11 results on '"Conraths, Franz J."'
Search Results
2. Bluetongue Disease: An Analysis of the Epidemic in Germany 2006–2009
- Author
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Conraths, Franz J., Eschbaumer, Michael, Freuling, Conrad, Gethmann, Jörn, Hoffmann, Bernd, Kramer, Matthias, Probst, Carolina, Staubach, Christoph, Beer, Martin, and Mehlhorn, Heinz, editor
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- 2012
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3. Dog Ownership and Risk for Alveolar Echinococcosis, Germany.
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Schmidberger, Julian, Uhlenbruck, Janne, Schlingeloff, Patrycja, Maksimov, Pavlo, Conraths, Franz J., Mayer, Benjamin, and Kratzer, Wolfgang
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ECHINOCOCCOSIS ,DOG diseases ,ACQUISITION of property ,TAPEWORMS ,CASE-control method ,PETS ,DOGS ,INFECTIOUS disease transmission - Abstract
Human alveolar echinococcosis is caused by the parasite Echinococcus multilocularis, and dog ownership has been identified as a risk factor. We sought to specify the factors of dog ownership underlying this risk by conducting a case-control study among dog owners in Germany. The analysis revealed an increased odds ratio of ≈7-fold for dog owners whose dogs roam unattended in fields, 13-fold for dog owners who feed their dogs organic waste daily, 4-fold for dog owners who take their dog to a veterinarian only in case of illness, and 10-fold for dog owners who have never been informed by a veterinarian about the risk for infection. The results highlight the risk for infection associated with various factors of dog ownership and the value of veterinarians informing owners about prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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4. Spread of West Nile Virus and Usutu Virus in the German Bird Population, 2019–2020.
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Ziegler, Ute, Bergmann, Felicitas, Fischer, Dominik, Müller, Kerstin, Holicki, Cora M., Sadeghi, Balal, Sieg, Michael, Keller, Markus, Schwehn, Rebekka, Reuschel, Maximilian, Fischer, Luisa, Krone, Oliver, Rinder, Monika, Schütte, Karolin, Schmidt, Volker, Eiden, Martin, Fast, Christine, Günther, Anne, Globig, Anja, and Conraths, Franz J.
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WEST Nile virus ,BIRD populations ,COVID-19 ,AVIAN influenza ,VIRUSES - Abstract
West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) are important flaviviruses circulating in Germany. While USUV was first reported more than 10 years ago, WNV has only reached the country in 2018. Wild birds are important amplifying hosts for both viruses. Therefore, we have been monitoring the bird population in different regions of Germany by a previously established network for many years. This report summarizes the results of molecular and/or serological methods of 2345 blood samples from birds of 22 different orders and over 2900 bird carcasses from 2019 and 2020. USUV RNA circulation was found in different regions of Germany, with emphasis on USUV lineages Europe 3 and Africa 3. Increased evidence of USUV lineage Europe 2 was detected in eastern Germany. WNV RNA was found only in birds from the eastern part of the country. The seroprevalence for USUV was between 3.11% and 7.20% in all three regions investigated, whereas the WNV seroprevalence spanned from 14.77% to 16.15% in eastern Germany, with a noticeable tendency for a westward and southward expansion in both years. Thus, wild bird monitoring for WNV and USUV can serve as an early warning system for a human exposure risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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5. Joining the club: First detection of African swine fever in wild boar in Germany.
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Sauter‐Louis, Carola, Forth, Jan Hendrik, Probst, Carolina, Staubach, Christoph, Hlinak, Andreas, Rudovsky, Annett, Holland, Diana, Schlieben, Patricia, Göldner, Melanie, Schatz, Juliane, Bock, Sabine, Fischer, Melina, Schulz, Katja, Homeier‐Bachmann, Timo, Plagemann, Ralf, Klaaß, Ulf, Marquart, Ronny, Mettenleiter, Thomas C., Beer, Martin, and Conraths, Franz J.
