Oriental theileriosis associated with a new genotype of Theileria orientalis in buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) calves in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Theileria orientalis is known to cause a benign infection in cattle and buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). However, the Ikeda and Chitose genotypes of the parasite cause lethal disease in beef and dairy cattle. Recently an outbreak of clinical oriental theileriosis occurred in buffalo calves in a Government Animal Husbandry and Agricultural Farm located in Uttar Pradesh, India. Examination of Giemsa stained thin blood smears revealed typical rod-shaped T. orientalis piroplasms in the erythrocytes. The clinical signs included pyrexia, nasal discharge, lacrimation, lethargy, inappetence and anaemia with varying degrees of paleness of the visible mucous membranes. Vascular congestion in internal organs, pulmonary emphysema and consolidation of lungs, focal areas of necrosis in the heart with mononuclear cell infiltration, focal mononuclear cell aggregation in the cortex and tubular degeneration of the kidney were significant necropsy findings. The T. orientalis major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers. The nucleotide sequence analysis of the PCR product revealed 84.8% identity between the T. orientalis Uttar Pradesh isolate and other reference genotypes available in the public domain. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analysis of the MPSP gene sequence ratified that this is a new genotype of T. orientalis. This is the first report of a clinical outbreak of oriental theileriosis in Indian buffalo calves caused by a novel genotype of T. orientalis.

A Multi-copy Nucleic Acid-Based Diagnostic Test for Bovine Tropical Theileriosis.

BACKGROUND: Bovine tropical theileriosis (BTT) is a haemoprotozoan tick-borne disease that implicates huge losses to livestock in terms of considerable mortality and morbidity in tropical and subtropical regions of the globe. Currently available diagnostic methods have less specificity and sensitivity towards the detection of Theileria species. Therefore, an attempt was made to diagnose Theileria annulata by targeting a multi-copy gene, viz. mitochondrially encoded cytochrome b (MT-CYB) gene via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in different agro-zones of India. METHODS AND RESULTS: 129 cattle blood samples were collected from major livestock rearing regions of India and processed for both molecular and microscopic techniques. Screening of Giemsa-stained thin blood smears was able to detect 14 samples (10.85%) as positive for T. annulata. However, the MT-CYB gene-based PCR assay detected 107 samples (82.94%) positive for T. annulata out of 129 samples. Furthermore, the MT-CYB gene-based PCR assay was standardized in terms of its sensitivity and specificity. Specificity of PCR assay was evaluated against other common haemoprotozoan parasites of tropical countries viz. Babesia bigemina, Anaplasma marginale and Trypanosoma evansi. The multi-copy MT-CYB gene-based PCR assay provided an optimum level of sensitivity (up to the level of 10 femtogram) and high specificity. Haematological examination (Hb, PCV and TLC) of 113 samples revealed significantly (p < 0.05) decreased Hb and PCV levels in positive animals in comparison with the control group of healthy animals. However, the control group had significantly higher (p < 0.001) TLC levels than the positive group. CONCLUSION: The MT-CYB gene-based PCR assay was found to be highly sensitive that can accurately detect the occurrence of T. annulata infection in carrier animals which are potential infection sources to healthier populations in naive demographic locations through infected ticks.

Six-hole versus Four-hole Miniplates in Isolated, Unilateral Angle Fracture of the Mandible.

AIM: The aim of the study was to find the suitable situation for the fixation of "six" hole miniplates in open reduction and internal fixation of displaced and nondisplaced unilateral angle of the mandible fractures. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Displaced, nondisplaced, simple, compound (linear and noncomminuted) isolated unilateral angle fractures with or without occlusal derangement were included in this study. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Chi-square test was used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: The parameters assessed preoperatively and postoperatively were mouth opening, occlusion, neurosensory deficit such as paresthesia, intraoperative time, stability of fragments, and access to the retromolar trigone which showed that the six-hole titanium miniplate was clinically useful in special clinical situations when compared to four-hole titanium miniplate. CONCLUSION: To conclude, six-hole titanium miniplate was clinically useful when compared to four-hole titanium miniplate in the following special clinical situations such as bone loss following extraction of third molar, no posterior occlusion and instability of fracture moderately displaced fracture needs more stability.

