Thoracic Tumor Associated with a Unilateral Empyema in a Beef Cow: A Case Report.

Tumors in cows are not frequently reported in the literature. They often represent unusual findings in live animals and are incidental at slaughter with rare positive therapeutic outcomes for farmers. A 9-year-old beef cow was referred to the hospital of ruminants of the National Veterinary School of Toulouse, France. The cow started to become sick 10 days prior, and major symptoms were anorexia, arched back, tachycardia, and tachypnea associated with significantly attenuated cardiac and pulmonary sounds upon right-sided auscultation. After specific investigations, a thoracic sarcoma associated with unilateral empyema was diagnosed. The empyema was treated, and supportive treatment was only performed for the tumor. Although the sarcoma remained, clinical improvement was significant, and the cow went back to her farm of origin. After the end of the withdrawal period, the cow recovered clinically but was culled by the owners for economic reasons. The present case report offers a continuum from the initial clinical signs motivating specific investigations to interesting laboratory findings, which were confirmed post-mortem.

Concurrent Mycobacterium genavense infection and intestinal B-cell lymphoma in a pet rabbit (Oryctolaguscuniculus).

A 6-year-old male intact pet rabbit was evaluated for chronic weight loss. A large mass was detected by palpation in the mid-abdomen and ultrasound examination suggested a jejunal location. Explorative laparotomy revealed a nodular mass within the jejunal wall. Histological examination of a biopsy revealed mycobacterial granulomatous enteritis with an atypical lymphoblastic proliferation suggestive of lymphoma. Neoplastic lymphocytes were immunopositive for Pax-5 but negative for CD3, which is diagnostic of a B-cell neoplasm. Numerous acid-fast bacteria were seen within histiocytes and identified by polymerase chain reaction as Mycobacterium genavense, which is a non-tuberculous and opportunistic mycobacterium with zoonotic potential. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented case of a concurrent B-cell lymphoma and M. genavense infection in a rabbit. Concomitant mycobacteriosis and lymphoma have been rarely described in animals and the coexistence of neoplasia and mycobacterial infection within the jejunum suggests a potential pathogenetic association. Interestingly, the rabbit owner worked in an anti-tuberculosis clinic, and an anthropic origin of the mycobacterial infection could not be excluded.

Pathobiology of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza viruses in naturally infected Galliformes and Anseriformes in France during 2015-2016.

In late 2015, an epizootic of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5Nx) was registered in Southwestern France, including more than 70 outbreaks in commercial poultry flocks. Phylogenetic analyses suggested local emergence of H5 viruses which differed from A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 clade 2.3.4.4b lineage and shared a unique polybasic cleavage site in their hemagglutinin protein. The present work provides an overview of the pathobiological picture associated with this epizootic in naturally infected chickens, guinea fowls and ducks. Upon necropsy examination, selected tissues were sampled for histopathology, immunohistochemistry and quantitative Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction. In Galliformes, HPAIVs infection manifested as severe acute systemic vasculitis and parenchymal necrosis and was associated with endothelial expression of viral antigen. In ducks, lesions were mild and infrequent, with sparse antigenic detection in respiratory and digestive mucosae and leukocytes. Tissue quantifications of viral antigen and RNA were higher in chickens and guinea fowls compared to duck. Subsequently, recombinant HA (rHA) was generated from a H5 HPAIV isolated from an infected duck to investigate its glycan-binding affinity for avian mucosae. Glycan-binding analysis revealed strong affinity of rHA for 3'Sialyl-LacNAc and low affinity for Sialyl-LewisX, consistent with a duck-adapted virus similar to A/Duck/Mongolia/54/2001 (H5N2). K222R and S227R mutations on rHA sequence shifted affinity towards Sialyl-LewisX and led to an increased affinity for chicken mucosa, confirming the involvement of these two mutations in the glycan-binding specificity of the HA. Interestingly, the rHA glycan binding pattern of guinea fowl appeared intermediate between duck and chicken. The present study presents a unique pathobiological description of the H5 HPAIVs outbreaks that occurred in 2015-2016 in Southwestern France.

