title: Quantitative changes in serum concentration of bovine gut chitinase in Theileria infection.
abstract: Bovine gut chitinase is exclusively produced in the liver and secreted into the blood. In the present study, we established a semi-quantitative method by Western blot analysis for measurement of the chitinase content in blood and examined its alteration during postnatal development and experimental infection with hemoprotozoan parasite in cattle. Its serum levels from 1 week to 1 year of age showed a significant increase only in 3-4-month-old group. The plasma concentration of the gut chitinase was not changed during acute inflammation caused by lipopolysaccharide but increased gradually after a Theileria injection and peaked at 52 days post-infection. It appears that the increase in the blood chitinase levels might be a defensive response in cattle against protozoan infection.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Histology and Cytology, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Wakako
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Bunei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Syuto
authors.forename: Misao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onuma
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwanaga
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000469:parasitology*; D002688:Chitinases / Q000097:blood*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D016794:Theileria; D013801:Theileriasis / Q000097:blood* / Q000469:parasitology*
chemical_list: D002688:Chitinases