First Lebanese Antibiotic Awareness Week campaign: knowledge, attitudes and practices towards antibiotics.

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is a major global health threat that increases the risk of treatment failure and increases medical costs. One of the most common factors contributing to the spread of ABR is self-medication. The public, as well as workers in clinical and veterinary sectors, commit false practices towards appropriate antibiotic use, favouring the spread of resistance. As such, the first Lebanese Antibiotic Awareness Week campaign was initiated with a human-centred and interactive approach. The data showed a strikingly low level of antibiotic awareness. Cooperation between relevant stakeholders, policy-makers and health actors is crucial to control and overcome the problem of ABR.

Viral encephalomyelitis of pigeons. V. Comparative studies of virulent and cell-culture-adapted virus.

Two strains of pigeon herpes encephalomyelitis virus BVC 78, a virulent field strain, and BVC 78 T7, a cell-culture-adapted strain, were assayed in embryonated chicken eggs and in chicken-embryo-fibroblast (CEF) cell culture to investigate their cytopathogenicity, growth kinetics, plaque characters, and virulence. In CEF the BVC 78 induced syncytia 24-48 hr postinoculation (PI), while the BVC 78 T7 induced only cell rounding 72 hr PI. The strains differed in growth patterns in CEF. The BVC 78 and BVC 78 T7 strains had respective logarithmic phases at 24 and 72 hr PI and maximum virus yields at 36 and 120 hr PI. The BVC 78 T7 was more cell-associated than the BVC 78, the ratio of cell-bound to cell-free virus was about 2 for the former and near unity for the latter. In CEF the BVC 78 induced plaques 1-2 mm in diameter by the third day PI, while the BVC 78 T7 produced small plaques 0.3-0.5 mm in diameter by the 5th day PI. The BVC T7 strain was of low killing capacity for chicken embryos, in contrast to the high killing capacity of the BVC 78. Pigeons inoculated subcutaneously with the former strain and challenged 21 days later with the virulent strain proved resistant.

Viral encephalomyelitis of pigeons. IV. Growth of the virus in tissue cultures.

Growth and cytopathogenicity of pigeon herpes encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV) in avian and mammalian cell cultures were investigated. The virus was cytopathogenic to all avian primary cell cultures tested and produced large syncytia with intranuclear inclusions. Viral antigen was detected in the nuclei of infected cells 6 hr postinoculation. Infective virus, however, was obtained 8 hr post-inoculation. Maximum virus yields in avian cell cultures were reached 72 hr postinoculation. In mammalian cell lines tested, the virus proved to be cytopathogenic except in swine embryo kidney cell lines. The cytopathic effect in mammalian cell lines was characterized by the rounding and clumping of cells., Moderate virus yields were obtained with lamb kidney and bovine embryo thymus cell lines, but not with other cell lines tested. Growth behavior of the virus in cell cultures in comparison with other human and avian herpesviruses is discussed.

Viral encephalomyelitis of pigeons: pathology and virus isolation.

A previously unrecorded nervous disease in pigeons was investigated. The disease, characterized by paresis, paralysis of the extremities, head-shaking, and torticollis, is contagious and spreads slowly. The mortality rate of affected pigeons was very high. The disease appeared to spread among pigeon flocks in spring and summer. The predominant gross change in most cases examined was congestion of the visceral organs. Some cases had grayish spots on the pancreas and kidneys. The histologic changes are characterized by neuronal and myelin degeneration with mononuclear cell infiltration and perivascular cuffing. Degeneration of the parenchyma and marked congestion are prominent in the visceral organs. The causal agent, found to be a virus, produced pock lesions on chorioallantoic membranes of developing chick embryos and failed to aagglutinate chicken RBCs. Antisera against Newcastle disease virus and avian encephalomyelitis virus did not neutralize the isolated virus. The virus produced typical signs in experimentally inoculated pigeons.

Viral encephalomyelitis of pigeons. VI. Some physico-chemical properties of the virus and extracted viral DNA.

