Influence of meteorological conditions on the morbidity of the Warsaw citizens

Istnieją dobrze znane zależnościpomiędzy zachorowalnościąi śmiertelnościąludzi a warunkami meteorologicznymi. Artykuł zawiera wyniki nowych badań nad związkami tych zmiennych. Badania oparto na dobowych sprawozdaniach lekarzy jednej z przychodni rejonowych w Warszawie. Wyszczególniono 21 jednostek chorobowych. Dane dobowe o liczbie zachorowań były porównywane z głównymi elementami meteorologicznymi. Zaobserwowano wyraźną sezonowość w występowaniu schorzeń układów krążenia i oddechowego. Wykazują one również związek z temperaturą powietrza, ciśnieniem atmosferycznym i saldem wymiany ciepła pomiędzy człowiekiem a otoczeniem.There are well known quality relationships between human morbidity and mortality and meteorological conditions. The paper presents the results of new studies dealing with qualitative relationships of those variables. The studies base on daily reports of physicians from the one of the clinic for outpatients in Warsaw. 21 individual diseases were noticed. Daily data of diseases amount were compared with meteorological parameters. There were observed seasonal differentiation of circulatory and respiratory diseases. They are also correlated with air temperature, air pressure and net heat storage (special biometeorological index)

Response to a DNA vaccine against the H5N1 virus depending on the chicken line and number of doses

Background Avian influenza virus infections cause significant economic losses on poultry farms and pose the threat of a possible pandemic outbreak. Routine vaccination of poultry against avian influenza is not recommended in Europe, however it has been ordered in some other countries, and more countries are considering use of the avian influenza vaccine as a component of their control strategy. Although a variety of such vaccines have been tested, most research has concentrated on specific antibodies and challenge experiments. Methods We monitored the transcriptomic response to a DNA vaccine encoding hemagglutinin from the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus in the spleens of broiler and layer chickens. Moreover, in layer chickens the response to one and two doses of the vaccine was compared. Results All groups of birds immunized with two doses of the vaccine responded at the humoral level by producing specific anti-hemagglutinin antibodies. A response to the vaccine was also detected in the spleen transcriptomes. Differential expression of many genes encoding noncoding RNA and proteins functionally connected to the neuroendocrine-immune system was observed in different immunized groups

An avian influenza H5N1 virus vaccine candidate based on the extracellular domain produced in yeast system as subviral particles protects chickens from lethal challenge

AbstractHighly pathogenic avian influenza is an on-going problem in poultry and a potential human pandemic threat. Pandemics occur suddenly and vaccine production must be fast and effective to be of value in controlling the spread of the virus. In this study we evaluated the potential of a recombinant protein from the extracellular domain of an H5 hemagglutinin protein produced in a yeast expression system to act as an effective vaccine. Protein production was efficient, with up to 200 mg purified from 1 L of culture medium. We showed that the deletion of the multibasic cleavage site from the protein improves oligomerization and, consequentially, its immunogenicity. We also showed that immunization with this deleted protein protected chickens from challenge with a highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus. Our results suggest that this recombinant protein produced in yeast may be an effective vaccine against H5N1 virus in poultry

Comparison of 2016–17 and Previous Epizootics of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5 Guangdong Lineage in Europe

We analyzed the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 epizootic of 2016–17 in Europe by epidemiologic and genetic characteristics and compared it with 2 previous epizootics caused by the same H5 Guangdong lineage. The 2016–17 epizootic was the largest in Europe by number of countries and farms affected and greatest diversity of wild birds infected. We observed significant differences among the 3 epizootics regarding region affected, epidemic curve, seasonality, and outbreak duration, making it difficult to predict future HPAI epizootics. However, we know that in 2005–06 and 2016–17 the initial peak of wild bird detections preceded the peak of poultry outbreaks within Europe. Phylogenetic analysis of 2016–17 viruses indicates 2 main pathways into Europe. Our findings highlight the need for global surveillance of viral changes to inform disease preparedness, detection, and control

