Effects of abomasal infusion of soybean or sunflower phospholipids on nutrient digestibility and milk production in lactating dairy cows.

The fatty acid (FA) and phospholipid composition of dietary lecithin may influence FA digestibility and milk production in cattle. Eight multiparous Holstein cows (99.4 ± 9.2 d in milk [DIM]; 48.9 ± 3.8 kg milk/d) were enrolled in a 3 × 3 incomplete Latin square design with 3 treatments provided as continuous abomasal infusates spanning 14-d experimental periods: water (CON), soybean phospholipids (SOY; 74.5 g of deoiled soy lecithin), or sunflower phospholipids (SUN; 133.5 g of hydrolyzed sunflower lecithin). Cows were fed the same diet, which contained (% dry matter) 27.0% neutral detergent fiber (NDF), 15.6% crude protein (CP), 26.2% starch, and 5.87% FA. Treatments did not modify body weight, milk fat, protein, or lactose contents, or the efficiency of producing energy-corrected milk. Cows infused with SUN had greater milk yields than those receiving SOY or CON treatments. Cows infused with SUN had higher total solids, protein, and lactose yields than cows receiving the SOY or CON treatments. Sunflower phospholipids enhanced feed efficiency (milk yield/dry matter intake) relative to SOY or CON. Treatment did not affect intakes or apparent total-tract digestibilities for NDF, CP, starch, or 16-carbon (16C) FA. Cows receiving SUN had greater total FA and 18-carbon (18C) FA intakes than SOY or CON, but treatments did not impact their digestibility. Milk FA composition was modified by treatment. Cows receiving SUN had a greater concentration of polyunsaturated FA and lower concentrations of saturated FA and monounsaturated FA in milk relative to SOY or CON. In conclusion, the abomasal infusion of SUN improved milk production and milk FA composition, indicating potential benefits for dairy cow nutrition and milk quality.

Regulation of autophagy by SARS-CoV-2: The multifunctional contributions of ORF3a.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) regulates autophagic flux by blocking the fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes, causing the accumulation of membranous vesicles for replication. Multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins regulate autophagy with significant roles attributed to ORF3a. Mechanistically, open reading frame 3a (ORF3a) forms a complex with UV radiation resistance associated, regulating the functions of the PIK3C3-1 and PIK3C3-2 lipid kinase complexes, thereby modulating autophagosome biogenesis. ORF3a sequesters VPS39 onto the late endosome/lysosome, inhibiting assembly of the soluble NSF attachement protein REceptor (SNARE) complex and preventing autolysosome formation. ORF3a promotes the interaction between BECN1 and HMGB1, inducing the assembly of PIK3CA kinases into the ER (endoplasmic reticulum) and activating reticulophagy, proinflammatory responses, and ER stress. ORF3a recruits BORCS6 and ARL8B to lysosomes, initiating the anterograde transport of the virus to the plasma membrane. ORF3a also activates the SNARE complex (STX4-SNAP23-VAMP7), inducing fusion of lysosomes with the plasma membrane for viral egress. These mechanistic details can provide multiple targets for inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 by developing host- or host-pathogen interface-based therapeutics.

Can Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection lead to cancer? Call for a paradigm shift in understanding TB and cancer.

Infections are known to cause tumours though more attributed to viruses. Strong epidemiological links suggest association between bacterial infections and cancers as exemplified by Helicobacter pylori and Salmonella spp. Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb), the etiological agent of tuberculosis (TB), has been reported to predispose patients to lung cancers and possibly in other organs as well. While this etiopathogenesis warrant inclusion of M. tb in IARC's (International Agency for Research on Cancer) classified carcinogenic agents, the lack of well-defined literature and direct experimental studies have barred the research community from accepting the role of M. tb as a carcinogen. The background research, case studies, and experimental data extensively reviewed in Roy et al., 2021; provoke the debate for elucidating carcinogenic properties of M. tb. Moreover, proper, timely and correct diagnosis of both diseases (which often mimic each other) will save millions of lives that are misdiagnosed. In addition, use of Anti Tubercular therapy (ATT) in misdiagnosed non-TB patients contributes to drug resistance in population thereby severely impacting TB disease control measures. Research in this arena can further aid in saving billions of dollars by preventing the superfluous use of cancer drugs. In order to achieve these goals, it is imperative to identify the underlying mechanism of M. tb infection acting as major risk factor for cancer.

