Abstract: A problem of the invention is to provide an antiviral agent containing as an active ingredient a probiotic which effectively exhibits an antiviral effect also on combined infection with a virus and a pathogenic bacterium. An agent containing one, two or more Lactobacillus strains which have 16S rRNA gene having an identity of at least 90% with the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and which have the action of enhancing the expression of an antiviral factor and/or the action of reducing the expression of a downregulator of an antiviral factor is used as an antiviral agent.

Abstract: An agent for suppressing inflammation in the intestinal cell of a non-human animal comprises cashew nut shell liquid, heated cashew nut shell liquid, anacardic acid, cardanol, and/or cardol.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an early mastitis detection method that can detect mastitis easily and quickly when compared to the prior methods and also a biomarker to be used with the method. The object can be solved by a method of examining a mammary gland disease by using the level of cyclophilin A in a mammary gland or in milk as indicator. More specifically, the object can be a method of examining a mammary gland disease comprising steps (1) and (2) listed below; (1) a step of detecting cyclophilin A in the milk collected from an udder or an udder quarter of a subject and thereby determining the cyclophilin A level in the milk; and (2) a step of determining the onset of a mammary gland disease or the possibility of onset of a mammary gland disease in the udder or the udder quarter of the subject on the basis of the cyclophilin A level in the milk.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an early mastitis detection method that can detect mastitis easily and quickly when compared to the prior methods and also a biomarker to be used with the method. The object can be solved by a method of examining a mammary gland disease by using the level of cyclophilin A in a mammary gland or in milk as indicator. More specifically, the object can be a method of examining a mammary gland disease comprising steps (1) and (2) listed below; (1) a step of detecting cyclophilin A in the milk collected from an udder or an udder quarter of a subject and thereby determining the cyclophilin A level in the milk; and (2) a step of determining the onset of a mammary gland disease or the possibility of onset of a mammary gland disease in the udder or the udder quarter of the subject on the basis of the cyclophilin A level in the milk.

Abstract: Swine Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9)-expressing cells are prepared by cloning a TLR9 gene from swine intestinal Peyer's patches. Functional analysis on CpG DNAs using the above cells revealed that swine TLR9 shows a higher recognition ability for a human CpG DNA motif (CpG2006) than for a mouse-specific CpG DNA motif (CpG1826). When the mRNA expression levels in various tissues are compared by the real-time PCR method, it is found out that the mRNA is expressed in Peyer's patches and mesenteric lymph nodes, which play important roles in the intestinal tract immune system, at a level thrice as much as in spleen or more. Thus, the cells expressing an intestinal tract tissue-expressed TLR (for example, TLR9) can be used to identify samples capable of activating the intestinal tract immune system.

Abstract: Cells with forced expression of swine Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) are prepared by cloning a TLR9 gene from swine intestinal Peyer's patches. Functional analysis on CpG DNAs using the above cells revealed that swine TLR9 shows a higher recognition ability for a human CpG DNA motif (CpG2006) than for a mouse-specific CpG DNA motif (CpG1826). When the mRNA expression levels in various tissues are compared by the real-time PCR method, it is found out that the mRNA is expressed in Peyer's patches and mesenteric lymph nodes, which play important roles in the intestinal tract immune system, at a level thrice as much as in spleen or more. Thus, the cells that are forced to express an intestinal tract tissue-expressed TLR (for example, TLR9) can be used to identify samples capable of activating the intestinal tract immune system.

Abstract: Dextrans, which have no immunoreactivity, were revealed to exert immunopotentiating activities on their chemical phosphorylation. Since phosphorylated dextrans not only function as B cell mitogens, but also activate dendritic cells and induce IL-10 and IFN-?, they can be expected to have effects in preventing infectious diseases and colitis, and in preventing allergic diseases by maintaining the Th1/Th2 balance.