Evaluation of the Pathogenicity and the Escape from Vaccine Protection of a New Antigenic Variant Derived from the European Human-Like Reassortant Swine H1N2 Influenza Virus

The surveillance of swine influenza A viruses in France revealed the emergence of an antigenic variant following deletions and mutations that are fixed in the HA-encoding gene of the European human-like reassortant swine H1N2 lineage. In this study, we compared the outcomes of the parental (H1huN2) and variant (H1huN2Δ14–147) virus infections in experimentally-inoculated piglets. Moreover, we assessed and compared the protection that was conferred by an inactivated vaccine currently licensed in Europe. Three groups of five unvaccinated or vaccinated piglets were inoculated with H1huN2 or H1huN2Δ14–147 or mock-inoculated, respectively. In unvaccinated piglets, the variant strain induced greater clinical signs than the parental virus, in relation to a higher inflammatory response that involves TNF-α production and a huge afflux of granulocytes into the lung. However, both infections led to similar levels of virus excretion and adaptive (humoral and cellular) immune responses in blood. The vaccinated animals were clinically protected from both infectious challenges and did not exhibit any inflammatory responses, regardless the inoculated virus. However, whereas vaccination prevented virus shedding in H1huN2-infected animals, it did not completely inhibit the multiplication of the variant strain, since live virus particles were detected in nasal secretions that were taken from H1huN2Δ14–147-inoculated vaccinated piglets. This difference in the level of vaccine protection was probably related to the poorer ability of the post-vaccine antibodies to neutralize the variant virus than the parental virus, even though post-vaccine cellular immunity appeared to be equally effective against both viruses. These results suggest that vaccine antigens would potentially need to be updated if this variant becomes established in Europe

Assessment of Influenza D Virus in Domestic Pigs and Wild Boars in France: Apparent Limited Spread within Swine Populations Despite Serological Evidence of Breeding Sow Exposure

In order to assess influenza D virus (IDV) infections in swine in France, reference reagents were produced in specific pathogen free pigs to ensure serological and virological analyses. Hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays were carried out on 2090 domestic pig sera collected in 2012–2018 in 102 farms. Only 31 sera from breeding sows sampled in 2014–2015 in six farrow-to-finish herds with respiratory disorders contained IDV-specific antibodies. In two of them, within-herd percentage of positive samples (73.3% and 13.3%, respectively) and HI titers (20–160) suggested IDV infections, but virus persistence was not confirmed following new sampling in 2017. All growing pigs tested seronegative, whatever their age and the sampling year. Moreover, PB1-gene RT-qPCR performed on 452 nasal swabs taken in 2015–2018 on pigs with acute respiratory syndrome (137 farms) gave negative results. In Corse, a Mediterranean island where pigs are mainly bred free-range, 2.3% of sera (n = 177) sampled on adult pigs in 2013–2014 obtained low HI titers. Finally, 0.5% of sera from wild boars hunted in 2009–2016 (n = 644) tested positive with low HI titers. These results provide the first serological evidence that sows were exposed to IDV in France but with a limited spread within the swine population

Successive Inoculations of Pigs with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus 1 (PRRSV-1) and Swine H1N2 Influenza Virus Suggest a Mutual Interference between the Two Viral Infections

International audiencePorcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and swine influenza A virus (swIAV) are major pathogens of the porcine respiratory disease complex, but little is known on their interaction in super-infected pigs. In this study, we investigated clinical, virological and immunological outcomes of successive infections with PRRSV-1 and H1N2 swIAV. Twenty-four specific pathogen-free piglets were distributed into four groups and inoculated either with PRRSV at study day (SD) 0, or with swIAV at SD8, or with PRRSV and swIAV one week apart at SD0 and SD8, respectively, or mock-inoculated. In PRRSV/swIAV group, the clinical signs usually observed after swIAV infection were attenuated while higher levels of anti-swIAV antibodies were measured in lungs. Concurrently, PRRSV multiplication in lungs was significantly affected by swIAV infection, whereas the cell-mediated immune response specific to PRRSV was detected earlier in blood, as compared to PRRSV group. Moreover, levels of interferon (IFN)-α measured from SD9 in the blood of super-infected pigs were lower than those measured in the swIAV group, but higher than in the PRRSV group at the same time. Correlation analyses suggested an important role of IFN-α in the two-way interference highlighted between both viral infections

Detection of Listeria monocytogenes in raw and pasteurized liquid whole eggs and characterization by PFGE.

International audienceListeria monocytogenes has been recognized as a human pathogen for decades and is known to be an important foodborne pathogen. There have been no documented foodborne L. monocytogenes illnesses due to the consumption of eggs or egg products, even though the bacterium has been isolated from faeces, body fluid, and oviducts of asymptomatic laying hens. In order to describe L. monocytogenes contamination of egg products, 144 liquid whole egg samples were collected from 3 different egg-breaking plants during 3 sampling periods. L. monocytogenes detection was performed on raw samples stored at 2 degrees C for two days (D+2) and on pasteurized samples stored at 2 degrees C at D+2 and at shelf-life date (SLD). L. monocytogenes was detected in 25 of the 144 raw egg samples collected, in 4 of the 144 pasteurized egg samples at D+2 and in 2 of the 144 ones analysed at SLD. Contamination of raw egg products appeared to be season dependant and was higher during summer and winter than during autumn. One hundred and ninety-six L. monocytogenes isolates were collected and serotyped; 3 serovars were demonstrated. The dominant serovar was L. monocytogenes 1/2a which was presented by 94.4% of the isolates. Typing of 196 L. monocytogenes isolates was carried out by macrorestriction of the genomic DNA with ApaI and AscI enzymes followed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). A large diversity was observed with 21 genotypes of L. monocytogenes, even for a given manufacturer. Nevertheless, most of the egg product samples were contaminated by one genotype, except for five samples which were contaminated by two or three distinct genotypes. The genotypes seem to be specific to each manufacturer. No cluster of L. monocytogenes was found to recur in the different plants over successive seasons

Serological Evidence of Backyard Pig Exposure to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N8 Virus during 2016–2017 Epizootic in France

In autumn/winter 2016–2017, HPAI-H5N8 viruses belonging to the A/goose/Guandong/1/1996 (Gs/Gd) lineage, clade 2.3.4.4b, were responsible for outbreaks in domestic poultry in Europe, and veterinarians were requested to reinforce surveillance of pigs bred in HPAI-H5Nx confirmed mixed herds. In this context, ten pig herds were visited in southwestern France from December 2016 to May 2017 and serological analyses for influenza A virus (IAV) infections were carried out by ELISA and hemagglutination inhibition assays. In one herd, one backyard pig was shown to have produced antibodies directed against a virus bearing a H5 from clade 2.3.4.4b, suggesting it would have been infected naturally after close contact with HPAI-H5N8 contaminated domestic ducks. Whereas pigs and other mammals, including humans, may have limited sensitivity to HPAI-H5 clade 2.3.4.4b, this information recalls the importance of implementing appropriate biosecurity measures in pig and poultry farms to avoid IAV interspecies transmission, a prerequisite for co-infections and subsequent emergence of new viral genotypes whose impact on both animal and human health cannot be predicted

L'Alliance internationale

novembre 19701970/11 (N58)