Effect of heat-inactivated Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) vaccine on the lesions and immunopathology developed in target tissues of naturally MAP-infected goats.

Paratuberculosis (PTB) is a disease caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), which affects a broad range of hosts, including domestic and wild animals. PTB is a chronic granulomatous enteritis and lymphadenitis that compromises animal welfare and causes economic losses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a commercial heat-inactivated MAP vaccine on lesions and immunopathology developed in the target tissues of goats naturally infected with MAP.

Seroreversion of IgG anti-HEV in HIV cirrhotic patients: A long-term multi-sampling longitudinal study.

The aim of our study was to evaluate HEV antibody kinetics in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with cirrhosis. A longitudinal retrospective study was designed. Patients were followed up every 6 months; anti-HEV IgG and IgM antibodies levels and HEV-RNA by qPCR were analysed.

Diarrhoea-causing enteric protist species in intensively and extensively raised pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) in Southern Spain. Part II: Association with Hepatitis E virus susceptibility.

Enteropathogenic parasites can infect a wide range of mammals, including humans, supposing an important zoonotic risk. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging foodborne pathogen of increasing public health relevance, affecting both humans and animal populations. Because both microorganisms share faecal-oral transmission route they may constitute an excellent model to evaluate the interplay between them.

Diarrhoea-causing enteric protist species in intensively and extensively raised pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) in Southern Spain. Part I: Prevalence and genetic diversity.

Numerous protist species are shared between humans and pigs. Among those, Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp. and Balantioides coli have a clear public and animal health significance.

Immunohistochemical expression of aromatase cyp19a1a and cyp19a1b in the ovary and brain of zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to different concentrations of bisphenol A.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is used to produce plastic and plastic derived products in multitude of daily utensils, being one of the industrial compounds most widely used. This endocrine disrupting chemical (EDCs) is a well-known environmental pollutant released into the aquatic environment from industrial wastewater, sewage sludge or landfill leachate. Aromatases are considered potential targets of EDCs with characteristics that make them suitable biomarkers of exposure to their effects.

Evaluation of a non-invasive screening approach to determine hepatitis E virus status of pig farms.

Background: Identifying pig farms infected with hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a key aspect to implement surveillance programmes for this emerging zoonotic agent. Detection of HEV in blood has several drawbacks, including animal handling, economic costs and animal stress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a non-invasive screening approach for determining the HEV status of pig farms under different management systems.

BVDV permissiveness and lack of expression of co-stimulatory molecules on PBMCs from calves pre-infected with BVDV.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) has been detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of immunocompetent animals, not being clear whether the development of a specific humoral immune response can prevent BVDV infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of non-cytopathic BVDV to replicate and produce infectious virus in PBMCs from calves pre-infected with BVDV and to elucidate the immunomodulatory effect of BVDV on these cells in an in vitro model. Quantification of virus was by quantitative PCR, while its replicative capacity and shedding into the extracellular environment was evaluated by viral titration.

Risk factors associated with hepatitis E virus in pigs from different production systems.

Pigs are considered important reservoirs of HEV and so constitute a major risk of transmission to humans, either via direct contact or by consuming raw or undercooked contaminated pork products. Once the scale of this disease on European pig farms has been estimated, the identification of risk factors associated with HEV infection in these species could help determine contingency strategies to minimize the risk of transmission to humans. Our objective was to evaluate risk factors associated with HEV in pigs under different production systems.

Pulmonary intravascular macrophages regulate the pathogenetic mechanisms of pulmonary lesions during acute courses of classical swine fever.

Classical swine fever (CSF) is a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease of domestic pigs and wild boar. Pulmonary oedema and haemorrhages in lung parenchyma are common lesions in the acute forms of CSF that may compromise pig survival and whose pathogenetic mechanisms remain unclear. The appearance of pulmonary lesions in pigs infected with Alfort/187 strain of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) euthanized between 2 and 17 days postinfection (dpi) and the role played by cytokines secreted by different pulmonary macrophage populations in the evolution of lesions was evaluated in this study.

Hepatitis E virus infection in equines in Spain.

Hepatitis E (HE) is an important emerging disease in European countries. To analyse the role of equids as potential reservoirs for HE virus (HEV), we determined the prevalence of HEV infection in 861 equines from 464 herds in Spain. HEV RNA in serum was detected in 0.

Prevalence of hepatitis E virus infection in wild boars from Spain: a possible seasonal pattern?

Background: It has been shown that wildlife can serve as natural reservoirs of hepatitis E virus (HEV). The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is probably the main natural reservoir of HEV and could therefore represent an important route of transmission in Europe, especially in regions where game meat is widely consumed. We evaluated the prevalence of HEV infection in wild boar in the south of Spain, with the aim of identifying associated risk factors.

Persistence of hepatitis E virus in the liver of non-viremic naturally infected wild boar.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen with pigs and wild boar serving as reservoirs for human infection through direct contact with infected animals or the consumption of raw or undercooked pork products. The liver is considered the main target site of HEV replication in swine and an important organ in the pathogenesis of the disease. The aim of this study was to characterize the target liver cells for HEV entry in naturally infected wild boar and to evaluate the type and severity of the pathological changes in order to reach a better understanding of the hepatic pathogenic mechanisms involved in hepatitis E.

Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) Infection in Anti-HEV Immunoglobulin G-Carrying Patients After Successful Hepatitis C Virus Treatment: Reactivation or Reinfection?

