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Mycoplasma anserisalpingitidis is a bacterial waterfowl pathogen. In these days of growing antibiotic resistance, it is necessary to search for alternative methods of defense against Mycoplasma impacts in flocks. In order to identify prophage-like sequences, three established bioinformatics tools (PHASTER, PhiSpy, Prophage Hunter) were used in this study for the in silico screening of 82 M. anserisalpingitidis whole genomes. The VIBRANT software was used as a novel approach to further investigate the possibility of prophages in the sequences. The commonly used softwares found prophage-like sequences in the strains, but the results were inconclusive. The VIBRANT search resulted in multiple hits, and many of them were over 10,000 base pairs (bp). These putative prophages are comparable in size to the few described mycoplasma phages. The translated coding DNA sequences of the putative prophages were checked with protein BLAST. The functions of the proteins found by the BLASTP search are common among bacteriophages. The BLASTN search of the sequences found that many of these were more similar to the M. anatis NCTC 10156 strain, rather than the available M. anserisalpingitidis strains. The initial screening pointed at the presence of novel bacteriophages in the M. anserisalpingitidis and M. anatis strains. The VIBRANT search results were very similar to each other and none of these sequences were part of the core genome of M. anserisalpingitidis, with a few exceptions. The VIBRANT analysis explored presumably intact, novel prophages., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Five different compounds were tested for their in vitro inhibitory effect against RABV multiplication in mouse neuroblastoma (N2A) cell line. N2A cells were infected with the fixed RABV strain CVS-11 one hour prior to adding antivirals or their respective combinations. The infectious titre of RABV as well as the quantity of viral RNA was determined in the cell culturing medium after 48 h. All five tested compounds (mouse interferon (IFN)-α and -β, ribavirin, favipiravir (T-705) and sorafenib) reduced viral replication in a concentration-dependent manner: IFN-β and sorafenib both provided 73.71% relative inhibition of viral replication in the highest non-cytotoxic concentration, while ribavirin caused 48.07%, IFN-α caused 44.87% and favipiravir caused 35.25% relative inhibition, respectively. When applied in combination, their antiviral activity was not synergistic, but a pronounced inhibition was detected when IFN-β was combined with sorafenib, ribavirin, or favipiravir. The highest antiviral effect was caused by the combination of IFN-β and sorafenib (77.19% relative inhibition). In other combinations there was an antagonistic effect detected in the reduction of viral replication. The results demonstrate that these compounds can be promising candidates for a potential combination treatment of rabies, noting that some combinations are not favourable in vitro, which makes thorough in vivo studies necessary., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Recent studies demonstrated that inhibitors of pro-inflammatory molecular cascades triggered by rabies infection in the central nervous system (CNS) can enhance survival in mouse model and that certain antiviral compounds interfere with rabies virus replication in vitro. In this study different combinations of therapeutics were tested to evaluate their effect on survival in rabies-infected mice, as well as on viral load in the CNS. C57Bl/6 mice were infected with Silver-haired bat rabies virus (SHBRV)-18 at virus dose approaching LD 50 and LD 100 . In one experimental group daily treatments were initiated 4 h before-, in other groups 48 or 96 h after challenge. In the first experiment therapeutic combination contained inhibitors of tumour necrosis factor-α (infliximab), caspase-1 (Ac-YVAD-cmk), and a multikinase inhibitor (sorafenib). In the treated groups there was a notable but not significant increase of survival compared to the virus infected, non-treated mice. The addition of human rabies immunoglobulins (HRIG) to the combination in the second experiment almost completely prevented mortality in the pre-exposure treatment group along with a significant reduction of viral titres in the CNS. Post-exposure treatments also greatly improved survival rates. As part of the combination with immunomodulatory compounds, HRIG had a higher impact on survival than alone. In the third experiment the combination was further supplemented with type-I interferons, ribavirin and favipiravir (T-705). As a blood-brain barrier opener, mannitol was also administered. This treatment was unable to prevent lethal consequences of SHBRV-18 infection; furthermore, it caused toxicity in treated mice, presumably due to interaction among the components. In all experiments, viral loads in the CNS were similar in mice that succumbed to rabies regardless of treatment. According to the findings, inhibitors of detrimental host response to rabies combined with antibodies can be considered among the possible therapeutic and post-exposure options in human rabies cases., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Besides Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), M. avium subsp. avium (MAA), M. avium subsp. silvaticum (MAS), and 'M. avium subsp. hominissuis' (MAH) are equally important members of M. avium complex, with worldwide distribution and zoonotic potential. Genotypic discrimination is a prerequisite to epidemiological studies which can facilitate disease prevention through revealing infection sources and transmission routes. The primary aim of this study was to identify the genetic diversity within 135 MAA, 62 MAS, and 84 MAH strains isolated from wild and domestic mammals, reptiles and birds. Strains were tested for the presence of large sequence polymorphism LSP(A)17 and were submitted to Mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units-variable-number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) analysis at 8 loci, including MIRU1, 2, 3, and 4, VNTR25, 32, and 259, and MATR9. In 12 strains hsp65 sequence code type was also determined. LSP(A)17 was present only in 19.9% of the strains. All LSP(A)17 positive strains belonged to subspecies MAH. The discriminatory power of the MIRU-VNTR loci set used reached 0.9228. Altogether 54 different genotypes were detected. Within MAH, MAA, and MAS strains 33, 16, and 5 different genotypes were observed. The described genotypes were not restricted to geographic regions or host species, but proved to be subspecies specific. Our knowledge about MAS is limited due to isolation and identification difficulties. This is the first study including a large number of MAS field strains. Our results demonstrate the high diversity of MAH and MAA strains and the relative uniformity of MAS strains., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Tularaemia is a zoonotic disease caused by Francisella tularensis, a Gram-negative, facultative intracellular bacterium. Typically, human and animal infections are caused by F tularensis subspecies tularensis (type A) strains mainly in Canada and USA, and F tularensis subspecies holarctica (type B) strains throughout the northern hemisphere, including Europe. In the past, the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic, and prognostic aspects of tularaemia reported in the English medical literature were mainly those that had been reported in the USA, where the disease was first described. Tularaemia has markedly changed in the past decade, and a large number of studies have provided novel data for the disease characteristics in Europe. In this Review we aim to emphasise the specific and variable aspects of tularaemia in different European countries. In particular, two natural lifecycles of F tularensis have been described in this continent, although not fully characterised, which are associated with different modes of transmission, clinical features, and public health burdens of tularaemia., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Avipoxviruses are emerging pathogens affecting over 200 bird species worldwide. Genetic characterization of avipoxviruses is performed by analysis of genomic regions encoding the 4b and DNA polymerase. Whole genome sequence data are limited to a few avipoxvirus isolates. Based on phylogenetic analysis three major genetic clades are distinguished. In this study we report a novel avipoxvirus strain causing skin lesions in domestic turkey. The virus was identified in Hungary during 2011 in a flock of turkey vaccinated against avipoxvirus infection. The genome of the isolated strain, TKPV-HU1124/2011, was uniquely short (∼188.5kbp) and was predicted to encode reduced number of proteins. Phylogenetic analysis of the genes encoding the 4b and DNA polymerase separated TKPV-HU1124/2011 from other turkey origin avipoxviruses and classified it into a new genetic clade. This study permits new insight into the genetic and genomic heterogeneity of avipoxviruses and pinpoints the importance of strain diversity in vaccine efficacy., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)