Cytokine responses in camels (Camelus bactrianus) vaccinated with Brucella abortus strain 19 vaccine.

In the present study, we determined the levels of cytokines produced by camel (Camelus bactrianus) peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in response to live attenuated Brucella abortus (B. abortus) S19 vaccine. Seven camels were vaccinated with commercial B. abortus S19 vaccine, and their cytokine responses were determined using a real-time PCR assay. Cytokine responses to B. abortus S19 were examined at 6 hr, 48 hr and 1, 2 and 3 weeks post-vaccination. Serological tests were performed to further confirm these immune responses. The results revealed that IFN-gamma and IL-6 were upregulated during the first week post-vaccination. Low level expressions of IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, TNFalpha and IL-10 and no expression of IL-2 and IL-4 were observed compared with the control camels. The findings showed that B. abortus stimulates cell-mediated immunity by directly activating camel Th1 cells to secrete IFN-gamma. This quantification of cytokine expression in camels is essential for understanding of Camelidae disease development and protective immune responses. This is the first report of in vivo camel cytokine quantification after vaccination.

Complete cDNA sequences and phylogenetic analyses of the Th1 and Th2 cytokines of the bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus).

The complementary DNAs of the Th1 (IL-2, IL-12p35, and IFN-gamma) and Th2 (IL-4, IL-10 and IL-13) cytokine genes of the bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) were cloned, sequenced, and analyzed. IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12p35, IL-13, and IFN-gamma were found to have 465, 402, 537, 669, 411, and 501 bp length open reading frames with 154, 133, 178, 222, 136, and 166 amino acid encodings, respectively. The homology ranged from 58.8% to 100% between the nucleotide sequences of the camel cytokine genes and the published sequences of other mammalian genes, including the llama, pig, cow, horse, human, and mouse. The cDNA had highest homology with orders Artiodactyla (pigs and cattle) and Perissodactyla (horses), especially to the recently cloned llama sequences.

Prevalence and genetic diversity of equine piroplasms in Tov province, Mongolia.

Equine piroplasmosis represents a serious problem in horse industry. Although, researchers suggested the possible use of sub-unit vaccines to control equine piroplasmosis, the genetic diversity of vaccine candidate antigens was not properly investigated. In the present study, we screened 250 horses reared in three different districts of Tov province, Mongolia, for Babesia caballi and Theileria equi using ELISA and nested PCR (nPCR) assays. Among these animals, piroplasms were detected in 128 (51.2%) horses by nPCR assays (B. caballi, 42.4%; T. equi, 6.4%; and mixed infections, 2.4%), while 204 (81.6%) were positive by ELISA (B. caballi, 51.6%; T. equi, 19.6%; and mixed infections, 10.4%). Male and middle-aged horses showed higher positive rates than female and younger or older horses. The findings also suggested that a combination of nPCR and ELISA techniques might be useful to detect horses that were chronically or subclinically infected with piroplasms. B. caballi-BC48 and T. equi-EMA-1 gene sequences, in addition to 18S rRNA, were subjected to phylogenetic analyses, and the findings suggested the presence of genetically diverse populations of equine piroplasms in Mongolia. BC48 sequences were separated into four clades in phylogram, and all the Mongolian sequences determined in the present study were found in a single clade. However, a single BC48 sequence previously isolated from a tick in Mongolia formed a separate branch. Similarly, EMA-1 sequences formed four clades, and Mongolian sequences were observed in two different clades, one of which was formed only of Mongolian sequences and is suggested as a new clade. This is the first report that describes the genotypes of equine piroplasms in Mongolia. The findings also emphasized the need for further investigations to study the effect of genetic diversity observed among BC48 as well as EMA-1 sequences on host's immune responses.