Satoko Kawaji

Experimental infection model for Johne's disease using a lyophilised, pure culture, seedstock of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis

Johnes disease is a severe chronic enteritis of ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map). Repeatable infections of known duration are required for validation of new diagnostic tests, evaluation of pathogenesis and development of improved vaccines. In the first study of its type, a standardised experimental model for Johnes disease was developed based on a lyophilised, low passage, pure culture, seedstock of Map. Experimental inoculations of sheep with accurately enumerated doses of Map resulted in infection outcomes across multiple trials that were modulated by the interval between inoculation and examination. Compared to an inoculum consisting of an intestinal mucosal homogenate from a naturally affected sheep, clinical signs from the pure culture of Map were manifested later, but other measures of infection were similar. Immunological assays showed that most of the inoculated animals were IFN-gamma positive in the early stages of the infection. Over time, an increasing number of sheep became Map-specific antibody positive, developed typical histopathological lesions and shed Map in their faeces. The repeatability and utility of this experimental infection model will enable study of many aspects of Johnes disease. It is the first study to show that models for Johnes disease can be standardised in relevant species using traditional microbiological approaches to production and storage of seedstock. It is recommended that an international bank of master seedstock be established, containing low passage isolates that are representative of the major strains of Map, S and C.

Can early host responses to mycobacterial infection predict eventual disease outcomes

Diagnostic tests used for Johnes disease in sheep either have poor sensitivity and specificity or only detect disease in later stages of infection. Predicting which of the infected sheep are likely to become infectious later in life is currently not feasible and continues to be a major hindrance in disease control. We conducted this longitudinal study to investigate if a suite of diagnostic tests conducted in Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) exposed lambs at 4 months post infection can accurately predict their clinical status at 12 months post infection. We tracked cellular and humoral responses and quantity of MAP shedding for up to 12 months post challenge in 20 controls and 37 exposed sheep. Infection was defined at necropsy by tissue culture and disease spectrum by lesion type. Data were analysed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression models and a subset of variables from the earliest period post inoculation (4 months) was selected for predicting disease outcomes later on (12 months). Sensitivity and specificity of tests and their combinations in series and parallel were determined. Early elevation in faecal MAP DNA quantity and a lower interferon gamma (IFNγ) response were significantly associated with sheep becoming infectious as well as progressing to severe disease. Conversely, early low faecal MAP DNA and higher interleukin-10 responses were significantly associated with an exposed animal developing protective immunity. Combination of early elevated faecal MAP DNA or lower IFNγ response had the highest sensitivity (75%) and specificity (81%) for identifying sheep that would become infectious. Collectively, these results highlight the potential for combined test interpretation to aid in the early prediction of sheep susceptibility to MAP infection.

Bovine Immunoinhibitory Receptors Contribute to Suppression of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis-Specific T-Cell Responses.

ABSTRACT Johnes disease (paratuberculosis) is a chronic enteritis in cattle that is caused by intracellular infection with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. This infection is characterized by the functional exhaustion of T-cell responses to M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis antigens during late subclinical and clinical stages, presumably facilitating the persistence of this bacterium and the formation of clinical lesions. However, the mechanisms underlying T-cell exhaustion in Johnes disease are poorly understood. Thus, we performed expression and functional analyses of the immunoinhibitory molecules programmed death-1 (PD-1)/PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3)/major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) in M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-infected cattle during the late subclinical stage. Flow cytometric analyses revealed the upregulation of PD-1 and LAG-3 in T cells in infected animals, which suffered progressive suppression of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) responses to the M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis antigen. In addition, PD-L1 and MHC-II were expressed on macrophages from infected animals, consistent with PD-1 and LAG-3 pathways contributing to the suppression of IFN-γ responses during the subclinical stages of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection. Furthermore, dual blockade of PD-L1 and LAG-3 enhanced M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-specific IFN-γ responses in blood from infected animals, and in vitro LAG-3 blockade enhanced IFN-γ production from M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Taken together, the present data indicate that M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-specific T-cell exhaustion is in part mediated by PD-1/PD-L1 and LAG-3/MHC-II interactions and that LAG-3 is a molecular target for the control of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-specific T-cell responses.

Partial proteome of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis under oxidative and nitrosative stress.

The growth pattern and protein expression profiles of sheep (S) and cattle (C) strains of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) under oxidative and nitrosative stress were characterised. Oxidative stress was induced using 0.05% (v/v) H(2)O(2) in BACTEC medium, and was lethal for an inoculum of 10(4) cells. However, an inoculum of 10(7) cells survived and proteomic changes were observed at 7 days. Nitrosative stress was induced using 1mM NaNO(2); it slowed the growth of an inoculum of 10(4) cells, but both strains recovered quickly when resuscitated in fresh media. Silver staining showed higher sensitivity for detection of 2D spots compared to SYPRO Ruby staining. A total of 18 proteins were regulated under oxidative and/or nitrosative stress. The expression of four antioxidant enzymes (AhpC, AhpD, OxcA and SodA) and four proteins involved in fatty acid metabolism (DesA2, FadA6_3, FabG and FadE19) was altered, together with a range of other proteins. Only one protein, AhpC was differentially regulated in both strains of MAP. Seven proteins (DesA2, AhpC, AhpD, Ppa, FabG, and hypothetical proteins MAP2411 and MAP 1885c) were identified in previous in vitro studies with temperature, hypoxia and/or nutrient starvation stressors and may be general stress response proteins of MAP. Prior studies have identified immune responses directed against AhpC and Ppa in animals with Johnes disease, expression of sodA and ppa within macrophages, and reduced virulence of impA mutants in mice, highlighting the relevance of proteomic studies using these in vitro stress models for pathogenesis studies.

A longitudinal study to evaluate the diagnostic potential of a direct faecal quantitative PCR test for Johne's disease in sheep

A longitudinal study was carried out to evaluate the diagnostic potential of the previously developed direct faecal real-time quantitative PCR (QPCR) assay (Kawaji et al., 2007) for the detection of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) infected sheep. Of the 58 sheep, 38 were orally inoculated with MAP, while 20 controls were maintained separately from the infected group throughout the trial. All animals were tested by QPCR, faecal culture and serum ELISA pre-inoculation and at 4, 8 and 13 months post-inoculation, and were necropsied at 13 months post-inoculation. Eighteen out of 38 inoculated sheep were detected by QPCR to be shedding MAP in faeces at 4 months post-inoculation, while only one sheep was positive in faecal culture at this time point. At 8 months post-inoculation, MAP DNA was detected in faeces of all inoculated sheep by QPCR, while MAP organisms were isolated from only 34% of the inoculated animals by faecal culture. The QPCR results for faecal samples that were collected at necropsy demonstrated that faecal QPCR was more sensitive than culture of intestinal tissues for MAP. The QPCR assay was confirmed to be a sensitive and specific ante-mortem diagnostic test for MAP in sheep, circumventing faecal culture which is a less sensitive and highly time consuming test. Quantification of MAP DNA in faeces by QPCR may provide immediate information to estimate the stage of the infection as well as the risk of transmission from infected animals.

A specific induction of interleukin-10 by the Map41 recombinant PPE antigen of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is not only an essential immunoregulator in host immunity, but also it accounts for the intracellular survival of mycobacteria because of its inhibitory activity against anti-mycobacterial functions of macrophage. It has been also indicated that blood cells from calves infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) produce a large amount of IL-10 after stimulation with Map antigen, and it leads to suppression of Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production in T-cells. This characteristic expression of IL-10 in Map-infected cattle seems to be playing important roles in the pathogenesis of Johnes disease caused by Map, and could be an important diagnostic indicator. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic significance of IL-10 production from blood cells stimulated by a PPE (Proline-Proline-Glutamic acid) protein family of Map. The recombinant PPE protein, Map41, which has been reported as one of the IFN-gamma inducing antigens of Map, also strongly induced IL-10 from macrophages obtained from infected calves. The elicited IL-10 production in response to Map41 from experimentally infected calves was as early as 2 weeks after the inoculation of Map, and the IL-10 production was detected earlier than that of IFN-gamma. The blood cells from calves immunized with Map produced higher amounts of IL-10 against Map41 stimulation than those of calves immunized with various Mycobacterium species. Furthermore, this IL-10 induction also showed high specificity to Map in guinea pigs experimentally infected with various Mycobacterium species. These observations suggest that IL-10 assay is a useful diagnostic method in the early stage of Johnes disease.