Protein Nutrition in Autism.

Autism is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it is said to be a "developmental disorder" because symptoms generally appear in the first 2 years of life. The primary cause of autism is still not clear and therapy is currently restricted to controlling behavioral abnormalities. However, emerging studies have shown a link between mitochondrial dysfunction and autism. Dietary supplements that promote mitochondrial biogenesis and inhibit the production of oxidative stress have been used to treat autism patients. Dietary adjustments in treating autism is a novel approach to suppress autistic symptoms. Supplementation with antioxidants has been found to not only inhibit cognitive decline but also improve behavioral symptoms in autism. Dietary supplements fortified with vitamins should only be given under the supervision of a physician. A wide range of nutraceuticals are under clinical trials to understand whether they physiologically target mitochondrial pathways and improve the quality of life in autism.

TB diagnostic cascade among patients registered under the Revised National TB Control Programme in Chennai, South India.

OBJECTIVE: To discern and quantify the TB diagnostic cascade among patients registered under the Revised National TB Control Programme, Chennai city, Tamil Nadu, South India. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in metropolitan Chennai from February 2017 to March 2018. We interviewed TB patients retrospectively on their diagnostic attempt in different health facilities. RESULTS: Of 455 TB patients, only 4.4% received their diagnosis at their first health facility. Of 1250 visits to health facilities, the vast majority (79.4 vs. 20.6%) was in the public rather than the private sector. 56% of patients went to a public facility as the first point of care, of whom 1.6% shifted to private facilities subsequently. The remaining 54.4% shifted between up to five government health facilities. Male patients and those with a higher family income were more likely to shift from private to public. CONCLUSION: Most shifts between diagnostic facilities occurred in the public sector. This necessitates interventions at public health facilities for strengthening and extending services to TB patients at their first point of care.

OBJECTIF: Discerner et quantifier la cascade de diagnostic de la TB chez les patients enregistrés dans le Programme National Révisé de lutte contre la TB, dans la ville de Chennai, dans le Tamil Nadu, dans le sud de l'Inde. MÉTHODES: Cette étude transversale a été menée dans la région métropolitaine de Chennai de février 2017 à mars 2018. Nous avons interviewé rétrospectivement des patients TB sur leur tentative de diagnostic dans différents établissements de santé. RÉSULTATS: Sur 455 patients TB, seuls 4,4% ont reçu leur diagnostic dans le premier établissement de santé visité. Parmi 1250 visites dans les établissements de santé, la grande majorité (79,4 vs 20,6%) était dans le secteur public plutôt que le privé. Parmi les 56% des patients qui sont allés dans un établissement public comme premier point de soins, dont 1,6% sont ensuite passés dans des établissements privés. Les 54.4 restants se sont déplacés entre cinq établissements différents de santé publics. Les patients de sexe masculin et ceux dont le revenu familial était plus élevé étaient plus susceptibles de passer du privé au public. CONCLUSION: La plupart des changements entre les établissements de diagnostic se sont produits dans le secteur public. Cela nécessite des interventions dans les établissements de santé publique pour renforcer et étendre les services aux patients TB à leur premier point de soins.

Development of a recombinant TaSP-based Dot-ELISA for detection of Theileria annulata infection in cattle.

