Anti-TBP monoclonal antibody, clone 2UCQ29

Tick-borne pathogens (TBP) are a major source of production loss and a welfare concern in livestock across the globe. Consequently, there is a trade-off between keeping animals that are tolerant to TBP infection, but are less productive than more susceptible breeds. Theileria annulata is a major TBP of bovines, with different host types (i.e. exotic and native cattle breeds, and buffalo) displaying demonstrable differences in clinical susceptibility to infection. However, the extent to which these differences are driven by genetic/physiological differences between hosts, or by different parasite populations/genotypes preferentially establishing infection in different host breeds and species is unclear. In this study, three different bovine host types in India were blood sampled to test for the presence of various TBP, including Theileria annulata, to determine whether native cattle (Bos indicus breeds), crossbreed cattle (Bos taunts x Bos indicus breeds) or water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) differ in the physiological consequences of infection. Population genetic analyses of T. annulata isolated from the three different host types was also performed, using a panel of mini- and micro-satellite markers, to test for sub-structuring of the parasite population among host types. We discovered that compared to other host types, "carrier" crossbreed cattle showed a higher level of haematological pathology when infected with T. annulata. Despite this finding, we found no evidence for differences in the genotypes of T. annulata infecting different host types, although buffalo appeared to harbour fewer mixed parasite genotype infections, indicating they are not the major reservoir of parasite diversity. The apparent tolerance/resistance of native breed cattle and buffalo to the impacts of T. annulata infection is thus most likely to be driven by host genotype, rather than differences in the parasite population. Our results suggest that an improved understanding of the genetic factors that underpin disease resistance could help to ameliorate future economic loss due to TBP or tropical theileriosis.

A sandwiched liquid-membrane electrodialysis system, which combines the characteristics of liquid-membrane extraction and electrodialysis, has been proposed here to realize the selective extraction of lithium from salt-lake brines with high Mg/Li mass ratio. The sandwiched liquid membrane is comprised of 2 cation exchange membranes and a Li+-loaded organic liquid film. Because of the moderate working environment and satisfactory performance, the TBP + ClO4- system is chosen as the liquid film out of four candidates, namely TBP + FeCl3 system, TBP + ClO4- system, N-butanol, and beta-diketone. According to the electrodialysis experiments then, the Mg/Li ratio in catholyte is reduced to lower than 2 from 100 in the initial brine and the specific energy consumption is as low as 0.13 kWh.mol(-1) Li. Additionally, the optimal voltage and temperature for the electrodialysis process are determined as 3.00 V and 20 degrees C. Finally, we also conclude that this approach is highly adaptable to brines with different cation compositions, because of its ability to separate Li+ with other impurity cations in brine (Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+). With high adaptability and low energy consumption, this sandwiched liquid-membrane electmdialysis system provides a promising perspective for lithium extraction and separation from brines with high Mg/Li ratio.