Transmission routes of African swine fever virus to domestic pigs: current knowledge and future research directions

African swine fever (ASF) is a major threat to the pig industry in Europe. Since 2007, ASF outbreaks have been ongoing in the Caucasus, Eastern Europe and the Baltic countries, causing severe economic losses for many pig farmers and pork producers. In addition, the number of ASF cases in wild boar populations has dramatically increased over the past few years. Evidence supports direct contact with infectious domestic pigs and wild boars, and consumption of contaminated feed, as the main transmission routes of ASF virus (ASFV) to domestic pigs. However, significant knowledge gaps highlight the urgent need for research to investigate the dynamics of indirect transmission via the environment, the minimal infective doses for contaminated feed ingestion, the probability of effective contacts between infectious wild boars and domestic pigs, the potential for recovered animals to become carriers and a reservoir for transmission, the potential virus persistence within wild boar populations and the influence of human behaviour for the spread of ASFV. This will provide an improved scientific basis to optimise current interventions and develop new tools and strategies to reduce the risk of ASFV transmission to domestic pigs.ISSN:0042-490

Dementia in a patient with Thymoma and hypogammaglobulinaemia (Good's syndrome)

Good's syndrome is extremely rare and refers to an acquired B and T cell immunodeficiency in thymoma patients. The authors of this article present a case report of a 75-year-old, caucasian male patient previously subjected to examinations for secondary dementia and recurrent infections, which revealed paraneoplastic syndrome arose from thymoma. He underwent thymectomy, while his immunodeficiency syndrome sustained with frequent opportunistic infections, constantly requiring intravenous immunoglobulin treatment

Dynamics of early establishment of SARS-CoV-2 VOC Omicron lineages in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Brazil is one of the nations most affected by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The introduction and establishment of new virus variants can be related to an increase in cases and fatalities. The emergence of Omicron, the most modified SARS-CoV-2 variant, caused alarm for the public health of Brazil. In this study, we examined the effects of the Omicron introduction in Minas Gerais (MG), the second-most populous state of Brazil. A total of 430 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) samples from November 2021 to June 2022 from Belo Horizonte (BH) city were sequenced. These newly sequenced genomes comprise 72% of all previously available SARS-CoV-2 genomes for the city. Evolutionary analysis of novel viral genomes reveals that a great diversity of Omicron sublineages have circulated in BH, a pattern in-keeping with observations across Brazil more generally. Bayesian phylogeographic reconstructions indicate that this diversity is a product of a large number of international and national importations. As observed previously, São Paulo state is shown as a significant hub for viral spread throughout the country, contributing to around 70% of all viral Omicron introductions detected in MG

Intact triacylglycerol profiles of fats and meats via thermal imprinting easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Thermal imprinting (TI) on a paper surface, using minimal solvent amounts, followed by direct analysis of the triacylglycerols (TAG) content via easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry (EASI-MS) is shown to provide a fast protocol to analyze TAG in meats and fats. The technique is simple, fast and eco-friendly requiring no hydrolysis, derivatization or chromatographic separation. The entire TI-EASI-MS protocol is performed in a few minutes and with minimal sample handling and solvent consumption. The TAG profiles obtained via TI-EASI-MS are shown to be quite similar to those obtained using GC and MALDI-MS analyses, and the imprinting and mailing of the imprinted paper in a sealed plastic bag is proposed for remote TI-EASI-MS analysis of meat and fat samples.41135513557Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Financing Agency of Studies and Projects (FINEP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Combinações entre cultivares, ambientes, preparo e cobertura do solo em características agronômicas de alface.

Objetivou-se identificar combinações entre cultivares, ambientes de cultivo e preparo e cobertura de solo capazes de melhorar o desempenho agronômico e aumentar a produtividade da cultura da alface em cultivo orgânico. A pesquisa foi conduzida na Universidade Federal do Acre, utilizando o delineamento experimental de blocos casualizados, com parcelas subdivididas para cada experimento (campo e casa de vegetação), com quatro repetições. Em cada experimento, três cultivares de alface (Simpson, Marisa e Vera), constituindo as sub-parcelas, foram sorteadas nas parcelas, representadas por quatro preparos e cobertura do solo (encanteiramento com cobertura de palha de arroz, polietileno prateado, solo descoberto e plantio direto). A produtividade comercial de alface foi de 12,3 t ha-1 em cultivo protegido e de 7,9 t ha-1 em campo. O cultivo protegido promoveu melhor desenvolvimento das plantas, caracterizado por maior massa da matéria fresca e seca da parte aérea, massa da matéria fresca comercial e melhor classificação comercial, além de promover bom desempenho agronômico e maior produtividade em qualquer um dos preparos de solo. As cultivares Simpson e Marisa apresentaram massa da matéria seca da parte aérea semelhante e superior à ‘Vera’, porém, o crescimento do caule da ‘Simpson’ foi elevado, caracterizando pendoamento precoce, fato que reduz sua qualidade comercial. As cultivares Marisa e Vera não alongaram o caule indicando serem tolerantes às condições ambientais de Rio Branco. A cobertura do solo com casca de arroz ou plástico prateado contribuiu para minimizar os efeitos climáticos prejudiciais ao cultivo da alface em campo. O plantio direto orgânico não diferiu do plantio em canteiro descoberto

High occurrence of giardiasis in children living on a 'landless farm workers' settlement in Araras, São Paulo, Brazil

Enteric parasitosis remains an important public health problem in many areas around the world including in Brazil, and it is frequently associated with poverty and lack of sanitation facilities. Research carried out over the course of a year revealed that 96.6% (28/29) of children randomly selected from a 'landless farm workers' settlement in Araras, São Paulo, aged 4 - 15 years, presented Giardia intestinalis cysts. After referral to the neighborhood Health Office, all the children received tinidazole, given as a single dose of 50 mg/kg and 12 months later, new fecal samples were collected and analyzed. Despite the low adherence to the study, a high percentage (64.3% - 9/14) of the children remained positive for the parasite. This study showed a high positivity of giardiasis in child residents of the settlement, even after treatment; adults were not sensitized to the study and did not collected and/or deliver children fecal samples. The precarious living conditions are consistent with a high susceptibility to parasitic diseases, suggesting that the treatment of the infected individuals without identifying and eradicating the means of contamination is simply a palliative measure

RESOLUTION OF CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS AFTER ACUTE ECZEMA DUE TO INTRALESIONAL MEGLUMINE ANTIMONIATE

We report a case of a 42 year-old female, who came to a leishmaniasis reference center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, presenting a cutaneous leishmaniasis lesion in the right forearm. Treatment with low-dose intramuscular meglumine antimoniate (MA) (5 mg Sb5+/kg/day) was initiated, with improvement after 28 days, although with the development of generalized eczema. After 87 days, the lesion worsened. Patient refused treatment with amphotericin B. MA was then infiltrated in the lesion, in two sessions, resulting in local eczema, with bullae formation; however, twenty days after, both the ulcer and eczema receded. Intralesional administration of MA should be used carefully when previous cutaneous hypersensitivity is detected