High Prevalence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza: A Virus in Vietnam's Live Bird Markets.

Background: In recent years, Vietnam has suffered multiple epizootics of influenza in poultry.

Methods: From 10 January 2019 to 26 April 2021, we employed a One Health influenza surveillance approach at live bird markets (LBMs) and swine farms in Northern Vietnam. When the COVID-19 pandemic permitted, each month, field teams collected oral secretion samples from poultry and pigs, animal facility bioaerosol and fecal samples, and animal worker nasal washes at 4 LBMs and 5 swine farms across 5 sites.

H9N2 influenza A viruses found to be enzootic in Punjab Pakistan's bird markets with evidence of human H9N2 nasal colonization.

Objectives: This study sought to detect and characterize influenza A (IAV) and influenza D (IDV) viruses circulating among commercial birds and shop owners in Pakistan's live bird markets.

Methods: Oropharyngeal swabs (n = 600; n = 300 pools) collected from poultry and nasopharyngeal swabs (n = 240) collected from poultry workers were studied for molecular evidence of IAV and IDV using real-time and conventional real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction protocols.

Results: Nineteen (6.

An algorithm for the characterization of influenza A viruses from various host species and environments.

Due to the extensive host range of influenza A viruses, it is difficult to determine the best diagnostic algorithm to efficiently screen samples from a variety of host species for influenza A viruses. While there are some influenza diagnostic algorithms that are specific to host species, to our knowledge, no single algorithm exists for the characterization of influenza A viruses across multiple host species. In this paper, we propose an algorithm that can serve as a guide for screening human, animal, and environmental samples for influenza A viruses of high human and animal health importance.

Five Things Clinicians Need to Know About Zoonotic Viral Spillover and Spillback.

Since the 1990s, multiple infectious diseases have "spilled over" from nonhuman animals to infect humans and cause significant global morbidity and mortality. Despite efforts to detect and respond to such threats, surveillance and mitigation efforts have been criticized as ineffective. This article describes what "spillover" and "spillback" events are and canvasses 5 ways in which clinicians can improve emerging microbial pathogen, especially viral, detection and containment responses.

A comparison of nutritional value of native and alien food plants for a critically endangered island flying-fox.

Habitat loss and alteration are two of the biggest threats facing insular flying-foxes. Altered habitats are often re-vegetated with introduced or domestic plant species on which flying-foxes may forage. However, these alien food plants may not meet the nutritional requirements of flying-foxes.

Evidence of chronic cadmium exposure identified in the critically endangered Christmas Island flying-fox (Pteropus natalis).

The Christmas Island flying-fox (Pteropus natalis) is the last native mammal on Christmas Island and its population is in decline. Phosphate mining occurs across much of the eastern side of Christmas Island. The phosphate deposits are naturally rich in cadmium, and potentially other metals, which may be threatening the Christmas Island flying-fox population.

Investigation into the utility of flying foxes as bioindicators for environmental metal pollution reveals evidence of diminished lead but significant cadmium exposure.

Due to their large range across diverse habitats, flying-foxes are potential bioindicator species for environmental metal exposure. To test this hypothesis, blood spots, urine, fur, liver and kidney samples were collected from grey-headed flying-foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus) and black flying-foxes (P. alecto) from the Sydney basin, Australia.

Discrepancies between self-reported tick bites and evidence of tick-borne disease exposure among nomadic Mongolian herders.

Twenty-six per cent of Mongolians live pastoral lifestyles, increasing their likelihood of exposure to ticks and placing them at a higher risk for contracting tick-borne diseases (TBDs). Anaplasma spp. and Rickettsia spp.

Field evaluation of two commercial RT-rtPCR assays for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus detection using sera from ill and healthy pigs, China.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a highly contagious respiratory virus causing severe morbidity in pigs worldwide. Control strategies for PRRSV often rely on detecting PRRSV, culling or isolating sick pigs, disinfecting pig barns, vaccination, and monitoring for virus spread. Given the high economic impact of PRRSV on pig farms, there is a great need for rapid and reliable PRRSV detection assays.

Evidence for transovarial transmission of tick-borne rickettsiae circulating in Northern Mongolia.

Transstadial transmission of tick-borne rickettsiae has been well documented. Few studies, however, have evaluated the role of transovarial transmission of tick-borne rickettsiae, particularly in nature within the host-vector ecosystem. This cross-sectional study aimed to understand the role of transovarial transmission of tick-borne rickettsiae among feeding ticks at different life stages.

A cross-sectional study of small mammals for tick-borne pathogen infection in northern Mongolia.

: Tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) are frequently studied in developed nations but are often neglected in emerging countries. In Mongolia, TBP research is especially sparse, with few research reports focusing upon human and domestic animal disease and tick ecology. However, little information exists on TBPs in small mammals.

Newcastle disease virus from domestic mink, China, 2014.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a pathogen that most often infects poultry species. In investigating a 2014 outbreak of encephalitis and death among farmed mink (Mustela vison), we found pathological and later experimental evidence that NDV can infect and cause severe encephalitic and pneumonic disease in these animals. Our findings confirm the host range of NDV.

Detection and Quantification of CWD Prions in Fixed Paraffin Embedded Tissues by Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion.

Traditional diagnostic detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) relies on immunodetection of misfolded CWD prion protein (PrP(CWD)) by western blotting, ELISA, or immunohistochemistry (IHC). These techniques require separate sample collections (frozen and fixed) which may result in discrepancies due to variation in prion tissue distribution and assay sensitivities that limit detection especially in early and subclinical infections. Here, we harness the power of real-time quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC) to amplify, detect, and quantify prion amyloid seeding activity in fixed paraffin-embedded (FPE) tissue sections.