Canine parvovirus (CPV-2) variants circulating in Nigerian dogs

Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) is a highly contagious viral disease with three variants (CPV-2a, CPV-2b and CPV-2c) currently circulating in dogs worldwide. The main aim of this study was to determine the prevalent CPV-2 variant in faecal samples from 53 dogs presenting with acute gastroenteritis suspected to be and consistent with CPV-2 to Nigerian Veterinary Clinics in 2013-2014. Seventy-five per cent of these dogs tested positive for CPV-2 in a commercial antigen test and/or by PCR. Partial sequencing of the VP2 gene of six of these demonstrated them to be CPV-2a. Most of the dogs (60 per cent) were vaccinated, with 74 per cent of them puppies less than six months old

Inter- and intracontinental migrations and local differentiation have shaped the contemporary epidemiological landscape of canine parvovirus in South America

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is a fast-evolving single-stranded DNA virus that causes one of the most significant infectious diseasesof dogs. Although the virus dispersed over long distances in the past, current populations are considered to be spatiallyconfined and with only a few instances of migration between specific localities. It is unclear whether these dynamicsoccur in South America where global studies have not been performed. The aim of this study is to analyze the patterns ofgenetic variability in South American CPV populations and explore their evolutionary relationships with global strains.Genomic sequences of sixty-three strains from South America and Europe were generated and analyzed using a phylodynamicapproach. All the obtained strains belong to the CPV-2a lineage and associate with global strains in four monophyleticgroups or clades. European and South American strains from all the countries here analyzed are representative of awidely distributed clade (Eur-I) that emerged in Southern Europe during 1990?98 to later spread to South America in theearly 2000s. The emergence and spread of the Eur-I clade were correlated with a significant rise in the CPV effective populationsize in Europe and South America. The Asia-I clade includes strains from Asia and Uruguay. This clade originated in Asia during the late 1980s and evolved locally before spreading to South America during 2009?10. The third clade (Eur-II)comprises strains from Italy, Brazil, and Ecuador. This clade appears in South America as a consequence of an early introductionfrom Italy to Ecuador in the middle 1980s and has experienced extensive local genetic differentiation. Some strainsfrom Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil constitute an exclusive South American clade (SA-I) that emerged in Argentina in the1990s. These results indicate that the current epidemiological scenario is a consequence of inter- and intracontinentalmigrations of strains with different geographic and temporal origins that set the conditions for competition and local differentiationof CPV populations. The coexistence and interaction of highly divergent strains are the main responsible for thedrastic epidemiological changes observed in South America in the last two decades. This highlights the threat of invasionfrom external sources and the importance of whole-genome resolution to robustly infer the origin and spread of new CPVvariants. From a taxonomic standpoint, the findings herein show that the classification system that uses a single aminoacid to identify variants (2a, 2b, and 2c) within the CPV-2a lineage does not reflect phylogenetic relationships and is not suitableto analyze CPV evolution. In this regard, the identification of clades or sublineages within circulating CPV strains is thefirst step towards a genetic and evolutionary classification of the virus.Fil: Grecco, Sofia. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Iraola, Gregorio. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Decaro, Nicola. Università degli Studi di Bari; ItaliaFil: Alfieri, Alice. Universidade Estadual de Londrina; BrasilFil: Alfieri, Amauri. Universidade Estadual de Londrina; BrasilFil: Gallo Calderon, Marina Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología "Dr. César Milstein". Fundación Pablo Cassará. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología "Dr. César Milstein"; ArgentinaFil: da Silva, Ana Paula. Universidade Estadual de Londrina; BrasilFil: Name, Daniela. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; UruguayFil: Aldaz, Jaime. Universidad Estatal de Bolivar; EcuadorFil: Calleros, Lucia. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; UruguayFil: Marandino, Ana. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; UruguayFil: Gonzalo, Tomas. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; Urugua

Cross-cultural Adaptation of the Instrument Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale - Adult Form

Objective: to perform the cross-cultural adaptation of the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale - (RHDS) Adult Form for use in Brazil. Method: a methodological study was conducted in 2015, in Brazil’s federal capital, following the eight stages scientifically established. Results: analysis proved the maintenance of semantic, idiomatic, cultural, and conceptual equivalences and kept both the face and content validity of the original version. The judging committee and the pre-test participants declared they understood the RHDS items and answer scale. Conclusion: the instrument is culturally adapted for Brazil and can be used as one of the stages for planning hospital discharge. Descriptors: Nursing Methodology Research; Transitional Care; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient-Centered Care; Patient Discharg

Comparative survey of canine parvovirus, canine distemper virus and canine enteric coronavirus infection in free-ranging wolves of central Italy and south-eastern France

