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As part of a 2 yr disease surveillance project of small poultry flocks, owners of birds submitted for postmortem examination to the Animal Health Laboratory were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to gather information on the characteristics of the flock and its environment, how the flock was managed, and biosecurity measures used. A total of 153 unique questionnaires were received. Personal consumption of meat or eggs was the most common reason for owning a small flock (69.3%). Almost all owners (97.4%) reported having chickens on their property, while 21.6% had waterfowl, 15.7% had turkeys, and 15.7% had game birds. Nearly 70% (69.9%) of the flocks had some degree of outdoor access. For those with indoor access, the most common bedding material provided was soft wood shavings (70.2%). Kitchen waste or leftovers were offered to 65.3% of flocks, and well water was the most common source of drinking water (80.6%). For flocks with indoor access, dedicated shoes and clothes were used when entering or cleaning the coop by fewer than half of owners, and shoes were rarely disinfected before or after contact with the flock. Most owners (93.8%) reported washing their hands after contact with their birds, although only 48.3% reported washing their hands before contact. Among owners who sourced birds from a hatchery, only 36.8% indicated that the birds had been vaccinated, and 21.1% were unsure if vaccines had been administered. Among owners using medication (60.5%), the use of antibiotics was common (60.9%). Overall, questionnaire responses describe a wide range of husbandry and biosecurity practices, often suboptimal, and point out the need for educational material for Ontario small flock owners.

[Long-lived radionuclide impurities were experimentally assessed using high-resolution gamma and liquid scintillation spectrometries, while short-lived impurities were monitored analyzing the decay curve of the irradiated [This study demonstrated the radionuclidic purity of [

CASE DESCRIPTION A 2-year-old female pigeon was evaluated because of a 5-day history of lower than typical activity level, weight loss, and polyuria. CLINICAL FINDINGS Whole-body radiography revealed a linear metallic foreign body in the area of the ventriculus. Fluoroscopy followed by contrast-enhanced CT was performed to further characterize the lesion location, revealing that the foreign body had perforated the ventral aspect of the ventriculus wall and that the ventral extremity of the foreign body was surrounded by a mass, consistent with a granuloma. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME A midline celiotomy was performed, and a large granuloma was identified ventral to the ventriculus, adherent to the dorsal aspect of the keel bone. The metallic foreign body (a nail) was removed, and the content of the granuloma was debrided. Amoxicillin–clavulanic acid (150 mg/kg [68.2 mg/lb], PO, q 12 h for 10 days), meloxicam (1 mg/kg [0.45 mg/lb], PO, q 12 h for 5 days), and sucralfate (100 mg/kg [45 mg/lb], PO, q 8 h for 10 days) were prescribed. The pigeon made a successful recovery and was still doing well at a 1-year recheck evaluation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Although traumatic gastritis in pigeons has been reported, use of advanced diagnostic imaging for the pigeon of this report facilitated identification of the precise nature of the lesion and, therefore, surgical planning. The outcome for this pigeon suggested that successful resolution of traumatic gastritis may be possible in other affected birds with surgery.

To compare a program based on intermittent hypoxia-hyperoxia training (IHHT) consisting of breathing hypoxic-hyperoxic gas mixtures while resting to a standard exercise-based rehabilitation program with respect to cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in older, comorbid cardiac outpatients.Thirty-two cardiac patients with comorbidities were randomly allocated to IHHT and control (CTRL) groups. IHHT completed a 5-week program of exposure to hypoxia-hyperoxia while resting, CTRL completed an 8-week tailored exercise program, and participants in the CTRL were also exposed to sham hypoxia exposure. CRF and relevant hematological biomarkers were measured at baseline and after treatment in both groups.After intervention, CRF in the IHHT group was not significantly different (n = 15, 19.9 ± 6.1 mlOIHHT is safe in patients with cardiac conditions and common comorbidities and it might be a suitable option for older patients who cannot exercise. A 5-week IHHT is as effective as an 8-week exercise program in improving CRF, without hematological changes. Further studies are needed to clarify the nonhematological adaptations to short, repeated exposure to normobaric hypoxia-hyperoxia.

