Dysregulation of the Immune System in a Natural History Study of 1299 Individuals with Down Syndrome.

Dysregulation of the immune system in individuals with Down syndrome is thought to play a major role in the pathophysiology of many clinical presentations. This natural history of disease study took a comprehensive evaluation of the prevalence of different immune related diagnoses in a cohort of 1299 patients with Down syndrome compared to a 2605 patient control cohort at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York, NY over the past 18 years. We conducted a stepwise analysis of the odds of receiving a diagnosis at the Chapter, Sub-chapter and Diagnosis level of the ICD-CM-10 code system. Individuals in our Down syndrome cohort had higher odds of a diagnosis with inflammatory and autoimmune presentations such as Alopecia areata (OR 6.06, p = 0.01), Other sepsis (OR 4.79, p < 0.001, Purpura and other hemorrhagic conditions (OR 2.31, p < 0.001), and Rosacea (OR 3.11, p < 0.001). They also presented with lower odds of a diagnosis of Herpesviral infection (OR 0.42, p = 0.01), and Viral warts (OR 0.51, p = 0.04). We posit that dysregulation of the immune system in individuals with Down syndrome has impact on infectious diseases, including lowering the incidence of viral disease and increasing its severity. Our data also suggests inflammation and autoimmune mediated diseases, in particular of the skin, are exacerbated in individuals with Down syndrome. Finally, there may be a need for greater clinical attention to non-emergent conditions within the Down syndrome patient population as those can also greatly affect quality of life.

Autoantibodies targeting type I interferons: Prevalence, mechanisms of induction, and association with viral disease susceptibility.

The type I IFN (IFN-I) system is essential to limit severe viral disease in humans. Thus, IFN-I deficiencies are associated with serious life-threatening infections. Remarkably, some rare individuals with chronic autoimmune diseases develop neutralizing autoantibodies (autoAbs) against IFN-Is thereby compromising their own innate antiviral defenses. Furthermore, the prevalence of anti-IFN-I autoAbs in apparently healthy individuals increases with age, such that ∼4% of those over 70 years old are affected. Here, I review the literature on factors that may predispose individuals to develop anti-IFN-I autoAbs, such as reduced self-tolerance caused by defects in the genes AIRE, NFKB2, and FOXP3 (among others), or by generally impaired thymus function, including thymic involution in the elderly. In addition, I discuss the hypothesis that predisposed individuals develop anti-IFN-I autoAbs following "autoimmunization" with IFN-Is generated during some acute viral infections, systemic inflammatory events, or chronic IFN-I exposure. Finally, I highlight the enhanced susceptibility that individuals with anti-IFN-I autoAbs appear to have towards viral diseases such as severe COVID-19, influenza, or herpes (e.g., varicella-zoster virus, herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus), as well as adverse reactions to live-attenuated vaccines. Understanding the mechanisms underlying development and consequences of anti-IFN-I autoAbs will be key to implementing effective prophylactic and therapeutic measures.

Puzzles, challenges, and information reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 quasispecies.

Upon the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in the human population, it was conjectured that for this coronavirus the dynamic intra-host heterogeneity typical of RNA viruses would be toned down. Nothing of this sort is observed. Here we review the main observations on the complexity and diverse composition of SARS-CoV-2 mutant spectra sampled from infected patients, within the framework of quasispecies dynamics. The analyses suggest that the information provided by myriads of genomic sequences within infected individuals may have a predictive value of the genomic sequences that acquire epidemiological relevance. Possibilities to reconcile the presence of broad mutant spectra in the large RNA coronavirus genome with its encoding a 3' to 5' exonuclease proofreading-repair activity are considered. Indeterminations in the behavior of individual viral genomes provide a benefit for the survival of the ensemble. We propose that this concept falls in the domain of "stochastic thinking," a notion that applies also to cellular processes, as a means for biological systems to face unexpected needs.

Infection prevention and control of highly infectious pathogens in resource-limited countries: an experience from Marburg viral disease outbreak in Kagera Region - Tanzania.

