Pleuropolmonite contagiosa bovina: studio dell’interazione ospite-patogeno nelle fasi precoci della risposta infiammatoria

Contagious bovine pleuropneumoniae (CBPP), caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides (Mmm), is one of the major diseases affecting cattle owners in sub Saharan Africa and the efficacy of mass vaccination campaigns to control and eradicate the disease is still discussed. It is clear today that the immune system of the host (cattle) plays an important role in the pathogenic mechanism of CBPP but the factors involved in the process remain largely unknown. We developed RT-qPCR assays to analyze the gene expression of a “panel” of targets involved in the inflammatory process of bovine immune cells and we monitored the transcription of inflammatory targets using an in vitro model based on bovine neutrophils cell culture, experimentally infected with Mmm. Our results lead us to believe that this experimental model will be an useful alternative tool for the study of CBPP pathogenesis.