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Biomedical subjects

M Ladu

Publications and source records attributed to M Ladu.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Prevalence of Neospora caninum infection in Sardinian dairy farms (Italy) detected by iscom ELISA on tank bulk milk.

Neospora caninum is a heteroxenous cyst-forming coccidian closely related to Toxoplasma gondii and is considered one of the major causes of abortions in cattle worldwide. The present work aims to update the epidemiological trend of N. caninum of dairy cattle in Sardinia island, Western Mediterranean (Italy). For this reason, we used the newest enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) methodology that exploits immune-stimulating complexes (iscoms) principle and allows us to point out the infection in the tank bulk milk too, besides the individual cattle. A total of 624 herds were sampled and tank bulk milk was submitted to iscom ELISA test. The analysis of the tank bulk milk samples revealed a total farm prevalence of 55% for N. caninum in Sardinia. In the provinces of Oristano and Cagliari the prevalences (64 and 65%, respectively) were significantly higher (p<0.01) than in Sassari and Nuoro (41 and 40%, respectively). The iscom Elisa test applied on tank bulk milk seems to be helpful and cost-effective for large epidemiological surveys, for monitoring control strategy plans for N. caninum, and for increasing the bio-safety level in dairy cattle farms.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Serological diagnosis of chlamydial abortion in sheep and goats: comparison of the complement fixation test and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay employing solubilised proteins as antigen.

A new ELISA for antibodies against chlamydial abortion of ewes which uses detergent solubilised proteins (dsp) of Chlamydia psittaci as antigen (Anderson, I.E., Herring, A.J., Jones, G.E., Low, J.C., Greig, A., 1995. Development and evaluation of an indirect ELISA to detect antibodies to abortion strains of Chlamydia psittaci in sheep sera. Vet. Microbiol., 43, pp. 1-12] was compared with the complement fixation test (CFT) in screening 1000 ovine and caprine sera obtained from selected flocks/herds ('flocks') and submitted to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory. Fifteen of the 17 'flocks' had a history of abortion while the remaining two did not and were classified as 'negative flocks'. Infection with Chlamydia was confirmed during the study period in five 'flocks' using direct immunofluorescence and the modified Ziehl Neelsen stain on pathological material. The dspELISA and CFT identified 37 and 45 positive sera on 158 samples tested from these 'flocks'. Chlamydia antibodies were not detected in one of the two negative flocks, in two other flocks where the cause of abortion was undetermined and in three flocks in which the causes of abortion were diagnosed as Listeriosis and/or Salmonellosis. One of the 'negative flocks' yielded two positive reactors by CFT and five by dspELISA, suggesting infection with a cross-reactive subtype of C. pecorum. Of the five 'flocks' in which a definitive diagnosis from pathological material was not possible, four were positive by both serological tests, suggesting that the abortions were due to Chlamydia. The fifth flock, though negative by dspELISA and marginally positive in two samples by CFT, had experienced confirmed chlamydial abortions in previous lambing seasons, but culling and tetracycline treatment have prevented further abortions in the study period. Overall, the proportions of samples positive by CFT and dspELISA were similar (9.1% and 8.8%). These studies confirmed the value of the dspELISA as a screening test for chlamydial abortion. Furthermore, the dspELISA compared to the CFT is easier to perform, does not require reagent titration at each testing and uses automated assessment of results.

Abortion, Veterinary↗
PubMed1981

Modifications induced in phosphatidylcholine multilayers by Co-60 gamma-rays.

Using differential scanning calorimetry it was observed that gamma-radiation induced modifications in dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) multilayers in excess water. It was observed that, with the increase of the absorbed dose, the peak associated with the pretransition disappeared gradually, while the peak associated with the main transition became wider and flatter. The enthalpy change associated with the pretransition was found to be 4.4 +/- 0.3 kJ/mol of DMPC before irradiation and that associated with the main transition was found to be 26.0 +/- 1.3 kJ/mol of DMPC before and after irradiation. Moreover from our measurements, it seems that the trapped water becomes stable free water, because of the effect of the gamma-radiation.

Calorimetry, Differential Scanning↗