Marburg viral disease (MVD) is a highly infectious disease with a case fatality rate of up to 90%, particularly impacting resource-limited countries where implementing Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures is challenging. This paper shares the experience of how Tanzania has improved its capacity to prevent and control highly infectious diseases, and how this capacity was utilized during the outbreak of the MVD disease that occurred for the first time in the country in 2023.In 2016 and the subsequent years, Tanzania conducted self and external assessments that revealed limited IPC capacity in responding to highly infectious diseases. To address these gaps, initiatives were undertaken, including the enhancement of IPC readiness through the development and dissemination of guidelines, assessments of healthcare facilities, supportive supervision and mentorship, procurement of supplies, and the renovation or construction of environments to bolster IPC implementation.The official confirmation and declaration of MVD on March 21, 2023, came after five patients had already died of the disease. MVD primarily spreads through contact and presents with severe symptoms, which make patient care and prevention challenging, especially in resource-limited settings. However, with the use of a trained workforce; IPC rapid needs assessment was conducted, identifying specific gaps. Based on the results; mentorship programs were carried out, specific policies and guidelines were developed, security measures were enhanced, all burial activities in the area were supervised, and both patients and staff were monitored across all facilities. By the end of the outbreak response on June 1, 2023, a total of 212 contacts had been identified, with the addition of only three deaths. Invasive procedures like dialysis and Manual Vacuum Aspiration prevented some deaths in infected patients, procedures previously discouraged.In summary, this experience underscores the critical importance of strict adherence to IPC practices in controlling highly infectious diseases. Recommendations for low-income countries include motivating healthcare providers and improving working conditions to enhance commitment in challenging environments. This report offers valuable insights and practical interventions for preparing for and addressing highly infectious disease outbreaks through implementation of IPC measures.

The turning point of COVID-19 severity is associated with a unique circulating neutrophil gene signature.

COVID-19 has a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations associated with the host immune response heterogeneity. Despite the advances in COVID-19 research, it is still crucial to seek a panel of molecular markers that enable accurate stratification of COVID-19 patients. Here, we performed a study that combined analysis of blood transcriptome, demographic data, clinical aspects and laboratory findings from 66 participants classified into different degrees of COVID-19 severity and healthy subjects. We identified a perturbation in blood-leukocyte transcriptional profile associated with COVID-19 aggravation, which was mainly related to processes that disfavoured lymphocyte activation and favoured neutrophil activation. This transcriptional profile stratified patients according to COVID-19 severity. Hence, it enabled identification of a turning point in transcriptional dynamics that distinguished disease outcomes and non-hospitalized from hospitalized moderate patients. Central genes of this unique neutrophil signature were S100A9, ANXA3, CEACAM6, VNN1, OLFM4, IL1R2, TCN1 and CD177. Our study indicates the molecular changes that are linked with the differing clinical aspects presented by humans when suffering from COVID-19, which involve neutrophil activation.

Flotillin 2 Facilitates the Infection of a Plant Virus in the Gut of Insect Vector.

Most plant viruses require insect vectors for transmission. One of the key steps for the transmission of persistent-circulative plant viruses is overcoming the gut barrier to enter epithelial cells. To date, little has been known about viral cofactors in gut epithelial cells of insect vectors. Here, we identified flotillin 2 as a plasma membrane protein that facilitates the infection of rice stripe virus (RSV) in its vector, the small brown planthopper. Flotillin 2 displayed a prominent plasma membrane location in midgut epithelial cells. The nucleocapsid protein of RSV and flotillin 2 colocalized on gut microvilli, and a nanomolar affinity existed between the two proteins. Knockout of flotillin 2 impeded the entry of virions into epithelial cells, resulting in a 57% reduction of RSV levels in planthoppers. The knockout of flotillin 2 decreased disease incidence in rice plants fed by viruliferous planthoppers from 40% to 11.7%. Furthermore, flotillin 2 mediated the infection of southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus in its vector, the white-backed planthopper. This work implies the potential of flotillin 2 as a target for controlling the transmission of rice stripe disease. IMPORTANCE Plant viral diseases are a major threat to world agriculture. The transmission of 80% of plant viruses requires vector insects, and 54% of vector-borne plant viruses are persistent-circulative viruses, which must overcome the barriers of gut cells with the help of proteins on the cell surface. Here, we identified flotillin 2 as a membrane protein that mediates the cell entry of rice stripe virus in its vector insect, small brown planthopper. Flotillin 2 displays a prominent cellular membrane location in midgut cells and can specifically bind to virions. The loss of flotillin 2 impedes the entry of virions into the midgut cells of vector insects and substantially suppresses viral transmission to rice. Therefore, flotillin 2 may be a promising target gene for manipulation in vector insects to control the transmission of rice stripe disease and perhaps that of other rice virus diseases in the future.

