201 research outputs found
Epidemiology and genetic characterization of equine infectious anaemia virus strains isolated in Belgium in 2010.
No full text<p>In January 2010, the United Kingdom notified cases of equine infectious anaemia (EIA) in two horses introduced from Belgium. The animals came from one assembly centre in Romania and had transited through Belgium with 16 other horses. Nine of them, bought by a Belgian horse breeder, were investigated in Belgium and revealed one additional EIA-positive animal. Afterwards, the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) organized a serological EIA survey of the horses introduced into Belgium from Romania between 2007 and 2009. Among the 95 horses identified, six additional serological positive cases were found that had been introduced into Belgium in 2008 (n = 4) and in 2009 (n = 2). The survey was extended to the horses in contact with the positive cases, but all contact animals were negative, indicating the absence of transmission. Virological examination performed on tissue samples collected from two seropositive animals demonstrated the presence of viral DNA of EIA virus. Phylogenetic analysis based on the sequences of EIA virus gag gene clustered the Belgian isolates with Romanian strains isolated in 2009. The presumption of a common Belgian origin could be rejected.</p></p
Development, validation and evaluation of added diagnostic value of a q(RT)-PCR for the detection of genotype A strains of small ruminant lentiviruses.
No full text<p>Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) infect sheep and goats. Diagnosis of SRLV infection mostly relies on serological testing but more recently, also PCR is regarded as a useful complementary tool in SRLV diagnosis. The goal of this study was to develop and validate a quantitative PCR capable to detect a broad range of SRLV strains from genotype A, including strains circulating in Belgium. The developed q(RT)-PCR targets a region of the gag gene and showed to be highly sensitive and specific with a limit of detection of 6 DNA and 40 RNA copies/reaction respectively. SRLV sequences could be detected in lung samples and leukocytes pellets. The q(RT)-PCR identified SRLV positive animals in Belgian sheep flocks, but also SRLV isolates and samples from Scotland, The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, UK, Iceland, Finland and USA were found positive. Samples known to contain 'CAEV like' SRLV from France and Spain were not identified as positive. Combined serological and PCR analysis of a limited number (n=35) of Belgian sheep underlined the usefulness of the described PCR as a complementary diagnostic tool since 3 seronegative animals were found positive by the PCR. In conclusion, the validated q(RT)-PCR shows excellent analytical characteristics and is capable to detect SRLV strains belonging to genotype A from various countries.</p></p
Nutrient inputs from seabirds and humans on a populated coral cay
No full textInputs of inorganic nutrients in 1992 from seabirds (maximum of ca 80 000 breeding pairs) are compared to inputs from humans (97 700 person days) on Heron Island at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Noddies deposited ca 107 t, and shearwaters ca 22 t, of fresh guano. The composition of fresh noddy guano was 7.3% N, 1.5% P, 60% moisture and 31.2% other substances. Assuming a similar composition for shearwaters, the total annual deposition of guano contained 9.4 t nitrogen and 1.9 t phosphorus. Although inputs of N and P from human sewage into the cay system (ca 0.3 t of each) were much less than that from birds, all nutrients from humans are released in liquid form and percolate directly into the cay. Nutrients may be transported from guano on Heron Island into the water immediately surrounding the island. -from Author
Sensitivity of African swine fever virus (ASFV) to heat, alkalinity and peroxide treatment in presence or absence of porcine plasma.
