Evidence of shared bovine viral diarrhea infections between red deer and extensively raised cattle in south-central Spain

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a pestivirus that affects cattle production worldwide and that can infect other ungulates such as cervids and even wild boar (Sus scrofa). It is believed that domestic livestock can become infected through contact with wild animals, though it is known that infection can spread among wild animals in the absence of contact with livestock. Little is known about the sharing of BVDV infection between wild and domestic animals in the same habitat, which is important for designing eradication campaigns and preventing outbreaks, especially on hunting estates with high animal densities

First molecular detection and characterization of herpesvirus and poxvirus in a Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)

BACKGROUND Herpesvirus and poxvirus can infect a wide range of species: herpesvirus genetic material has been detected and amplified in five species of the superfamily Pinnipedia; poxvirus genetic material, in eight species of Pinnipedia. To date, however, genetic material of these viruses has not been detected in walrus (Odobenus rosmarus), another marine mammal of the Pinnipedia clade, even though anti-herpesvirus antibodies have been detected in these animals. CASE PRESENTATION In February 2013, a 9-year-old healthy captive female Pacific walrus died unexpectedly at L'Oceanografic (Valencia, Spain). Herpesvirus was detected in pharyngeal tonsil tissue by PCR. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the virus belongs to the subfamily Gammaherpesvirinae. Poxvirus was also detected by PCR in skin, pre-scapular and tracheobronchial lymph nodes and tonsils. Gross lesions were not detected in any tissue, but histopathological analyses of pharyngeal tonsils and lymph nodes revealed remarkable lymphoid depletion and lymphocytolysis. Similar histopathological lesions have been previously described in bovine calves infected with an alphaherpesvirus, and in northern elephant seals infected with a gammaherpesvirus that is closely related to the herpesvirus found in this case. Intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusion bodies, consistent with poxviral infection, were also observed in the epithelium of the tonsilar mucosa. CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this is the first molecular identification of herpesvirus and poxvirus in a walrus. Neither virus was likely to have contributed directly to the death of our animal

Evaluation of the clinical evolution and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection in cats by simulating natural routes of infection

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the current pandemic disease denominated as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Several studies suggest that the original source of this virus was a spillover from an animal reservoir and its subsequent adaptation to humans. Of all the different animals affected, cats are one of the most susceptible species. Moreover, several cases of natural infection in domestic and stray cats have been reported in the last few months. Although experimental infection assays have demonstrated that cats are successfully infected and can transmit the virus to other cats by aerosol, the conditions used for these experiments have not been specified in terms of ventilation. We have, therefore, evaluated the susceptibility of cats using routes of infection similar to those expected under natural conditions (exposure to a sneeze, cough, or contaminated environment) by aerosol and oral infection. We have also evaluated the transmission capacity among infected and naïve cats using different air exchange levels. Despite being infected using natural routes and shed virus for a long period, the cats did not transmit the virus to contact cats when air renovation features were employed. The infected animals also developed gross and histological lesions in several organs. These outcomes confirm that cats are at risk of infection when exposed to infected people, but do not transmit the virus to other cats with high rates of air renovation

Improvement in quality of life with sacubitril/ /valsartan in cardiac resynchronization non-responders: The RESINA (RESynchronization plus an Inhibitor of Neprilysin/Angiotensin) registry

Background: Clinical management of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) non-responders is difficult, and their prognosis is poor. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether treatment with sacubitril/valsartan can improve quality of life (QoL) parameters in these patients. Methods: Thirty five non-responders to CRT were included (75 ± 7 years, 28% females, mean left ventricular ejection fraction 28 ± 8%, 54% non-ischemic cardiomyopathy) with maximally optimized drug therapy and New York Heart Association class II–III. They were all on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers and were switched to sacubitril/valsartan. One week before and 6 months after initiation of the therapy they completed both the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure (MLWHF) and the 12-item Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaires (KCCQ-12). The primary outcome was the effect of sacubitril/valsartan on the physical, clinical, social and emotional QoL parameters and number of hospitalizations. Results: The mean total scores of both questionnaires improved from baseline to the follow-up visit at 6-months (KCCQ-12 40 ± 10 to 47 ± 10; p < 0.001; MLWHF 40 ± 15 to 29 ± 15; p < 0.001). The best results were seen in the KCCQ-12 total symptom domains (77% improvement), the MLWHF physical domain (81% improvement), and the MLWHF emotional domain (71% improvement). Two patients died during follow-up. The mean number of hospitalizations reduced significantly (1 ± 0.6 vs. 0.5 ± 0.8; p = 0.003) Conclusions: In CRT non-responders, sacubitril/valsartan significantly improved overall QoL, physical limitations and emotional domains and reduced the number of hospitalizations

Adenovirus-vectored African Swine Fever Virus Antigens Cocktail Is Not Protective against Virulent Arm07 Isolate in Eurasian Wild Boar