Evaluation of the immunogenicity of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) stress-associated recombinant proteins

The aim of this study was to assess the humoral immune responses in MAP-infected and uninfected sheep against 27 MAP stress-associated recombinant proteins that were regulated in in vitro models of physiological stress. These include evaluation of 5 proteins, which were previously reported by Gumber et al. (2009b), using serum samples from sheep with a wide range of disease stages. For purification of recombinant his-tagged proteins expressed as an insoluble protein, on-column refolding purification was applied as well as one-step denaturing purification. All purifications together resulted in a total of 48 recombinant antigen preparations. In antibody ELISA tests, 23 of these, representing 18 MAP proteins, showed significant differences in responses between infected and uninfected sheep. Recombinant antigen preparations MAP2281c, MAP3555 (refolded form), and MAP0711c (refolded form) when incorporated in an ELISA, had similar sensitivity to a commercial antibody ELISA test at the cutpoint of 90% specificity, and showed relatively high values in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. However, as some of the sera from uninfected sheep also reacted to recombinant antigens, further development of the assays is necessary prior to practical application. Compared to the commercial antibody ELISA, MAP0593c, MAP2281c, MAP2411, MAP3555, and MAP3200 detected more infected sheep with a lower grade of lesion, suggesting that these proteins identified in the in vitro models of stress were also expressed in vivo in MAP-infected sheep at an early stage of infection. This is consistent with the hypothesis of latency or dormancy in subclinical mycobacterial infection.

Detection and Confirmation of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in Direct Quantitative PCR Positive Fecal Samples by the Manual Fluorescent MGIT Culture System

ABSTRACT An efficient protocol for the manual fluorescent MGIT culture system combined with rapid confirmation of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) growth in the broth culture was established and evaluated for the detection of viable MAP in direct quantitative PCR (QPCR) positive bovine feces. Manually detected fluorescence emissions from MGIT tubes were analyzed objectively using an open source software, ImageJ. For molecular confirmation of MAP growth, DNA samples harvested by simply boiling the broth, an inexpensive and time- and labor-saving DNA preparation method, yielded adequate results. The sheep strain of MAP required longer incubation time relative to the cattle strain, suggesting that the MGIT system may not support well the growth of ovine isolates as described previously. Of 61 direct QPCR positive bovine feces, the recovery rate of MAP in the MGIT system (62.3%) was significantly higher (P<0.05) than that using 7H10 agar-based slants (44.3%). The time to obtain a final result for fecal culture by the MGIT system was several weeks earlier compared to solid media. In MGIT culture positive samples, the time to detect fluorescence was correlated with the DNA quantity detected in fecal QPCR. As a positive result in the direct fecal QPCR test does not mean fecal excretion of viable MAP, bacterial isolation by fecal culture could be conducted to verify the QPCR result. For this purpose, the manual MGIT system is a sensitive and rapid culture method at least for bovine samples.

Detection of antibody responses against Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis stress-associated proteins within 30 weeks after infection in cattle

In this study, humoral immune responses in cattle against Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) stress-associated recombinant proteins were assessed longitudinally by ELISA during the first 30 weeks after MAP infection. A total of 11 MAP genes previously identified by proteomic analysis were selected for cloning and expression. These included possible general stress-associated proteins of MAP and proteins expressed in vivo in MAP-infected sheep at an early stage of infection. An increase in the antibody levels against 5 recombinant antigen preparations (MAP1027c, MAP1339, MAP1588c, MAP1589c and MAP2411) was seen in MAP-infected calves (n=16) but not in control calves (n=3) over the time examined. Antibody responses were recorded as early as two weeks post-inoculation, and 87.5% of the inoculated cattle responded to at least one of the five immunogenic antigen preparations within the first 30 weeks of infection, suggesting that these proteins identified in the in vitro models of stress were also expressed in vivo in MAP-infected cattle at a relatively early stage after infection and therefore stimulate the hosts immune system. It has been assumed that the sensitivity of antibody ELISA tests is dependent on the stage of infection and the age of the animals. However, we have provided some evidence that humoral immunity occurs at an early stage of paratuberculosis and can be detected using appropriate antigens such as MAP stress-associated proteins.

Systemic mycobacteriosis caused by ‘Mycobacterium avium subspecies hominissuis’ in a 14-month-old Japanese black beef steer

A 14-month-old Japanese black beef steer presented with severe chronic diarrhea and emaciation and was euthanized. Postmortem examination showed thickened and corrugated intestinal mucosa and enlarged granulomatous mesenteric lymph nodes with caseating necrosis. Numerous epithelioid cells and multinucleated giant cells infiltrated in the lamina propria and the submucosal tissue of the intestines. These cells were also observed in the systemic organs. Many acid-fast bacilli were detected in the cytoplasm of these cells and were identified as ‘Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis’ (Mah) on the basis of the results of molecular examinations and immunohistochemistry. These findings indicate that Mah can cause systemic mycobacteriosis, and this unique infection needs to be distinguished from Johne’s disease and tuberculosis in cattle.