Understanding the disease and economic impact of avirulent avian paramyxovirus type 1 (APMV-1) infection in Great Britain.

Newcastle disease (ND) is a notifiable disease affecting chickens and other avian species caused by virulent strains of Avian paramyxovirus type 1 (APMV-1). While outbreaks of ND can have devastating consequences, avirulent strains of APMV-1 generally cause subclinical infections or mild disease. However, viruses can cause different levels of disease in different species and virulence can evolve following cross-species transmission events. This report describes the detection of three cases of avirulent APMV-1 infection in Great Britain (GB). Case 1 emerged from the 'testing to exclude' scheme in chickens in Shropshire while cases 2 and 3 were made directly from notifiable avian disease investigations in chicken broilers in Herefordshire and on premises in Wiltshire containing ducks and mixed species, respectively). Class II/genotype I.1.1 APMV-1 from case 1 shared 99.94% identity to the Queensland V4 strain of APMV-1. Class II/genotype II APMV-1 was detected from case 2 while the class II/genotype I.2 virus from case 3 aligned closely with strains isolated from Anseriformes. Exclusion of ND through rapid detection of avirulent APMV-1 is important where clinical signs caused by avirulent or virulent APMV-1s could be ambiguous. Understanding the diversity of APMV-1s circulating in GB is critical to understanding disease threat from these adaptable viruses.

The Amazonian Tropical Bites Research Initiative, a hope for resolving zoonotic neglected tropical diseases in the One Health era.

BACKGROUND: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) disproportionately affect populations living in resource-limited settings. In the Amazon basin, substantial numbers of NTDs are zoonotic, transmitted by vertebrate (dogs, bats, snakes) and invertebrate species (sand flies and triatomine insects). However, no dedicated consortia exist to find commonalities in the risk factors for or mitigations against bite-associated NTDs such as rabies, snake envenoming, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis in the region. The rapid expansion of COVID-19 has further reduced resources for NTDs, exacerbated health inequality and reiterated the need to raise awareness of NTDs related to bites. METHODS: The nine countries that make up the Amazon basin have been considered (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela) in the formation of a new network. RESULTS: The Amazonian Tropical Bites Research Initiative (ATBRI) has been created, with the aim of creating transdisciplinary solutions to the problem of animal bites leading to disease in Amazonian communities. The ATBRI seeks to unify the currently disjointed approach to the control of bite-related neglected zoonoses across Latin America. CONCLUSIONS: The coordination of different sectors and inclusion of all stakeholders will advance this field and generate evidence for policy-making, promoting governance and linkage across a One Health arena.

Taiwan Bat Lyssavirus: In Vitro and In Vivo Assessment of the Ability of Rabies Vaccine-Derived Antibodies to Neutralise a Novel Lyssavirus.

Rabies is a neglected tropical disease. The prototype virus, the rabies virus, still causes tens of thousands of human fatalities annually. Rabies is one member of the genus Lyssavirus. The burden of other lyssaviruses is unclear. The continued emergence of novel lyssaviruses means that assessment of vaccine efficacy against these viruses is critical, as standard rabies vaccines are not efficacious against all lyssaviruses. Taiwan bat lyssavirus (TWBLV) was first reported in 2018 following isolation from Japanese house bats. Since the initial detection and genetic characterisation, no attempts have been made to antigenically define this virus. Due to the inaccessibility of the wildtype isolate, the successful generation of a live recombinant virus, cSN-TWBLV, is described, where the full-length genome clone of the RABV vaccine strain, SAD-B19, was constructed with the glycoprotein of TWBLV. In vitro and in vivo characterization of cSN-TWBLV was undertaken and demonstrated evidence for cross-neutralisation of cSN-TWBLV with phylogroup I -specific sera and rabies virus standard sera. For neutralisation equivalent to 0.5 IU/mL of WHO and World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH) sera against CVS, 0.5 IU/mL of WOAH sera and 2.5 IU/mL of WHO sera were required to neutralise cSN-TWBLV. In addition, specific sera for ARAV and EBLV-1 exhibited the highest neutralising antibody titres against cSN-TWBLV, compared to other phylogroup I-specific sera.