Detection and Typing of a Fowl Adenovirus Type 1 Agent of Pancreatitis in Guinea Fowl.

Adenoviral pancreatitis has been amply described for decades in guinea fowl. Although its pathologic picture has been characterized fairly well, its etiology still remains only partially clarified. Based on several outbreaks diagnosed on commercial guinea flocks raised in France since 2017, we performed direct whole-genome sequencing from pancreatic lesional tissue by using the Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) sequencing method. We generated 4781 viral reads and assembled a whole genome of 43,509 bp, clustering within fowl adenovirus type 1 (FAdV-1). A phylogenetic analysis based on a partial sequence of the hexon and short fiber genes on viruses collected in France showed 98.7% and 99.8% nucleotide identity, respectively. Altogether, these results confirm that an FAdV-1 closely related to chicken and other avian strains is the agent of pancreatitis in guinea fowl. This study illustrates the potential of ONT sequencing method to achieve rapid whole-genome sequencing directly from pathologic material.

Detección y tipificación de un adenovirus aviar tipo 1 (FAdV-1), agente de pancreatitis en gallinas de Guinea. La pancreatitis adenoviral se ha descrito ampliamente durante décadas en gallinas de Guinea. Aunque su cuadro patológico se ha caracterizado bastante bien, su etiología todavía permanece sólo parcialmente aclarada. Sobre la base de varios brotes diagnosticados en parvadas comerciales de guineas criadas en Francia desde el año 2017, se realizó una secuenciación directa del genoma completo a partir del tejido de la lesión pancreática mediante el método de secuenciación desarrollado por Oxford Nanopore Technologies. Se generaron 4781 lecturas virales y se ensambló un genoma completo de 43,509 pb, que se agrupó dentro del adenovirus aviar tipo 1 (FAdV-1). Un análisis filogenético basado en una secuencia parcial de los genes hexón y de fibra corta de virus recolectados en Francia mostró identidades de nucleótidos de 98.7% y 99.8%, respectivamente. En conjunto, estos resultados confirman que un adenovirus aviar tipo 1 estrechamente relacionado con el pollo y otras cepas aviares es el agente de la pancreatitis en la gallina de Guinea. Este estudio ilustra el potencial de las tecnologías desarrolladas por Oxford Nanopore Thechnologies para lograr una secuenciación rápida de todo el genoma directamente a partir de material patológico.

Additional Value of Second Harmonic Generation Microscopy in the Diagnosis of Feline Collagen Type III Glomerulopathy.

A 1.5-year-old neutered female Domestic Shorthair cat was euthanized after the diagnosis of end-stage protein-losing nephropathy associated with the onset of nephrotic syndrome. At necropsy, both kidneys were diffusely pale and swollen with a granular cortex. Histologically, glomeruli had diffuse global mesangial and capillary wall expansion by homogeneous pale eosinophilic material. This material was Congo red negative, blue with Masson's trichrome stain, weakly positive with periodic acid-Schiff stain, bright red with Picrosirius red and birefringent under polarized light. Transmission electron microscopy and second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy revealed mesangial and subendothelial collagen fibril deposition. Type III collagen deposition was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. This study provides an original and complete description of feline collagen type III glomerulopathy and emphasizes the possibility of directly diagnosing glomerular collagen deposition on unstained slides through SHG microscopy.

An Evaluation of the Diagnostic Accuracy of a Panel of Variants in DPYD and a Single Variant in ENOSF1 for Predicting Common Capecitabine Related Toxicities.

