The present invention relates to a cell and an antibody for determining the activity of botulinum toxin, and a method of determining the activity of botulinum toxin using the same.

The present disclosure provides compositions and methods for reducing the incidence of and/or severity of diseases associated with tick-borne pathogens. In preferred forms, the compositions comprise a recombinant antigenic protein subunit that has been glycosylated. Some preferred subunits include the MAP1 protein of Ehrlichia ruminantium, the p30-1 sequence from Ehrlichia canis, the p28-Omp19 protein from Ehrlichia chaffeensis, and the MSP4 protein from Anaplasma marginale. Administration of such compositions to an animal in need thereof provides protection against clinical signs of infection in susceptible animals.

Primer pair, kit and method for detecting Anaplasma platys are disclosed. The primer pair includes a forward primer and a reverse primer, and the kit includes the primer pair and a probe. The forward primer has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, the reverse primer has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, and the probe has a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum surface proteins Asp14 and OmpA and homologous genes from Anaplasmatacaea family members are used in compositions suitable for vaccines to treat or prevent infections caused by tick-born bacteria of the Anaplasmatacaea family. Asp14 and/or OmpA proteins or peptide fragments may be used in combination with other Anaplasmatacaea surface proteins to elicit an immune response. Furthermore, antibodies to Asp14 and/or OmpA proteins can be used in diagnostic methods to determine whether an individual has contracted an Anaplasmatacaea infection. Because of the conserved invasin domains in the surface proteins, a wide range of Anaplasmatacaea infections may be diagnosed, treated or prevented using compositions of the invention.

The present invention discloses a novel recombinant protein antigen and a vaccine composition using the same, in which the novel recombinant protein antigen is derived from the conserved sequence of a TSA56 antigen and can be useful in the diagnosis of infection with tsutsugamushi and as a vaccine for tsutsugamushi.

Described herein are improved diagnostic tools for veterinary and human use which can be used for serodiagnosing A. platys in mammals, particularly in members of the Canidae family and in humans. The diagnostic tools are a group of outer membrane proteins of A. platys and variants thereof, referred to hereinafter as the OMP proteins, a group of outer membrane proteins of A. platys and variants thereof referred to hereinafter as the P44 proteins, and antibodies to the OMP proteins and the P44 proteins.

Anaplasma Marginale surface protein OmpA and homologous genes from Anaplasmatacaea family members are used in compositions suitable for vaccines to treat or prevent infections caused by tick-born bacteria of the Anaplasmatacaea family. OmpA proteins or peptide fragments may be used in combination with other Anaplasmatacaea surface proteins to elicit an immune response. Furthermore, antibodies to OmpA proteins can be used in diagnostic methods to determine whether an individual has contracted an Anaplasmatacaea infection.

Anaplasma Marginale surface protein OmpA and homologous genes from Anaplasmatacaea family members are used in compositions suitable for vaccines to treat or prevent infections caused by tick-born bacteria of the Anaplasmatacaea family. OmpA proteins or peptide fragments may be used in combination with other Anaplasmatacaea surface proteins to elicit an immune response. Furthermore, antibodies to OmpA proteins can be used in diagnostic methods to determine whether an individual has contracted an Anaplasmatacaea infection.

The present invention concerns VLPT immunoreactive compositions for E. chaffeensis and compositions related thereto, including vaccines, antibodies, polypeptides, peptides, and polynucleotides. In particular, epitopes for E. chaffeensis VLPT are disclosed.

Certain embodiments are directed to detection methods and methods of identifying detection targets for sensitive and specific laboratory tests to diagnose and monitor rickettsial infections during the earliest stages of the disease and to assess the degree of illness.