Publications by authors named "Sarah Wheatley"
Article Synopsis
- Euthanasia practices for zebrafish larvae younger than 5 days post fertilization are not well-documented, and standardized guidelines are lacking due to legal protections not covering these early-stage fish.
- The study evaluated various euthanasia methods, including anesthetic overdoses and hypothermic shock, showing that clove oil, lidocaine with ethanol, and electrical stunning were the most effective with minimal signs of distress.
- The recommended euthanasia method is a buffered lidocaine hydrochloride solution with ethanol, which effectively euthanizes embryos and larvae while minimizing stress; further research is needed for electrical stunning's efficacy.
A severe case of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection, resulting in fatality, occurred in an unvaccinated Australian male traveler from Bali, Indonesia, in 2019. During hospitalisation in Australia, patient cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) yielded JEV-specific IgM antibodies and RNA, and an isolate of the virus. Ongoing transmission of JEV in Bali underscores this pathogen as a public health risk and the importance of appropriate health, vaccination and mosquito avoidance advice to prospective travelers to the region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFlaviviruses such as dengue, yellow fever, Zika, West Nile, and Japanese encephalitis virus present substantial global health burdens. New vaccines are being sought to address safety and manufacturing issues associated with current live attenuated vaccines. Here, we describe a new insect-specific flavivirus, Binjari virus, which was found to be remarkably tolerant for exchange of its structural protein genes (prME) with those of the aforementioned pathogenic vertebrate-infecting flaviviruses (VIFs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZika virus (ZIKV) has spread widely in the Pacific and recently throughout the Americas. Unless detected by RT-PCR, confirming an acute ZIKV infection can be challenging. We developed and validated a multiplexed flavivirus immunoglobulin M (IgM) microsphere immunoassay (flaviMIA) which can differentiate ZIKV-specific IgM from that due to other flavivirus infections in humans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn recent years there has been much interest in the use of optical diagnostics in cancer detection. Early diagnosis of cancer affords early intervention and greatest chance of cure. Raman spectroscopy is based on the interaction of photons with the target material producing a highly detailed biochemical 'fingerprint' of the sample.
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