Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2 from Singapore 2020 outbreak revealed an Australian recombinant variant.

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) is a significant and debilitating viral disease affecting lagomorphs. In September 2020, Singapore reported its first cases of RHD virus (RHDV) infection in domesticated rabbits. The initial findings reported that the outbreak strain belonged to genotype GI.

First detection of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV2) in Singapore.

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) is a significant viral disease caused by infection with Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV). The first documented cases of RHDV in Singapore occurred in adult pet European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in September 2020. Rabbits presented with acute hyporexia, lethargy, huddled posture, and varying degrees of pyrexia and tachypnoea.

Use of nanopore sequencing to characterize african horse sickness virus (AHSV) from the African horse sickness outbreak in thailand in 2020.

African horse sickness (AHS) is a highly infectious and deadly disease despite availability of vaccines. Molecular characterization of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) detected from the March 2020 Thailand outbreak was carried out by whole-genome sequencing using Nanopore with a Sequence-Independent Single Primer Amplification (SISPA) approach. Nucleotide sequence of the whole genome was compared with closest matching AHSV strains using phylogenetic analyses and the AHSV-1 virus shared high sequence identity with isolates from the same outbreak.

Serological prevalence and molecular characterization of hepatitis E virus in imported pigs in Singapore (2000-2019).

Hepatitis E is a significant liver disease caused by infection with hepatitis E virus (HEV). The risk factors for hepatitis E in developed countries include blood transfusion and ingestion of undercooked meat or meat products derived from HEV-infected animals. Since 2000, there has been increased human hepatitis E incidence reported in Singapore.

Isolation and characterization of equine influenza virus (H3N8) from an equine influenza outbreak in Malaysia in 2015.

Equine influenza is a major cause of respiratory infections in horses and can spread rapidly despite the availability of commercial vaccines. In this study, we carried out molecular characterization of Equine Influenza Virus (EIV) isolated from the Malaysian outbreak in 2015 by sequencing of the HA and NA gene segments using Sanger sequencing. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of HA and NA were compared with representative Florida clade 1 and clade 2 strains using phylogenetic analysis.

Canine Parvovirus-2c (CPV-2c) Infection in Wild Asian Palm Civets () in Singapore.

We report pathogenic feline parvovirus and canine parvovirus-2c infection in wild Asian palm civets (), as demonstrated by histopathology and immunohistochemistry findings of parvoviral enteropathy. We performed molecular characterization and phylogeny studies to obtain an improved understanding of disease transmission dynamics between domestic and wild carnivores.

Characterization of Fowlpox virus in chickens and bird-biting mosquitoes: a molecular approach to investigating Avipoxvirus transmission.

Avian pox is a highly contagious avian disease, yet relatively little is known about the epidemiology and transmission of Avipoxviruses. Using a molecular approach, we report evidence for a potential link between birds and field-caught mosquitoes in the transmission of Fowlpox virus (FWPV) in Singapore. Comparison of fpv167 (P4b), fpv126 (VLTF-1), fpv175-176 (A11R-A12L) and fpv140 (H3L) gene sequences revealed close relatedness between FWPV strains obtained from cutaneous lesions of a chicken and four pools of Culex pseudovishnui, Culex spp.

DNA vaccines and allergic diseases.

1. Allergic diseases are characterized by inappropriate immune responses to common environmental antigens. The prevalence of these diseases has been increasing worldwide for reasons that are not exactly clear.

Efficacy evaluation of Der p 1 DNA vaccine for allergic asthma in an experimental mouse model.

Der p 1 is a major allergen that reacts with IgE in more than 70% allergic sera, hence a good candidate for DNA vaccine development. Previous study demonstrated that intramuscular injection of plasmid DNA containing wild type Der p 1 gene induced specific Th1 skewed immune response. The aim of this study is to further optimize the DNA construct to achieve preventive and therapeutic efficacies.

Expression and immunogenicity of the major house dust mite allergen Der p 1 following DNA immunization.

The mite protein Der p 1 is a major trigger of allergy and atopic asthma world-wide, and thus, a good vaccine candidate for allergy prevention. Since it is a cysteine protease, the catalytic effects of Der p 1 vaccination may be unpredictable. One approach to reduce this risk is to vaccinate with DNA encoding enzymatically inactive forms of Der p 1.