The invention provides methods and compositions for detecting and diagnosing sexually transmitted infections using a string of epitopes (SOE) specific for detection of causative microorganisms. The antigenic epitopes may be single epitope sequences, a plurality of epitope sequences joined by repeats of glycine (-GG-) and/or lysine (-KK-) to form a series of epitopes (SOE), or nucleotide sequences encoding one or more SOEs and host cells harboring said SOE nucleotide sequences. SOEs specific for highly immunogenic regions of proteins from Trichomonas, Treponema and Neisseria species are provided. SOEs to detect the presence of trichomonas species comprise regions from Trichomonas-sptciric aldolase, GAPDH, a-enolase and a-actinin proteins. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising SOEs can also be used as vaccines or to elicit an immune response to specific microorganisms.

The invention provides methods and compositions for detecting and diagnosing sexually transmitted infections using a string of epitopes (SOE) specific for detection of causative microorganisms. The antigenic epitopes may be single epitope sequences, a plurality of epitope sequences joined by repeats of glycine (-GG-) and/or lysine (-KK-) to form a series of epitopes (SOE), or nucleotide sequences encoding one or more SOEs and host cells harboring said SOE nucleotide sequences. SOEs specific for highly immunogenic regions of proteins from Trichomonas, Treponema and Neisseria species are provided. SOEs to detect the presence of trichomonas species comprise regions from Trichomonas-sptciric aldolase, GAPDH, a-enolase and a-actinin proteins. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising SOEs can also be used as vaccines or to elicit an immune response to specific microorganisms.

The present invention provides vaccines and compositions, methods and uses of immunogenic vaccine compositions for eliciting an immune response to members of trypanosomatids such as Trypanosoma brucei, T. cruzi and Leishmania species.

The present invention provides vaccines and compositions, methods and uses of immunogenic vaccine compositions for eliciting an immune response to members of trypanosomatids such as Trypanosoma brucei, T. cruzi and Leishmania species.

The present invention encompasses vaccines or compositions comprising the chimeric KSAC protein that possesses immunogenic and protective properties, and methods of use including administering to an animal the antigenic KSAC protein thereof to protect animals. The invention also encompasses methods for making and producing the soluble, disaggregated, refolded or active proteins from inclusion bodies produced from prokaryotes or eukaryotes.

Apicomplexan parasites or red blood cells infected with apicomplexan parasites are administered to an animal in combination with a delayed death agent that initially allows parasite replication but subsequently kills the apicomplexan parasites. This allows the elicitation of an immune response by the animal while preventing the parasites producing a serious infection of the animal. The apicomplexan parasites may be malaria or babesia parasites. The delayed death agent may be a tetracycline class antibiotic, a macrolide antibiotic or a lincosamide antibiotic.

The invention discloses a method for producing a single bacterial strain culture of Histomonas meleagridis (H. meleagridis), the method being characterised by the following steps: (a) providing a xenic culture of H. meleagridis comprising H. meleagridis cells with a wild type bacterial flora, (b) treating the xenic culture with a mixture of antibiotics thereby killing the wild type bacterial flora, (c) centrifuging and washing the H. meleagridis cells, (d) controlling effectiveness of step (b), (e) resuspending the washed H. meleagridis cells, (f) adding one or more single bacterial strain(s) to the resuspended H. meleagridis cells, and (g) culturing the one or more single bacterial strain(s) with the resuspended H. meleagridis cells so as to obtain a single bacterial strain culture of H. meleagridis. The invention further discloses a vaccine formulation consisting of a Histomonas component consisting of an attenuated culture of Histomonas meleagridis, a bacterial component consisting of one or more cultures of a single bacterial strain, and pharmaceutically acceptable non-biological formulation compounds.

The invention discloses a method for producing a single bacterial strain culture of Histomonas meleagridis (H. meleagridis), the method being characterised by the following steps: (a) providing a xenic culture of H. meleagridis comprising H. meleagridis cells with a wild type bacterial flora, (b) treating the xenic culture with a mixture of antibiotics thereby killing the wild type bacterial flora, (c) centrifuging and washing the H. meleagridis cells, (d) controlling effectiveness of step (b), (e) resuspending the washed H. meleagridis cells, (f) adding one or more single bacterial strain(s) to the resuspended H. meleagridis cells, and (g) culturing the one or more single bacterial strain(s) with the resuspended H. meleagridis cells so as to obtain a single bacterial strain culture of H. meleagridis. The invention further discloses a vaccine formulation consisting of a Histomonas component consisting of an attenuated culture of Histomonas meleagridis, a bacterial component consisting of one or more cultures of a single bacterial strain, and pharmaceutically acceptable non-biological formulation compounds.

Provided herein are immunogenic compositions containing recombinant proteins capable of presenting all, or antigenic portions of, the Eimeria tenella Elongation Factor 1 alpha, or EF-1, protein in the development of active immunity to, and control of, coccidiosis. Also provided are methodologies of using the immunogenic compositions for administration to poultry and other animals in the control of coccidiosis. In some instances, the EF-1 protein utilized in the immunogenic composition presented herein is molecularly manipulated or combined with adjuvants to increase effectiveness.

The present invention is directed to a method of treating poultry hatchlings in a hatchling tray. The method comprises of providing a soft gel form capable of being dispensed through a spray nozzle, providing a spray dispensing apparatus, the apparatus being capable of delivering a predetermined volume of the gel as a plurality of small beadlets through a plurality of nozzles, placing the hatchling tray containing the hatchlings beneath the nozzles of the dispensing apparatus, dispensing the predetermined volume of the soft gel containing the therapeutic agent as small beadlets into the hatchling tray and allowing the hatchlings to consume the beadlets. The present invention is also directed to a dispensing apparatus for dispensing a therapeutic agent in a soft gel into a hatchling tray of poultry hatchlings.