scholarly journals Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus Is Omnipresent in Elephants in European Zoos and an Asian Elephant Range Country

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 283
Author(s):  
Tabitha E. Hoornweg ◽  
Willem Schaftenaar ◽  
Gilles Maurer ◽  
Petra B. van den Doel ◽  
Fieke M. Molenaar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
High Reactivity ◽  
Asian Elephant ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Hemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Juvenile Animal ◽  
Antibody Levels ◽  
Insight Into

Elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHVs) may cause acute, often lethal, hemorrhagic disease (EEHV-HD) in young elephants. Prevalence of EEHV in different elephant populations is still largely unknown. In order to improve diagnostic tools for the detection of EEHV infections and to obtain insight into its spread among elephants, we developed novel ELISAs based on EEHV1A gB and gH/gL. Performance of the ELISAs was assessed using sera from 41 European zoo elephants and 69 semi-captive elephants from Laos, one of the Asian elephant range countries. Sera from all (sub)adult animals tested (≥5 years of age) showed high reactivity with both gB and gH/gL, indicating that EEHV prevalence has been highly underestimated so far. Reactivity towards the antigens was generally lower for sera of juvenile animals (1 > 5 years). Only one (juvenile) animal, which was sampled directly after succumbing to EEHV-HD, was found to be seronegative for EEHV. The two other EEHV-HD cases tested showed low antibody levels, suggesting that all three cases died upon a primary EEHV infection. In conclusion, our study suggests that essentially all (semi-)captive (sub)adult elephants in European zoos and in Laos carry EEHV, and that young elephants with low antibody levels are at risk of dying from EEHV-HD.

scholarly journals Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus is omnipresent in elephants in European zoos and an Asian elephant range country

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tabitha E. Hoornweg ◽  
Willem Schaftenaar ◽  
Gilles Maurer ◽  
Petra B. van den Doel ◽  
Fieke M. Molenaar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
High Reactivity ◽  
Asian Elephant ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Hemorrhagic Disease ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Antibody Levels

AbstractElephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHVs) are a group of evolutionary divergent herpesviruses that may cause acute, often lethal, hemorrhagic disease (EEHV-HD) in young elephants. Although EEHV was first discovered over 20 years ago, its prevalence in different elephant populations is still largely unknown, partially due to the lack of readily available, sensitive serological assays. In order to improve diagnostic tools for the detection of EEHV infections and to obtain insight in its spread among elephants, we developed novel ELISAs focusing on EEHV1A gB and gH/gL as antigens. Performance of the ELISAs was assessed using sera taken from 41 European zoo elephants and 69 semi-captive elephants from Laos, one of the Asian elephant range countries. Sera from all (sub)adult animals tested (≥5 years of age) showed high reactivity with both gB and gH/gL, whereas reactivity towards the antigens was generally lower for sera of juvenile animals (1 > 5 years). Only one (juvenile) animal, which was sampled directly after succumbing to EEHV-HD, was found to be seronegative for EEHV. The two other EEHV-HD cases tested showed low antibody levels, suggesting that all three cases died upon a primary EEHV infection. Direct comparison with another EEHV-specific ELISA previously used in two large serosurveys, showed that EEHV prevalence was underestimated before, likely due to aberrant folding of the antigen used. In conclusion, our study suggests that essentially all (semi-)captive (sub)adult elephants in European zoos and in Laos carry EEHV, and that young elephants with low antibody levels are at risk of dying from EEHV-HD.ImportanceOver the last 30 years, nearly 20% of all Asian elephants born in Western zoos succumbed to acute hemorrhagic disease caused by elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV-HD). Yet, the prevalence of EEHV in captive and wild elephant populations is still largely unknown, mainly due to the lack of readily available, sensitive serological assays. For this study two highly sensitive EEHV-specific ELISAs were developed. Using these assays, it was shown that nearly all elephants tested were seropositive for EEHV, with highest antibody levels detected in (sub)adult elephants. In contrast, antibody levels in EEHV-HD cases were very low or non-detectable. Lack of antibodies may thus be a risk factor for developing severe disease. As the novel ELISAs are low-tech in nature, these assays may easily be disseminated to local laboratories in zoos and elephant range countries in order to determine EEHV serostatus of individual animals or complete herds and (wild) populations.

