Can a low-threshold check-up motivate older adults to schedule a dental visit? Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Most oral diseases benefit from early detection by dental professionals. However, in the older population, regular dental attendance is low. This trial investigates whether a low-threshold check-up by a dental professional in a non-dental setting can motivate older persons to seek professional oral care.

Epidemiological Dynamics of Foot-and-Mouth Disease in the Horn of Africa: The Role of Virus Diversity and Animal Movement.

The Horn of Africa is a large area of arid and semi-arid land, holding about 10% of the global and 40% of the entire African livestock population. The region's livestock production system is mainly extensive and pastoralist. It faces countless problems, such as a shortage of pastures and watering points, poor access to veterinary services, and multiple endemic diseases like foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

Outbreaks of Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Burundi, East Africa, in 2016, Caused by Different Serotypes.

Burundi is a small, densely populated country in the African Great Lakes region. In March 2016, several hundreds of cattle were reported with vesicular lesions, suggesting foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Epithelial samples, saliva, and blood were collected in six of the affected provinces spread over the country.

Complex Circulation of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus in Cattle in Nigeria.

Nigeria is a large densely populated country in West Africa. Most of its livestock is raised in a pastoralist production system with typical long distance migration in search of water and feed. As the demand for animal products largely exceeds the domestic production, large numbers of livestock are imported from neighboring countries without sanitary restrictions.

Experimental evidence of mechanical lumpy skin disease virus transmission by Stomoxys calcitrans biting flies and Haematopota spp. horseflies.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a devastating disease of cattle characterized by fever, nodules on the skin, lymphadenopathy and milk drop. Several haematophagous arthropod species like dipterans and ticks are suspected to play a role in the transmission of LSDV. Few conclusive data are however available on the importance of biting flies and horseflies as potential vectors in LSDV transmission.

FMD vaccine matching: Inter laboratory study for improved understanding of r values.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a highly variable RNA virus existing as seven different serotypes. The antigenic variability between and within serotypes can limit the cross-reactivity and therefore the in vivo cross-protection of vaccines. Selection of appropriate vaccine strains is crucial in the control of FMD.

Overview of diagnostic tools for Capripox virus infections.

Capripox viruses are the causative agents of important animal diseases in cattle (Lumpy Skin Disease), sheep (Sheeppox) and goats (Goatpox) with severe socio-economic impact in case of wide scale outbreaks. Therefore there is a constant need for adequate diagnostic tools. The assays must be fit-for-purpose to identify the virus quickly and correctly and to be useful for surveillance and monitoring at different stages of an epidemic.

Serological and molecular epidemiology of foot-and-mouth disease viruses in agro-pastoralist livestock herds in the kachia grazing reserve, Nigeria.

The Kachia Grazing Reserve (KGR) is located in Kaduna state in north-western Nigeria and consists of 6 contiguous blocks housing 744 defined households (HH), all engaged in livestock keeping. It is considered as a homogenous epidemiological unit and a defined study area. In 2012, all cattle and sheep of 40 selected HH were sampled to determine sero-prevalence of antibodies to foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and of FMDV.

Lumpy skin disease: scientific and technical assistance on control and surveillance activities.

The duration of the vaccination campaign sufficient to eliminate lumpy skin disease (LSD) mainly depends on the vaccination effectiveness and coverage achieved. By using a spread epidemiological model, assuming a vaccination effectiveness of 65%, with 50% and 90% coverage, 4 and 3 years campaigns, respectively, are needed to eliminate LSD. When vaccination effectiveness is 80% to 95%, 2 years of vaccination at coverage of 90% is sufficient to eliminate LSD virus (LSDV).

A canine adenovirus type 2 vaccine vector confers protection against foot-and-mouth disease in guinea pigs.

Vaccination is a key element in the control of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The majority of the antigenic sites that induce protective immune responses are localized on the FMD virus (FMDV) capsid that is formed by four virus-encoded structural proteins, VP1 to VP4. In the present study, recombinant canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV2)-based FMD vaccines, Cav-P1/3C R° and Cav-VP1 R°, respectively expressing the structural P1 precursor protein along with the non-structural 3C protein or expressing the structural VP1 protein of the FMDV strain O/FRA/1/2001, were evaluated as novel vaccines against FMD.

