Multiyear Surveillance for Avian Influenza Virus in Waterfowl from Wintering Grounds, Texas Coast, USA

This surveillance can help in assessments of the prevalence of wild animal-to-human transmission

Avian Influenza Viruses in Coastal Louisiana Waterfowl: Host and Environmental Factors Affecting Prevalence and Viral Persistence.

Cloacal and tracheal swabs were collected from 1,389 hunter-killed ducks in Cameron Parish, Louisiana during the 1986 and 1987 waterfowl seasons. These included 605 blue-winged teal (Anas discors), 75 mottled ducks (A. fulvigula), 375 gadwalls (A. strepera) and 334 green-winged teal (A. crecca). Twenty-eight avian influenza viruses (AIVs) were isolated. Prevalence estimates of AIV in ducks during September, November and December/January were 3.1%, 2.1%, and 0.4%, respectively. Differences in prevalence were detected by season ($P$ =.044) and age class ($P$ =.036). Two isolations from resident mottled ducks indicate local transmission of AIV on these wintering areas. Much subtype diversity was present with 9 of 13 HA and 9 of 9 NA subtypes recovered. Predominant subtypes were typical of AIVs commonly associated with waterfowl. A plaque assay served as an in vitro test of pathogenicity. Results for 18 of 28 AIVs were consistent with expected values for viruses of low-pathogenicity in chickens. Linear regression models for five AIVs demonstrated that at an initial titer of 1 $\times$ 10\sp6TCID\sb{50}, infectivity would persist in distilled water for up to 207 days at 17 C and 102 days at 28 C. Significant differences in slope were detected between temperature treatments and between AIVs. Combined effects of water temperature, salinity and pH on AIV persistence were evaluated in a model distilled water system using three isolates. Variables were tested within ranges normally associated with surface water. Differences were detected between temperature (17 C and 28 C), pH (6.2, 7.2, 8.2) and salinity (0 ppt and 20 ppt) treatments with a strong interactive effect observed between pH and salinity. The estimated duration of infectivity for 1 $\times$ 10\sp6TCID\sb{50} of A/mottled duck/LA/38M/87 (H6N2) under test conditions ranged from 9 to 100 days. Differences in response to these variables were apparent between viruses. The ability of AIV to persist in surface water was evaluated using water samples collected from varied waterfowl habitats in coastal Louisiana. Results were consistent with the model system

Avian Influenza among Waterfowl Hunters and Wildlife Professionals

We report serologic evidence of avian influenza infection in 1 duck hunter and 2 wildlife professionals with extensive histories of wild waterfowl and game bird exposure. Two laboratory methods showed evidence of past infection with influenza A/H11N9, a less common virus strain in wild ducks, in these 3 persons

Proteomic Profiling and Neurodegeneration in West-Nile-Virus-Infected Neurons

West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne flavivirus, is a human, equine, and avian pathogen. High-resolution two-dimensional differential-gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) was used to characterize protein expression in primary rat neurons and to examine the proteomic profiling to understand the pathogenesis of West-Nile-associated meningoencephalitis. Three pH ranges, 3–10, 4–7, and 5–6, were used to analyze the protein spots. The proteins are labeled with fluorescent dyes Cy3 and Cy5 before being separated on the basis of charge and size respectively on a two-dimensional platform. About 55 proteins showed altered expression levels. These were then subsequently digested and identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis using peptide mass fingerprinting and database searching. These cellular proteins could represent distinct roles during infection related to apoptosis. Our findings show that two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis combined with mass spectrometry is a powerful approach that permits the identification of proteins whose expression was altered due to West Nile virus infection

Subtype diversity and reassortment potential for co‐circulating avian influenza viruses at a diversity hot spot

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106946/1/jane12167.pd

Severity of fatigue in people with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthritis:Results of a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND:Despite improvements in treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and spondyloarthritis (axSpA), several key unmet needs remain, such as fatigue. The objective of this study was to describe the severity of fatigue, disease characteristics and socioeconomic factors in people with RA, PsA and axSpA. METHODS:The study was designed as a cross-sectional survey collecting patient characteristics such as disease characteristics, socioeconomic factors and fatigue in people with RA, PsA and axSpA in Denmark. Respondents were consecutively recruited for the study over a six-month period in 2018 via routine visits to outpatient rheumatology clinics. Study nurses collected information on diagnosis, current disease-related treatment and disease activity from medical journals. People were invited to complete a questionnaire related to socioeconomic factors and containing the FACIT-Fatigue subscale. Descriptive statistics were analyzed using SAS. RESULTS:We invited 633 people to participate, and 488 (77%) completed the questionnaire. Women constituted 62% of respondents, and the mean age was 53.5 years. Respondents had on average been diagnosed between 11 and 15 years ago. Overall, 79% had no changes to their disease-related treatment during the past year, and the average disease activity as indicated by DAS28 for RA and PsA was 2.48 and 2.36, respectively, and BASDAI for axSpA was 28.40. Fatigue was present in all three diagnoses (mean: 34.31). The mean fatigue score varied from respondents answering that they suffered from no or little fatigue (mean: 45.48) to extreme fatigue (mean: 10.11). Analyses demonstrated that the respondents were not considerably different from nonrespondents, and the study population is considered representative compared with Danish RA and axSpA patients in the Danish National Rheumatology Registry, the DANBIO database. CONCLUSION:We found that the majority of the study population were fatigued (61%). They had low disease activity and few disease-related treatment changes

Lessons learned from research and surveillance directed at highly pathogenic influenza A viruses in wild birds inhabiting North America

Following detections of highly pathogenic (HP) influenza A viruses (IAVs) in wild birds inhabiting East Asia after the turn of the millennium, the intensity of sampling of wild birds for IAVs increased throughout much of North America. The objectives for many research and surveillance efforts were directed towards detecting Eurasian origin HP IAVs and understanding the potential of such viruses to be maintained and dispersed by wild birds. In this review, we highlight five important lessons learned from research and surveillance directed at HP IAVs in wild birds inhabiting North America: (1) Wild birds may disperse IAVs between North America and adjacent regions via migration, (2) HP IAVs can be introduced to wild birds in North America, (3) HP IAVs may cross the wild bird-poultry interface in North America, (4) The probability of encountering and detecting a specific virus may be low, and (5) Population immunity of wild birds may influence HP IAV outbreaks in North America. We review empirical support derived from research and surveillance efforts for each lesson learned and, furthermore, identify implications for future surveillance efforts, biosecurity, and population health. We conclude our review by identifying five additional areas in which we think future mechanistic research relative to IAVs in wild birds in North America are likely to lead to other important lessons learned in the years ahead