Since being successfully reintroduced into Ontario, Canada, wild turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo) populations have undergone robust growth and range expansion. This, along with increases in land use changes from human population growth and subsequent developments in agriculture and livestock production, has heightened opportunities for interactions between wild turkeys, domestic poultry, and humans. As conspecifics, wild and domestic turkeys are susceptible to infection and disease from many of the same pathogens. Thus, transmission by direct or indirect contact is a potential health threat to both groups, particularly with the overlapping range of wild turkeys in Ontario with numerous commercial and backyard poultry operations. However, these threats are difficult to assess due to knowledge gaps in the prevalence and geographic distribution of potential pathogens circulating among wild turkeys. We assessed for potentially pathogenic bacteria in free-ranging, hunter-harvested wild turkeys in Ontario ( n = 152) by cloacal swab culture for Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli and culture of lung and spleen for Pasteurella multocida, Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale, and Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. Antimicrobial resistance testing was also performed on E. coli isolates. Generic E. coli isolates were recovered from 69.1% (105/152) of wild turkeys tested, and two (1.9%) of these isolates exhibited resistance to azithromycin and one (1.0%) to ampicillin. Intermediate susceptibility to chloramphenicol was observed in one (1.0%) isolate. One (0.7%) wild turkey swab tested positive for C. jejuni, but no samples were positive for P. multocida, Salmonella spp., O. rhinotracheale, or E. rhusiopathiae. To our knowledge, this is the first survey of these bacteria and assessment for antimicrobial resistance among wild turkeys in Ontario.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus in the Paramyxoviridae family. Although primarily an avian pathogen, NDV is a potent oncolytic virus that has been shown to be safe and effective in a variety of preclinical cancer models and human clinical trials. To produce virus for oncolytic trials, NDV is commonly amplified in embryonated chicken eggs and purified from the allantoic fluid. Conventional methods for purifying virus from allantoic fluid often result in relatively low-titer preparations containing high levels of impurities, including immunogenic chicken host cell proteins from allantoic fluid. However, large quantities of virus need to be delivered intravenously to administer oncolytic NDV systemically to mice. This route of administration requires virus preparations that are both highly concentrated (to enable delivery of small volumes) and highly pure (to limit toxic effects from contaminants). Given the accumulation of promising preclinical and clinical data demonstrating the efficacy of NDV as an oncolytic agent, strategies for increasing the titer and purity of NDV preparations are sorely needed to allow for effective intravenous administration in mice. Here, we describe an optimized protocol for the rescue, production, and purification of high-titer in vivo-grade NDV for preclinical studies in mouse models. Keywords: Newcastle disease virus, oncolytic virus, tangential flow filtration, preclinical grade, intravenous, allantoic fluid

Newcastle disease (ND), caused by virulent strains of Newcastle disease virus (NDV), is a devastating disease of poultry worldwide. The pathogenesis of ND in quail is poorly documented. To characterize the ability of virulent NDV strains to replicate and cause disease in quail, groups of 14 two-week-old Japanese quail ( Coturnix japonica) were experimentally inoculated with 108 EID50 (embryo infectious dose 50%) units of 1 of 4 virulent NDV strains: 2 isolated from quail ( N2, N23) and 2 from chickens ( Israel, Pakistan). At day 2 postinfection, noninfected quail (contact group) were added to each infection group to assess the efficacy of virus transmission. Tested NDV strains showed moderate pathogenicity, with highest mortality being 28% for the N2 strain and below 10% for the others. Two N2-inoculated birds showed neurological signs, such as head tremor and ataxia. Microscopic lesions were present in N2-, Israel-, and Pakistan-inoculated birds and consisted of nonsuppurative encephalitis. Contact birds showed no clinical signs or lesions. In both inoculated and contact birds, virus replication was moderate to minimal, respectively, as observed by immunohistochemistry in tissues and virus isolation from oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs. Strains originally isolated from quail resulted in higher numbers of birds shedding in the inoculation group; however, transmission appeared slightly more efficient with chicken-derived isolates. This study shows that virulent NDV strains have limited replicative potential and mild to moderate disease-inducing ability in Japanese quail.

