PURPOSE Itraconazole (ITZ) dry powders for inhalation (DPI) composed of nanoparticles (NP) embedded in carrier microparticles were prepared and characterized. METHODS DPIs were initially produced by reducing the ITZ particle size to the nanometer range using high-pressure homogenization with tocopherol polyethylene 1000 succinate (TPGS, 10% w/w ITZ) as a stabilizer. The optimized nanosuspensi...

Desmosomes are major components of the intercellular junctional complex in epithelia. They consist of at least eight different cytoplasmic and integral membrane proteins that are organized into two biochemically and structurally distinct domains: the cytoplasmic plaque and membrane core. We showed previously that in MDCK epithelial cells major components of the cytoplasmic plaque (desmoplakin I...

The objective of this study was to determine whether a chlamydial isolate recovered from nasal swabs from swine with pneumonia could cause pneumonia and rhinitis in gnotobiotic pigs. The identity of the isolate currently is unknown, but it shares characteristics with Chlamydia trachomatis. After propagation in Vero cells and preparation of the inoculum (2.5 x 10(10) inclusion-forming units/ml),...

Avian infectious bronchitis (IB) is a major cause of economic losses in poultry industry. The IB virus primarily affects respiratory tract, but various strains differ in their tropism for other target organs such as kidney and alimentary tract. The objective of this study was to estimate the pathogenicity of Iranian IBV variant (IR-1), which is limited exclusively to Iran. Specific pathogen fre...

Scrub typhus is a neglected tropical disease, caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, a Gram-negative bacterium that is transmitted to mammalian hosts during feeding by Leptotrombidium mites and replicates predominantly within endothelial cells. Most studies of scrub typhus in animal models have utilized either intraperitoneal or intravenous inoculation; however, there is limited information on infec...

In the present study, the replication kinetics of nephropathogenic (B1648) and respiratory (Massachusetts-M41) IBV strains were compared in vitro in respiratory mucosa explants and blood monocytes (KUL01(+) cells), and in vivo in chickens to understand why some IBV strains have a kidney tropism. B1648 was replicating somewhat better than M41 in the epithelium of the respiratory mucosa explants ...

Activated pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) play an important role in pancreatic fibrosis and inflammation, where oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis. NADPH oxidase might be a source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the injured pancreas. This study aimed to clarify the expression and regulation of cell functions by NADPH oxidase in PSCs. PSCs were isolated from rat and human pa...

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) causes enteric disease in pigs and spreads rapidly after entering naïve pig populations. The objectives were to (1) compare the disease course following inoculation with PEDV isolate US/Colorado/2013 in naïve 10 day and 8 week-old pigs, and (2) contrast the naïve response to homologous challenge in 8 week-old pigs. Pigs were randomly assigned into group 1 ...

There is poor understanding of host responses to avian influenza virus (AIV) infection in wild birds, with most experimental studies using captive-bred birds and highly pathogenic AIVs that have an early endpoint. The objective of this study was to experimentally assess antibody responses and patterns of viral excretion in wild birds challenged with a low pathogenicity AIV. Ruddy turnstones (Ar...

In previous reports we proposed a new genus for Rhabdoviridae and described neurotropic preference and gross neuropathology in newborn albino Swiss mice after Curionopolis and Itacaiunas infections. In the present report a time-course study of experimental encephalitis induced by Itacaiunas and Curionopolis virus was conducted both in vivo and in vitro to investigate cellular targets and the se...