Phylogenetic study of H5 low pathogenic avian influenza viruses detected in wild birds in Poland in 2010−2015

Introduction: The genomes of nine H5 subtypes of low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV) strains identified in wild birds in Poland between 2010 and 2015 were sequenced, and their phylogenetic relationship was determined

The impact of selected risk factors on the occurrence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in commercial poultry flocks in Poland

Introduction of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) into a country and its further spread may have a devastating impact on the poultry industry and lead to serious economic consequences. Various risk factors may increase the probability of HPAI outbreak occurrence but their relative influence is often difficult to determine. The study evaluates how the densities of selected poultry species and proximity to the areas inhabited by wild birds impacted HPAI outbreak occurrence during the recently reported epidemics in Poland

Avian influenza in Poland

Poland has experienced four episodes of avian influenza (AI) outbreaks over the past two decades. The first epidemic was caused by a low pathogenicity (LPAIV) H7N7 subtype and occurred in fattening and breeder turkeys in 1995. Two waves of H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) took place in 2006 and 2007. In spring 2006, 64 cases of the H5N1 virus were detected, mostly in mute swans. In December 2007, ten outbreaks of H5N1 HPAI were detected in commercial poultry (n=9) and wild birds kept in captivity (n=1). The outbreaks in 2006 and 2007 were caused by genetically similar but clearly distinguishable viruses of the 2.2 clade. In 2013, an H9N2 avian influenza virus was detected in 4 fattening turkey holdings. The virus was low pathogenic and a phylogenetic study has shown a close relatedness to the Eurasian lineage of AIV of the wild bird origin. Neither preventive nor prophylactic vaccinations have ever been used in poultry or other birds. Emergency vaccinations using autogenous vaccine were introduced only to control the H7N7 LPAI outbreaks in 1995. The baseline surveillance for AI in live migratory birds and poultry provides a valuable insight into the ecology of AIV at the wild and domestic bird interface. Passive surveillance is in place of early detection of HPAIV infection in dead or moribund birds

Avian Bornaviruses in Wild Aquatic Birds of the Anseriformes Order in Poland

Bornaviruses are a diverse family of viruses infecting various hosts, including birds. Aquatic bird bornavirus 1 (ABBV-1) and aquatic bird bornavirus 2 (ABBV-2) have been found in wild waterfowl but data on their prevalence are scarce. To gain knowledge on the occurrence of ABBVs in Poland, samples originating from dead birds of the Anseriformes order collected in 2016–2021 were tested with a real time RT-PCR method targeting the ABBVs genome. A total of 514 birds were examined, including 401 swans, 96 ducks and 17 geese. The presence of ABBV-1 RNA was detected in 52 swans (10.1% of all tested birds) from 40 different locations. No positive results were obtained for ducks and geese. Sequences of about 2300 bases were generated for 18 viruses and phylogenetic analysis was performed. A relatively low genetic diversity of the examined ABBV-1 strains was observed as all were gathered in a single cluster in the phylogenetic tree and the minimum nucleotide identity was 99.14%. The Polish strains were closely related to ABBV-1 identified previously in Denmark and Germany, but a limited number of sequences from Europe hinders the drawing of conclusions about interconnections between Polish and other European ABBVs. The results of the present study provide new insights into the distribution and genetic characteristics of ABBVs in wild birds in Europe

Phylogenetic studies of H3 low pathogenic avian influenza viruses isolated from wild mallards in Poland

In order to study the variation of low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (AIV) of H3 subtype in the natural reservoir, partial genetic characterisation of four AIV isolates of H3 subtype, recovered from wild mallards in Poland in 2006–2010, was performed. Phylogenetic analysis clearly confirms that there is a constant flow of AIV H3 between wild birds in Eurasia and Africa, and, to a limited degree, to North America (Alaska), with an occasional spill-over to poultry. The analysis of the PA gene of one isolate from 2010 suggests that it is closely related to several HPAI H5N1 viruses belonging to clade 2.3.2 and that, therefore, a reassortment event has occurred recently between low pathogenic and H5N1 highly pathogenic AIV