Assessment of PPMV-1 Genotype VI Virulence in Pigeons and Chickens and Protective Effectiveness of Paramyxovirus Vaccines in Pigeons.

Pigeon paramyxovirus serotype 1 (PPMV-1), an antigenic and host variant of avian paramyxovirus Newcastle disease virus (NDV), primarily originating from racing pigeons, has become a global panzootic. Egypt uses both inactivated PPMV-1 and conventional NDV vaccines to protect pigeons from disease and mortality. However, the impact of prevalent strains and the effectiveness of available vaccines in pigeons in Egypt are unclear.

Environmental sampling for the detection of capripox viruses and peste des petits ruminants virus in households and livestock markets in Plateau State, Nigeria.

Multiple transboundary animal diseases (TADs) circulate in Plateau State, Nigeria, where livestock keeping is common and contributes to both the physical and socio-economic well-being of a large proportion of the population. In this study, we explored the potential for environmental sampling to detect viruses causing TADs circulating in the region. Electrostatic dust cloths were used to swab areas of the environment likely to have contact with secretions and excretions from infected animals.

Expression of key immune genes in polarized porcine monocyte-derived macrophage subsets.

Swine are considered one of the most relevant large animal biomedical models since they share many immunological similarities with humans. Despite that, macrophage polarization has not comprehensively investigated in pigs. In this study, porcine monocyte-derived macrophages (moMΦ) were untreated or stimulated with IFN-γ + LPS (classical activation), or by different M2 polarizing stimuli: IL-4, IL-10, TGF-β, or dexamethasone.

A broadly reactive ultralong bovine antibody that can determine the integrity of foot-and-mouth disease virus capsids.

Foot-and-mouth disease vaccination using inactivated virus is suboptimal, as the icosahedral viral capsids often disassemble into antigenically distinct pentameric units during long-term storage, or exposure to elevated temperature or lowered pH, and thus raise a response that is no longer protective. Furthermore, as foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV)'s seven serotypes are antigenically diverse, cross-protection from a single serotype vaccine is limited, and most existing mouse and bovine antibodies and camelid single-domain heavy chain-only antibodies are serotype-specific. For quality control purposes, there is a real need for pan-serotype antibodies that clearly distinguish between pentamer (12S) and protective intact FMDV capsid.

Aerosol immunization with influenza matrix, nucleoprotein, or both prevents lung disease in pig.

Current influenza vaccines are strain-specific and require frequent updates to combat new strains, making a broadly protective influenza vaccine (BPIV) highly desirable. A promising strategy is to induce T-cell responses against internal proteins conserved across influenza strains. In this study, pH1N1 pre-exposed pigs were immunized by aerosol using viral vectored vaccines (ChAdOx2 and MVA) expressing matrix (M1) and nucleoprotein (NP).

A rosin-functionalized plastic surface inactivates African swine fever virus.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes a severe hemorrhagic disease in pigs, leading to up to 100% case fatality. The virus May persist on solid surfaces for long periods; thus, fomites, such as contaminated clothing, footwear, farming tools, equipment, and transport vehicles, May contribute to the indirect transmission of the virus. Here, a plastic surface functionalized with tall oil rosin was tested against ASFV.

Financial impact of low pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H9N2 on commercial broiler chicken and egg layer production systems in Pakistan.

Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI) subtype H9N2 is endemic in Pakistan and impacts poultry farming through disease related mortality, poor weight gain and reduced egg production. This study aims to estimate the farm-level financial impact of LPAI H9N2 infection on commercial broiler and layer production systems in Pakistan. A questionnaire based cross-sectional survey of 138 broiler farms and 136 layer farms in Pakistan was conducted in 2019.

The global H5N1 influenza panzootic in mammals.

Influenza A viruses have caused more documented global pandemics in human history than any other pathogen. High pathogenicity avian influenza viruses belonging to the H5N1 subtype are a leading pandemic risk. Two decades after H5N1 'bird flu' became established in poultry in Southeast Asia, its descendants have resurged, setting off a H5N1 panzootic in wild birds that is fuelled by: (1) rapid intercontinental spread, reaching South America and Antarctica for the first time; (2) fast evolution via genomic reassortment; and (3) frequent spillover into terrestrial and marine mammals.

