One Health Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Seropositivity among Pets in Households with Confirmed Human COVID-19 Cases-Utah and Wisconsin, 2020.

Approximately 67% of U.S. households have pets.

Low SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence and No Active Infections among Dogs and Cats in Animal Shelters with Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 Human Cases among Employees.

Human-to-animal and animal-to-animal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has been documented; however, investigations into SARS-CoV-2 transmission in congregate animal settings are lacking. We investigated four animal shelters in the United States that had identified animals with exposure to shelter employees with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. Of the 96 cats and dogs with specimens collected, only one dog had detectable SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies; no animal specimens had detectable viral RNA.

First Reported Cases of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Companion Animals - New York, March-April 2020.

On April 22, CDC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported cases of two domestic cats with confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Exercise Improves Host Response to Influenza Viral Infection in Obese and Non-Obese Mice through Different Mechanisms.

Obesity has been associated with greater severity of influenza virus infection and impaired host defense. Exercise may confer health benefits even when weight loss is not achieved, but it has not been determined if regular exercise improves immune defense against influenza A virus (IAV) in the obese condition. In this study, diet-induced obese mice and lean control mice exercised for eight weeks followed by influenza viral infection.

The immuno-regulatory impact of orally-administered Hypericum perforatum extract on Balb/C mice inoculated with H1n1 influenza A virus.

Hypericumperforatum (H. perforatum) ethanol extract has been found to inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced production of inflammatory mediators and cytokines in cultured macrophages. Therefore, it may be able to protect the host from excessive inflammation during viral infection.

Evaluation of two sets of immunohistochemical and Western blot confirmatory methods in the detection of typical and atypical BSE cases.

Background: Three distinct forms of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), defined as classical (C-), low (L-) or high (H-) type, have been detected through ongoing active and passive surveillance systems for the disease.The aim of the present study was to compare the ability of two sets of immunohistochemical (IHC) and Western blot (WB) BSE confirmatory protocols to detect C- and atypical (L- and H-type) BSE forms.Obex samples from cases of United States and Italian C-type BSE, a U.

Detection of PrP(Sc) in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue by Western blot differentiates classical scrapie, Nor98 scrapie, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

Transmissible, spongiform encephalopathies including bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and scrapie are fatal neurodegenerative disorders associated with the presence of an infectious abnormal isoform of normal mammalian proteins called prions. Identification of the prion protein associated with scrapie (PrP(Sc)) in the central nervous system is typically based upon immunoassays including immunohistochemistry (IHC) using formalin-fixed tissues or Western blot (WB) assays using fresh and/or frozen, non-formalin-fixed tissues. Each assay can discriminate between BSE, classical scrapie, and a previously reported strain of scrapie recently identified in the United States named Nor98 scrapie.

Characterization of an influenza A virus isolated from pigs during an outbreak of respiratory disease in swine and people during a county fair in the United States.

In August 2007, pigs and people became clinically affected by an influenza-like illness during attendance at an Ohio county fair. Influenza A virus was identified from pigs and people, and the virus isolates were characterized as swine H1N1 similar to swine viruses currently circulating in the U.S.

Anti-prion activity generated by a novel vaccine formulation.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) of domestic and wild cervids in North America. To address possible prevention regimens for CWD, we have used a mouse model system and the Rocky Mountain Laboratory (RML) mouse-adapted scrapie prion strain to screen efficacy of potential vaccine candidates. Three peptides derived from the primary amino acid sequence of the prion protein were conjugated to blue carrier protein (BCP) and formulated in an adjuvant containing M.

Evaluation of hemagglutinin subtype 1 swine influenza viruses from the United States.

Swine influenza viruses (SIV) of the hemagglutinin subtype 1 (H1) isolated from the United States (U.S.) have not been well-characterized in the natural host.

Vaccination of pigs against swine influenza viruses by using an NS1-truncated modified live-virus vaccine.

Swine influenza viruses (SIV) naturally infect pigs and can be transmitted to humans. In the pig, genetic reassortment to create novel influenza subtypes by mixing avian, human, and swine influenza viruses is possible. An SIV vaccine inducing cross-protective immunity between different subtypes and strains circulating in pigs is highly desirable.

Diagnosis of West Nile virus infection in horses.

The North American West Nile virus (WNV) epizootic, which began in 1999, has caused significant morbidity and mortality in horses. Because experimental infection has failed to consistently produce encephalitis in inoculated horses, investigation of naturally occurring cases was used to optimize strategies for diagnosis of this disease. Although WNV RNA could be detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) performed on whole blood collected from both clinically affected horses and unaffected herdmates, the diagnostic sensitivity of this approach was low compared with IgM-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.