Efficacy of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy is limited by significant toxicity. Tests based upon variants in the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) guidelines with high level evidence of a link to dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) phenotype and 5-FU toxicity are available to identify patients at high risk of severe adverse events (AEs). We previously reported associations between rs1213215, rs2612091, and NM_000110.3:c.1906-14763G>A (rs12022243) and capecitabine induced toxicity in clinical trial QUASAR 2. We also identified patients with DPD deficiency alleles NM_000110.3: c.1905+1G>A, NM_000110.3: c.2846C>T, NM_000110.3:c.1679T>G and NM_000110.3:c.1651G>A. We have now assessed the frequency of thirteen additional DPYD deficiency variants in 888 patients from the QUASAR 2 clinical trial. We also compared the area under the curve (AUC)-a measure of diagnostic accuracy-of the high-level evidence variants from the CPIC guidelines plus and minus additional DPYD deficiency variants and or common variants associated with 5-FU toxicity. Including additional DPYD deficiency variants retained good diagnostic accuracy for serious adverse events (AEs) and improved sensitivity for predicting grade 4 haematological toxicities (sensitivity 0.75, specificity 0.94) but the improvement in AUC for this toxicity was not significant. Larger datasets will be required to determine the benefit of including additional DPYD deficiency variants not observed here. Genotyping two common alleles statistically significantly improves AUC for prediction of risk of HFS and may be clinically useful (AUC difference 0.177, sensitivity 0.84, specificity 0.31).

Viral tropism and detection of clade 2.3.4.4b H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in feathers of ducks and geese.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza viruses (HPAIVs) display a tissue pantropism, which implies a possible spread in feathers. HPAIV detection from feathers had been evaluated for H5N1 or H7N1 HPAIVs. It was suggested that viral RNA loads could be equivalent or higher in samples of immature feather compared to tracheal (TS) or cloacal swabs (CS). We investigated the suitability of feathers for the detection of clade 2.3.4.4b H5N8 HPAIV in ducks and geese field samples. In the six H5N8 positive flocks that were included in this study, TS, CS and immature wing feathers were taken from at least 10 birds. Molecular loads were then estimated using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) targetting H5 and M genes. In all flocks, viral loads were at least equivalent between feather and swab samples and in most cases up to 103 higher in feathers. Bayesian modelling confirmed that, in infected poultry, RT-qPCR was much more likely to be positive when applied on a feather sample only (estimated sensitivity between 0.89 and 0.96 depending on the positivity threshold) than on a combination of a tracheal and a cloacal swab (estimated sensitivity between 0.45 and 0.68 depending on the positivity threshold). Viral tropism and lesions in feathers were evaluated by histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Epithelial necrosis of immature feathers and follicles was observed concurrently with positive viral antigen detection and leukocytic infiltration of pulp. Accurate detection of clade 2.3.4.4b HPAIVs in feather samples were finally confirmed with experimental H5N8 infection on 10-week-old mule ducks, as viral loads at 3, 5 and 7 days post-infection were higher in feathers than in tracheal or cloacal swabs. However, feather samples were associated with lower viral loads than tracheal swabs at day 1, suggesting better detectability of the virus in feathers in the later course of infection. These results, based on both field cases and experimental infections, suggest that feather samples should be included in the toolbox of samples for detection of clade 2.3.4.4b HPAI viruses, at least in ducks and geese.

Episomal HPV16 responsible for aggressive and deadly metastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma evidenced in peripheral blood.

Archival tissue samples collected longitudinally from a patient who died from HPV16-induced high-grade anal intraepithelial squamous cell carcinoma with vertebral HPV16-positive metastasis were retrospectively analyzed by the Capture-HPV method (Capt-HPV) followed by Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). Full length nucleotide sequences of the same HPV16 were identified from the initial and second anal biopsy samples, from plasma sample and from vertebral metastasis biopsy. Remarkably, HPV was episomal in each sample. The HPV genome sequence was closest to the HPV16 Qv18158E variant subtype (A1 lineage) exhibiting base substitutions and deletions in 7 and 2 HPV loci, respectively. In conclusion, the powerful Capt-HPV followed by NGS allows evidencing the detailed cartography of tumoral and circulating HPV DNA, giving rise to a unique and unexpected episomal virus molecular status in a context of aggressive carcinoma, underlying the importance of HPV status and its association with clinical features for further prospective studies.

