Malignant catarrhal fever in a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (03) ◽  
pp. 165-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Lapp ◽  
C. Förster ◽  
M. Kummrow ◽  
P. Wohlsein ◽  
V. Haist
Keyword(s):  
Close Contact ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Malignant Catarrhal Fever ◽  
Mixed Species ◽  
Course Of Disease ◽  
Ruminant Species ◽  
Multiple Organs ◽  
Reservoir Species ◽  
Potential Contact ◽  
Free Ranging

SummaryMalignant catarrhal fever (MCF) represents a sporadic and often fatal disease in various ungulate species including rarely swine. A close contact between susceptible and reservoir species of ovine herpes-virus-2 (OvHV-2) is a requirement for virus transmission. As in ruminants, a rapid course of disease with lymphohistiocytic meningoencephalitis and necrotizing vasculitis in multiple organs is frequently seen in porcine MCF. This report describes a case of MCF in a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, which was kept in a zoological exhibit with direct contact to various ruminants. It represents the first description of porcine MCF with proven natural OvHV-2 infection in Germany. OvHV-2 should be considered as cause of fatalities among swine especially in mixed-species exhibits as present in many zoological gardens. Also farm pigs kept in free ranging husbandry systems with potential contact to sheep and other ruminant species may be at risk.

scholarly journals Herpesvirus surveillance and discovery in zoo-housed ruminants

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0246162
Author(s):  
Teagen G. Partin ◽  
Mark D. Schrenzel ◽  
Josephine Braun ◽  
Carmel L. Witte ◽  
Steven V. Kubiski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
San Diego ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Interspecies Transmission ◽  
Malignant Catarrhal Fever ◽  
Internal Organs ◽  
Ruminant Species ◽  
Zoological Parks ◽  
Biologic Effects ◽  
Free Ranging

Gammaherpesvirus infections are ubiquitous in captive and free-ranging ruminants and are associated with a variety of clinical diseases ranging from subclinical or mild inflammatory syndromes to fatal diseases such as malignant catarrhal fever. Gammaherpesvirus infections have been fully characterized in only a few ruminant species, and the overall diversity, host range, and biologic effects of most are not known. This study investigated the presence and host distribution of gammaherpesviruses in ruminant species at two facilities, the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park. We tested antemortem (blood, nasal or oropharyngeal swabs) or postmortem (internal organs) samples from 715 healthy or diseased ruminants representing 96 species and subspecies, using a consensus-based herpesvirus PCR for a segment of the DNA polymerase (DPOL) gene. Among the 715 animals tested, 161 (22.5%) were PCR and sequencing positive for herpesvirus, while only 11 (6.83%) of the PCR positive animals showed clinical signs of malignant catarrhal fever. Forty-four DPOL genotypes were identified of which only 10 have been reported in GenBank. The data describe viral diversity within species and individuals, identify host ranges of potential new viruses, and address the proclivity and consequences of interspecies transmission during management practices in zoological parks. The discovery of new viruses with wide host ranges and presence of co-infection within individual animals also suggest that the evolutionary processes influencing Gammaherpesvirus diversity are more complex than previously recognized.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence in Healthcare Workers in Germany: A Follow-Up Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4540
Author(s):  
Johannes Korth ◽  
Benjamin Wilde ◽  
Sebastian Dolff ◽  
Jasmin Frisch ◽  
Michael Jahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Risk Group ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
High Risk Group ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Intermediate Risk ◽  
Igg Antibody

SARS-CoV-2 is a worldwide challenge for the medical sector. Healthcare workers (HCW) are a cohort vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection due to frequent and close contact with COVID-19 patients. However, they are also well trained and equipped with protective gear. The SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody status was assessed at three different time points in 450 HCW of the University Hospital Essen in Germany. HCW were stratified according to contact frequencies with COVID-19 patients in (I) a high-risk group with daily contacts with known COVID-19 patients (n = 338), (II) an intermediate-risk group with daily contacts with non-COVID-19 patients (n = 78), and (III) a low-risk group without patient contacts (n = 34). The overall seroprevalence increased from 2.2% in March–May to 4.0% in June–July to 5.1% in October–December. The SARS-CoV-2 IgG detection rate was not significantly different between the high-risk group (1.8%; 3.8%; 5.5%), the intermediate-risk group (5.1%; 6.3%; 6.1%), and the low-risk group (0%, 0%, 0%). The overall SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence remained low in HCW in western Germany one year after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Germany, and hygiene standards seemed to be effective in preventing patient-to-staff virus transmission.

