Animal Infectious Diseases

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) causes huge economic losses in the livestock industry. It is
caused by Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), which belongs to the family Poxviridae,
with the Neethling strain the prototype. LSDV belongs to the genus Capripoxvirus that
includes sheep pox virus and goat pox virus. LSD is an enzootic infectious, eruptive and
seldom fatal disease of cattle characterised by nodules on the skin. Cattle and water
buffalo are the only animal species affected, with high morbidity rate, but low mortality,
however, death rates are higher among calves. LSD causes loss of milk and beef
production, abortions in females and sterility in males. The original foci of LSD are
from Zambia in 1929. LSD is considered as an endemic disease in the African continent.
However, the disease has been moved beyond Africa in 1984. It is reported in
Madagascar and some countries in the Arab Gulf Peninsula and Middle East. Recently,
the disease has been reported in LSD free countries (Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey,
Iran and Iraq) with potential economic loss to the livestock industry. This review article
intends to discuss the LSD in the light of the recent situation raises concerns the
spreading of the disease in LSD free countries.

Impacts • Tuberculosis is a serious re-emerging disease worldwide. The problem of antibiotic resistance is becoming increasingly common. The rate of childhood TB increases annually. • Mycobacterium bovis is responsible for great economic losses and represents a severe threat to public health. • The purpose of this review was to highlight the seriousness of M. bovis for both humans and animals, and to focus on the importance of molecular epidemiological studies of M. bovis and the recent tools used in such studies. Summary Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), is a serious re-emerging disease in both animals and humans. The evolution of the Multi-and Extensively drug-resistant M. bovis strains (MDR-TB and XDR-TB) represents a global threat to public health. Worldwide, the disease is responsible for great economic losses in the veterinary field, serious threat to the ecosystem, and about 3.1% of human TB cases, up to 16% in Tanzania. Only thorough investigation to understand the pathogen's epidemiology can help in controlling the disease and minimizing its threat. For this purpose, various tools have been developed for use in advanced molecular epidemiological studies of bTB, either alone or in combination with standard conventional epidemiological approaches. These techniques enable the analysis of the intra-and inter-species transmission dynamics of bTB. The delivered data can reveal detailed insights into the source of infection, correlations among human and bovine isolates, strain diversity and evolution, spread, geographical localization, host preference, tracing of certain virulence factors such as antibiotic resistance genes, and finally the risk factors for the maintenance and spread of M. bovis. They also allow for the determination of epidemic and endemic strains. This, in turn, has a significant diagnostic impact and helps in vaccine development for bTB eradication programs. The present review discusses many topics including the aetiology, epidemiology and importance of M. bovis, the prevalence of bTB in humans and animals in various countries , the molecular epidemiology of M. bovis, and finally applied molecular epidemiological techniques.

The present Letter to the Editor deals with the potential risks related to genetic engineering/selection in favour of resistance to infectious diseases in animals. Indeed, this appears to be a valuable option to counteract the serious risk of extinction faced by 15-40% of living species worldwide by the year 2050.

Nearly 55,000 outbreaks of animal disease were reported to the World Animal Health Information Database between 2005 and 2016. To suppress the spread of disease, large numbers of animal mortalities often must be disposed of quickly and are frequently buried on the farm where they were raised. While this method of emergency disposal is fast and relatively inexpensive, it also can have undesirable and lasting impacts (slow decay, concerns about groundwater contamination, pathogens re-emergence, and odor). Following the 2010 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, the Republic of Korea's National Institute of Animal Science funded research on selected burial alternatives or modifications believed to have potential to reduce undesirable impacts of burial. One such modification involves the injection of air into the liquid degradation products from the 60-70% water from decomposing carcasses in lined burial trenches. Prior to prototype development in the field, a laboratory-scale study of a...

