Publications by authors named "Hsiang-Jung Tsai"

Article Synopsis
  • The European Commission prohibited antibiotic promoters in animal feed in 2006, leading to a need for alternative feed additives to combat poultry diseases previously managed with antibiotics.
  • This study explored the effects of trehalose on broiler growth performance and pathogenic bacteria levels when added to their feed.
  • Results showed that trehalose up to 10% didn't negatively impact weight gain or feed efficiency but increased beneficial bacteria levels while not significantly decreasing harmful bacteria counts in the guts of broilers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - A study in Taiwan from 2009-2020 analyzed 57 avian paramyxovirus (APMV) isolates from wild birds and domestic poultry, revealing seven different species, including APMV-1 and APMV-4 as the most prevalent.
  • - Genetic analysis through Sanger sequencing provided 22 full-length genome sequences and 35 fusion protein gene sequences, indicating that most viruses are closely related to Eurasian strains, with a few linked to North American strains.
  • - The research identified three new genotypes within APMV-2, APMV-12, and APMV-22 while enhancing the understanding of APMV genetic diversity and its intercontinental transmission through wild birds. *
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Avian paramyxovirus 1 (APMV-1), synonymous with Newcastle disease virus (NDV), is a worldwide viral agent that infects various avian species and responsible for outbreaks of Newcastle disease. In this study, 40 APMV-1 isolates collected from poultry, migratory birds, and resident birds during 2010-2018 in Taiwan were characterized genetically. Our phylogenetic analysis of complete fusion protein gene of the APMV-1 isolates revealed that 39 of the 40 Taiwanese isolates were closely related to APMV-1 of class I genotype 1 or class II genotypes I, VI or VII, and one isolate belonged to a group that can be classified as a novel genotype 2 within class I.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Avian paramyxoviruses (APMVs) consist of twenty known species and have been isolated from domestic and wild birds around the world. In 2009, the isolate APMV/dove/Taiwan/AHRI33/2009 was isolated from swabs of red turtle doves (Streptopelia tranquebarica) during active surveillance of avian influenza in resident birds in Taiwan, and it was initially identified as paramyxovirus based on electron microscopy. Hemagglutination inhibition assays indicated antigenic heterogeneity of AHRI33 with the known APMV-1, -2, -3, -4, -6, -8, and -9 species, only showing weak but measurable cross-reactivity with APMV-7.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Influenza B viruses in pigs, Taiwan.

Influenza Other Respir Viruses

January 2019

Background: Influenza B viruses (IBVs) have never been isolated from natural-infected pigs in clinical cases, although the susceptibility of domestic pigs to experimental IBV infections had been confirmed as well as IBV-specific antibodies were detected from pigs under natural and experimental conditions.

Objectives: We aimed to assess and investigate the activities for infection and circulation of IBVs in pigs.

Methods: Annual active surveys for influenza have been implemented on swine populations in Taiwan since July 1998.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In 2013, the first case of Taiwan ferret badger rabies virus (RABV-TWFB) infection was reported in Formosan ferret badgers, and two genetic groups of the virus were distinguished through phylogenetic analysis. To detect RABV-TWFB using a sensitive nucleic acid-based method, a quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction targeting the conserved region of both genetic groups of RABV-TWFB was developed. This method had a limit of detection (LOD) of 40 RNA copies/reaction and detected viral RNA in brain and ear tissue specimens of infected and dead Formosan ferret badgers and mice with 100% sensitivity and specificity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Since 2013, rabies cases have been reported among Formosan ferret badgers in Taiwan, and they have been shown to be the major reservoirs for Taiwanese enzootics. To control and eradicate rabies, the authorities plan to implement a vaccination programme. Before distributing live vaccines in the field, this study assessed the safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity of SAG2 vaccine on ferret badgers by direct oral instillation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The sequence at the hemagglutinin (HA) cleavage site (CS) plays a key role in determining the pathogenicity of avian influenza viruses. Three types of HA CS sequences, QREKR/GL, QRKKR/GL and QRRKR/GL, were previously reported in Taiwanese H5N2 viruses that were isolated from chickens from 2003 to 2013. However, no HA CS sequence was reported for viruses isolated after 2013.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Clostridium perfringens infection causes subclinical and clinical necrotic enteritis in poultry flocks, and it is estimated to result in US$2 billion of losses worldwide every year. The aims of this study were to determine the incidence, toxin types, and antimicrobial resistance levels to C. perfringens isolated from premarket, 5-wk-old, clinically healthy broiler chickens in Taiwan, and to examine the relationships between intestinal lesions and the numbers of C.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) is a public health concern and infected chickens serve as a reservoir that potentially transmits to humans through food. Although SE seldom causes systemic disease in chickens, virulent SE strains can colonize in intestines and lead a persistent infection of the liver. The liver is the primary organ for lipid metabolism in chickens and the site for production and assembly of main components in yolk.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Many studies suggest significant genetic variation in the resistance of cattle and humans to infection with Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), the causative agent of zoonotic tuberculosis. TNF-α promotes inflammation and induces apoptosis in response to mycobacterial infection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The intracellular parasite () causes tuberculosis in cattle and humans. Understanding the interactions between and host cells is essential in developing tools for the prevention, detection, and treatment of M. bovis infection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Many studies suggest significant genetic variation in the resistance of cattle and humans to infection with Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of zoonotic tuberculosis. The inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS which is encoded by the NOS2 gene) plays a key role in the immunological control of a broad spectrum of infectious agents. This study aimed to investigate the influence of genetic variations in the promoter of the NOS2 gene on bovine tuberculosis (bTB) susceptibility.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fifteen ferret badgers (Melogale moschata subaurantiaca), collected 2010-13 and stored frozen, were submitted for rabies diagnosis by direct fluorescent antibody test and reverse transcription PCR. We detected seven positive animal samples, including some from 2010, which indicated that the ferret badger population in Taiwan had been affected by rabies prior to 2010.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) was first identified in Taiwan in 1991, but the genetic diversity and evolution of PRRSV has not been thoroughly investigated over the past 20 years. The aim of this study was to bridge the gap in understanding of its molecular epidemiology. A total of 31 PRRSV strains were collected and sequenced.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Infection by Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) causes decreased egg production in laying hens. Immunoresponse, steroidogenesis, and cell proliferation by chicken granulosa cells (cGCs) are of particular interest because these changes are involved in follicular growth, atresia, and ovulation. To elucidate the possible mechanisms underlying these changes, transcriptional alterations in cGCs at distinct stages of follicular maturity were studied.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bovine ephemeral fever is an arthropod-borne bovine viral disease caused by infection with bovine ephemeral fever virus which belongs to genus Ephemerovirus within the family Rhabdoviridae. In this study, serological data and virological information about the disease and the virus, spanning from 2001 to 2013, were employed to analyze the relationships of bovine ephemeral fever epizootics to population immunity and virus variation. National and regional surveillance data indicated that 2 of the 3 major epizootics and 87% regional outbreaks were associated with lower neutralizing antibody titers and immunity coverage, reflecting the importance of population immunity for the control of bovine ephemeral fever.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/purpose(s): Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and swine vesicular disease (SVD) are serious vesicular diseases that have devastated swine populations throughout the world. The aim of this study was to develop a multianalyte profiling (xMAP) Luminex assay for the differential detection of antibodies to the FMD virus of structural proteins (SP) and nonstructural proteins (NSP).