Pigeon herpes encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV) was stable at -70 C for at least 4 months. When stored at -20 C, the virus lost 80% of its infective titers in 4 months. When stored at -10 C, however, the titers decreased rapidly; no detectable virus remained within 12 weeks. PHEV was thermolabile: it was completely inactivated at 56 and 60 C for 10 and 2 min respectively. It was also killed by 1% cresol and 2% sodium hydroxide for two hr and 2% septol for 24 hr. Two-percent phenol or formaline for 2 hr, however, significantly decreased virus infective titers. Phenol-purified DNA extracted from PHEV showed an ultraviolet spectrum of typical nucleic acids that had ratios of absorbancies at 265 nm/280 nm between 2 and 2.3. The extracted viral DNA was infectious in chorioallantoic membrane and chick embryo fibroblast cell cultures, but it was not noninfectious when given to pigeons. DNA infectivity was destroyed by DNAse but not RNAse treatment. Extracted DNA was not neutralized by antiserum against the intact virus, and it lost its infectivity property when heated at 70 C for 10 min.

Antigenic relatedness of pigeon herpes encephalomyelitis virus to other avian herpesviruses.

Pigeon herpes encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV) was compared with seven avian herpesviruses for antigenic relatedness using monospecific antisera and the indirect fluorescent-antibody (IFA), agar-gel-immunodiffusion, and serum-neutralization tests. No antigenic relationship was detected between PHEV and Marek's disease virus, turkey herpesvirus, infectious laryngotracheitis virus, and duck enteritis virus. A common precipitating antigen was detected between the PHEV and pigeon herpesvirus (PHV), owl herpesvirus (OHV), and falcon herpesvirus (FHV). These four viruses also cross-reacted in the IFA test. Weak neutralizing activity was detected only between PHV antiserum and PHEV. These results suggest that the PHEV should be classified as a herpesvirus related to, but distinct from, the PHV-OHV-FHV group of viruses with which it shares common antigens.

Pox infection among captive peacocks.

An outbreak of avian pox was detected among captive peacocks (Pavo cristatus) at Baghdad Zoological Park during spring, 1978. A total of 45 of the 60 birds in the aviary developed pox lesions around the beaks and eyes. Morbidity was 75% and mortality was 13%. A virus isolated from the skin lesions produced large plaques on the chorioallantoic membrane of developing chicken embryos and induced cytopathic effect characteristic for pox viruses in chicken embryo cell cultures. The virus neither haemagglutinated nor haemadsorbed to chicken erythrocytes. It was ether resistant and chloroform sensitive. Chickens inoculated with the virus by scarification developed localized pox-like lesions, while turkeys had only transient swelling of feather follicles at the site of inoculation. Virus partially purified with Genetron 113 was precipitated by antisera to fowlpox and pigeon pox viruses.

Laboratory characteristics of four strains of goatpox virus.

Significant differences were found between four strains of goatpox virus isolated from goats in Egypt, Iraq, Iran and the U.S.S.R., namely in their growth behaviour in embryonated eggs, ceiling temperature, plaque characteristics in cell culture, heat resistance and in the degree of inhibition of their replication by actinomycin D and bromodeoxyuridine. All the strains studied had morphologically similar virions and induced type A V- inclusions. They were uncapable to produce haemagglutinins in infected cell cultures. Antigenically, the strains were indistinguishable.

Heat-selected mutants of pigeon pox virus.

Two mutants of pigeon pox virus were derived from virus isolated from naturally infected pigeons. One (S 39) was obtained by cultivation of the original virus in chick embryo chorioallantoic membranes at 39 degrees C, and the second (S m) by heating the original virus at 56 degrees C for 30 min. The mutants were less pathogenic to pigeons than the original virus. The original virus and the mutant S 39, but not the mutant S m produced plaques in primary chick embryo cell cultures. Pigeons inoculated with the mutants were resistant to challenge with the field virus.

Comparative studies on poxvirus strains isolated from camels.

Five poxvirus strains isolated from camels in Egypt, Iran and the U.S.S.R. were investigated. The morphology and size of the negatively stained virions of the investigated strains were identical. The strains produced minute white pock lesions localized mainly on the infected area of the chorioallantoic membrane, without generalization of lesions or death of embryos. The ceiling temperature and the haemagglutinating activity of the different strains were different. All the strains were apathogenic for rabbit skin and highly pathogenic for mice inoculated intracerebrally. Serologically, all the strains were related to vaccinia virus but with different degrees. The studied strains had the characteristics of members of the genus Orthopoxvirus.

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus in Iraq: isolation, identification and electron microscopy.

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus was isolated for the first time in Iraq from the blood of three patients. It caused a cytopathic effect in lamb kidney and BHK-21 cell cultures. The virus particles were spherical, enveloped and had 90 nm in diameter similar particles were found in ultrathin sections of the liver from two fatal cases. The isolated virus proved to be antigenically closely related to CCHF virus.

