Risk Factor Analysis for Occurrence of Linezolid-Resistant Bacteria in the Digestive and Respiratory Tract of Food-Producing Animals in Belgium: A Pilot Study.

Linezolid is a critically important antimicrobial used in human medicine. While linezolid is not licensed for food-producing animals, the veterinary use of other antimicrobials, such as phenicols (e.g.

Orbivirus Screening from Imported Captive Oryx in the United Arab Emirates Stresses the Importance of Pre-Import and Transit Measures.

From 1975 to 2021, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) imported more than 1300 live Arabian oryxes (AOs) and scimitar-horned oryxes (SHOs) for conservation programs. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of orbiviruses Bluetongue virus (BTV) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) in AOs and SHOs from captive herds in the UAE. Between October 2014 and April 2015, 16 AOs and 13 SHOs originating from Texas (USA) and 195 out of about 4000 SHOs from two locations in the UAE were blood sampled to be tested by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays.

Review and Analysis of National Monitoring Systems for Antimicrobial Resistance in Animal Bacterial Pathogens in Europe: A Basis for the Development of the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network in Veterinary Medicine (EARS-Vet).

The monitoring of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacterial pathogens of animals is not currently coordinated at European level. To fill this gap, experts of the European Union Joint Action on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections (EU-JAMRAI) recommended building the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance network in Veterinary medicine (EARS-Vet). In this study, we (i) identified national monitoring systems for AMR in bacterial pathogens of animals (both companion and food-producing) among 27 countries affiliated to EU-JAMRAI, (ii) described their structures and operations, and (iii) analyzed their respective strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT).

Defining the scope of the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance network in Veterinary medicine (EARS-Vet): a bottom-up and One Health approach.

Background: Building the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance network in Veterinary medicine (EARS-Vet) was proposed to strengthen the European One Health antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance approach.

Objectives: To define the combinations of animal species/production types/age categories/bacterial species/specimens/antimicrobials to be monitored in EARS-Vet.

Methods: The EARS-Vet scope was defined by consensus between 26 European experts.

Reliable and Standardized Animal Models to Study the Pathogenesis of Bluetongue and Schmallenberg Viruses in Ruminant Natural Host Species with Special Emphasis on Placental Crossing.

Starting in 2006, bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV8) was responsible for a major epizootic in Western and Northern Europe. The magnitude and spread of the disease were surprisingly high and the control of BTV improved significantly with the marketing of BTV8 inactivated vaccines in 2008. During late summer of 2011, a first cluster of reduced milk yield, fever, and diarrhoea was reported in the Netherlands.

Review of epidemiological risk models for foot-and-mouth disease: Implications for prevention strategies with a focus on Africa.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly infectious transboundary disease that affects domestic and wild cloven-hoofed animal species. The aim of this review was to identify and critically assess some modelling techniques for FMD that are well supported by scientific evidence from the literature with a focus on their use in African countries where the disease remains enzootic. In particular, this study attempted to provide a synopsis of the relative strengths and weaknesses of these models and their relevance to FMD prevention policies.

Assessment of cross-protection induced by a bluetongue virus (BTV) serotype 8 vaccine towards other BTV serotypes in experimental conditions.

Bluetongue disease is caused by bluetongue virus (BTV) and BTV serotype 8 (BTV8) caused great economic damage in Europe during the last decade. From 1998 to 2007, in addition to BTV8, Europe had to face the emergence of BTV1, 2, 4, 9, and 16, spreading in countries where the virus has never been detected before. These unprecedented outbreaks trigger the need to evaluate and compare the clinical, virological and serological features of the European BTV serotypes in the local epidemiological context.

First Results in the Use of Bovine Ear Notch Tag for Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus Detection and Genetic Analysis.

Background: Infection due to bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) is endemic in most cattle-producing countries throughout the world. The key elements of a BVDV control programme are biosecurity, elimination of persistently infected animals and surveillance. Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) is a notifiable disease in Belgium and an official eradication programme started from January 2015, based on testing ear notches sampled during the official identification and registration of calves at birth.

Infectivity of a recombinant murine norovirus (RecMNV) in Balb/cByJ mice.