Ongoing Assessment of the Molecular Evolution of Peste Des Petits Ruminants Virus Continues to Question Viral Origins.

Understanding the evolution of viral pathogens is critical to being able to define how viruses emerge within different landscapes. Host susceptibility, which is spread between different species and is a contributing factor to the subsequent epidemiology of a disease, is defined by virus detection and subsequent characterization. Peste des petits ruminants virus is a plague of small ruminant species that is a considerable burden to the development of sustainable agriculture across Africa and much of Asia. The virus has also had a significant impact on populations of endangered species in recent years, highlighting its significance as a pathogen of high concern across different regions of the globe. Here, we have re-evaluated the molecular evolution of this virus using novel genetic data to try and further resolve the molecular epidemiology of this disease. Viral isolates are genetically characterized into four lineages (I-IV), and the historic origin of these lineages is of considerable interest to the molecular evolution of the virus. Our re-evaluation of viral emergence using novel genome sequences has demonstrated that lineages I, II and IV likely originated in West Africa, in Senegal (I) and Nigeria (II and IV). Lineage III sequences predicted emergence in either East Africa (Ethiopia) or in the Arabian Peninsula (Oman and/or the United Arab Emirates), with a paucity of data precluding a more refined interpretation. Continual refinements of evolutionary emergence, following the generation of new data, is key to both understanding viral evolution from a historic perspective and informing on the ongoing genetic emergence of this virus.

Control and prevention of canine rabies: the need for building laboratory-based surveillance capacity.

Dogs are the source of more than 99% of human rabies virus infections in endemic regions. Without postexposure prophylaxis, almost all cases are fatal, making rabies the most lethal infectious disease. Tens of thousands of deaths are reported annually, but the official figures are believed to be gross underestimates. Controlling canine rabies, especially in free-ranging dogs, is the first priority to reduce the burden of human disease. Because of their limited medical infrastructure, most endemic countries lack the laboratory facilities needed to diagnose human cases of viral encephalitis. Moreover, the veterinary sectors are often unable to undertake systematic surveillance and reporting of rabies in animals. Without an adequate and functioning risk assessment system that is primed for use, rabies will remain a 'neglected' and omnipresent disease, especially in poverty-stricken regions of the world. Fortunately, experience with the elimination of canine rabies from many industrialized countries has shown that these barriers are not insurmountable. Successful rabies prevention and control strategies that prove the absence of the disease depend on laboratory-based surveillance, rapid data reporting and an adequate system of risk assessment. Future control and prevention programmes should therefore coordinate the development of these key factors, creating synergies to eliminate rabies at its animal source. This article forms part of a symposium in Antiviral Research on the global elimination of canine rabies.

Natural infection with peste des petits ruminants virus: a pre and post vaccinal assessment following an outbreak scenario.

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) infection was confirmed in a herd of goats (n = 55) at an organised farm in Islamabad, Pakistan. PPRV infection was confirmed using both antigen- and antibody-based detection methods, haemagglutination (HA) tests and molecular methods. Animals that survived natural infection developed a typical serological response and virus antigen was detected in fecal matter. Following determination of serological response to infection animals were grouped and either vaccinated or left unvaccinated: group 1 animals succumbed to infection (n = 5) and samples were analysed for PPRV antigen; group 2 animals developed clinical disease (n = 10) and were divided into 2 groups, half being vaccinated (group 2a) whilst the remainder were unvaccinated (group 2b); group 3 (n = 15) animals included those that developed only very mild clinical disease or no clinical disease; group 4 animals (n = 5) were negative for clinical disease and were housed as a negative control group. A variable antibody response was detected following resolution of the initial outbreak. Excretion of virus antigen was assessed at different time points following vaccination. Importantly, animals that were vaccinated (group 2a) excreted antigen in fecal matter for 1 month following vaccination whilst unvaccinated animals (group 2b) continued to shed virus antigen for 2 months. The potential for virus excretion in fecal matter and effects of vaccination upon virus infection are discussed. We postulate that excretion in fecal material may represent a mechanism of virus transmission following natural infection and that this mechanism may demonstrate a potential method by which PPRV outbreaks occur spontaneously in areas not previously known to have circulating virus.