INFECTION OF BULLS BY THE PARASITE TRITRICHOMONAS FOETUS (T FOETUS) IS AN IMPORTANT CAUSE OF INFERTILITY IN CATTLE. BULLS BECOME PERSISTENTLY INFECTED WITH THIS PARASITE, AND THERE IS CURRENTLY NO LEGAL AND EFFECTIVE TREATMENT, THUS INFECTED BULLS MUST BE SLAUGHTERED. THIS CAUSES LOSS OF ANIMAL RESOURCES THAT SHOULD BE PREVENTABLE. WE HAVE SHOWN THAT ANIMALS CAN BE TREATED WITH MESSENGER RNA (MRNA) ON THE SURFACE OF THE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT TO INDUCE PRODUCTION OF MOLECULES SUCH AS ANTIBODIES TO HELP THEM CLEAR GENITAL INFECTIONS. WE WILL TEST THE EFFECT OF MRNA TREATMENT TO INDUCE EXPRESSION IN THE LABORATORY OF ANTIBODIES ON REPRODUCTIVE TISSUE COLLECTED FROM BULLS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF USING MRNA TREATMENT TO TREAT OR PREVENT INFECTION BY T FOETUS. ONCE WE HAVE CONFIRMED THE METHOD TO OPTIMALLY INDUCE ANTIBODIES BY TREATMENT OF TISSUES IN THE LABORATORY, WE WILL TREAT LIVE BULLS WITH THE MRNA AND CONFIRM THAT TREATED BULLS ALSO PRODUCE ANTIBODIES THAT SHOULD HELP THEM RECOVER FROM OR RESIST INFECTION WITH T FOETUS. THIS WILL ESTABLISH KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNIQUES NECESSARY FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL METHOD TO TREAT OR PREVENT TRICHOMONIASIS, PRESERVING ANIMAL RESOURCES AND PRODUCTIVITY.

Mississippi State University, Mississippi State MS

Investigators