African swine fever (ASF) is a viral disease of domestic and wild suids for which there is currently no vaccine or treatment available. The recent spread of ASF virus (ASFV) through Europe and Asia is causing enormous economic and animal losses. Unfortunately, the measures taken so far are insufficient and an effective vaccine against ASFV needs to be urgently developed. We hypothesized that immunization with a cocktail of thirty-five rationally selected antigens would improve the protective efficacy of subunit vaccine prototypes given that the combination of fewer immunogenic antigens (between 2 and 22) has failed to elicit protective efficacy. To this end, immunogenicity and efficacy of thirty-five adenovirus-vectored ASFV antigens were evaluated in wild boar. The treated animals were divided into different groups to test the use of BioMize adjuvant and different inoculation strategies. Forty-eight days after priming, the nine treated and two control wild boar were challenged with the virulent ASFV Arm07 isolate. All animals showed clinical signs and pathological findings consistent with ASF. This lack of protection is in line with other studies with subunit vaccine prototypes, demonstrating that there is still much room for improvement to obtain an effective subunit ASFV vaccine

Large-scale study on virological and serological prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in cats and dogs in Spain

The disease produced by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is currently one of the primary concerns worldwide. Knowing the zoonotic origin of the disease and that several animal species, including dogs and cats, are susceptible to viral infection, it is critical to assess the relevance of pets in this pandemic. Here, we performed a large-scale study on SARS-CoV-2 serological and viral prevalence in cats and dogs in Spain in order to elucidate their role and susceptibility. Samples from animals in contact with COVID-19 positive people and/or compatible symptoms (n = 492), as well as from random animals (n = 1024), were taken. Despite the large number of animals analyzed, only 12 animals (eight dogs and four cats), which represents 0.79% of the total analyzed animals (n = 1516), were positive for viral SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) in which viral isolation was possible in four animals. We detected neutralizing antibodies in 34 animals, four of them were also positive for PCR. This study evidences that pets are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection in natural conditions but at a low level, as evidenced by the low percentage of positive animals detected, being infected humans the main source of infection. However, the inclusion of animals in the surveillance of COVID-19 is still recommended.Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), Grant/Award Number: COV20/01385Peer reviewe

With flowers to La Atkins

Photobook, Flowers, Gardens, Vegetables, Plants, World Photobook Day, International Photobook Day, 2021Anna Atkins nos regaló un fotolibro de algas, maravillosamente azules, que son como flores del mundo subacuático. Este año, para celebrar el Día Internacional del Fotolibro 2021, os proponemos hacer un fotolibro colectivo que será como un ramo de flores para Anna. Se trata de hacer fotos a flores, hierbas, plantas, hierbajos, suculentas, cactus... Las fotos nos van a permitir poner en el ramo lo que más nos guste sin preocuparnos de los problemas que nos daría una pieza floral fresca. Podéis sacar la foto a una flor o planta viva, vuestra o de un jardín público o del campo Podéis fotografiar algo de un herbario o una flor prensada que guardabais dentro de un libro Podéis fotografiar una foto de una flor Podéis sacarle una foto a una flor de plástico Podéis fotografiar un dibujo o una pintura (con motivos florales o vegetales, claro) Podéis fotografiar una planta carnívora (en ayunas o haciendo la digestión) Podéis fotografiar flores del mal o del "buenri" Siempre que sea vegetal y/o floral entrará en este libro ramo para Anna. ¡Queremos tanto a Anna! Vamos a mandarle flores como para una boda, como para un fiestón, como para una diva de la ópera que no conoce las alergias y le cabe de todo en el camerino, como para la primavera que está comenzando en el Cono Sur. Organizan: Biblioteca de la Facultad de Bellas Artes de la UCM Photobook Club MadridFac. de Bellas Artesunpu

CARB-ES-19 Multicenter Study of Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli From All Spanish Provinces Reveals Interregional Spread of High-Risk Clones Such as ST307/OXA-48 and ST512/KPC-3

ObjectivesCARB-ES-19 is a comprehensive, multicenter, nationwide study integrating whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in the surveillance of carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (CP-Kpn) and E. coli (CP-Eco) to determine their incidence, geographical distribution, phylogeny, and resistance mechanisms in Spain.MethodsIn total, 71 hospitals, representing all 50 Spanish provinces, collected the first 10 isolates per hospital (February to May 2019); CPE isolates were first identified according to EUCAST (meropenem MIC > 0.12 mg/L with immunochromatography, colorimetric tests, carbapenem inactivation, or carbapenem hydrolysis with MALDI-TOF). Prevalence and incidence were calculated according to population denominators. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the microdilution method (EUCAST). All 403 isolates collected were sequenced for high-resolution single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing, core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST), and resistome analysis.ResultsIn total, 377 (93.5%) CP-Kpn and 26 (6.5%) CP-Eco isolates were collected from 62 (87.3%) hospitals in 46 (92%) provinces. CP-Kpn was more prevalent in the blood (5.8%, 50/853) than in the urine (1.4%, 201/14,464). The cumulative incidence for both CP-Kpn and CP-Eco was 0.05 per 100 admitted patients. The main carbapenemase genes identified in CP-Kpn were blaOXA–48 (263/377), blaKPC–3 (62/377), blaVIM–1 (28/377), and blaNDM–1 (12/377). All isolates were susceptible to at least two antibiotics. Interregional dissemination of eight high-risk CP-Kpn clones was detected, mainly ST307/OXA-48 (16.4%), ST11/OXA-48 (16.4%), and ST512-ST258/KPC (13.8%). ST512/KPC and ST15/OXA-48 were the most frequent bacteremia-causative clones. The average number of acquired resistance genes was higher in CP-Kpn (7.9) than in CP-Eco (5.5).ConclusionThis study serves as a first step toward WGS integration in the surveillance of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales in Spain. We detected important epidemiological changes, including increased CP-Kpn and CP-Eco prevalence and incidence compared to previous studies, wide interregional dissemination, and increased dissemination of high-risk clones, such as ST307/OXA-48 and ST512/KPC-3

