Diagnosis of bovine neosporosis: Recent advances and perspectives

2006 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Ortega-Mora ◽  
Aurora Fernández-García ◽  
Mercedes Gómez-Bautista
Keyword(s):  
Neospora Caninum ◽  
Diagnostic Procedures ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Control Programmes ◽  
Typing Methods ◽  
Bovine Neosporosis ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Foetal Infection

AbstractNeospora caninum is considered a major cause of abortion in cattle. Appropriate techniques for diagnosis of bovine neosporosis, both in vivo and in aborted foetuses, have been developed in the last ten years and some of them are commercially available. For diagnosis in live animals, detection of antibodies in serum or milk has been shown to be the best option both at the herd and the individual level. These techniques are excellent tools to examine N. caninum-associated abortion problems and to adopt some basic herd-control measures. Concerning foetal diagnosis, detection of compatible lesions by histological examination and parasites by PCR in brain (as well as heart and liver) are the best choices. Diagnostic criteria to distinguish foetal infection and Neospora-associated abortion are based not only on the demonstration of the parasite in the foetus but also on the extent and severity of the lesions in the foetus, foetal age and the assessment of neosporosis at the herd level. In the near future, new tools to diagnose infection should help to detect animals with parasite reactivation by testing the immune response to stage-specific antigens and lead to the development of molecular typing methods to characterise different parasite isolates. Finally, uniform diagnostic procedures need to be established between laboratories and countries in order to standardise result interpretation. The role of National or Regional Reference Laboratories is essential in countries or regions where control programmes for the disease are being developed.

scholarly journals Taenia multiceps coenurosis in Tanzania: a major and under-recognised livestock disease problem in pastoral communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 184 (6) ◽  
pp. 191-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen C Hughes ◽  
Tito K Kibona ◽  
William A de Glanville ◽  
Felix Lankester ◽  
Alicia Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Ruminant ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Taenia Multiceps ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Pastoral Communities ◽  
Associated Risk Factors ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Spinal Cord Cysts

AbstractA neurological syndrome of small ruminants, known locally as ‘ormilo’, has been reported among pastoralist livestock keepers in Tanzania. This study was carried out in four affected pastoral communities to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors, characterise the clinical signs and investigate the aetiology of the syndrome. Questionnaires were administered at all households (n=480) within four study villages. Overall, 94 per cent of households reported at least one case in the previous 12 months. By village, the individual-level 12-month period prevalence ranged from 11 per cent to 34 per cent, equivalent to about 10,000 small ruminants across the four villages. Thirty-eight households were randomly selected for further investigation. Proprioceptive deficits and weakness were the most commonly observed clinical signs in affected animals. Brain and spinal cord cysts consistent with Taenia multiceps infection were detected in 32 (82 per cent) of 39 affected animals selected for postmortem examination. Feeding small ruminant brains to dogs was identified as an important risk factor for the syndrome, even in households that did not own dogs. This study confirms cerebral coenurosis as a major cause of small ruminant neurological disease in northern Tanzania and highlights the urgent need for further investigation to quantify the disease burden and to identify and implement control measures.

A preface on advances in diagnostics for infectious and parasitic diseases: detecting parasites of medical and veterinary importance

Parasitology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 141 (14) ◽  
pp. 1781-1788 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. RUSSELL STOTHARD ◽  
EMILY ADAMS
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Parasitic Diseases ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Control Programmes ◽  
Veterinary Importance ◽  
Continuous Feedback ◽  
The Individual

SUMMARYThere are many reasons why detection of parasites of medical and veterinary importance is vital and where novel diagnostic and surveillance tools are required. From a medical perspective alone, these originate from a desire for better clinical management and rational use of medications. Diagnosis can be at the individual-level, at close to patient settings in testing a clinical suspicion or at the community-level, perhaps in front of a computer screen, in classification of endemic areas and devising appropriate control interventions. Thus diagnostics for parasitic diseases has a broad remit as parasites are not only tied with their definitive hosts but also in some cases with their vectors/intermediate hosts. Application of current diagnostic tools and decision algorithms in sustaining control programmes, or in elimination settings, can be problematic and even ill-fitting. For example in resource-limited settings, are current diagnostic tools sufficiently robust for operational use at scale or are they confounded by on-the-ground realities; are the diagnostic algorithms underlying public health interventions always understood and well-received within communities which are targeted for control? Within this Special Issue (SI) covering a variety of diseases and diagnostic settings some answers are forthcoming. An important theme, however, throughout the SI is to acknowledge that cross-talk and continuous feedback between development and application of diagnostic tests is crucial if they are to be used effectively and appropriately.

