Creating a center for global health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Globalization, migration, and widespread health disparities call for interdisciplinary approaches to improve health care at home and abroad. Health professions students are pursuing study abroad in increasing numbers, and universities are responding with programs to address these needs. The University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison schools of medicine and public health, nursing, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and the division of international studies have created an interdisciplinary center for global health (CGH). The CGH provides health professions and graduate students with courses, field experiences, and a new Certificate in Global Health. Educational programs have catalyzed a network of enthusiastic UW global health scholars. Partnerships with colleagues in less economically developed countries provide the foundation for education, research, and service programs. Participants have collaborated to improve the education of health professionals and nutrition in Uganda; explore the interplay between culture, community development, and health in Ecuador; improve animal health and address domestic violence in Mexico; and examine successful public health efforts in Thailand. These programs supply students with opportunities to understand the complex determinants of health and structure of health systems, develop adaptability and cross-cultural communication skills, experience learning and working in interdisciplinary teams, and promote equity and reduce health disparities at home and abroad. Based on the principles of equity, sustainability, and reciprocity, the CGH provides a strong foundation to address global health challenges through networking and collaboration among students, staff, and faculty within the UW and beyond.

Virus replication in the digestive tract of ducks exposed by aerosol to type-A influenza.

Enteric infection and cloacal shedding of influenza virus was demonstrated in ducks exposed experimentally to an aerosol of an avirulent type-A influenza virus. The fluorescent-antibldy technique was used to identify sites of virus replication in the epithelial cells of the digestive tract and the bursa.

Evidence of influenza viruses in guinea hens and White Embden geese.

Serologic evidence of infection with influenza A viruses is reported in commercially raised guinea fowl and White Embden geese in Minnesota.

Isolation of two turkey influenza A viruses in Minnesota.

Two influenza viruses were isolated from turkeys in 1973. A/Turkey/Minn/PR/73 was isolated from a flock with a 75% mortality. Antigenically its hemagglutinin was not similar to that of A/Turkey/Wis/66 virus. A/Turkey/Minn/Kandi/73 was recovered from a flock with 67% mortality. This isolant was antigenically similar to A/Turkey/Wis/66.

Kidney lesions associated with mortality in chickens inoculated with waterfowl influenza viruses.

Seventy-six type A influenza viruses recovered from waterfowl in Wisconsin, California, South Dakota, Florida, Texas, Alabama, and Nebraska were tested for virulence in chickens. The challenge to chickens was intravenous inoculation of first-, second-, or third-egg-passage virus. Each of the virus strains was tested separately in three or four chickens. Eighteen of the 76 viruses caused the death of one or more chickens following inoculation. Postmortem lesions were similar in all dead birds. In decreasing order of frequency, gross lesions included: swollen kidneys evident as accentuated lobular patterns, urates in the pericardial sac, and urates on the surface of the liver. Microscopic lesions present in kidneys were consistent with visceral gout. Mortality was associated with inoculations having higher concentrations of infectious virus. These results indicate that the influenza A viruses circulating in duck populations may include strains potentially pathogenic for chickens.

A hitherto unreported paramyxovirus of turkeys.

A newly isolated avian virus is described which was obtained from a flock of laying turkey hens with respiratory disease and accompanying egg production drop. Characterisation of the virus indicated it to be of the paramyxovirus group and to be related through antigenic crossing with Newcastle disease virus. Examination of turkey sera from five separate flocks indicated natural infection with the paramyxovirus to be relatively widespread. Experimental infection of turkeys produced only mild respiratory disease.

Isolation of bovine herpesvirus-1 from trigeminal ganglia of clinically normal cattle.

Trigeminal ganglia collected from 56 adult dairy cattle at slaughter were maintained in explant culture. Bovine herpesvirus-1 was isolated from six ganglia after periods of 7 to 24 days' maintenance in vitro. Antibody against bovine herpesvirus-1, indicating exposure to that virus, was found in 45.4% of the sample population from which ganglia were collected.

Further studies of naturally occurring latent bovine herpesvirus infection.

Attempts were made to enhance the isolation rate of latent bovine herpesviruses from trigeminal ganglia by using a fibroblastic fetal bovine kidney cell line, in addition to Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells, and by superinfecting with a temperature-sensitive helper strain of bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1). Four isolates of latent BHV-1 were obtained from 44 pairs of trigeminal ganglia--thus reflecting no increase in isolation rate over that previously observed. Two isolates of a latent bovine herpesvirus-3 strain DN599 were also obtained. Analysis of plaque morphology of BHV-1 isolates obtained in this and a previous study indicated that several biologically heterogeneous strains were capable of establishing latent infections.

Experimental latent and recrudescent bovine herpesvirus-1 infections in calves.

