Perforin-2, the product of the MPEG1 gene, limits the spread and dissemination of bacterial pathogens in vivo. It is highly expressed in murine and human phagocytes, and macrophages lacking Perforin-2 are compromised in their ability to kill phagocytosed bacteria. In this study, we used Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium as a model intracellular pathogen to elucidate the mechanism of Perforin-2’s bactericidal activity. In vitro Perforin-2 was found to facilitate the degradation of Ags contained within the envelope of phagocytosed bacteria. In contrast, degradation of a representative surface Ag was found to be independent of Perforin-2. Consistent with our in vitro results, a protease-sensitive, periplasmic superoxide dismutase (SodCII) contributed to the virulence of S. Typhimurium in Perforin-2 knockout but not wild-type mice. In aggregate, our studies indicate that Perforin-2 breaches the envelope of phagocytosed bacteria, facilitating the delivery of proteases and other antimicrobial effectors to sites within the bacterial cell.

Perforin-2, the product of the MPEG1 gene, limits the spread and dissemination of bacterial pathogens in vivo. It is highly expressed in murine and human phagocytes, and macrophages lacking Perforin-2 are compromised in their ability to kill phagocytosed bacteria. In this study we used Salmonella typhimurium as a model intracellular pathogen to elucidate the mechanism of Perforin-29s bactericidal activity. In vitro Perforin-2 was found to facilitate the degradation of antigens contained within the envelope of phagocytosed bacteria. In contrast, degradation of a representative surface antigen was found to be independent of Perforin-2. Consistent with our in vitro results a protease sensitive, periplasmic superoxide disumutase (SodCII) contributed to the virulence of S. typhimurium in Perforin-2 knockout but not wild-type mice. In aggregate our studies indicate that Perforin-2 breaches the envelope of phagocytosed bacteria facilitating the delivery of proteases and other antimicrobial effectors to sites within the bacterial envelope.

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae causes porcine enzootic pneumonia, an economically important disease of swine. A more sensitive and reliable method for detection of serum antibodies is needed for epidemiological investigations and to evaluate the effect of immunization. We expressed the M. hyopneumoniae protein P65 in Escherichia coli and produced a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that bound specifically to recombinant P65. Using this mAb, a blocking enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed. The blocking ELISA had similar specificity to and sensitivity with the commercial ELISA produced by IDEXX. Thus, this blocking ELISA is a useful test for serological confirmation of M. hyopneumoniae infection.

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is the causative agent of swine enzootic pneumonia (EP), a disease that causes considerable economic losss in swine industry. Lipid-associated membrane proteins (LAMPs) of mycoplasma play important roles in causing mycoplasma diseases. The present study explores the pathogenic mechanisms of M. hyopneumoniae LAMPs by elucidating their role in modulating the inflammation, apoptosis, and relevant signaling pathways of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of pig. LAMP treatment inhibited the growth of PBMCs. Up-regulation of cytokines, such as IL-6 and IL-1β, as well as increased production of nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide anion were all detected in the supernatant of LAMPs-treated PBMCs. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis using dual staining with annexin-V-FITC and propidium iodide (PI) showed that LAMPs of M. hyopneumoniae induced a time-dependent apoptosis in lymphocyts and monocytes from PBMCs, which was blocked by NOS inhibitor or antioxidant. In addition, LAMPs induced the phosphorylation of p38, the ratio of pro-apoptotic Bax protein to anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8, and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage in PBMCs. These findings demonstrated that M. hyopneumoniae LAMPs induced the production of proinflammatory cytokines, NO and reactive oxygen species (ROS), and apoptosis of PBMCs in vitro through p38 MAPK and Bax/Bcl-2 signaling pathways, as well as caspase activation.

The aim of this study was to establish a method for sensitive and rapid diagnosis of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in clinical specimens. To this effect, we employed three sets of primers specifically designed for amplification of nucleic acids under isothermal conditions. After optimization of reaction conditions, M. hyopneumoniae could be successfully detected at 63°C in 45 min through use of the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay. A positive reaction was identified visually as white precipitate and confirmed by gel electrophoresis. The detection limit for this assay was 10 copies/μL, as observed by electrophoretic analysis. The accuracy of the LAMP reaction was confirmed by restriction endonuclease digestion as well as by direct sequencing of the amplified product. This method can specifically detect M. hyopneumoniae; other species with high homology and other bacterial and virus strains gave negative results. To test the utility of this procedure, the LAMP assay was applied to 40 clinical samples collected from swine lung tissues experimentally challenged with M. hyopneumoniae isolates, and compared to the results from a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. A concordance of 100% was observed between the two assays. In conclusion, the results from our study demonstrated that the LAMP assay provided a rapid reaction and was inexpensive to perform, with no need of complex instruments or systems such as Geneamp PCR. The LAMP assay may therefore be applied in routine diagnosis in the clinical laboratory and for in-field detection of M. hyopneumoniae infection.

Objective] This study aimed to develop a quantitative competitive assay for detecting Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in culture. [Method] One pair of Mhp-specific primers was designed for detecting Mhp in culture. Another pair of primers was designed based on the conserved gene sequences of Mycoplasma. The com-petitive template, which carried the same primer binding site with the target frag-ment, was constructed using enzyme digestion method. [Result] The logarithm of concentration of competitive template was treated as the abscissa (X-axis), and the logarithm of corrected optical density ratio between amplification products by compet-itive template and target template was treated as the ordinate (Y-axis). Thus the standard curve was drawn, and the regression equation was also obtained. When Y was assigned as 0, the concentration of the competitive plate was calculated, and then the concentration of Mhp was deduced. The logarithms of Color change unit (CCU) were treated as the abscissa (X-axis), and the copy numbers of Mhp were treated as the ordinate (Y-axis), so the standard curve was generated. It was found that the copy number of Mhp was highly correlated to CCU. [Conclusion] A quanti-tative competitive PCR assay was successful y established for the rapid detection of Mhp in culture.

Lipid-associated membrane proteins (LAMPs) are important in the pathogenicity of the Mycoplasma genus of bacteria. We investigated whether Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae LAMPs have pathogenic potential by inducing apoptosis in a St. Jude porcine lung epithelial cell line (SJPL). LAMPs from a pathogenic strain of M. hyopneumoniae (strain 232) were used in the research. Our investigation made use of diamidino-phenylindole (DAPI) and acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining, terminal dexynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) analysis, and Annexin-V-propidium iodide staining. After LAMP treatment for 24 h, typical changes were induced, chromosomes were concentrated, apoptotic bodies were observed, the 3'-OH groups of cleaved genomes were exposed, and the percentage of apoptotic cells reached 36.5 ± 11.66%. Caspase 3 and caspase 8 were activated and cytochrome c (cyt c) was released from the mitochondria into the cytoplasm; poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) was digested into two fragments; p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was phosphorylated; and the expression of pro-apoptosis protein Bax increased while the anti-apoptosis protein Bcl-2 decreased. LAMPs also stimulated SJPL cells to produce nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide. This study demonstrated that LAMPs from M. hyopneumoniae can induce apoptosis in SJPL cells through the activation of caspase 3, caspase 8, cyt c, Bax, and p38 MAPK, thereby contributing to our understanding of the pathogenesis of M. hyopneumoniae, which should improve the treatment of M. hyopneumoniae infections.

分析猪肺炎支原体致病株168和弱毒株168L对上皮细胞的氧化损伤.用猪肺炎支原体168和168L株体外感染猪肺泡上皮细胞(SJPL),通过对感染细胞进行MTT和NO检测,筛选感染时间和感染剂量,利用间接免疫荧光(IFA)检测细胞上Mhp,通过H2O2和DAPI验证细胞损伤.结果:在5×106 CCU感染36 h时,细胞活力相同,Mhp168株感染细胞的NO浓度显著高于Mhp168L株(P＜0.05);H2O2检测显示Mhp168对细胞的氧化损伤显著高于Mhp168L株,同时都显著高于对照(P＜0.01);IFA观察分析显示Mhp168株在细胞上的黏附量高于Mhp168L.DAPI染色显示Mhp168对细胞造成的损伤程度高于Mhp168L.通过优化感染时间和感染剂量,找到了猪肺炎支原体强弱毒株对上皮细胞损伤的显著差异点,分析了猪肺炎支原体强弱毒株对上皮细胞的氧化损伤,为深入研究猪肺炎支原体强弱毒株感染细胞的差异机制奠定了基础.

目的 猪鼻支原体是临床猪场的常见病菌,可引起猪多发性浆膜炎、肺炎、关节炎、中耳炎等慢性炎症,同时其与多种人类肿瘤有明显相关性,但其致病机理有待深入,其感染细胞机制的研究尚未明确,因此,本研究欲建立一种用间接免疫荧光技术检测猪鼻支原体黏附宿主细胞的方法.方法 以猪鼻支原体和猪肾上皮细胞为研究对象,以兔抗猪鼻支原体纯化抗体为一抗,以FITC标记的羊抗兔IgG为二抗,通过反应条件的优化,建立猪鼻支原体黏附宿主细胞的间接免疫荧光检测方法(IFA).结果 最终确定最小黏附滴度为1∶107 CCU/mL,猪鼻支原体黏附PK15所需时间为6 h以上,一抗的最佳工作浓度为1∶100,二抗的最佳工作浓度为1∶1 600.结论表明间接免疫荧光技术可以用来检测猪鼻支原体对宿主细胞的黏附作用.为猪鼻支原体的研究特别是感染细胞机制的体外研究提供基础方法,同时为疾病的诊断及疫苗的研发奠定基础.

为研发和评价猪支原体肺炎(MPS)灭活疫苗新型佐剂,本研究以水包油乳剂或水性高分子聚合物卡波姆佐剂为基础的MPS灭活疫苗,在其中分别添加左旋咪唑、黄芪多糖、免疫刺激复合物基质(ISCOM-matirx)或胸腺肽,得到不同的佐剂配方,同时选用3种商品化佐剂进行同步试验评价.将这些佐剂与MPS灭活疫苗合用免疫小鼠,检测淋巴细胞增殖情况及血清抗体培G水平,用以比较几种佐剂对该疫苗中的免疫增强效果.结果表明,与对照组相比,各佐剂组均有明显免疫应答反应.其中,卡波姆+ISCOM+matrix佐剂组对增强小鼠淋巴细胞增殖能力及血清中抗体水平为各组间最高,其次为卡波姆+左旋咪唑佐剂组;GEL 01 ST佐剂能够增强疫苗的细胞免疫刺激能力,而对体液免疫作用稍差,卡波姆+胸腺肽佐剂组的血清抗体水平较高,但对淋巴细胞增殖没有明显作用.本实验结果将为后续的MPS灭活疫苗的研发提供了实验依据.

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae) vaccine strain 168 is an intrapulmonically injected attenuated live vaccine that is available in the Chinese market. The aim of this study was to develop suitable adjuvants for this live vaccine to provide effective protection after intramuscular inoculation. Several adjuvant components were screened to assess their toxicity for the live vaccine, and various adjuvant formulations were then designed and prepared. Vaccines supplemented with these adjuvants were used to immunize mice intramuscularly to assess the capacity of the adjuvants to induce a specific immune response. The screened formulations were then evaluated in pigs. Seven of the eight adjuvant components did not affect the viability of the live vaccine, and seven different adjuvant formulations were then designed. In mice, the ISCOM-matrix adjuvant and the levamisole-chitosan mixture adjuvant significantly enhanced serum IgG responses against M. hyopneumoniae, while lymphocyte proliferation was enhanced by the ISCOM-matrix adjuvant, the carbomer-astragalus polysaccharide mixture adjuvant and an oil-in-water emulsion adjuvant. These four adjuvants were evaluated in pigs. Enhancement of specific lymphocyte proliferation responses was observed in the groups vaccinated with the ISCOM-matrix adjuvant and the carbomer-astragalus polysaccharide mixture adjuvant. Significant enhancement of serum IgG antibody production was observed before challenge in pigs vaccinated with the carbomer-astragalus polysaccharide mixture adjuvant and the levamisole-chitosan mixture adjuvant, while after challenge, all of the animals that received vaccines containing adjuvants had higher antibody concentrations against M. hyopneumoniae than unvaccinated animals. Animals inoculated with a vaccine containing the ISCOM-matrix adjuvant (median score 3.57) or the carbomer-astragalus polysaccharide mixture adjuvant (median score 5.28) had reduced lesion scores compared to unvaccinated animals (median score 14.81). These studies will help in the development of appropriate adjuvants for intramuscular administration of this live M. hyopneumoniae vaccine.

Currently available ELISAs used to diagnose Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infection in pigs have high specificity but low sensitivity. To develop more sensitive assays, the kinetics of specific serum IgG and respiratory mucosal sIgA responses against three M. hyopneumoniae antigens, namely, P97R1 (an adhesin protein), P46 (a membrane protein), and P36 (a cytosolic protein), were characterised over 133 days following experimental infection.Immunoglobulin G against the three proteins remained at high concentrations from 28 to 133 days post-infection (dpi), although IgG against P97R1 was detected earlier and was more reactive than the other two antigens under assessment. Mucosal sIgA appeared earlier than serum IgG but did not persist as long; sIgA concentrations against P97R1 were the highest. Seroconversion was detected 2 weeks earlier with the P97R1-based ELISA than with a commercially available ELISA. On analysis of serum samples from five pig farms that did not use a M. hyopneumoniae vaccine, the P97R1-based IgG ELISA demonstrated a 73.6% coincidence rate with the commercial kit. Moreover, this more specific P97R1-based ELISA detected more positive samples than the commercial kit (52.8% vs. 39.2%).It was concluded that the systemic immune response to M. hyopneumoniae infection in pigs was delayed in onset but persistent whereas the mucosal response developed more rapidly but was less sustained. The P97R1 antigen was identified as a suitable serological marker for diagnosing M. hyopneumoniae infection in pigs, particularly early stage infection. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An attenuated Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae vaccine that requires intrathoracic administration is commercially available for use against mycoplasmal pneumonia in China. Given the limitations of such a route of administration, this study was undertaken to assess the capacity of an ISCOM-matrix adjuvant to enhance immunogenicity following intramuscular use. Immune responses in pigs following vaccination and subsequent intra-tracheal bacterial inoculation were examined using lymphocyte proliferation, serology and mucosal IgA in both nasal and saliva swabs. Vaccination induced clear lymphocyte proliferation, but only slight serum antibody responses although these were significantly increased following experimental infection. Mucosal IgA was not detected in either nasal or salivary secretions. Following bacterial challenge, animals vaccinated with the adjuvant-containing live vaccine exhibited less severe pulmonary lesions (median score 3.67) than unvaccinated pigs (median score 13.58). The degree of ciliary loss on the respiratory tract surface was reduced in vaccinated pigs compared with experimentally infected controls. The findings indicated that the adjuvant vaccine administered IM provided protection against experimentally induced mycoplasmal pneumonia and could have commercial potential.

In order to explore a breeding method for mycoplasmal pneumonia-negative swine population, the purifying effects of combination therapy, SEW and three-point breeding and management system on Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae were investigated in this study. After the processes of screening pregnant sows, programmed therapy for sows, SEW, three-point breeding and management in the barrier isolation system and programmed therapy for piglets, the newly-bred piglets were monitored as long as four months by serum antibody detection of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and flu-orescent quantitative PCR of nose swabs. The results showed that when the newly-bred five batches of piglets were older than 35 d, they were al negative by serum antibody detection and nose swab antigen detection. Therefore, the combination ther-apy, SEW and three-point production and management system can effectively purify Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, providing theoretical basis and clinical experience for the control and purification of domestic mycoplasmal pneumonia.

