scholarly journals Serological Survey of Leptospira Infection in Arabian Horses in Poland

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 688
Author(s):  
Bernard Wasiński ◽  
Katarzyna Paschalis-Trela ◽  
Jan Trela ◽  
Michał Czopowicz ◽  
Jerzy Kita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Companion Animals ◽  
Laboratory Diagnosis ◽  
Serological Survey ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Horse Population ◽  
Zoonotic Infections ◽  
Clinical Presentations ◽  
Arabian Horse ◽  
Breeding Farms

Leptospirosis is one of the most common zoonotic infections worldwide, including in most livestock, some companion animals, horses, wildlife, and humans. Epidemiological estimation of its prevalence in all species is difficult due to the variety of clinical presentations and challenges regarding laboratory diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to measure the seroprevalence of leptospiral infection in Arabian horses kept in the largest breeding farms in Poland, representing over 15% of the Polish Arabian horse population. Leptospira antibodies were detected by MAT (cut-off 1:100) in 33.2% of serum samples (204 of 615 animals) (CI 95%: 29.6–37.0%), most frequently reacting with the serovar Grippotyphosa, similar to previous reports in populations of randomly selected horses. These results indicated high Leptospira seropositivity, thus, although any form of clinical leptospirosis is rare, it may be postulated that the leptospiral exposure is widespread.

A survey for bvdv antibodies in cattle farms in Slovakia and genetic typing of bvdv isolates from imported animals

2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Š. Vilček ◽  
Jana Mojžišová ◽  
Viera Bajová ◽  
Š. Paulík ◽  
L. Strojný ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Serological Survey ◽  
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Genetic Typing ◽  
Diarrhoea Virus ◽  
Pcr Products ◽  
Cattle Farms

A serological survey for bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) antibodies on a collection of 1295 serum samples obtained from 6-12 months old cattle originating from 45 farms in Slovakia was carried out. On 13 farms more than 90% of the examined animals were seropositive, on 14 farms 71-90% seroprevalence was observed, on 13 farms only 50-70% animals were found to be positive for BVDV antibodies, while the remaining 5 farms showed fewer than 50% seropositive animals. The average incidence of BVDV antibodies (around 70%) was similar as determined 30 years ago. Of 84 serum samples from seronegative animals originating from 14 farms in which 70-98% seropositivity was observed, six were positive in Ag-BVDV ELISA indicating persistently infected (PI) cattle. On a farm to which animals were imported from abroad, a BVD outbreak was observed. Of 110 animals tested, four were positive in Ag-ELISA indicating the presence of PI cattle on this farm. Genetic typing of two isolates from imported animals performed by RT-PCR (324/326 primers from 5´-UTR), sequencing of PCR products and computer-assisted phylogenetic analysis revealed that they belong to BVDV-1h group.

scholarly journals Laboratory Diagnosis of Porphyria

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1343
Author(s):  
Elena Di Pierro ◽  
Michele De Canio ◽  
Rosa Mercadante ◽  
Maria Savino ◽  
Francesca Granata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Analysis ◽  
Diagnostic Testing ◽  
Laboratory Diagnosis ◽  
Clinical Suspicion ◽  
Enzymatic Activities ◽  
Heme Biosynthesis ◽  
Present Review ◽  
Biosynthesis Pathway ◽  
Clinical Presentations

Porphyrias are a group of diseases that are clinically and genetically heterogeneous and originate mostly from inherited dysfunctions of specific enzymes involved in heme biosynthesis. Such dysfunctions result in the excessive production and excretion of the intermediates of the heme biosynthesis pathway in the blood, urine, or feces, and these intermediates are responsible for specific clinical presentations. Porphyrias continue to be underdiagnosed, although laboratory diagnosis based on the measurement of metabolites could be utilized to support clinical suspicion in all symptomatic patients. Moreover, the measurement of enzymatic activities along with a molecular analysis may confirm the diagnosis and are, therefore, crucial for identifying pre-symptomatic carriers. The present review provides an overview of the laboratory assays used most commonly for establishing the diagnosis of porphyria. This would assist the clinicians in prescribing appropriate diagnostic testing and interpreting the testing results.

scholarly journals Epidemiological aspects of the Brazilian spotted fever: serological survey of dogs and horses in an endemic area in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

1996 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 427-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elba R.S. de Lemos ◽  
Raimundo D. Machado ◽  
José R. Coura ◽  
Maria A.A.M. Guimarães ◽  
Nelson Chagas
Keyword(s):  
Endemic Area ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Domestic Animals ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Serological Survey ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Brazilian Spotted Fever

In order to obtain information on Brazilian spotted fever, a study in domestic animals was performed in the County of Pedreira, State of São Paulo, Brazil, where 17 human cases had been notified. Serum samples obtained from animals were tested by indirect immunofluorescence for detectable antibodies to spotted fever-group rickettsiae. Seropositivity was revealed in 12 (36.4%) of 33 dogs and seven (77.8%) of nine horses from the endemic area. For comparison, blood samples from dogs and horses from non endemic area were tested and four (12.9%) of 31 dogs and three (27.3%) of 11 horses were positive. The highest titers of antibodies by IFA (IgG > 1:1024) were found only in three dogs and six horses from endemic area. The results suggest that dogs as horses may serve as environmental sentinels for estabilishing the prevalence of foci of spotted fever in Brazil.

scholarly journals Molecular detection of Treponema pallidum sp. pallidum in blood samples of VDRL-seroreactive women with lethal pregnancy outcomes: a retrospective observational study in northern Brazil

2011 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charliana Aragão Damasceno Casal ◽  
Mayra Oliveira da Silva ◽  
Igor Brasil Costa ◽  
Eliete da Cunha Araújo ◽  
Tereza Cristina de Oliveira Corvelo
Keyword(s):  
Pregnancy Outcomes ◽  
Congenital Syphilis ◽  
Treponema Pallidum ◽  
Laboratory Diagnosis ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Prenatal Period ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Northern Brazil ◽  
Maternal Syphilis

INTRODUCTION: Although control measures of maternal and congenital syphilis are available in Brazil, difficulties exist within the healthcare network in providing a laboratory diagnosis of the infection during the prenatal period. The objective of this study was to confirm the presence of Treponema pallidum by PCR in women with positive VDRL serology and lethal pregnancy outcomes, i.e., abortion, stillbirth and neonatal death. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on VDRLseroreactive women with lethal pregnancy outcomes admitted to the Fundação Santa Casa de Misericórdia do Pará (FSCM-PA) between January and July 2004. Serum samples and DNA from whole blood were obtained at the time of screening by the VDRL test. These samples were analyzed by IgG ELISA, IgM FTA-Abs and simple PCR (polA). RESULTS: During the study period, 0.7% (36/4,912) of women with lethal pregnancy outcomes presented a positive VDRL test. The polAgene was amplified in 72.7% (24/33) of these women, with 55.6% (20/36) and 94.4% (34/36) presenting IgM and IgG antibodies against T. pallidum, respectively. Comparison of these results showed a significant difference, with agreement between the PCR and IgM FTA-Abs results, suggesting that maternal syphilis was an active infection. No basic cause of death of the conceptus was reported in 97.2% (35/36) of cases. Among women who were submitted to the VDRL test during the prenatal period, only four of the nine seroreactive patients underwent treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The high frequency of syphilis in the group studied indicates the fragility of the service of infection diagnosis, treatment and monitoring, compromising epidemiological control.

scholarly journals A ten-year follow-up of human leptospirosis in Uruguay: an unresolved health problem

2012 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe Schelotto ◽  
Elba Hernández ◽  
Sabina González ◽  
Alicia Del Monte ◽  
Silvana Ifran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Male ◽  
Standard Technique ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Complete Recovery ◽  
Laboratory Diagnosis ◽  
Diagnostic Techniques ◽  
Clinical Feature ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Microbiological Methods ◽  
Major Factors

Leptospira spp. are delicate bacteria that cannot be studied by usual microbiological methods. They cause leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease transmitted to humans through infected urine of wild or domestic animals. We studied the incidence of this disease in the Uruguayan population, its epidemiologic and clinical features, and compared diagnostic techniques. After examining 6,778 suspect cases, we estimated that about 15 infections/100,000 inhabitants occurred yearly, affecting mainly young male rural workers. Awareness about leptospirosis has grown among health professionals, and its lethality has consequently decreased. Bovine infections were probably the principal source of human disease. Rainfall volumes and floods were major factors of varying incidence. Most patients had fever, asthenia, myalgias or cephalalgia, with at least one additional abnormal clinical feature. 30-40% of confirmed cases presented abdominal signs and symptoms, conjunctival suffusion and altered renal or urinary function. Jaundice was more frequent in patients aged > 40 years. Clinical infections followed an acute pattern and their usual outcome was complete recovery. Laboratory diagnosis was based on indirect micro-agglutination standard technique (MAT). Second serum samples were difficult to obtain, often impairing completion of diagnosis. Immunofluorescence was useful as a screening test and for early detection of probable infections.