The study was conducted to develop and validate Dot-ELISA for the diagnosis of Theileria annulata infection in cattle using recombinant Theileria annulata surface protein (r-TaSP). The r-TaSP based indirect plate-ELISA was used as a reference test to compare the efficacy of the Dot-ELISA. The Dot-ELISA was optimized with 500 ng of antigen per dot, 1:150 dilution of serum and 1:1000 dilution of secondary antibody for positive and negative reaction. A total of 17 confirmed positive, 25 negative and 129 field sera samples were used to calculate the diagnostic accuracy of Dot-ELISA in comparison with indirect plate-ELISA. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the Dot-ELISA was 95.8 per cent (95% CI, 93.1-97.2) and 80 per cent (95% CI, 48.1-96.2), respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) of Dot-ELISA was 98.2 percent (95% CI, 95.5-99.7) and negative predictive value (NPV) was 61.6 percent (95% CI, 37-74). The positive and negative likelihood ratios were 4.79 (95% CI, 1.8-25.69) and 0.053 (95% CI 0.03-1.4), respectively. The Dot-ELISA showed moderate agreement (k value, 0.67, 95% CI, 0.36- 0.82) with indirect plate-ELISA. The developed Dot-ELISA is less expensive and convenient for the diagnosis of T. annulata infection in cattle under field conditions.

Molecular mechanism of synthetic pyrethroid and organophosphate resistance in field isolates of Rhipicephalus microplus tick collected from a northern state of India.

The frequently used chemical control method to manage Rhipicephalus microplus is limited by the emergence of resistance populations. Understanding of resistance mechanisms is essential to develop strategy for sustainable management. The present study was focused on working out the molecular mechanisms of resistance against synthetic pyrethroids (SPs) and organophosphates (OPs) in field isolates of R. microplus collected from six districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. Adult immersion test with discriminating concentrations (AIT-DC) was used to determine resistance status of isolates to SPs (deltamethrin, cypermethrin) and OPs (diazinon, coumaphos). All the six isolates were found resistant to SPs with resistance factor (RF) of 2.9-58.6 and to one of the OP compounds, diazinon having RF of 3.5-13.7 but susceptible to coumaphos (RF < 1.4). Three R. microplus genes, viz. para-sodium channel domain II S4-5 linker, carboxylesterase (372 bp) and acetylcholinesterase 2 (1692 bp) were sequenced and compared with respective sequences of reference susceptible IVRI-I, reference OP resistant population (IVRI-III), IVRI-IV and multi-acaricide resistant population (IVRI-V) of R. microplus. A C190A mutation in the domain II S4-5 linker region of sodium channel gene leading to L64I amino acid substitution was detected in all six isolates. The G1120A mutation in the carboxylesterase gene could not be detected in any isolate. Five nucleotide substitutions viz., G138A, G889A, T1090A, C1234T and G1403A were identified in the acetylcholinesterase 2 gene leading to four amino acid substitutions. The findings of the study corroborate the role of mutation in sodium channel and acetylcholinesterase 2 genes in SP and OP resistance in this part of India.

Determination and validation of discriminating concentration of ivermectin against Rhipicephalus microplus.

Rhipicephalus microplus, the major cattle tick species of India is prevalent all over the country and causes huge economic loss directly or indirectly to the dairy industries. Chemical acaricides are playing an important role in managing tick infestations on livestock for many years and consequently, resistance to commonly used organophosphate (OP) and synthetic pyrethroid (SP) compounds has been reported. Subsequently, ivermectin (IVM) has been emerged as an alternative to manage OP and SP resistant ticks. However, with the increase of use during the last 5-8 years, there is a possibility of development of resistance and thus there is an urgent need to develop a robust resistance monitoring tool to safeguard the drug. Lethal concentrations for 50 and 95% mortality of treated ticks were determined to work out discriminating concentration (DC) in order to diagnose resistance in the field situation. The DC (2 x LC95) was determined as 93.54 ppm using an established reference susceptible IVRI-1 line of R. microplus adopting adult immersion test. For validation of DC, the resistance status was checked in seven tick isolates of R. microplus collected from northern and eastern regions of India. The RR50 and RR95 values of the field isolates against ivermectin were determined and were in the range of 1.56-8.25 and 1.93-27.58, respectively. All the collected isolates were found to have higher lethal concentration and resistance ratio in comparison to reference susceptible IVRI-1 tick line (LC50 = 21.68, LC95 = 46.77 ppm, RR = 1.0). Amongst the field isolates, the isolate collected from Fatehgarh Sahib district (FTG) of Punjab state showed highest RR50 of 8.25 indicating high level of resistance to IVM. The generated DC will be used for IVM resistance characterization of ticks infesting cattle in different parts of the country.

High seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in goats in Jharkhand state of India.

Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is an important food borne zoonosis worldwide. Although goat meat constitutes an important dietary protein source, improperly cooked meat is a potential source of infection to humans. Data on prevalence of toxoplasma in goat is scanty from India. Serological detection is the practical option for prevalence studies on T. gondii, as no biological stage of the parasite is present in the clinical materials from the intermediate hosts. The present study was undertaken in the Jharkhand state of India which is largely inhabited by economically weaker aborigine population, who depend largely on animal husbandry for livelihood. A total of 445 serum samples were collected for testing, which represented goats under intensive and free range system of rearing. T. gondii specific IgG antibodies were detected in 42.47% (n = 189) samples by rSAG1 based indirect ELISA. The seroprevalence data were analyzed in respect of age, sex, breed of the goats and altitude of the study area as well as rearing conditions of the animals to establish correlation, if any. Though age and sex of the animals had a direct correlation with infection, the same could not be established with the other factors. The sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic ELISA were compared with IFAT, as well as with a commercially available ELISA kit. The rSAG1-ELISA had 92.66% sensitivity and 90.67% specificity with a positive predictive value of 86.77% and negative predictive value 94.92% when compared with IFAT, whereas when compared with the commercial ELISA kit, 87.50% sensitivity and 90.91% specificity with a positive predictive value of 91.30% and negative predictive value 86.96% were observed. Inter rater agreement (kappa) was calculated. rSAG1-ELISA showed good agreement with IFAT (kappa = 0.824) and commercially available ELISA Kit (kappa = 0.783). Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis, revealed a larger area under curve (AUC) of 0.99 (95%CI, 0.97-1.0) when compared with IFAT as gold standard and a highest relative sensitivity 91.30 (95% CI 72-98.3) and specificity 1.0 (95% CI 85.2-100) for the cut off value of 0.6005. The present study revealed high seroprevalence of T. gondii in goats from Jharkhand, which has public health significance.

Evaluation of the Accuracy of Cone Beam Computed Tomography for Immediate Implant Placement- A Case Report.

Diagnostic imaging acts as a distinctive method in analyzing and drawing in the appropriate treatment protocol for any procedure. Pertaining to immediate implant placement, determining the bone width and height plays a vital role in the success of the implant therapy. This visualization of the measurements done preoperatively will enhance the treatment by reducing the overall time span of the procedure. Currently, cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) plays a significant role in the preoperative determination of the measurements of the tooth and the bone. This case report is regarding, a 27-year-old male patient reporting to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Madha Dental College and Hospital, with a chief complaint of fractured crown in relation to the upper left front tooth region. On clinical examination, there was the presence of an endodontically failed and fractured crown in relation to 22. With the interpretation of clinical and radiographic examination, the tooth was categorized under unfavorable prognosis. The patient was given a detailed description of the various treatment procedures available pertaining to that present condition, along with immediate implant placement procedure. Since the patient was young and conscious about his esthetics and accuracy, he opted for placement of immediate implant followed by extraction of the tooth. To accurately determine the length and width, the tooth and socket measurements were preoperatively measured by CBCT. This article evaluates the accuracy of CBCT by comparing the clinical quantity of bone and dimensions of tooth to be extracted and alveolar socket.

Functional characterization of candidate antigens of Hyalomma anatolicum and evaluation of its cross-protective efficacy against Rhipicephalus microplus.