A case of eagle fern (Pteridium aquilinum) poisoning on a pig farm.

BACKGROUND: Free-range pig farming represents a minor proportion of pig production in France but is attracting an increasing number of farmers because of societal expectations and the opportunity to use pasture-grazed forage. However, this type of farming faces several challenges, including biosecurity, parasitic management, and contact with wild fauna and pathogenic flora. CASE PRESENTATION: Two Gascon pigs raised on an outdoor fattening farm in the Hautes-Pyrenees department of France were submitted after sudden death for necropsy at the National Veterinary School of Toulouse. The pigs were of two different breeds but from the same group of 85 animals that had grazed on a 4-ha plot of land being used for grazing for the first time. Based on an in-depth interview with the farmer, the epidemiological information available, and the necropsy and histology examinations, a hypothesis of great eagle fern intoxication was proposed. Although the sample of animals available for diagnosis was small, the success of the administered therapy confirmed our diagnosis. It was recommended that in the short term, the animals be prevented access to the eagle fern by changing their pasture or removing the plants. Vitamin B1 and vitamin B6 were administered via feed as Ultra B® at 1 mL per 10 kg body weight per day for 2 days (providing 9 mg thiamine (vitamin B1) and 0.66 mg pyridoxine (vitamin B6) per kg body weight per day). Marked remission was observed, with 6 of 10 intoxicated animals with symptoms surviving (yielding a therapeutic success rate over 50%), but the therapy did not compensate for the loss of initial body condition. In total, of the 85 animals in the group after intoxication, 6 died, and 6 recovered. CONCLUSIONS: The significance of this report lies in the scarcity of eagle fern intoxication cases reported in the literature, though such intoxication may become a significant problem as the development of outdoor rearing continues. Thus, eagle fern intoxication should be included in the differential diagnosis of nervous system symptoms in swine. The case also emphasizes the importance of anamnesis and discussion with the farmer as an essential step to guide diagnosis.

Corrigendum: FANCM Limits Meiotic Crossovers in Brassica Crops.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.00368.].

Pruritic eosinophilic dermatitis in Jersey cows infested with Leptotrombidium spp (Acari: Trombiculidae).

Eosinophilic dermatitis was observed in skin samples from Jersey cows, sampled in mid-October in south-west France. The inflammatory response was considered to be the result of Trombiculidae bites. Clinical signs were assumed to be due partly to self-trauma and included patchy alopecia with crusted papules; lesions were observed on the jaws, dewlap, perineum and distal limbs. Identified parasites were larvae of Leptotrombidium spp. The lesions had completely self-resolved by December.

La dermatite éosinophilique a été observée dans des échantillons cutanés prélevés sur des vaches Jersey à la mi-octobre dans le sud-est de la France. La réponse inflammatoire a été considérée comme résultant de piqures de Trombiculidae. Les signes cliniques ont été considérés comme étant en partie dus à des auto-traumatismes et comprenaient une alopécie en patch avec papules croûteuses ; les lésions ont été observées sur les mâchoires, les fanons, le périnée et les extrémités distales des membres. Les parasites identifiés étaient des larves de Leptotrombidium spp. Les lésions se sont résolues en totalité spontanément en décembre.

Se observó dermatitis eosinofílica en muestras de piel de vacas Jersey, muestreadas a mediados de octubre en el suroeste de Francia. Se consideró que la respuesta inflamatoria era el resultado de las picaduras de Trombiculidae. Se asumió que los signos clínicos se debían en parte al autotraumatismo e incluían alopecia en parches con pápulas costrosas; se observaron lesiones en mandíbulas, papada, perineo y extremidades distales. Los parásitos identificados fueron larvas de Leptotrombidium spp. Las lesiones se habían resuelto completamente en diciembre.

