CASES/ ABSTRACTS

Submitted by Amelia Collins, University of Georgia

Evaluating host pathogen interactions of Bordetella bronchiseptica and Bordetella pertussis with respiratory epithelium utilizing an Air-Liquid-Interface system

The genus Bordetella contains many common respiratory disease-causing pathogen species in both humans and animals. Bordetella pertussis (Bp) and Bordetella bronchiseptica (Bb) cause Whooping cough in humans and Kennel cough in dogs, respectively. Bp and Bb reside in the respiratory tract and tightly adhere to epithelial cells during infection. Previous in vitro model systems used to evaluate the host-pathogen interactions occurring at this critical interface have not use polarized epithelial cells that simulate the human natural respiratory tract. This study utilizes an Air-Liquid-Interface culture system (ALI) using human broncho-tracheal (NHBE) cell cultures replete with cilia, goblet cells, mucus, and sol layers to evaluate how these pathogens interact with their niche: the ciliated epithelium that lines the mammalian airways. This study utilizes a highly virulent circulating strain of Bp (D420) and two isogenic mutant strains lacking key virulence factors (btrS and pertussis toxin) to evaluate tight junction integrity via trans-epithelial electrical resistance, bacterial growth on the apical surface, migration through the epithelium to the basal media, bacterial attachment & localization, and pro-inflammatory cytokine responses to infection. The data generated from these studies will reveal the roles of specific Bordetella virulence factors in various measurable aspects of their interactions with ciliated respiratory epithelia.

CUTEST PET

Submitted by Skylar Moiseeva, Virginia-Maryland CVM

CAPTION CONTEST

Caption submitted by Holly Keppers, South Dakota State University

Photo submitted by Annie Davis, University of Illinois

"Is this what a wood tongue looks like?"

PHOTOGRAPHY

Submitted by Zakk Franklin, Purdue University

STUDENT EXPERIENCE: INDIA

Submitted by Ethan Elazegui, University of Wisconsin-Madison

"In January 2023, I traveled to India for a two-week One Health field experience as a part of my Global Health Certification. The experience was supervised by the Global Health Certificate director and consisted of seven students across the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s graduate schools including Veterinary, Pharmacy, Medicine and Public Health, and Engineering. My goal was to better understand the interface of human, animal, and environmental health.

During the first week, I resided in Hyderabad, India and stayed at GVK EMRI, the largest ambulatory care service in the world that provides emergency services to both humans and veterinary species across multiple Indian States (estimated 800 million population). While there, I was introduced to the public and private Indian health care system; engaged in a participatory rural appraisal of a remote village to limit zoonotic disease risk; and shadowed a veterinary mobile ambulance during point of care visits to farms around the state.

Following Hyderabad, I stayed at the Sariska Palace for two days. During this time, I toured the Sariska Tiger Reserve and discussed their tiger conservation efforts. I learned extensively about the reserve’s native flora and fauna, the people-wildlife interface and potential issues, tiger monitoring, and radio-telemetry studies. I also had the opportunity to speak with a local community within the reserve and learn about their interactions with wildlife and how it has impacted their livelihoods.

Finally, for the remainder of my experience, I stayed at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for the remainder of my field experience. The WII’s mission is towards wildlife science and conservation. WII faculty lead training courses at many levels and a large number biodiversity, conservation, water quality, endangered species restoration, and animal forensics programs throughout India, especially the Ganges River Basin and North Indian States. While here, I met with many WII faculty to discuss their academic and research programs as well as Indian biodiversity conservation issues. Additionally, I toured their wildlife forensic laboratory; this was a unique opportunity as I learned about illegal animal parts trafficking, wildlife forensics and biological/ecological aspects of crime scenes.

Of course, time was allocated to exploring Indian and Tibetan culture and society. I visited iconic landmarks and points of cultural significance such as Golconda Fort, Charminar, the Buddha Statue of Hyderabad, the World Peace Stupa, and the Tibetan Children's Hospital. I absolutely loved visiting the Tibetan Children’s Hospital in particular as I got to socialize with the kids and get to know a little bit about their hopes and aspirations. We ended up singing Ed Sheeran songs and playing basketball (they swept us).

Through my previous academic, research, and veterinary experiences, I have developed keen research interests on the intersection of zoonotic disease origins, pathogenesis, One Health, epidemiology, and public health education. My One Health experience in India solidified these interests and, as such, my primary employment goals are to pursue international veterinary medicine, epidemiology, public health, and zoonoses research."