Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine Matching and Post-Vaccination Assessment in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Despite the annual vaccination of livestock against foot and mouth disease (FMD) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), outbreaks of the disease continue to be reported. The effective control of field outbreaks by vaccination requires that the vaccines used are antigenically matched to circulating field FMD viruses. In this study, a vaccine matching analysis was performed using the two-dimensional virus neutralization test (VNT) for three field isolates belonging to the O/ME-SA/PanAsia-2/ANT-10 and O/ME-SA/SA-2018 lineages collected from different FMD outbreaks that occurred within the Abu Dhabi Emirate in 2021 affecting (), goat, and sheep.

Establishing a molecular toolbox of lineage-specific real-time RT-PCR assays for the characterization of foot-and-mouth disease viruses circulating in Asia.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in many Asian countries, with outbreaks occurring regularly due to viruses from serotypes O, A, and Asia1 that co-circulate in the region. The ability to rapidly characterize new virus occurrences provides critical information to understand the epidemiology and risks associated with field outbreaks, and helps in the selection of appropriate vaccines to control the disease. FMD lineage-specific characterization is usually determined through sequencing; however, this capacity is not always readily available.

Elimination of Non-cytopathic Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus From the LFBK-αβ Cell Line.

The LFBK-αβ cell line is highly sensitive for the isolation of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and porcinophilic vesicular viruses. However, LFBK-αβ cells are contaminated with a non-cytopathic bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), which complicates handling procedures in areas where other cell lines are maintained, as well downstream use of viral isolates. In this study, we used an aromatic cationic compound (DB772) to treat LFBK-αβ cells using an approach that has been previously used to eliminate persistent BVDV from fetal fibroblast cell lines.

Evaluation of Cell Lines for the Isolation of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus and Other Viruses Causing Vesicular Disease.

The most sensitive cell culture system for the isolation of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is primary bovine thyroid (BTY) cells. However, BTY cells are seldom used because of the challenges associated with sourcing thyroids from FMDV-negative calves (particularly in FMD endemic countries), and the costs and time required to regularly prepare batches of cells. Two continuous cell lines, a fetal goat tongue cell line (ZZ-R 127) and a fetal porcine kidney cell line (LFBK-αβ), have been shown to be highly sensitive to FMDV.

Molecular characterization of foot-and-mouth disease viruses circulating in Ethiopia between 2008 and 2019.

One of the constraints to controlling foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in East Africa is the incomplete knowledge of the specific FMD virus (FMDV) strains circulating and the way in which these viruses move across countries in the region. This retrospective study focuses on Ethiopia, which has one of the largest FMD-susceptible livestock populations in Africa. Analyses of FMDV positive samples collected between 2008 and 2019 demonstrate that serotypes O (n = 175), A (n = 51) and SAT 2 (n = 33) were present in the country.

Inactivation of foot-and-mouth disease virus A/IRN/8/2015 with commercially available lysis buffers.

Laboratories working with foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) must maintain a high level of biocontainment. However, if infectious virus is reliably inactivated during sample processing, molecular and serological testing can be performed at a lower level of containment. In this study, three commercial lysis buffers (AL, AVL, and MagMAX CORE) were tested in two laboratories for their ability to inactivate FMDV A/IRN/8/2015 in different sample matrices (cell culture supernatant, epithelial tissue suspension and milk).

Expression of APOBEC3 Lentiviral Restriction Factors in Cats.

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a naturally occurring T-cell tropic lentiviral disease of felids with many similarities to HIV/AIDS in humans. Similar to primate lentiviral-host interactions, feline APOBEC3 (A3) has been shown to inhibit FIV infection in a host-specific manner and feline A3 degradation is mediated by FIV Vif. Further, infection of felids with non-native FIV strains results in restricted viral replication in both experimental and naturally occurring infections.

Chimeric O1K foot-and-mouth disease virus with SAT2 outer capsid as an FMD vaccine candidate.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is highly contagious and infects cloven-hoofed domestic livestock leading to foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). FMD outbreaks have severe economic impact due to production losses and associated control measures. FMDV is found as seven distinct serotypes, but there are numerous subtypes within each serotype, and effective vaccines must match the subtypes circulating in the field.

Prior Puma Lentivirus Infection Modifies Early Immune Responses and Attenuates Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Cats.

We previously showed that cats that were infected with non-pathogenic Puma lentivirus (PLV) and then infected with pathogenic feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) (co-infection with the host adapted/pathogenic virus) had delayed FIV proviral and RNA viral loads in blood, with viral set-points that were lower than cats infected solely with FIV. This difference was associated with global CD4⁺ T cell preservation, greater interferon gamma (IFN-γ) mRNA expression, and no cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in co-infected cats relative to cats with a single FIV infection. In this study, we reinforced previous observations that prior exposure to an apathogenic lentivirus infection can diminish the effects of acute infection with a second, more virulent, viral exposure.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Cross-Species Transmission: Implications for Emergence of New Lentiviral Infections.

