Negevirus Piura Suppresses Zika Virus Replication in Mosquito Cells.

We investigated the interaction between the insect-specific virus, Piura virus (PIUV), and the arbovirus Zika virus (ZIKV) in cells. We performed coinfection experiments in C6/36 cells. Piura virus (Cor 33 strain, Colombia) and ZIKV (PRVABC58 strain, Puerto Rico) were co-inoculated into C6/36 cells using two multiplicity of infection (MOI) combinations: 0.

A novel bluetongue virus serotype 2 strain isolated from a farmed Florida white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) arose from reassortment of gene segments derived from co-circulating serotypes in the Southeastern USA.

Bluetongue disease is a reportable animal disease that affects wild and farmed ruminants, including white-tailed deer (WTD). This report documents the clinical findings, ancillary diagnostics, and genomic characterization of a novel reassortant bluetongue virus serotype 2 (BTV-2) strain isolated from a dead Florida farmed WTD in 2022. Our analyses support that this BTV-2 strain likely stemmed from the acquisition of genome segments from co-circulating BTV strains in Florida and Louisiana.

In Vitro Characterization and Antiviral Susceptibility of Ophidian Serpentoviruses.

Ophidian serpentoviruses, positive-sense RNA viruses in the order , are important infectious agents of both captive and free-ranging reptiles. Although the clinical significance of these viruses can be variable, some serpentoviruses are pathogenic and potentially fatal in captive snakes. While serpentoviral diversity and disease potential are well documented, little is known about the fundamental properties of these viruses, including their potential host ranges, kinetics of growth, environmental stability, and susceptibility to common disinfectants and viricides.

Multisystemic Enterococcosis in Brown Anoles (Anolis sagrei) from Florida, USA.

Beginning in July 2019, numerous free-ranging brown anoles (Anolis sagrei), an invasive lizard species in Florida, USA, were reported with large, soft, subcutaneous masses and disfiguring facial swellings. Postmortem evaluations of six affected animals, including cytology, histology, and electron microscopy, identified the presence of myriad chain-forming coccoid bacteria surrounded by a prominent clear capsule and abundant lightly basophilic matrix material with minimal associated granulomatous inflammation and effacement of normal tissue. Standard PCR and sequencing of the lesions revealed 100% nucleotide identity to Enterococcus lacertideformus.

Divergent Serpentoviruses in Free-Ranging Invasive Pythons and Native Colubrids in Southern Florida, United States.

Burmese python () is an invasive snake that has significantly affected ecosystems in southern Florida, United States. Aside from direct predation and competition, invasive species can also introduce nonnative pathogens that can adversely affect native species. The subfamily (order ) is composed of positive-sense RNA viruses primarily found in reptiles.

SARS-CoV-2 infections in infants in Haiti 2020-2021; evidence from a seroepidemiological cohort.

Few data are available on frequency of SARS-CoV-2 infection among very young children in low- to middle-income countries (LMIC), with the studies that are available biased towards higher income countries with low reported infection and seroconversion rates. Between February 2019 and March 2021, 388 dried blood spot (DBS) samples were obtained from 257 children less than 30 months of age as part of a prospective observational cohort study of pregnant women and their infants in Haiti; longitudinal samples were available for 107 children. In a subsequent retrospective analysis, DBS samples were tested by ELISA for antibody targeting the receptor binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein.