83 research outputs found
Here and Not Here - How Mina Loy reconciles Aesthetic Impersonality with the assertion of Female Subjectivity
No full textAccording to Christina Walter (2009), the tension between artistic conveyance of the
universal and transcendent and the assertion of marginalized subjectivity particularly
concerned Mina Loy. The aim of this study is to explore how Mina Loy understood and
reconciled this tension. By surveying a selection of Loy’s nonfiction work, the present project
will use a Jungian approach to literary criticism inspired by the work of Susan Roland (2019)
to explore personhood and individual being, identify how those individuals are who they are
by analyzing relationships, and treat culture through seeking what is lost, marginalized or yet
to come into being. I map these three trajectories onto Loy’s work using the following
concepts: understanding of the construction of a (female) self, the aesthetic/relative
impersonality problem, and her idea of what could be if the contemporary social and artistic
paradigm was shifted to include the female voice, before eventually moving past gender
altogether. Relevant ideas from the “Feminist Manifesto” or “Pyscho-Democracy” are used to
understand Loy’s theories, while sections from “Mi & Lo” are analyzed as examples of these
theories in the context of artistic expression. Doing so illuminates not only the passive role
the artist plays in relationship to artistic expression and the creative process, but also the
ramifications of this passivity on the assertion of female subjectivity in a patriarchal society.
Simply put: how can the female author achieve the disconnect required to be an authentic
(modern) artist while simultaneously asserting the female perspective into the
male-dominated discussion
Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in veterinary medicine in the United States: Current efforts, challenges, and opportunities
No full textAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global problem facing human, animal, plant, and environmental health by threatening our ability to effectively treat bacterial infections with antimicrobials. In the United States, robust surveillance efforts exist to collect, analyze, and disseminate AMR data in human health care settings. These tools enable the development of effective infection control methods, the detection of trends, and provide the evidence needed to guide stewardship efforts to reduce the potential for emergence and further spread of AMR. However, in veterinary medicine, there are currently no known equivalent tools. This paper reviews efforts in the United States related to surveillance of AMR in veterinary medicine and discusses the challenges and opportunities of using data from veterinary diagnostic laboratories to build a comprehensive AMR surveillance program that will support stewardship efforts and help control AMR in both humans and animals.This article is published as Ruzante JM, Harris B, Plummer P,
Raineri RR, Loy JD, Jacob M, Sahin O
and Kreuder AJ (2022) Surveillance of
antimicrobial resistance in veterinary
medicine in the United States: Current
efforts, challenges, and opportunities.
Front. Vet. Sci. 9:1068406.
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1068406.
Copyright 2022 Ruzante, Harris, Plummer,
Raineri, Loy, Jacob, Sahin and Kreuder.
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
Posted with permission
Application and Validation of Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy Method to Characterize \u3ci\u3eMoraxella\u3c/i\u3e sp. Isolated from Cattle.