Methods: After the xMAP was optimized, it detected antibodies to SP-VP1 and NSP-3ABC of the FMD virus in a single serum sample.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: The following complete molecular diagnostic procedure we developed, based on real-time quantitative PCR and traditional PCR, is effective for avian influenza surveillance, virus subtyping, and viral genome sequencing.

Method: This study provides a specific and sensitive step-by-step procedure for efficient avian influenza identification of 16 hemagglutinin and 9 neuraminidase avian influenza subtypes.

Result And Conclusion: This diagnostic procedure may prove exceedingly useful for virological and ecological advancements in global avian influenza research.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Foot-and-mouth disease virus, part of the Picornaviridae family, primarily affects animals with split hooves, leading to the formation of painful vesicles.
  • - The Southeast Asia topotype of this virus was first identified in Taiwan in 2012, occurring in pigs on Kinmen Island and detected through genetic analysis.
  • - An outbreak at four farms resulted in the culling of 628 pigs and one cow, marking the first instance of this topotype in Taiwan and indicating its spread in East Asia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dog-to-dog transmission of rabies in Taiwan was eliminated in 1961; the island was considered canine rabies-free for 52 years. On July 16, 2013, three ferret-badgers (Melogale moschata) tested positive for rabies by fluorescent antibody testing at the Animal Health Research Institute, Council of Agriculture of Taiwan. This was the first time wild animals other than bats were tested.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC) is the most common disease in commercial pork production worldwide. Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), the most important agents of PRDC, usually co-infect in the same pigs. In order to survey the prevalence of PCV2 and PRRSV in pigs of various ages, a duplex reverse transcription real-time PCR (DRT-rPCR) was developed and applied in the present study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bluetongue virus is the etiological agent of bluetongue, one of the most important insect-transmitted animal diseases in the world. To establish a feasible diagnostic procedure for detecting the viral RNA, seven commercially available one-step RT-PCR kits in combination with three primer sets were evaluated. Results of this study showed remarkable differences in analytical sensitivity between the examined RT-PCR kits.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A previously unidentified strain of avian hepatitis E virus (aHEV) is now endemic among chickens in Taiwan. Analysis showed that the virus is 81.5%-86.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Foot-and mouth disease (FMD), swine vesicular disease (SVD), and vesicular stomatitis (VS) are highly contagious vesicular diseases of swine but are not easy to differentiate clinically. For the purpose of instant detecting of FMD and differentiating it from the other vesicular diseases, a Luminex assay was developed. Sera from 64 infected, 307 vaccinated, and 280 naïve pigs were tested by the Luminex assay.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Notice

Message: fwrite(): Write of 34 bytes failed with errno=28 No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 272

Backtrace:

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_write_close(): Failed to write session data using user defined save handler. (session.save_path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Unknown

Line Number: 0

Backtrace: