Hofmann-Lehmann
Fakultäten » Vetsuisse-Fakultät » Nutztiere, Departement für » Veterinärmedizinisches Labor » Prof. Dr. Regina Hofmann-Lehmann » Hofmann-Lehmann
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | Potential reactivation of chronic ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis’ infection | ||||||
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| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||||||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis’ (CMt) infects felids. During the acute phase of the infection, CMt can induce mild to moderate anemia in experimentally infected domestic cats. After bacteremia, hemoplasma-infected cats may become chronic carriers. To date, it is assumed to be unlikely that infected animals completely clear the organisms, even after antibiotic treatments. Different studies suggest a possible sequestration of the organisms in tissues. However, dynamics of the chronic phase of hemoplasma infection are still poorly understood. We have hypothesized that chronically infected cats may be able to reactivate the infection under particular immune-suppressive conditions and therefore represent a source of infection for other animals. No long-term follow-up of experimental feline hemoplasma infection has been reported so far. The goals of the present study were to (1) induce reactivation of the CMt infection in chronic carrier cats by attempted immunosuppression, (2) identify potential tissue sequestration using real-time TaqMan® polymerase chain reaction and (3) monitor the humoral immune response by a DnaK enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. This study is part of the Ph.D. thesis of Marilisa Novacco. Publication of the results is underway. | ||||||
| Publications / Publikationen | Novacco M, FS Boretti, GA Wolf-Jäckel, B Riond, ML Meli, B Willi, H Lutz, R Hofmann-Lehmann. 2011. Chronic 'Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis' infection. Vet Res 42:59.Wolf-Jackel G.A., Jackel C., Museux K., Hoelzle K., Tasker S., Lutz H., Hofmann-Lehmann R., Identification, characterization, and application of a recombinant antigen for the serological investigation of feline hemotropic Mycoplasma infections, Clin Vaccine Immunol. (2010) 17:1917-1925Museux K., Boretti F.S., Willi B., Riond B., Hoelzle K., Hoelzle L.E., Wittenbrink M.M., Tasker S., Wengi N., Reusch C.E., Lutz H., Hofmann-Lehmann R., In vivo transmission studies of 'Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis' in the domestic cat, Vet. Res. (2009) 40:45Willi B., Boretti F.S., Cattori V., Tasker S., Meli M.L., Reusch C., Lutz H., Hofmann-Lehmann R., Identification, molecular characterization, and experimental transmission of a new hemoplasma isolate from a cat with hemolytic anemia in Switzerland, J. Clin. Microbiol. (2005) 43:2581-2585 | ||||||
| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | Hemoplasma, hemotropic mycoplasma, infectious hemolytic anemia, haemobartonella felis, real-time TaqMan PCR, pathogenesis, tissue loads, sequestration, reactivation | ||||||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
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| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
Forschungskredit der Universität Zürich, Others |
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| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Jun 2009 to Jun 2011 |