No full textInfectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), also known as “pinkeye,” is a highly significant ocular disease of cattle. Resulting in substantial economic losses each year, IBK is caused by the bacteria Moraxella bovis. However, Moraxella bovoculi is frequently cultured during outbreaks and is suspected of contributing to the disease. M. bovoculi has an extensive amount of genotypic diversity for its outer membrane pilin, a known virulence factor.Previous techniques used to identify Moraxella species were complex, time-consuming, and expensive making the identification of specific infectious agents difficult. Fourier transformed-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) is an emerging technology being applied to pathogen characterization and can identify bacteria and characterize their membrane protein phenotypes. FT-IR is a faster and less expensive analysis than previously used methods.This project evaluated the use of and validated FT-IR spectroscopy as a diagnostic tool to identify Moraxella sp. on a species, subspecies, and sub-cluster level. FT-IR was able to distinguish clusters of M. bovis, M. bovoculi Genotype 2, and M. bovoculi Genotype 1 using hierarchal cluster analysis. However, clustering of M. bovoculi Genotype 1 into its four subtypes has not yet been identified. Spectra generated by FT-IR showed differences between clustering groups. Correct clustering indicates potential application of FT-IR as a diagnostic tool to identify Moraxella isolates to the species and subspecies level. Further analysis including larger numbers of isolates and replication is needed to confirm the results and to determine if isolates can be identified to a sub-cluster level for M. bovoculi Genotype 1
J Wildl Dis
No full textDisease surveillance testing for emerging zoonotic pathogens in wildlife is a key component in understanding the epidemiology of these agents and potential risk to human populations. Recent emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in humans, and subsequent detection of this virus in wildlife, highlights the need for developing new One Health surveillance strategies. We used lymph node exudate, a sample type that is routinely collected in hunter-harvested white-tailed deer (WTD, Odocoileus virginianus) for surveillance of chronic wasting disease, to assess anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. A total of 132 pairs of retropharyngeal lymph nodes collected from Nebraska WTD harvested in Nebraska, US, in 2019 (pre-SARS-CoV-2 pandemic) and 2021 (post-SARS-CoV-2 pandemic) were tested for SARS-CoV-2 with reverse transcription PCR. Thereafter, exudates obtained from these same lymph nodes were tested for SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies using a surrogate virus neutralization test. Neutralizing antibodies were detected in the exudates with high diagnostic specificity (100% at proposed cutoff of 40% inhibition). Application of this testing approach to samples collected for use in other disease surveillance activities may provide additional epidemiological data on SARS-CoV-2 exposure, and there is further potential to apply this sample type to detection of other pathogens of interest.CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States
\u3ci\u3eMoraxella\u3c/i\u3e Spp. Isolated from Field Outbreaks of Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis: A Retrospective Study of Case Submissions from 2010 to 2013
No full textInfectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), also known as pinkeye, is the most costly eye disease of cattle. The principal etiologic agent of IBK is the Gram-negative bacterium Moraxella bovis. However, there have been reports of IBK outbreaks associated with Moraxella bovoculi. A retrospective study of IBK diagnostic cases submitted from July 1, 2010, through October 31, 2013, was conducted. Included in the study were 1,042 Moraxella isolates from 1,538 swabs of lacrimal secretions collected from 282 herds from 30 U.S. states. Moraxella isolates were identified to the species level and were composed of M. bovoculi (701 isolates), M. bovis (295 isolates), Moraxella ovis (5 isolates), and other Moraxella spp. (41). Minimum inhibitory concentrations required for 90% growth inhibition (MIC90) was calculated for representative isolates. The MIC90 values for both M. bovis and M. bovoculi were as follows: ampicillin and ceftiofur: ≤ 0.25 μg/ml; clindamycin: 2 μg/ml; danofloxacin and enrofloxacin: ≤ 0.12 μg/ml; florfenicol: 0.5 μg/ml; gentamicin: 1 μg/ml; neomycin: 4 μg/ml; tulathromycin: 2 μg/ml; and tylosin: 8 μg/ml. The MIC90 values for M. bovoculi included the following: chlortetracycline: ≤ 0.5 μg/ml; oxytetracycline: 4 μg/ml; penicillin: 0.25 μg/ml; spectinomycin: 32 μg/ml; sulfadimethoxine: \u3e 256 μg/ml; tiamulin: 1 μg/ml; and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole: 4 μg/ml. For M. bovis, MIC90 values included the following: chlortetracycline and oxytetracycline: 1 μg/ml; penicillin: ≤ 0.12 μg/ml; spectinomycin: 16 μg/ml; sulfadimethoxine: ≤ 256 μg/ml; tiamulin: ≤ 0.5 μg/ml; and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole: ≤ 2 μg/ml. The current work describes the frequency of isolation and differences in antimicrobial sensitivity observed among Moraxella isolates from case submissions
Rapid typing of Mannheimia haemolytica major genotypes 1 and 2 using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry
No full textRapid Typing of \u3ci\u3eMannheimia haemolytica\u3c/i\u3e Major Genotypes 1 and 2 Using MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry
No full textGenotype 2 M. haemolytica predominantly associate over genotype 1 with the lungs of cattle with respiratory disease and ICEs containing antimicrobial resistance genes. Distinct protein masses were detected by MALDI-TOF MS between genotype 1 and 2 strains. MALDI-TOF MS could rapidly differentiate genotype 2 strains in veterinary diagnostic laboratories
Rapid Identification and Typing of \u3cem\u3eMycobacterium avium\u3c/em\u3e Complex Using Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) Library and Biomarker Based Approaches
No full textBacteria associated with the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) cause significant problems in animal agriculture and cause large economic losses and morbidity of livestock. Two clinically important subspecies of M. avium are M.avium ssp paratuberculosis (MAP) and M. avium ssp hominissuis (MAH). MAP is the etiologic agent of Johne’s disease, a chronic and fatal enteritis in ruminants, that has been linked to Crohn’s disease in humans.1 MAH has zoonotic potential as it is one of the leading causes of secondary infections in AIDS patients. Identification of M. avium in clinical samples is challenging as they have overlapping host ranges and clinical signs. Information about the restriction of host specificity of M.avium also have not been determined. Available diagnostic tests for M. avium, such as blood and biochemical tests are labor intensive, time consuming, and lack sensitivity. Advanced methods such as matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) could provide rapid, low-cost, and more accurate diagnostic test to differentiate MAP which can be implemented into diagnostic workflows in veterinary diagnostic labs. The purpose of this project is to differentiate using M. avium from field isolates, particularly MAP and MAH and other members of MAC using a library based approach, and to examine the host specificity and tropism of isolates using these methods
Longitudinal assessment of the bovine ocular bacterial community dynamics in calves
No full textBackground: Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), commonly known as pinkeye, is one of the most significant diseases of beef cattle. As such, IBK costs the US beef industry at least 150 million annually. However, strategies to prevent IBK are limited, with most cases resulting in treatment with antibiotics once the disease has developed. Longitudinal studies evaluating establishment of the ocular microbiota may identify critical risk periods for IBK outbreaks or changes in the microbiota that may predispose animals to IBK.
Results: In an attempt to characterize the establishment and colonization patterns of the bovine ocular microbiota, we conducted a longitudinal study consisting of 227 calves and evaluated the microbiota composition over time using amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) based on 16S rRNA sequencing data and culture-based approaches. Beef calves on trial consisted of both male (intact) and females. Breeds were composed of purebred Angus and composites with varying percentages of Simmental, Angus, and Red Angus breeds. Average age at the start of the trial was 65 days ±15.02 and all calves remained nursing on their dam until weaning (day 139 of the study). The trial consisted of 139 days with four sampling time points on day 0, 21, 41, and 139. The experimental population received three different vaccination treatments (autogenous, commercial (both inactivated bacteria), and adjuvant placebo), to assess the effectiveness of different vaccines for IBK prevention. A significant change in bacterial community composition was observed across time periods sampled compared to the baseline (p \u3c 0.001). However, no treatment effect of vaccine was detected within the ocular bacterial community. The bacterial community composition with the greatest time span between sampling time periods (98d span) was most similar to the baseline sample collected, suggesting re-establishment of the ocular microbiota to baseline levels over time after perturbation. The effect of IgA levels on the microbial community was investigated in a subset of cattle within the study. However, no significant effect of IgA was observed. Significant changes in the ocular microbiota were identified when comparing communities pre- and post-clinical signs of IBK. Additionally, dynamic changes in opportunistic pathogens Moraxella spp. were observed and confirmed using culture based methods.
Conclusions: Our results indicate that the bovine ocular microbiota is well represented by opportunistic pathogens such as Moraxella and Mycoplasma. Furthermore, this study characterizes the diversity of the ocular microbiota in calves and demonstrates the plasticity of the ocular microbiota to change. Additionally, we demonstrate the ocular microbiome in calves is similar between the eyes and the perturbation of one eye results in similar changes in the other eye. We also demonstrate the bovine ocular microbiota is slow to recover post perturbation and as a result provide opportunistic pathogens a chance to establish within the eye leading to IBK and other diseases. Characterizing the dynamic nature of the ocular microbiota provides novel opportunities to develop potential probiotic intervention to reduce IBK outbreaks in cattl
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