The infectivity of a recombinant murine norovirus (RecMNV) strain, previously isolated following in vitro coinfections, was evaluated in vivo in comparison with its parental strains (MNV-1-CW1 and WU20) in Balb/cByJ mice via measurement of weight loss and estimation of viral loads in faeces, tissues and organs 48 and 72h post-infection. The presence of infectious virus in all analysed tissues and organs suggests that, similarly to its parental viruses, RecMNV can disseminate beyond organs associated with the digestive tract. Our results also suggest that recombination occurring in vitro between two homologous murine norovirus strains can give rise to a chimeric strain which, despite slight differences, shows similar biological properties to its parental strains.

Experimental bluetongue virus superinfection in calves previously immunized with bluetongue virus serotype 8.

The effect of a superinfection with bluetongue virus serotype 1 (BTV1) was evaluated on two groups of four calves. One group received a commercial inactivated BTV serotype 8 (BTV8) vaccine. This group and the non-vaccinated group of calves were challenged twice (4 months apart) with the European BTV8 strain isolated during the 2006-2007 epidemics.

Antiviral agents against equid alphaherpesviruses: Current status and perspectives.

Equid herpesvirus infections cause respiratory, neurological and reproductive syndromes. Despite preventive and control measures and the availability of vaccines and immunostimulants, herpesvirus infections still constitute a major threat to equine health and for the equine industry worldwide. Antiviral drugs, particularly nucleoside analogues and foscarnet, are successfully used for the treatment of human alphaherpesvirus infections.

Bovine noroviruses: A missing component of calf diarrhoea diagnosis.

Noroviruses are RNA viruses that belong to the Genus Norovirus, Family Caliciviridae, and infect human beings and several animal species, including cattle. Bovine norovirus infections have been detected in cattle of a range of different ages throughout the world. Currently there is no suitable cell culture system for these viruses and information on their pathogenesis is limited.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Genotyping and Distribution of Coxiella burnetii Strains from Field Samples in Belgium.

The genotypic characterization of Coxiella burnetii provides useful information about the strains circulating at the farm, region, or country level and may be used to identify the source of infection for animals and humans. The aim of the present study was to investigate the strains of C. burnetii circulating in caprine and bovine Belgian farms using a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) technique.

Experimental Infection of Sheep at 45 and 60 Days of Gestation with Schmallenberg Virus Readily Led to Placental Colonization without Causing Congenital Malformations.

Background: Main impact of Schmallenberg virus (SBV) on livestock consists in reproductive disorders, with teratogenic effects, abortions and stillbirths. SBV pathogenesis and viral placental crossing remain currently poorly understood. Therefore, we implemented an experimental infection of ewes, inoculated with SBV at 45 or 60 days of gestation (dg).

Study of the virulence of serotypes 4 and 9 of African horse sickness virus in IFNAR(-/-), Balb/C and 129 Sv/Ev mice.

African horse sickness virus (AHSV) is a double-stranded RNA virus which belongs to the family Reoviridae, genus Orbivirus. Recent studies have focused on the interferon-α/β receptor knock-out mice (IFNAR(-/-)) as a small animal laboratory for the development of AHSV vaccines. The aim of this work was to study in vivo the virulence of two strains of AHSV and to compare the outcome of the infection of three mouse strains.

Pulmonary artery haemorrhage in newborn calves following bluetongue virus serotype 8 experimental infections of pregnant heifers.

The emergence of bluetongue disease (BT) among livestock in Europe in 2006 raised many questions including the occurrence and epidemiological significance of foetal infections in cattle. To clarify these aspects, vaccinated and unvaccinated pregnant heifers were sequentially infected twice in an isolation facility (biosafety level 3) with a northern European outbreak strain of Bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8). The study was terminated 2 months after calving with necropsy of the dams and their offspring.

Experimental co-infections of calves with bluetongue virus serotypes 1 and 8.

The contemporary circulation of multiple bluetongue virus (BTV) serotypes or strains within the same territory can imply the co-infection of the ruminant and/or the vector populations. As a consequence, the clinical and pathological outcomes of co-infections as well as the biological properties of the viral progeny could be influenced and exhibit relevant variation. In this study, two independent co-infection experiments were carried out in calves using European strains of BTV serotypes 1 and 8 (BTV-1 and BTV-8, respectively), with the objective of studying the clinical and virological outcomes in comparison with BTV-1 and BTV-8 single infections.