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WILD boar ,AFRICAN swine fever ,FERAL swine ,TANDEM repeats ,GENETIC markers ,ANIMAL carcasses - Abstract
African swine fever (ASF) has spread across many countries in Europe since the introduction into Georgia in 2007. We report here on the first cases of ASF in wild boar detected in Germany close to the border with Poland. In addition to the constant risk of ASF virus (ASFV) spread through human activities, movements of infected wild boar also represent a route of introduction. Since ASF emerged in Western Poland in November 2019, surveillance efforts, in particular examination of wild boar found dead, were intensified in the regions of Germany bordering with Poland. The first case of ASF in wild boar in Germany was therefore detected by passive surveillance and confirmed on 10 September 2020. By 24 September 2020, 32 cases were recorded. Testing of samples from tissues of carcasses in different stages of decomposition yielded cycle threshold values from 18 to 36 in the OIE‐recommended PCR, which were comparable between the regional and national reference laboratory. Blood swabs yielded reliable results, indicating that the method is suitable also under outbreak conditions. Phylogenetic analysis of the ASFV whole‐genome sequence generated from material of the first carcass detected in Germany, revealed that it groups with ASFV genotype II including all sequences from Eastern Europe, Asia and Belgium. However, some genetic markers including a 14 bp tandem repeat duplication in the O174L gene were confirmed that have so far been detected only in sequences from Poland (including Western Poland). Epidemiological investigations that include estimated postmortem intervals of wild boar carcasses of infected animals suggest that ASFV had been introduced into Germany in the first half of July 2020 or even earlier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2021
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6. Comparison of single- and multi-scale models for the prediction of the Culicoides biting midge distribution in Germany
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Lühken, Renke, Gethmann, Jörn Martin, Kranz, Petra, Steffenhagen, Pia, Staubach, Christoph, Conraths, Franz J., and Kiel, Ellen
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Animals (zoology) ,Spatial Analysis ,Models, Statistical ,Dewey Decimal Classification::600 | Technik::630 | Landwirtschaft, Veterinärmedizin ,lcsh:G1-922 ,Culicoides ,Reproducibility of Results ,Species distribution model ,Environment ,Ceratopogonidae ,Insect Vectors ,Life sciences, biology ,Artificial Intelligence ,Residence Characteristics ,Germany ,ddc:630 ,Animals ,ddc:610 ,Dewey Decimal Classification::600 | Technik::610 | Medizin, Gesundheit ,Multiscale model ,lcsh:Geography (General) - Abstract
This study analysed Culicoides presence-absence data from 46 sampling sites in Germany, where monitoring was carried out from April 2007 until May 2008. Culicoides presence-absence data were analysed in relation to land cover data, in order to study whether the prevalence of biting midges is correlated to land cover data with respect to the trapping sites. We differentiated eight scales, i.e. buffer zones with radii of 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7.5 and 10 km, around each site, and chose several land cover variables. For each species, we built eight single-scale models (i.e. predictor variables from one of the eight scales for each model) based on averaged, generalised linear models and two multiscale models (i.e. predictor variables from all of the eight scales) based on averaged, generalised linear models and generalised linear models with random forest variable selection. There were no significant differences between performance indicators of models built with land cover data from different buffer zones around the trapping sites. However, the overall performance of multi-scale models was higher than the alternatives. Furthermore, these models mostly achieved the best performance for the different species using the index area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. However, as also presented in this study, the relevance of the different variables could significantly differ between various scales, including the number of species affected and the positive or negative direction. This is an even more severe problem if multi-scale models are concerned, in which one model can have the same variable at different scales but with different directions, i.e. negative and positive direction of the same variable at different scales. However, multi-scale modelling is a promising approach to model the distribution of Culicoides species, accounting much more for the ecology of biting midges, which uses different resources (breeding sites, hosts, etc.) at different scales.
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- 2015
7. Geographic Distribution of Raccoon Roundworm, Baylisascaris procyonis, Germany and Luxembourg.
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Heddergott, Mike, Steinbach, Peter, Schwarz, Sabine, Anheyer-Behmenburg, Helena E., Sutor, Astrid, Schliephake, Annette, Jeschke, Diana, Striese, Michael, Müller, Franz, Kayser, Elisabeth Meyer, Stubbe, Michael, Osten-Sacken, Natalia, Krüger, Susann, Gaede, Wolfgang, Runge, Martin, Hoffmann, Lothar, Ansorge, Hermann, Conraths, Franz J., Frantz, Alain C., and Meyer-Kayser, Elisabeth
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RACCOON ,NEMATODES ,PARASITIC diseases ,PARASITES ,PUBLIC health - Abstract
Infestation with Baylisascaris procyonis, a gastrointestinal nematode of the raccoon, can cause fatal disease in humans. We found that the parasite is widespread in central Germany and can pose a public health risk. The spread of B. procyonis roundworms into nematode-free raccoon populations needs to be monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2020
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8. Influenza A(H5N8) Virus Similar to Strain in Korea Causing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Germany.
