1,721,001 research outputs found
Six underreported viral diseases of domesticated and wild swine in Africa: Implications and perspectives
No full text: Pig production is increasing annually in Africa as it is recognized as a significant source of income, livelihood and food security, particularly in rural communities. Understanding the circulating swine pathogens is crucial for the success of this emerging industry. Although there is extensive data available on the African swine fever virus due to its devastating impact on pig production, knowledge about the presence of other viral swine pathogens on the continent is still extremely limited. This review discusses what is currently known about six swine pathogens in Africa: classical swine fever virus, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, porcine circovirus-2, porcine circovirus-3, porcine parvovirus-1, and pseudorabies virus. Gaps in our knowledge are identified and topics of future focus discussed
Molecular survey of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection in Namibian cats
No full textFeline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is one of the most important infectious diseases of cats, with potential implications in wildlife conservation. Unfortunately, FIV screening and surveillance in domestic cats remains limited in several African countries, including Namibia. In this study, 279 blood samples from domestic cats in Namibia were analyzed for FIV diagnosis by PCR. The cats represented various regions and were cared for by people largely from rural areas with limited financial means. Only 1.43 % of the samples tested positive, unexpectedly low given their outdoor lifestyles. The infected cats, primarily adult and unsterilized, showed no typical FIV symptoms, suggesting subclinical infections. Genetic analysis of the detected strains indicated a unique FIV strain cluster in Namibia, although with a certain within-country variability, in the absence of consistent geographical clustering. The present study represents the first detection and genetic characterization of FIV in the Namibian domestic cat population. Although the infection frequency was low, also in the rural freeroaming population, the features of the enrolled population could have biased the estimation, suggesting the need for more extensive surveys involving diseased and older cats as well. Additionally, because of the longlasting subclinical nature of the infection, frequent monitoring activities should be performed that allow prompt isolation of infected animals and the implementation of appropriate control measures if necessary
Molecular epidemiology and genetic characterization of PCV2 and PCV3 circulating in domestic pigs and wild boars in central-southern regions of Italy
Full text linkBackground: Porcine circoviruses (PCVs) are significant pathogens impacting swine health globally. In Italy, both viruses have been reported to circulate significantly in commercial and rural farms as well as in wild boar populations. However, most information to date originates from studies conducted in Northern Italy, where the majority of pig production is concentrated, while limited data are available from Central Italian regions. This study aimed to address the knowledge gap regarding PCV epidemiology in Central Southern Italy, an area characterized, mainly, by small-scale family, traditional pig farming systems. Results: Between March 2020 and March 2024, 362 samples were collected and tested using real-time PCR. Positive samples were further characterized by next generation sequencing (NGS) and phylogenetic analysis. The 47.1% (95% CI 95% CI: 40.9-53.38%) of the samples were positive for PCV2, with a higher prevalence in wild boars (62.07%; 95% CI 95% CI: 52.19–70.91%) compared to domestic pigs (34.97%; 95% CI: 27.19–43.38%). For PCV3, 38% (95% CI: 28.48–48.25%), of the tested animals were positive, with wild boars again showing a higher prevalence (45.16%; 95% CI: 32.48–58.32%).) compared to domestic pigs (26.32%; 95% CI: 13.40–43.10%). Phylogenetic analysis revealed significant genetic variability and confirmed the dominance of the PCV2d genotype. Comparison with other Italian strains highlighted extensive regional circulation and connections between wild and domestic populations. Sequences of this study frequently clustered with strains from the densely pig-populated areas of Northern Italy, supporting multiple long-range introduction events likely mediated by domestic pig trade. Conclusions: The study underscores the importance of continuous monitoring of PCVs to manage their impact on developing pig farming systems and mitigate potential biosecurity risks associated with interactions between wild and domestic animal populations
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Serological evidence of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in domestic animals from eight regions of Namibia
No full textCrimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral zoonotic disease endemic to regions of Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Asia, with increasing reports of cases in southern Europe. Human transmission occurs primarily through the bite of infected ticks and by body fluids from infected human. Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) affects a broad host range, including both domestic and wild vertebrates. Recent studies have suggested a potential susceptibility of companion animals, posing an additional threat to public health. In the present study, the presence of CCHFV antibodies was evaluated by screening 374 dog and 238 cat serum samples collected from eight Namibian regions using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Overall, dogs (11.50 %) showed significantly higher odds of seropositivity (OR = 7.60; 95 % CI = 3.02 - 25.51; p-value < 0.001) compared to cats (1.68 %). Most of the positive dogs and all positive cats originated from the Kunene and Hardap regions. No other factors were found to affect seroprevalence. The limited development of farming systems in these regions, combined with the higher roaming activity of dogs, may suggest a greater exposure risk to wild animals or infected ticks. Tick species of the genus Hyalomma are not commonly reported to infest dogs in Namibia, and other tick species may also be involved in transmission. The detection of CCHFV antibodies in dogs and cats in Namibia should be considered by public health authorities as a potential threat, warranting further investigation to identify infection sources and risk factors. While the level and duration of viremia in companion animals, as well as their actual infectivity, remain unknown, efforts should focus on reducing contact between domestic pets, livestock, and wild animals, as well as regular prophylactic tick treatment of pets to prevent or minimise tick infestations
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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