Publications by authors named "Christopher J Brackman"

Literature covering diseases of the giant panda () is either in Chinese or focuses on infectious agents. Here we describe the clinical signs, gross and microscopic findings, and immunohistochemistry results of a B-cell lymphoma in multiple organs of a 35-y-old captive male giant panda. The animal was euthanized because of prolonged anorexia and vomiting.

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  • - Wild waterfowl in Hong Kong's Marshes were found to carry various astroviruses, which were identified through testing fecal samples and employing DNA barcoding for host identification.
  • - Notable results included the nearly complete genome of an Avastrovirus 4 clade sample (MP22-196), indicating a unique subclade within the species and possessing distinct genomic features compared to other avian astroviruses.
  • - The study highlights the discovery of a modified sgRNA sequence and a shorter 3' UTR in MP22-196, contributing to a broader understanding of the Avastrovirus 4 clade and its genetic makeup.
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  • - SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, has raised concerns about its ability to infect animals, prompting studies in densely populated cities like Hong Kong and Seoul to assess exposure in cats and dogs.
  • - Testing of 1040 cats and 855 dogs for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies revealed a low percentage of positive results, with higher rates in dogs compared to cats and very few showing neutralizing antibodies.
  • - The study indicates that while there is some exposure to the virus in companion animals, the low seroprevalence suggests limited transmission, and discrepancies in test results could point to cross-reactivity with other coronaviruses.
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Zoonotic and pandemic influenza continue to pose threats to global public health. Pandemics arise when novel influenza A viruses, derived in whole or in part from animal or avian influenza viruses, adapt to transmit efficiently in a human population that has little population immunity to contain its onward transmission. Viruses of previous pandemic concern, such as influenza A(H7N9), arose from influenza A(H9N2) viruses established in domestic poultry acquiring a hemagglutinin and neuraminidase from influenza A viruses of aquatic waterfowl.

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Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) has received considerable attention for decentralized (point-of-care and on-site) nucleic acid testing in view of its simple temperature control (60-65 °C) and short assay time (15-60 min). There remains a challenge in its wide adoption and acceptance due to the limitations of the existing amplification result reporter probes, e.g.

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Background: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to other mammals, including pet animals, has been reported. However, with the exception of farmed mink, there is no previous evidence that these infected animals can infect humans, resulting in sustained human-to-human transmission. Following a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection of a pet shop worker, animals in the shop and the warehouse supplying it were tested for evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) is an emerging poxviral pathogen of cattle that is currently spreading throughout Asia. The disease situation is of high importance for farmers and policy makers in Asia. In October 2020, feral cattle in Hong Kong developed multi-focal cutaneous nodules consistent with lumpy skin disease (LSD).

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Surrogate neutralization assays for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that can be done without biosafety level 3 containment and in multiple species are desirable. We evaluate a recently developed surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) in comparison to 90% plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNT) in human, canine, cat, and hamster sera. With PRNT as the reference, sVNT had sensitivity of 98.

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We tested 50 cats from coronavirus disease households or close contacts in Hong Kong, China, for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA in respiratory and fecal samples. We found 6 cases of apparent human-to-feline transmission involving healthy cats. Virus genomes sequenced from 1 cat and its owner were identical.

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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first detected in Wuhan in December 2019 and caused coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In 2003, the closely related SARS-CoV had been detected in domestic cats and a dog. However, little is known about the susceptibility of domestic pet mammals to SARS-CoV-2.

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