Latent bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) infection was established in 6 calves and was demonstrated by reinduction of virus shedding after administration of corticosteroids. Latently infected calves failed to transmit BHV-1 during 4 weeks' contact with sentinel calves. Infected calves were killed and necropsied during latency or induced recrudescence. The BHV-1 DNA was demonstrated intranuclearly in trigeminal ganglion neurons by in situ hybridization. The BHV-1 antigen was demonstrated by immunofluorescence in trigeminal ganglion neurons during recrudescence. By electron microscopy, changes in the appearance of the Nissl bodies and a high frequency of nuclear bodies were observed in trigeminal ganglion neurons.

Papillomatosis of the bovine teat (mammary papilla).

A 4th of 667 cattle examined at a Wisconsin abattoir had teat papillomas. Excised teat papillomas were sorted by gross morphologic characteristics into 3 groups: (i) atypical filiform, (ii) atypical flat, and (iii) typical fibropapilloma. Bovine papilloma virus capsid antigen was detected in thin-section slides of the 3 groups of teat papillomas by peroxidase-antiperoxidase assay. The bovine papilloma virus involved with the atypical papillomas could not be characterized by molecular hybridization, because enough pure virus could not be harvested. Homogenates of the 3 groups of teat papillomas were inoculated on 2 ponies and 4 calves. Typical fibropapillomas were produced on the 4 calves, and fibromas, on the 2 ponies. Atypical papillomas were produced only in 2 heifers.

Characterization of bovine herpesvirus-1 isolated from trigeminal ganglia of clinically healthy cattle.

Isolates of bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) recovered from tissue explants of trigeminal ganglia of clinically healthy cattle were studied in vitro and in an animal model, and their characteristics were compared with those of vaccine and field strains of BHV-1. The isolates could be distinguished by their plaque size on cell monolayers, but were not significantly different in their thermal inactivation profiles at 48 C. Temperature-sensitive mutants were not found among the isolates when they were grown at 41 C. Selected isolates had different pathogenicity when inoculated in young rabbits.

Vaccination of swine with thymidine kinase-deficient mutants of pseudorabies virus.

A mutant of pseudorabies virus (PRV) deficient in thymidine kinase (TK-) activity was isolated and characterized. The mutant grew well in cell culture and did not revert to the thymidine kinase-positive phenotype. The PRV-TK- was not virulent when inoculated intranasally into 3-to 4-week-old pigs and could not be reactivated from the ganglia of these pigs by explantation and cocultivation with susceptible cells several weeks after virus inoculation. Pigs that had been exposed to PRV-TK- were immune to challenge exposure with a virulent strain of PRV. Furthermore, the challenge virus was not recovered from the ganglia of most of these pigs, indicating that colonization of the ganglia by a super-infecting virulent PRV strain was considerably reduced by vaccination.

Antigenic and phenotypic variants of a virulent avian influenza virus selected during replication in ducks.

To evaluate the replication of a highly virulent avian influenza A virus in a potential reservoir host, mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) were inoculated with the virulent strain A/Ty/Ont/7732/66 (H5N9). Viruses recovered from the ducks were analyzed by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and found to possess antigenically altered viral hemagglutinins. Plaque formation on the Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cell line and on primary chicken embryo cells was investigated, and isolates recovered from the ducks differed from the wild type by being unable to form plaques on MDCK cells without trypsin. This phenotype did not appear to be due to inefficient cleavage of the hemagglutinin by host cell proteases since hemagglutinin immunoprecipitated from cell lysates was cleaved. Although the plaquing phenotype suggested attenuation of the isolates from the ducks, they were not significantly altered in their virulence for chickens shown by infectivity studies in vivo. These results indicate that replication of influenza A/Ty/Ont/7732/66 virus in ducks can produce antigenic and phenotypic variants which are still highly virulent for domestic poultry.

Isolation of type a influenza viruses from the migratory waterfowl along the Mississippi flyway.

Four type A infleunza viruses were isolated from tracheal swabs taken from apparently healthy ducks (mallards, Anas platyrhynchos) along the Mississippi flyway in Minnesota. Inital identification of group A influenza was made possible by the use of the agar gel precipitin test.

Type-A influenza viruses in the feces of migratory waterfowl.

Type-A influenza viruses were commonly recovered from cloacal swab specimens from migratory waterfowl. Experiments indicated that the the virus replicated in various cells of the digestive tract.

Isolation of type A influenza and Newcastle disease viruses from migratory waterfowl in the Mississippi flyway.

Twenty-seven chicken red blood cell agglutinating agents were isolated from 187 tracheal swabbings of apparently healthy migratory mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) in the Mississippi flyway. Twenty-four of the isolants were type A influenza virus; 3 lentogenic Newcastle disease viruses were isolated. Isolations were not made from either 65 giant Canada geese (Branta canadensis) or 60 Franklins' gulls (Larus pipixcan).