Infection of Babesia in domestic animals in Western Yunnan Province, China / 中国人兽共患病学报

The objective of this study was to investigate Babesia infection among domestic animals in Western Yunnan Province and provide scientific evidence for developing control measures.A total of 1 073 domestic animals blood samples (274cattle,395 sheep,354 dogs,33 horses and 17 donkeys) were collected in 12 counties in Western Yunnan Province.Genomic DNA was extracted and a near full-length 18S rRNA gene sequence of Babesia was amplified by using nested PCR.Babesia species was identified by Blast program and phylogenetic tree.It was indicated that 50 samples were infected with Babesia,belonging to 5 species and with the infection rate of 4.66％.Among 274 cattle blood samples,11 were infected with Babesia (4.01％).Four of them were Babesia bovis and seven of them were Babesia bigemina.Among 395 sheep blood samples,38 were infected with Babesia (9.62 ％),37 of them were Babesia odocoilei-like parasites and 1 of them was Babesia capreoli-like parasites.Horses and donkeys were negative.In conclusion,domestic animals in Western Yunnan Province are infected with many kinds of Babesia,which threaten stock raising development and human health.It is necessary to strengthen prevention of babesiosis and investigate infection rate of babesiosis in human.

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells with adenovirus-mediated interleukin 12 gene transduction inhibits the growth of ovarian carcinoma cells both in vitro and in vivo / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the inhibitory effect of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) infected by a adenoviral vector containing interleukin 12 (IL-12) gene on the proliferation of ovarian carcinoma SKOV3 in vitro and the growth of tumor explants in nude mice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Cultured human UC-MSCs were infected with the recombinant adenovirus vector harboring IL-12 gene to establish the IL-12-expressing cell line AdIL-12-MSCs. Western blotting and RT-PCR were used to detect IL-12 expressions in AdIL-12-MSCs at the protein and mRNA levels, respectively. ELISA were used to detect IL-12 content in the supernatant of AdIL-12-MSCs, whose effect on the proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian carcinoma SKOV3 cells was evaluated with MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively. In a nude mouse model bearing subcutaneous SKOV3 tumor explants, AdIL-12-MSCs were infused via the tail vein and the inhibitory effect on the tumor growth was observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The exogenous IL-12 gene was successfully transduced into UC-MSCs by the recombinant adenovirus vector, resulting in efficient IL-12 expression in the cell at both the protein and mRNA levels. The supernatant of AdIL-12-MSCs significantly inhibited the proliferation of SKOV3 cells and induced cellular apoptosis in vitro as compared with UC-MSC supernatant. In the tumor-bearing nude mouse model, the transplantation of AdIL-12-MSCs significantly inhibited the growth of SKOV3 tumor explants (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Human UC-MSCs with IL-12 gene transduction, which express IL-12 at protein and mRNA levels, can inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of ovarian carcinoma SKOV3 cells in vitro, and suppress the growth of ovarian cancer explants in nude mice.</p>

Analysis on epidemiologic characteristics of human plague case form Rattus flavipectus plague natural foci in Yunnan Province / 中国地方病学杂志

Objective To analyze the epidemiologic characters of human plague from Rattus flavipectus plague natural foci in Yunnan Province from 1986 to 2006 and to provide references for prevention and control strategy.Methods Data were collected and analyzed on epidemic situation of human plague in the past twenty-one years.Results From 1986 to 2006,the total human plague cases from Rattus flavipectus plague natural foci in Yunnan were 507,accounted for 59.5%(507/866)of the total cases in the whole country.There were three peaks of human plague outbreak in 1990,1996 and 2000.The number of annual cases were 73,88 and 122,accounting for 97.3%(73/75),89.8%(88/98),48.0%(122/254)of the total cases in the whole country respectively.The epidemic areas were mainly located in the west,southwest and southeast pans of Yunnan,but the number of cases changed with year in different prefectures(or cities).Seasonal pattern analyses revealed that the epidemic could occur in whole year,with a peak period through July to November,especially September.There were different prevalence of plague cases in age and professions,which related to the chance of contact with infected animals and infectious fleas.All human plague cases were primary bubonic plague.Conclusions The results suggested that there were clear epidemic characteristics for human plague for Rattus flavipectus plague natural foci in Yunnan.In order to control human plague effectively,it was necessary to reinforce surveillance and warning system to diminish the outbreak of human plague.