Complete Genome Sequences of Five Foot-and-Mouth Disease Viruses of Serotype A Isolated from Cattle in Nigeria between 2013 and 2015.

The complete genome sequences of 5 foot-and-mouth disease viruses of serotype A are reported here. These viruses originate from outbreaks in northern Nigeria in 2013 to 2015 and belong to the A/AFRICA/G-IV lineage.

Development and validation of a foot-and-mouth disease virus SAT serotype-specific 3ABC assay to differentiate infected from vaccinated animals.

The effective control of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) requires sensitive, specific and rapid diagnostic tools. However, the control and eradication of FMD in Africa is complicated by, among other factors, the existence of five of the seven FMD virus (FMDV) serotypes, including the SAT-serotypes 1, 2 and 3 that are genetically and antigenically the most variable FMDV serotypes. A key diagnostic assay to enable a country to re-gain its FMD-free status and for FMD surveillance, is the 3ABC or the non-structural protein (NSP) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Complete Genome Sequences of Four Foot-and-Mouth Disease Viruses of Serotype South African Territories 1 (SAT 1), Topotype X, Isolated from Cattle in Nigeria in 2015.

The complete genome sequences of four foot-and-mouth disease viruses of South African territories 1 (SAT 1) serotype are reported. These viruses originate from an outbreak in Nigeria in 2015 and belong to the novel SAT 1 topotype X from the west and central African virus pool.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype SAT1 in cattle, Nigeria.

The knowledge of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) dynamics and epidemiology in Nigeria and the West Africa subregion is important to support local and regional control plans and international risk assessment. Foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype South African territories (SAT)1 was isolated, identified and characterized from an FMD outbreak in cattle in Nigeria in 2015, 35 years after the last report of FMDV SAT1 in West Africa. The VP1 coding sequence of the Nigerian 2015 SAT1 isolates diverges from reported SAT1 topotypes resulting in a separate topotype.

Detection and Molecular Characterization of Foot and Mouth Disease Viruses from Outbreaks in Some States of Northern Nigeria 2013-2015.

Control measures for foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Nigeria have not been implemented due to the absence of locally produced vaccines and risk-based analysis resulting from insufficient data on the circulating FMD virus (FMDV) serotypes/strains. In 2013-2015, blood and epithelial samples were collected from reported FMD outbreaks in four states (Kaduna, Kwara, Plateau and Bauchi) in northern Nigeria. FMDV non-structural protein (NSP) seroprevalence for the outbreaks was estimated at 80% (72 of 90) and 70% (131 of 188) post-outbreak.

Vaccination-challenge studies with a Port Chalmers/73 (H3N2)-based swine influenza virus vaccine: Reflections on vaccine strain updates and on the vaccine potency test.

The human A/Port Chalmers/1/73 (H3N2) influenza virus strain, the supposed ancestor of European H3N2 swine influenza viruses (SIVs), was used in most commercial SIV vaccines in Europe until recently. If manufacturers want to update vaccine strains, they have to perform laborious intratracheal (IT) challenge experiments and demonstrate reduced virus titres in the lungs of vaccinated pigs. We aimed to examine (a) the ability of a Port Chalmers/73-based commercial vaccine to induce cross-protection against a contemporary European H3N2 SIV and serologic cross-reaction against H3N2 SIVs from Europe and North America and (b) the validity of intranasal (IN) challenge and virus titrations of nasal swabs as alternatives for IT challenge and titrations of lung tissue in vaccine potency tests.

A thiazepino[4,5-a]benzimidazole derivative hampers the RNA replication of Eurasian serotypes of foot-and-mouth disease virus.

The stamping-out policy for the control of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in countries that are free from FMD without vaccination has a dramatic socio-economic impact, huge animal welfare issues and may result in the loss of farm animal genetic resources. As an alternative to pre-emptive culling or emergency vaccination we further explore the possibility to use antiviral drugs in the event of an FMD outbreak. In the present study, we tested the in vitro cytotoxicity and anti-FMDV activity of 1,2,4,5-tetrahydro-[1,4]thiazepino[4,5-a]benzimidazole.

A Refined Guinea Pig Model of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Infection for Assessing the Efficacy of Antiviral Compounds.

An antiviral containment strategy for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks could support or replace current contingency plans in case of an outbreak in Europe and could spare many healthy animals from being pre-emptively culled. Recently, substantial progress has been made towards the development of small molecule drugs that inhibit FMD virus (FMDV) replication in vitro. For the initial in vivo evaluation of antiviral lead molecules, a refined FMDV-infection model in guinea pigs (GP) is herewith described.

In vitro surrogate models to aid in the development of antivirals for the containment of foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a highly pathogenic member of the genus Aphthovirus (family Picornaviridae) that is only to be manipulated in high-containment facilities, thus complicating research on and discovery of antiviral strategies against the virus. Bovine rhinitis B virus (BRBV) and equine rhinitis A virus (ERAV), phylogenetically most closely related to FMDV, were explored as surrogates for FMDV in antiviral studies. Although no efficient cell culture system has been reported so far for BRBV, we demonstrate that infection of primary bovine kidney cells resulted in an extensive but rather poorly-reproducible induction of cytopathic effect (CPE).

Proof of concept for the inhibition of foot-and-mouth disease virus replication by the anti-viral drug 2'-C-methylcytidine in severe combined immunodeficient mice.

Recent European contingency plans envisage emergency vaccination as an animal-friendly control strategy for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Anti-viral drugs may be used as an alternative or complementary measure. We here demonstrate that the nucleoside analogue 2'-C-methylcytidine (2'CMC) protects severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice against lethal FMD virus infection.

Efficacy of an AS03A-adjuvanted split H5N1 influenza vaccine against an antigenically distinct low pathogenic H5N1 virus in pigs.

We used the pig model of influenza to examine the efficacy of an AS03(A)-adjuvanted split H5N1 (A/Indonesia/05/2005) vaccine against challenge with a low pathogenic (LP) H5N1 avian influenza (AI) virus (duck/Minnesota/1525/1981) with only 85% amino acid homology in its HA1. Influenza seronegative pigs were vaccinated twice intramuscularly with adjuvanted vaccine at 3 antigen doses, unadjuvanted vaccine or placebo. All pigs were challenged 4 weeks after the second vaccination and euthanized 2 days later.

Cross-protection between antigenically distinct H1N1 swine influenza viruses from Europe and North America.

Background: An avian-like H1N1 swine influenza virus (SIV) is enzootic in swine populations of Western Europe. The virus is antigenically distinct from H1N1 SIVs in North America that have a classical swine virus-lineage H1 hemagglutinin, as does the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus. However, the significance of this antigenic difference for cross-protection among pigs remains unknown.

Prior infection of pigs with swine influenza viruses is a barrier to infection with avian influenza viruses.

Although pigs are susceptible to avian influenza viruses (AIV) of different subtypes, the incidence of AIV infections in the field appears to be low. Swine H1N1, H3N2 and H1N2 influenza viruses (SIV) are enzootic worldwide and most pigs have antibodies to 1 or more SIV subtypes. This study aimed to examine whether infection-immunity to H1N1 or H3N2 SIV may (1) protect pigs against subsequent infections with AIV of various haemagglutinin and/or neuraminidase subtypes and/or (2) interfere with the serological diagnosis of AIV infection by haemagglutination inhibition (HI) or virus neutralization (VN) tests.

Efficient transmission of swine-adapted but not wholly avian influenza viruses among pigs and from pigs to ferrets.

Background: Pigs are considered to be intermediate hosts for the transmission of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) between birds and humans, but the transmissibility of AIVs among pigs and from pigs to other mammals remains largely unexplored.

Methods: In an initial study, we confirmed the replication potential of various low-pathogenic AIVs in pigs and ferrets, which we used as a model for humans. We then examined the transmissibility of 6 selected low-pathogenic AIVs among pigs (by direct contact) and from pigs to ferrets (by air contact).

Prior infection with an H1N1 swine influenza virus partially protects pigs against a low pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus.

Most humans lack virus neutralizing (VN) and haemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies to H5N1 avian influenza viruses (AIVs), but cross-reactive neuraminidase inhibition (NI) antibodies and cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses are common. These immune responses result largely from infections with seasonal human H1N1 influenza viruses, but the protective effect of H1N1 infection-immunity against H5N1 infection has never been examined. To this purpose, we have used the pig model of influenza and a low pathogenic (LP) H5N1 AIV.