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Harder, Timm, Maurer-Stroh, Sebastian, Pohlmann, Anne, Starick, Elke, Höreth-Böntgen, Detlef, Albrecht, Karin, Pannwitz, Gunter, Teifke, Jens, Gunalan, Vithiagaran, Lee, Raphael T C, Sauter-Louis, Carola, Homeier, Timo, Staubach, Christoph, Wolf, Carola, Strebelow, Günter, Höper, Dirk, Grund, Christian, Conraths, Franz J, Mettenleiter, Thomas C, and Beer, Martin
- Abstract
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8) virus, like the recently described H5N8 strain from Korea, was detected in November 2014 in farmed turkeys and in a healthy common teal (Anas crecca) in northeastern Germany. Infected wild birds possibly introduced this virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2015
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9. Monitoring of Pseudorabies in Wild Boar of Germany—A Spatiotemporal Analysis.
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Denzin, Nicolai, Conraths, Franz J., Mettenleiter, Thomas C., Freuling, Conrad M., and Müller, Thomas
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WILD boar ,ENZYME-linked immunosorbent assay ,AUJESZKY'S disease virus - Abstract
To evaluate recent developments regarding the epidemiological situation of pseudorabies virus (PRV) infections in wild boar populations in Germany, nationwide serological monitoring was conducted between 2010 and 2015. During this period, a total of 108,748 sera from wild boars were tested for the presence of PRV-specific antibodies using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The overall PRV seroprevalence was estimated at 12.09% for Germany. A significant increase in seroprevalence was observed in recent years indicating both a further spatial spread and strong disease dynamics. For spatiotemporal analysis, data from 1985 to 2009 from previous studies were incorporated. The analysis revealed that PRV infections in wild boar were endemic in all German federal states; the affected area covers at least 48.5% of the German territory. There were marked differences in seroprevalence at district levels as well as in the relative risk (RR) of infection of wild boar throughout Germany. We identified several smaller clusters and one large region, where the RR was two to four times higher as compared to the remaining areas under investigation. Based on the present monitoring intensity and outcome, we provide recommendations with respect to future monitoring efforts concerning PRV infections in wild boar in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2020
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10. Locally temperature - driven mathematical model of West Nile virus spread in Germany.
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Bhowmick, Suman, Gethmann, Jörn, Conraths, Franz J., Sokolov, Igor M., and Lentz, Hartmut H.K.
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WEST Nile virus , *MIGRATORY birds , *AEDES aegypti , *BASIC reproduction number , *ARBOVIRUS diseases , *MATHEMATICAL models , *ORDINARY differential equations , *ARBOVIRUSES - Abstract
• Presence of migratory birds escalates the basic reproduction number by a factor of 30%. • In the present climatic condition West Nile Virus (WNV) could establish in southern Germany. • Considering climate change, WNV could establish in whole Germany in the next 20 years. West Nile virus (WNV) is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes. WNV can also infect horses and humans, where it may cause serious illness and can be fatal. Birds are the natural reservoir, and humans, equines and probably other mammals are dead-end hosts. In 2018, WNV occurred for the first time in Germany, affecting birds and horses. Seroconversion of an exposed veterinarian has also been reported. It is therefore of importance to evaluate the circumstances, under which WNV may establish in Germany as a whole or in particular favourable regions. In our current work, we formulate a dynamic model to describe the spreading process of West Nile virus in the presence of migratory birds. To investigate the possible role of migratory birds in the dissemination of WNV in Germany, we include the recurring presence of migratory birds through a mechanistic ordinary differential equations (ODE) model system. We also perform a sensitivity analysis of the infection curves. Seasonal impacts are also taken into consideration. As result, we present an analytical expression for the basic reproduction number R 0. We find that after introducing WNV into Germany, R 0 will be above the critical value in many regions of the country. Furthermore, we observe that in the south of Germany, the disease reoccurs in the following season after the introduction. We include a potential distribution map associated with WNV cases in Germany to illustrate our findings in a spatial scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2020