mRNA vaccines: The future of prevention of viral infections?

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against COVID-19 are the first authorized biological preparations developed using this platform. During the pandemic, their administration has been proven to be a life-saving intervention. Here, we review the main advantages of using mRNA vaccines, identify further technological challenges to be met during the development of the mRNA platform, and provide an update on the clinical progress on leading mRNA vaccine candidates against different viruses that include influenza viruses, human immunodeficiency virus 1, respiratory syncytial virus, Nipah virus, Zika virus, human cytomegalovirus, and Epstein-Barr virus. The prospects and challenges of manufacturing mRNA vaccines in low-income countries are also discussed. The ongoing interest and research in mRNA technology are likely to overcome some existing challenges for this technology (e.g., related to storage conditions and immunogenicity of some components of lipid nanoparticles) and enhance the portfolio of vaccines against diseases for which classical formulations are already authorized. It may also open novel pathways of protection against infections and their consequences for which no safe and efficient immunization methods are currently available.

Revolutionizing viral disease vaccination: the promising clinical advancements of non-replicating mRNA vaccines.

The mRNA vaccine technology was developed rapidly during the global pandemic of COVID-19. The crucial role of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in preventing viral infection also have been beneficial to the exploration and application of other viral mRNA vaccines, especially for non-replication structure mRNA vaccines of viral disease with outstanding research results. Therefore, this review pays attention to the existing mRNA vaccines, which are of great value for candidates for clinical applications in viral diseases. We provide an overview of the optimization of the mRNA vaccine development process as well as the good immune efficacy and safety shown in clinical studies. In addition, we also provide a brief description of the important role of mRNA immunomodulators in the treatment of viral diseases. After that, it will provide a good reference or strategy for research on mRNA vaccines used in clinical medicine with more stable structures, higher translation efficiency, better immune efficacy and safety, shorter production time, and lower production costs than conditional vaccines to be used as preventive or therapeutic strategy for the control of viral diseases in the future.

Development and validation of the Post-Pandemic Fear of Viral Disease scale and its relationship with general anxiety disorder: a cross-sectional survey from Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Given the worldwide reach of COVID-19, media coverage has amplified the psychological and social effects of this pandemic causing a widespread fear. Despite substantial research on the short-term psychological impact of COVID-19, its long-term consequences on mental health remain relatively unexplored. This research aims to develop and validate a Post-Pandemic Fear of Viral Disease (PPFVD) scale and to see its relationship with general anxiety disorder among the Pakistani population. METHODS: A cross-sectional online-based survey was conducted with 457 respondents in August and September 2022. We adopted the modified fear of coronavirus scale (FCV-19 S) consisting of seven items and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) questionnaire to measure anxiety disorder. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied using the maximum likelihood estimation method. Scale dimensions and item reliability were tested for their validity and goodness of fit. SPSS and AMOS were used for data management and analyses. RESULTS: All inter-item correlations were found to be significant and ranged between 0.30 and 0.70. The value of Cronbach's alpha was 0.887, indicating good reliability. Corrected item-total correlations ranged between 0.632 and 0.754. Factor loadings ranged from 0.664 to 0.810, indicating a good internal consistency. Overall, these results clearly demonstrate that the one-factor solution model for PPFVD presents a good fit to the data. The composite reliability (CR = 0.747) was also good. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the mental health of people globally. This measurement scale can be trusted and used to test the PPFVD in the post-pandemic situation. Prospective research might validate this instrument in newly emerging scenarios and test it with diverse ethnic groups.

