The 18S rDNA gene of adult worms of Taenia parva found in Genetta genetta in the Iberian Peninsula and larval stages of T. pisiformis from the wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Tenerife (Canary Islands) were amplified and sequenced. The sequences of the 18S rDNA gene of T. parva (1768 bp) and T. pisiformis (1760 bp) are reported for the first time (GenBank accession nos. AJ555167-AJ555168 ...

Immunoglobulin synthesis in response to experimental infection of cattle with Theileria parva (Muguga) was studied by Sephadex G 200 chromatography. Serum samples were collected for 88 days following inoculation. Indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA), complement fixation (CF), indirect haemagglutination (IHA) and immunodiffusion (ID) tests were used to detect activity against T. parva piroplasm a...

Corridor disease is an acute, fatal disease of cattle caused by buffalo-adapted Theileria parva. This is a nationally controlled disease in South Africa and strict control measures apply for the movement of buffalo, which includes mandatory testing for the presence of T. parva and other controlled diseases. Accurate diagnosis of the T. parva carrier state in buffalo using the official real-time...

A quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay based on the cox III gene was evaluated for the simultaneous detection and discrimination of Theileria species in buffalo and cattle blood samples from South Africa and Mozambique using melting curve analysis. The results obtained were compared to those of the reverse line blot (RLB) hybridization assay for the simultaneous detection and differentiation...

BACKGROUND Theileria parva causes an acute fatal disease in cattle, but infections are asymptomatic in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer). Cattle can be immunized against the parasite by infection and treatment, but immunity is partially strain specific. Available data indicate that CD8(+) T lymphocyte responses mediate protection and, recently, several parasite antigens recognised by CD8(+)...

The myrmicine genus Pheidole Westwood is revised for the smaller islands of the Southwest Indian Ocean: Comoros, Juan de Nova Island, Mauritius, Mayotte, Reunion, and the Seychelles. Descriptions and keys are provided for the thirteen species on these islands of which seven are newly described: P. decepticon sp. n., P. dodo sp. n., P. komori sp. n, P. loki sp. n., P. megatron sp. n., P. ragnax ...

Emmonsia crescens, an agent of adiaspiromycosis, Blastomyces dermatitidis, the agent of blastomycosis, and Histoplasma capsulatum, the agent of histoplasmosis, are known to form meiotic (sexual) stages in the ascomycete genus Ajellomyces (Onygenaceae, Onygenales), but no sexual stage is known for E. parva, the type species of the genus Emmonsia. To evaluate relationships among members of the pu...

Abstarct: A molecular phylogenetic analysis of some Holothuroidea was undertaken in order to clarify the systematics and taxonomy of this class in the red sea. DNA sequence for portions of 16S mitochondrial genes was obtained from 4 species of sea cucumbers. The resulting molecular phylogeny using maximum likelihood methods of the Holothuroidea conflicting existing taxonomy, which is based larg...

A cross-sectional study was conducted between September and October 2010 in five states of South Sudan that were selected on the basis of the perceived risk of tick-borne diseases. The purpose was to investigate epidemiological parameters of tick-borne diseases in South Sudan and their uses in future control strategies. A total of 805 calves were assessed by clinical, microscopic and serologi...

Parasites have evolved a plethora of strategies to ensure their survival. The intracellular parasite Theileria parva secures its propagation and spreads through the infected animal by infecting and transforming T cells, inducing their continuous proliferation and rendering them metastatic. In previous work, we have shown that the parasite induces constitutive activation of the transcription fac...