Phenolic profile of sugarcane juice: Effects of harvest season and processing by ohmic heating and ultrasound.

In the present work, a comprehensive phenolic analysis of fresh sugarcane juice from three different harvest seasons was performed and the effect of ohmic heating and ultrasound treatments on the phenolic content and color of the juice was evaluated. Among the 32 phenolic compounds identified, a total of 17 were quantified, comprising, in decreasing order of abundance, flavones (38-49 mg/L), dilignols (22-29 mg/L), and phenolic acid derivatives (17-30 mg/L). The main phenolic groups affected by the crop season (year and season) were flavones and phenolic acid derivatives.

Epidemiology and genotype 3 subtype dynamics of hepatitis E virus in Belgium, 2010 to 2017.

BackgroundHepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging public health concern in high-income countries and can cause acute and chronic hepatitis. Reported numbers of indigenously acquired HEV infection have increased in the past decade in many European countries. Since 2010, the National Reference Centre (NRC) for Hepatitis Viruses has been testing samples of suspected hepatitis E cases in Belgium.

Preexposure Intradermal Rabies Vaccination: A Noninferiority Trial in Healthy Adults on Shortening the Vaccination Schedule From 28 to 7 Days.

Background: The existing 4-week preexposure rabies vaccination schedule is costly and often not practicable. Shorter effective schedules would result in wider acceptance.

Methods: We conducted a noninferiority trial in 500 healthy adults comparing the safety and immunogenicity of a 2-visit (days 0 and 7) intradermal (ID) primary vaccination (2 doses of 0.

Oral vaccination of wildlife using a vaccinia-rabies-glycoprotein recombinant virus vaccine (RABORAL V-RG): a global review.

RABORAL V-RG is an oral rabies vaccine bait that contains an attenuated ("modified-live") recombinant vaccinia virus vector vaccine expressing the rabies virus glycoprotein gene (V-RG). Approximately 250 million doses have been distributed globally since 1987 without any reports of adverse reactions in wildlife or domestic animals since the first licensed recombinant oral rabies vaccine (ORV) was released into the environment to immunize wildlife populations against rabies. V-RG is genetically stable, is not detected in the oral cavity beyond 48 h after ingestion, is not shed by vaccinates into the environment, and has been tested for thermostability under a range of laboratory and field conditions.

First TBEV serological screening in Flemish wild boar.

In the frame of a Flemish wildlife surveillance in 2013, a serological screening was performed on sera from wild boar (Sus scrofa; n=238) in order to detect tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV)-specific antibodies. Neutralising antibodies were titrated with a seroneutralisation test (SNT), using two cut-off titres (1/10-1/15). Seven wild boars were found TBEV-seropositive and showed moderate (>1/15) to high (>1/125) SNT-titres; three individuals had borderline results (1/10-1/15).

Serologic screening for 13 infectious agents in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in Flanders.

Introduction: In order to investigate the role of roe deer in the maintenance and transmission of infectious animal and human diseases in Flanders, we conducted a serologic screening in 12 hunting areas.

Materials And Methods: Roe deer sera collected between 2008 and 2013 (n=190) were examined for antibodies against 13 infectious agents, using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, virus neutralisation, immunofluorescence, or microagglutination test, depending on the agent.

Results And Discussion: High numbers of seropositives were found for Anaplasma phagocytophilum (45.

Belgian Wildlife as Potential Zoonotic Reservoir of Hepatitis E Virus.

Hepatitis E is an acute human liver disease in healthy individuals but may become chronic in immunocompromised patients. It is caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV) and can have a zoonotic origin, particularly in high-income countries. In this study, 383 sera from wild boars were selected for serology; for virological analyses, 69 sera and 61 livers from young wild boars were used.

Eradicating rabies at source.

Along with zoonotic influenza and antimicrobial resistance, rabies has been identified as a key One Health issue by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It provides an excellent example of a disease that has an impact on public, animal and environmental health, and therefore benefits from a One Health approach to management. Regrettably, this zoonotic disease is still neglected despite the fact that, annually, it kills as many as 70,000 people worldwide (chiefly children in Asia and Africa), millions of dogs suffer and die, and the disease threatens some populations of endangered wildlife.