scholarly journals Molecular detection and clinical aspects of porcine circovirus 3 infection in pigs from Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 1731-1736
Author(s):  
A.C.M. Cruz ◽  
I.L.F. Rodrigues ◽  
A.E. Souza ◽  
F.B. Knackfuss ◽  
R.L. Silveira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Detection ◽  
Porcine Circovirus ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Clinical Aspects ◽  
Statistical Association ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Clinical Presentations ◽  
Porcine Circovirus 3 ◽  
Clinical Conditions ◽  
Swine Serum

ABSTRACT Porcine circovirus 3 (PCV-3) DNA has been detected in serum samples from apparently healthy pigs as well as pigs with different clinical conditions. Molecular detection of PCV-3 was observed in swine serum samples from Southeastern - Brazil using a nested PCR designed specifically for this study. The epidemiology and clinical aspects of PCV-3 infection were evaluated. The samples originated from 154 pigs of both genders from different production phases and with different clinical presentations, sampled from 31 pig farms visited between 2013 and 2018. In this study, PCV-3 was detected in 26.7% of samples from all populations across varying ages. Statistical association (P=0.0285) was observed only between animals with respiratory signs and PCV-3; no PCV-3-positive animal had diarrhea. No statistical association was observed between PCV-3 and age, or gender of the pigs. Because PCV-3 is a newly discovered virus, there is very little information about its epidemiology. We hope that these data can help in future studies investigating PCV-3 epidemiology.

scholarly journals Serological Screening of Influenza A Virus Antibodies in Cats and Dogs Indicates Frequent Infection with Different Subtypes

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Zhao ◽  
Nancy Schuurman ◽  
Malte Tieke ◽  
Berit Quist ◽  
Steven Zwinkels ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza A ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Influenza A Viruses ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Serological Screening ◽  
H1n1 Outbreak

ABSTRACT Influenza A viruses (IAVs) infect humans and a variety of other animal species. Infections with some subtypes of IAV were also reported in domestic cats and dogs. In addition to animal health implications, close contact between companion animals and humans also poses a potential risk of zoonotic IAV infections. In this study, serum samples from different cat and dog cohorts were analyzed for IAV antibodies against seven IAV subtypes, using three distinctive IAV-specific assays differing in IAV subtype-specific discriminatory power and sensitivity. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays against the complete hemagglutinin (HA) ectodomain or the HA1 domain were used, as well as a novel nanoparticle-based, virus-free hemagglutination inhibition assay. Using these three assays, we found cat and dog sera from different cohorts to be positive for antibodies against one or more IAV subtypes and/or strains. Cat and dog serum samples collected after the 2009 pandemic H1N1 outbreak exhibit much higher seropositivity against H1 compared to samples from before 2009. Cat sera, furthermore, displayed higher reactivity for avian IAVs than dog sera. Our findings show the added value of using complementary serological assays, which are based on reactivity with different numbers of HA epitopes, to study IAV antibody responses and for improved serosurveillance of IAV infections. We conclude that infection of cats and dogs with both human and avian IAVs of different subtypes is prevalent. These observations highlight the role of cats and dogs in IAV ecology and indicate the potential of these companion animals to give rise to novel (reassorted) viruses with increased zoonotic potential.

scholarly journals Diagnostic Performance of Five Assays for Anti-Hepatitis E Virus IgG and IgM in a Large Cohort Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 549-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heléne Norder ◽  
Marie Karlsson ◽  
Åsa Mellgren ◽  
Jan Konar ◽  
Elisabeth Sandberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Standard ◽  
Diagnostic Performance ◽  
Hepatitis E Virus ◽  
Blood Donors ◽  
Laboratory Diagnosis ◽  
Hepatitis E ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Large Cohort Study ◽  
No Gold Standard

