Virucidal activity in vitro of mouthwashes against a feline coronavirus type II

Transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can occur through saliva and aerosol droplets deriving from the upper aerodigestive tract during coughing, sneezing, talking, and even during oral inspection or dental procedures. The aim of this study was to assess in vitro virucidal activity of commercial and experimental mouthwashes against a feline coronavirus (FCoV) strain. Commercial and experimental (commercial-based products with addition of either sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or thymus vulgaris essential oil (TEO) at different concentrations) mouthwashes were placed in contact with FCoV for different time intervals, that is, 30 s (T30), 60 s (T60), and 180 s (T180); subsequently, the virus was titrated on Crandell Reese Feline Kidney cells. An SDS-based commercial mouthwash reduced the viral load by 5 log10 tissue culture infectious dose (TCID)(50)/50 mu l at T30 while a cetylpyridinium (CPC)-based commercial mouthwash was able to reduce the viral titer of 4.75 log10 at T60. Furthermore, five experimental mouthwashes supplemented with SDS reduced the viral titer by 4.75-5 log10 according to a dose- (up to 4 mM) and time-dependent fashion

Risk for zoonotic Salmonella transmission from pet reptiles: A survey on knowledge, attitudes and practices of reptile-owners related to reptile husbandry

Reptiles are becoming increasingly popular as pets. Those animals are reservoirs of a wide variety of Salmonella serotypes, that may be transmitted to warm-blooded animals, including humans. Accordingly, good hygiene practices related to husbandry are important for prevention of Reptile-associated salmonellosis (RAS). A crossâ\u80\u93sectional study was conducted among reptile owners, by administration of a detailed questionnaire. In addition, the cloacal swabs of the sampled reptiles were screened for Salmonella spp. and the husbandry management practices were evaluated in order to assess any possible link between the presence of Salmonella spp. and the hygiene practices. The response rate to the questionnaire was 66.6% (100 out of 150 contacted owners). In 26 out of 100 families, members at risk of RAS (children and elderly) were present. One hundred animals were screened for the presence of Salmonella spp. The prevalence of Salmonella spp. carriers was 57% (Confidence interval 47â\u80\u9366%). Co-habitation of the animals with other reptiles in the same terrarium was associated with a 2-fold increase in the risk of infection by Salmonella spp.(Odds ratio = 2.3, CI 1.2;13, p = 0.02). Animals handled by owners that did not report washing their hands after the cleaning procedures or the handling were exposed to a 3-fold increase in the risk of infection (OR = 3.1, CI 1.1;16, p = 0.019). When drinking water was not replaced regularly, the animals were 7 times more exposed to infection (OR = 6.8, CI 1.8;25, p = 0.005). When the diet was constituted by rodents, 27 out of 48 reptiles (56.3%) were fed with live animals. In the present survey the typical reptile owner was a person, aware of ethological aspects of reptile husbandry but ignorant of some ethical recommendations and poorly informed about the health risks for himself and for the other family members. Prevention of RAS must rely mainly on information and education, with the veterinarian health bodies primarily involved in this difficult task

Genetic Diversity of Porcine Circovirus Types 2 and 3 in Wild Boar in Italy

Porcine circovirus (PCV) infection is associated with relevant economic impact to the pig industry. To date, four species of PCV (PCV1 to 4) have been identified but only PCV2 has been associated firmly with disease in pigs. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of PCV2 and PCV3 in the wild boar population in Basilicata region, Southern Italy, since this region is characterized by large forested and rural areas and the anthropic pressure is lower than in other Italian regions. Liver samples from 82 hunted wild boar were collected in 2021 from 3 different hunting districts. Sixty (73%, 95%CI: 63–82) samples tested positive for PCVs by quantitative PCR. In detail, 22 (27%, 95%CI: 18–37) were positive for PCV2, 58 (71%, 95%CI: 60–79) for PCV3, and 20 (24.4%, 95%CI 16–35) for both PCV2 and PCV3. On genome sequencing, different types and sub-types of PCV2 and PCV3 were identified, remarking a genetic diversity and hinting to a global circulation for the identified PCV strains. Overall, the high prevalence suggests that PCV2 and PCV3 infections are endemic in the wild boar population, posing risks for semi-intensive and free-range pig farming, typical of this region, due to contact with PCV-infected wild boar

Isolation and characterization of bovine alphaherpesvirus 2 strain from an outbreak of bovine herpetic mammillitis in a dairy farm

Bovine alphaherpesvirus type 2 (BoHV-2) belongs to family Herpesviridae, subfamily Alphaherpesviridae and can cause two distinct, well-defined conditions: a generalized benign skin infection that somewhat mimics lumpy skin disease (LSD), referred to as Pseudo-Lumpy Skin Disease (PSLD) and a localized ulcerative mammillitis, referred to as Bovine Herpetic Mammillitis (BHM). BHM is a localized form of BoHV-2 infection that causes erosive-ulcerative self-limiting lesions on breast and nipples. BHM is chiefly a disease of lactating dairy cows and has been described sporadically in several countries. In this study we describe an outbreak of bovine herpetic mammillitis caused by BoHV-2 occurred in a dairy farm in Southern Italy. Clinical signs were observed in 26/59 lactating cows with the age ranging between 2 and 6 years. The affected animals were afebrile, showed lesions on the skin of nipples, breast and ventral surface of the abdomen, near the mammary veins and spontaneously recovered within 2 months