Predicting Norovirus in England Using Existing and Emerging Syndromic Data: Infodemiology Study.

BACKGROUND: Norovirus is associated with approximately 18% of the global burden of gastroenteritis and affects all age groups. There is currently no licensed vaccine or available antiviral treatment. However, well-designed early warning systems and forecasting can guide nonpharmaceutical approaches to norovirus infection prevention and control. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the predictive power of existing syndromic surveillance data and emerging data sources, such as internet searches and Wikipedia page views, to predict norovirus activity across a range of age groups across England. METHODS: We used existing syndromic surveillance and emerging syndromic data to predict laboratory data indicating norovirus activity. Two methods are used to evaluate the predictive potential of syndromic variables. First, the Granger causality framework was used to assess whether individual variables precede changes in norovirus laboratory reports in a given region or an age group. Then, we used random forest modeling to estimate the importance of each variable in the context of others with two methods: (1) change in the mean square error and (2) node purity. Finally, these results were combined into a visualization indicating the most influential predictors for norovirus laboratory reports in a specific age group and region. RESULTS: Our results suggest that syndromic surveillance data include valuable predictors for norovirus laboratory reports in England. However, Wikipedia page views are less likely to provide prediction improvements on top of Google Trends and Existing Syndromic Data. Predictors displayed varying relevance across age groups and regions. For example, the random forest modeling based on selected existing and emerging syndromic variables explained 60% variance in the ≥65 years age group, 42% in the East of England, but only 13% in the South West region. Emerging data sets highlighted relative search volumes, including "flu symptoms," "norovirus in pregnancy," and norovirus activity in specific years, such as "norovirus 2016." Symptoms of vomiting and gastroenteritis in multiple age groups were identified as important predictors within existing data sources. CONCLUSIONS: Existing and emerging data sources can help predict norovirus activity in England in some age groups and geographic regions, particularly, predictors concerning vomiting, gastroenteritis, and norovirus in the vulnerable populations and historical terms such as stomach flu. However, syndromic predictors were less relevant in some age groups and regions likely due to contrasting public health practices between regions and health information-seeking behavior between age groups. Additionally, predictors relevant to one norovirus season may not contribute to other seasons. Data biases, such as low spatial granularity in Google Trends and especially in Wikipedia data, also play a role in the results. Moreover, internet searches can provide insight into mental models, that is, an individual's conceptual understanding of norovirus infection and transmission, which could be used in public health communication strategies.

Predictive algorithm for the regional spread of coronavirus infection across the Russian Federation.

BACKGROUND: Outbreaks of infectious diseases are a complex phenomenon with many interacting factors. Regional health authorities need prognostic modeling of the epidemic process. METHODS: For these purposes, various mathematical algorithms can be used, which are a useful tool for studying the infections spread dynamics. Epidemiological models act as evaluation and prognosis models. The authors outlined the experience of developing a short-term predictive algorithm for the spread of the COVID-19 in the region of the Russian Federation based on the SIR model: Susceptible (vulnerable), Infected (infected), Recovered (recovered). The article describes in detail the methodology of a short-term predictive algorithm, including an assessment of the possibility of building a predictive model and the mathematical aspects of creating such forecast algorithms. RESULTS: Findings show that the predicted results (the mean square of the relative error of the number of infected and those who had recovered) were in agreement with the real-life situation: σ(I) = 0.0129 and σ(R) = 0.0058, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that despite a large number of sophisticated modifications, each of which finds its scope, it is advisable to use a simple SIR model to quickly predict the spread of coronavirus infection. Its lower accuracy is fully compensated by the adaptive calibration of parameters based on monitoring the current situation with updating indicators in real-time.

Point of care diagnosis of plant virus: Current trends and prospects.