scholarly journals A computational approach to studying ageing at the individual level

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1824) ◽  
pp. 20152346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary M. Harvanek ◽  
Márcio A. Mourão ◽  
Santiago Schnell ◽  
Scott D. Pletcher
Keyword(s):  
Computational Models ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Stochastic Simulations ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
Population Mortality ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Rate Of Ageing ◽  
Key Aspects

The ageing process is actively regulated throughout an organism's life, but studying the rate of ageing in individuals is difficult with conventional methods. Consequently, ageing studies typically make biological inference based on population mortality rates, which often do not accurately reflect the probabilities of death at the individual level. To study the relationship between individual and population mortality rates, we integrated in vivo switch experiments with in silico stochastic simulations to elucidate how carefully designed experiments allow key aspects of individual ageing to be deduced from group mortality measurements. As our case study, we used the recent report demonstrating that pheromones of the opposite sex decrease lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster by reversibly increasing population mortality rates. We showed that the population mortality reversal following pheromone removal was almost surely occurring in individuals, albeit more slowly than suggested by population measures. Furthermore, heterogeneity among individuals due to the inherent stochasticity of behavioural interactions skewed population mortality rates in middle-age away from the individual-level trajectories of which they are comprised. This article exemplifies how computational models function as important predictive tools for designing wet-laboratory experiments to use population mortality rates to understand how genetic and environmental manipulations affect ageing in the individual.

scholarly journals Investigation of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies and disease-related risk factors in goats

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (08) ◽  
pp. 6289-2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
ARMAGAN ERDEM UTUK ◽  
FUNDA ESKI
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Neospora Caninum ◽  
Elisa Test ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Collective Data ◽  
Related Risk ◽  
Test Kit ◽  
The Individual

Neospora caninum is a parasitic protozoan that causes abortion, stillbirth, and premature culling in goats. The aims of this study were (i) to determine the prevalence of anti-N. caninum antibodies in goats in the Adana province of Turkey(ii), to identify risk factors for the disease, and (iii) to provide collective data on goat neosporosis. For this purpose, 383 sera were collected from goats of different breeds, ages, and sexes from 15 counties of Adana. A commercially available c-ELISA test kit was used to detect anti-N. caninum antibodies. To identify risk factors that influence the prevalence of neosporosis, an oral survey was conducted, and the data collected were evaluated by the logistic regression analysis. The prevalence was determined as 8.9% (34/383) at the individual level and 66.6% (10/15) at the flock level. Statistical analysis indicated that the co-presence of sheep, the animals’ being of pure breed and the purchasing of animals from different flocks are the factors that increase the prevalence of neosporosis, while feeder disinfection decreases it.

scholarly journals Towards harmonizing subtyping methods for neuroimaging studies in Alzheimer’s disease

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosaleena Mohanty ◽  
Gustav Mårtensson ◽  
Konstantinos Poulakis ◽  
J-Sebastian Muehlboeck ◽  
Elena Rodriguez-Vieitez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Dementia Patients ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Tau Pet ◽  
The Individual

ABSTRACTBackgroundBiological subtypes in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), originally identified on neuropathological data, have been translated to in vivo biomarkers such as structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), to disentangle the heterogeneity within AD. Although there is methodological variability across studies, comparable characteristics of subtypes are reported at the group level. In this study, we investigated whether group-level similarities translate to individual-level agreement across subtyping methods, in a head-to-head context.MethodsWe compared five previously published subtyping methods. Firstly, we validated the subtyping methods in 89 amyloid-beta positive (Aβ+) AD dementia patients (reference group: 70 Aβ-healthy individuals; HC) using sMRI. Secondly, we extended and applied the subtyping methods to 53 Aβ+ prodromal AD and 30 Aβ+ AD dementia patients (reference group: 200 Aβ-HC) using both sMRI and tau PET. Subtyping methods were implemented as outlined in each original study. Group-level and individual-level comparisons across methods were performed.ResultsEach individual method was replicated and the proof-of-concept was established. All methods captured subtypes with similar patterns of demographic and clinical characteristics, and with similar maps of cortical thinning and tau PET uptake, at the group level. However, large disagreements were found at the individual level.ConclusionsAlthough characteristics of subtypes may be comparable at the group level, there is a large disagreement at the individual level across subtyping methods. Therefore, there is an urgent need for consensus and harmonization across subtyping methods. We call for establishment of an open benchmarking framework to overcome this problem.