Abstract: A cross-sectional study on prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of E. coli isolated from raw meat
samples of cattle origin was conducted in Dire Dawa city, Ethiopia, from November 2012 to April 2013. A total
of 384 meat samples collected from two abattoirs were cultured for detection of E. coli which was then tested
for antimicrobial susceptibility. Comparison on the prevalence of the bacteria was made in relation to source
(Dire Dawa ELFORA abattoir and Dire Dawa Municipal abattoir), site (neck and breast area, fore and hind limbs
and lower back areas) and period (holidays and non-holidays) of meat sample collection. The investigation
revealed a 15.89% overall prevalence of E. coli in the meat samples. There was a statistically significant
difference (P<0.05; OR=0.243) in the occurrence of E. coli between the Dire Dawa ELFORA (17.29%) and Dire
Dawa Municipal (24.48%) abattoirs. The neck and breast area was found to be the highly contaminated site
(29.95%) followed by lower back area (17.52%), fore limbs (11.49%) and hind limbs (7.14%), respectively.
A significantly higher (P<0.05) contamination of carcass with E. coli was recorded during holidays (30.77%)
than non-holidays (13.55%). All the E. coli isolates were found insensitive to penicillin, ampicillin, doxicycline
and erythromycin but tetracycline. The study evidenced a considerable presence of E. coli in cattle meat
slaughtered in abattoirs in Dire Dawa city probably due to the poor sanitary conditions during processing.
It also demonstrated the insensitivity of most E.coli isolates to antibiotics which may be of potential public
health importance.
Key words: Abattoir Antibiotic susceptibility Dire Dawa E. coli Meat, prevalence

745 The use of evidence-based standard operating procedures in animal resource centers is crucial to cost containment and sustainable energy use. Understandably, biosecurity is a major driver of procedures and processes in rodent facilities and permeates virtually all aspects of animal resource operations, making it necessary to balance the cost: benefit of detection, prevention, and control of infection. As an example, recent publications that suggested that mouse parvovirus (MPV) infection can be caused by MPV-contaminated grains that were not inactivated during their processing into pelleted rodent feed 25,36,47 have led to changes in husbandry procedures including the use of autoclaved or irradiated food. Although the successful control and prevention of MPV infections in our facilities has been attributed to the practice of autoclaving mouse cages preassembled with bedding and food prior to their use in the facility, this procedure was not definitively proven to be the sole factor in MPV eradication. 30 Because wash centers are historically the largest utilities consumer in animal facilities, 15 this practice of autoclaving cages prior to use is not only labor-intensive but also energy-intensive, and the labor and energy consumption is amplified in facilities that lack a bulk autoclave and in which the cages must be transported to be autoclaved. In addition, during outbreaks with MPV and other infectious agents, our long-standing standard operating procedure for soiled cages is to autoclave them to inactivate infectious agents prior to removing the soiled bedding and cage washing. This labor-and energy-intensive practice of using autoclaving to decontaminate cages has historically been justified because MPV is a nonenveloped virus that is highly stable in the environment and difficult to inactivate. 5,6,16,27,38,42,49 Despite the environmental stability of the virus, infections with MPV are difficult to detect because the amount of virus shed is low; transmission can be inefficient, resulting in inconsistent seroconversion of mice housed in the same cage; and PCR analysis can detect low levels of MPV DNA in the feces of mice that are unable to transmit virus to contact sentinels. 4,30,31 We recently demonstrated that cage washing alone removed or inactivated MPV from 14 cages that had housed outbred mice acutely infected with MPV; these findings are not surprising when the inefficiencies of MPV transmission are considered. 11 These initial results challenge the cost:benefit ratio of autoclaving cages as a means to decontaminate them prior to cage washing during an MPV outbreak. Our findings with MPV led us to question whether cage washing alone might be effective for decontaminating cages after exposure to other infectious agents that are stable Efficient, effective cage decontamination and the detection of infection are important to sustainable biosecurity within animal facilities. This study compared the efficacy of cage washing at 110 and 180 °F on preventing pathogen transmission. Soiled cages from mice infected with mouse parvovirus (MPV) and mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) were washed at 110 or 180 °F or were not washed. Sentinels from washed cages did not seroconvert to either virus, whereas sentinels in unwashed cages seroconverted to both agents. Soiled cages from mice harboring MPV, Helicobacter spp., Mycoplasma pulmonis, Syphacia obvelata, and Myocoptes musculinus were washed at 110 or 180 °F or were not washed. Sentinels from washed cages remained pathogen-free, whereas most sentinels in unwashed cages became infected with MPV and S. obvelata. Therefore washing at 110 or 180 °F is sufficient to decontaminate caging and prevent pathogen transmission. We then assessed whether PCR analysis of debris from the bedding disposal cabinet detected pathogens at the facility level. Samples were collected from the prefilter before and after the disposal of bedding from cages housing mice infected with both MPV and MHV. All samples collected before bedding disposal were negative for parvovirus and MHV, and all samples collected afterward were positive for these agents. Furthermore, all samples obtained from the prefilter before the disposal of bedding from multiply infected mice were pathogen-negative, and all those collected afterward were positive for parvovirus, M. pulmonis, S. obvelata, and Myocoptes musculinus. Therefore the debris on the prefilter of bedding-disposal cabinets is useful for pathogen screening.