In this work we report on a complete crystal-chemical characterization of a near end-member riebeckite from Malawi, and use the available data to critically compare information obtained from different analytical methods. The sample occurs as well-formed and very large single crystals in pegmatitic rocks. Accurate site-populations were determined by combining single-crystal structure refinement and electron microprobe analysis (EMPA). The Fe3+/Fe2+ ratio was obtained from Mössbauer spectroscopy. Lithium was quantified by Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS).Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra, collected both on powders and single crystals, are presented and discussed. FTIR spectra in the NIR region are also presented for the first time for this amphibole. The FTIR data are compatible with complete local ordering of A cations close to F, and complete Fe2+/Mg disorder at M(1,3). Polarized Raman-scattering data collected from single crystals confirm this conclusion. In addition, it was found that FTIR data collected on powders provide the best agreement with the site occupancies derived from chemical (EMPA and LA-ICP-MS) and crystal-chemical data, possibly because they do not depend on experimental issues such as orientation and polarization.

High-temperature Fourier transform infrared (HT-FTIR) spectroscopy was used to characterize the deprotonation process of synthetic potassic-ferro-richterite of composition A ( K 0 . 90 Na 0 . 07 ) B ( Ca 0 . 54 Na 1 . 46 ) C ( Fe 4 . 22 2 + Fe 0 . 78 3 + ) T Si 8 O 22 W ( OH 1 . 70 O 0 . 30 2 − ) . Unpolarized single-crystal spectra were collected both in situ and on quenched samples, and heating experiments were conducted in air, at a rate of 10 °C/min. The room- T spectrum measured before annealing shows a main band at 3678 cm −1 and a minor band at 3622 cm −1 ; these are assigned to local configurations involving Fe 2+ at M (1) M (1) M (3) and facing a filled and an empty alkali-site, respectively. At 400 °C, a new band grows at 3656 cm −1 ; this is the most intense feature in the pattern at 450 °C. At T ≥ 500 °C, all peaks decrease drastically in intensity, and finally disappear at T > 600 °C. The total absorbance measured in situ increases significantly in the 25 T T range. This feature is consistent with an increase of the absorption coefficient (e) with T , the reason for which is still unclear. However, this feature has significant implications for the quantitative use of FTIR data in HT experiments. Examination of the relevant OH-stretching bands shows that iron oxidation occurs preferentially at the M (1,3) sites associated with occupied A sites. The deprotonation temperature indicated by FTIR for single-crystals is around 100 °C higher that that obtained by HT-X-ray diffraction (XRD) on single crystal by Oberti et al. (2016), whereas that obtained by HT-XRD on powders is intermediate. This unexpected observation can be explained by considering that: (1) the iron oxidation process, which is coupled to deprotonation and is probed by XRD, occurs preferentially at the crystal surface where it is triggered by the availability of atmospheric oxygen; (2) the proton diffusion, probed by FTIR, is slower that the electron diffusion probed by XRD; thus, the temperature shift may be explained by a much longer escape path for H in single-crystals than in powders. These results suggest that possible effects due to crystals size should be carefully considered in HT experiments done on Fe-rich silicates.