Plant viral diseases accounts for major global economic losses in modern-day agriculture. Plant viral disease management is the primary challenge for both farmers and researchers. Detection and identification of plant viruses are of paramount importance for successful management of a viral disease. Recent advancements in molecular biology have contributed to significant progress in the development of new, sensitive, and effective diagnostic methods. However, most techniques are neither time/cost-effective nor user-friendly and require sophisticated labs. Hence, the past few decades of agricultural research have mainly focused on developing farmer-friendly, point-of-care diagnostic tools that provide high-sensitive rapid diagnosis. The current trend in plant virus diagnostic tools is cheaper, easy-to-use portable devices with no compromise on sensitivity and reproducibility.

SARS-CoV: Lessons learned; opportunities missed for SARS-CoV-2.

SARS-CoV-2 and Covid-19 have made a retrospective analysis of other coronavirus diseases important, so this article reviews the history of the SARS-CoV viral disease from 2003. Standard and clinical chemistry diagnostics were developed in response to the outbreak. The response to SARS is examined to determine if there were lessons learned before it disappeared in June and July 2003. Various diagnostic approaches were developed and implemented to assist in the rapid identification of patients and treatment of their illness, yet many of the approaches required days or weeks from the onset of fever to show statistical significance. Most of the therapeutic methods used during the outbreak relied on treating symptoms of the underlying illness, such as lower respiratory infections and systemic infection, rather than effectively suppressing or curtailing replication of the virus. Retrospective studies are examined to determine how the SARS outbreak was viewed 10 years on and what the authors hoped would be instructive patterns for possible future pandemics. Implementation of some of these recommendations might have helped ease the current pandemic but were overlooked for budgetary reasons that seem short-sighted at present.

Strawberry crinkle (SCV) and Strawberry mottle (SMoV) viruses affect yield and physio-biochemical responses of three strawberry cultivars under different seasonal conditions.

BACKGROUND: The current study was performed to evaluate the impact of Strawberry crinkle virus (SCV) and Strawberry mottle virus (SMoV) viruses, in single and mixed infections, on the yield and physio-biochemical traits of strawberry plants with different genetic backgrounds. Accordingly, the virus-free plantlets were produced via meristem culture and were then transplanted in a research field in different seasons. METHODS AND RESULTS: The results indicated that genetic background clearly affects the responses of the strawberry plants to the viral infection. In addition, considering the effects of changing environmental factors, different seasons had significant influences on the strawberry responses to the virus infection. The results indicated that the components indicating destructive effects were significantly higher during the summer season. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction using viral specific primers revealed 345 and 461 bp fragments for SCV and SMoV viruses, respectively, where all plants were positive for studied viruses. The comparison between the influence of SCV and SMoV viruses on the host plants indicated that SCV caused more damaging effects on the strawberry fruit yield and physio-biochemical traits. Simultaneous infection with SCV and SMoV severely impacted the strawberry plants compared with the effect of each virus individually. CONCLUSION: It is recommended to keep the temperature of the greenhouses producing strawberry at the cooler levels to prevent the spreading of the aphid-transmitted viruses.

Multifaceted antiviral therapeutic potential of dietary flavonoids: Emerging trends and future perspectives.

Phytochemicals are the natural biomolecules produced by plants via primary or secondary metabolism, which have been known to have many potential health benefits to human beings. Flavonoids or phytoestrogens constitute a major group of such phytochemicals widely available in variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs, tea, and so forth, implicated in a variety of bio-pharmacological and biochemical activities against diseases including bacterial, viral, cancer, inflammatory, and autoimmune disorders. More recently, these natural biomolecules have been shown to have effective antiviral properties via therapeutically active ingredients within them, acting at different stages of infection. Current review emphasizes upon the role of these flavonoids in physiological functions, prevention and treatment of viral diseases. More so the review focuses specifically upon the antiviral effects exhibited by these natural biomolecules against RNA viruses including coronaviruses. Furthermore, the article would certainly provide a lead to the scientific community for the effective therapeutic antiviral use of flavonoids using potential cost-effective tools for improvement of the pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, and biodistribution of such compounds for the concrete action along with the promotion of human health.

The Virome of Piper nigrum: Identification, Genomic Characterization, Prevalence, and Transmission of Three New Viruses of Black Pepper in China.