Inhibition of viral RNA synthesis in canine distemper virus infection by proanthocyanidin A2.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a contagious and multisystemic viral disease that affects domestic and wild canines as well as other terrestrial and aquatic carnivores. The disease in dogs is often fatal and no specific antiviral therapy is currently available. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro antiviral activity against CDV of proanthocyanidin A2 (PA2), a phenolic dimer belonging to the class of condensed tannins present in plants.

Two alternative inocula to reproduce bluetongue virus serotype 8 disease in calves.

The aim of this study was to investigate the consequences in calves of two forms of inocula alternative to the use of wild type infectious blood. Two groups of five calves were infected with low cell-passaged virus and infectious blood issued from one animal passage of the same strain. A longitudinal study was implemented and characterised by clinical standardised observations, haematology, BTV RNA detection and viral isolation from blood, detection of serogroup and neutralising antibodies, cytokine expression and post-mortem examination 46 days post-infection (PI).

Antiviral efficacy of EICAR against canine distemper virus (CDV) in vitro.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a highly contagious pathogen of carnivores. In dogs, the disease is characterized by high lethality rates and no specific antiviral therapy is available. The aim of this study was to verify the in vitro antiviral activity of the 5-ethynyl-1-beta-d-ribofuranosylimidazole-4-carboxamide (EICAR) and to compare it with the 1-(beta-d-ribofuranosyl)-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide (ribavirin, RBV).

Bovine infection with bluetongue virus with special emphasis on European serotype 8.

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is an arthropod-borne virus infecting domestic and wild ruminants. Infection in cattle is commonly asymptomatic and characterised by a long viraemia. Associated with the emergence and the recrudescence of BTV serotype 8 (BTV-8) in Northern and Central Europe, remarkable differences have been noticed in the transmission and in the clinical expression of the disease, with cattle showing clinical illness and reproductive disorders such as abortion, stillbirth and fetal abnormalities.

Fluorescence-based antiviral assay for the evaluation of compounds against vaccinia virus, varicella zoster virus and human cytomegalovirus.

Recombinant vaccinia virus (VACV), varicella zoster virus (VZV) and two human cytomegaloviruses (HCMV) expressing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) were used to develop a fluorescence-based assay for testing antiviral compounds. Infection of human embryonic lung fibroblasts (HEL) with the different recombinant viruses produced stable and detectable amount of GFP and EYFP signal as quantitated by automated fluorometry. The sensitivity of the recombinant viruses to a panel of antiviral drugs was measured and the fluorescence-based assay was compared to the cytopathic effect reduction assay (CPE-RA) in case of VACV and HCMV or to the plaque reduction assay (PRA) in case of VZV.

In vitro evaluation of the anti-orf virus activity of alkoxyalkyl esters of CDV, cCDV and (S)-HPMPA.

Acyclic nucleoside phosphonates (ANPs) and in particular (S)-1-[3-hydroxy-2-(phosphonomethoxy)propyl]cytosine (HPMPC, cidofovir, CDV, Vistide) and its adenine counterpart (S)-9-[3-hydroxy-2-(phosphonomethoxy)propyl]adenine [(S)-HPMPA] are highly active against orf virus infections. This parapoxvirus commonly causes infection in sheep, goats, but also humans. Alkoxyalkyl esters of CDV have an increased oral bioavailability and are more active against orthopoxviruses than the parent compounds.

Activities of alkoxyalkyl esters of cidofovir (CDV), cyclic CDV, and (S)-9-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine against orthopoxviruses in cell monolayers and in organotypic cultures.

The potencies of several alkoxyalkyl esters of acyclic nucleoside phosphonates against vaccinia virus and cowpox virus were evaluated in cell monolayers and three-dimensional epithelial raft cultures. Prodrugs were at least 20-fold more active than their parent compounds. Octadecycloxyethyl-(S)-9-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine emerged as the most potent derivative.

In vitro activity of VEGF-E produced by orf virus strains isolated from classical and severe persistent contagious ecthyma.

Proliferative orf virus infections in adult sheep have increased in Italy in the past few years: these extreme cases are frequently fatal and difficult to differentiate from other infectious diseases of sheep such as blue tongue. A probable explanation for the proliferative and highly vascularized nature of the lesions was found in the expression of the VEGF-E gene encoded by the orf virus. To investigate a possible role of the viral VEGF in the pathogenesis of severe persistent orf virus lesions, the activity of four VEGF-E variants was compared by an angiogenesis in vitro model.