Owing to a complex history of host-parasite coevolution, lentiviruses exhibit a high degree of species specificity. Given the well-documented viral archeology of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) emergence following human exposures to simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), an understanding of processes that promote successful cross-species lentiviral transmissions is highly relevant. We previously reported natural cross-species transmission of a subtype of feline immunodeficiency virus, puma lentivirus A (PLVA), between bobcats () and mountain lions () for a small number of animals in California and Florida.

Truncated Bovine Integrin Alpha-v/Beta-6 as a Universal Capture Ligand for FMD Diagnosis.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in many regions of the world and is one of the most prevalent epizootic animal diseases. FMD affects livestock, such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, and causes enormous economic losses due to reduced productivity and trade restrictions. Preparedness and early diagnosis are essential for effective control of FMD.

Domestic cat microsphere immunoassays: detection of antibodies during feline immunodeficiency virus infection.

Microsphere immunoassays (MIAs) allow rapid and accurate evaluation of multiple analytes simultaneously within a biological sample. Here we describe the development and validation of domestic cat-specific MIAs for a) the quantification of total IgG and IgA levels in plasma, and b) the detection of IgG and IgA antibodies to feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) capsid (CA) and surface (SU) proteins, and feline CD134 in plasma. These assays were used to examine the temporal antibody response of domestic cats infected with apathogenic and pathogenic FIVs, and domestic cats infected with parental and chimeric FIVs of varying pathogenicity.

Microsphere immunoassay for the detection of cytokines in domestic cat (Felis catus) plasma: elevated IL-12/23 in acute feline immunodeficiency virus infections.

We recently described the development and validation of a highly sensitive and specific microsphere immunoassay capable of simultaneously quantifying three domestic cat cytokines in tissue culture supernatant. Here we describe the modification of this assay to measure interferon gamma (IFNγ), interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-12/IL-23 p40 (IL-12/23) in domestic cat plasma, report values obtained from plasma collected after feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) exposure, and compare plasma concentrations to blood cell mRNA expression. The validated quantitation limits of this assay are 31-1000 pg/ml for IFNγ, 63-2000 pg/ml for IL-10, and 20-625 pg/ml for IL-12/23.

Development and validation of a multiplex microsphere-based assay for detection of domestic cat (Felis catus) cytokines.

Cytokines are essential signaling molecules that mediate the innate immune response, and therefore their presence can be of diagnostic, prognostic, and pathogenic significance. Microsphere-based immunoassays allow rapid and accurate evaluation of cytokine levels in several species, including humans, dogs, and mice; however, technology to evaluate domestic cat (Felis catus) cytokines has been limited to single-analyte enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Microsphere-based immunoassays provide an attractive alternative technology for detecting and quantifying multiple analytes in a single assay using as little as 50 μl of sample.

Morphological and molecular characterizations of psychrophilic fungus Geomyces destructans from New York bats with White Nose Syndrome (WNS).

Background: Massive die-offs of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) have been occurring since 2006 in hibernation sites around Albany, New York, and this problem has spread to other States in the Northeastern United States. White cottony fungal growth is seen on the snouts of affected animals, a prominent sign of White Nose Syndrome (WNS). A previous report described the involvement of the fungus Geomyces destructans in WNS, but an identical fungus was recently isolated in France from a bat that was evidently healthy.

Roles of human disturbance, precipitation, and a pathogen on the survival and reproductive probabilities of deer mice.

Climate change, human disturbance, and disease can have large impacts on the dynamics of a species by affecting the likelihood of survival and reproduction of individuals. We investigated the roles of precipitation, off-road vehicle (ORV) alteration of habitat, and infection with Sin Nombre virus on the survival and reproductive probabilities of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). We used generalized linear mixed models to estimate the effects of these factors and their interactions by fitting capture-recapture data collected seasonally from 2002 to 2007 at 17 sites in the Great Basin Desert of central Utah, USA.

Seasonal variation in Sin Nombre virus infections in deer mice: preliminary results.

The proportion of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) with recently acquired Sin Nombre virus (SNV) infections is an indicator of epizootic intensity and may be key in predicting outbreaks of hantavirus cardio-pulmonary syndrome in humans. We investigated whether incidence of recent infections was related to season, sex, reproductive status, or habitat disturbance. In May and September, 2006, we sampled 912 deer mice at six sites in Utah.