Why Do Brown-Headed Cowbirds Perform the Head-Down Display?

The Auk ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 100 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas W. Scott ◽  
Judith M. Grumstrup-Scott
Keyword(s):  
Observational Data ◽  
Agonistic Behavior ◽  
Mixed Species ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Mixed Species Flocks ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Species Flocks

Abstract Four hypotheses for the function of the head-down display performed by Brown-headed Cowbirds were tested with observational data from free-ranging and captive cowbirds. Free-ranging cowbirds performed 284 interspecific and four intraspecific displays during 59.2 daylight hours while roosting in mixed-species flocks adjacent to feeding areas. The most common recipients of displays, female Red-winged Blackbirds and House Sparrows, preened cowbirds during 25 displays. Cowbirds that had just been preened displayed more often than those that had not recently been preened. Captive cowbirds displayed intraspecifically 475 times during 13.3 h, and dominant captive birds displayed more often than their subordinates. The following hypothesis was proposed to explain the display's function: the head-down display of Brown-headed Cowbirds is an appeasing agonistic behavior, the displayor is most often dominant to the recipient, and subsequent displaying is stimulated by interspecific preening. The display may function in: (a) obtaining food, (b) minimizing roosting energetics, and/or (c) establishing flock order.

scholarly journals Characteristics of Three Person-to-Person Transmission Clusters of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome in Southeastern China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingyong Tao ◽  
Ying Liu ◽  
Feng Ling ◽  
Rong Zhang ◽  
Xuguang Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Disease Onset ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Secondary Case ◽  
Southeastern China ◽  
History Of ◽  
Severe Fever ◽  
Very High ◽  
Index Cases

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease worldwide. It can be transmitted from person to person, and the fatality rate is very high. During this study, three SFTS clusters including 12 associated cases were identified in three counties in Zhejiang Province from 2018 to 2020. The median age of the three index patients was 70 years, and that of secondary case patients was 59 years. Of note, the mortality rate of the index patients was 100%. The mortality rate of secondary case patients was 11%. The total secondary attack rate (SAR) was 30% (9/30). The SARs of cluster A, cluster B, and cluster C were 38% (3/8), 21% (3/14), and 38% (3/8), respectively. Additionally, the interval from onset to diagnosis was 4 days. The intervals from disease onset to confirmation of the index cases and secondary cases were 7 days and 4 days, respectively. All secondary case patients had a history of close contact with blood or body fluids of the index patients. These results indicate that SFTS patients should not be discharged until recovery. When SFTS patients die, the corpses should be transferred directly from the hospital to the crematorium for cremation by persons wearing proper protective equipment to prevent virus transmission.

scholarly journals Tooth wear in captive wild ruminant species differs from that of free-ranging conspecifics

2009 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 425-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Kaiser ◽  
Juliane Brasch ◽  
Johanna C. Castell ◽  
Ellen Schulz ◽  
Marcus Clauss
Keyword(s):  
Tooth Wear ◽  
Wild Ruminant ◽  
Ruminant Species ◽  
Free Ranging

scholarly journals Can Bats Serve as Reservoirs for Arboviruses?

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna C. Fagre ◽  
Rebekah C. Kading
Keyword(s):  
Viral Vectors ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Emerging Viruses ◽  
Bed Bugs ◽  
Biting Midges ◽  
Bat Flies ◽  
Additional Mode ◽  
Free Ranging

Bats are known to harbor and transmit many emerging and re-emerging viruses, many of which are extremely pathogenic in humans but do not cause overt pathology in their bat reservoir hosts: henipaviruses (Nipah and Hendra), filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg), and coronaviruses (SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV). Direct transmission cycles are often implicated in these outbreaks, with virus shed in bat feces, urine, and saliva. An additional mode of virus transmission between bats and humans requiring further exploration is the spread of disease via arthropod vectors. Despite the shared ecological niches that bats fill with many hematophagous arthropods (e.g. mosquitoes, ticks, biting midges, etc.) known to play a role in the transmission of medically important arboviruses, knowledge surrounding the potential for bats to act as reservoirs for arboviruses is limited. To this end, a comprehensive literature review was undertaken examining the current understanding and potential for bats to act as reservoirs for viruses transmitted by blood-feeding arthropods. Serosurveillance and viral isolation from either free-ranging or captive bats are described in relation to four arboviral groups (Bunyavirales, Flaviviridae, Reoviridae, Togaviridae). Further, ecological associations between bats and hematophagous viral vectors are characterized (e.g. bat bloodmeals in mosquitoes, ingestion of mosquitoes by bats, etc). Lastly, knowledge gaps related to hematophagous ectoparasites (bat bugs and bed bugs (Cimicidae) and bat flies (Nycteribiidae and Streblidae)), in addition to future directions for characterization of bat-vector-virus relationships are described.

