GOAT MODEL OF EHRLICHIA CHAFFEENSIS RESERVOIR INFECTION

我们的长期目标是了解查菲埃希菌和其他卵泡菌是如何在自然界中维持的。作为实现这一目标的主要目标，本应用程序建议将国内目标作为沙非棘球绦虫脊椎动物感染的模型。本研究的中心假设是，在以实验室为基础的沙非叶螨库感染动态研究中，家山羊可以作为白尾鹿急需的替代品。提出这项研究的基本原理是，山羊可以为白尾鹿提供更好的宿主感染的实验室模型。山羊比鹿更容易驯服，它们一生都很容易驾驭。这种温顺的特性允许在感染研究的设计中有更大的自由度，并降低了处理相关损伤的风险。此外，山羊比鹿更广泛地用于研究，由于控制近亲繁殖，实验动物之间可以获得更高程度的相似性，它们很容易在无蜱虫（因此无埃利希体暴露）的设施中饲养，并且有更多种类的实验室试剂可用于山羊工作。简而言之，山羊的脊椎动物水库感染模型一旦开发出来，就可以设计和实施鹿身上不可能进行的实验。为了实现这个应用程序的目标，我们将追求四个具体目标：(1)确定chafeensis感染是如何在家养山羊中发展和维持的；(2)评估chafeensis感染在没有再次暴露的情况下的持久性；(2)评估chafeensis感染在没有再次暴露的情况下的持久性；(3)评估山羊对chafeensis同源菌株多次再次攻击的反应；(4)通过蜱虫喂养将chafeensis从感染的家养山羊传播给未出生的家山羊。在本研究完成后，我们期望通过在国内目标范围内表征chafeensis感染的过程，开发出一种替代的反刍动物模型，用于研究脊椎动物库宿主内的chafeensis。此外，我们将评估山羊在没有再次暴露的情况下感染的持久性，以及山羊对多次、频繁再次暴露的反应，并通过蜱虫喂养建立山羊感染的自然模型。该模型的建立及其在未来实验中的应用，将有助于了解柴菲依螨在自然野生宿主体内的感染动态。可能会产生新的控制策略。

Our long range goal is to understand how E. chafeensis and other ehrlichial organisms are maintained in nature. As a major objective in pursuit of this goal, this application proposes to develop the domestic goal as a model of E. chafeensis vertebrate infection. The central hypothesis is that domestic goats can serve as a much-needed surrogate to white-tailed deer in laboratory based studies of E. chafeensis reservoir infection dynamics. The rationale behind the proposed research is that goats could provide a superior laboratory model of reservoir host infection to white-tailed deer. Goats have a much more tractable nature than deer and they remain easy to handle throughout their life. This docile nature allows greater latitude in the design of infection studies and reduces the risk of handling-associated injury. In addition, goats are more widely available than deer for research, a higher degree of similarity can be obtained between experimental animals due to controlled inbreeding, they are easily raised in tick-free (and thus Ehrlichia-exposure free) facilities, and a larger variety of laboratory reagents are available for work with goats. In short, a goat model of vertebrate reservoir infection, once developed, would allow design and conduct of experiments not readily possible with deer. To accomplish the objective of this application, we will pursue four specific aims: (1) determine how E. chafeensis infection develops and is maintained in domestic goats, (2) evaluates the persistence of E. chafeensis infection in the absence of re-exposure, domestic goats, (2) evaluate the persistence of E. chafeensis infection in the absence of re-exposure, (3) evaluate the response of goats to multiple re-challenge with a homologous strain of E. chafeensis, and (4) transmit E. chafeensis from infected to naive domestic goats via tick feeding. At the completion of this research we expect to have developed an alternative ruminant model for studying E. chafeensis within the vertebrate reservoir host by characterizing the course of E. chafeensis infection within the domestic goal. Additionally, we will have evaluated both the persistence of infection in goats in the absence of re-exposure and the response of goats to multiple, frequent re-exposure, as well as have developed a natural model of infection in goats via tick feeding. The development of this model and its subsequent application in future experiments will facilitate understanding about the dynamics of E. chafeensis infection in the natural wild reservoir host. New control strategies could result.