Two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits were evaluated for detection of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) antibodies in pooled sera and filter discs (FDs). Elution and incubation procedures and positive thresholds for both ELISAs were determined using FDs collected from sixty non-infected pigs and five pigs with low PRRS-antibody titres. Eighty paired samples (seru...

One of the major hurdles to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) vaccinology is the limited or no cross-protection conferred by current vaccines. To overcome this challenge, a PRRS chimeric virus (CV) was constructed using an FL12-based cDNA infectious clone in which open reading frames (ORFs) 3-4 and ORFs 5-6 were replaced with the two Korean field isolates K08-1054 and K07-227...

Plants are sessile organisms that are under constant attack from microbes. They rely on both preformed defenses, and their innate immune system to ward of the microbial pathogens. Preformed defences include for example the cell wall and cuticle, which act as physical barriers to microbial colonization. The plant immune system is composed of surveillance systems that perceive several general mic...

Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are now recognized to be key triggers of injury in a variety of renal diseases. Several families of these receptors are present in the kidney, and recent data suggest that they are differentially expressed and regulated in the kidney. This study evaluated the interaction between two distinct PRRs that are expressed in the kidney, i.e. TLR2 (Toll-like recepto...

Vaccines that protect against intracellular infections such as malaria, Leishmania and Chlamydia require strong cellular responses based on CD4(+) T cells and CD8(+) T cells in addition to antibodies. Such cell-mediated responses can be potentiated with adjuvants. However, very few adjuvants have been licensed for use in humans; thus there is an urgent need for the discovery of new non-toxic ad...

Perception of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) constitutes the first layer of plant innate immunity and is referred to as PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI). For a long time, part of the plant community was sceptical about the importance of PAMP perception in plants. Genetic and biochemical studies have recently identified pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) involved in the perception...

We report a case of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS)virus infection that appeared to spontaneously stop spreading. We compared serologic profiles of this 250-sow farm (herd A) with those of another 300-sow farm (herd B), both with a previous history of PRRS. In November 1992, we collected serum samples from pigs of different age groups (from I week to 3 years old) from both ...

Self-nonself discrimination is a common theme for all of the organisms in different evolutionary branches, which is also the most fundamental step for host immune protection. Plenty of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) with great diversity have been identified from different organisms to recognize various pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) in the last two decades, depicting a com...

Innate immune cells, such as macrophages, are highly adapted to rapidly recognize infections by distinct pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. This recognition is mediated by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), which are found in host cell surface membranes and the host cell cytoplasm. PRRs include protein families such as the toll-like receptors, nod-like receptors, RI...

Inflammatory colorectal polyps (ICRPs) frequently occur in miniature dachshunds (MDs) in Japan. MDs with ICRPs develop multiple polyps with severe neutrophil infiltration that respond to immunosuppressive therapy. Therefore, ICRPs are thought to constitute a novel, breed-specific form of canine inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) play a key role in the distinc...