Heat stress develops with increased total-tract gut permeability, and dietary organic acid and pure botanical supplementation partly restores lactation performance in Holstein dairy cows.

To evaluate the effects of heat stress (HS) conditions and dietary organic acid and pure botanical (OA/PB) supplementation on gut permeability and milk production, we enrolled 46 multiparous Holstein cows [208 ± 4.65 dry matter intake (DMI; mean ± SD), 3.0 ± 0.42 lactation, 122 ± 4.92 d pregnant, and 39.2 ± 0.26 kg of milk yield] in a study with a completely randomized design. Cows were assigned to 1 of 4 groups: thermoneutral conditions (TN-Con, n = 12), HS conditions (HS-Con, n = 12), thermoneutral conditions pair-fed to HS-Con (TN-PF, n = 12), or HS supplemented with OA/PB [75 mg/kg of body weight (BW); 25% citric acid, 16.7% sorbic acid, 1.7% thymol, 1.0% vanillin, and 55.6% triglyceride; HS-OAPB, n = 10]. Supplements were delivered twice daily by top-dress; all cows not supplemented with OA/PB received an equivalent amount of the triglyceride used for microencapsulation of the OA/PB supplement as a top-dress. Cows were maintained in thermoneutrality [temperature-humidity index (THI) = 68] during a 7-d acclimation and covariate period. Thereafter, cows remained in thermoneutral conditions or were moved to HS conditions (THI: diurnal change 74 to 82) for 14 d. Cows were milked twice daily. Clinical assessments and BW were recorded, blood was sampled, and gastrointestinal permeability measurements were repeatedly evaluated. The mixed model included fixed effects of treatment, time, and their interaction. Rectal and skin temperatures and respiration rates were greater in HS-Con and HS-OAPB relative to TN-Con. Dry matter intake, water intake, and yields of energy-corrected milk (ECM), protein, and lactose were lower in HS-Con relative to HS-OAPB. Nitrogen efficiency was improved in HS-OAPB relative to HS-Con. Compared with TN-Con and TN-PF, milk yield and ECM were lower in HS-Con cows. Total-tract gastrointestinal permeability measured at d 3 of treatment was greater in HS-Con relative to TN-Con or TN-PF. Plasma total fatty acid concentrations were reduced, whereas insulin concentrations were increased in HS-Con relative to TN-PF. We conclude that exposure to a heat-stress environment increases total-tract gastrointestinal permeability. This study highlights important mechanisms that might account for milk production losses caused by heat stress, independent of changes in DMI. Our observations also suggest that dietary supplementation of OA/PB is a means to partly restore ECM production and improve nitrogen efficiency in dairy cattle experiencing heat stress.

SVIoT: A Secure Visual-IoT Framework for Smart Healthcare.

The advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT) has transfigured the overlay of the physical world by superimposing digital information in various sectors, including smart cities, industry, healthcare, etc. Among the various shared information, visual data are an insensible part of smart cities, especially in healthcare. As a result, visual-IoT research is gathering momentum. In visual-IoT, visual sensors, such as cameras, collect critical multimedia information about industries, healthcare, shopping, autonomous vehicles, crowd management, etc. In healthcare, patient-related data are captured and then transmitted via insecure transmission lines. The security of this data are of paramount importance. Besides the fact that visual data requires a large bandwidth, the gap between communication and computation is an additional challenge for visual IoT system development. In this paper, we present SVIoT, a Secure Visual-IoT framework, which addresses the issues of both data security and resource constraints in IoT-based healthcare. This was achieved by proposing a novel reversible data hiding (RDH) scheme based on One Dimensional Neighborhood Mean Interpolation (ODNMI). The use of ODNMI reduces the computational complexity and storage/bandwidth requirements by 50 percent. We upscaled the original image from M × N to M ± 2N, dissimilar to conventional interpolation methods, wherein images are upscaled to 2M × 2N. We made use of an innovative mechanism, Left Data Shifting (LDS), before embedding data in the cover image. Before embedding the data, we encrypted it using an AES-128 encryption algorithm to offer additional security. The use of LDS ensures better perceptual quality at a relatively high payload. We achieved an average PSNR of 43 dB for a payload of 1.5 bpp (bits per pixel). In addition, we embedded a fragile watermark in the cover image to ensure authentication of the received content.

