Assessment of the Potential Distance of Dispersal of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Virus by Wild Mallards

Genetic attributes of Iranian cystic fibrosis patients: the diagnostic efficiency of CFTR mutations in over a decade

Objectives: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most prevalent autosomal recessive disorder among Caucasians. Mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene cause this pathology. We, therefore, aimed to describe the CFTR mutations and their geographical distribution in Iran. Method: The mutation spectrum for 87 families from all Iranian ethnicities was collected using ARMS PCR, Sanger sequencing, and MLPA. Results: Mutations were identified in 95.8% of cases. This dataset revealed that the most frequent mutations in the Iranian population were F508del, c.1000C>T, c.1397C>G, c.1911delG, and c.1393-1G>A. In addition, we found weak evidence for Turkey being the possible geographical pathway for introducing CFTR mutations into Iran by mapping the frequency of CFTR mutations. Conclusion: Our descriptive results will facilitate the genetic detection and prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis within the Iranian population.

[Using geo-intelligence to estimate risk of introduction of influenza type A in MexicoCenário de risco de introdução do vírus da influenza A no México estimado com o uso de inteligência geográfica]

Objetivo.

Estimar el escenario potencial probabilístico de introducción del agente causal de la influenza tipo A en México mediante geointeligencia sanitaria.

Métodos.

Estudio ecológico en el que consideran 1 973 brotes de influenza con alto grado de patogenicidad en el mundo durante el período 2014-2016. Se desarrolló un modelado geoespacial con herramientas de la geointeligencia, como la representación espacial, modelo de conexidad, caracterización espacial de la fuente de inoculo con el modelo de máxima entropía y la curva característica de operación receptora (COR) mediante la evaluación espacial multicriterio y se validó con el índice de Moran y la regresión geográficamente ponderada.

Resultados.

Se estimaron las isocronas de riesgo sanitario con una distancia de 548 km y su crecimiento exponencial; hasta la cuarta isócrona se identificaron las costas este y oeste de Estados Unidos de América (EEUU) y una porción de América Central como posible superficie que favorece la introducción del patógeno. Se obtuvo, también, una curva COR = 0,923, se identificaron dos períodos de riesgo de introducción (setiembre-marzo) y (abril-agosto) con trayectorias de norte-sur y sur-norte respectivamente, con alta autocorrelación positiva para el modelado geoespacial, y se estimó un escenario donde más de la mitad de México se encuentra en un riesgo alto de introducción, con 78 millones de personas expuestas. Se identificó una asociación positiva entre las áreas de riesgo significativo (P < 0,001).

Conclusión.

Se evidencia que más de 50% del territorio mexicano se encuentra en riesgo de introducción del agente causal de la influenza tipo A, con aproximadamente 70% de la población expuesta.

Long-term carriage and rapid transmission of extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing E. coli within a flock of Mallards in the absence of antibiotic selection

Wild birds have been suggested as transmitters and reservoirs for antibiotic resistant bacteria. We performed an experimental study investigating carriage time and interindividual transmission of extended spectrum beta-lactamase- (ESBL-)producing Escherichia coli in Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) to assess if the birds carry the bacteria long enough to transfer them geographically during migration. Mallards were inoculated intraoesophageally with four different strains of ESBL-producing E. coli and kept together in a flock. The ESBL-strains belonged to sequence types previously shown to spread between birds and humans. Culturing from faecal samples showed presence of ESBL-producing E. coli the entire 29 day experimental period. An extensive and rapid transmission of the different ESBL-strains between individuals (including non-inoculated controls) was observed. In necropsy samples, we detected ESBL-strains in the cecum even in faeces-negative birds, indicating that this part of the intestine could function as a reservoir of resistant bacteria. We demonstrate that birds can carry ESBL-producing E. coli for long enough times to travel far during migration and the extensive interindividual transmission suggests spread between individuals in a dense bird population as a mechanism that allow persistence of resistant bacteria.

SURVEILLANCE FOR AVIAN INFLUENZA VIRUS IN WILD BIRDS IN POLAND, 2008-15

We tested wild birds in Poland during 2008-15 for avian influenza virus (AIV). We took 10,312 swabs and feces samples from 6,314 live birds representing 12 orders and 84 bird species, mostly from orders Anseriformes and Charadriiformes, for testing and characterization by various PCR methods. From PCR-positive samples, we attempted to isolate and subtype the virus. The RNA of AIV was detected in 1.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-2.1%) of birds represented by 48 Mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos ), 11 Mute Swans ( Cygnus olor ), 48 Common Teals ( Anas crecca ), three Black-headed Gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), one Common Coot ( Fulica atra ), one Garganey (Spatula querquedula), and one unidentified bird species. Overall, the prevalence of AIV detection in Mallards and Mute Swans (the most frequently sampled species) was 2.0% (95% CI, 1.4-2.5%) and 0.5% (95% CI, 0.2-0.8%), respectively; the difference was statistically significant (P=0.000). Hemagglutinin subtypes from H1 to H13 were identified, including H5 and H7 low pathogenic AIV subtypes. Mallards and Common Teals harbored the greatest diversity of subtypes. We observed seasonality of viral detection in Mallards, with higher AIV prevalence in late summer and autumn than in winter and spring. In addition, two peaks in AIV prevalence in summer (August) and autumn (November) were demonstrated for Mallards. The prevalence of AIV in Mute Swans did not show any statistically significant seasonal patterns.