Determination of anti-hepatitis E virus (anti-HEV) antibodies is still enigmatic. There is no gold standard, and results obtained with different assays often diverge. Herein, five assays were compared for detection of anti-HEV IgM and IgG. Serum samples from 500 Swedish blood donors and 316 patients, of whom 136 had suspected HEV infection, were analyzed. Concordant results for IgM and IgG with all assays were obtained only for 71% and 70% of patients with suspected hepatitis E, respectively. The range of sensitivity for anti-HEV detection was broad (42% to 96%); this was reflected in the detection limit, which varied up to 19-fold for IgM and 17-fold for IgG between assays. HEV RNA was analyzed in all patients and in those blood donors reactive for anti-HEV in any assay, and it was found in 26 individuals. Among all of the assays, both anti-HEV IgG and IgM were detected in 10 of those individuals. Twelve had only IgG and, in 7 of those 12, IgG was only detected with the two most sensitive assays. Three of the HEV-RNA-positive samples were negative for anti-HEV IgM and IgG in all assays. With the two most sensitive assays, anti-HEV IgG was identified in 16% of the blood donor samples and in 66% of patients with suspected HEV infection. Because several HEV-RNA-positive samples had only anti-HEV IgG without anti-HEV IgM or lacked anti-HEV antibodies, analysis for HEV RNA may be warranted as a complement in the laboratory diagnosis of ongoing HEV infection.

A possible relationship between Thromboxane B2 and Leukotriene B4 and the encapsulation of Dirofilaria repens worms in human subcutaneous dirofilariasis

2019 ◽  
Vol 94 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Morchón ◽  
E. Carretón ◽  
R. García ◽  
T. Zueva ◽  
V. Kartashev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leukotriene B4 ◽  
Dirofilaria Repens ◽  
Thromboxane B2 ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Clinical Presentations ◽  
Local Inflammatory Reaction ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Abstract Human subcutaneous dirofilariosis has several clinical presentations. Many cases present as subcutaneous nodules, as a consequence of a local inflammatory reaction that encapsulates and destroys the worms. In addition, there are cases in which migrating worms located in the ocular area remain unencapsulated. In the present work, the levels of two pro-inflammatory eicosanoids, thromboxane B2 (TxB2) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) are analysed by commercial Enzime-Linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in serum samples from 43 individuals, 28 diagnosed as having subcutaneous dirofilariasis presenting a subcutaneous nodule, five diagnosed as having dirofilariasis, in which the worms remained unencapsulated in the periphery of the eye, and ten healthy individuals living in a non-endemic area, used as controls. The worms were surgically removed, identifying Dirofilaria repens as the causative agent in all cases, by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Individuals with nodules showed significantly higher levels of TxB2 and LTB4 than healthy controls, whereas significant differences in LTB4 levels were observed between individuals with unencapsulated worms and healthy controls. It is speculated that the absence of LTB4 may contribute to the fact that worms remain unencapsulated as a part of immune evasion mechanisms.

scholarly journals Occurrence of Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in the Domestic Cat Population of Germany

Vaccines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 772
Author(s):  
Anna Michelitsch ◽  
Donata Hoffmann ◽  
Kerstin Wernike ◽  
Martin Beer
Keyword(s):  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
Human Infection ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Transmission Cycle

Domestic cats (Felis catus) are popular companion animals that live in close contact with their human owners. Therefore, the risk of a trans-species spreading event between domestic cats and humans is ever-present. Shortly after the emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its rapid spread around the world, the role of domestic cats in the transmission cycle was questioned. In the present study, the first large-scale survey of antibody occurrence in the domestic cat population in Germany was conducted, in order to assess the incidence of naturally occurring human to cat transmission of SARS-CoV-2. A total of 920 serum samples, which were collected from April to September of 2020, were screened by an indirect multispecies ELISA. Positive samples were verified using an indirect immunofluorescence test (iIFT) and additionally tested for neutralizing antibodies. Furthermore, serum samples were screened for antibodies against feline coronavirus (FCoV), in order to rule out cross-reactivity in the described test systems. Overall, 0.69% (6/920) of serum samples were found to be positive for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 by ELISA and iIFT. Two of these reactive sera also displayed neutralizing antibodies. No cross-reactivity with FCoV-specific antibodies was observed. The finding of SARS-CoV-2 antibody-positive serum samples in the domestic cat population of Germany, during a period when the incidence of human infection in the country was still rather low, indicates that human-to-cat transmission of SARS-CoV-2 happens, but there is no indication of SARS-CoV-2 circulation in cats.

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