Teleological cooption of Mycobacterium tuberculosis PE/PPE proteins as porins: Role in molecular immigration and emigration.

Permeation through bacterial cells for exchange or uptake of biomolecules and ions invariably depend upon the existence of pore-forming proteins (porins) in their outer membrane. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) harbours one of the most rigid cell envelopes across bacterial genera and is devoid of the classical porins for solute transport across the cell membrane. Though canonical porins are incompatible with the evolution of permeability barrier, porin like activity has been reported from membrane preparations of pathogenic mycobacteria. This suggests a sophisticated transport mechanism that has been elusive until now, along with the protein family responsible for it. Recent evidence suggests that these slow-growing mycobacteria have co-opted some of PE/PPE family proteins as molecular transport channels, in place of porins, to facilitate uptake of nutrients required to thrive in the restrictive host environment. These reports advocate that PE/PPE proteins, due to their structural ability, have a potential role in importing small molecules to the cell's interior. This mechanism unveils how a successful pathogen overcomes its restrictive membrane's transport limitations for selective uptake of nutrients. If extrapolated to have a role in drug transport, these channels could help understand the emergence of drug resistance. Further, as these proteins are associated with the export of virulence factors, they can be exploited as novel drug targets. There remains, however, an interesting question that as the PE/PPE proteins can allow the 'import' of molecules from outside the cell, is the reverse transport also possible across the M. tb membrane. In this review, we have discussed recent evidence supporting PE/PPE's role as a specific transport channel for selective uptake of small molecule nutrients and, as possible molecular export machinery of M. tb. This newly discovered role as transmembrane channels demands further research on this enigmatic family of proteins to comprehend the pathomechanism of this very smart pathogen.

Comprehensive RNA-seq analysis revealed molecular pathways and genes associated with drought tolerance in wild soybean (Glycine soja Sieb. and Zucc.).

Drought stress at the germination stage is an important environmental stress limiting crop yield. Hence, our study investigated comparative root transcriptome profiles of four contrasting soybean genotypes viz., drought-tolerant (PI342618B/DTP and A214/DTL) and drought-sensitive (NN86-4/DSP and A195/DSL) under drought stress using RNA-Seq approach. A total of 4850 and 6272 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in tolerant (DTP and DTL) and sensitive (DSP and DSL) genotypes, respectively. Principle component analysis (PCA) and correlation analysis revealed higher correlation between DTP and DTL. Both gene ontology (GO) and MapMan analyses showed that the drought response was enriched in DEGs associated with water and auxin transport, cell wall/membrane, antioxidant activity, catalytic activity, secondary metabolism, signaling and transcription factor (TF) activities. Out of 981 DEGs screened from above terms, only 547 showed consistent opposite expression between contrasting genotypes. Twenty-eight DEGs of 547 were located on Chr.08 rich in QTLs and "Hotspot regions" associated with drought stress, and eight of them showed non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism. Hence, 10 genes (including above eight genes plus two hub genes) were predicated as possible candidates regulating drought tolerance, which needs further functional validation. Overall, the transcriptome profiling provided in-depth understanding about the genetic mechanism and candidate genes underlying drought tolerance in soybean.

Insights into decontamination of soils by phytoremediation: A detailed account on heavy metal toxicity and mitigation strategies.

In the current era of rapid industrialization, the foremost challenge is the management of industrial wastes. Activities such as mining and industrialization spill over a large quantity of toxic waste that pollutes soil, water, and air. This poses a major environmental and health challenge. The toxic heavy metals present in the soil and water are entering the food chain, which in turn causes severe health hazards. Environmental clean-up and reclamation of heavy metal contaminated soil and water are very important, and it necessitates efforts of environmentalists, industrialists, scientists, and policymakers. Phytoremediation is a plant-based approach to remediate heavy metal/organic pollutant contaminated soil and water in an eco-friendly, cost-effective, and permanent way. This review covers the effect of heavy metal toxicity on plant growth and physiological process, the concept of heavy metal accumulation, detoxification, and the mechanisms of tolerance in plants. Based on plants' ability to uptake heavy metals and metabolize them within tissues, phytoremediation techniques have been classified into six types: phytoextraction, phytoimmobilization, phytovolatilization, phytodegradation, rhizofiltration, and rhizodegradation. The development of research in this area led to the identification of metal hyper-accumulators, which could be utilized for reclamation of contaminated soil through phytomining. Concurrently, breeding and biotechnological approaches can enhance the remediation efficiency. Phytoremediation technology, combined with other reclamation technologies/practices, can provide clean soil and water to the ecosystem.

