Characterization, phylogeny and prevalence of the coding-complete genomes of aviadenoviruses and siadenovirus in young racing pigeons.

Adenoviruses are a concern for pigeon breeders due to their impact on animal health. Furthermore, they have been studied for nearly five decades and are one of the most studied viruses in pigeons. However, the number of complete genomic sequences of pigeon-infecting adenoviruses available is very low, and the pathogenic effect of these viruses on pigeons is still yet to be thoroughly explored.

Successful Collaborations that Resulted in Increased U.S. Diagnostic Testing During the 2022 Mpox Outbreak.

Context: The first case of mpox was detected in the United States in a Laboratory Response Network (LRN) laboratory at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on May 17, 2022. Through previous years of smallpox preparedness efforts by the United States government, testing capacity in LRN laboratories across the United States utilizing the FDA-cleared Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Non-variola orthopoxvirus (NVO) test was approximately 6000 tests weekly across the nation prior to the mpox outbreak. By early June 2022, the LRN laboratories had capacity to perform up to 8000 tests per week.

Occurrence of astrovirus in young racing pigeons and genome characterization of 2 new astrovirus genomes representing 2 new species.

Enteropathies are a serious concern in racing pigeons as they significantly impair performance in races and their training, and viruses are suspected to be one of the main factors. Astroviruses are well-known to be responsible for causing enteric disease in humans and various other animals including birds, although their prevalence and pathogenicity in pigeons is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated 2 groups of young racing pigeons (sick-study group and healthy-control group) to assess the correlation between the number of astrovirus genome copies in cloacal swabs and the occurrence of enteropathy.

Validating Combination Throat-Nasal Swab Specimens for COVID-19 Tests Would Improve Early Detection, Especially for the Most Vulnerable.

Early detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection by diagnostic tests can prompt actions to reduce transmission and improve treatment efficacy, especially for vulnerable groups such as immunocompromised individuals. Recent evidence suggests that sampling the throat in addition to the nose improves clinical sensitivity during early infection for both antigen and molecular coronavirus disease 2019 tests. We urge test manufacturers to validate tests for use with throat swab, in combination with nasal swabs.

Recombinant Viruses from the Family Occurring in Racing Pigeons.

Viruses from family are known pathogens of poultry, although the information on their occurrence and pathogenicity in pigeons is scarce. In this research, efforts are made to broaden the knowledge on and prevalence, phylogenetic relationship with other avian picornaviruses and their possible connection with enteric disease in racing pigeons. As a result of Oxford Nanopore Sequencing, five and two pigeon picornavirus B-like genome sequences were recovered, among which three recombinant strains were detected.