Autochthonous tick-borne encephalitis virus-seropositive cattle in Belgium: a risk-based targeted serological survey.

The risk of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) introduction into Belgium remains high, and the presence of infected wildlife in Belgium is suspected. Domestic animals can serve as excellent sentinels for TBEV surveillance to install an early warning surveillance component for this emerging zoonotic disease of public health importance. In a targeted, risk-based and cross-sectional sampling design, serological screening was performed on Belgian cattle (n=650), selected from the 2010 Belgian national cattle surveillance serum bank.

No evidence of coronavirus infection by reverse transcriptase-PCR in bats in Belgium.

No coronavirus was detected by PCR in lung and intestine samples of 100 bats, mostly common pipistrelles (Pipistrellus pipistrellus), collected dead between 2008 and 2013 for rabies surveillance in Belgium. The negative results contrast with the high prevalence of coronaviruses detected in fecal pellets from live-captured bats in some European countries.

Impact of a trace element supplementation programme on health and performance of cross-breed (Bos indicus x Bos taurus) dairy cattle under tropical farming conditions: a double-blinded randomized field trial.

Small-scale urban dairy farms (n = 16) in and around Jimma, Ethiopia with cross-bred (Bos indicus × Bos taurus) cows were enrolled in a double-blinded intervention study to investigate the effect of a trace element supplementation programme on trace element status and milk concentrations as well as performance [body condition score (BCS), milk yield, leptin], milk composition, antioxidant status (ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS)], blood biochemistry, serum proteins and immune response (antibody titre upon rabies vaccination). The farms were allocated to a (1) placebo or (2) Cu, Zn, Se, Co and I supplementation treatment for 150 d. On days 0 and 120, four lactating cows per farm were sampled for milk and plasma, and on day 150 for serum, following primo-vaccination.

Estimation of hepatitis E virus (HEV) pig seroprevalence using ELISA and Western blot and comparison between human and pig HEV sequences in Belgium.

Zoonotic transmission of hepatitis E virus (HEV) is of special concern, particularly in high income countries were waterborne infections are less frequent than in developing countries. High HEV seroprevalences can be found in European pig populations. The aims of this study were to obtain prevalence data on HEV infection in swine in Belgium and to phylogenetically compare Belgian human HEV sequences with those obtained from swine.

Favourable outcome in a patient bitten by a rabid bat infected with the European bat lyssavirus-1.

The classic rabies virus (genotype 1) has been eliminated in Western Europe, but related lyssaviruses still circulate in local bats. In August 2010, a Belgian photographer was bitten upon provocation of a disoriented Eptesicus serotinus bat in Spain. The bat was infected with European bat lyssavirus-1 (genotype 5).

A step forward in molecular diagnostics of lyssaviruses--results of a ring trial among European laboratories.

Rabies is a lethal and notifiable zoonotic disease for which diagnostics have to meet the highest standards. In recent years, an evolution was especially seen in molecular diagnostics with a wide variety of different detection methods published. Therefore, a first international ring trial specifically designed on the use of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detection of lyssavirus genomic RNA was organized.

Infectivity of rabies virus-exposed macrophages.

Rabies virus distributes widely in infected mice, including lymphoid tissues and spleen macrophages. The infection characteristics in murine macrophages and the infectivity of virus-exposed macrophages were examined upon inoculation in mice. In vitro, Mf4/4 spleen macrophages supported mild virus production (10(4)-fold less than neuroblastoma), with formation of typical virions.

Influenza A/H1N1 vaccine in patients treated by kidney transplant or dialysis: a cohort study.

Background And Objectives: In 2009, the pandemic influenza A/H1N1 accounted for worldwide recommendations about vaccination. There are few data concerning the immunogenicity or the security of the adjuvanted-A/H1N1 vaccine in transplanted and hemodialyzed patients.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: Sera from 21 controls, 53 hemodialyzed (HD) patients, and 111 renal transplant recipients (RT) were sampled before (T0) and 1 month after (T1) a single dose of Pandemrix® vaccine (GSK Biologicals, AS03-adjuvanted).