Identification of a Novel α-herpesvirus Associated with Ulcerative Stomatitis in Donkeys

An outbreak of ulcerative stomatitis was observed in a donkey (Equus asinus) dairy herd. Similar lesions were also observed on the dams' udders and, sporadically, in genital areas. The lesions typically resolved in 1-3 weeks. An α-herpesvirus, Varicellovirus, genetically related to equid herpesvirus type 3, was identified

Mechanism of surfactant interactions with feline coronavirus: A physical chemistry perspective

Hypothesis: Surfactants are inexpensive chemicals with promising applications in virus inactivation, particularly for enveloped viruses. Yet, the detailed mechanisms by which surfactants deactivate coronaviruses remain underexplored. This study delves into the virucidal mechanisms of various surfactants on Feline Coronavirus (FCoV) and their potential applications against more pathogenic coronaviruses. Experiments: By integrating virucidal activity assays with fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering and laser Doppler electrophoresis, alongside liposome permeability experiments, we have analyzed the effects of non-ionic and ionic surfactants on viral activity. Findings: The non-ionic surfactant octaethylene glycol monodecyl ether (C10EO8) inactivates the virus by disrupting the lipid envelope, whereas ionic surfactants like Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate and Cetylpyridinium Chloride predominantly affect the spike proteins, with their impact on the viral membrane being hampered by kinetic and thermodynamic constraints. FCoV served as a safe model for studying virucidal activity, offering a faster alternative to traditional virucidal assays. The study demonstrates that physicochemical techniques can expedite the screening of virucidal compounds, contributing to the design of effective disinfectant formulations. Our results not only highlight the critical role of surfactant-virus interactions but also contribute to strategic advancements in public health measures for future pandemic containment and the ongoing challenge of antimicrobial resistance

Identification of a novel canine norovirus

By screening a collection of fecal samples from young dogs from different European countries, noroviruses (NoVs) were found in 13/294 (4.4%) animals with signs of enteritis whilst they were not detected in healthy dogs (0/42). An informative portion of the genome (3.4 kb at the 3â\u80² end) was generated for four NoV strains. In the capsid protein VP1 region, strains 63.15/2015/ITA and FD53/2007/ITA were genetically related to the canine GVI.2 strain C33/Viseu/2007/PRT (97.4â\u80\u9398.6% nt and 90.3â\u80\u9398.6% aa). Strain FD210/2007/ITA displayed the highest identity to the GVI.1 canine strain Bari/91/2007/ITA (88.0% nt and 95.0% aa). Strain 5010/2009/ITA displayed only 66.6â\u80\u9367.6% nt and 75.5â\u80\u9381.6% aa identities to the GVI.1 canine strains FD210/2007/ITA and Bari/91/2007/ITA and the GVI feline strain M49-1/2012/JPN. Identity to the other canine/feline NoVs strains in the VP1 was lower than 67.6% nt and 62.7% aa. Based on the full-length VP1 amino acid sequence and the criteria proposed for distinction of NoV genotypes, the canine NoV 5010/2009/ITA could represent the prototype of a third GVI genotype, thus providing further evidence for the genetic heterogeneity of NoVs in carnivores

Virucidal activity of ginger essential oil against caprine alphaherpesvirus-1

The emergence of alphaherpesvirus strains resistant to commonly used antiviral drugs has prompted the research for alternative, biologically active anti-herpetic agents. Essential oils (EOs) have shown anti-infective properties against human herpes simplex viruses (HSV-1 and -2). Caprine alphaherpesvirus 1 (CpHV-1) induces genital lesions in its natural host and it is regarded as a useful homologous animal model for the study of HSV-2 infection, chiefly for the assessment of antiviral drugs in in vivo studies. In the present study we evaluated the activity in vitro of ginger EO (GEO) against CpHV-1. GEO was found to be effective as virucide on cell-free virus, inactivating CpHV-1 up to 100%. The virucidal activity of GEO is likely accounted for by disruption of herpesvirus envelope and its associated structures which are necessary for virus adsorption and entry into host cells. On the opposite, GEO was not able to inhibit virus adsorption and/or replication, as treatment of cells before and after infection did not abolish virus infectivity. GEO could be suggested for topical applications in in vivo experiments using CpHV-1/goat model, since the lipophilic nature of EOs favours their adsorption through the cutaneous/mucosal barrier, either alone or in conjunction with other molecules. These findings open several perspectives in terms of therapeutic possibilities for a number of human and animal alphaherpesviruses