Effects of abomasal infusions of fatty acids and 1-carbon donors on apparent fatty acid digestibility and incorporation into milk fat in cows.

Our primary objective was to determine the effects of the abomasal infusion of 16-carbon (16C) and 22-carbon (22C) fatty acids (FA) on apparent FA digestibility, plasma FA concentrations, and their incorporation into milk fat in cows. Our secondary objective was to study the effects of 1-carbon donors choline and l-serine on these variables. Five rumen-cannulated Holstein cows (214 ± 4.9 d in milk; 3.2 ± 1.1 parity) were enrolled in a 5 × 5 Latin square experiment with experimental periods lasting 6 d. Abomasal infusates consisted of (1) palmitic acid (PA; 98% 16:0 of total fat), (2) PA + choline chloride (PA+CC; 50 g/d of choline chloride), (3) PA + l-serine (PA+S; 170 g/d of l-serine), (4) behenic acid (BA; 92% 22:0 of total fat), and (5) docosahexaenoic acid algal oil (DHA; 47.5% DHA of total fat). Emulsions were formulated to provide 301 g/d of total FA and were balanced to provide a minimum of 40 and 19 g/d of 16:0 and glycerol, respectively, to match the content found in the infused algal oil. Apparent digestibility of FA was highest in DHA, intermediate in PA, and lowest in BA. Digestibility of 16C FA was lowest in BA and highest in PA. The digestibility of 22C FA was highest in DHA relative to BA (99 vs. 58%), whereas 1-carbon donors had no effect on 22C FA digestibility. Plasma 16C FA concentrations were greatest with PA treatment, and 22C FA concentrations were ~3-fold greater in DHA-treated cows relative to all other treatments. Milk fat 16:0 content was highest in PA relative to BA and DHA (e.g., 37 vs. 27% in PA and DHA), whereas the milk yield of 16:0 was higher in PA relative to DHA (i.e., 454 vs. 235 g/d). Similarly, milk 22:0 content and yield were ~10-fold higher in BA relative to all other treatments, whereas DHA treatment resulted in higher content and yield of 22:6 in milk fat relative to all other treatments (41- and 38-fold higher, respectively). Consequently, the content of FA >16C (i.e., preformed) was higher in milk fat from cows infused with BA and DHA relative to PA. De novo FA content in milk did not differ between PA, PA+CC, and PA+S (~16% of milk fat) but was higher in BA and DHA treatments (19 and 21%, respectively). We conclude that FA carbon chain length and degree of saturation affected FA digestibility and availability for absorption as well as their incorporation into milk fat. The abomasal infusion of choline chloride and l-serine did not modify these variables relative to infusing palmitic acid alone.

Nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide crosstalk during heavy metal stress in plants.

Gases such as ethylene, hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ), nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) have been recognized as vital signaling molecules in plants and animals. Of these gasotransmitters, NO and H2 S have recently gained momentum mainly because of their involvement in numerous cellular processes. It is therefore important to study their various attributes including their biosynthetic and signaling pathways. The present review provides an insight into various routes for the biosynthesis of NO and H2 S as well as their signaling role in plant cells under different conditions, more particularly under heavy metal stress. Their beneficial roles in the plant's protection against abiotic and biotic stresses as well as their adverse effects have been addressed. This review describes how H2 S and NO, being very small-sized molecules, can quickly pass through the cell membranes and trigger a multitude of responses to various factors, notably to various stress conditions such as drought, heat, osmotic, heavy metal and multiple biotic stresses. The versatile interactions between H2 S and NO involved in the different molecular pathways have been discussed. In addition to the signaling role of H2 S and NO, their direct role in posttranslational modifications is also considered. The information provided here will be helpful to better understand the multifaceted roles of H2 S and NO in plants, particularly under stress conditions.

Mycobacterium indicus pranii protein MIP_05962 induces Th1 cell mediated immune response in mice.