The economic importance of livestock production has been undervalued compared to crop production and agricultural economists have not given it the attention which it deserves. Animal health is a significant influence on the productivity of livestock and the economics of animal husbandry. The range of animal health issues which can be usefully considered by economists is outlined. Some of the economic issues and problems involved in extrapolating farm-level and village-level estimates of the economic benefits of livestock disease control to the national level are outlined and discussed. The main problem is the possibility that aggregation or extrapolation of micro-data will fail to account for externalities, market changes dependant on aggregate production, such as variations in market price and changes in access to markets, such as export markets. Traditionally, cost-benefit analysis has been the most widely used technique for assessing the economics of control of animal diseases. It has been criticised by Mcinerney who suggests an alternative approach and this is considered. In conclusion, a brief outline is given of the Thai-Australian Animal Health Project (ACIAR Project 92804) which contains an economic component.

Ovine herpesvirus 2(OvHV-2) was recently isolated from unusual symptomatically infected native sheep in Egypt, 2013. The isolated virus was characterized as herpesvirus with negative staining and positive staining electron microscopy (EM). Further identification using agar gel precipitation test (AGPT) and finally confirmation with virus neutralization test (VNT). Based on clinical signs, epidemiological data and laboratory diagnosis with virological methods, our results denoted that the tested sheep were infected with OvHV-2. On conclusion, the current study illustrated that OvHV-2 could be isolated in vitro using specific pathogen free-embryonated chicken eggs (SPF-ECE) and Madden Derby Bovine Kidney (MDBK) cell culture. Further studies as sequencing of OvHV-2 had been isolated from sheep in this study is recommended to know if this virus diverges over time or during circulation among susceptible hosts and comparing its sequence to that had been isolated before from cattle and buffalos in Egypt, 2012. [Iman M. Bastawecy, Sobhy, N. M., Abd El-Samee, A. A. Recent isolation of ovine herpesvirus 2 from unusual symptomatic infection of sheep in Egypt. Life Sci.

Recombination of rapidly evolving RNA-viruses provides an important mechanism for diversification, spread, and emergence of new variants with enhanced fitness. Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) causes an important transboundary disease of livestock that is endemic to most countries in Asia and Africa. Maintenance and spread of FMDV are driven by periods of dominance of specific viral lineages. Current understanding of the molecular epidemiology of FMDV lineages is generally based on the phylogenetic relationship of the capsid-encoding genes, with less attention to the process of recombination and evolution of non-structural proteins. In this study, the putative recombination breakpoints of FMDVs endemic to Southeast Asia were determined using full-open reading frame sequences. Subsequently, the lineages' divergence times of recombination-free genome regions were estimated. These analyses revealed a close relationship between two of the earliest endemic viral lineages that appear unrelated when only considering the phylogeny of their capsid proteins. Contrastingly, one lineage, named O/CATHAY, known for having a particular host predilection (pigs) has evolved independently. Additionally, intra-lineage recombination occurred at different breakpoints compared to the inter-lineage process. These results provide new insights about FMDV recombination patterns and the evolutionary interdependence of FMDV serotypes and lineages.

