Ehrlichiae are gram-negative obligate intracellular bacteria that cause potentially fatal human monocytic ehrlichiosis. We previously showed that natural killer (NK) cells play a critical role in host defense against Ehrlichia during primary infection. However, the contribution of NK cells to the memory response against Ehrlichia remains elusive. Primary infection of C57BL/6 mice with Ehrlichia...

Human ehrlichiosis is due to infection by tick transmitted bacteria of the genus Ehrlichia. Based on a hypothesis for the biogeography of deer tick transmitted infections, we undertook a focused search for the Eurasian E. muris in North American deer ticks. The search was stimulated by anecdotal reports of E. muris-like infection in human ehrlichiosis patients from Wisconsin. We analyzed archiv...

Bartonella muris appeared in the blood of all white rats, wild rats, Chinese hamster, and mice, from which the spleen was removed, but did not appear in that of splenectomized monkeys, rabbits, or guinea pigs. It has not been possible to transmit B. muris to normal rats, monkeys, rabbits, or guinea pigs, by intraperitoneal, intradermal, or intravenous injection of blood containing B. muris from...

This thesis characterizes and explores the role of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) – TSLP receptor (TSLPR) interactions in the regulation of intestinal immunity and inflammation. TSLP is known to promote TH2 cytokine-mediated inflammation in the skin and the lung. Firstly, this thesis focuses on the characterization of TSLP and TSLPR expression within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and in ...

In this study, nine C. muris and 43 C. andersoni isolates from various animals in China were subtyped by a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) tool. DNA sequence analyses showed the presence of 1-2 subtypes of C. muris and 2-6 subtypes of C. andersoni at each of the four loci (MS1, MS2, MS3, and MS16), nine of which represented new subtypes. Altogether, two C. muris and 10 C. andersoni MLST subty...

BACKGROUND The whipworms Trichuris trichiura and Trichuris suis are two parasitic nematodes of humans and pigs, respectively. Although whipworms in human and non-human primates historically have been referred to as T. trichiura, recent reports suggest that several Trichuris spp. are found in primates. METHODS AND FINDINGS We sequenced and annotated complete mitochondrial genomes of Trichuris ...

An indirect-ELISA for the diagnosis of mixed gastrointestinal (GI) nematode infection comprising Oesophagostomum, Haemonchus and Trichuris species was standardized using crude somatic antigen of Oesophagostomum columbianum (CSAg-Oc) and sera of slaughtered goats with known parasitological status including Oesophagostomum, Haemonchus, and <em...