Utility of Mycobacterium indicus pranii (MIP) as a multistage vaccine against mycobacterial infections demands identification of its protective antigens. We explored antigenicity and immunogenicity of a candidate protein MIP_05962 that depicts homology to HSP18 of M. leprae and antigen1 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This protein elicited substantial antibody response in immunized mice along with modulation of cellular immune response towards protective Th1 type. Both CD4+ and CD8+ subsets from immunized mice produced hallmark protective cytokines, IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-2. This protein also enhanced the CD4+ effector memory that could act as first line of defence during infections. These results point to MIP_05962 as a protective antigen that contributes, in conjunction with others, to the protective immunity of this live vaccine candidate.

Observation of an Unusual Upward-Going Cosmic-Ray-like Event in the Third Flight of ANITA.

We report on an upward traveling, radio-detected cosmic-ray-like impulsive event with characteristics closely matching an extensive air shower. This event, observed in the third flight of the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA), a NASA-sponsored long-duration balloon payload, is consistent with a similar event reported in a previous flight. These events could be produced by the atmospheric decay of an upward-propagating τ lepton produced by a ν_{τ} interaction, although their relatively steep arrival angles create tension with the standard model neutrino cross section. Each of the two events have a posteriori background estimates of ≲10^{-2} events. If these are generated by τ-lepton decay, then either the charged-current ν_{τ} cross section is suppressed at EeV energies, or the events arise at moments when the peak flux of a transient neutrino source was much larger than the typical expected cosmogenic background neutrinos.

Energy Spectrum of Cosmic-Ray Electron and Positron from 10 GeV to 3 TeV Observed with the Calorimetric Electron Telescope on the International Space Station.

First results of a cosmic-ray electron and positron spectrum from 10 GeV to 3 TeV is presented based upon observations with the CALET instrument on the International Space Station starting in October, 2015. Nearly a half million electron and positron events are included in the analysis. CALET is an all-calorimetric instrument with total vertical thickness of 30 X_{0} and a fine imaging capability designed to achieve a large proton rejection and excellent energy resolution well into the TeV energy region. The observed energy spectrum over 30 GeV can be fit with a single power law with a spectral index of -3.152±0.016 (stat+syst). Possible structure observed above 100 GeV requires further investigation with increased statistics and refined data analysis.

Hiding clinical information in medical images: A new high capacity and reversible data hiding technique.

A new high capacity and reversible data hiding scheme for e-healthcare applications has been presented in this paper. Pixel to Block (PTB) conversion technique has been used as an effective and computationally efficient alternative to interpolation for the cover image generation to ensure reversibility of medical images. A fragile watermark and Block Checksum (computed for each 4×4 block) have been embedded in the cover image for facilitating tamper detection and tamper localization, and hence content authentication at receiver. The EPR, watermark data and checksum data has been embedded using Intermediate Significant Bit Substitution (ISBS) to avoid commonly used LSB removal/replacement attack. Non-linear dynamics of chaos have been put to use for encrypting the Electronic Patient Record (EPR)/clinical data and watermark data for improving the security of data embedded. The scheme has been evaluated for perceptual imperceptibility and tamper detection capability by subjecting it to various image processing and geometric attacks. Experimental results reveal that the proposed system besides being completely reversible is capable of providing high quality watermarked images for fairly high payload. Further, it has been observed that the proposed technique is able to detect and localise the tamper. A comparison of the observed results with that of some state-of-art schemes show that our scheme performs better.

Hiding Electronic Patient Record (EPR) in medical images: A high capacity and computationally efficient technique for e-healthcare applications.

A high capacity and semi-reversible data hiding scheme based on Pixel Repetition Method (PRM) and hybrid edge detection for scalable medical images has been proposed in this paper. PRM has been used to scale up the small sized image (seed image) and hybrid edge detection ensures that no important edge information is missed. The scaled up version of seed image has been divided into 2×2 non overlapping blocks. In each block there is one seed pixel whose status decides the number of bits to be embedded in the remaining three pixels of that block. The Electronic Patient Record (EPR)/data have been embedded by using Least Significant and Intermediate Significant Bit Substitution (ISBS). The RC4 encryption has been used to add an additional security layer for embedded EPR/data. The proposed scheme has been tested for various medical and general images and compared with some state of art techniques in the field. The experimental results reveal that the proposed scheme besides being semi-reversible and computationally efficient is capable of handling high payload and as such can be used effectively for electronic healthcare applications.