Evidence of shared bovine viral diarrhea infections between red deer and extensively raised cattle in south-central Spain

[Background]: Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a pestivirus that affects cattle production worldwide and that can infect other ungulates such as cervids and even wild boar (Sus scrofa). It is believed that domestic livestock can become infected through contact with wild animals, though it is known that infection can spread among wild animals in the absence of contact with livestock. Little is known about the sharing of BVDV infection between wild and domestic animals in the same habitat, which is important for designing eradication campaigns and preventing outbreaks, especially on hunting estates with high animal densities. [Results]: We assessed the sharing of BVDV infections among hunted red deer, wild boar and cattle in south-central Spain. Sampled red deer (Cervus elaphus; n = 267) and wild boar (n = 52) were located on 19 hunting estates, and cattle (n = 180) were located on 18 nearby farms. We used ELISA kits for the serological screening, Taqman RT-PCR assay for the virus determination, and subsequent phylogenetic analysis for 17 RT-PCR positive sample amplicons. Fifty-two red deer (19.5 %) and 82 cattle (45.6 %) samples tested positive by ELISA. A high apparent prevalence (22.47 %) was obtained for red deer, while only five cattle farms tested positive by RT-PCR. Conversely, no wild boar tested positive by both ELISA or RT-PCR. Eleven red deer (4.1 %) tested positive by both ELISA and RT-PCR; these animals may have been sampled during the last phase of viremia, or they may represent previously exposed individuals infected by a different BVDV strain. The amplicons shared 92.7-100 % identity and fell within the BVDV subgroup 1b, although nine of these (from four red deer and five cattle pools) formed a separate branch. This suggests that there might be a common BVDV infecting both cattle and red deer. Higher red deer abundance was significantly associated with greater risk that extensively raised cattle would test positive for BVDV by ELISA. [Conclusions]: Our findings suggest that BVDV is circulating between cattle and red deer populations in proximity, but further work is required to determine whether they share the same strain(s). These results suggest the potential of BVDV to serve as a surveillance marker in these shared habitats. High seroprevalence of BVDV in red deer from our study area suggests that although BVDV infection is common, animals usually survive the infection. Further research is needed to verify and investigate the role of red deer as a BVDV reservoir.The present work has benefited from financial aid from the following research grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness: MINECO and AGL2013-48523-C3-1-R. This is also a contribution to EU FP7 EMIDA ERA-NET project APHAEA on wildlife disease surveillance. Víctor Rodríguez-Prieto held an FPU pre-doctoral scholarship, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science.We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).Peer Reviewe

Detection of antibodies against Mycobacterium bovis in oral fluid from Eurasian wild boar

This article belongs to the Special Issue Tuberculosis Epidemiology and Control in Multi-Host Systems.The presence of Mycobacterium bovis and other members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) is a main concern in wildlife populations such as the Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa). Tests detecting antibodies against the MTC are valuable for tuberculosis (TB) monitoring and control and particularly useful in suids. The development of accurate, efficient, and non-invasive new tools to detect exposure to MTC would be highly beneficial for improving disease surveillance. This study aimed to determine if antibodies against MTC could be detected in oral fluid (OF) samples by a new ELISA test (IgG detection) from naturally TB-infected wild boar. For this, individual, paired serum and OF samples were collected from 148 live wild boar in two TB-status areas from Spain and quantitatively used to validate the new ELISA test. Antibodies against MTC were widely detected in OF samples, for which a significant positive correlation (r = 0.83) was found with the validated serology test. OF ELISA sensitivity and specificity were 67.3% and 100%, respectively. The results of this work suggest that OF samples have the potential to be used for MTC diagnosis as a further step in TB surveillance and control in suid populations. Based on our results, further research is warranted and could be performed using non-invasive new tools directly in field conditions to detect exposure to MTC.The present work has benefited from the financial support of the Spanish project RTA2015-00033-C02-02 (INIA) and European project H2020 VACDIVA 862874. J.A.B. was supported by Juan de la Cierva contracts FJCI-2015-23643 from MINECO-UCM and IJCI-2017-33539.Peer reviewe