Repeated examination of natural sapovirus infections in pig litters raised under experimental conditions.

Background: Porcine sapovirus, belonging to the family Caliciviridae, is an enteric virus that is widespread in the swine industry worldwide. A total of 14 sapovirus genogroups have been suggested and the most commonly found genogroup in swine is genogroup III (GIII). The goal of the present experiment was to examine the presence of sapovirus in 51 naturally infected pigs at two different time points.

Identification of immunogenic and virulence-associated Campylobacter jejuni proteins.

With the aim of identifying proteins important for host interaction and virulence, we have screened an expression library of NCTC 11168 Campylobacter jejuni genes for highly immunogenic proteins. A commercial C. jejuni open reading frame (ORF) library consisting of more than 1,600 genes was transformed into the Escherichia coli expression strain BL21(DE3), resulting in 2,304 clones.

Glycosaminoglycans enhance the fibrillation propensity of the β2-microglobulin cleavage variant--ΔK58-β2m.

Dialysis related amyloidosis (DRA) is a serious complication to long-term hemodialysis treatment which causes clinical symptoms such as carpal tunnel syndrome and destructive arthropathies. The disease is characterized by the assembly and deposition of β2-microglobulin (β2m) predominantly in the musculoskeletal system, but the initiating events leading to β2m amyloidogenesis and the molecular mechanisms underlying amyloid fibril formation are still unclear. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and metal ions have been shown to be related to the onset of protein aggregation and to promote de novo fiber formation.

Genetic diversity of sapovirus infections in Danish children 2005-2007.

Background: Sapoviruses are known to cause gastroenteritis mainly in young children.

Objectives: To establish a collection of sapoviruses and to gain knowledge about the genetic diversity and epidemiology of sapoviruses circulating in children in Denmark.

Study Design: During a 24-month period in 2005-2007 samples from 1104 children, aged 0-3 years, submitted for acute gastroenteritis diagnostics, were analysed for sapoviruses by real-time PCR.

A beta2-microglobulin cleavage variant fibrillates at near-physiological pH.

Beta2-microglobulin (beta2m) deposits as amyloid in dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA), predominantly in joints. The molecular mechanisms underlying the amyloidogenicity of beta2m are still largely unknown. In vitro, acidic conditions, pH < 4.

Confirmation of electron microscopy results by direct testing of viruses adhered to grids using nucleic acid amplification techniques.

It is possible to visualize rapidly viral particles by electron microscopy (EM) in patient samples and in cell cultures, and characterize the particles on the basis of their size and morphology. In many instances, EM has contributed to the diagnosis of specific infectious agents. Four different types of viruses with different characteristics of particle size, capsid structure, the presence or absence of an envelope, genomic content and stability outside the host were screened and diagnosed by EM at the level of family/genus.

An unusual enterovirus outbreak in Denmark: clinical characteristics and molecular epidemiology.

In 2000, a large enterovirus (EV) outbreak was seen in Denmark; the number of patients with a verified EV infection was 3-fold higher compared to previous y. Echovirus 30 (E30) was the dominant EV type and was detected in 31% of all 306 EV positive patients and in 61% of the 155 patients in whom typing was successful. The outbreak started in February and peaked in June, which is unusually early in a temperate climate and not registered before in Denmark.

The porcine skin associated T-cell homing chemokine CCL27: molecular cloning and mRNA expression in piglets infected experimentally with Staphylococcus hyicus.

CCL27 (also named CTACK, ALP, ILC and ESkine) is a CC chemokine primarily expressed by keratinocytes of the skin. The cognate receptor of CCL27 named CCR10 (GPR-2), is also expressed in skin-derived cells, and in addition by a subset of peripheral blood T-cells and in a variety of other tissues. In this paper, we report the cloning of porcine CCL27 cDNA and investigation of CCL27 mRNA expression in Staphylococcus hyicus infected piglets.