Observou-se dermatite eosinofílica em amostras de pele de vacas Jersey, coletadas no meio de outubro no sudoeste da França. A resposta inflamatória foi considerada resultante de picadas de trombiculídeos. Os sinais clínicos foram considerados como sendo causados parcialmente por auto-traumatismo e incluíram alopécia focal com pápulas crostosas; as lesões foram observadas nas mandíbulas, barbela, períneo e região distal dos membros. Os parasitas identificados foram larvas de Leptotrombidium spp. O quadro apresentou resolução espontânea completa em dezembro.

Factors associated with anal cancer screening uptake in men who have sex with men living with HIV: a cross-sectional study.

Most western countries have guidelines on anal cancer screening for men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV. However, adherence to these guidelines has been studied poorly. This cross-sectional study reports anal cancer screening uptake and identifies the factors associated with a previous screening in MSM living with HIV in a Paris Hospital (France). A total of 410 outpatients completed a self-administered questionnaire on anal cancer screening. The median age was 50 years and the median time from HIV diagnosis was 14.2 years. Overall, 82.2% of patients were aware of anal cancer screening and, of these, 56.7% had already undergone a screening test. The absence of history of screening (43.3%) was most often explained by lack of time (31.3%) or information (28.2%). Among patients familiar with the anal screening procedure, those older than 50 years (adjusted odds ratio=2.4, 95% confidence interval=1.3-4.7, P=0.007) and informed by healthcare providers (adjusted odds ratio=8.2, 95% confidence interval=2.5-32.0, P=0.001) were more likely to have already been screened. To date, adherence to anal cancer screening in MSM living with HIV appears to be inadequate to enable diagnosis of cancer at its early stages. Encouraging physicians to inform MSM living with HIV about anal cancer screening, irrespective of their age, could be an effective strategy to improve anal cancer screening uptake.

Calcium electroporation: The bioelectrochemical treatment of spontaneous equine skin tumors results in a local necrosis.

Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is an anticancer bioelectrochemical therapy where electrical field pulses (electropermeabilization) increase intracellular concentration of antitumor drugs. The procedure is very effective against skin tumors. The restrictive regulations concerning anticancer drugs in veterinary medicine limit use of ECT. Electroporation with calcium (Electroporation Calcium Therapy)(ECaT) was proved to be effective in vivo on induced tumors in laboratory animals. This study evaluated the effects of ECaT in equine sarcoids (spontaneous skin tumors) on an animal cohort. Pulse parameters for ECaT were choosen for using skin contact electrodes. ECaT was applied under general anesthesia. The tumors were removed at different days after the treatment and analyzed by histology. The study assessed the volume fraction of necrosis that was >50% for 9 of 13 sarcoids. Sixteen sarcoids in 10 horses were treated with ECaT. Macroscopic changes (a crust) were observed in 14/16 tumors. The main microscopic changes were necrosis, ulceration,hemorrhages, calcifications and thrombosis. The adverse effect was an inflammatory local reaction. Surrounding tissues were not affected. This targeted effect can be explained by its control by the field distribution in the tissue and on the interstitial diffusion of the injected Ca2+.

Reducing MSH4 copy number prevents meiotic crossovers between non-homologous chromosomes in Brassica napus.

In allopolyploids, correct chromosome segregation requires suppression of non-homologous crossovers while levels of homologous crossovers are ensured. To date, no mechanism able to specifically inhibit non-homologous crossovers has been described in allopolyploids other than in bread wheat. Here, we show that reducing the number of functional copies of MSH4, an essential gene for the main crossover pathway, prevents non-homologous crossovers in allotetraploid Brassica napus. We show that non-homologous crossovers originate almost exclusively from the MSH4-dependent recombination pathway and that their numbers decrease when MSH4 returns to single copy in B. napus; by contrast, homologous crossovers remain unaffected by MSH4 duplicate loss. We also demonstrate that MSH4 systematically returns to single copy following numerous independent polyploidy events, a pattern that is probably not by chance. These results suggest that stabilization of allopolyploid meiosis can be enhanced by loss of a key meiotic recombination gene.

Guinea Fowl Coronavirus Diversity Has Phenotypic Consequences for Glycan and Tissue Binding.

Guinea fowl coronavirus (GfCoV) causes fulminating enteritis that can result in a daily death rate of 20% in guinea fowl flocks. Here, we studied GfCoV diversity and evaluated its phenotypic consequences. Over the period of 2014 to 2016, affected guinea fowl flocks were sampled in France, and avian coronavirus presence was confirmed by PCR on intestinal content and immunohistochemistry of intestinal tissue. Sequencing revealed 89% amino acid identity between the viral attachment protein S1 of GfCoV/2014 and that of the previously identified GfCoV/2011. To study the receptor interactions as a determinant for tropism and pathogenicity, recombinant S1 proteins were produced and analyzed by glycan and tissue arrays. Glycan array analysis revealed that, in addition to the previously elucidated biantennary di-N-acetyllactosamine (diLacNAc) receptor, viral attachment S1 proteins from GfCoV/2014 and GfCoV/2011 can bind to glycans capped with alpha-2,6-linked sialic acids. Interestingly, recombinant GfCoV/2014 S1 has an increased affinity for these glycans compared to that of GfCoV/2011 S1, which was in agreement with the increased avidity of GfCoV/2014 S1 for gastrointestinal tract tissues. Enzymatic removal of receptors from tissues before application of spike proteins confirmed the specificity of S1 tissue binding. Overall, we demonstrate that diversity in GfCoV S1 proteins results in differences in glycan and tissue binding properties.IMPORTANCE Avian coronaviruses cause major global problems in the poultry industry. As causative agents of huge economic losses, the detection and understanding of the molecular determinants of viral tropism are of ultimate importance. Here, we set out to study those parameters and obtained in-depth insight into the virus-host interactions of guinea fowl coronavirus (GfCoV). Our data indicate that diversity in GfCoV viral attachment proteins results in differences in degrees of affinity for glycan receptors, as well as altered avidity for intestinal tract tissues, which might have consequences for GfCoV tissue tropism and pathogenesis in guinea fowls.

X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy of Fast-Frozen Hematite Colloids in Aqueous Solutions. 6. Sodium Halide (F-, Cl-, Br-, I-) Ion Binding on Microparticles.

Electrolyte ion binding at mineral surfaces is central to the generation of surface charge and key to electric double-layer formation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of fast-frozen (-170 °C) mineral wet pastes provides a means to study weakly bound electrolyte ions at the mineral/water interface. In this study, we build upon a series of articles devoted to ion binding at hematite (α-Fe2O3) particle surfaces to resolve the nature of sodium halide ion binding. Measurements on micron-sized hematite particles terminated by the charged and amphoteric (012) and the relatively uncharged (001) faces point to the formation of salt loadings of similar composition to those of cryosalts of NaCl, NaBr, NaI, and NaF. These coatings could be likened to those of the better-known hydrohalite (NaCl·2H2O) phase, one that typically forms under concentrated (≫0.1 M) aqueous solutions of NaCl under freezing conditions. As we have previously shown that these reaction products do not occur in nanosized hematite particles, our work points to the involvement of the basal (001) face and/or the juxtaposition of these faces in packed tabular microparticles of hematite (1-3 µm in width) in stabilizing these cryosalts. One possible formation pathway involves first-layer Na+ and Cl- ions serving as an anchoring layer for a topotactic-like growth of amorphous to low-crystalline salt hydrates at the (001) face. Thus, by contrasting reaction products of four sodium halides at surfaces of tabular microparticles of hematite, this work revealed the formation of cryosalt-like solids. The formation of such solids may have especially important ramifications to ice nucleation mechanisms in the atmosphere, as well as in saline permafrosts on Earth and on planet Mars where salt-laden mineral particles prevail.

Rapid whole-genome based typing and surveillance of avipoxviruses using nanopore sequencing.

Avian pox is an infectious disease caused by avipoxviruses (APV), resulting in cutaneous and/or tracheal lesions. Poxviruses share large genome sizes (from 130 to 360 kb), featuring repetitions, deletions or insertions as a result of a long-term recombination history. The increasing performances of next-generation sequencing (NGS) opened new opportunities for surveillance of poxviruses, based on timely and affordable workflows. We investigated the application of the 3rd generation Oxford Nanopore Minion technology to achieve real-time whole-genome sequencing directly from lesions, without any enrichment or isolation step. Fowlpox lesions were sampled on hens, total DNA was extracted and processed for sequencing on a MinION, Oxford Nanopore. We readily generated whole APV genomes from cutaneous or tracheal lesions, without any isolation or PCR-based enrichment: Fowlpox virus reads loads ranged from 0.75% to 2.62% and reads up to 61 kbp were generated and readily assembled into 3 APV complete genomes. This long read size eases the assembly step and lowers the bioinformatics capacity requirements and processing time compared to huge sets of short reads. The complete genome analysis confirmed that these Fowlpox viruses cluster within clade A1 and host full length reticuloendotheliovirus (REV) inserts. The pathobiological relevance of REV insert, although a classical feature of fowlpoxviruses (FPVs), should be further investigated. Surveillance of emerging poxviruses could greatly benefit from real-time whole genome sequencing.

Comparison of anal cancer screening strategies including standard anoscopy, anal cytology, and HPV genotyping in HIV-positive men who have sex with men.

BACKGROUND: There is no consensus on screening strategy of high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGAIN). Guidelines range from clinical examination with digital anorectal examination followed by standard anoscopy (SA), to anal cytology (Pap)+/- HPV genotyping. We compared screening strategy yields based on Pap, SA, and HPV-16 genotyping alone or in combination in HIV-MSM. METHODS: Pap, SA, and HPV-16 genotyping were performed in all HIV-MSM attending a first anal cancer screening consultation in Paris, France. High-resolution anoscopy, the gold standard to detect HGAIN, was performed in the case of HPV-16 positivity or abnormal cytology. Yield was defined as the number of patients with HGAIN relative to the total number of patients screened. RESULTS: On 212 patients, the complete strategy (SA + Pap + HPV genotyping) yield (12.7%) was significantly higher than that of SA (3.3%, p < 0.001) and HPV-16 alone (6.6%, p < 0.05). Although none of the other strategies were significantly different from the complete strategy, Pap + HPV-16 and Pap + SA had closer yields (about 11%), with OR = 0.83 (95% CI [0.44;1.57]) and 0.87 (95% CI [0.46;1.64]), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Pap combined with HPV-16 genotyping or SA tended towards higher yields compared to Pap alone, and closer to that of the complete strategy.

FANCM Limits Meiotic Crossovers in Brassica Crops.

Meiotic crossovers (COs) are essential for proper chromosome segregation and the reshuffling of alleles during meiosis. In WT plants, the number of COs is usually small, which limits the genetic variation that can be captured by plant breeding programs. Part of this limitation is imposed by proteins like FANCM, the inactivation of which results in a 3-fold increase in COs in Arabidopsis thaliana. Whether the same holds true in crops needed to be established. In this study, we identified EMS induced mutations in FANCM in two species of economic relevance within the genus Brassica. We showed that CO frequencies were increased in fancm mutants in both diploid and tetraploid Brassicas, Brassica rapa and Brassica napus respectively. In B. rapa, we observed a 3-fold increase in the number of COs, equal to the increase observed previously in Arabidopsis. In B. napus we observed a lesser but consistent increase (1.3-fold) in both euploid (AACC) and allohaploid (AC) plants. Complementation tests in A. thaliana suggest that the smaller increase in crossover frequency observed in B. napus reflects residual activity of the mutant C copy of FANCM. Altogether our results indicate that the anti-CO activity of FANCM is conserved across the Brassica, opening new avenues to make a wider range of genetic diversity accessible to crop improvement.