Diseases likely affect large carnivore demography and can hinder conservation efforts. We considered three highly contagious viruses that infect a wide range of domestic and wild mammals: canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), canine distemper virus (CDV) and canine enteric coronaviruses (CECoV). Infection by either one of these viruses can affect populations through increased mortality and/or decreased general health. We investigated infection in the wolf populations of Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise National Park (PNALM), Italy, and of Mercantour National Park (PNM), France. Faecal samples were collected during one winter, from October to March, from four packs in PNALM (n = 79) and from four packs in PNM (n = 66). We screened samples for specific sequences of viral nucleic acids. To our knowledge, our study is the first documented report of CECoV infection in wolves outside Alaska, and of the large-scale occurrence of CPV-2 in European wolf populations. The results suggest that CPV-2 is enzootic in the population of PNALM, but not in PNM and that CECoV is episodic in both areas. We did not detect CDV. Our findings suggest that density and spatial distribution of susceptible hosts, in particular free-ranging dogs, can be important factors influencing infections in wolves. This comparative study is an important step in evaluating the nature of possible disease threats in the studied wolf populations. Recent emergence of new viral strains in Europe additionally strengthens the need for proactive monitoring of wolves and other susceptible sympatric species for viral threats and other impairing infections

On the phonon-induced superconductivity of disordered alloys

A model of alloy is considered which includes both quenched disorder in the electron subsystem (``alloy'' subsystem) and electron-phonon interaction. For given approximate solution for the alloy part of the problem, which is assumed to be conserving in Baym's sense, we construct the generating functional and derive the Eliashberg-type equations which are valid to the lowest order in the adiabatic parameter.The renormalization of bare electron-phonon interaction vertices by disorder is taken into account consistently with the approximation for the alloy self-energy. For the case of exact configurational averaging the same set of equations is established within the usual T-matrix approach. We demonstrate that for any conserving approximation for the alloy part of the self-energy the Anderson's theorem holds in the case of isotropic singlet pairing provided disorder renormalizations of the electron-phonon interaction vertices are neglected. Taking account of the disorder renormalization of the electron-phonon interaction we analyze general equations qualitatively and present the expressions for $T_{c}$ for the case of weak and intermediate electron-phonon coupling. Disorder renormalizations of the logarithmic corrections to the effective coupling, which arise when the effective interaction kernel for the Cooper channel has the second energy scale, as well as the renormalization of the dilute paramagnetic impurity suppression are discussed.Comment: 59 pages, 10 Eps figures, LaTe

Early Retirement in Germany: Loss of income and lifetime?

The public pension system in Germany allows early retirement albeit at the cost of pension deductions. Deductions are calculated under the assumption that life expectancy is indepen-dent of the age of retirement and apply equally for men and women. The "fair" amount of deductions is currently debated, the general feeling being that they are too low. In this paper we show that remaining lifetime and thus the perpetuity period vary with the age of retirement. In a survival analysis using micro data from the German Pension Insurance, we find that remaining life expectancy of men at age 65 receiving old-age pensions with age 60 to 66 is up to 1.9 years higher if retirement occurred later. For women, instead, life expec-tancy is almost independent of retirement age. Extending the analysis to invalidity pensioners (they receive pensions before the age of 60), we find that men and women reaching the age of 65 have a more than 3 years lower remaining life expectancy than old-age pensioners on average. Many other variables, like residence (West and East Germany), lifetime wage in-come and number of children are considered, too. In a simple model we finally calculate and compare actuarial deductions under the alternative assumptions of constant and age-of-retirement dependent life expectancy. The main conclusion is that deductions currently in law are too high for very early retirees (below age 63) and too low for all others.Life expectancy, retirement age, early retirement, pension deductions

Full-length VP2 gene analysis of canine parvovirus reveals emergence of newer variants in India

The canine parvovirus (CPV) infection is a highly contagious and serious enteric disease of dogs with high fatality rate. The present study was taken up to characterize the full-length viral polypeptide 2 (VP2) gene of CPV of Indian origin along with the commercially available vaccines. The faecal samples from parvovirus suspected dogs were collected from various states of India for screening by PCR assay and 66.29% of samples were found positive. Six CPV-2a, three CPV-2b, and one CPV-2c types were identified by sequence analysis. Several unique and existing mutations have been noticed in CPV types analyzed indicating emergence of newer variants of CPV in India. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that all the field CPV types were grouped in different subclades within two main clades, but away from the commercial vaccine strains. CPV-2b and CPV-2c types with unique mutations were found to be establishing in India apart from the prevailing CPV-2a type. Mutations and the positive selection of the mutants were found to be the major mechanism of emergence and evolution of parvovirus. Therefore, the incorporation of local strain in the vaccine formulation may be considered for effective control of CPV infections in India

Estimate of CP Violation for the LBNE Project and $\delta_{CP}

Measurements of CP violation (CPV) and the basic $\delta_{CP}$ parameter are the goals of the LBNE Project, which is being planned. Using the expected energy and baseline parameters for the LBNE Project, CPV and the dependence of CPV on $\delta_{CP}$ are estimated, to help in the planning of this project.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur