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Molecular characterization of TLR4 genes of swamp and riverine types of water buffaloes was conducted to determine unique genotypic characteristics specific to each type of water buffalo and provide baseline information for explaining differences in disease resistance between each type. The nucleotide sequence of the riverine TLR4 gene produced 2,526 bp, whereas the swamp TLR4 sequence produced 2,322 bp. Riverine and swamp buffalo TLR4 nucleotide sequences were 99% similar to that of B. bubalis sequence from GenBank. The translated amino acid sequence of TLR4 showed that the riverine buffalo TLR4 sequence had a higher percentage similarity to B. bubalis sequence as compared to the swamp buffalo TLR4 amino acid sequence. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the degree of relationship between the bubaline species and showed the distinctness of each breed. The predicted functional domains identified were 13 LRRs and a single LRRCT. Transmembrane protein and globular cytoplasmic domain TIR1 were found to be conserved regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study characterized inhibin-ßA (INHßA) gene of 12 water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) bulls [two Philippine Carabao (PC), five Bulgarian Murrah (BM), and five Italian Murrah (IM)] using DNA extracted from semen. Using MEGA 7.0 software and Signal P® version 4, the sequences were assembled and aligned and amino acid sequences were determined, respectively. BM bull sequence showed 100% similarity with B. bubalis from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. However, a lower similarity was seen on both PC and IM at 98%. The translated amino acid sequence of PC, BM, and IM had 95, 97, and 93% similarity with B. bubalis sequence from NCBI, respectively. The phylogeny tree revealed that both PC and IM were closely similar in their gene sequence, while BM was more similar with B. bubalis from NCBI. Their similarities in nucleotide sequence suggest that INHßA gene was conserved in bulls. The signal peptide was observed in BM and B. bubalis from NCBI. BM has an amino acid exchanged from threonine to alanine, while in B. bubalis has an amino acid exchanged from histidine to aspartic acid. This polymorphism from their cleaving site could cause an interaction in the reproduction, growth, and maintenance of the bull. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surra, a parasitic disease transmitted by hematophagous flies and caused by Trypanosoma evansi, affects many domesticated animals - including water buffaloes, camels, horses, pigs, dogs, and other carnivores - throughout the world. When left untreated, this disease can cause anemia, significant loss of weight, abortion, and death in affected animals. Among Philippine isolates of T. evansi, variability has been reported in terms of virulence as well as response to drug treatment. In this study, trypanosoma-positive blood was obtained from 15 Philippine water buffalo samples from different sites in the country. The collected T. evansi strains were propagated in mice then subjected to in vivo virulence, in vitro drug sensitivity testing, and whole genome sequencing. One strain (O14) was found to be highly virulent in vivo, and was found to be resistant to three commonly used drugs [i.e., isometamidium chloride (IC), diminazene diaceturate (DD), and melarsamine hydrochloride (CY for Cymelarsan®)] in vitro. This highly resistant sample was compared with two less-virulent strains using genome-wide analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and short insertions and deletions (indels) relative to the reference strain STIB 805. Variant analysis between O14 and the less virulent strains (M4 and C117) identified a number of distinctive SNPs, many of which corroborate previous data. Genes with relatively high copy numbers were observed in mutation hotspots. These included genes that code for variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs), expression site-associated genes (ESAGs), retrotransposon hot spot (RHS) proteins, and leucine rich repeat proteins. Notable mutations were also predicted from genes coding for membrane transporters and cysteine peptidases, as well as those involved in RNA degradation. The whole genome sequences acquired from the Philippine isolates (O14, M4, and C117) vary greatly from the reference strain (STIB 805). These WGS data serve as a good resource for the discovery of genetic and phenotypic features that may be translated to effective treatment strategies, relevant to the Philippine setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immune responses of two breeds of piglets to diarrhea at pre-weaning and post-weaning were evaluated in terms of the relative quantification of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) glycoproteins represented by the swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) class I. The expression of SLA-1 and SLA-2 genes of diarrheic and non-diarrheic Native and Large White piglets were measured using real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Blood samples from 20 Native and 20 Large White piglets were used in this study. It is comprised of 5 Native piglets with clinical signs of diarrhea and 5 Native piglets with no diarrhea at pre-weaning. Same number of piglets were used for Native piglets at post-weaning and Large White piglets at pre-and post-weaning periods. The cDNA samples were amplified using primers for SLA-1 and SLA-1 alleles having amplicon sizes of 217 bp and 126 bp, respectively. Factors that were considered in the study include breed and status of piglets. Relative quantification was done using comparative threshold cycle (CT) method. Significantly higher levels of SLA-1 were noted in diarrheic pigs compared to those of non-diarrheic piglets (P=0.040) of the Native and Large White breeds at pre-weaning period. This observation was not analogous with the non-significant differences in SLA-2 expression, deduced as SLA-linked immune responses of piglets from the Native and Large White breeds with and without diarrhea observed at pre-weaning and post-weaning stages. The upregulation of SLA-1 in piglets with diarrhea at pre-weaning in the two breeds of swine examined the potential role of SLA-1 in the host's response to diarrhea. These data associate the significance of the SLA-1 gene as a marker for diarrhea in pre-weaning piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]