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Although the prevalence of schistosomiasis japonica has declined gradually in China, more accurate and sensitive diagnostic methods are urgently needed for the prevention and control of this disease. Molecular diagnostic methods are advantageous in terms of sensitivity and specificity, but they are time-consuming and require expensive instruments and skilled personnel, which limits their application in low-resource settings. In this study, an isothermal DNA amplification assay and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with lateral flow dipstick (LFD) were set up. It was used to detect S. japonicum infections in experimental mice and domestic goats by amplifying a specific DNA fragment of S. japonicum. The lower limit of detection for the LFD-RPA assay was evaluated using dilutions of plasmid containing the target sequence. Cross-reactivity was evaluated using genomic DNA from eight other parasites. The effectiveness of the LFD-RPA assay was verified by assessing 36 positive plasma samples and 36 negative plasma samples from mice. The LFD-RPA assay and real-time PCR were also used to assess 48 schistosomiasis japonica-positive plasma samples and 53 negative plasma samples from goats. The LFD-RPA assay could detect 2.6 femtogram (fg) of S. japonicum target DNA (~39 fg genomic DNA of S. japonicum), only 10-fold less sensitive than real-time PCR assay. There was no cross-reactivity with DNA from the other eight parasites, such as Haemonchus contortus and Spirometra. The whole amplification process could be completed within 15 min at 39°C, and the results can be observed easily using the LFD. The sensitivity and specificity of the LFD-RPA assay were 97.22% (35/36, 95% CI, 85.47%–99.93%) and 100% (36/36, 95% CI, 90.26%–100%) in mice, and 93.75% (45/48, 95% CI, 82.80%–98.69%) and 100% (53/53, 95% CI, 93.28%–100%) in goats. By comparison, the sensitivity and specificity of real-time PCR were 100% (36/36, 95% CI, 90.26%–100%) and 100% (36/36, 95% CI, 90.26%–100%) for mice, and 97.92% (47/48, 95% CI, 88.93%–99.95%) and 100% (53/53, 95% CI, 93.28%–100%) for goats. The LFD-RPA assay exhibits high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis japonica, and it is an alternative method for diagnosis schistosomiasis japonica in low resource setting.

Karachaev goat (Capra hircus) is a local breed from North-Caucasus region, Russia. Here we present complete mitochondrial genome of Karachaev goat from the republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia, Russia. The length of the studied sequence was 16,624 bp in size. It was shown that the studied specimen belonged to haplogroup A.

ABSTRACT Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) across North America have suffered population losses due to polymicrobial pneumonia typically initiated by spillover events of bacteria from domestic sheep and goats. Because vaccination or treatment of individual animals remains an elusive goal and pneumonia often persists in bighorn herds for years or decades following infection, preventing contact between domestic and wild animals is widely accepted as the best prophylactic. For the past decade, most management efforts have focused on the risks associated with commercial sheep grazing on public lands; less attention has been paid to risks to bighorns from small flocks of domestic sheep and goats managed entirely on private land. We surveyed owners of 40 sheep or goat flocks located near bighorn sheep herds in central and southeastern Washington, USA, during 2014 and 2015, to better understand their knowledge level, management practices, and willingness to reduce risks. Over one‐third of sheep or goat owners had no knowledge of the potential for pathogen spillover to bighorns, but all were interested in reducing risk of interacting with bighorns, particularly by options that did not restrict their autonomy. We also sampled nasal mucosae of 137 animals in 24 flocks for presence of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, the bacterium most closely associated with bighorn pneumonia. M. ovipneumoniae was detected in 37.5% of sheep or goat flocks sampled, and animals had escaped their enclosures in 78% of these. Physical contact, and thus pathogen spillover from domestic sheep or goats living in small, private flocks in close proximity to bighorns is clearly a risk. We provide recommendations to agency staff on identifying, prioritizing and testing small herds, and then working with owners to reduce the risk of pathogen spillover. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.