[目的]2012年3月至12月从江苏泰州某猪场采集303份鼻拭子样品,利用巢式PCR和荧光定量PCR比较检测猪肺炎支原体的感染情况.[方法]采集7、14、21、28、30和35日龄的猪的鼻拭子,4 ℃浸泡于PBS过夜,TIANamp?细菌DNA提取试剂盒提取DNA.然后进行Mhp183的荧光定量PCR及P36的巢式PCR检测.[结果]通过巢式PCR检测,12.5％ (38/303)份样品为猪肺炎支原体阳性,用荧光定量PCR检测,50.2％(152/303)的样品为阳性.两种方法检测均为阳性的样品为22份,占7.3％,两种方法检测均为阴性的样品为127份,占41.9％.两种检测方法的感染模式相同,均在7日龄和35日龄的小猪中感染率最高,巢式PCR的感染率分别为15.6％和18.4％,荧光定量PCR的感染率分别为53.1％和56.6％.[结论]两种PCR方法均适用于猪场感染状态的检测.

The Jiangquhai porcine lean strain (JQHPL) is a new pork meat-type strain that has been developed in recent years from the parent lines Duroc, Fengjing, and Jiangquhai pigs (DurocxFengjing pigxJiangquhai pig). Enzootic pneumonia (EP) in pigs induced by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae) is a chronic respiratory disease of pigs, generating high economic losses in the swine industry. Here, we investigated the degree of resistance to M. hyopneumoniae for the Jiangquhai porcine lean strain and the Duroc x Landrace x Yorkshire (DLY) pigs, which are Western commercial pigs that have been introduced in China. A total of 209 DLY piglets and 221 JQHPL piglets from 19 Landrace x Yorkshire and 22 JQHPL M. hyopneumoniae positive gestating sows with different expected dates of confinement were selected and raised in the same M. hyopneumoniae positive farrowing barn. When the oldest suckling piglets were 37 days old, nasal swabs were collected from all the piglets (ranging from 4 to 37 days old) to detect the M. hyopneumoniae pathogen using n-PCR and M. hyopneumoniae specific SIgA using ELISA. Positive M. hyopneumoniae infection rates in both the strains increased with age; however, positive rates for JQHPL were lower compared to DLY at 14 to 35 days old. The level of the specific SIgA rose rapidly in JQHPL respiratory tracts, particularly in piglets 21 to 35 days in age compared to DLY piglets of the same age; however, the level of the specific SIgA in DLY also marginally increased. In conclusion, JQHPL pigs exhibits higher resistance to M. hyopneumoniae compared to DLY. It is possible that this characteristic is caused by the faster and stronger mucosal immunity phenotype of the JQHPL strain.

[目的]建立一个高效的猪肺炎支原体气溶胶富集和检测技术,以弥补临床上猪肺炎支原体气溶胶检测技术的空白.[方法]结合液体冲击式采样器和过滤式采样器的原理,自行设计一个气溶胶双重富集装置,并在密闭环境下采集人工制备的猪肺炎支原体气溶胶,荧光定量PCR检测以确定该装置的采集效率.再通过收集不同猪群中的气溶胶进行检测以确定该装置临床应用的可行性.首先,收集人工感染Mhp阴性仔猪后不同时间猪舍内的气溶胶;其次,收集1个猪支原体肺炎发病猪场和1个阳性未发病猪场的产房、保育舍和育肥舍共11个猪舍的气溶胶,荧光定量PCR或套式PCR检测所收集的气溶胶.[结果]实验室模拟采样的采集效率达到(37.04±6.43)％,人工感染猪肺炎支原体后7天即在饲养房间的气溶胶中检到猪肺炎支原体;2个猪场共11个不同猪舍气溶胶中猪肺炎支原体检测结果均为阳性,检出率100％.[结论]成功建立了一个高敏感性的猪肺炎支原体气溶胶富集检测技术,适用于临床上猪肺炎支原体气溶胶的检测.

