Impact of Groundwater Flow on Permafrost Degradation and Transportation Infrastructure Stability

INE/AUTC 13.0

Weekly Intra-Amniotic IGF-1 Treatment Increases Growth of Growth-Restricted Ovine Fetuses and Up-Regulates Placental Amino Acid Transporters

Frequent treatment of the growth-restricted (IUGR) ovine fetus with intra-amniotic IGF-1 increases fetal growth. We aimed to determine whether increased growth was maintained with an extended dosing interval and to examine possible mechanisms. Pregnant ewes were allocated to three groups: Control, and two IUGR groups (induced by placental embolization) treated with weekly intra-amniotic injections of either saline (IUGR) or 360 µg IGF-1 (IGF1). IUGR fetuses were hypoxic, hyperuremic, hypoglycemic, and grew more slowly than controls. Placental glucose uptake and SLC2A1 (GLUT2) mRNA levels decreased in IUGR fetuses, but SLC2A3 (GLUT3) and SLC2A4 (GLUT4) levels were unaffected. IGF-1 treatment increased fetal growth rate, did not alter uterine blood flow or placental glucose uptake, and increased placental SLC2A1 and SLC2A4 (but not SLC2A3) mRNA levels compared with saline-treated IUGR animals. Following IGF-1 treatment, placental mRNA levels of isoforms of the system A, y+, and L amino acid transporters increased 1.3 to 5.0 fold, while the ratio of phosphorylated-mTOR to total mTOR also tended to increase. Weekly intra-amniotic IGF-1 treatment provides a promising avenue for intra-uterine treatment of IUGR babies, and may act via increased fetal substrate supply, up-regulating placental transporters for neutral, cationic, and branched-chain amino acids, possibly via increased activation of the mTOR pathway

West nile virus and related flavivirus in european wild boar (Sus scrofa), latium region, Italy: A retrospective study

Background: A retrospective sero-survey for evidence of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in European wild boar (Sus scorfa) was conducted in the Latium region, Italy, on stored serum samples of the period November 2011 to January 2012. Methods: Sera were collected from 168 European wild boars and screened for antibodies to WNV and other Flaviviruses by competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). All sera positive for Flavivirus antibodies by cELISA were further examined by virus neutralization test (VNT). To test the presence of Flavivirus RNA in samples, an RT-PCR was performed using a pan-Flavivirus primers pair. Results: Thirteen wild boars (7.73%) were seropositive for Flaviviruses. The hemolysis of serum samples limited the interpretation of the VNT for 7 samples, confirming the presence of specific antibody against WNV in a single European wild boar serum sample. The presence of ELISA positive/VNT negative samples suggests the occurrence of non-neutralizing antibodies against WNV or other antigen-related Flaviviruses. No samples resulted positive for Flavivirus by RT-PCR assay. Conclusion: Although a moderately high percentage of animals with specific antibody for WNV has been detected in wild boar in other surveillance studies in Europe, this has not been reported previously in Italy. Together, these data indicate that European wild boar are exposed to WNV and/or other related-Flavivirus in central Italy and confirm the usefulness of wild ungulates, as suitable Flavivirus sentinels

Identification of virulence factors in 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer genotyped Staphylococcus aureus isolated from water buffaloes and small ruminants

Staphylococcus aureus is an important human and animal pathogen, and is regarded as an important cause of intramammary infection (IMI) in ruminants. Staphylococcus aureus genetic variability and virulence factors have been well studied in veterinary medicine, especially in cows as support for control and management of IMI. The aim of the present study was to genotype 71 Staph. aureus isolates from the bulk tank and foremilk of water buffaloes (n. = 40) and from udder tissue (n. = 7) and foremilk (n. = 24) from small ruminants. The method used was previously applied to bovine Staph. aureus and is based on the amplification of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region. The technique applied was able to identify different Staph. aureus genotypes isolated from dairy species other than the bovine species, and cluster the genotypes according to species and herds. Virulence gene distribution was consistent with genotype differentiation. The isolates were also characterized through determination of the presence of 19 virulence-associated genes by specific PCR. Enterotoxins A, C, D, G, I, J, and L were associated with Staph. aureus isolates from buffaloes, whereas enterotoxins C and L were linked to small ruminants. Genes coding for methicillin resistance, Panton-Valentine leukocidin, exfoliative toxins A and B, and enterotoxins B, E, and H were undetected. These findings indicate that RNA template-specific PCR is a valid technique for typing Staph. aureus from buffaloes and small ruminants and is a useful tool for understanding udder infection epidemiology

Prevalence of Hepatitis E Virus in Wild Boar (Sus Scrofa) in Latium Region

Objectives Hepatitis E is a leading cause of acute viral hepatitis in tropical and subtropical countries due to a small RNA virus, the Hepatitis E virus (HEV). In recent years, an increasing number of autochthonous human infections have been reported in industrialized countries that involve HEV genotypes 3 and 4. Genotype 3 is the main HEV type circulating in swine, and is also reported in sporadic cases of hepatitis E in humans worldwide. To date only one serotype has been described Although, swine HEV strains have been detected in pig herds in many European countries, only few information is presently available about the circulation and the prevalence of HEV in wild boars in Italy. The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is widely diffuse in Appennino mountains in central and southern Italy. This wild animal can leave its natural habitat to come into contact with domestic animals. For this reason, it is a potential source of infectious diseases not only for animals (wild and domestic) but also for humans. Methods In this study, we investigated the presence of HEV in a wild boar population in Italy. The prevalence of HEV infection was determined in 228 wild boar (Sus scrofa) harvested during the 2010–2011 hunting season in Latium region, central Italy. A serum-survey to detect anti-HEV antibodies was performed using a commercial ELISA assay previously validated for use in wild boar. Mean seroprevalence in the studied animal group was 64%. Bile, liver and faeces were also collected, and HEV RNA was detected by nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, amplifying a fragment of the ORF27. Positive DNA PCR products, were excised from agarose gels and purified using the QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit following manufacturer's instructions. Results Mean seroprevalence in the studied animal group was 64%. Fifteen out of 35 tested wild boar samples (42.8 %) were positive for HEV RNA in at least one sample. Genetic characterization of wild boar strains identified was performed by sequencing and database alignment. Unfortunately, it was not possible to sequence all samples due to the low amount of DNA. Phylogenetic analysis on the nucleotide sequences from 6 positive PCR products indicated that all strains belonged to genotype 3. Conclusion Wild boars can be carriers of pathogens such as hepatitis E. The handling and preparation of domestic raw wild boar meat before to cooking treatment, can lead to cross contamination of other foods of breeding domestic pigs outdoors, in areas in close contact with wild boar, may increase the risk of transmission of these pathogens between the two groups

Wild boar: A sentinel model for flavivirus surveillance in wildrness areas

The West Nile Disease is a not contagious infections disease caused by a Flavivirus trasmitted by different species of Culicoides. These zoonosic disease is tramits in many animals included wild boar. Samples collected by teams of hunters was analysed for positivity and geographical position of wild boars. posityvity was descovery out of the buffer zones near to the Aurunci Natural Park and partially overlapped with one of the surveillance zones