Water Pipe (shisha) Use and Legislation Awareness Against Shisha Smoking Among Medical Students: A study from Karachi, Pakistan.

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of shisha smoking; its associated factors and awareness among medical students of Karachi, Pakistan following the imposition of nationwide shisha ban. A cross sectional study was conducted among medical students of two medical universities, namely Sindh Medical College and Aga Khan University Karachi, Pakistan from October till December 2014. A total of 422 participants were included. Data was collected via a self-administered questionnaire. The mean age was 21 ± 1.6 years and 229 (54.26 %) were females. Shisha smoking was found to be relatively common among medical students; the prevalence being 21.5 % out of which 73.62 % were males and belonged to a private medical college p value < 0.001. Majority of those who smoked shisha were aware that it contains tobacco (59.34 %), it has no filtration system (42.85 %), it is harmful (91.20 %) and 47.25 % held the opinion that shisha was not any better than cigarettes. It was alarming that majority students were aware of its harmful effects. However, a significant lack of awareness of the legislation against shisha was found among students.

Assessment of allelic diversity among drought-resistant cotton genotypes using microsatellite markers.

Drought, in conjunction with high temperature, is an important environmental constraint to cotton production. Development of cotton varieties with increased tolerance against adverse environmental conditions has been proposed as effective strategy for ensuring reliable yields. In the present study, 30 simple sequence repeat (SSR) primers were used to estimate genetic divergence among 22 cotton genotypes for drought stress tolerance. Genetic diversity is a prerequisite for developing drought resistant cotton genotypes. Eleven SSR primers out of 30 were able to discriminate among the cotton genotypes, implying that 37% of the primers were informative. In total, 41 alleles were detected, with an average of 3.72 alleles per primer. The number of alleles per locus ranged from one (JESPR-284) to six (JESSPR-302), and the allelic diversity in the experimental material was 0.40. Genetic similarity coefficients ranged from 0.87-1.00. The result of principal component analysis confirmed the clustering of 21 cotton genotypes in two groups leaving one genotype (CIM-109) ungrouped. Overall, genetic diversity among the 22 cotton genotypes was low. More polymorphic SSR markers are needed to explore the workable genetic variation among the screened cotton genotypes in future studies.

Characteristics of Four Upward-Pointing Cosmic-Ray-like Events Observed with ANITA.

We report on four radio-detected cosmic-ray (CR) or CR-like events observed with the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA), a NASA-sponsored long-duration balloon payload. Two of the four were previously identified as stratospheric CR air showers during the ANITA-I flight. A third stratospheric CR was detected during the ANITA-II flight. Here, we report on characteristics of these three unusual CR events, which develop nearly horizontally, 20-30 km above the surface of Earth. In addition, we report on a fourth steeply upward-pointing ANITA-I CR-like radio event which has characteristics consistent with a primary that emerged from the surface of the ice. This suggests a possible τ-lepton decay as the origin of this event, but such an interpretation would require significant suppression of the standard model τ-neutrino cross section.

The Molecular Characterization and Immunity Identification of Microneme 3 of Eimeria acervulina.

The gene of Eimeria acervulina microneme protein 3 (EaMIC3) was cloned and characterized. According to the conserved sequence, the 3'- and 5'-ends of EaMIC3 were amplified by the rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The full length cDNA of this gene was obtained by overlapping the sequences of 3'- and 5'-extremities and amplification by reverse transcription PCR. The sequence analysis revealed that the opening reading frame (ORF) of EaMIC3 was 2,607 bp and encoded a protein of 868 amino acids with 93.04 kDa. Western blotting assay showed that the recombinant protein was successfully recognized by the sera of chickens experimentally infected with E. acervulina, whereas the native protein in the somatic extract of sporozoites was as well detected by sera from rats immunized with the recombinant protein of EaMIC3. Immunofluorescence analysis indicated that EaMIC3 was expressed in the sporozoites and merozoites stages of E. acervulina. Animal challenge experiments demonstrated that the recombinant protein of EaMIC3 could significantly increase the average body weight gains, decrease the mean lesion scores and the oocyst outputs of the immunized chickens and presented anticoccidial index (ACI) more than 165. Moreover, EaMIC3 protein produced significantly high level of IgG antibody, IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-17 TGF-ß, CD4+ , and CD8+ .