Presence of sandfly-borne phleboviruses of two antigenic complexes (Sandfly fever Naples virus and Sandfly fever Sicilian virus) in two different bio-geographical regions of Tunisia demonstrated by a microneutralisation-based seroprevalence study in dogs

International audienceBACKGROUND: Sandfly-borne phleboviruses are present in North Africa where they can infect humans in regions where Leishmania infantum, the causative agent of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis in the Western Mediterranean basin is present affecting both humans and dogs. We investigated the capacity of dogs to be used as sentinels for sandfly-borne phleboviruses as previously shown for leishmaniasis.FINDINGS: A total of 312 sera were collected from guard dogs in two different bioclimatic regions (governorates of Kairouan and Bizerte) of Tunisia where zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis has been reported. These sera were tested for the presence of neutralising antibodies against 3 phleboviruses: Toscana virus, Punique virus and Sicilian virus. In the governorate of Kairouan, seroprevalence rates of 7.5%, 43.5%, and 38.1% were observed for Toscana, Punique and Sicilian virus, respectively. A high proportion of sera from the governorate of Bizerte were hemolyzed and showed high cytotoxicity for the cells and subsequently precluded detailed interpretation of this batch. However, validated results for 27 sera were in agreement with data observed in the governorate of Kairouan.CONCLUSIONS: Toscana virus is present in the governorate of Kairouan but at a lower rate compared to Punique and Sicilian viruses. These three sandfly-borne phleboviruses can infect dogs. Direct detection and isolation of the viruses are now to be attempted in animals as well as in humans. Our findings showed that guard dogs are good sentinels for virus transmitted by sandflies and strongly suggested that the high seroprevalence rates observed in dogs merit further attention

Ecuador Paraiso Escondido virus, a new flavivirus isolated from New World sand flies in Ecuador, is the first representative of a novel clade in the genus flavivirus

A new flavivirus, Ecuador Paraiso Escondido virus (EPEV), named after the village where it was discovered, was isolated from sand flies (Psathyromyia abonnenci, formerly Lutzomyia abonnenci) that are unique to the New World. This represents the first sand fly-borne flavivirus identified in the New World. EPEV exhibited a typical flavivirus genome organization. Nevertheless, the maximum pairwise amino acid sequence identity with currently recognized flaviviruses was 52.8%. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete coding sequence showed that EPEV represents a distinct clade which diverged from a lineage that was ancestral to the nonvectored flaviviruses Entebbe bat virus, Yokose virus, and Sokoluk virus and also the Aedes-associated mosquito-borne flaviviruses, which include yellow fever virus, Sepik virus, Saboya virus, and others. EPEV replicated in C6/36 mosquito cells, yielding high infectious titers, but failed to reproduce either in vertebrate cell lines (Vero, BHK, SW13, and XTC cells) or in suckling mouse brains. This surprising result, which appears to eliminate an association with vertebrate hosts in the life cycle of EPEV, is discussed in the context of the evolutionary origins of EPEV in the New World.The flaviviruses are rarely (if ever) vectored by sand fly species, at least in the Old World. We have identified the first representative of a sand fly-associated flavivirus, Ecuador Paraiso Escondido virus (EPEV), in the New World. EPEV constitutes a novel clade according to current knowledge of the flaviviruses. Phylogenetic analysis of the virus genome showed that EPEV roots the Aedes-associated mosquito-borne flaviviruses, including yellow fever virus. In light of this new discovery, the New World origin of EPEV is discussed together with that of the other flaviviruses

An Atypical Presentation of Brucellosis in a Patient with Isolated Thrombocytopenia Complicated with Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Bleeding

A 59-year-old female patient was admitted to the emergency service with complaints of hematemesis and melena for the last few days. In laboratory tests, the platelet count was found to be /L. Intravenous or oral corticosteroid treatment was thought to be given for ITP but disclaimed due to upper GIS bleeding. On the 5th day of treatment, Brucella melitensis was isolated from blood culture before the results of Wright tube agglutination tests were reported positive as 1 : 80. On the second day of the anti-brucellosis treatment, the thrombocyte count was raised from 6000/mm3 to 110000/mm3, and on the 3rd day to 225000/mm3

AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study

: High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, high-quality X-ray crystal structures, or manual cherry-picking of compounds. We show that the molecules selected by the AtomNet® model are novel drug-like scaffolds rather than minor modifications to known bioactive compounds. Our empirical results suggest that computational methods can substantially replace HTS as the first step of small-molecule drug discovery