A genome assembly and transcriptome atlas of the inbred Babraham pig to illuminate porcine immunogenetic variation.

The inbred Babraham pig serves as a valuable biomedical model for research due to its high level of homozygosity, including in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) loci and likely other important immune-related gene complexes, which are generally highly diverse in outbred populations. As the ability to control for this diversity using inbred organisms is of great utility, we sought to improve this resource by generating a long-read whole genome assembly and transcriptome atlas of a Babraham pig. The genome was de novo assembled using PacBio long reads and error-corrected using Illumina short reads.

Evaluation of commercial quadrivalent foot-and-mouth disease vaccines against east African virus strains reveals limited immunogenicity and duration of protection.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) causes a contagious disease (FMD) in cloven-hoofed animals. For FMD-endemic countries, vaccination is critical for controlling disease but is rarely monitored, despite substantial funds spent on vaccine purchases. We evaluated antibody responses in cattle to two commercial vaccines each containing antigens of four FMDV serotypes.

Multiple incursions of foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype O into the Republic of Korea between 2010 and 2019.

This study characterised type O foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) viruses recovered from outbreaks that were reported between 2010 and 2019 in the Republic of Korea. We used 96 newly generated whole-genome sequences (WGS) along with 131 already published WGSs from samples collected from countries in East and Southeast Asia. We identified at least eight independent introductions of O/SEA/Mya-98 and O/ME-SA/Ind-2001e FMDV strains into the Republic of Korea during the study period, which were closely related to the sequences of viruses circulating in the East and Southeast Asia neighbourhood with over 97 % nucleotide identity.

A Standardized Pipeline for Assembly and Annotation of African Swine Fever Virus Genome.

Obtaining a complete good-quality sequence and annotation for the long double-stranded DNA genome of the African swine fever virus (ASFV) from next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has proven difficult, despite the increasing availability of reference genome sequences and the increasing affordability of NGS. A gap analysis conducted by the global African swine fever research alliance (GARA) partners identified that a standardized, automatic pipeline for NGS analysis was urgently needed, particularly for new outbreak strains. Whilst there are several diagnostic and research labs worldwide that collect isolates of the ASFV from outbreaks, many do not have the capability to analyze, annotate, and format NGS data from outbreaks for submission to NCBI, and some publicly available ASFV genomes have missing or incorrect annotations.

Detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus RNA using a closed loop-mediated isothermal amplification system.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals responsible for economic losses that amount to >$20 billion annually. Rapid recognition of FMD cases provides vital information to guide control programmes. A range of point-of-need amplification technologies have been developed which allow sensitive detection of the causative virus (FMDV) in the field at locations remote from laboratories.

Expanding the transgene expression toolbox of the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi.

Anopheles stephensi Liston, 1901 (Diptera: culicidae) is a competent vector of Plasmodium falciparum (Haemosporida: plasmodiidae) malaria, and its expansion in the African continent is of concern due to its viability in urban settings and resistance to insecticides. To enhance its genetic tractability, we determined the utility of a ~2 kb An. stephensi lipophorin (lp) promoter fragment in driving transgene expression.

Whole Genome Sequencing of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are continuously being developed and are becoming a more cost-effective tool for the characterization of viral genomes. Whole genome sequencing of segmented viruses, such as epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV), provides insights into the molecular epidemiology as well as such viral evolutionary mechanisms as genetic reassortment. Here, we present a detailed method for obtaining full genome sequence data for EHDV using Illumina technology.

Molecular Serotyping of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus.

Molecular methods are routinely used for the differential diagnosis and genetic characterization of viral disease of livestock. Real-time, quantitative PCR (qPCR) allows RNA/DNA sequence detection and quantification and is considered the gold standard diagnostic method for most viruses. However, Sanger sequencing offers additional information and opportunity to differentiate closely related virus strains and/or serotypes, by providing the full sequence of a genetic region of interest.

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus Titration.

The titration of viruses onto susceptible cell lines is an important virological technique used to quantify infectious viral titers. It forms an integral component of epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) research, including estimating infectivity, calculating multiplicity of infection, and confirming virus propagation in cell culture. However, the ability to quantify infectious EHDV is also critical for disease control, particularly in the event of an outbreak.