Autoantibodies against type I IFNs in patients with life-threatening COVID-19

Interindividual clinical variability in the course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is vast. We report that at least 101 of 987 patients with life-threatening coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia had neutralizing immunoglobulin G (IgG) autoantibodies (auto-Abs) against interferon-w (IFN-w) (13 patients), against the 13 types of IFN-a (36), or against both (52) at the onset of critical disease; a few also had auto-Abs against the other three type I IFNs. The auto-Abs neutralize the ability of the corresponding type I IFNs to block SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro. These auto-Abs were not found in 663 individuals with asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infection and were present in only 4 of 1227 healthy individuals. Patients with auto-Abs were aged 25 to 87 years and 95 of the 101 were men. A B cell autoimmune phenocopy of inborn errors of type I IFN immunity accounts for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia in at least 2.6% of women and 12.5% of men

Follaje de árboles y arbustos en los sistemas de producción bovina de doble propósito

Foliage of tropical trees and shrubs represents an important source of nutrients for cattle grazing tropical grasses. Chemical composition, digestibility and intake of foliage of shrubs and trees are generally satisfactory for their utilization by ruminants, supplying protein to the rumen that promotes a readily available nitrogen for microbial growth. However, energy availability relative to nitrogen in the rumen, seems to be a constraint to the efficient use of foliage Incorporation of foliage of trees and shrubs in ruminant rations has the potential to increase animal production in dual-purpose systems in the tropics, since they are an important source of nutriments for livestock under grazing conditions.El follaje de arbustivas y arbóreas tropicales representa una fuente importante de nutrimentos para el ganado bovino en pastoreo de gramíneas tropicales. La composición química, digestibilidad y consumo del follaje de arbustivas y arbóreas son generalmente satisfactorios para su aprovechamiento por los rumiantes, aportando proteína en el rumen que favorece una rápida disponibilidad de nitrógeno para el crecimiento microbiano. Sin embargo, la disponibilidad de energía en relación a la del nitrógeno en el rumen, parece ser una restricción para el uso eficiente del follaje. La incorporación del follaje de arbustivas y árboles forrajeros en la ración de rumiantes tiene el potencial para aumentar la producción animal en sistemas de doble propósito en los trópicos, ya que son una fuente importante de nutrimentos para el ganado que consume gramíneas bajo pastoreo

Forage yield of Gliricidia sepium as affected by harvest heigh and frequency in Yucatan, Mexico

Reducing the negative effects of fluctuations in quantity and nutritional quality of tropical forages on animal production is a challenge for production systems. The use of trees with good production and high nutritional quality could improve animal behavior. Forage production and quality of Gliricidia sepium were evaluated in a two year-old feed bank. A completely randomized design with factorial arrangement with two cutting heights (0.45 and 0.90 m) and three cut off frequencies (45, 60 and 75 days), and four replicates per treatment (experimental plots) was used. No significant differences (p>0.05) were observed in the production and forage components to any evaluated cutting height. Production and forage components were not affected (p>0.05) by the cutoff frequency of 45 and 75 days, with yields of 2.46 and 2.26 t ha-1, respectively; forage production increased (p<0.05) to 3.5 t ha-1 with the cutoff frequency of 60 days. The interaction frequency and cutting height (60 days x 0.45 m; and 60 days x 0.90 m) increased (p<0.05) the production (3.73 and 3.27 t DM ha-1, respectively) of G. sepium, although forage components were not affected (p>0.05). According to the conditions of this study, it was concluded that forage production of G. sepium may increase through the management of the cutoff frequency (60 days) and 0.45 or 0.90 m cutting height

Enteric methane mitigation strategies for ruminant livestock systems in the Latin America and Caribbean region: a meta-analysis.

Abstract: Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) is a developing region characterized for its importance for global food security,producing 23 and 11% of the global beef and milk production, respectively. The region?s ruminant livestock sector however, is under scrutiny on environmental grounds due to its large contribution to enteric methane (CH4) emissions and influence on global climate change. Thus, the identification of effective CH4 mitigation strategies which do not compromise animal performance is urgently needed, especially in context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) defined in the Paris Agreement of the United Nations. Therefore, the objectives of the current study were to: 1) collate a database of individual sheep, beef and dairy cattle records from enteric CH4 emission studies conducted in the LAC region, and 2) perform a meta-analysis to identify feasible enteric CH4 mitigation strategies, which do not compromise animal performance. After outlier?s removal, 2745 animal records (65% of the original data) from 103 studies were retained (from 2011 to 2021) in the LAC database. Potential mitigation strategies were classified into three main categories (i.e., animal breeding, dietary, and rumen manipulation) and up to three subcategories, totaling 34 evaluated strategies. A random effects model weighted by inverse variance was used (Comprehensive Meta-Analysis V3.3.070). Six strategies decreased at least one enteric CH4 metric and simultaneously increased milk yield (MY; dairy cattle) or average daily gain (ADG; beef cattle and sheep). The breed composition F1 Holstein ×Gyr decreased CH4 emission per MY (CH4IMilk) while increasing MY by 99%. Adequate strategies of grazing management under continuous and rotational stocking decreased CH4 emission per ADG (CH4IGain) by 22 and 35%, while increasing ADG by 22 and 71%, respectively. Increased dietary protein concentration, and increased concentrate level through cottonseed meal inclusion, decreased CH4IMilk and CH4IGain by 10 and 20% and increased MY and ADG by 12 and 31%, respectively. Lastly, increased feeding level decreased CH4IGain by 37%, while increasing ADG by 171%. The identified effective mitigation strategies can be adopted by livestock producers according to their specific needs and aid LAC countries in achieving SDG as defined in the Paris Agreement