Simple Summary The generation of tumor-specific T cells remains a pillar of modern cancer immunotherapy. Exogenous vaccines often rely on targeting tumor-associated antigens. The anti-apoptotic protein survivin has been deemed a high priority target due to its overexpression in a wide variety of tumor types. To support the analysis of tumor-associated T cell responses, optimization of epitope mapping would be valuable. A heterologous prime-boost vaccination strategy was designed to target survivin to induce anti-tumor immune responses. However, survivin-specific T cell responses could not be detected in mice. Potential mechanisms to explain this failure were explored. To confirm the robustness of the vaccination platform, enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) was targeted since it has been defined as a protein with relatively low immunogenicity. In this context the vaccination strategy uncovered novel T cell epitopes from eGFP in two strains of mice. This research highlighted the utility of the vaccine platform to triage potential target antigens based on their immunogenicity. Abstract Survivin is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis family of proteins and has been reported to be highly expressed in a variety of cancer types, making it a high priority target for cancer vaccination. We previously described a heterologous prime-boost strategy using a replication-deficient adenovirus, followed by an oncolytic rhabdovirus that generates unprecedented antigen-specific T cell responses. We engineered each vector to express a mutated version of full-length murine survivin. We first sought to uncover the complete epitope map for survivin-specific T cell responses in C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice by flow cytometry. However, no T cell responses were detected by intracellular cytokine staining after re-stimulation of T cells. Survivin has been found to be expressed by activated T cells, which could theoretically cause T cell-mediated killing of activated T cells, known as fratricide. We were unable to recapitulate this phenomenon in experiments. Interestingly, the inactivated survivin construct has been previously shown to directly kill tumor cells in vitro. However, there was no evidence in our models of induction of death in antigen-presenting cells due to treatment with a survivin-expressing vector. Using the same recombinant virus-vectored prime-boost strategy targeting the poorly immunogenic enhanced green fluorescent protein proved to be a highly sensitive method for mapping T cell epitopes, particularly in the context of identifying novel epitopes recognized by CD4+ T cells. Overall, these results suggested there may be unusually robust tolerance to survivin in commonly used mouse strains that cannot be broken, even when using a particularly potent vaccination platform. However, the vaccination method shows great promise as a strategy for identifying novel and subdominant T cell epitopes.

For a vaccine to be effective it must induce a sufficiently robust and specific immune response. Multi-site injection protocols can increase the titers of rabies virus-neutralizing antibodies. Hypothetically, spreading a vaccine dose across multiple lymphatic drainage regions could also potentiate T cell responses. We used a replication-deficient adenovirus serotype 5-vectored cancer vaccine targeting the melanoma-associated antigen dopachrome tautomerase. Clinically, high numbers of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells are a positive prognostic indicator. As such, there is interest in maximizing tumor-specific T cell responses. Our findings confirm a positive correlation between the number of tumor-specific T cells and survival. More importantly, we show for the first time that using multiple injection sites could increase the number of vaccine-induced CD8+ T cells specific for a self-tumor antigen. Further, the number of tumor antigen-specific antibodies, as well CD8+ T cells specific for a foreign antigen could also be enhanced. Our results show that multi-site vaccination induces higher magnitude immune responses than a single-bolus injection. This provides a very simple and almost cost-free strategy to potentially improve the efficacy of any current and future vaccine. Broader clinical adoption of multi-site vaccination protocols for the treatment of cancers and infectious diseases should be given serious consideration.

This brief introduces a novel closed-form method for a robust evaluation of partial impulse responses in a cascade structure of narrow equiripple (ER) bandpass finite-impulse-response filters. The approach presented here is based on a generating polynomial for an ER approximation. The importance of the method is seen in its inherent robustness, which significantly outperforms the existing numerical approach. Consequently, much longer filters can be represented in their cascade form. Two examples demonstrate the functionality, performance, and usefulness of the method, as well as its superiority in terms of robustness over the existing approach.