Viral aetiology of influenza-like illness in Belgium during the influenza A(H1N1)2009 pandemic.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the proportion of influenza-like illness (ILI) attributable to specific viruses during the influenza A(H1N1)2009 pandemic and to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of ILI due to respiratory viruses in Belgium. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from ILI patients by general practitioners (GPs) and paediatricians (PediSurv) and analysed for viruses. Of 139 samples collected from children <5 years of age by PediSurv, 86 were positive, including 28 influenza (20%), 27 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (19%), 21 rhinovirus (17%), 12 human metapneumovirus (hMPV) (9%) and ten parainfluenza virus (PIV) (7%).

A survey of the transmission of infectious diseases/infections between wild and domestic ungulates in Europe.

The domestic animals/wildlife interface is becoming a global issue of growing interest. However, despite studies on wildlife diseases being in expansion, the epidemiological role of wild animals in the transmission of infectious diseases remains unclear most of the time. Multiple diseases affecting livestock have already been identified in wildlife, especially in wild ungulates.

Immunogenicity of an adjuvanted 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccine in haemodialysed patients.

Background: The 2009 pandemic of influenza A (H1N1) prompted an urgent worldwide vaccination campaign, especially of high-risk subjects, such as maintenance haemodialysis (HD) patients. Still the immunogenicity of the pandemic A (H1N1) vaccine in HD patients is unknown.

Methods: We prospectively studied the immunogenicity of a monovalent adjuvanted influenza A/California/2009 (H1N1) vaccine (Pandemrix, GSK Biologicals, Rixensart, Belgium) in HD patients and controls.

Alien invasive birds.

A bird species is regarded as alien invasive if it has been introduced, intentionally or accidentally, to a location where it did not previously occur naturally, becomes capable of establishing a breeding population without further intervention by humans, spreads and becomes a pest affecting the environment, the local biodiversity, the economy and/or society, including human health. European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) and Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) have been included on the list of '100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species', a subset of the Global Invasive Species Database. The 'Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventories for Europe' project has selected Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis), Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri) and Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) as among 100 of the worst invasive species in Europe.

Oral fluid for the serological and molecular diagnosis of measles.

Objectives: Since measles presents mostly in children, a non-invasive sample collection technique such as oral fluid sampling would be very useful in the early detection of measles RNA and antibodies. The aim of this study was to validate the detection of anti-measles IgM and measles virus RNA in oral fluid and to make a comparison with the gold standard methods of ELISA using serum (Enzygnost(®) anti-Measles IgM) and in-house nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using nasopharyngeal secretions.

Methods: Three samples each from 73 measles-positive and 44 measles-negative subjects (serum, oral fluid, and nasopharyngeal secretions) were analyzed.

Computerized general practice based networks yield comparable performance with sentinel data in monitoring epidemiological time-course of influenza-like illness and acute respiratory illness.

Background: Computerized morbidity registration networks might serve as early warning systems in a time where natural epidemics such as the H1N1 flu can easily spread from one region to another.

Methods: In this contribution we examine whether general practice based broad-spectrum computerized morbidity registration networks have the potential to act as a valid surveillance instrument of frequently occurring diseases. We compare general practice based computerized data assessing the frequency of influenza-like illness (ILI) and acute respiratory infections (ARI) with data from a well established case-specific sentinel network, the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS).

Influenza outbreak in a well-vaccinated nursing home population in Belgium.

Elderly people in nursing home communities are vulnerable to contagious infections, including the influenza virus. Systematic anti-influenza vaccination is an important preventive measure; however, vaccination does not provide absolute protection. We report an outbreak of influenza A infection in a well-vaccinated nursing home population.

Distribution of hepatitis C virus genotypes among injecting drug users in contact with treatment centers in Belgium, 2004-2005.

The aim of this study was to determine the current prevalence of HCV genotypes in injecting drug users recruited at treatment centers all over Belgium, and to analyze if the distribution of genotypes was correlated with demographic characteristics, at-risk behaviors, and co-infection with other viruses. Therefore 147 anti-HCV-positive serum samples were selected for subsequent HCV RNA detection and genotyping. HCV RNA could be detected in 98 (67%) of the 147 serum samples.