No full text<p>African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a highly resistant viraemic virus with devastating socio-economic impact. Its present epidemiology in Eastern Europe and Russia warrants increased biosecurity measures in Western Europe. This includes proactive precautions on traffic of pork products within and between areas that are officially free from ASF. Namely, delayed notification of clinical signs or introduction of a low-virulent strain in ASF-free areas could result in presence of ASFV in veterinary inspected pork and pork by-products. The present study evaluated sensitivity of ASFV to physical and chemical processing conditions that can be applied on abattoir collected blood for production of spray dried porcine plasma (SDPP). Standard endpoint dilution assays were used to determine the sensitivity of Vero-cell adapted Lisbon/60 strain ASFV to heat treatment (H) at alkaline conditions (A) with or without peroxide (P). Time (T) dependent inactivation was evaluated in presence or absence of porcine plasma. HAPT-treatment at H = 48 °C, A = pH 10.2 and P = 20.6 or 102.9 mM HO during 10 min (T) inactivated (95LCL) 3.35, respectively, 4.17 log TCID ASFV/ml plasma. In absence of plasma, 6.99 log-inactivation was reached within 5 min. Implementation of HAPT-treatment on plasma from ASFV-free areas provides an additional safety hurdle for derived blood products in the unlikely event that blood from few undetected infected pigs would contaminate pooled veterinary inspected blood. Such an additional processing step in the production of SDPP is thus a valuable precautionary measure to overcome a potential biosecurity-break that may arise during the high-risk phase between transboundary introduction of ASFV and first notification of the disease.</p></p
Molecular characterization of Belgian pseudorabies virus isolates from domestic swine and wild boar.
No full text<p>Aujeszky's disease is an economically important disease in domestic swine caused by suid herpesvirus 1, also called pseudorabies virus (PRV). In several European countries, including Belgium, the virus has successfully been eradicated from the domestic swine population. The presence of PRV in the wild boar population however poses a risk for possible reintroduction of the virus into the domestic pig population. It is therefore important to assess the genetic relatedness between circulating strains and possible epidemiological links. In this study, nine historical Belgian domestic swine isolates that circulated before 1990 and five recent wild boar isolates obtained since 2006 from Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg were genetically characterized by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and phylogenetic analysis. While all wild boar isolates were characterized as type I RFLP genotypes, the RFLP patterns of the domestic swine isolates suggest that a shift from genotype I to genotype II might have occurred in the 1980s in the domestic population. By phylogenetic analysis, Belgian wild boar isolates belonging to both clade A and B were observed, while all domestic swine isolates clustered within clade A. The joint phylogenetic analysis of both wild boar and domestic swine strains showed that some isolates with identical sequences were present within both populations, raising the question whether these strains represent an increased risk for reintroduction of the virus into the domestic population.</p></p
Vaping and Instagram: A content analysis of e-Cigarette posts using the Content Appealing to Youth (CAY) Index
No full textThe promotion of flavors, perceptions of “coolness,” and general curiosity are characteristics of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) that have appealed to young adults. However, little is known about the characteristics of popular social media posts related to ENDS on the social media network, Instagram. Methods: Content analysis was performed using the Content Appealing to Youth (CAY) index. Over 700 posts were collected from August 2019 – December 2019 by searching the Instagram hashtags, #vape and #vapelife. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for each of the six major categories and 35 sub-categories. Results: Nearly all of the images were color photographs and 84% featured an ENDS device (mod) as the focal point. The style of the device was often matte (75%) in only one or two main colors (55%). Warnings about age restrictions and nicotine were included in 28% of images, but commonly used promotional tactics, such as humor, presence of vapor puffs, and flavors were rarely utilized. Conclusions: Instagram posts featuring ENDS are visually appealing and like cigarette packaging, may have the capacity to influence perceptions about the product. Since it is culturally normative for appealing images to be shared on Instagram, greater attention should be placed on media literacy skills to educate young adults about ENDS viewed on social media.Journal ArticlePublishe
Influence of the incubation temperature and the batch components on the sensitivity of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect Aujeszky's disease virus glycoprotein E (gE).
