Feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus.

Ophthalmic manifestations of FeLV or FIV infection can occur in all ocular tissues and may be manifestations of direct viral effects or secondary to viral-related malignant transformation. Additionally, the manifestations of common feline ophthalmic pathogens may be more severe and poorly responsive to therapy because of the immunosuppressive effects of FeLV or FIV infection. Prompt diagnosis of underlying viral infection in cats with ophthalmic disease is paramount for accurate diagnosis and prognosis and is required for appropriate therapeutic decision making.     

Feline panleukopaenia virus and mink enteritis virus. A serological study.

The serological relationship of Danish feline panleukopaenia virus and mink enteritis virus and strains from Great Britain, USA, Germany and Canada was examined in neutralization tests using a direct immunofluorescence technique. Vaccine strains of the virus were used representing virus strains from the different countries. It was found that all Danish feline panleukopaenia virus strains and the mink enteritis strain belong to the same serotype and further that they are of similar antigenicity as feline panleukopaenia virus strains and mink enteritis strains isolated in other countries.     

Canine distemper virus.

Vaccine-based prophylaxis has greatly helped to keep distemper disease under control. Notwithstanding, the incidence of canine distemper virus (CDV)-related disease in canine populations throughout the world seems to have increased in the past decades, and several episodes of CDV disease in vaccinated animals have been reported, with nation-wide proportions in some cases. Increasing surveillance should be pivotal to identify new CDV variants and to understand the dynamics of CDV epidemiology. In addition, it is important to evaluate whether the efficacy of the vaccine against these new strains may somehow be affected.     

Duck virus hepatitis.

The present report gives a survey of the occurrence in Denmark of DVH, its symptoms,the course of the disease, transmission of infection and the posibilities of prevention and control. As it appears from Figs. 2 and 3, DVH can cause considerable losses for the individual producers, for whom it is difficult to safeguard themselves against new infections because of the resistance and stability of the DVH virus in infected premises. Three possibilities of controlling DVH are pointed out: isolation of the flocks, serum therapy and vaccination.     

The hog cholera virus.

Hog cholera virus (HCV) is a spherical enveloped particle of about 40-60 nm dia. The viral genome is a single strand RNA of about 12,000 bases with positive polarity. One single large open reading frame codes for presumably four structural, i.e. three glycoproteins and a core protein, and about three to five nonstructural proteins. The functional role is not yet fully clear for all viral proteins. HCV belongs to the pestivirus group and it is closely related to bovine viral diarrhoea and border disease viruses. The relationship extends to morphology, antigenicity, host spectrum and molecular properties. Pestiviruses hold generic status in the family Flaviviridae.     

Transmission of bovine virus diarrhoea virus by blood feeding flies.

Three species of blood-feeding flies (Stomoxys calcitrans, Haematopota pluvialis and Hydrotaea irritans) were fed for five minutes on a bullock persistently infected with bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV) containing 10(4.5)TCID50 non-cytopathic BVDV/ml serum, then subsequently fed on BVDV-free seronegative animals maintained in isolation. Virus was isolated from recipient animals between days 5 and 10 using H pluvialis, and up to 72 hours after transmission with S calcitrans; virus isolation was negative using H irritans. Positive seroconversion results obtained with H pluvialis gave a steadily increasing antibody titre. BVDV was recovered from flies 96 hours (four days) after an infective feed for H pluvialis and S calcitrans, but for two hours only for H irritans.     

Thermostability of duck hepatitis virus.

The comparative thermostability of 4 duck hepatitis (DH) viruses were tested at various temperatures for different times. Titer of duckling-passaged, pathogenic DH virus decreased from 10(4.50) to 10(2.33) and 10(2.20) median infective doses (ID50/0.1 ml, respectively, in 2 tests; titer of chicken embryo-passaged, nonpathogenic, but embryo-lethal, DH virus decreased from 10(6.00) to 10(0.46) and from 10(6.62) to 10(0.63) ID50/0.1 ml, respectively; duck embryo fibroblast culture-passaged and duck embryo liver cell culture-passaged, chicken ebryo-infective, but nonlethal, DH viruses were completely inactivated or nearly so after being kept at 56 C for 30 minutes. Duckling-passaged DH virus was not detected on day 21, whereas 10(0.62) ID50 of chicken embryo-passaged DH virus per 0.1 ml remained on day 32 when being kept at 37 C. Titer of chicken embryo-passaged DH virus decreased from 10(7.00) to 10(1.16) ID50/0.1 ml after being kept at room at room temperature for 150 days, to 10(5.17) ID50/0.1 ml after being kept at 4 C for 70 weeks, to 10(6.17) ID50/0.1 ml after being kept at -20 C for 70 weeks, and to 10(6.38) ID50/0.1 ml after being kept at -60 C for 1 year.     

Hendra and Nipah virus infections.

The most important clinical and pathological manifestation of Hendra virus infection in horses and humans is that of severe interstitial pneumonia caused by viral infection of small blood vessels. The virus is also capable of causing nervous disease. Hendra virus is not contagious in horses and is spread by close contact with body fluids, such as froth from infected lungs. Diagnosis should be based on the laboratory examination of blood, lung, kidney, spleen, and, if nervous signs are present, also of the brain. Evidence of infection with the more recently identified and related Nipah virus was found in the brain of one horse in which there was inflammation of the meningeal blood vessels. Fruit bats, especially Pteropus s., have been incriminated as the natural and reservoir hosts of both Hendra and Nipah viruses.     

Genetic diversity and BVD virus.

The various measures of genetic variation of BVD virus was reviewed with emphasis on the implications for future control of virus-induced disease and diagnosis. While experimental data does not support unique serotypes for BVDV, there is substantial antigenic variation among the isolates examined. This variation may permit fetal infections even in animals assumed to be well vaccinated. The genetic differences between cytopathic and noncytopathic strains of BVDV are expressed in infected cells by the production of a p80 protein by cytopathic strains. In addition, cellular gene inserts have been detected in cytopathic strains. Monoclonal antibodies have demonstrated a high degree of diversity with the pestivirus population. Grouping of BVDV isolates by monoclonal antibody analysis is suggestive at best. The use of nucleic acid probes as diagnostic reagents has been compromised by the nucleic acid sequence variation found in the BVDV isolates tested.     

Duck virus hepatitis: serial passage of attenuated virus in ducklings.

The safety of three attenuated virus vaccines of proven efficacy against duck virus hepatitis was assessed by controlled laboratory studies which involved the serial transmission of the virus through groups of two-day-old ducklings known to be susceptible to the disease. Each vaccine was initially derived from a different source. Enhancement of virulence which resulted in deaths from the disease in test groups of ducklings occurred in each instance.     

Restricted virus protein translation in canine distemper virus inclusion body polioencephalitis.

In this study, inclusion body polioencephalitis, an uncommon form of canine distemper virus (CDV)-induced encephalitis, was investigated for viral protein and mRNA expression by immunohistochemistry (IH) and in situ hybridization and, in addition, infiltrating cells were characterized by IH. Lesions were predominantly found in the grey matter of the brain stem and the immune response, dominated by T cells, was associated with a strong MHC II upregulation. Abundant expression of all viral protein mRNAs and reduced or lacking protein translation, especially of the matrix protein were the most important findings, indicating that restricted virus infection in the grey matter might represent a mechanism for viral persistence in distemper polioencephalitis.