Viral diseases are one of the main categories of diseases that cause substantial yield losses in black pepper. Disease symptoms in black pepper are generally complex and are often caused by both known and undescribed viruses. To identify and clarify the etiology of viral diseases in black pepper in Hainan, China, we conducted high-throughput sequencing (HTS) by targeting purified double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and ribosomal RNA depleted total RNA (rRNA-depleted totRNA). Analysis of the data revealed the presence of one known virus, piper yellow mottle virus (PYMoV), and three newly identified viruses: black pepper virus F (BPVF) in the genus Fabavirus, black pepper virus E (BPVE) in the genus Enamovirus, and black pepper virus B (BPVB) in the genus Badnavirus. The dominant viruses in P. nigrum sampled in Hainan are PYMoV, with an incidence of 100%, followed by BPVF (84%, 133 of 158) and BPVB (66%, 105 of 158). Mechanical inoculation of sap extracts from source plants containing PYMoV, BPVF, and BPVB gave negative results on both herbaceous and woody host plants 60 days postinoculation (dpi). BPVF and PYMoV were successfully transmitted to virus-free seedlings of black pepper through bark grafting, while BPVB was experimentally undetectable up to 150 dpi. Seed transmission experiments showed that no target viruses were present in all 59 germinated seedlings. This study provides information on diagnosis, prevalence, and transmission of black-pepper-associated viruses.

First report of Ranunculus mild mosaic virus in Ranunculus asiaticus in Korea.

Ranunculus (Ranunculus asiaticus L.) is a popular ornamental plant mainly cultivated for cut flowers and flowering potted plants. In January 2021, a leaf sample of R. asiaticus that showed virus-like symptoms including mosaic, yellowing and malformation on leaves was collected from a greenhouse in Jangheung, South Korea for disease diagnosis (Fig. S1). Disease incidence was greater than 30% in the greenhouse (~1,000 m2). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of symptomatic leaves identified potyvirus-like filamentous virus particles of about 800 nm. To confirm the TEM results, a symptomatic leaf sample was further analyzed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using species-specific detection primers for six potyviruses that infect R. asiaticus (Sacco et al., 2018). The sample was positive only for ranunculus mild mosaic virus (RanMMV). Additional analysis of nine symptomatic R. asiaticus plants from the infected greenhouse found that all samples were positive for RanMMV. To exclude the presence of the other viruses, next generation sequencing (NGS) was carried out. Total RNA was extracted from symptomatic leaves using the RNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen, Germany) and a transcriptome library was generated using the TruSeq Stranded Total RNA LT Sample Prep kit (Illumina, San Diego, CA) acccording to the recommended protocol. NGS was performed using an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 system (Macrogen Inc., Korea). A total of 75.58 million reads were obtained, and the reads were de novo assembled to contigs using Trinity software (Grabherr et al., 2011). BLASTn and BLASTx analysis of the contigs against the NCBI viral reference database identified the assembled large contig of 9,539 nt (5,321 mapped reads, mean read coverage of 84.2 times) as RanMMV. This sequence shared 98% nt identity (99% coverage) with the RanMMV NL isolate (acc. no. LC604020) isolated from an anemone plant (A. blanda cv. Charmer) from Netherlands. To obtain the complete genome sequence, the termini sequences were determined by 5' and 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) methods as reported recently (Imamura et al., 2021). The assembled full-length genome sequence of RanMMV-JH is 9,574 nt in length, excluding the poly(A) tail, and encoding a polyprotein of 3,074aa. The sequence was deposited in GenBank under the accession no. OL742438. RanMMV is transmitted by aphids in a nonpersistent manner and has very narrow host range. RanMMV, one of causative agents of ranunculus mosaic disease, has been problematic in ranunculus production area of Japan (Hayahi et al., 2018; Kamikawa et al., 2022). Recently, some perennial weeds from the Ranunculaceae family (e.g. R. japonicus, R. silerifolius and R. tachiroei) are known to may act as a virus reservoir (Kamikawa et al., 2022). As R. asiaticus is cultivated by vegetative propagation, there is need to develop certification system for producing virus-free R. asiaticus. To our knowledge, this is the first report of RanMMV infection in R. asiaticus in Korea.