Uwaga na niedobór biotynidazy u dzieci! Opis przypadku

Biotinidase deficiency is an autosomal recessive metabolic disease that causes biotin deficiency. The exact diagnosis of the lack of biotinidase is made by demonstrating the absence of enzyme activity in the serum. Biotinidase deficiency is treated with oral biotin taken for lifetime. Early diagnosis and treatment are very important and prevent a number of complications. In this case report, a newborn baby was referred for periodic healthcare assessments to a family medicine centre, where biotinidase deficiency was diagnosed. Screening performed as part of periodic health assessment in the primary care setting is important for the detection of certain diseases, as many disease-related disabilities can be prevented with early diagnosis. In family practice, “shared decision-making,” which represents one of the elements of the patient-centred clinical method, is very effective, provided that patients and their relatives adapt to preventive healthcare.Niedobór biotynidazy jest autosomalnym recesywnym zaburzeniem metabolicznym powodującym niedobór biotyny. Rozpoznanie niedoboru biotynidazy ustala się na podstawie braku aktywności enzymatycznej w surowicy, a jego leczenie polega na doustnym przyjmowaniu biotyny przez całe życie. Wczesne rozpoznanie i leczenie mają bardzo istotne znaczenie i pozwalają zapobiec licznym powikłaniom. W opisanym przypadku niedobór biotynidazy został rozpoznany u noworodka w ośrodku medycyny rodzinnej, gdzie został on skierowany w celu przeprowadzenia okresowej oceny stanu zdrowia. Badania przesiewowe wykonywane w ramach okresowej kontroli w placówkach podstawowej opieki zdrowotnej odgrywają ważną rolę w wykrywaniu niektórych chorób. W praktyce lekarza rodzinnego „wspólne podejmowanie decyzji”, które stanowi jeden z elementów klinicznej metody zorientowanej na pacjenta, jest skuteczne o tyle, o ile pacjenci i ich krewni potrafią dostosować się do wymogów profilaktycznej opieki zdrowotnej

Advancements in Rift Valley fever vaccines: a historical overview and prospects for next generation candidates

Abstract Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes and causes abortion storms, fetal malformations, and newborn animal deaths in livestock ruminants. In humans, RVF can manifest as hemorrhagic fever, encephalitis, or retinitis. Outbreaks of RVF have been occurring in Africa since the early 20th century and continue to pose a threat to both humans and animals in various regions such as Africa, Madagascar, the Comoros, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. The development of RVF vaccines is crucial in preventing mortality and morbidity and reducing the spread of the virus. While several veterinary vaccines have been licensed in endemic countries, there are currently no licensed RVF vaccines for human use. This review provides an overview of the existing RVF vaccines, as well as potential candidates for future studies on RVF vaccine development, including next-generation vaccines that show promise in combating the disease in both humans and animals

Attention to biotinidase deficiency in children! A case report

Biotinidase deficiency is an autosomal recessive metabolic disease that causes biotin deficiency. The exact diagnosis of the lack of biotinidase is made by demonstrating the absence of enzyme activity in the serum. Biotinidase deficiency is treated with oral biotin taken for lifetime. Early diagnosis and treatment are very important and prevent a number of complications. In this case report, a newborn baby was referred for periodic healthcare assessments to a family medicine centre, where biotinidase deficiency was diagnosed. Screening performed as part of periodic health assessment in the primary care setting is important for the detection of certain diseases, as many disease-related disabilities can be prevented with early diagnosis. In family practice, "shared decision-making," which represents one of the elements of the patient-centred clinical method, is very effective, provided that patients and their relatives adapt to preventive healthcare

Long-term posttraumatic stress disorder in mine workers after a coalmining disaster

Background: A coalmine disaster has occurred in Turkey on 13 May 2014, which caused the death of 301 miners. Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and the risk factors for PTSD among mine workers, 2 years after the coalmining disaster. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted between June 2016 and July 2016 among mine workers who were the employees of either the mine where the accident occurred or three other mines in the same area. Sociodemographic data form and PTSD Symptom-Scale Self-Report (PSS-SR) were used to collect data. Results: 672 mine workers participated in the study. At the time of the accident, 23.7% (n = 159) of them were in the mine where the accident occurred. The mean score on total PSS-SR was 4.27 (SD: +/- 4.49). Eighteen (2.7%) participants screened positive for PTSD. Logistic regression analysis revealed the significant risk factors for PTSD are: being single/divorced/widowed, having a chronic disease, having a family history of psychiatric illness and previously experiencing traumatic events more than one. Discussion: Coalmining workers have considerably high prevalence rate of PTSD symptoms after a coalmining disaster. Assessing PTSD and associated risks is important for preventive mental health services

Evaluation of urban water systems through 'stream-user-city' interactions: The example of Izmir Meles Stream

This study aims to reveal the current problems of Meles Stream and to determine the degree of impact of these problems. In this study, the Delphi technique consisting of three rounds with the participation of 26 experts was used. The problems identified with the participation of experts were gathered under the titles of ecological, socio-cultural, land use, technical-engineering, management, the average of the impact value was calculated, and solution suggestions specific to the research area were presented.Ege University Scientific Research Projects Coordination UnitThis study was supported by the Ege University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (Grant Nos. FGA -2019 -20521)