Background Repeated exposure to intermittent normobaric hypoxia improves exercise tolerance in cardiac patients. Little is known on the effects of intermittent normobaric hypoxia-hyperoxia exposure in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients (New York Heart Association II-III). Hypothesis IHHT improves exercise tolerance, cardiometabolic profile, and quality of life in CAD patients. Methods The study design was a nonrandomized, controlled, before-and-after trial. Forty-six CAD patients volunteered to take part in the study: a group of 27 patients undertook the intermittent hypoxia (O2 at 10%)-hyperoxia (O2 at 30%) training (IHHT), whereas a control group (CTRL) of 19 patients, who already completed an 8-week standard cardiac rehabilitation program, was allocated to sham-IHHT treatment (breathing room air, O2 at 21%). Exercise performance, blood and metabolic profiles, and quality of life (Seattle Angina Questionnaire [SAQ]) were measured before and after in the IHHT group (IHHG) and sham-IHHT in the CTRL group. Results The IHHG showed improved exercise capacity, reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressures, enhanced left ventricle ejection fraction, and reduced glycemia, but only at 1-month follow-up. Angina as a reason to stop exercising was significantly reduced after treatment and at 1-month follow-up. The IHHT SAQ profile was improved in the IHHG and not significantly different to the CTRL group after standard rehabilitation. The IHHG was also compared to the CTRL group at 1-month follow-up, and no differences were found. Conclusions In CAD patients, an IHHT program is associated with improved exercise tolerance, healthier risks factors profile, and a better quality of life. Our study also suggests that IHHT is as effective as an 8-week standard rehabilitation program.

The aim of this study is to explore participants' views and experiences of an eHealth phase 3 cardiac rehabilitation (CR) intervention: Physical Activity Towards Health (PATHway). Sixty participants took part in the PATHway intervention. Debriefs were conducted after the six-month intervention. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed with Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. Forty-four (71%) debriefs were conducted (n = 34 male, mean (SD) age 61 (10) years). Five key themes were identified: (1) Feedback on the components of the PATHway system, (2) Motivation, (3) Barriers to using PATHway, (4) Enablers to using PATHway, and (5) Post programme reflection. There were a number of subthemes within each theme, for example motivation explores participants motivation to take part in PATHway and participants motivation to sustain engagement with PATHway throughout the intervention period. Participant engagement with the components of the PATHway system was variable. Future research should focus on optimising participant familiarisation with eHealth systems and employ an iterative approach to development and evaluation. ispartof: PLOS ONE vol:15 issue:7 ispartof: location:United States status: published

Background Aquatic bird bornavirus 1 (ABBV-1) has been associated with neurological diseases in wild waterfowls. In Canada, presence of ABBV-1 was demonstrated by RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry in tissues of waterfowls with history of neurological disease and inflammation of the central and peripheral nervous tissue, although causation has not been proven by pathogenesis experiments, yet. To date, in vitro characterization of ABBV-1 is limited to isolation in primary duck embryo fibroblasts. The objectives of this study were to describe isolation of ABBV-1 in primary duck embryonic fibroblasts (DEF), and characterize replication in DEF and three immortalized avian fibroblast cell lines (duck CCL-141, quail QT-35, chicken DF-1) in order to evaluate cellular permissivity and identify suitable cell lines for routine virus propagation. Methods The virus was sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis performed on a segment of the N gene coding region. Virus spread in cell cultures, viral RNA and protein production, and titres were evaluated at different passages using immunofluorescence, RT-qPCR, western blotting, and tissue culture dose 50% (TCID50) assay, respectively. Results The isolated ABBV-1 showed 97 and 99% identity to European ABBV-1 isolate AF-168 and North American ABBV-1 isolates 062-CQ and CG-N1489, and could infect and replicate in DEF, CCL-141, QT-35 and DF-1 cultures. Viral RNA was detected in all four cultures with highest levels observed in DEF and CCL-141, moderate in QT-35, and lowest in DF-1. N protein was detected in western blots from infected DEF, CCL-141 and QT-35 at moderate to high levels, but minimally in infected DF-1. Infectious titre was highest in DEF (between approximately 105 to 106 FFU / 106 cells). Regarding immortalized cell lines, CCL-141 showed the highest titre between approximately 104 to 105 FFU / 106 cells. DF-1 produced minimal infectious titre. Conclusions This study confirms the presence of ABBV-1 among waterfowl in Canada and reported additional in vitro characterization of this virus in different avian cell lines. ABBV-1 replicated to highest titre in DEF, followed by CCL-141 and QT-35, and poorly in DF-1. Our results showed that CCL-141 can be used instead of DEF for routine ABBV-1 production, if a lower titre is an acceptable trade-off for the simplicity of using immortalized cell line over primary culture.

Additional file 1: Figure S1. Schematic diagram of cell cultures infected with ABBV-1 over multiple passages (P). Infected CCL-141, QT-35 and DF-1 were monitored over 13 passages using four different techniques, immunofluorescence, RT-qPCR, titration, and western blot, at the passages specified in the diagram. Figure S2. Phylogenetic analysis of partial N gene sequence of ABBV-1 UoG-CG. Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic analysis of ABBV-1 UoG-CG partial N gene sequence (1036 positions segment) with 28 other ABV partial N gene sequences. Bootstrap test with 1000 replicates are shown next to the branches. The optimal tree with the sum of branch length = 1.04980780 is shown. ABBV-1 isolate UoG-CG is indicated by arrow. Supplementary Materials and Methods. Table S1. Primers used for sequencing ABBV-1 UoG-CG.

Fil: Susta, Carolina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño; Argentina. Susta, C. (2020). Las prácticas de enseñanza de los procesos proyectuales. El impacto de la incorporación de las tecnologías de representación gráfica tridimensional en la carrera de Diseño Industrial de la FAUD-UNMdP. (Tesis de maestría). Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Argentina. Las disciplinas proyectuales exhiben como principal característica el fundarse en el mundo de las ideas, que deben ser comunicadas a la sociedad mediante el lenguaje gráfico para informar exactamente el resultado final del diseño. El diseño constituye una forma de conocimiento en acción, y el aprendizaje de los procesos proyectuales y la construcción del conocimiento se produce en forma espiralada. El desarrollo de la tecnología de representación tridimensional ha intervenido en las formas de representación y de construcción del conocimiento, generando nuevos contextos de experimentación, con un mejor control de las dificultades que condicionan la reflexión en la acción, modificando de forma notoria el proceso de diseño conceptual del diseñador, provocando un cambio en la forma de pensar el diseño, y aportando al desarrollo de las habilidades espaciales y de la creatividad. La investigación busca conocer las modificaciones que ha introducido la intervención de la tecnología de representación tridimensionalal desarrollo de proyectos y a las prácticas de enseñanza de los procesos proyectuales en los talleres del Área Proyectual de la carrera de Diseño Industrial de la FAUD-UNMdP, lo cual permitirá proponer nuevas estrategias de enseñanza para el aprendizaje de los procesos proyectuales.

The overtraining syndrome (OTS) is a complex, systemic clinical condition affecting athletes exposed to a combination of high training loads and insufficient recovery. OTS could be described as a failure of the athlete’s body to cope with increasing conditioning loads, usually administered to stimulate adaptations leading to enhanced performance. During conditioning programmes, performance may be reduced, temporarily, this condition being a physiological response to training known as ‘functional overreaching’. In this case, performance is reduced for up to few weeks and fully restored after an adequate recovery. When the athlete’s body fails to adequately react to training loads and performance is not restored/improved after a longer period of recovery, ‘non-functional overreaching’ (NFOR), and OTS should be considered as potential diagnostic options.

