The role of the infection status of sows on the assignment as Salmonella risk farm in the Belgian Salmonella control program

Salmonella surveillance and control programs arc generally based on results of samples taken from the fattening pigs and intervention measures are limited to the fattening unit. To evaluate the role of the sows in the assignment as Salmonella risk herd we compared the serological status from sows at risk herds to the status of sows at non-risk farms. From this study it is clear that the role of the sows and their serological Salmonella status is a potential influencing factor for the assignment of Salmonella risk farms in the Belgian Salmonella control program, which is principally based on sampling of fattening pigs. More insight in the role of the sow as a reservoir for Salmonella infections might help to define important intervention measures at pre-harvest stage

Bacteriological prevalence in finishing pig farms assigned as Salmonella risk farms by serological screening

The Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) installed a National Salmonella surveillance and control program in pigs, the Salmonella Action Plan (SAP), which became compulsory by means of a Royal act in July 2007. Assignment as Salmonella risk farm is based on serological analysis of blood samples collected from the fattening pigs. The knowledge of prevailing serovars of Salmonella by bacteriological methods is essential to develop and/or evaluate the serological method. In 57% of all the assigned farms, based on serological screening (~ mean SIP-ratio\u27s), there is \u27firm evidence\u27 by bacteriological isolation. This suggests that a sufficient correlation is achieved at herd level in the first stage of the Salmonella Action Plan

Monocyte-driven atypical cytokine storm and aberrant neutrophil activation as key mediators of COVID-19 disease severity.

Epidemiological and clinical reports indicate that SARS-CoV-2 virulence hinges upon the triggering of an aberrant host immune response, more so than on direct virus-induced cellular damage. To elucidate the immunopathology underlying COVID-19 severity, we perform cytokine and multiplex immune profiling in COVID-19 patients. We show that hypercytokinemia in COVID-19 differs from the interferon-gamma-driven cytokine storm in macrophage activation syndrome, and is more pronounced in critical versus mild-moderate COVID-19. Systems modelling of cytokine levels paired with deep-immune profiling shows that classical monocytes drive this hyper-inflammatory phenotype and that a reduction in T-lymphocytes correlates with disease severity, with CD8+ cells being disproportionately affected. Antigen presenting machinery expression is also reduced in critical disease. Furthermore, we report that neutrophils contribute to disease severity and local tissue damage by amplification of hypercytokinemia and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps. Together our findings suggest a myeloid-driven immunopathology, in which hyperactivated neutrophils and an ineffective adaptive immune system act as mediators of COVID-19 disease severity

Impaired Carbohydrate Digestion and Transport and Mucosal Dysbiosis in the Intestines of Children with Autism and Gastrointestinal Disturbances

Gastrointestinal disturbances are commonly reported in children with autism, complicate clinical management, and may contribute to behavioral impairment. Reports of deficiencies in disaccharidase enzymatic activity and of beneficial responses to probiotic and dietary therapies led us to survey gene expression and the mucoepithelial microbiota in intestinal biopsies from children with autism and gastrointestinal disease and children with gastrointestinal disease alone. Ileal transcripts encoding disaccharidases and hexose transporters were deficient in children with autism, indicating impairment of the primary pathway for carbohydrate digestion and transport in enterocytes. Deficient expression of these enzymes and transporters was associated with expression of the intestinal transcription factor, CDX2. Metagenomic analysis of intestinal bacteria revealed compositional dysbiosis manifest as decreases in Bacteroidetes, increases in the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes, and increases in Betaproteobacteria. Expression levels of disaccharidases and transporters were associated with the abundance of affected bacterial phylotypes. These results indicate a relationship between human intestinal gene expression and bacterial community structure and may provide insights into the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal disturbances in children with autism

Energetic particle influence on the Earth's atmosphere

This manuscript gives an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the effects of energetic particle precipitation (EPP) onto the whole atmosphere, from the lower thermosphere/mesosphere through the stratosphere and troposphere, to the surface. The paper summarizes the different sources and energies of particles, principally galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), solar energetic particles (SEPs) and energetic electron precipitation (EEP). All the proposed mechanisms by which EPP can affect the atmosphere are discussed, including chemical changes in the upper atmosphere and lower thermosphere, chemistry-dynamics feedbacks, the global electric circuit and cloud formation. The role of energetic particles in Earth’s atmosphere is a multi-disciplinary problem that requires expertise from a range of scientific backgrounds. To assist with this synergy, summary tables are provided, which are intended to evaluate the level of current knowledge of the effects of energetic particles on processes in the entire atmosphere

The role of the infection status of sows on the assignment as Salmonella risk farm in the Belgian Salmonella control program

Salmonella surveillance and control programs arc generally based on results of samples taken from the fattening pigs and intervention measures are limited to the fattening unit. To evaluate the role of the sows in the assignment as Salmonella risk herd we compared the serological status from sows at risk herds to the status of sows at non-risk farms. From this study it is clear that the role of the sows and their serological Salmonella status is a potential influencing factor for the assignment of Salmonella risk farms in the Belgian Salmonella control program, which is principally based on sampling of fattening pigs. More insight in the role of the sow as a reservoir for Salmonella infections might help to define important intervention measures at pre-harvest stage.</p

Bacteriological prevalence in finishing pig farms assigned as Salmonella risk farms by serological screening

The Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) installed a National Salmonella surveillance and control program in pigs, the Salmonella Action Plan (SAP), which became compulsory by means of a Royal act in July 2007. Assignment as Salmonella risk farm is based on serological analysis of blood samples collected from the fattening pigs. The knowledge of prevailing serovars of Salmonella by bacteriological methods is essential to develop and/or evaluate the serological method. In 57% of all the assigned farms, based on serological screening (~ mean SIP-ratio's), there is 'firm evidence' by bacteriological isolation. This suggests that a sufficient correlation is achieved at herd level in the first stage of the Salmonella Action Plan.</p

Genetic association and functional role of Crohn disease risk alleles involved in microbial sensing, autophagy, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress.

Genome-wide association studies have identified several genes implicated in autophagy (ATG16L1, IRGM, ULK1, LRRK2, and MTMR3), intracellular bacterial sensing (NOD2), and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress (XBP1 and ORMDL3) to be associated with Crohn disease (CD). We studied the known CD-associated variants in these genes in a large cohort of 3451 individuals (1744 CD patients, 793 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients and 914 healthy controls). We also investigated the functional phenotype linked to these genetic variants. Association with CD was confirmed for NOD2, ATG16L1, IRGM, MTMR3, and ORMDL3. The risk for developing CD increased with an increasing number of risk alleles for these genes (P<0.001, OR 1.26 [1.20 to 1.32]). Three times as many (34.8%) CD patients carried a risk allele in all three pathways, in contrast to 13.3% of the controls (P<0.0001, OR = 3.46 [2.77 to 4.32]). For UC, no significant association for one single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was found, but the risk for development of UC increased with an increasing total number of risk alleles (P = 0.001, OR = 1.10 [1.04 to 1.17]). We found a genetic interaction between reference SNP (rs)2241880 (ATG16L1) and rs10065172 (IRGM) in CD. Functional experiments hinted toward an association between an increased genetic risk and an augmented inflammatory status, highlighting the relevance of the genetic findings