Control options for Neospora caninum – is there anything new or are we going backwards?

Parasitology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 141 (11) ◽  
pp. 1455-1470 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHAEL P. REICHEL ◽  
MILTON M. McALLISTER ◽  
WILLIAM E. POMROY ◽  
CARLOS CAMPERO ◽  
LUIS M. ORTEGA-MORA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neospora Caninum ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Viable Option ◽  
Control Options ◽  
Control Programmes ◽  
Primary Producer ◽  
Strong Motivation ◽  
Bovine Neosporosis ◽  
Practical Level

SUMMARYRecent work has highlighted and enumerated the economic annual losses due to Neospora caninum abortions worldwide, which should provide strong motivation for the control of bovine neosporosis. However, with the recent withdrawal from sale of the only commercially available vaccine, control options for N. caninum have become more restricted. While researchers continue to work on developing alternative efficacious vaccines, what are the control options presently available for the cattle industries? At the practical level, recommendations for ‘Test-and-cull’, or ‘not breeding from seropositive dams’ stand diametrically opposed to alternative options put forward that suggest a primary producer is better advised to keep those cows in the herd that are already seropositive, i.e. assumed to be chronically infected, and indeed those that have already aborted once. Treatment with a coccidiostat has been recommended as the only economically viable option, yet no such treatment has gained official, regulatory approval. Dogs are central to the life cycle of N. caninum and have repeatedly been associated with infection and abortions in cattle by epidemiological studies. Knowledge and understanding of that pivotal role should be able to be put to use in control programmes. The present review canvasses the relevant literature for evidence for control options for N. caninum (some of them proven, many not) and assesses them in the light of the authors’ knowledge and experience with control of N. caninum.

scholarly journals Imaging the pathoanatomy of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in vivo: targeting a propagation-based biological marker

2017 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 374-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Kassubek ◽  
Hans-Peter Müller ◽  
Kelly Del Tredici ◽  
Dorothée Lulé ◽  
Martin Gorges ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Biological Marker ◽  
Longitudinal Diffusion ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Disease Patterns ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

ObjectiveNeuropathological studies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have shown a dissemination in a regional sequence in four anatomically defined patterns. The aim of this retrospective study was to see whether longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data support the pathological findings.MethodsThe application of DTI analysis to fibre structures that are prone to be involved at each neuropathological pattern of ALS was performed in a monocentre sample of 67 patients with ALS and 31 controls that obtained at least one follow-up scan after a median of 6 months.ResultsAt the group level, longitudinal ALS data showed significant differences for the stage-related tract systems. At the individual level, 27% of the longitudinally scanned patients with ALS showed an increase in ALS stage, while the remaining were stable or were at the highest ALS stage. Longitudinal fractional anisotropy changes in the respective tract systems correlated significantly with the slope of the revised ALS functional rating scale.InterpretationThe DTI-based protocol was able to image the disease patterns of ALS in vivo cross-sectionally and longitudinally, in support of DTI as a technical marker to image ALS stages.

When organization meets emotions, does the socio-relational framework fail?