Hyalomma anatolicum and Rhipicephalus microplus seriously affect dairy animals and immunization of host is considered as a sustainable option for the management of the tick species. Identification and validation of protective molecules are the major challenges in developing a cross-protective vaccine. The subolesin (SUB), calreticulin (CRT) and cathepsin L-like cysteine proteinase (CathL) genes of H. anatolicum were cloned, sequenced and analysed for sequence homology. Both Ha-SUB and Ha-CRT genes showed very high level of homogeneity within the species (97.6-99.4% and 98.2-99.7%) and among the tick species (77.3-99.3% and 85.1-99.7%) while for Ha-CathL the homogeneity was lower among ticks (57.5-89.5%). Besides tick species, both Ha-SUB and Ha- CRT genes showed high level of homogeneity with dipterans (47.2-53.4% and 72.0-74.4%) and nematodes (64.0% by CRT). The level of expression of the conserved genes in different stages of the tick species was studied. The differences in fold change of expression (FCE) of the targeted genes in life stages of tick were not statistically significant except Ha-SUB in eggs and in frustrated females, Ha-CRT in fed male and Ha-CathL in unfed and frustrated females where highest FCE was recorded. The functional properties of the genes were studied by RNAi technology and a significant level of gene suppression (p<0.05) resulted in very low percentage of engorgement of treated ticks viz., 3.7%, 11.1% and 30.0% in Ha-SUB, Ha-CRT and Ha-CathL respectively, in comparison to control was recorded. The recombinant proteins rHa-SUB, rHa-CRT and rHa-CathL encoded by the genes were expressed in prokaryotic expression system. They were evaluated for cross-protective efficacy and found to be respectively, 65.4%, 41.3% and 30.2% protective against H. anatolicum and 54.0%, 37.6% and 22.2%, against R. microplus infestations.

Characterization and establishment of a reference deltamethrin and cypermethrin resistant tick line (IVRI-IV) of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus.

The problem of ticks and tick borne diseases is a global threat and growing reports of resistance to commonly used insecticides further aggravated the condition and demands for country specific resistance monitoring tools and possible solutions of the problem. Establishment of standard reference is prerequisite for development of monitoring tools. For studying possible role of different mechanisms involved in development of resistance in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus population and to develop newer drug to manage the problem of resistance, a deltamethrin exposed and selected tick colony, referred to as IVRI-IV, was characterized using reference susceptible IVRI-I tick line as control. The RF values of IVRI-IV ticks against deltamethrin, cypermethrin and diazinon were determined as 194.0, 26.6, 2.86, respectively, against adults. The esterase enzyme ratios of 2.60 and 5.83 was observed using α-naphthyl and ß-naphthyl acetate while glutathione S-transferase (GST) ratio was 3.77. Comparative analysis of IVRI-I and IVRI-IV carboxylesterase gene sequences revealed 13 synonymous and 5 non synonymous mutations, reported for the first time. The C190A mutation in the domain II S4-5 linker region of sodium channel gene leading to leucine to isoleucine (L64I) amino acid substitution was also detected in the IVRI-IV population. In the present study, monitorable indicators for the maintenance of the reference IVRI-IV colony, the first established deltamethrin and cypermethrin resistant tick line of India, were identified.

Global gene expression profile of peripheral blood mononuclear cells challenged with Theileria annulata in crossbred and indigenous cattle.