A political tornado has swept through Whitehall and on to Brussels recently because of sensational media stories about the potentially widespread damage to human health which may result from the consumption of beef. The stories have been fuelled by the findings of an expert consultative committee of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food that the brain-degenerative human condition Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease may be caused by beef products infected with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) ‒ or ‘mad cow disease’ ‒ amongst the British dairy and beef herds. As a result, the European Union has imposed a worldwide ban on the export of British beef and there have been economic consequences for many EU livestock farmers as the consumption of beef has fallen in some countries by up to 50 per cent.

In herds with typical moderate to low within-herd prevalence, testing for Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP), the infectious agent of Johne’s disease, will be more cost-effective if individual fecal samples are cultured in composite pools. However, sensitivity to classify a pool containing 1 or more positive individual samples as positive may depend on pool size and number of individual positive samples within a pool. Fecal samples collected from 994 dairy cows sampled at slaughter were cultured to detect MAP. Culturing was done both individually and as composite pooled samples using the TREK ESP Culture System II broth medium (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Trek Diagnostic Systems Inc., Cleveland, OH). Composite samples consisted of pools containing feces from 3, 5, 8, 10, or 15 cows. The number of individual fecal culture-positive cows within each pool ranged from 0 to 4. Culture of individual fecal samples detected MAP in 36 (3.6%) of the 994 cows. Individual samples that were detected within the first 50 d by TREK ESP Culture System II were more likely to lead to a positive pool result. In total, 840 pooled fecal samples were examined for presence of MAP, and of those, 272 pools actually contained feces from fecal culture-positive cows. The crude sensitivity (proportion of pools that contained at least 1 fecal-positive cow that tested positive) for pools of 3, 5, 8, 10, and 15 was47, 67, 44, 59, and 39%, respectively. Across pools, an increase of the number of fecal culture-positive samples from 1 to 2 enhanced overall crude sensitivity from 44 to 71%. However, sensitivity did not further increase for pools with 3 or 4 fecal culture-positive samples (63 and 60%, respectively). Additionally, a simulation analysis assessing probability of pooled fecal samples being positive in herds of 50 and 100 cows was conducted. The simulation assumed that 1, 2, or 5 cows per herd were MAP fecal culture-positive and that pools of 5 and 10 were used. This low-prevalence herd simulation indicated that weighted mean herd probabilities of detecting a positive herd ranged between 52 and 99.3%, with the lowest probability for pools of 10 with 1 positive cow in the herd and the highest probability for pools of 5 with 5 positive cows in the herd. However, overall, pools of 5 and 10 had similar diagnostic capabilities, enabling cost savings by utilizing pools of 10.

Mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) is the most prevalent virus that infects mice, and most MHV strains are enterotropic. Experiments were performed to elucidate the duration of enterotropic MHV-Y shedding by immunocompetent BALB/ c and C57BL/6 mice and immunocompromised B and T cell-deficient mice. Although the use of molecular diagnostics to detect MHV infection is increasing, it is unclear whether the viral RNA detected is always infectious. The ability to detect MHV-Y transmission to sentinel mice exposed directly to infected mice or to soil bedding from infected mice was compared with reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction-based detection of viral RNA in the feces. The BALB/c mice developed subclinical intestinal infection, and transmitted MHV-Y for four weeks. The C57BL/6 mice also developed subclinical intestinal infection, but only transmitted virus for two weeks. The T cell-deficient mice developed severe disseminated disease by two weeks and transmitted virus for four wee...