Maternal IgG Avidity and IgM Detected by Blot as Diagnostic Tools to Identify Pregnant Women at Risk of Transmitting Cytomegalovirus

2000 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
TIZIANA LAZZAROTTO ◽  
STEFANIA VARANI ◽  
PATRIZIA SPEZZACATENA ◽  
LILIANA GABRIELLI ◽  
PAOLA PRADELLI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Igg Avidity ◽  
Maternal Igg

scholarly journals Individuals at risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis harbor differential intestinal bacteriophage communities with distinct metabolic potential

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihnea R. Mangalea ◽  
David Paez-Espino ◽  
Kristopher Kieft ◽  
Anushila Chatterjee ◽  
Jennifer A. Seifert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Autoimmune Disease ◽  
Intestinal Microbiota ◽  
Disease Development ◽  
Metabolic Potential ◽  
Metabolic Genes ◽  
Auxiliary Metabolic Genes ◽  
Citrullinated Protein ◽  
Insight Into

SUMMARYRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized in seropositive individuals by the presence of anti-cyclic citrullinated protein (CCP) antibodies. RA is linked to the intestinal microbiota, yet the association of microbes with CCP serology and their contribution to RA is unclear. We describe intestinal phage communities of individuals at risk for developing RA, with or without anti-CCP antibodies, whose first degree relatives have been diagnosed with RA. We show that at-risk individuals harbor intestinal phage compositions that diverge based on CCP serology, are dominated by Lachnospiraceae phages, and originate from disparate ecosystems. These phages encode unique repertoires of auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) which associate with anti-CCP status, suggesting that these phages directly influence the metabolic and immunomodulatory capability of the microbiota. This work sets the stage for the use of phages as preclinical biomarkers and provides insight into a possible microbial-based causation of RA disease development.

scholarly journals See me, hear me, talk to me, exploring the transformative potential of participatory video with street involved youth

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Glen
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Participatory Video ◽  
Video Research ◽  
Transformative Process ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Reference Tools ◽  
Interdisciplinary Study ◽  
Insight Into

Very few interdisciplinary participatory video research projects have critically assessed how an individual first engages and then continues Freire's "conscientization" or the transformative process toward civic agency, and the role participatory video plays in this process. See Me. Hear Me. Talk To Me. is a participatory video research project that aimed to break new ground in professional participatory video practice by focusing on the individual transformative processes of a small group of at-risk, street involved youth engaged in a participatory action research (PAR) video project. This participatory video research project aimed to gain a small, but specific insight into the transformative processes of at-risk, street involved youth by exploring their experiences and personal perspectives before, during and after the project. In doing so, it intended to add to the current, but very limited research in participatory video projects with street involved youth in order to encourage further interdisciplinary study, as well as the development of some preliminary reference tools to help governments, non-profits and other interested organizations critically engage street involved youth today. -- Page 8

scholarly journals Communication skills of biologically at-risk neonates

1995 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alta Kritzinger ◽  
Brenda Louw ◽  
René Hugo
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Early Communication ◽  
Communication Assessment ◽  
Normal Limits ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Neonatal Assessment ◽  
African Context

Early communication intervention has advanced to include neonatal assessment and management. Currently, however, there are limited diagnostic tools developed from a speech-language pathology and audiology perspective. The purpose of the study was to design a comprehensive neonatal communication assessment protocol and use it to describe the communication skills of 50 biologically at-risk neonates (852g-3060g birthweight). The results indicated that the subjects' general development was within normal limits, but their communication abilities displayed a serious delay. A high risk register consisting of 13 factors predicting the subjects' communication abilities was compiled. The length of time before the subjects could successfully take bottle feeds was found to be the strongest predictor of their communication development. The study is of particular relevance to the present South African context which has an increased incidence of low birth weight, thus rendering an enlarged population of biologically at-risk neonates.

Exploring Perceptions of “Wellness” in Black Ethnic Minority Individuals at Risk of Developing Psychosis

2012 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louisa Codjoe ◽  
Majella Byrne ◽  
Matthew Lister ◽  
Philip McGuire ◽  
Lucia Valmaggia
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Explanatory Models ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Treatment Expectations ◽  
Black African ◽  
Black Caribbean ◽  
Seeking Help ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
At Risk Mental State

Background:The NICE Schizophrenia guidelines (NICE, 2009, Update) recommend that services should address cultural differences in treatment, expectations and adherence, and clients’ explanatory models of illness should be better understood. Service users from Black African and Black Caribbean communities are overrepresented in psychosis services in the UK, yet there is no literature on how wellness is understood by this group.Aims:This study explored perceptions of wellness in Black African and Black Caribbean individuals with an At Risk Mental State (ARMS) for psychosis.Method:A Q set of potential meanings of wellness was identified from a literature search and interviews with people at risk of developing psychosis. From this, 50 potential definitions were identified; twenty Black African and Black Caribbean ARMS clients ranked these definitions.Results:Following factor analysis of completed Q sorts, six factors emerged that offered insight into perceptions of wellness in this population. These factors included: sense of social purpose explanation, the surviving God's test explanation, the internalization of spirituality explanation, understanding and attribution of symptoms to witchcraft explanation, avoidance and adversity explanation, and seeking help to cope explanation.Conclusions:Although preliminary, differences between the factors suggests that there may be perceptions of wellness specific to these groups that are distinct from the medical view of wellness promoted within early detection services. These differences may potentially impact upon engagement, particularly factors that clients feel may facilitate or aide their recovery. It is suggested that these differences need to be considered as part of the assessment and formulation process.

scholarly journals Two Cases of γ-Heavy Chain Disease and a Review of the Literature

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Ramasamy ◽  
Z. Rudzki
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Chain ◽  
Lymphoproliferative Disorder ◽  
Clonal Evolution ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Therapeutic Implications ◽  
Genomic Complexity ◽  
First Case ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Heavy Chain Disease

Gamma heavy chain disease (γ-HCD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder characterised by the production of a truncated immunoglobulin heavy chain. Fewer than 200 cases have been reported in the literature. In some cases, γ-HCD occurs with other lymphoid neoplasms. This study reports clinical, biochemical, haematological, and histological findings in two cases of γ-HCD. We describe newer biochemical diagnostic tools (HevyLite measurement, capillary electrophoresis, and immunotyping) that can aid in the characterisation of γ-HCD. The first case is an 88-year-old woman with γ-HCD. The second case is an 81-year-old woman who developed γ-HCD during treatment for Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. In the second patient, histopathology identified a separate clone responsible for the secretion of the gamma heavy chain. Studies on the clonal evolution of the disease may provide insight into therapeutic implications and the genomic complexity of the disease.

scholarly journals Asian Elephant T Cell Responses to Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus

2017 ◽  
Vol 92 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Fuery ◽  
Ann M. Leen ◽  
Rongsheng Peng ◽  
Matthew C. Wong ◽  
Hao Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
T Cell Responses ◽  
T Cell Response ◽  
Asian Elephant ◽  
Hemorrhagic Disease ◽  
Asian Elephants ◽  
Cell Responses ◽  
Ifn Γ

ABSTRACTElephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) can cause lethal hemorrhagic disease in juvenile Asian elephants, an endangered species. One hypothesis to explain this vulnerability of some juvenile elephants is that they fail to mount an effective T cell response to the virus. To our knowledge, there have been no studies of Asian elephant T cell responses to EEHV. To address this deficiency, we validated the gamma interferon (IFN-γ) enzyme-linked immunospot assay for tracking antigen-directed T cell activity by monitoring rabies-specific responses in vaccinated elephants. In addition, we generated monoclonal antibodies to Asian elephant CD4 and CD8 to facilitate phenotypic T cell profiling. Using these tools, we screened healthy elephants with a history of EEHV infection for reactivity against nine EEHV proteins whose counterparts in other herpesviruses are known to induce T cell responses in their natural hosts. We identified glycoprotein B (gB) and the putative regulatory protein E40 as the most immunogenic T cell targets (IFN-γ responses in five of seven elephants), followed by the major capsid protein (IFN-γ responses in three of seven elephants). We also observed that IFN-γ responses were largely from CD4+T cells. We detected no activity against the predicted major immediate early (E44) and large tegument (E34) proteins, both immunodominant T cell targets in humans latently infected with cytomegalovirus. These studies identified EEHV-specific T cells in Asian elephants for the first time, lending insight into the T cell priming that might be required to protect against EEHV disease, and will guide the design of effective vaccine strategies.IMPORTANCEEndangered Asian elephants are facing many threats, including lethal hemorrhagic disease from elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV). EEHV usually establishes chronic, benign infections in mature Asian elephants but can be lethal to juvenile elephants in captivity and the wild. It is the leading cause of death in captive Asian elephants in North America and Europe. Despite the availability of sensitive tests and protocols for treating EEHV-associated illness, these measures are not always effective. The best line of defense would be a preventative vaccine. We interrogated normal healthy elephants previously infected with EEHV for T cell responses to nine EEHV proteins predicted to induce cellular immune responses. Three proteins elicited IFN-γ responses, suggesting their potential usefulness as vaccine candidates. Our work is the first to describe T cell responses to a member of the proposed fourth subfamily of mammalian herpesviruses, theDeltaherpesvirinae, within a host species in the clade Afrotheria. An EEHV vaccine would greatly contribute to the health care of Asian and African elephants that are also susceptible to this disease.

A snapshot of microarray-generated gene expression signatures associated with ovarian carcinoma

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1215-1233 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Györffy ◽  
M. Dietel ◽  
T. Fekete ◽  
H. Lage
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Ovarian Carcinoma ◽  
Therapy Response ◽  
Global Gene Expression ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Current State ◽  
Technology Platforms ◽  
Array Technology ◽  
Insight Into

It was hypothesized that analysis of global gene expression in ovarian carcinoma can identify dysregulated genes that can serve as molecular markers and provide further insight into carcinogenesis and provide the basis for development of new diagnostic tools as well as new targeted therapy protocols. By applying bioinformatics tools for screening of biomedical databases, a gene expression profile databank, specific for ovarian carcinoma, was constructed with utilizable data sets published in 28 studies that applied different array technology platforms. The data sets were divided into four compartments: (i) genes associated with carcinogenesis: in 14 studies, 1881 genes were extracted, 75 genes were identified in more than one study, and only 4 genes (PRKCBP1, SPON1, TACSTD1, and PTPRM) were identified in three studies. (ii) Genes associated with histologic subtypes: in four studies, 463 genes could be identified, but none of them was identified in more than a single study. (iii) Genes associated with therapy response: in seven studies, 606 genes were identified from which 38 were differentially regulated in at least two studies, 3 genes (TMSB4X, GRN, and TJP1) in three studies, and 1 gene (IFITM1) in four studies. (iv) Genes associated with prognosis and progression: 254 genes were found in seven studies. From these genes, merely three were identified in at least two different studies. This snapshot of available gene expression data not only provides independently described potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for ovarian carcinoma but also emphasizes the drawbacks of the current state of global gene expression analyses in ovarian cancer.

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