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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #420573
Research Project: Molecular, Immune and Microbiome Approaches for Mitigating GI Nematode Infections of Livestock

Location: Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory

Title: Transcriptomic analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells during Ostertagia ostertagi infection in cattle highlights a generalized host immune reaction

Author
item Fleming, Damarius
item BAKSHI, MARIAM - Orise Fellow
item Thompson, Peter
item Beshah, Ethiopia
item Tuo, Wenbin

Submitted to: Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/4/2025
Publication Date: 8/12/2025
Citation: Fleming, D.S., Bakshi, M., Thompson, P.C., Beshah, E., Tuo, W. 2025. Transcriptomic analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells during Ostertagia ostertagi infection in cattle highlights a generalized host immune reaction. Biology. 14(8). Article e1034. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14081034.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14081034

Interpretive Summary: Parasites of the gut of cattle and small ruminants cause health and production problems for stakeholders. Part of the problem is the lessening efficacy of drugs slated for use against gut parasites in ruminants. As a means of addressing this issue, our study examined the immune response in cattle infected by the parasite, O. ostertagi . The goal of our study was to take a closer look at how infected cattle immune system reacts to the larval and adult stages of the parasite and use the immune response at each stage to look at creating treatments that may work across the parasite life stages. The results of the study showed that the cattle immune response was different depending on the life stage of the parasite. The results also showed that blood drawn from the cattle can be used to understand the effect the parasite is having on the animal gut. This difference in immune response can be exploited to create new diagnostic testing for infections and stage of infections. Also, the information on the immune response can be used to develop new treatments that may eliminate the parasite or keep it from progressing from one life stage to another. The results from this study will benefit researchers and veterinarians in crafting new diagnostics and treatments which will in the end benefit cattle and small ruminant stakeholders.

Technical Abstract: One of the most concerning ruminant infections is the parasite Ostertagia ostertagi. Known commonly as the brown stomach worm, it is ingested by grazing cattle where it then progresses its life stages, occupying the host abomasum and then the intestine, causing illness. This results in lower commercial production and at worst, death of young calves. Over time, anthelmintic treatment has become less efficacious against cattle nematodes. As a result, alternative control strategies are needed. Our study looked to elucidate mechanisms underlying attenuation of the host immune response by examining global immune expression in cattle during infection. To this end, four steers were infected with the third stage larvae (L3) of O. ostertagi, then peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected weekly for 26 days post-infection (dpi). After sequencing, gene expression was compared between each timepoint. The analyses indicated that the immune responses to Ostertagia are targeted to the parasite’s life stages and mimics anti-viral gene expression. Overall, the results showed that O. ostertagi led to host immune responses characterized by multiple gene ontology and pathway terms indicating that by 26 dpi the host immune system transitions from fighting the parasite to repairing the host intestine.