Context Hyperthermia is known to be beneficial to patients affected by various diseases. Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is a marker of neuroplasticity usually increased as response to acute exposure to human body stressors. Little is known about BDNF changes after repeated exposure to hyperthermia. Objective To investigate the effect of a repeated hyperthermia exposure programme (HTC) on serum BDNF in healthy humans. Design, setting, participants Randomized, single-blind, controlled trial in healthy humans conducted at Sechenov University Physiology Laboratory between December 2016 and November 2018. The treatment period was 10 weeks. Researchers analysing serum BDNF and questionnaires data were blinded to participants allocation. Participants Were 34 healthy male (age 20.2 ± 1.6 years). Intervention Repeated Hyperthermia exposure programme, HTC, versus Light Intermittent Exercise, LIE, programme as control (10 weeks). Main outcome measure Change in BDNF from baseline to final visit three days after treatment completion. Results 25 participants were analyzed. One participant withdrew before signing the informed consent and 8 participants (n = 3 in HTC and n = 5 in LIE) could not undertake the first assessment and were excluded. Mean change in BDNF was higher in HTC group vs LIE after both time points (after 12 and after 24 sessions). After 24 sessions BDNF was 30170 (SD 5268) pg/ml in HTC group a value that was significantly higher than 24104 (SD 2876) pg/ml measured in LIE group. BDNF concentrations were significantly higher than baseline values in HTC group only, 30170 (SD 5268) vs 26710 (SD 5437) pg/ml. Conclusion A 10-week programme consisting of repeated exposure to hyperthermia resulted in a significantly higher increase of circulating BDNF compared to a programme consisting of intermittent light intensity exercise.

Aves polyomavirus 1, psittacine beak and feather disease virus, and psittacid herpesvirus 1 are important pathogens of psittacine birds with the potential to cause substantial morbidity and mortality. Using publically available nucleotide sequences, we developed and validated a triplex real-time PCR (rtPCR) assay to rapidly detect these 3 viruses. The assay had high analytical sensitivity, detecting

for poster presented at annual Poultry Science congress, Montreal, Quebec. 2019 Global Animal Partnership; Canada First Research Excellence Fund; Ontario Agri-Food Alliance Initiative

Non-commercial poultry flocks (referred to as “small flocks”) have become increasingly popular in Canada. Despite this popularity, little is known about the main causes of morbidity and mortality (health status) in these flocks. We assessed the baseline prevalence of infectious and non-infectious diseases among Ontario’s small poultry flocks by conducting a prospective surveillance study over a 2-y period. With the owner’s consent, for each bird ( n = 245) submitted to the Animal Health Laboratory, we performed a postmortem examination, including ancillary tests to reach a diagnosis. Infectious diseases were the most common primary cause of clinical signs or death (62%), with multifactorial respiratory diseases (21%) and Marek’s disease (11%) being most frequent. Multifactorial respiratory diseases were commonly caused by coinfection with bacteria (e.g., Mycoplasma gallisepticum and M. synoviae, Escherichia coli, Avibacterium spp.) and viruses, such as infectious bronchitis and infectious laryngotracheitis viruses. No federally reportable diseases were diagnosed. The health status of small flocks in Ontario has not been reported previously, to our knowledge, and the data presented herein will produce helpful baseline information for the development of technology transfer material directed to owners and veterinarians, which will ultimately aid in the control of diseases among these flocks.