Avian infectious laryngo-tracheitis in Egypt. I. Epidemiology, virus isolation and identification.

Serious outbreaks of haemorrhagic tracheitis in poultry induced by infectious laryngo-tracheitis virus (ILTV) have been recorded in Egypt for the first time. The disease occurred in different localities during late 1982 and early 1983. The associated drop in egg production ranged between 5% and 35% and there was a mortality rate which ranged from 0.05% to 19.8%. The causal virus was isolated on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of developing chicken embryos where it induced large yellowish-white pock lesions, 3-4 mm in diameter, by the fifth or sixth day post-inoculation. It was non-lethal to the inoculated embryos. It grew also with cytopathic effect (CPE) on the CER cell line. The CPE was characterized by syncytial formation and intranuclear inclusions. Chickens experimentally inoculated with the virus developed respiratory signs and 14 of 20 birds died with subsequent virus re-isolation. The isolated virus was unable to agglutinate chicken red cells and it was precipitated and partially neutralized by reference serum to ILTV. Viral antigen was detected by the indirect fluorescent antibody technique in tracheal smears obtained from naturally and experimentally infected birds. This is the first report of the isolation of ILTV in Egypt.

Susceptibility of day-old chicks and ducklings, goslings and quails to pigeon herpes encephalomyelitis and pigeon herpesviruses.

Day-old chicks were susceptible to pigeon herpes encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV) by intracerebral (i/c) inoculation. Infected birds developed neurologic signs starting from 2 to 15 days post-infection, and 85% died. The virus was recovered from the brains of diseased chicks in titers ranging between 104 and 105.5 EID 50/0.2 ml. Inoculated birds shed the virus in their droppings throughout the 2 weeks observation period. Day-old chicks given the virus by the intranasal (i/n) or oral routes did not develop any specific signs but shed the virus also in their droppings throughout the observation period. Ducklings and goslings inoculated intravenously (i/v), i/n or orally were resistant. Day-old chicks and ducklings, goslings and quails inoculated by different routes with pigeon herpesvirus (PHV) did not show respiratory or nervous signs.

Infectious tenosynovitis in broilers and broiler breeders in Egypt.

Two infectious tenosynovitis-producing viruses were isolated from tendon sheaths and synovial fluids of 59 broilers and 15 broiler breeders obtained from different flocks in Egypt during June to October 1983. The viruses grew well on the chorioallantoic membrane of developing chicken embryos, produced small localized white pock lesions with oedematous swellings at the inoculation sites and death of most of the embryos 72 to 96 hours post-inoculation. They also induced cytopathic effect in chicken embryo rough, Vero and MS cell lines. The viruses were neutralized by reovirus S1133 antiserum, both in tissue culture and on the chorioallantoic membrane. Inoculation of the viruses into 2-day-old broiler chicks via the foot pad, intramuscular and oral routes reproduced the disease with the development of characteristic clinical, pathological and serological responses. The infection was transmitted to in-contact control chicks. This is the first report of the disease and of the isolation and identification of the causative virus in Eqypt.

Pigeon herpes encephalomyelitis virus in Egypt.

A virus was isolated in Egypt from brain and liver collected from domestic pigeons suffering from nervous disorders. The morphological and biophysical properties of the virus were consistent with it being a member of the family Herpetoviridae. Antigenically the virus was closely related to if not identical with pigeon herpes encephalomyelitis virus.

Laboratory characteristics of the "Yarmouk" strain of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus.

The "Yarmouk" strain of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus lost 78% and 42% of its infective titers after treatment with ether and chloroform respectively. It lost completely its infectivity property after treatment with sodium deoxycholate. The virus was completely inactivated by heating at 56, 60 and 70 degrees C for 30, 10 and 5 minutes respectively. Neither virus growth nor viral antigen were detected in primary cell cultures of lamb testis, rabbit kidney and chicken embryo fibroloast. The virus grew wit prominant CPE in primary cell culture and cell line of lamb kidney. Experimental inoculation of sheep and goat resulted in viraemia without overt disease. The virus was reisolated from the blood of inoculated animals till the 5th day postinoculation (pi). Seroconversion was observed 2 to 5 weeks pi. Contact control animals were free from antibodies to the virus.