The present invention relates to the field of medicine and in particular to Parkinson's disease (PD). Specifically the present invention relates to methods and means for early detection of PD. The invention relates also to methods and means for treatment or prophylaxis of PD. In the method of the invention a probability of a subject developing or having Parkinson's disease (PD) is determined by measuring the relative abundances of one or multiple microbial taxa in a sample from a subject; and the probability of the subject developing or having PD is determined based on the measured abundances. The present invention provides a novel approach for the diagnostics of PD.

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.

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.

A method of generating an antibody and cellular immune response against a Plasmodium in a primate, comprising administering at least 10.sup.3 genetically modified live Plasmodium to the primate, wherein the genetically modified live Plasmodium is a species selected from Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium knowlesi, Plasmodium coatneyi, Plasmodium cynomolgi, and Plasmodium simium, and wherein the genetically modified live Plasmodium does not produce functional histamine releasing factor (HRF) protein, to thereby induce an antibody and cellular immune response against the Plasmodium in the primate. In some embodiments at least 10.sup.4 genetically modified live Plasmodium is administered to the primate. An immunogenic composition for administration to a primate, comprising a at least 10.sup.3 genetically modified live Plasmodium wherein the genetically modified live Plasmodium is a species selected from Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium knowlesi, Plasmodium coatneyi, Plasmodium cynomolgi, and Plasmodium simium, and wherein the genetically modified live Plasmodium does not produce functional histamine releasing factor (HRF) protein; and at least one pharmaceutically acceptable excipient and/or support. In some embodiments the immunogenic composition comprises at least 10.sup.3 genetically a modified live Plasmodium.

The invention discloses a method for producing a single bacterial strain culture of Histomonas meleagridis (H. meleagridis), the method being characterized 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 characterized 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.

A solid support for detecting the presence of antibodies in a biological sample, where the solid support includes microbial antigens immobilized on the solid support, wherein the microbial antigens include at least one antigen prepared from the group consisting of pleomorphic round bodies of Borrelia genus, for example Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii. Also, a method of detecting a tick-borne microbe in a biological sample, wherein the solid support is contacted with a biological sample.

A vaccine vector comprising a first polynucleotide encoding the antigenic polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3, SEQ ID NO: 4, SEQ ID NO: 5, SEQ ID NO: 6, SEQ ID NO: 7, SEQ ID NO: 8, SEQ ID NO: 9, or any combination thereof.

A vaccine vector comprising a first polynucleotide encoding the antigenic polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3, SEQ ID NO: 4, SEQ ID NO: 5, SEQ ID NO: 6, SEQ ID NO: 7, SEQ ID NO: 8, SEQ ID NO: 9, or any combination thereof.

The present inventions are compositions and methods of using at least a portion of an isolated and purified α-crystallin polypeptide that includes one or more β-pleated sheets and that prevents neurotoxicity and amyloidogenesis.