Bovine tropical theileriosis is an important haemoprotozoan disease associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality particularly in exotic and crossbred cattle. It is one of the major constraints of the livestock development programmes in India and Southeast Asia. Indigenous cattle (Bos indicus) are reported to be comparatively less affected than exotic and crossbred cattle. However, genetic basis of resistance to tropical theileriosis in indigenous cattle is not well documented. Recent studies incited an idea that differentially expressed genes in exotic and indigenous cattle play significant role in breed specific resistance to tropical theileriosis. The present study was designed to determine the global gene expression profile in peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from indigenous (Tharparkar) and cross-bred cattle following in vitro infection of T. annulata (Parbhani strain). Two separate microarray experiments were carried out each for cross-bred and Tharparkar cattle. The cross-bred cattle showed 1082 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Out of total DEGs, 597 genes were down-regulated and 485 were up-regulated. Their fold change varied from 2283.93 to -4816.02. Tharparkar cattle showed 875 differentially expressed genes including 451 down-regulated and 424 up-regulated. The fold change varied from 94.93 to -19.20. A subset of genes was validated by qRT-PCR and results were correlated well with microarray data indicating that microarray results provided an accurate report of transcript level. Functional annotation study of DEGs confirmed their involvement in various pathways including response to oxidative stress, immune system regulation, cell proliferation, cytoskeletal changes, kinases activity and apoptosis. Gene network analysis of these DEGs plays an important role to understand the interaction among genes. It is therefore, hypothesized that the different susceptibility to tropical theileriosis exhibited by indigenous and crossbred cattle is due to breed-specific differences in the dealing of infected cells with other immune cells, which ultimately influence the immune response responded against T. annulata infection.

"Evaluation of safety margin" in ameloblastoma of the mandible by surgical, radiological, and histopathological methods: An evidence-based study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to elicit the amount of safety margin necessary around the ameloblastic lesion in view of preventing further recurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study consisted of 25 cases of mandibular ameloblastoma. Diagnosis was based on clinical and radiological analysis and confirmed by histopathological report. An incisional biopsy was done preoperatively to confirm the diagnosis. Segmental resection was planned for all the cases. After the resection, postoperative panoramic radiograph of the specimen was taken followed by histopathological examination of its margin to detect tumor cell infiltration. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In all our cases, the ameloblastoma was infiltrating in nature. A follow-up period of 10 years showed neither recurrence nor implant failure. In our study, we conclude our safe margin for infiltrating variant of ameloblastoma based on histopathological report of the resected specimen.

Difficulties encountered in preauricular approach over retromandibular approach in condylar fracture.

Fracture of mandible can be classified according to its anatomical location, in which condylar fracture is the most common one overall and is missed on clinical examination. Due to the unique geometry of the mandible and temporomandibular joint, without treatment the fractures can result in marked pain, dysfunction, and deformity. The condylar fracture may be further classified depending on the sides involved: unilateral/bilateral, depending on the height of fracture: intracapsular (within the head of condyle), extracapsular - head and neck (high condyle fracture), and subcondylar (low condyle fracture), and depending on displacement: nondisplaced, displaced (anteromedially, medially, and lateral), and dislocated. The clinical features include swelling and tenderness over the temporomandibular joint region, restricted mouth opening, and anterior open bite. A 34-year-old male patient reported to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Madha Dental College and Hospital; suffered fall trauma resulting in bilateral condyle fracture, dentoalveolar fracture in mandible with restricted mouth opening, and anterior open bite.

Evaluation of Kumaon hill goats for resistance to natural infection with gastrointestinal nematodes.

The present study deals with the investigation of different degrees of genetic resistance/resilience of Uttarakhand hill goats to natural infection with gastrointestinal nematodes in order to introduce into breeding schemes. Animals were naturally infected with Haemonchus contortus, Teladorsagia circumcincta, Oesophagostomum spp. and Trichostrongylus spp. Faecal egg counts (FEC) were carried out every month for a period of 1 year and blood samples were collected every third month for the determination of indicator traits such as FEC, packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin (Hb). The mean egg per gram (EPG), PCV and Hb were 1,579.6 ± 346, 35.12 ± 1.1 and 8.7 ± 0.2, respectively. The goats were divided into three groups (<800, 801-2,000 and >2,000) based on EPG. The EPG showed a negative correlation with both Hb and PCV (P < 0.01). Therefore, it was concluded that the Hb and PCV value would decrease, if EPG increases.