The use of individually ventilated caging (IVC) to house mice presents new challenges for effective microbiological monitoring. Methods that exploit the characteristics of IVC have been developed, but to the authors&#39; knowledge, their efficacy has not been systematically investigated. Air exhausted from the IVC rack can be monitored, using sentinels housed in cages that receive rack exhaust air as their supply air, or using filters placed on the exhaust air port. To aid laboratory animal personnel in making informed decisions about effective methods for microbiological monitoring of mice in IVC, the efficacy of air monitoring methods was compared with that of contact and soiled bedding sentinel monitoring. Mice were infected with mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), mouse parvovirus (MPV), murine rotavirus (agent of epizootic diarrhea of mice [EDIM]), Sendai virus (SV), or Helicobacter spp. All agents were detected using contact sentinels. Mouse hepatitis virus was effectively detected i...

Studies have proposed two opposing roles for copper-bound forms of prion protein (PrP) as an anti-oxidant supporting the neuronal functions and as a pro-oxidant leading to neurodegenerative process involving the generation of reactive oxygen species. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis in which putative copper-binding peptides derived from PrP function as possible catalysts for monoamine-dependent conversion of hydrogen peroxide to superoxide in vitro. Four peptides corresponding to the copper (II)-binding motifs in PrP were synthesized and used for analysis of peptide-catalyzed generation of superoxide in the presence of Cu (II) and other factors naturally present in the neuronal tissues. Among the Cu-binding peptides tested, the amino acid sequence corresponding to the Cu-binding site in the helical region was shown to be the most active for superoxide generation in the presence of Cu(II), hydrogen peroxide and aromatic monoamines, known precursors or intermediates of ...

Outlines the basic cost-benefit analysis of Mcinerney of the optimal control of livestock diseases and presents it in a different and more readily understood form. Furthermore, this analysis is extended to discussions about the control of several diseases, for example, how to allocate available funds between the control of several diseases if net benefits are to be maximized. McInerney assumes that there is diminishing marginal net benefit from increased expenditure on the control of any livestock disease. However, this is too restrictive. It is possible that marginal net benefit at first increases and then decreases with increased expenditure on the control of some livestock diseases, and other possibilities also cannot be ruled out. The consequences of relaxing McInerney’s assumption about the nature of this net benefit curve are considered. Although it is true that indiscriminate use of benefit-cost ratios about the economics of control of livestock diseases, can lead to misleading policy advice as McInerney has claimed, they play a useful role in determining whether it is economical to control a livestock disease at all and in allocating priorities to the control of different livestock diseases. Priority should be given to controlling those diseases that are capable of yielding the highest benefit-cost ratios but it does not follow that the benefit-cost ratio of any disease targeted for control should be maximized.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) causes huge economic losses in the livestock industry. It is caused by Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), which belongs to the family Poxviridae, with the Neethling strain the prototype. LSDV belongs to the genus Capripoxvirus that includes sheep pox virus and goat pox virus. LSD is an enzootic infectious, eruptive and seldom fatal disease of cattle characterised by nodules on the skin. Cattle and water buffalo are the only animal species affected, with high morbidity rate, but low mortality, however, death rates are higher among calves. LSD causes loss of milk and beef production, abortions in females and sterility in males. The original foci of LSD are from Zambia in 1929. LSD is considered as an endemic disease in the African continent. However, the disease has been moved beyond Africa in 1984. It is reported in Madagascar and some countries in the Arab Gulf Peninsula and Middle East. Recently, the disease has been reported in LSD free countries (Jordan, Sy...

Coagulase negative Staphylococci (CoNS) are one of the most common bacteria found on human skin and on mucous membranes as a component of normal flora. The presence of CoNS in clinical specimens is frequently associated with an infectious aetiology or contamination. We aimed to evaluate CoNS species distribution and susceptibility patterns in specimens obtained from clinics and hospitals in the Northern area of Jordan. Standard identification methods showed the presence of CoNS in 223 specimens at different local hospitals. Susceptibility testing was performed using 18 antibiotics in accordance with the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) recommendations. Staphylococcus epidermidis and S. haemolyticus were found to be the most common species isolated from all specimens representing 122 (54.7%) and 52 (23.4%) of all CoNS species, respectively. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of CoNS species revealed their sensitivity to vancomycin, linozolid, rifampin and nitrofurant...

