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Biomedical subjects

S J Fraser

Publications and source records attributed to S J Fraser.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of antibodies against malignant catarrhal fever viruses in cattle serum.

Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) is a sporadic but fatal lymphoproliferative viral disease of cattle, deer and other ruminants. The causative agents are highly-cell-associated herpesviruses of the subfamily gammaherpesvirinae. In this study, an ELISA (WC11-ELISA) was developed to detect antibody to malignant catarrhal fever virus (MCFV) in cattle serum and compared to the commercially produced competitive-inhibition ELISA (CI-ELISA). Crude lysate antigen from alcelaphine herpesvirus-1 strain WC11 was bound to 96-well microplates and used to capture antibodies to MCFV. Dilutions of test sera were added to wells containing bound MCF antigen and control wells containing uninfected cell lysates. A horseradish peroxidase-labelled rabbit-anti-bovine IgG conjugate detected antibodies to MCF, and the results were expressed as absorbance readings at 450 nm. Samples were selected blind from cattle sera which had been sent to the laboratory for diagnostic testing for MCFV antibodies and were tested in both the WC11-ELISA and the CI-ELISA. Good agreement between the WC11-ELISA and CI-ELISA test (k=0.86, n=95) results was found.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Wild carnivore acceptance of baits for delivery of liquid rabies vaccine.

A series of experiments are described on the acceptance, by red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and other species, of two types of vaccine-baits intended to deliver liquid rabies vaccine. The baits consisted of a cube of sponge coated in a mixture of tallow and wax, or a plastic blister-pack embedded in tallow. All baits contained tetracycline as a biological marking agent: examination of thin sections of carnivore canines under an ultraviolet microscope revealed a fluorescent line of tetracycline if an individual had eaten baits. Baits were dropped from fixed-wing aircraft flying about 100 m above ground at approximately 130 km/h. Flight lines followed the edges of woodlots midway between parallel roads. Baits were dropped at one/sec, resulting in one bait/36 m on the ground, or 17 to 25 baits per km2. Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) removed many baits, but did not appear to lower the percent of the fox population which took bait. Dropping baits only into corn and woodland to conceal baits, to reduce depredation by crows, reduced acceptance by foxes. Acceptance by foxes ranged between 37 and 68%. Meat added as an attractant did not raise acceptance. Presence, absence, color and perforations of plastic bags did not alter bait acceptance. Dispersal by juvenile foxes probably lowered the estimates of bait acceptance. It took 7 to 17 days for 80% (n = 330) of foxes to eat their first bait. The rapidity with which foxes picked up their first bait appeared more affected by unknown characteristics of years or study areas than by experimental variables. Skunks (Mephitis mephitis) and raccoons (Procyon lotor) also ate these baits, but acceptance was lower. Small mammals contacted baits, but rarely contacted the vaccine, which had the potential for vaccine-induced rabies in some species. Aerial distribution of baits was more cost-effective than ground distribution as practiced in Europe. This system has potential for field control of rabies, although higher acceptance will be desirable.

Animals↗