods; Species Specificity; Spirurida Infections/diagnosis/*veterinary; Spiruroidea/*genetics |
| Abstract |
Habronema microstoma and Habronema muscae (Spirurida: Habronematidae) are parasitic nematodes which infect the stomach and/or skin of equids. The accurate diagnosis of gastric habronemosis is central to studying its epidemiology, but data on its distribution and prevalence are lacking, mainly due to the limitations of clinical and coprological diagnosis in live horses. To overcome this constraint, a two-step, semi-nested PCR-based assay was validated (utilizing genetic markers in the nuclear ribosomal DNA) for the specific amplification of H. microstoma or H. muscae DNA from the faeces from horses (n = 46) whose gastrointestinal parasite status had been determined at autopsy and whose faeces were examined previously using a conventional parasitological approach. Of these horses examined at autopsy, some harboured adults of either H. microstoma (n= 19) or H. muscae (n =4), and others (n = 7) harboured both species. Most of them were also infected with other parasites, including strongylid nematodes (subfamilies Cyathostominae and Strongylinae), bots and/or cestodes; there was no evidence of metazoan parasites in 2 horses. Larvated spirurid eggs were detected in the faeces of 1 of the 30 horses (3.3 %) shown to be infected with Habronema at autopsy. For this set of 46 samples, the PCR assay achieved a diagnostic specificity of 100 % and a sensitivity of approximately 97 % (being able to specifically detect as little as approximately 0.02 fg of Habronema DNA). The specificity of the assay was also tested using a panel of control DNA samples representing horse, the gastric spirurid Draschia megastoma and 26 other species of parasites from the alimentary tract of the horse. H. microstoma, H. muscae and D. megastoma could be readily differentiated from one another based on the sizes of their specific amplicons in the PCR. The results of this study showed that the performance of the PCR for the diagnosis of gastric habronemosis was similar to that of autopsy but substantially better than the traditional coprological examination procedure used. The ability to specifically diagnose gastric habronemosis in equids should have important implications for investigating the epidemiology and ecology of H. microstoma and H. muscae. |
| Address |
Department of Biomedical Comparative Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy. traversa@unite.it |
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| Language |
English |
Summary Language |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
0031-1820 |
ISBN |
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| Notes |
PMID:15648696 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2631 |
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| Author |
Traversa, D.; Otranto, D.; Iorio, R.; Giangaspero, A. |
| Title |
Molecular characterization of Thelazia lacrymalis (Nematoda, Spirurida) affecting equids: a tool for vector identification |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Molecular and Cellular Probes |
Abbreviated Journal |
Mol Cell Probes |
| Volume |
19 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
245-249 |
| Keywords |
Animals; Horse Diseases/parasitology; Horses/*parasitology; Insect Vectors/*parasitology; Muscidae/*parasitology; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; Spirurida Infections/parasitology/veterinary; Thelazioidea/chemistry/*genetics |
| Abstract |
Equine thelaziosis caused by the eyeworm Thelazia lacrymalis is a parasitic disease transmitted by muscid flies. Although equine thelaziosis is known to have worldwide distribution, information on the epidemiology and presence of the intermediate hosts of T. lacrymalis is lacking. In the present work, a PCR-RFLP based assay on the first and/or second internal transcribed spacer (ITS1 and ITS2) of ribosomal DNA was developed for the detection of T. lacrymalis DNA in its putative vector(s). The sensitivity of the technique was also assessed. The restriction patterns obtained readily differentiated T. lacrymalis from four species of Musca (Diptera, Muscidae) (i.e. Musca autumnalis, Musca domestica, Musca larvipara and Musca osiris), which are potential vectors of equine eyeworms. The molecular assay presented herein is a useful tool to identify the intermediate host(s) of T. lacrymalis in natural conditions and to study its/their ecology and epidemiology. |
| Address |
Department of Biomedical Comparative Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Piazza Aldo Moro 45, 64100 Teramo, Italy. dtraversa@unite.it |
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English |
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Original Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
0890-8508 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
PMID:16038792 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2626 |
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| Author |
Turner, J.W.J.; Liu, I.K.; Kirkpatrick, J.F. |
| Title |
Remotely delivered immunocontraception in free-roaming feral burros (Equus asinus) |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
1996 |
Publication |
Journal of reproduction and fertility |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Reprod Fertil |
| Volume |
107 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
31-35 |
| Keywords |
Animals; *Animals, Wild; Contraception, Immunologic/methods/*veterinary; *Equidae; Feces/chemistry; Female; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Tests; Swine; Zona Pellucida/immunology |
| Abstract |
