Examining bull semen for residues of Schmallenberg virus RNA.

Schmallenberg orthobunyavirus (SBV) was initially detected in 2011 in Germany from dairy cattle with fever and decreased milk yield. The virus infection is now established in many parts of the world with recurrent epidemics. SBV is transmitted through midges and transplacental. No direct virus transmission including via breeding has ever been demonstrated. In some bulls, however, the virus is detectable transiently, in low to minute quantities, in semen post-infection. While the infection is considered of low impact for the dairy industry, some SBV-free countries have adopted a zero-risk approach requiring bull semen batches to be tested for SBV RNA residues prior to import. This, in turn, obligates a protocol to enable sensitive detection of SBV RNA in semen samples for export purposes. Here, we describe how we established a now ISO/IEC 17025 accredited protocol that can effectively detect minute quantities of SBV RNA in semen and also its application to monitor bull semen during two outbreaks in the United Kingdom in 2012 and 2016. The data demonstrate that only a small number of bulls temporarily shed low amounts of SBV.

A retrospective study detects a novel variant of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in England in archived material from the year 2000.

Outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) were first recorded in England in the 1970s and continued to be confirmed until 2002. Retrospective analysis of archived material from one of the last confirmed cases in England in the year 2000 demonstrates the previous existence of a very diverse PED virus strain. Following the outbreaks of PED in North America in 2013, there has been renewed interest in phylogenetic analysis of sequences from PEDV strains worldwide. There is a gap in the available sequence data between the mid 1980s and the mid 2000s. This work is an example of how this gap can be at least partially filled by the examination of archived material.

Identification of Novel Cetacean Poxviruses in Cetaceans Stranded in South West England.

Poxvirus infections in marine mammals have been mainly reported through their clinical lesions and electron microscopy (EM). Poxvirus particles in association with such lesions have been demonstrated by EM and were previously classified as two new viruses, cetacean poxvirus 1 (CePV-1) and cetacean poxvirus 2 (CePV-2). In this study, epidermal pox lesions in cetaceans stranded in South West England (Cornwall) between 2008 and 2012 were investigated by electron microscopy and molecular analysis. PCR and sequencing of a highly conserved region within the viral DNA polymerase gene ruled out both parapox- and orthopoxviruses. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis of the PCR product clustered the sequences with those previously described as cetacean poxviruses. However, taking the close genetic distance of this gene fragment across the family of poxviridae into account, it is reasonable to postulate further, novel cetacean poxvirus species. The nucleotide similarity within each cluster (tentative species) detected ranged from 98.6% to 100%, whilst the similarity between the clusters was no more than 95%. The detection of several species of poxvirus in different cetacean species confirms the likelihood of a heterogeneous cetacean poxvirus genus, comparable to the heterogeneity observed in other poxvirus genera.

Evaluation of a short course in psychiatry for general practitioners.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the acceptability and benefits to general practitioners (GPs) of a short course on the management of depression and anxiety. METHOD: One hundred and twenty-two GPs from southeast metropolitan Melbourne participated in a five-session short course. Pre- and post-measures of knowledge, attitude and self-evaluated clinical practice and a post-measure of participant satisfaction were completed. RESULTS: The course was overwhelmingly appreciated by participating GPs. In the group as a whole, knowledge, attitude and certain elements of clinical practice changed in a positive and predicted direction. General practitioners affirmed the use of an interpersonal and problem-solving framework for patients more commonly than a cognitive-behavioural one. CONCLUSIONS: Brief educational interventions are useful and, through improving GP knowledge, attitude and clinical practice, have an important role to play in enhancing the capacity of GPs to assist people with depression and anxiety.