Equine Babesiosis: Seroprevalence,Risk Factors and Comparison of Different Diagnostic Methods in Jordan

The purposes of this study were to estimate the seroprevalence and distribution of horse piroplasmosis, to evaluate risk factors associated with the occurrence of the disease and to compare the different diagnostic methods used for this disease. A total of 253 clinically normal horses were sampled, and a collection form was completed for each horse from five of six different climatic zones of Jordan. The sixth zone was not sampled because it did not include horse population. Competitive enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) revealed 37 horses (14.6%) positive for Theileria equi, and none of the horses was positive for Babesia caballi. Microscopic examination of thin blood smears and PCR test revealed no positive results for either parasite. Grazing was the only risk factor that was associated with being seropositive to the disease; horses that graze are 11.5 more likely to be seropositive (P < 0.05, OR = 11.5, CI: 3.292, 39.962). This is the first study to estimate the prevalence of horse babesiosis using serological test and to identify risk factors associated with the disease in Jordan. Competitive enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) test appears to be more reliable than microscopic examination and PCR in estimating the seroprevalence of the disease as well as identifying carrier horses to babesiosis.     

Point of care diagnostics for sexually transmitted infections: perspectives and advances

Accurate and inexpensive point-of-care (POC) tests are urgently needed to control sexually transmitted infection epidemics, so that patients can receive immediate diagnoses and treatment. Current POC assays for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae perform inadequately and require better assays. Diagnostics for Trichomonas vaginalis rely on wet preparation, with some notable advances. Serological POC assays for syphilis can impact resource-poor settings, with many assays available, but only one available in the U.S. HIV POC diagnostics demonstrate the best performance, with excellent assays available. There is a rapid assay for HSV lesion detection; but no POC serological assays are available. Despite the inadequacy of POC assays for treatable bacterial infections, application of technological advances offers the promise of advancing POC diagnostics for all sexually transmitted infections.     

New generation sequencing in pathogen discovery and microbial surveillance

23rd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID).

Berlin, Germany, 27–30 April 2013

The annual congress of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) is recognized as the largest European congress for the presentation and discussion of the key priorities and more recent scientific developments in the fields of clinical microbiology and infection. This year, it attracted almost 10,000 participants from all over the world. Keynote lectures, symposia, meet-the-expert sessions, educational workshops, poster and oral sessions covered the diagnosis, treatment, epidemiology and prevention of infectious diseases, as well as related basic microbiology. Moreover, interactive sessions addressing specific subjects underlined the important educational aspect of the ECCMID’s congress. The scientific program, abstracts, oral presentations are available at their website . This meeting report is focused on one of the several challenging and one of the most transversal topics of the meeting: the application of the next-generation sequencing (NGS) to the microbial world.     

Production of influenza pseudotyped lentiviral particles and their use in influenza research and diagnosis: an update

Pseudotyped viral particles are being used as safe surrogates to mimic the structure and surface of many viruses, including highly pathogenic viruses such as avian influenza H5N1, to investigate biological functions mediated by the envelope proteins derived from these viruses. The first part of this article evaluates and discusses the differences in the production and characterization of influenza pseudoparticles. The second part focuses on the applications that such a flexible tool can provide in modern influenza research, in particular in the fields of drug discovery, molecular biology and diagnosis.     

