Enzymatically Synthesized Vinyl Ether-Disulfide Monomer Enabling an Orthogonal Combination of Free Radical and Cationic Chemistry toward Sustainable Functional Networks.

This work demonstrates a versatile and environmentally friendly route for the development of new orthogonal monomers that can be used for postfunctionalizable polymer networks. A monomer containing both vinyl ether (VE) and cyclic disulfide moieties was synthesized via enzyme catalysis under benign reaction conditions. The bifunctional monomer could be polymerized to form macromolecues with differing architectures by the use of either cationic or radical photo polymerization. When cationic polymerization was performed, a linear polymer was obtained with pendant disulfide units in the side chain, whereas in the presence of radical initiator, the VE reacted with the disulfide to yield a branched structure. The monomer was thereafter used to design networks that could be postfunctionalized; the monomer was cross-linked with cationic initiation together with a difunctional VE oligomer and after cross-linking the unreacted disulfides were coupled to Rhodamine-VE by radical UV-initiation.

Novel sustainable synthesis of vinyl ether ester building blocks, directly from carboxylic acids and the corresponding hydroxyl vinyl ether, and their photopolymerization.

Increased environmental awareness has led to a demand for sustainable, bio-based materials. Consequently, the development of new benign synthesis pathways utilizing a minimum of reaction steps and available bio-based building blocks is needed. In the present study, vinyl ether alcohols and functional carboxylic acids were used to synthesize bifunctional vinyl ether esters using the immobilized enzyme Candida antarctica lipase B as a catalyst. Vinyl ethers are attractive alternatives to (meth)acrylates due to low allergenic hazards, low toxicity, and fast polymerization; however, difficult synthesis limits the monomer availability. The synthesis was performed in one-pot and the described method was successful within a broad temperature range (22-90 °C) and in various organic solvents as well as in the bulk. The synthesis of different vinyl ether esters reached high conversions (above 90%) after less than 1 h and products were purified by removing the enzyme by filtration using only small amounts of acetone. This approach is a straightforward route to reach monomers with multiple types of functionalities that can be used as different photo-curable thermoset resins. In this work, this was demonstrated by polymerizing the monomers with cationic and radical UV-polymerization. By changing the functional carboxylic acids, the architecture of the final polymer can be tailored, herein demonstrated by two examples. In the developed versatile method, carboxylic acids can be used directly as acyl donors, constituting a more sustainable alternative to the carboxylic acid derivatives used today.

Characterization of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae isolates from laying hens and poultry red mites (Dermanyssus gallinae) from an outbreak of erysipelas.

Infection with the zoonotic bacterium Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae causes severe disease outbreaks (erysipelas) in poultry flocks. As this bacterium has been isolated from the poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae), this parasite has been suggested as a possible means of transmission of E. rhusiopathiae on and between poultry farms. To further elucidate the capacity of the mite as a reservoir, we analysed and compared 56 bacterial isolates from laying hens and nine isolates from mites by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), using the restriction enzyme SmaI. The isolates originated from one outbreak in a laying hen flock housed in an indoor litter-based aviary system. Except for two isolates, a homogeneous banding pattern was obtained from all isolates analysed, suggesting that a single strain was the cause of the outbreak. Another finding was that isolates from individual hens could exhibit slightly different PFGE patterns. Mites collected from the same house at the end of the production period of the following flock were negative for the presence of E. rhusiopathiae. An increasing number of erysipelas outbreaks as well as escalating problems with D. gallinae are expected in other European countries related to the forthcoming changes in housing systems for laying hens. Consequently, further studies are needed to investigate the importance of erysipelas in poultry and the importance of D. gallinae in the transmission of E. rhusiopathiae.

Experimental study on possible transmission of the bacterium Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae to chickens by the poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae.

The vector potential of the poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae De Geer (Acari: Dermanyssidae), in relation to chicken erysipelas was investigated under experimental conditions. Chickens were inoculated intramuscularly with the bacterium Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, and mites were allowed to feed on the inoculated chickens for 5 days. After 20 days of starvation, the mites were allowed to feed on healthy chickens to enable transmission of bacteria. Blood samples were collected from the birds and analysed for the presence of E. rhusiopathiae, and ELISA tests were performed for seropositivity. The internal presence of E. rhusiopathiae in the mites after feeding of inoculated birds was also investigated. It could not be demonstrated that mites take up and transmit E. rhusiopathiae under the experimental conditions described. However, since there are case reports as well as other in vitro studies indicating the potential of D. gallinae to act as a reservoir and potential vector for infections agents, we cannot exclude the possibility that the red poultry mite transmits E. rhusiopathiae between chickens under field conditions.