Phylogenetic and Mutation Analysis of the Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Sequence Isolated in Costa Rica from a Mare with Encephalitis.

Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an arboviral pathogen in tropical America that causes lethal encephalitis in horses and humans. VEEV is classified into six subtypes (I to VI). Subtype I viruses are divided into epizootic (IAB and IC) and endemic strains (ID and IE) that can produce outbreaks or sporadic diseases, respectively.

Seroprevalence of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus on swine farms in a tropical country of the Middle Americas: the case of Costa Rica.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) causes significant economic losses to the swine industry worldwide. Little is known regarding the epidemiology of this infection in tropical countries. To address this problem in Costa Rica, a seroepidemiological study was carried out in two phases.

Analysis of ORF5 sequences of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRSV) circulating within swine farms in Costa Rica.

Background: Worldwide, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is among the diseases that cause the highest economic impact in modern pig production. PRRS was first detected in Costa Rica in 1996 and has since then severely affected the local swine industry. Studies of the molecular characterization of circulating strains, correlation with clinical records, and associations with pathogens associated with Porcine Respiratory Disease Complex (PRDC) have not been done in Costa Rica.

Molecular characterization of an avian GA13-like infectious bronchitis virus full-length genome from Costa Rica.

We describe the first whole-genome sequence of a GA13-like isolate of avian infectious bronchitis virus CK/CR/1160/16 (MN757859), obtained in 2016 in the province of Alajuela, Costa Rica. This virus caused an outbreak with great economic impact to the local poultry industry. The genome sequence is 27 696 bp in length, with the following genome organization 5'-UTR-Pol-S-3a-3b-E-4b-4c-M-5a-5b-N-6b-3'-UTR.

Draft Genome Sequence of an Escherichia coli Strain Harboring , , Aminoglycoside, Tetracycline, and Sulfonamide Resistance Genes, Isolated from a Costa Rican Wastewater Treatment Plant.

We report the draft genome sequence of the multidrug-resistant strain PTA A1517-5, isolated from a wastewater treatment plant in Costa Rica. The genome consists of 4,927,375 bp with a GC content of 50.57% and a total of 4,853 genes.

First Complete Coding Sequence of a Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Strain Isolated from an Equine Encephalitis Case in Costa Rica.

The first complete coding sequence of the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus IE, isolated from a Costa Rican mare with severe encephalitis, was confirmed by histological and viral whole-genome analyses. The isolated virus grouped in the Pacific cluster.

Constitutively Active IRF7/IRF3 Fusion Protein Completely Protects Swine against Foot-and-Mouth Disease.

Unlabelled: Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) remains one of the most devastating livestock diseases around the world. Several serotype-specific vaccine formulations exist, but they require about 5 to 7 days to induce protective immunity. Our previous studies have shown that a constitutively active fusion protein of porcine interferon (IFN) regulatory factors (IRF) 7 and 3 [IRF7/3(5D)] strongly induced type I IFN and antiviral genes in vitro and prevented mortality in an FMD mouse model when delivered with a replication-defective adenoviral vector [Ad5-poIRF7/3(5D)].

Depletion of elongation initiation factor 4E binding proteins by CRISPR/Cas9 enhances the antiviral response in porcine cells.

Type I interferons (IFNs) are key mediators of the innate antiviral response in mammalian cells. Elongation initiation factor 4E binding proteins (4E-BPs) are translational controllers of interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF-7), the "master regulator" of IFN transcription. Previous studies have suggested that mouse cells depleted of 4E-BPs are more sensitive to IFNβ treatment and had lower viral loads as compared to wild type (WT) cells.

Inhibition of EHMT2 Induces a Robust Antiviral Response Against Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Infections in Bovine Cells.

The genetic regulatory network controlling the innate immune system is well understood in many species. However, the role of the epigenetic mechanisms underlying the expression of immunoregulatory genes is less clear, especially in livestock species. Histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2) is an epigenetic modification associated with transcriptional silencing within the euchromatin regions.

Virus-resistant pigs might help to stem next outbreak.

By genetically engineering pigs to degrade a crucial viral protein, livestock can be made less susceptible to foot and mouth disease virus.

Expression of porcine fusion protein IRF7/3(5D) efficiently controls foot-and-mouth disease virus replication.

Unlabelled: Several studies have demonstrated that the delivery of type I, II, or III interferons (IFNs) by inoculation of a replication-defective human adenovirus 5 (Ad5) vector expressing IFNs can effectively control foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in cattle and swine during experimental infections. However, relatively high doses are required to achieve protection. In this study, we identified the functional properties of a porcine fusion protein, poIRF7/3(5D), as a biotherapeutic and enhancer of IFN activity against FMD virus (FMDV).

Down-regulation of viral replication by lentiviral-mediated expression of short-hairpin RNAs against vesicular stomatitis virus ribonuclear complex genes.

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) causes great economic impact to livestock industry and is a prototype for studying non-segmented negative-stranded RNA (NSNR) viruses. In this study, we evaluated the antiviral potential of unique short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting genes that form the ribonuclear protein (RNP) complex of VSV serotype Indiana (VSIV). We used lentiviral vectors to construct cell lines that stably expressed one of seven shRNAs targeting the RNP genes of VSIV, namely nucleocapsid (N), phosphoprotein (P), or polymerase (L).