Brucellosis is a relatively common zoonosis, particularly in the developing countries. Our aim was to cultivate the Brucella wild-type strain from eggs of Dermacentor marginatus, and to molecularly investigate the presence of Brucella DNA in different developmental stages. A total of 350 engorged adult female ticks were collected from sheep and cattle, and individually placed into a single clean breathable tube suitable for laying eggs and for the development of larvae. Detection of Brucella DNA was attempted in engorged female ticks and their offsprings based on the Brucella outer membrane protein gene 22 (omp22) and IS711 gene. Additionally, bacterial isolation in the culture medium of Brucella was performed. The eggs from the Brucella DNA-positive engorged female ticks were positive for Brucella omp22 (4.6%, 16/350). The prevalence was 40.9% (90/220) in larvae, which developed from the Brucella DNA-positive egg batch. Based on BLASTn analysis of IS711 gene, ten (4.1%, 10/242) PCR products were identified as Brucella melitensis in D. marginatus from sheep, while six (5.6%, 6/108) were identified as B. abortus in D. marginatus infesting cattle. B. melitensis biotype 3 was isolated from eggs of D. marginatus. This is the first study which demonstrates the transovarial transmission of Brucella in the D. marginatus. Furthermore, Brucella may be partially transmitted from D. marginatus eggs to larvae (40.9%) in D. marginatus. These findings extend our knowledge on the transmission of Brucella in D. marginatus offsprings.

In this study, two road-killed marbled polecats (Vormela peregusna) were molecularly analysed for tick-borne pathogens. Rickettsia raoultii, “Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae” and a novel Babesia genotype have been identified, for the first time in marbled polecat. DNA of this Babesia sp. genotype was also present in four out of 15 Haemaphysalis erinacei ticks collected from the Babesia PCR-positive marbled polecat. Results of this study suggest that marbled polecats may serve as reservoirs for these bacteria and protozoans.

Background: Ye Mule Aries sheep is one of the most important sheep breeds in Xinjiang, China. This breed is well adapted to harsh environmental conditions and displays strong disease resistance, fast growth, and high cold tolerance. To analyze the clonal expression and immunogenicity of the Ye Mule Aries sheep inhibin gene, total RNA was extracted from sheep ovarian tissue and used as a template to generate a eukaryotic expression vector and study inhibin immunogenicity. Methods: Primers were designed to amplify the inhibin A gene via polymerase chain reaction and the amplified product was cloned between the ScalI and EcoRI restriction sites of the expression vector pEGFP-N1 to construct a recombinant plasmid, pEGFP-INHα. Following the validation of successful cloning, the pEGFP-INHα plasmid was transfected into BHK cells to verify expression in eukaryotes and subsequently utilized as an antigen in rabbits. Rabbits were tested for anti-inhibin antibodies and serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) concentrations. Results: The analysis of the INHα gene sequence revealed that INHα is 1109 bp long and is translated to an approximately 40 KDa protein. Bioinformatics approach indicated that the INHα gene is highly conserved between organisms. Immunization with the eukaryotic expression vector, pEGFP-INHα, which expresses the INHα gene elicited immune response and generatigeneration on of anti-INHα antibody. The antibody had a significant regulatory effect on the serum concentration of FSH in rabbits and led to higher levels of FSH, indicating increased ovary function. Conclusions: The present work resulted in a successful construction of eukaryotic expression plasmid pEGFP-INHα and verified the immunogenicity of this highly conserved protein. Further, the expression of pEGFP-INHα was shown to have a significant impact on the secretion of FSH, indicating a potential regulatory role in ovarian function. In conclusion, our current findings can serve as a working model for studying the effect of INHα on the breeding performance of Ye Mule Aries sheep, providing a novel strategy to improve their reproduction rates.