scholarly journals Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome

Hematology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 (1) ◽  
pp. 217-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vahid Afshar-Kharghan
Keyword(s):  
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome ◽  
Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Close Monitoring ◽  
Adequate Treatment ◽  
Course Of Disease ◽  
Multiple Organs ◽  
Uremic Syndrome

Abstract Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) that affects multiple organs and the kidneys in particular. aHUS can be sporadic or familial and is most commonly caused by dysregulation of the alternative complement pathway. The initial attack of aHUS can occur at any age, and is associated with a high rate of progression to end stage renal disease. Many aHUS patients relapse in the native or transplanted kidneys, and require close monitoring and long-term management. Availability of anticomplement therapy has revolutionized the management of aHUS, and can change the natural course of aHUS by inducing hematologic remission, improving or stabilizing kidney functions, and preventing graft failure. As a result, it is important to succeed in the challenging task of differentiating aHUS from other TMAs and initiate adequate treatment early during the course of disease. Considering the high cost of currently available anticomplement therapy, it is important also from a financial point of view to accurately diagnose aHUS early during the course of disease and determine the necessary length of therapy. This highlights the need for development of precise complement functional and genetic studies with rapid turnaround time.

scholarly journals Analysis of astrovirus transmission pathways in a free-ranging fission-fusion colony of Natterer’s bats (Myotis nattereri)

2020 ◽  
Vol 74 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika M. Zeus ◽  
Arian Köhler ◽  
Christine Reusch ◽  
Kerstin Fischer ◽  
Anne Balkema-Buschmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radio Frequency Identification ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Indirect Contact ◽  
Indirect Transmission ◽  
Virus Diversity ◽  
Myotis Nattereri ◽  
Roosting Behavior ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Bats are a diverse and widespread order of mammals. They fulfill critical ecosystem roles but may also act as reservoirs and spreaders for zoonotic agents. Consequently, many recent studies have focused on the potential of bats to spread diseases to other animals and to humans. However, virus transmission networks within bat colonies remain largely unexplored. We studied the detection rate and transmission pathway of astroviruses in a free-ranging Natterer’s bat colony (Myotis nattereri) that exhibits a high fission-fusion dynamic. Based on automatic roost monitoring data of radio-frequency identification tagged bats, we assessed the impact of the strength of an individual’s roosting associations with all other colony members (weighted degree), and the number of roost sites (bat boxes) an individual used—both being proxies for individual exposure risk—on the detected presence of astrovirus-related nucleic acid in individual swab samples. Moreover, we tested to which degree astrovirus sequence types were shared between individuals that frequently roosted together, as proxy for direct transmission risk, and between bats sharing the same roost sites in close temporal succession, as proxy for indirect transmission risk. Neither roosting associations nor the number of different roost sites had an effect on detected virus presence in individual bats. Transmission network data suggest that astroviruses are transmitted both via direct and indirect contact, implying that roost sites pose a risk of astrovirus infection for several days after the bats leave them. Our study offers novel insights in the presence and transmission of viruses within social networks of bat colonies. Significance statement Bats provide many ecosystem services but have moved into the focus of virological research as potential carriers of zoonotic disease agents. However, the sparse information available about virus transmission within bat colonies is solely based on simulated transmission data. In this field study, we examined the daily roosting behavior in a wild bat colony in relation to the presence of viruses in individual colony members. Our findings suggest that astroviruses are transmitted by direct contact and via contaminated roost sites. Bats typically defecate in their roost sites, and astroviruses can remain infectious in feces for several days. The here observed virus diversity and roosting behavior suggest that bats can contract astroviruses even if they use contaminated roost sites days after infected individuals have left. This study provides first-time insights in the transmission of astroviruses within bat colonies in the wild.

Malignant Catarrhal Fever Virus Identified in Free-Ranging Musk Ox (Ovibos moschatus) in Norway

2013 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 447-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Turid Vikøren ◽  
Siv Klevar ◽  
Hong Li ◽  
Anna Germundsson Hauge
Keyword(s):  
Fever Virus ◽  
Malignant Catarrhal Fever ◽  
Ovibos Moschatus ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Musk Ox
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