Background Newcastle disease (ND), which is caused by infections of poultry species with virulent strains of Avian orthoavulavirus-1, also known as avian paramyxovirus 1 (APMV-1), and formerly known as Newcastle disease virus (NDV), may cause neurological signs and encephalitis. Neurological signs are often the only clinical signs observed in birds infected with neurotropic strains of NDV. Experimental infections have shown that the replication of virulent NDV (vNDV) strains is in the brain parenchyma and is possibly confined to neurons and ependymal cells. However, little information is available on the ability of vNDV strains to infect subset of glial cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia). The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of NDV strains of different levels of virulence to infect a subset of glial cells both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes from the brains of day-old White Leghorn chickens were harvested, cultured, and infected with both non-virulent (LaSota) and virulent, neurotropic (TxGB) NDV strains. To confirm these findings in vivo, the tropism of three vNDV strains with varying pathotypes (SA60 [viscerotropic], TxGB [neurotropic], and Tx450 [mesogenic]) was assessed in archived formalin-fixed material from day-old chicks inoculated intracerebrally. Results Double immunofluorescence for NDV nucleoprotein and cellular markers showed that both strains infected at least 20% of each of the cell types (neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes). At 24 h post-inoculation, TxGB replicated significantly more than LaSota. Double immunofluorescence (DIFA) with markers for neurons, astrocytes, microglia, and NDV nucleoprotein detected the three strains in all three cell types at similar levels. Conclusion These data indicate that similar to other paramyxoviruses, neurons and glial cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia) are susceptible to vNDV infection, and suggest that factors other than cellular tropism are likely the major determinant of the neurotropic phenotype. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12917-019-2053-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Psittacines (e.g. parrots, macaws and cockatoos) are common companion animals that are also kept in zoos and private breeding collections. Despite this popularity, long-term, comprehensive studies of diagnostic data from captive psittacines are rare. This study was conducted to assess trends in disease prevalence and to describe causes of morbidity and mortality in psittacines submitted for post-mortem examination to the veterinary hospital and diagnostic laboratory at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Post-mortem reports of 1,850 psittacines from 1998 to 2017 were assessed and included 110 species from 45 genera. Birds were often diagnosed with infectious disease processes (n = 823; 44.5%), including viral (n = 428; 23.1%), bacterial (n = 284; 15.4%) and fungal (n = 161; 8.7%). Non-infectious disease processes (n = 1,076; 58.2%) were most commonly degenerative (n = 465; 25.1%), metabolic (n = 392; 21.2%) or haemodynamic (n = 270; 14.6%). Exploratory statistical analyses, used to guide further research, revealed significant correlations and associations among disease processes and genera, age categories and sex. This 19-year retrospective study is the first to be conducted in Canada for psittacine birds and provides a broad overview of disease prevalence that can be used as a baseline to inform other studies addressing common and uncommon diseases affecting these birds in the future.

In this work, we investigate the oxidation behavior of a nearly end-member riebeckite, ideally Na-2(Fe32+Fe23+)Si8O22(OH)(2), by using vibrational FTIR and Raman spectroscopies. Combining these results with previous studies performed on the same sample by single-crystal structure refinement and Mossbauer spectroscopy, we conclude that iron oxidation in riebeckite is a multi-step process. (1) In the similar to 523 K < T < 623 K temperature range, the O-H bond lengthens and both the electrons and the hydrogen cations delocalize. Raman analysis shows that this step is reversible upon cooling to room temperature. (2) In the 623 K < T < 723 K range, the kinetic energy increases so that the electrons can be ejected from the crystal; beyond 723 K an irreversible oxidation of Fe occurs that couples with irreversible changes in the SiO4 double-chains leading to a contraction of the unit-cell volume, i.e., to structural changes detectable at the long-range scale. (3) Beyond 823 K, the irreversible oxidation is completed and H+ ions are forced to leave the crystal bulk. Because of this multi-step process, the onset of the deprotonation process is detected at similar to 700 K by single-crystal XRD analysis of the unit-cell parameters, but starts at 623 K as indicated by Mossbauer spectroscopy on powders (and by changes in the cation distribution observed by structure refinement). Also, Raman scattering shows that the release of H+ from the crystal surface starts similar to 100 K before the complete deprotonation of the crystal bulk is witnessed by FTIR absorption. Hence, the oxidation of Fe starts at the crystal surface and induces electron and H+ migration from the crystal interior to the rim and thus subsequent oxidation through the crystal bulk. No deprotonation is observed by FTIR either in powders embedded in KBr or in crystals heated in N-2 atmosphere, implying that the release of H+ needs surficial (atmospheric) oxygen to form H2O molecules. Fe2+-> Fe3+ oxidation produces a flux of electrons throughout the crystal matrix, which generates electrical conductivity across the amphibole. An important implication of this work, which might have interesting applications in material science, is that iron oxidation in riebeckite (and possibly in other Fe-rich silicates) is reversible in a given range of temperature. Also, this work shows that complex processes cannot be fully understood or even monitored accurately without using a proper combination of independent techniques.