Although hepatitis E virus (HEV) is regarded as a self-limiting infection and anti-HEV antibodies seem to protect against reinfection, its pathogenesis is not well established. We describe 2 cases of acute symptomatic HEV infection after hepatitis C therapy in patients carrying anti-HEV immunoglobulin G antibodies, raising 2 major questions: reactivation or reinfection?

The use of infrared thermography as a non-invasive method for fever detection in sheep infected with bluetongue virus.

Fever, which is closely linked to viraemia, is considered to be both the main and the earliest clinical sign in sheep infected with bluetongue virus (BTV). The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential use of infrared thermography (IRT) for early detection of fever in sheep experimentally infected with bluetongue virus serotype 1 (BTV-1) and serotype 8 (BTV-8). This would reduce animal stress during experimental assays and assist in the development of a screening method for the identification of fever in animals suspected of being infected with BTV.

Comparison of pathological changes and viral antigen distribution in tissues of calves with and without preexisting bovine viral diarrhea virus infection following challenge with bovine herpesvirus-1.

Objective: To compare pathological changes and viral antigen distribution in tissues of calves with and without preexisting subclinical bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infection following challenge with bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1).

Animals: 24 Friesian calves.

Procedures: 12 calves were inoculated intranasally with noncytopathic BVDV-1a; 12 days later, 10 of these calves were challenged intranasally with BHV-1 subtype 1.

Pathogenic mechanisms implicated in the intravascular coagulation in the lungs of BVDV-infected calves challenged with BHV-1.

Resistance to respiratory disease in cattle requires host defense mechanisms that protect against pathogens which have evolved sophisticated strategies to evade them, including an altered function of pulmonary macrophages (MΦs) or the induction of inflammatory responses that cause lung injury and sepsis. The aim of this study was to clarify the mechanisms responsible for vascular changes occurring in the lungs of calves infected with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and challenged later with bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1), evaluating the role of MΦs in the development of pathological lesions in this organ. For this purpose, pulmonary lesions were compared between co-infected calves and healthy animals inoculated only with BHV-1 through immunohistochemical (MAC387, TNFα, IL-1α, iNOS, COX-2 and Factor-VIII) and ultrastructural studies.

Immunohistochemical study of macrophage and cytokine dynamics in the gut of scrapie-infected mice.

To study numerical changes in intestinal macrophages and variations in cytokine production by immune cells in the intestine, conventional C57BL/6J mice were orally infected with the Rocky Mountain Laboratory strain of scrapie. Animals were sacrificed at different timepoints, and samples were taken and processed by routine methods for morphological and immunohistochemical analysis. The results point to a possible role for macrophages in the uptake and transport of the infective agent to Peyer's patches.

Detection of bluetongue serotype 4 in mouflons (Ovis aries musimon) from Spain.

Bluetongue serotype 4 (BTV4) has been detected for the first time in tissue samples from 2 mouflons (Ovis aries musimon) from the South of Spain, in a retrospective study. The samples included in this study had been fixed and paraffin-embedded for over a year prior to their analysis using a BTV group-specific and a BTV4-specific RT-PCR test. Lung and lymphatic nodes were found positive in both specimens.

Apoptosis in lymphoid tissues of calves inoculated with non-cytopathic bovine viral diarrhea virus genotype 1: activation of effector caspase-3 and role of macrophages.

The mechanisms responsible for lymphocyte apoptosis in bovine viral diarrhoea have not yet been clarified. Previous work suggests that bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is only directly responsible for the destruction of a small number of lymphocytes. The aim of this study was to clarify, in vivo, the role of macrophages in lymphocyte destruction through indirect mechanisms linked to the biosynthetic activation of these immunocompetent cells on ileal Peyer's patches, as well as the distribution and quantification of apoptosis.

Role of hepatic macrophages during the viral haemorrhagic fever induced by African Swine Fever Virus.

To ascertain the role played by the various liver monocyte-macrophage populations in the course of a viral hemorrhagic fever, fifteen pigs were inoculated intramuscularly with the highly virulent isolate of African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) España-70 and slaughtered at 1-7 days post-inoculation (dpi). Samples of liver were fixed in different solutions and routinely processed for morphological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies. Viral antigen (vp73) was detected from 3 dpi onward, mainly in circulating monocytes of sinusoid and Kupffer's cells (KC), as well as in portal macrophages and hepatocytes from 5 dpi.

Serum concentrations of C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, and haptoglobin in pigs inoculated with African swine fever or classical swine fever viruses.

Objective: To determine serum concentrations of the selected acute-phase proteins (APPs) haptoglobin, serum amyloid A (SAA), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in pigs experimentally inoculated with classical swine fever (CSF) and African swine fever (ASF) viruses.

Animals: 8 crossbred (Large White x Landrace) 10-week-old pigs.

Procedures: Pigs were allocated to 2 groups (4 pigs/group).

Histopathological and ultrastructural changes associated with herpesvirus infection in waterfowl.

Duck virus enteritis is an acute contagious viral disease affecting birds of the order Anseriformes (ducks, geese and swans). The disease agent is a member of the Herpesviridae family (Anatidae herpes virus 1). A group of Anseriformes waterfowl from a Nature Reserve and Centre for the Recovery of Endangered Species in Spain suffered an outbreak of the disease, affecting adults, young and newborns.

The in vitro effect of calcitriol on parathyroid cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Calcitriol treatment is used to reduce parathyroid hormone levels in azotemic patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT). Whether long-term calcitriol administration reduces parathyroid gland size in patients with severe secondary hyperparathyroidism is not clear. The aim of the study was to evaluate in vitro the effect of calcitriol on parathyroid cell proliferation and apoptosis in normal parathyroid glands and in adenomatous and hyperplastic human parathyroid glands.