Pleuropneumonia resulting from varicella and COVID-19 co-infection in a 10-month-old infant.

COVID-19 is a new disease leading to respiratory complications in adults. Children appear to have more modest symptoms than adults. Varicella is often described as a benign disease in the pediatric population. However, patients with varicella and COVID-19 co-infection can develop a more serious respiratory infection. We report the case of an infant who had a co-infection with both viruses that led to pleuropneumonia. The main question in the present case concerns the link between COVID-19 and varicella infection, and the possible modulation in immune response due to the two virus infections.

Severe, diffuse fibrinonecrotic pleuropneumonia in a cat affected by multiple viral infection.

This communication describes the coinfection with feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), feline herpesvirus 1 (FeHV-1), feline calicivirus (FCV) and feline coronavirus (FCoV) in a 1 year­old domestic cat living in a feline shelter. The cat was referred to veterinary hospital with clinical signs related to diffuse gastro-intestinal inflammation, it had developed a severe pneumopathy with fibrinous exudation in all body cavities and died 8 days after initial presentation. Pathological findings and biomolecular diagnostic test results were compatible with an initial FPV infection that, in consequence of the lymphoid depletion, has fostered coinfection or reactivation of chronic-latent infections with FeHV-1, FCV, and FCoV. In the reported case, the simultaneous presence of different viruses exacerbated the clinical status of the host, resulting in multiple organ damage and leading it to its death.

Infectious agents associated with respiratory diseases in 125 farrow-to-finish pig herds: a cross-sectional study.

A study was carried out in 125 farrow-to-finish pig herds to assess the relationships between pathogens involved in respiratory disorders and to relate these findings to clinical signs of respiratory diseases and pneumonia and pleuritis at slaughter. Clinical examination and sampling were carried out on four different batches in each herd (pigs aged 4, 10, 16 and 22 weeks). Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, swine influenza viruses (SIV), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) were detected by serological or PCR tests. Pneumonia-like gross lesions and pleuritis were scored at the slaughterhouse. The results indicate that the percentage of pigs PCR-positive for PCV2 at 4, 10 and 16 weeks old was associated with the percentage of pigs PCR-positive for M. hyopneumoniae at these ages. On the other hand, the percentage of pigs with antibodies against PRRSV at 10, 16 and 22 weeks was positively correlated with the percentage of pigs seropositive for M. hyopneumoniae at 22 weeks, with the percentage of pigs with antibodies against SIV H1N1 and SIV H1N2 and the percentage of pigs sero-positive for A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 2. The findings also indicate that, within the five studied pathogens, M. hyopneumoniae, PRRSV and SIV H1N1 are the major pathogens involved in pneumonia-like gross lesions even though PCV2 may play a role. A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 2, in association with PRRSV, is significantly associated with extensive pleuritis. Respiratory diseases could be significantly reduced by implementing measures including appropriate management practices to control these pathogens.

Identification of QTL for dorso-caudal chronic pleuritis in 12 crossbred porcine families.

Pleuropneumonia is a major problem in pig production. At the time of slaughter, chronic pleuritis (CP) developed from pleuropneumonia is a common finding, and breeding for a reduced incidence of CP using marker-assisted selection (MAS) would be advantageous. Before applying MAS, quantitative trait loci (QTL) or markers associated with the prevalence of CP should be identified. In this study, 7470 pigs from crosses between 12 Danish Duroc boars and 604 sows (Danish Landrace × Danish Large White) were evaluated for CP located on the dorso-caudal part of the lungs. Quantitative trait loci were identified within boar families using both a Binomial logistic regression method and a chi-square test of association. Significant QTL for CP were detected on Sus scrofa chromosomes (SSC) 2, 8, 12, 13, 14 and 18 using both methods. One QTL on SSC 8 was also detected across families. For the QTL identified within families, the odds-ratio of having CP was approximately twice as high for the unfavourable allele compared to the favourable one. These QTL and closely linked markers show promise for the development of gene-specific markers associated with a reduced incidence of CP located on the dorso-caudal part of the lungs.

Detection of parvovirus B19 in skin biopsy, serum, and bone marrow of a patient with fever, rash, and polyarthritis followed by pneumonia, pericardial effusion, and hepatitis.

A previously healthy 33-year-old male patient presented with fever, rash and polyarthritis. Subsequently, he developed pleuropneumonitis, pericardial effusion and hepatitis. The diagnosis of parvovirus B19 infection was based on the detection of parvovirus DNA by PCR in a skin biopsy, bone marrow cells and serum. The patient had high parvovirus IgG antibody titres but remained negative for IgM at a three month follow-up, suggesting persistence of the virus or reinfection. It is concluded that detection of viral DNA is needed to verify a parvovirus B19 infection even in an immunologically healthy host.