Deletion of the Gene for the Type I Interferon Inhibitor I329L from the Attenuated African Swine Fever Virus OURT88/3 Strain Reduces Protection Induced in Pigs

Live attenuated vaccines are considered to be the fastest route to the development of a safe and efficacious African swine fever (ASF) vaccine. Infection with the naturally attenuated OURT88/3 strain induces protection against challenge with virulent isolates from the same or closely related genotypes. However, adverse clinical signs following immunisation have been observed. Here, we attempted to increase the OURT88/3 safety profile by deleting I329L, a gene previously shown to inhibit the host innate immune response. The resulting virus, OURT88/3ΔI329L, was tested in vitro to evaluate the replication and expression of type I interferon (IFN) and in vivo by immunisation and lethal challenge experiments in pigs. No differences were observed regarding replication; however, increased amounts of both IFN-β and IFN-α were observed in macrophages infected with the deletion mutant virus. Unexpectedly, the deletion of I329L markedly reduced protection against challenge with the virulent OURT88/1 isolate. This was associated with a decrease in both antibody levels against VP72 and the number of IFN-γ-producing cells in the blood of non-protected animals. Furthermore, a significant increase in IL-10 levels in serum was observed in pigs immunised with OURT88/3ΔI329L following challenge. Interestingly, the deletion of the I329L gene failed to attenuate the virulent Georgia/2007 isolate.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Macrophage transcriptional responses following in vitro infection with a highly virulent African swine fever virus isolate

We used a porcine microarray containing 2,880 cDNAs to investigate the response of macrophages to infection by a virulent African swine fever virus (ASFV) isolate, Malawi LIL20/1. One hundred twenty-five targets were found to be significantly altered at either or both 4 h and 16 h postinfection compared with targets after mock infection. These targets were assigned into three groups according to their temporal expression profiles. Eighty-six targets showed increased expression levels at 4 h postinfection but returned to expression levels similar to those in mock-infected cells at 16 h postinfection. These encoded several proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, surface proteins, and proteins involved in cell signaling and trafficking pathways. Thirty-four targets showed increased expression levels at 16 h postinfection compared to levels at 4 h postinfection and in mock-infected cells. One host gene showed increased expression levels at both 4 and 16 h postinfection compared to levels in mock-infected cells. The microarray results were validated for 12 selected genes by quantitative real-time PCR. Levels of protein expression and secretion were measured for two proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin 1β and tumor necrosis factor alpha, during a time course of infection with either the virulent Malawi LIL20/1 isolate or the OUR T88/3 nonpathogenic isolate. The results revealed differences between these two ASFV isolates in the amounts of these cytokines secreted from infected cells

African Swine Fever Virus Isolate, Georgia, 2007

The virus isolate introduced to the Caucasus in 2007 is closely related to a group of viruses, genotype II, circulating in Mozambique, Madagascar, and Zambia

Human uterine leiomyoma-derived fibroblasts stimulate uterine leiomyoma cell proliferation and collagen type I production, and activate RTKs and TGF beta receptor signaling in coculture

BACKGROUND: Uterine leiomyomas (fibroids) are benign smooth muscle tumors that often contain an excessive extracellular matrix (ECM). In the present study, we investigated the interactions between human uterine leiomyoma (UtLM) cells and uterine leiomyoma-derived fibroblasts (FB), and their importance in cell growth and ECM protein production using a coculture system. RESULTS: We found enhanced cell proliferation, and elevated levels of ECM collagen type I and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 after coculturing. There was also increased secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor, epidermal growth factor, fibroblast growth factor-2, and platelet derived growth factor A and B in the media of UtLM cells cocultured with FB. Protein arrays revealed increased phosphorylated receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) of the above growth factor ligands, and immunoblots showed elevated levels of the RTK downstream effector, phospho-mitogen activated protein kinase 44/42 in cocultured UtLM cells. There was also increased secretion of transforming growth factor-beta 1 and 3, and immunoprecipitated transforming growth factor-beta receptor I from cocultured UtLM cells showed elevated phosphoserine expression. The downstream effectors phospho-small mothers against decapentaplegic -2 and -3 protein (SMAD) levels were also increased in cocultured UtLM cells. However, none of the above effects were seen in normal myometrial cells cocultured with FB. The soluble factors released by tumor-derived fibroblasts and/or UtLM cells, and activation of the growth factor receptors and their pathways stimulated the proliferation of UtLM cells and enhanced the production of ECM proteins. CONCLUSIONS: These data support the importance of interactions between fibroid tumor cells and ECM fibroblasts in vivo, and the role of growth factors, and ECM proteins in the pathogenesis of uterine fibroids

Wild boar visits to commercial pig farms in southwest England: implications for disease transmission.