Epidemiology of Newcastle disease in poultry in Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis.

The present study intended to determine the prevalence of Newcastle disease in unvaccinated backyard poultry in Africa. Using the PRISMA approach, a systematic review and meta-analysis of 107 epidemiological studies was conducted. The meta-analysis identified significant variation of both seroprevalence (I2 = 99.38, P = 0.00) and Newcastle disease virus prevalence (I2 = 99.52, P = 0.00) reported in various studies included in this review. Publication bias was not detected in either case. Seroprevalence of Newcastle disease was 40.2 (95%CI 32.9-47.8). Seroprevalence was significantly influenced by sampling frame and the African region where the studies were conducted. The prevalence of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) was 12% (95%CI 7.3-17.8), and the variation was influenced by sampling frame, diagnostic test, and regions where the studies were conducted. Also, Newcastle disease (ND) accounted for 33.1% (95%CI 11.9-58.1) of sick chickens. Results also indicated that genotypes VI and VII are widely distributed in all countries included in the study. However, genotype V is restricted in East Africa, and genotypes XIV, XVII, and XVIII are restricted in West and Central Africa. On the other hand, genotype XI occurs in Madagascar only. In addition, virulent genotypes were isolated from apparently healthy and sick birds. It is concluded that several genotypes of NDV are circulating and maintained within the poultry population. African countries should therefore strengthen surveillance systems, be able to study the viruses circulating in their territories, and establish control programs.

Monkeypox viral disease outbreak in non-endemic countries in 2022: What clinicians and healthcare professionals need to know.

An outbreak of monkeypox Viral Disease in non-endemic countries in May 2022 is increasingly spreading. Clinicians and other healthcare professionals need to understand the aetiology and characteristics of the monkeypox pathogen and illness. By familializing themselves with these characteristics, they can map out the outbreak and roll out necessary public health mitigation measures to curb the spread. This short communication presents a summarized message regarding the aetiology, mode of transmission, clinical features, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of monkeypox viral disease. Considerations for surveillance and reporting have also been highlighted.

Classical swine fever (CSF): towards new challenges / La peste porcine classique (PPC) : vers de nouveaux défis

Classical swine fever (CSF) is a highly contagious swine-specific disease which may have a huge economic impact for porcine production. CSF is caused by a virus belonging to the Pestivirus genus, which has expanded for the past 5 years with the discovery of new species whose genetic proximity to the CSF virus could further complicate laboratory diagnosis. The various forms of the disease, and in particular the increased frequency of attenuated forms, linked to an evolution of CSF virus strains towards a reduction in their virulence, delay clinical diagnosis. Thus, a long period may elapse before an outbreak is detected, allowing the virus to circulate longer, with the risk of spreading to distant geographical areas. Efforts must be maintained in terms of surveillance and diagnostic tools development in order to detect CSF virus infection early and thus limit the spread of the disease and facilitate control measures.

La peste porcine classique (PPC) est une maladie très contagieuse, spécifique des suidés, qui continue à constituer une menace pour la production porcine malgré un statut indemne de la plupart des pays de l'Union européenne. La PPC est causée par un virus de la famille des Flaviviridae appartenant au genre Pestivirus, en extension depuis les cinq dernières années avec la découverte de nouvelles espèces, notamment chez le porc ou autres animaux de rente dont la proximité génétique avec le virus de la PPC pourrait davantage compliquer le diagnostic de laboratoire. La diversité des formes de la maladie, et notamment la fréquence accrue des formes atténuées et inapparentes liée à une évolution des souches du virus de la PPC vers une réduction de leur virulence, retarde le diagnostic clinique. Ainsi, une longue période peut s'écouler avant la détection d'un foyer, permettant au virus de la PPC de circuler plus longuement, avec le risque de diffuser vers des zones géographiques éloignées des premiers cas d'infection. Les efforts doivent être maintenus en termes de surveillance et de développement d'outils de diagnostic afin de détecter précocement une infection par le virus de la PPC et ainsi limiter la propagation de la maladie et faciliter les mesures de contrôle.