Recombination of rapidly evolving RNA-viruses provides an important mechanism for diversification, spread, and emergence of new variants with enhanced fitness. Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) causes an important transboundary disease of livestock that is endemic to most countries in Asia and Africa. Maintenance and spread of FMDV are driven by periods of dominance of specific viral lineages. Current understanding of the molecular epidemiology of FMDV lineages is generally based on the phylogenetic relationship of the capsid-encoding genes, with less attention to the process of recombination and evolution of non-structural proteins. In this study, the putative recombination breakpoints of FMDVs endemic to Southeast Asia were determined using full-open reading frame sequences. Subsequently, the lineages&#39; divergence times of recombination-free genome regions were estimated. These analyses revealed a close relationship between two of the earliest endemic viral lineages that appe...

H5N1, highly pathogenic avian influenza, continues to pose a public health risk in the countries of southeast Asia where it has become endemic. However, in Thailand, which experienced two of the largest recorded epidemics in 2004-2005, the disease has been successfully reduced to very low levels. We fitted a spatio-temporal model of the spread of infection to outbreak data collected during the second wave of outbreaks to assess the extent to which different poultry types were responsible for propagating infection. Our estimates suggest that the wave of outbreaks would not have been possible without the contribution of backyard flocks to the susceptibility of a sub-district. However, we also estimated that outbreaks involving commercial poultry, a much larger sector in Thailand than in neighbouring countries, were disproportionately infectious, a factor which was also crucial in sustaining the wave. As a result, implemented measures that aim to reduce the role of commercial farms in the spread of infection, such as the drive to bring aspects of the supply chain 'in house', may help to explain the subsequent success in controlling H5N1 in Thailand. We also found that periods of active surveillance substantially improved the rate of outbreak detection.

In Mongolia, since the collapse of communism in 1990, the government has implemented a centralized system of veterinary care inherited from the Communist period that suffers from inadequate infrastructures. Highly contagious diseases chronically re-emerge, undermining the country, its economy, and the way of life of its affected inhabitants. Since the early 2000s, the government has put in place a new surveillance system that relies on nomadic herders as 'sentinels'. These herders combine popular perceptions and treatments of animal diseases with some veterinary practices and international standards of surveillance and control. But they sometimes refuse to cooperate with private veterinarians or report symptoms, out of a lack of trust in the system of financial compensation for culled herds, compensation that – if sufficient – would enable them to maintain a substantial herd and a nomadic way of life. This article argues that Mongolia constitutes a sort of laboratory to study a neoliberal governmentality toward animal diseases, where the capacities to manage diseases that spread across species (wild/domestic, animal/human) and political borders (regional, national, continental) are delegated to local actors (nomadic herders) who resort to compromises in order to address tensions with political leaders regarding how to control highly contagious animal diseases.

Previously, generation of superoxide anion (O2 •-) catalyzed by Cu-binding peptides derived from human prion protein (model sequence for helical Cu-binding motif VNITKQHTVTTTT was most active) in the presence of catecholamines and related aromatic monoamines such as phenylethylamine and tyramine, has been reported [Kawano, T., Int J Biol Sci 2007; 3: 57-63]. The peptide sequence (corresponding to helix 2) tested here is known as threonine-rich neurotoxic peptide. In the present article, the redox behaviors of aromatic monoamines, 20 amino acids and prion-derived tyrosine-rich peptide sequences were compared as putative targets of the oxidative reactions mediated with the threonine-rich prion-peptide. For detection of O2 •-, an O2 •-specific chemiluminescence probe, Cypridina luciferin analog was used. We found that an aromatic amino acid, tyrosine (structurally similar to tyramine) behaves as one of the best substrates for the O2 •-generating reaction (conversion from hydrogen peroxide) catalyzed by Cu-bound prion helical peptide. Data suggested that phenolic moiety is required to be an active substrate while the presence of neither carboxyl group nor amino group was necessarily required. In addition to the action of free tyrosine, effect of two tyrosine-rich peptide sequences YYR and DYEDRYYRENMHR found in human prion corresponding to the tyrosine-rich region was tested as putative sub-strates for the threonine-rich neurotoxic peptide. YYR motif (found twice in the Y-rich region) showed 2-to 3-fold higher activity compared to free tyrosine. Comparison of Y-rich sequence consisted of 13 amino acids and its Y-to-F substitution mutant sequence revealed that the tyrosine-residues on Y-rich peptide derived from prion may contribute to the higher production of O2 •-. These data suggest that the tyrosine residues on prion molecules could be additional targets of the prion-mediated reactions through intra-or inter-molecular interactions. Lastly, possible mechanism of O2 •-generation and the impacts of such self-redox events on the conformational changes in prion are discussed.

