Cells in the body experience various mechanical stimuli that are often essential to proper cell function. In order to study the effects of mechanical stretch on cell function, several devices have been built to deliver cyclic stretch to cells; however, they are generally not practical for live cell imaging. We introduce a novel device that allows for live cell imaging, using either an upright o...

Rhodococcus equi can cause severe infections in people, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. The R. equi virulence plasmids (vap) encoding vapA and vapB are linked to development of infections in domestic animals. Recently, a novel virulence plasmid, vapN, was identified in isolates cultured from cattle, but its prevalence or significance in human R. equi infections has not been exten...

Blood and serum samples from 170 horses raised in the Jaboticabal microregion, São Paulo State, Brazil, were collected and tested by microscopic examination of blood smears, indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) for Theileria equi infections. The association among the test results was verified by the McNemar test. During the examination of thin bl...

Serum samples were collected from 582 horses from 40 stud farms in the State of São Paulo and tick (Acari: Ixodidae) infestations were evaluated on them. Serum samples were subjected to the complement fixation test (CFT) and a competitive inhibition ELISA (cELISA) for Babesia caballi and Theileria equi. Logistic regression analyses were performed to construct multivariate models that could expl...

A cross-sectional study was carried out in four indigenous communities of Costa Rica to detect presence and prevalence of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi and to investigate factors associated with presence of these hemoparasites. General condition of horses (n = 285) was evaluated, and hematocrits and hemoglobin were determined from blood samples of 130 horses, which were also analyzed using...

In order to investigate the prevalence of tick-borne diseases, equine piroplasmosis, equine granulocytic anaplasmosis and Lyme borreliosis in Central Italy, blood samples from 300 horses were analyzed for the presence of antibodies against Babesia caballi, Theileria equi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi using the IFAT. The blood samples were also subjected to PCR assays in or...

BACKGROUND Rhodococcus equi is one of the most significant bacterial pathogens affecting foals up to 6 months of age worldwide. Rhodococcosis is present in Poland however information about molecular characterization of R. equi isolates is scarce. This study describes molecular characterization of Rhodococcus equi infection on 13 horse breeding farms in Poland between 2001 and 2012. Samples were...

Equine piroplasmosis is the most important tick-borne disease to affect horses in Brazil. Theileria equi one of causative agents equine piroplasmosis. Chronic cases are expected, which animals show no apparent signs infection and remain asymptomatic but constitute a source infectious agent that ticks can spread. This study was conducted across 81 ranches located municipality Sinop, State Mato G...