Regulation of local overpopulations of free-roaming feral equids is in demand worldwide for ecological balance and habitat preservation. Contraceptive vaccines have proven effective in feral horses, which breed seasonally, but no data are available for equids such as the burro, which is reproductively active all year round. In the present study, 27 individually identified female feral burros (Equus asinus) roaming free in Virgin Islands National Park (St John, US Virgin Islands; Lesser Antilles) were remotely treated with pig zonae pellucidae (PZP) vaccine. Between January and May, 16 burros were darted with a 1 ml emulsion of PZP plus Freund's adjuvant. Ten to twelve months later each treated burro was given a single booster injection of PZP plus adjuvant to maintain contraception through a second year. Eleven adult untreated jennies served as controls. Beginning one year after initial vaccination, these burros were monitored for pregnancy and foal production. Collection of data to determine treatment effect was not begun until 12 months after initial treatment to ensure that pregnancies existing before vaccination were not included. Pregnancy was assessed using previously validated methods for steroid metabolite measurement in fresh faecal samples. None of the PZP-treated burros produced foals between 0 and 12 months after the last inoculation. One PZP-treated burro tested positive for pregnancy at 10 months after the final inoculation. During this same period, six of 11 untreated burros tested pregnancy-positive, and four were observed with foals. There was no difference in pregnancy rates among treated, control and randomly sampled jennies between 12 and 24 months after the last inoculation. The results demonstrate that, in free-roaming feral burros that are reproductively active all year round: (1) burros can be accessed for remotely delivered PZP vaccination; (2) PZP contraception is effective; (3) PZP contraception is reversible; and (4) pregnancy can be reliably detected by faecal steroid analysis. |
| Address |
Department of Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Medical College of Ohio, Toledo 43699, USA |
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English |
Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Edition |
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0022-4251 |
ISBN |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
PMID:8699431 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
144 |
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| Author |
Uzawa, T.; Akiyama, S.; Kimura, T.; Takahashi, S.; Ishimori, K.; Morishima, I.; Fujisawa, T. |
| Title |
Collapse and search dynamics of apomyoglobin folding revealed by submillisecond observations of alpha-helical content and compactness |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2004 |
Publication |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. |
| Volume |
101 |
Issue |
5 |
Pages |
1171-1176 |
| Keywords |
Animals; Apoproteins/*chemistry; Circular Dichroism; Cytochromes c/chemistry; Horses; Myoglobin/*chemistry; *Protein Folding; *Protein Structure, Secondary; Scattering, Radiation |
| Abstract |
The characterization of protein folding dynamics in terms of secondary and tertiary structures is important in elucidating the features of intraprotein interactions that lead to specific folded structures. Apomyoglobin (apoMb), possessing seven helices termed A-E, G, and H in the native state, has a folding intermediate composed of the A, G, and H helices, whose formation in the submillisecond time domain has not been clearly characterized. In this study, we used a rapid-mixing device combined with circular dichroism and small-angle x-ray scattering to observe the submillisecond folding dynamics of apoMb in terms of helical content (f(H)) and radius of gyration (R(g)), respectively. The folding of apoMb from the acid-unfolded state at pH 2.2 was initiated by a pH jump to 6.0. A significant collapse, corresponding to approximately 50% of the overall change in R(g) from the unfolded to native conformation, was observed within 300 micros after the pH jump. The collapsed intermediate has a f(H) of 33% and a globular shape that involves >80% of all its atoms. Subsequently, a stepwise helix formation was detected, which was interpreted to be associated with a conformational search for the correct tertiary contacts. The characterized folding dynamics of apoMb indicates the importance of the initial collapse event, which is suggested to facilitate the subsequent conformational search and the helix formation leading to the native structure. |
| Address |
Department of Molecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Nishikyo, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan |
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English |
Summary Language |
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0027-8424 |
ISBN |
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| Notes |
PMID:14711991 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
3779 |
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| Author |
Yokoyama, S.; Radlwimmer, F.B. |
| Title |
The molecular genetics of red and green color vision in mammals |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
1999 |
Publication |
Genetics |
Abbreviated Journal |
Genetics |
| Volume |
153 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
919-932 |
| Keywords |
Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; COS Cells; Cats; Color Perception/*genetics; DNA Primers; Deer; Dolphins; *Evolution, Molecular; Goats; Guinea Pigs; Horses; Humans; Mammals/*genetics/physiology; Mice; Molecular Sequence Data; Opsin/biosynthesis/chemistry/*genetics; *Phylogeny; Rabbits; Rats; Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sciuridae; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Transfection |
| Abstract |
To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of red-green color vision in mammals, we have cloned and sequenced the red and green opsin cDNAs of cat (Felis catus), horse (Equus caballus), gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and guinea pig (Cavia porcellus). These opsins were expressed in COS1 cells and reconstituted with 11-cis-retinal. The purified visual pigments of the cat, horse, squirrel, deer, and guinea pig have lambdamax values at 553, 545, 532, 531, and 516 nm, respectively, which are precise to within +/-1 nm. We also regenerated the “true” red pigment of goldfish (Carassius auratus), which has a lambdamax value at 559 +/- 4 nm. Multiple linear regression analyses show that S180A, H197Y, Y277F, T285A, and A308S shift the lambdamax values of the red and green pigments in mammals toward blue by 7, 28, 7, 15, and 16 nm, respectively, and the reverse amino acid changes toward red by the same extents. The additive effects of these amino acid changes fully explain the red-green color vision in a wide range of mammalian species, goldfish, American chameleon (Anolis carolinensis), and pigeon (Columba livia). |
| Address |
Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA. syokoyam@mailbox.syr.edu |
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English |
Summary Language |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
0016-6731 |
ISBN |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
PMID:10511567 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4063 |
| Permanent link to this record |