Objectives: Studies have proposed two opposing roles for copper-bound forms of prion protein (PrP) as an anti-oxidant supporting the neuronal functions and as a pro-oxidant leading to neurodegenerative process involving the generation of reactive oxygen species. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis in which putative copper-binding peptides derived from PrP function as possible catalysts for monoamine-dependent conversion of hydrogen peroxide to superoxide in vitro. Materials and methods: Four peptides corresponding to the copper (II)-binding motifs in PrP were synthesized and used for analysis of peptide-catalyzed generation of superoxide in the presence of Cu (II) and other factors naturally present in the neuronal tissues. Results: Among the Cu-binding peptides tested, the amino acid sequence corresponding to the Cu-binding site in the helical region was shown to be the most active for superoxide generation in the presence of Cu(II), hydrogen peroxide and aromatic monoamines, known precursors or intermediates of neurotransmitters. Among monoamines tested, three compounds namely phenylethylamine, tyramine and benzylamine were shown to be good substrates for superoxide-generating reactions by the Cu-bound helical peptide. Conclusions: Possible roles for these reactions in development of prion disease were suggested.

516 Mouse parvovirus (MPV), a lymphocytotropic parvovirus, is a prevalent viral infection of laboratory mice. 8,13 MPV was first isolated from cloned T cells, and pathogenesis studies confirmed its propensity to infect lymphoid tissues, including Peyer patches, thymus, spleen, peripheral lymph nodes, and mesenteric lymph nodes, with the latter 3 being sites of persistent infection. 6,9 MPV thus disrupts research through its effects on the host immune response, including aberrant T-cell proliferation responses and function and acceleration of T-cell–mediated rejection of tumors, skin allografts, and syngeneic skin grafts. 10,11 MPV is a difficult infection to address because it is asympto-matic, persists for as long as 9 wk in tissues of immunocompetent mice, 6 and is believed to occur with low prevalence within a mouse colony. Fecal shedding of MPV is probably the major mechanism of virus transmission. Viral DNA is consistently detected by PCR analysis of feces for at least 2 wk after infection , although genotype influences the duration of shedding and the 'window' in which transmission occurs. 1,2,4,5,7,16 We and others have shown that peak levels of MPV DNA in the small intestine occur on postinfection day 5 to 10, and levels diminish substantially by week 2, 5,6 indicating a window of 2 wk or less for detection of intestinal MPV infection in many cases. A threshold level of infectious MPV appears to be required for transmission to occur. Using experimental infection, we demonstrated that the threshold necessary for consistent transmission to sentinels exposed to an entire cage of soiled bedding was achieved at postinfection day 7 and 14 in Swiss Webster mice and BALB/c mice. 7 In addition, we and others have demonstrated that transmission of MPV to sentinels from immunocompetent mice through soiled bedding occurs only during the time of peak shedding (during first 2 wk of infection), 1,2,7,16 which is a fairly short window for transmission. Therefore, detection of MPV by fecal PCR does not always indicate that the mice are an immediate risk for transmitting MPV because infection is not always transmitted to other mice through soiled bedding or direct contact. The inconsistency with which transmission occurs can be demonstrated in mice exposed to the same amount of soiled bedding taken from the same source, even when the mice were housed and exposed while in the same cage. For example, in one study, exposure of sentinel mice to soiled bedding from cages housing MPV-infected mice at postinfection day 3, 7, or 14 resulted in seroconversion of just 60% of sentinel mice, 16 with only 1 of the 2 sentinels exposed to soiled bedding becoming seropositive in 35% of cages in which transmission occurred. Not surprisingly, the amount of MPV-contaminated soiled bedding influences seroconversion in sentinel mice. For example, a decrease in sensitivity of 29% at postinoculation day 7 and 58% at postinoculation day 14 was observed in sentinels exposed to 25 mL of MPV-soiled bedding compared with 400 mL of MPV-soiled bedding. 