创伤性颅眶畸形的三维可视化诊断分析与手术整复

目的：依据颅眶创伤畸形诊断分类选择相应术式予以整复，并通过规范化治疗改善整复疗效。方法：81例创伤性颅眶畸形均经三维cT确诊为颅-眶-颧颌骨折和畸形。将其分为适合于选择手术术式的四类：①颅骨缺损；②眶壁爆裂骨折；③普通眶周骨折；④复杂眶周骨折。结果：①颅骨缺损12例（14．8％），采用自体肋骨或颅骨板移植获得良效；②眶壁爆裂骨折16例（19．7％），手术还纳眶内容、封闭疝孔、恢复眶腔容积和眼球位置；③普通眶周骨折21例（25．8％）：以骨缺损形态体积相同的骨组织修复，无骨质缺损者则截骨，使骨折段复位固定；④复杂眶周骨折32例（39．5％）：截断错位愈合的骨折线将眶-颧-颌复合体复位；眶粉碎者，应用CAD／CAM快速成型技术预制人工骨眶，手术效果良好。本组所有病例未出现植骨坏死、外露、畸形复发、眶内血肿等严重并发症。结论：颅骨缺损的整复仍以自体骨移植、钛网修复效果较好。眶爆裂骨折晚期畸形以植入自体骨或人工骨修复骨缺损、矫正复视、眼球复位为主。普通眶周骨折：采取截骨、植骨或生物材料植入修复的手术方案。复杂眶周骨折晚期畸形最有效的方法是截断错位愈合的骨折段，复位颅面骨结构形态。典型的Le Fort型骨折，宜采用Le FortⅠ～Ⅲ型截骨手术。     

Development and Testing of a Field Diagnostic Assay for Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus

We have developed an immunochromatographic test for the diagnosis of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) under field conditions. The diagnostic assay has been tested in the laboratory and also under field conditions in Ivory Coast, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Uganda. The test is carried out on a superficial swab sample (ocular or nasal) and showed a sensitivity of 84% relative to PCR. The specificity was 95% over all nasal and ocular samples. The test detected as little as 10³ TCID₅₀ (50% tissue culture infectious doses) of cell culture‐grown virus, and detected virus isolates representing all four known genetic lineages of peste des petits ruminants virus. Virus could be detected in swabs from animals as early as 4 days post‐infection, at a time when clinical signs were minimal. Feedback from field trials was uniformly positive, suggesting that this diagnostic tool may be useful for current efforts to control the spread of PPR.     

Rapid and simple detection of foot‐and‐mouth disease virus: Evaluation of a cartridge‐based molecular detection system for use in basic laboratories

Highly contagious transboundary animal diseases such as foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD ) are major threats to the productivity of farm animals. To limit the impact of outbreaks and to take efficient steps towards a timely control and eradication of the disease, rapid and reliable diagnostic systems are of utmost importance. Confirmatory diagnostic assays are typically performed by experienced operators in specialized laboratories, and access to this capability is often limited in the developing countries with the highest disease burden. Advances in molecular technologies allow implementation of modern and reliable techniques for quick and simple pathogen detection either in basic laboratories or even at the pen‐side. Here, we report on a study to evaluate a fully automated cartridge‐based real‐time RT ‐PCR diagnostic system (Enigma MiniLab^®) for the detection of FMD virus (FMDV ). The modular system integrates both nucleic acid extraction and downstream real‐time RT ‐PCR (rRT ‐PCR ). The analytical sensitivity of this assay was determined using serially diluted culture grown FMDV , and the performance of the assay was evaluated using a selected range of FMDV positive and negative clinical samples of bovine, porcine and ovine origin. The robustness of the assay was evaluated in an international inter‐laboratory proficiency test and by deployment into an African laboratory. It was demonstrated that the system is easy to use and can detect FMDV with high sensitivity and specificity, roughly on par with standard laboratory methods. This cartridge‐based automated real‐time RT ‐PCR system for the detection of FMDV represents a reliable and easy to use diagnostic tool for the early and rapid disease detection of acutely infected animals even in remote areas. This type of system could be easily deployed for routine surveillance within endemic regions such as Africa or could alternatively be used in the developed world.     

布鲁菌病研究进展

布鲁菌病是最常见的人畜共患病之一,呈全球范围流行,而我国近年来布鲁菌病发病率不断上升,给公众健康和社会经济带来的严重危害。布鲁菌病可以累及全身各个系统,若治疗不及时或不规范易复发或者呈现慢性化,甚至可以发生各种并发症而严重影响患者预后,故早诊断和早治疗至关重要。本文就布鲁菌病的病原学、流行现状、各系统临床表现以及实验室诊断和并发症的治疗进展进行综述。