Contact between wild animals and farmed livestock may result in disease transmission with huge financial, welfare and ethical consequences. Conflicts between people and wildlife can also arise when species such as wild boar (Sus scrofa) consume crops or dig up pasture. This is a relatively recent problem in England where wild boar populations have become re-established in the last 20 years following a 500-year absence. The aim of this pilot study was to determine if and how often free-living wild boar visited two commercial pig farms near the Forest of Dean in southwest England. We placed 20 motion-sensitive camera traps at potential entry points to, and trails surrounding, the perimeter of two farmyards housing domestic pigs between August 2019 and February 2021, covering a total of 6030 trap nights. Forty wild boar detections were recorded on one farm spread across 27 nights, with a median (range) of 1 (0 to 7) night of wild boar activity per calendar month. Most of these wild boar detections occurred between ten and twenty metres of housed domestic pigs. No wild boar was detected at the other farm. These results confirm wild boar do visit commercial pig farms, and therefore, there is potential for contact and pathogen exchange between wild boar and domestic pigs. The visitation rates derived from this study could be used to parameterise disease transmission models of pathogens common to domestic pigs and wild boars, such as the African swine fever virus, and subsequently to develop mitigation strategies to reduce unwanted contacts

African swine fever : update on Eastern, Central and Southern Africa

Control of African swine fever (ASF) in countries in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (ECSA) is particularly complex owing to the presence of all three known epidemiological cycles of maintenance of the virus, namely an ancient sylvatic cycle involving the natural hosts and vectors of the disease as well as domestic cycles with and without involvement of natural vectors. While the situation is well documented in some of the countries, for others very little information is available. In spite of the unfavourable ASF situation, the pig population in the sub‐region has grown exponentially in recent decades and is likely to continue to grow in response to rapid urban growth resulting in increasing demand for animal protein by populations that are no longer engaged in livestock production. Better management of ASF will be essential to permit the pig sector to reach its full potential as a supplier of high quality protein and a source of income to improve livelihoods and create wealth. No vaccine is currently available and it is likely that, in the near future, the sub‐region will continue to rely on the implementation of preventive measures, based on the epidemiology of the disease, to avoid both the devastating losses that outbreaks can cause and the risk the sub‐region poses to other parts of Africa and the world. The current situation in the ECSA sub‐region is reviewed and gaps in knowledge are identified in order to support ongoing strategy development for managing ASF in endemic areas.LKD received funding from UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC grant BBS/E/1/00007035. CM’s ASF research is funded by a Wellcome Trust Fellowship (Grant 105684/Z/14/Z) and the African Union Commission (Grant AURG‐II‐1‐196‐2016).http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/tbed2020-07-01hj2019Veterinary Tropical Disease

Bodyweight Perceptions among Texas Women: The Effects of Religion, Race/Ethnicity, and Citizenship Status

Despite previous work exploring linkages between religious participation and health, little research has looked at the role of religion in affecting bodyweight perceptions. Using the theoretical model developed by Levin et al. (Sociol Q 36(1):157–173, 1995) on the multidimensionality of religious participation, we develop several hypotheses and test them by using data from the 2004 Survey of Texas Adults. We estimate multinomial logistic regression models to determine the relative risk of women perceiving themselves as overweight. Results indicate that religious attendance lowers risk of women perceiving themselves as very overweight. Citizenship status was an important factor for Latinas, with noncitizens being less likely to see themselves as overweight. We also test interaction effects between religion and race. Religious attendance and prayer have a moderating effect among Latina non-citizens so that among these women, attendance and prayer intensify perceptions of feeling less overweight when compared to their white counterparts. Among African American women, the effect of increased church attendance leads to perceptions of being overweight. Prayer is also a correlate of overweight perceptions but only among African American women. We close with a discussion that highlights key implications from our findings, note study limitations, and several promising avenues for future research