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11. Molecular typing of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from cats and humans in Germany
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Herrmann, Daland C., Conraths, Franz J., Lucius, Richard, and Krücken, Jürgen
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virulence ,T. gondii ,Virulenz ,ddc:570 ,Germany ,parasitic diseases ,cats ,32 Biologie ,570 Biowissenschaften, Biologie ,XD 9300 ,Deutschland ,Katzen - Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii weist eine weltweite Verbreitung auf und kann fast alle Wirbeltiere, vor allem Vögel und Menschen infizieren. Felide sind Endwirte von T. gondii, welche das infektiöse und umweltresistente Oozysten-Stadium ausscheiden können. T. gondii kann auch ohne sexuelle Vermehrung unterschiedlichste Zwischenwirte und Zwischenwirtspezies infizieren. Obwohl eine sexuelle Phase ein Teil des Lebenszyklus ist, werden rekombinierte Genotypen nur selten beobachtet. Dies ist ein Grund dafür, warum T. gondii eine klonale Populationsstruktur erkennen lässt. Während in Nordamerika und Europa drei klonale Genotypen (Typ I, II und III) dominieren, werden in Südamerika und Asien, neben den drei bekannten auch atypische und andere Genotypen beobachtet. Auch innerhalb der atypischen Genotypen lässt sich eine klonale Populationsstruktur erkennen. Die Linien I, II und III weisen Unterschiede in ihrer Virulenz für Mäuse auf. Typ-I-Stämme sind hochvirulent. Die Infektion mit nur einem Organismus führt bereits zum Tod. Klonale Typ-II- und Typ-III-Stämme sind avirulent für Mäuse. Nur Infektionen mit mehr als 103 Organismen führen zum Tod. In dieser Studie zeige ich, dass die Mehrzahl isolierter T. gondii-Oozysten dem Typ II zuzuordnen ist. Es wurde keine Typ-I-, dafür aber eine Typ-III-Infektion und vereinzelte Hinweise auf Mischinfektionen und nicht-kanonische T. gondii Genotypen beobachtet. Erstmalig kann gezeigt werden, dass aus einer Rekombination zwischen den Typen II und III genetisch unterschiedliche T. gondii in einer natürlich infizierten Katze entstanden sind. Die identifizierten nicht-kanonischen T. gondii Klone weisen unterschiedliche, meist hohe Virulenz im Mausmodell auf. Eine geringe Anzahl von T. gondii-DNA Proben von humanen Toxoplasmose-Fällen deutet auf eine Infektion mit T. gondii des Typs II hin. Ich zeige mit dieser Studie, dass sexuelle Rekombination von T. gondii in Deutschland möglich ist, und diese zur Entstehung von hochvirulenten T. gondii führen kann. Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that can infect almost all warm-blooded animals, including birds and humans. The definitive host is the cat which excretes the highly infectious and environmental resistant oocyst stage. Equally important for the spread of T. gondii is the transmission of T. gondii by ingestion of contaminated food (prey) between host species. Sexual recombination is a rare event observed in T. gondii. This is one of the reasons why a clonal population structure of T. gondii is observed. In Europe and North America the majority of genotypes (types) of T. gondii are members of only three clonal types, designated type I, type II and type III. In South America and Asia, T. gondii is shown to have an increased genetic diversity with a high prevalence of atypical genotypes. However, even within those atypical genotypes, a clonal population structure can be observed. More importantly, mouse virulence of types I, II and III differ markedly. While infection with T. gondii type I is always lethal in mice, infections with 104–106 parasites of type II or type III are needed to have the same effect in mice. This study shows that the majority of cats in Germany excrete T. gondii oocysts of type II. We have not observed any type I T. gondii, but show that type III and, importantly, mixed type infection as well as non-canonical T. gondii are present in Germany. For the first time we demonstrate that a sexual cross between T. gondii type II and type III in a single, naturally infected cat occurred in Germany resulting in excretion of many genetically different non-canonical T. gondii. Most of the identified non-canonical T. gondii show a high virulence in mice. The RFLP-typing analysis of a limited number of T. gondii-DNA isolated from human samples revealed only alleles of T. gondii type II. I show that genetic recombination of different T. gondii types in Germany can lead to a higher genetic diversity and generation of highly mouse-virulent T. gondii.
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- 2012
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