ObjectiveThis study was to establish a simple method for collecting and detecting Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhp) in aerosol. MethodBased on the mechanisms of liquid impinger and filtration sampler, a double concentration aerosol sampler was designed for collecting Mhp aerosol. Firstly, the collection was performed in a closed environment full of artificial aerosol of Mhp. Secondly, collection efficiency was detected by real-time PCR. Thereafter, the clinical feasibility of the designed equipment was tested by collecting aerosol samples in different pig herds. In one assay, the samples were collected at different times from one pig house challenged with Mhp. In another assay, the samples was collected from the delivery room, nursery and fattenning house of a MPS outbreak farm as well as a Mhp infection positive pig farm without obvious clinical symptoms. All the aerosol samples were then detected by real-time PCR or nested PCR. ResultThe collection efficiency of the designed bioaerosol sampler was (37.04±6.43) %, Mhp could be detected 7 d after intratracheal challenge with pneumonic lung homogenate suspension. Aerosol samples of 11 pig houses from the two Mhp positive pig farms with or without clinical symptoms all showed a positive result of PCR, the positivity rate was 100%. ConclusionA high sensitive collecting and detecting technology of aerosol was successfully established, which can be applied to clinical detection of Mhp in aerosol.

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae) causes a chronic respiratory disease with high morbidity and low mortality in swine, and has been presented as a major cause of growth retardation in the swine industry. Aerosol vaccination presents a needle free, high throughput, and efficient platform for vaccine delivery, and has been widely applied in poultry vaccination. However, aerosol vaccines have rarely been used in swine vaccination primarily because the long and curving respiratory track of swine presents a barrier for vaccine particle delivery. To develop an effective M. hyopneumoniae aerosol vaccine, three major barriers need to be overcome: to optimize particle size for aerosol delivery, to maintain the viability of mycoplasma cells in the vaccine, and to optimize the environmental conditions for vaccine delivery. In this study, an aerosol mycoplasma vaccine was successfully developed based on a conventional live attenuated M. hyopneumoniae vaccine. Specifically, the Pari LCD nebulizer was used to produce an aerosol vaccine particle size less than 5 μm; and a buffer with 5% glycerol was developed and optimized to prevent inactivation of M. hyopneumoniae caused by aerosolization and evaporation. Before nebulization, the room temperature and relative humidity were control to 20-25 °C and 70-75%, respectively, which helped maintain the viability of aerosol vaccine. Animal experiments demonstrated that this newly developed aerosol vaccine was effectively delivered to swine low respiratory track, being confirmed by nested-PCR, in situ hybridization and scanning electron microscope. Moreover, M. hyopneumoniae specific sIgA secretion was detected in the nasal swab samples at 14 days post-immunization. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a live M. hyopneumoniae aerosol vaccine.

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is the primary etiological agent of enzootic pneumonia in swine. Lipid-associated membrane proteins (LAMP) of mycoplasma are the main pathogenicity factors in mycoplasma diseases. In this study, we investigated the effects of M. hyopneumoniae LAMP on porcine alveolar macrophage (PAM) 3D4/21 cell line. Apoptotic features, such as chromatin condensation and apoptotic bodies, were observed in LAMP-treated PAM 3D4/21 cells. Moreover, LAMP significantly increased the number of TUNEL positive apoptotic cells in PAM 3D4/21 cells compared with the untreated control. In addition, flow cytometric analysis using dual staining with annexin-V-FITC and propidium iodide (PI) showed that LAMP of M. hyopneumoniae induced a time-dependent apoptosis in PAM 3D4/21 cells. Moreover, increased levels of superoxide anion production and activated caspase-3 in PAM 3D4/21 cells were observed after exposure to LAMP. Increased production of nitric oxide (NO) was also confirmed in the cell supernatants. Besides, apoptotic rates increase and caspase-3 activation were suppressed by NOS inhibitor or antioxidant. It is suggested that LAMP of M. hyopneumoniae induced apoptosis in porcine alveolar macrophage via NO production, superoxide anion production, and caspase-3 activation.