2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 391-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Basso ◽  
Olivier Oullier
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
Organizational Contexts ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Cost Benefits ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Relational Framework

AbstractWe suggest that the framework proposed by Vigil is useful in laboratory contexts but might come up short for in vivo social interactions. Emotions result from cost-benefits trade-offs but are not solely generated at the individual level to establish emotional social spheres. In organizational contexts, emotion expression can be a constitutive part of a professional activity, and observed sex differences might vanish.

scholarly journals On methods for studying stochastic disease dynamics

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (19) ◽  
pp. 171-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J Keeling ◽  
J.V Ross
Keyword(s):  
Stochastic Simulations ◽  
Exact Methods ◽  
Matrix Formulation ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Forward Equation ◽  
Process Dynamics ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Control Programmes ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Stochastic Event

Models that deal with the individual level of populations have shown the importance of stochasticity in ecology, epidemiology and evolution. An increasingly common approach to studying these models is through stochastic (event-driven) simulation. One striking disadvantage of this approach is the need for a large number of replicates to determine the range of expected behaviour. Here, for a class of stochastic models called Markov processes, we present results that overcome this difficulty and provide valuable insights, but which have been largely ignored by applied researchers. For these models, the so-called Kolmogorov forward equation (also called the ensemble or master equation) allows one to simultaneously consider the probability of each possible state occurring. Irrespective of the complexities and nonlinearities of population dynamics, this equation is linear and has a natural matrix formulation that provides many analytical insights into the behaviour of stochastic populations and allows rapid evaluation of process dynamics. Here, using epidemiological models as a template, these ensemble equations are explored and results are compared with traditional stochastic simulations. In addition, we describe further advantages of the matrix formulation of dynamics, providing simple exact methods for evaluating expected eradication (extinction) times of diseases, for comparing expected total costs of possible control programmes and for estimation of disease parameters.

scholarly journals Complementary Mechanisms for Degradation of Inulin-Type Fructans and Arabinoxylan Oligosaccharides among Bifidobacterial Strains Suggest Bacterial Cooperation

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey Rivière ◽  
Marija Selak ◽  
Annelies Geirnaert ◽  
Pieter Van den Abbeele ◽  
Luc De Vuyst
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Individual ◽  
Human Colon ◽  
Strain Level ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Degradation Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Complex Carbohydrates ◽  
The Individual

ABSTRACTInulin-type fructans (ITF) and arabinoxylan oligosaccharides (AXOS) are broken down to different extents by various bifidobacterial strains present in the human colon. To date, phenotypic heterogeneity in the consumption of these complex oligosaccharides at the strain level remains poorly studied. To examine mechanistic variations in ITF and AXOS constituent preferences present in one individual, ITF and AXOS consumption by bifidobacterial strains isolated from the simulator of the human intestinal microbial ecosystem (SHIME) after inoculation with feces from one healthy individual was investigated. Among the 18 strains identified, four species-independent clusters displaying different ITF and AXOS degradation mechanisms and preferences were found.Bifidobacterium bifidumB46 showed limited growth on all substrates, whereasB. longumB24 andB. longumB18 could grow better on short-chain-length fractions of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) than on fructose.B. longumB24 could cleave arabinose substituents of AXOS extracellularly, without using the AXOS-derived xylose backbones, whereasB. longumB18 was able to consume oligosaccharides (up to xylotetraose) preferentially and consumed AXOS to a limited extent.B. adolescentisB72 degraded all fractions of FOS simultaneously, partially degraded inulin, and could use xylose backbones longer than xylotetraose extracellularly. The strain-specific degradation mechanisms were suggested to be complementary and indicated resource partitioning. Specialization in the degradation of complex carbohydrates by bifidobacteria present on the individual level could havein vivoimplications for the successful implementation of ITF and AXOS, aiming at bifidogenic and/or butyrogenic effects. Finally, this work shows the importance of taking microbial strain-level differences into account in gut microbiota research.IMPORTANCEIt is well known that bifidobacteria degrade undigestible complex polysaccharides, such as ITF and AXOS, in the human colon. However, this process has never been studied for strains coexisting in the same individual. To examine strain-dependent mechanistic variations in ITF and AXOS constituent preferences present in one individual, ITF and AXOS consumption by bifidobacterial strains isolated from the SHIME after inoculation with feces from one healthy individual was investigated. Among the 18 bifidobacterial strains identified, four species-independent clusters displaying different ITF and AXOS degradation mechanisms and preferences were found, indicating that such strains can coexist in the human colon. Such specialization in the degradation of complex carbohydrates by bifidobacteria present on the individual level could havein vivoimplications for the successful implementation of ITF and AXOS, aiming at bifidogenic and/or butyrogenic effects.

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