Prophylactic potential of resiquimod against very virulent infectious bursal disease virus (vvIBDV) challenge in the chicken.

The study evaluated the prophylactic potential of resiquimod (R-848), a synthetic TLR7 agonist, against very virulent infectious bursal disease virus (vvIBDV) infection in chicken. Specific pathogen free White Leghorn chicks of three week age were treated with R-848 (50µg/bird, intramuscular) or PBS (n=26/group). Twenty four hour later, half of the birds from each group were challenged with 10(5) ELD50 of vvIBDV and observed for 10days. To understand the effect of R-848, immune response genes such as interferon (IFN)-ß, IFN-γ, IL-1ß, IL-4, iNOS and TLR7 were analyzed at 24 and 48h post-challenge in PBMCs ex vivo by real-time PCR (n=6/group). On day 4 post-challenge, representative birds (n=3/group) were sacrificed to study the bursal damage and IBDV antigen clearance. Immunosuppression was assessed by antibody response against live Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine, which was administered on day 10 post-challenge. R-848 pre-treatment significantly upregulated the transcripts of each immune response gene studied (P<0.05). There was 50% mortality on vvIBDV challenge in control birds, while it was only 20% with R-848 group. R-848 pre-treatment reduced the bursal damage as indicated by lower bursal lesion score in histopathology, reduced IBDV antigen signal in immunohistochemistry and improved antigen clearance in agar gel immunodiffusion test. Further, it protected significantly against vvIBDV induced immunosuppression as indicated by HI antibody titre. It is concluded that pre-treatment of R-848 conferred partial protection from mortality and bursal damage while complete protection against immunosuppression in chicken when challenged with vvIBDV, which could be due to the upregulation of immune response genes.

No change in mRNA expression of immune-related genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells challenged with Theileria annulata in Murrah buffalo (Bubalus bubalis).

Water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) act as carrier to Theileria annulata and show less clinical sign of tropical theileriosis as compared to indigenous and exotic cattle. Differential expression of immune-related genes such as major histocompatibility complex, class II, DQ alpha 1 (MHC-DQα), signal-regulatory protein alpha (SIRPA), prion protein (PRNP), Toll-like receptor 10 (TLR10), c-musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog (cMAF) and V-maf avian musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog B (MAFB) genes influence host resistance to this disease in exotic, crossbred and indigenous cattle. In the present study we examined the differential mRNA expression of the abovesaid immune-related genes in response to T. annulata infection in buffaloes. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) harvested from blood samples of buffaloes were challenged with ground-up tick supernatant carrying T. annulata sporozoites in vitro. After 48h of in vitro challenge qPCR was employed to measure the relative mRNA expression of MHC-DQα, SIRPA, PRNP, TLR10, cMAF and MAFB genes in infected and control PBMCs. In the current study, the selected genes showed no change in mRNA expression after T.annulata infection which indicates that they have little role in providing host resistance to theileriosis in buffaloes.

Esterase mediated resistance in deltamethrin resistant reference tick colony of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus.

Monitoring of acaricide resistance is considered as one of the important facets of integrated tick management. In an attempt of development of resistance monitoring indicators, in the present study two reference tick lines of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus maintained in the Entomology laboratory, Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Izatnagar, India, were studied to determine the possible contributing factors involved in development of resistance to deltamethrin. Electrophoretic profiling of esterase enzymes detected high activities of EST-1 in reference resistant tick colony designated as IVRI-IV whereas it was not detectable in reference susceptible IVRI-I line of R. (B.) microplus. Esterases were further characterized as carboxylesterase or acetylcholinesterase based on inhibitor study using PMSF, eserine sulphate, malathion, TPP and copper sulphate. It was concluded that an acetylcholinesterase, EST-1, possibly plays an important role for development of deltamethrin resistance in IVRI-IV colony of R. (B.) microplus.