No full text<p>Although licensed batches of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) were used, and the assays were performed within an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited quality control system, certain routine runs of the ADV ELISA were not validated using the quality system criteria, even when all technical parameters were controlled. Incubation at different temperatures and batch composition were identified as parameters that could result in non-validated assays/runs. Therefore, the effect of incubation temperature and batch composition on the analytical sensitivity of the ELISA was investigated. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) standard reference serum ADV1 was diluted 1:8 and tested in 94 different glycoprotein E ELISA runs performed with different batches and different incubation temperatures. The incubation temperature and batch components had a significant influence on the qualitative result for the OIE standard reference serum. An incubation temperature of at least 22 degrees C was recommended, based on the results of this analysis. Which of the batch components caused these differences in sensitivity was not investigated further.</p></p
CAY HILL: The possibilities of creating a synergy between an informal settlement, local craftmanship and cultural economic opportunities on Sint Maarten
No full textOn September 6th of 2017 Sint Maarten got struck by Hurricane Irma, which caused severe damage to the houses, especially to the informal settlements. Sint Maarten is a Caribbean island with a rooted past from its history that has caused severe economic difficulties. Along with, a high amount of migration that has been common among he islands, Sint Maarten has a tourism-led economy. In Turn, the hurricane also affected the tourism-led economy as many visits to the island declined. Lots of building materials on the island are getting imported. The island is lacking of local building resources and knowlegde. This project aims to propose an alternative housing solution and local economic business model for the people living in the informal settlement Cay Hill. This study is investigating the possibilities of creating a synergy between an informal settlement, local craftmanship and cultural economic opportunities on Sint Maarten.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Science
Comparison of PRRSV Nucleic Acid and Antibody Detection in Pen-Based Oral Fluid and Individual Serum Samples in Three Different Age Categories of Post-Weaning Pigs from Endemically Infected Farms.
No full textBackgroundPorcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is the causative agent of an economically important disease in swine. Since it has been shown that PRRSV and PRRSV specific antibodies can be detected in oral fluid, many different aspects have been studied to show that oral fluid could be a worthy alternative diagnostic sample to serum for monitoring and surveillance of this disease. Thorough field evaluations are however missing to convincingly show its usefulness under representative field conditions.MethodologyPen-based oral fluid samples and serum samples from all individual pigs in the corresponding pens were collected from post-weaning pigs of three different age categories in eight endemically PRRSV infected farms and one PRRSV free farm in Belgium. All samples were tested by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and ELISA to detect PRRSV RNA and PRRSV specific antibodies, respectively.ResultsWhile the relative specificity of PRRSV detection by qRT-PCR in pen-based oral fluid compared to serum collected from individual pigs was high in all age categories (>90%), the relative sensitivity decreased with the age of the pigs (89, 93 and 10% in 8-12w, 16-20w and 24-28w old pigs, respectively). The latter correlated with a lower percentage of PRRSV positive pigs in serum/pen in the different age categories (55, 29 and 6%, respectively). Irrespective of the age category, pen-based oral fluid samples were always found PCR positive when at least 30% of the individual pigs were positive in serum. PRRSV specific antibody detection in oral fluid by ELISA showed a 100% relative sensitivity to detection in serum since oral fluid samples were always positive as soon as one pig in the pen was positive in serum. On the other hand, two false positive oral fluid samples in 11 pens without serum positive pigs were found, resulting in a relative specificity of 82%. Indications are however present that the oral fluid result indicated the correct infection status but the absence of a golden standard test makes it difficult to define definitive test characteristics.ConclusionsOverall it can be concluded that oral fluid seems to be a useful matrix for diagnosis of PRRSV under field conditions and that differences in kinetics of PRRSV and PRRSV specific antibody detection in oral fluid and serum of individual pigs can also be reflected in pen-based oral fluid results
Trail log - 2015
No full textMay, Wuhan, China, Conference, Chinese Environmental Ethics, and trip to Three Gorges Dam. June, Pomona, California, Conference "Seizing an Alternative: Toward an Ecological Civilization," Claremont colleges, John Cobb, Bill McKibben, Vandana Shiva, Wes Jackson. June, Bahamas, Nassau, Templeton Foundation Meeting, and Powerboat Adventure, trip to Allen's Cay and Ship Channel Cay. July, trip to Kiel Germany, and International Society for Environmental Ethics, meeting at Christian-Albrechts-Universitët. Field trips to Dasenmoor, peat bog, and Wadden Sea, intertidal zone, tidal flats and wetlands. October, trip to Virginia to speak at Westminster Canterbury Richmond and to Shenandoah National Park and Shenandoah Valley. Local hikes and trips
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