16 Other studies also have observed this decrease in sensitivity. 2,4 In addition, the threshold level of MPV required to induce infection is influenced by the age of the mouse, its genotype, and the type of caging. Swiss Webster mice show a decline between 8 and 12 wk of age in susceptibility to MPV infection, with 12-wk-old mice requiring 20-fold more MPV to induce infection. 3 Furthermore, genotype is associated with a striking effect on susceptibility to MPV, affecting the threshold of virus required to induce infection. BALB/c mice are more susceptible to and sustain a more robust MPV infection than do C57BL/6 mice. 5 Other studies also demonstrate genotype-based differences in susceptibility, with the ID 50 of MPV in BALB/c mice shown to be 1 to 2 logs lower than that in C57BL/6 mice. 3,12 In contrast, outbred mice (Swiss Webster, ICR) shed high levels of virus for the longest period of time and seroconvert more readily than do either BALB/c or C57BL/6 mice. 5 In general, C57BL/6 mice shed the lowest amount of MPV for the least amount of time, require higher virus doses to seroconvert, and have the longest lag time between exposure and seroconversion (more Mouse parvovirus (MPV) remains a prevalent infection of laboratory mice. We developed 2 strategies to detect and control an active MPV infection over a 9.5-mo period. The first strategy used a test-and-cull approach in 12 rooms. After all cages corresponding to MPV-seropositive bedding sentinels were removed from the room, a naïve sentinel mouse was dedicated to every 2 to 3 rows per rack and received soiled bedding from these rows every 2 wk. All 12 rooms completed 3 consecutive negative rounds of targeted testing, which required an average of 20 wk. The second strategy used a modified quarantine approach to test unique mice that were critical for breeding. The process required removing selected cages from the seroposi-tive rack and consolidating them to a single rack within the same room. All mice in these cages were tested by using MPV serology and fecal PCR. Cages were not moved, opened, or manipulated between sample collection and the availability of test results. The cages were relocated as a group to another room, because all mice were MPV negative. The mice were retested 3 wk after the initial testing, and all were MPV seronegative. Since the rooms were cleared 4 to 5 y ago, 7915 routine bedding sentinels and colony mice were tested from these rooms, all with negative results. These consistently negative MPV test results suggest that MPV was eliminated from these rooms, rather than driven down below the threshold of detection. These 2 strategies should be considered when confronting MPV infection.

Citizen science involves engagement with ‘non-experts’ in the production of data: to enhance or further develop scientific investigations. In this paper we present findings from an interdisciplinary project which draws on citizen science to explore the rate of spread of the cattle disease bovine Tuberculosis, a disease projected to cost the UK government £1 billion over the next decade if not successfully tackled. As part of this project farmers and vets working in areas vulnerable to TB were asked to produce and validate of a series of maps in relation to the following questions (a) ‘which areas did they think were endemic for TB?’, and (b) ‘which areas did they think were vulnerable to new TB infection?’. The data collected from these groups was used to explore farmers and vets understandings of endemnicity and to validate threshold maps created by the Animal Health Veterinary Laboratory agency (AHVLA). The purpose of this paper is twofold. First it will examine the results of the mapping process; exploring participants understandings of endeminicty and vulnerability to bTB as illustrated through the participatory mapping exercise. Second it will explore the coproduction of maps in relation to these participatory exercises; examining the role local knowledge and exploring the value of participatory data collection in traditionally ‘expert-based’ projects.