Hemagglutinin inhibition antibody responses to commercial equine influenza vaccines in vaccinated horses.

The use of a hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay to assess humoral immune response to equine influenza virus (EIV) vaccines from various manufacturers administered to previously immunized adult horses was investigated. Subjects were allocated into one of 3 groups and vaccinated with various commercially available vaccines. Groups were subdivided into subjects that received 1 dose of a particular vaccine and those that received a second dose, 30 d later. Serum was collected at various times to assess antibody responses to contemporary EIV Florida sub-lineage strains. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05 and all groups had a significant increase in antibody titers pre- and post-administration of the first dose. In contrast, there was no significant difference between day 30 titers and titers at subsequent time points, regardless of protocol. We concluded that administration of various commercial influenza vaccines containing a different sub-lineage clade stimulated equivalent HI antibody titers after 1 booster vaccination.

Réponses en anticorps inhibant l'hémagglutinine aux vaccins commerciaux contre la grippe équine chez des chevaux sensibilisés. On a étudié l'utilisation d'un test d'inhibition de l'hémagglutination (HI) pour évaluer la réponse immunitaire humorale aux vaccins contre le virus de la grippe équine (EIV) de différents fabricants administrés à des chevaux adultes préalablement immunisés. Les sujets ont été divisés en trois groupes et vaccinés avec différents vaccins disponibles dans le commerce. Les groupes ont été subdivisés en sujets qui ont reçu une dose d'un vaccin particulier et ceux qui ont reçu une deuxième dose 30 jours plus tard. Du sérum a été prélevé à divers moments pour évaluer les réponses en anticorps aux souches contemporaines de la sous-lignée EIV Floride. La signification statistique a été fixée à P < 0,05 et tous les groupes ont montré une différence significative entre les titres d'anticorps mesurés avant et après l'administration de la première dose. En revanche, il n'y avait pas de différence significative entre les titres au jour 30 et les titres à des moments ultérieurs, quel que soit le protocole. Les résultats ont montré que l'administration d'un vaccin antigrippal commercial différent contenant un clade de sous-lignée différent stimule des titres d'anticorps HI équivalents après une vaccination de rappel.(Traduit par Dr Serge Messier).

Whole-Blood Validation of a New Point-of-care Equine Serum Amyloid A Assay.

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is considered a major acute phase protein (APP) in horses. Serum amyloid A stall-side assays are commercially available to assess the inflammatory response of patients with various infectious and noninfectious conditions. The objective of this study was to determine the analytical performance of a new point-of-care (POC) assay for the measurement of SAA in whole blood and plasma of horses. One hundred and sixty blood samples were collected from 60 horses at various time points after immunization with an equine core vaccine. Analytical validation of the SAA POC assay included the measurement of SAA in whole blood and plasma, assessment of linearity and precision, and comparison of the SAA POC results with those obtained with a validated turbidimetric immunoassay (TIA). The SAA POC assay yielded similar results in whole blood and plasma (P > .05), and the results were positively correlated with the TIA (R2 = 0.964). The assay displayed solid linearity throughout the detection range of ≤ 20 to 3,000 µg/mL (R2 = 0.984) with inter-assay and intra-assay coefficients of variation ranging from 7.8% to 13.3% and 5.7% to 12.0%, respectively. The new SAA POC assay was able to reliably measure SAA in both whole blood and plasma. Similar to previously validated assays, the new SAA POC assay is a valuable tool to investigate the inflammatory response in various clinical diseases of horses.

Gestantes em situação de rua no município de Santos, SP: reflexões e desafios para as políticas públicas / Homeless pregnant women in the city of Santos, São Paulo, Brazil: reflections and challenges to public policies

O estudo teve como objetivo investigar o cotidiano de gestantes em situação de rua e sua relação com as políticas públicas na cidade de Santos, litoral do Estado de São Paulo. A coleta de dados foi feita através do registro e estudo de narrativas de memórias de vida. A análise deu-se pelo agrupamento temático de trechos das narrativas, sendo identificadas quatro principais categorias: vida na rua; cuidado e gestação; projetos futuros; e rede pública de serviços. As narrativas revelam mulheres com capacidade criativa para desejar uma vida melhor a partir da possibilidade de ter um filho. Entretanto, a condição social em que vivem, envolvendo a luta diária pela sobrevivência e, em alguns casos, a dependência química dificultam o planejamento de estratégias que transformem o desejo em um projeto de vida. Dessa forma, na maioria das vezes perdem a guarda de seus filhos. Embora conheçam os serviços públicos, quase sempre os acessam apenas em casos de urgência. Não se identificaram na rede de serviços assistenciais - pública e do terceiro setor - programas focados na questão da gestante em situação de rua, ainda que o Brasil já viva, atualmente, histórias de famílias que têm a situação de rua como experiência intergeracional. Os resultados apontam para a necessidade de constituição de políticas intersetoriais, voltadas para gestantes em situação de rua.

The study aimed to investigate the daily routine of homeless pregnant women and their relation to public policies in the city of Santos, State of São Paulo. Data was collected through the record and study of narratives of life memories. The analysis was conducted through the thematic grouping of excerpts of narratives, and four main categories were identified: life on the street; care and pregnancy; future projects; and public services. The narratives reveal women with creative ability to desire a better life based on the possibility of having a child. However, the social condition in which they live, which involves the daily struggle for survival and, in some cases, drug addiction, hinders the planning of strategies to transform the desire into a life project. Thus, most of them lose custody of their children. Although they know the public services, they go to them only in emergencies, mostly. We have not identified, in the network of care services - public and third sector -, programs focusing on the issue of homeless pregnant women, even though Brazil already witnesses, today, stories of families who have the homeless situation as an intergenerational experience. The results point to the need of making intersectoral policies targeted at homeless pregnant women.