Cytokine Gene Expression in Sheep with Johne's Disease
Author Information
Author(s): Jennifer A Smeed, Craig A Watkins, Susan M Rhind, John Hopkins
Primary Institution: Centre for Infectious Diseases, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh
Hypothesis
The expression levels of a panel of thirteen cytokine and cytokine associated genes would be different at the site of infection in the three forms of sheep paratuberculosis, and these differences could relate to the observed pathologies.
Conclusion
The study confirms that sheep pauci- and multibacillary disease are linked to type 1 and type 2 T cell responses respectively, and that asymptomatic animals can be distinguished from uninfected controls based on cytokine expression patterns.
Supporting Evidence
- The study identified three groups of IS900+ animals based on gross pathology and histopathology.
- Cytokine expression levels varied significantly between the three forms of Johne's disease.
- Asymptomatic sheep showed normal histology but distinct cytokine expression patterns compared to uninfected controls.
Takeaway
This study looked at how different types of sick sheep express certain genes related to their immune response, helping us understand why some sheep get sicker than others.
Methodology
Real-time RT-PCR was used to compare the expression of thirteen cytokine and cytokine-related genes in ileal tissue from sheep with three forms of Johne's disease.
Potential Biases
The variability in cytokine expression may be influenced by factors such as breed differences and unquantified gastrointestinal worm burdens.
Limitations
The study involved naturally infected sheep from different breeds, which may introduce variability in cytokine expression levels.
Participant Demographics
The study included 30 sheep with three forms of Johne's disease (10 multibacillary, 10 paucibacillary, and 10 asymptomatic) and 9 uninfected controls.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p = 0.05
Statistical Significance
p ≤ 0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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