High Prevalence of Recombinant Porcine Endogenous Retroviruses (PERV-A/Cs) in Minipigs: A Review on Origin and Presence

Minipigs play an important role in biomedical research and they have also been used as donor animals for preclinical xenotransplantations. Since zoonotic microorganisms including viruses can be transmitted when pig cells, tissues or organs are transplanted, virus safety is an important feature in xenotransplantation. Whereas most porcine viruses can be eliminated from pig herds by different strategies, this is not possible for porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs). PERVs are integrated in the genome of pigs and some of them release infectious particles able to infect human cells. Whereas PERV-A and PERV-B are present in all pigs and can infect cells from humans and other species, PERV-C is present in most, but not all pigs and infects only pig cells. Recombinant viruses between PERV-A and PERV-C have been found in some pigs; these recombinants infect human cells and are characterized by high replication rates. PERV-A/C recombinants have been found mainly in minipigs of different origin. The possible reasons of this high prevalence of PERV-A/C in minipigs, including inbreeding and higher numbers and expression of replication-competent PERV-C in these animals, are discussed in this review. Based on these data, it is highly recommended to use only pig donors in clinical xenotransplantation that are negative for PERV-C.

Appraisal of Public Opinions Towards Potential COVID-19 Vaccination in FCT-Abuja Nigeria

The emergence of the novel Coronavirus Disease in 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China, and the subsequent global threat, resulting in the current pandemic in over 215 countries, characterized by alarming morbidity, mortality, and social effects in affected humans, as well as an economic downturn due to national and international border closures used as a containment strategy, necessitated this study to assess the opinions of the public on the potential vaccination against COVID-19. This research primarily aims to provide policy makers with useful information on public perceptions of the disease, as well as public knowledge and preparedness for its prevention and eventual eradication. Two hundred (200) organized open-ended questionnaires were distributed at random across the six (6) Area Councils in Abuja, Nigeria. The responses were subjected to the Pearson Chi-Square Test at a CI of 95 % and a level of significance of 5%. Of the 1200 respondents sampled, 976 (81.3%) were willing to be immunized if vaccines were available. However, 5 (0.4%) respondents expressed indifference, while 219 (18.3%) respondents did not support the use of COVID-19 vaccine for a variety of reasons, including a lack of confidence in the vaccine, belief in God for COVID-19 virus safety, and fear and dislike of injectable drugs. Thus, showing a vaccine response that was significantly affected by religion, marital status and education (P<0.05). According to the results of the current study, respondents believe the novel Coronavirus has the potential to cause varying degrees of damage, eventually leading to death. However, their response revealed that vaccine acceptance could be hampered by distrust and other apprehensions. As a result, vaccinations must be implemented strategically and with enough publicity for the intent of enlightenment, empowering citizens to adopt the established intervention mechanism.

Teaching the basics of anti-virus safety in the course "Life Safety"

&lt;p&gt;The course &quot;Life Safety&quot; was introduced in higher educational institutions of Russia in the 1990s. It combined information from sanitary medicine, criminology and was aimed at developing self-safety in students. The realities of 2020 required the creation of an anti-virus safety section within the course. The teaching of this problem had experienced in some Russian institutions and universities. This topic is taught to students both through personal contact with the lecturer and on-line. The branch of course is based on the following sections of modern science and practice: 1. Virology, 2. Global ecology, 3. Sanitation and preventive medicine. Teaching contributes to the formation of an objective view of the dangers of viruses in young people, without diminishing or exaggerating the real dangers of infectious diseases. Much attention is paid to the following sections of modern science: 1. The theory of the biosphere by Vladimir Vernadsky, 2. The doctrine of genetic instability and &quot;horizontal transmission&quot;, providing informational unity of the biosphere, supported by viruses (Nobel Prize for Barbara McClintoch, 1983). Teaching is combined with practical exercises on the use of personal protective equipment against viral infections. The idea is brought to the students that viruses are a necessary component of the biosphere. They cannot be suffocated and it is impossible to be completely isolated from them. Teaching this course will contribute to improving the health indicators of the population. At the sessions of the European Geosciences Union, it is planned to hold a presentation of programs and teaching textbooks for this course.&lt;/p&gt;

Evaluation of the Virus Elimination and Inactivation at Different Stages of the Model Biotechnological Process for the Production of a Drug Based on the Monoclonal Antibody Fab-Fragment

Virus safety insuring is one of the most serious problems in the development of biotechnological drugs produced using animal cell lines. Quantitative assessment of virus removal and inactivation is an integral approach to show the reliability of the target compound production. In this work, the model experiments have been carried out on the purification of the monoclonal antibody recombinant Fab-fragment from viruses of various origins and properties: xenotropic murine leukemia virus (X-MuLV), pseudorabies virus (PRV), Reo-3 virus and encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV). It was shown that two methods, acidification to pH 3.2 and nanofiltration, made it possible to reduce the virus infectivity to levels undetectable in cell cultures (according to TCID50). The developed multistage purification process of the target protein provided an overall decrease in viral clearance to the following values: X-MuLV≥10.17lg, PRV≥13.98lg, Reo-3≥8.09lg and EMCV≥4.98lg. These results confirm that the developed technology ensures the virus safety during the production of a monoclonal antibody recombinant Fab-fragment by CHO cell line. These results confirm virus safety of production technology of recombinant monoclonal antibody Fab-fragment produced in CHO cell line. virus safety, virus elimination, virus inactivation, nanofiltration, Fab-fragment, monoclonal antibody, CHO cell line

Application of digital PCR (dPCR) in the detection of Covid-19 in food

Covid-19 detection in food is an effective solution to ensure the accurate detection rate of Covid-19. The difficulties and detection methods of food virus safety detection and the feasibility of digital PCR detection technology are analyzed. The main parameters and characteristics of dPCR technology and other PCR technologies are compared. The application of dPCR technology in the detection of food viruses and pathogenic bacteria, the application of dPCR technology in the preparation and purity verification of Covid-19 RNA reference material, and the steps and methods of dPCR technology in food testing Covid-19 were expounded. Compared with traditional detection methods, digital PCR technology has great advantages in virus detection limit and stability. dPCR will develop towards high flux and automation, and achieve the absolute quantification of multiple target sequences at low cost. It will help to play a crucial role in the detection of covid-19 in food.

Understanding bats as a host of different viruses and Nepal's vulnerability on bat viruses

Bats maintain and transmit many viruses (Filoviruses, Rubulaviruses, Henipaviruses, Lyssaviruses, and Coronaviruses etc.); most of them are pathogenic to human but bats act as reservoir host without causing any pathogenesis. Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a twenty-first-century awakening for the human world that signifies the zoonotic viral challenge. Bats fauna are suspected to originate viral outbreaks through solid evidence that is lacking worldwide. The bats like Pteropus giganteus, Rousettus leschenaultii, Eonycteris spealea, Rhinolophus sinicus, R. affinis, R. ferremequinum, Nyctalus noctula, and Scotophillus sp. are reported for viral evidence that are also extended to Nepal's geography. Bats bush-meat culture persist in Chepang community of Nepal indicates a high risk of a zoonotic viral outbreak in the future. Though Nepal has no evidence of any viral outbreak until the COVID-19 pandemic situation, precaution is warned for bat conservation and bat roost management to ensure bat virus safety.