Dataset of chicken-embryo blood cells exposed to quercetin, methyl methanesulfonate, or cadmium chloride

Toxicological analysis of the effects of natural compounds is frequently mandated to assess their safety. In addition to more simple in vitro cellular systems, more complex biological systems can be used to evaluate toxicity. This dataset is comprised of bright-field microscopy images of chicken-embryo blood cells, a complex biological model that recapitulates several features found in human organisms, including circulation in blood stream and biodistribution to different organs. In the presented collection of blood smear images, cells were exposed to the flavonoid quercetin, and the two mutagens methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) and cadmium chloride (CdCl2). In ovo models offer a unique opportunity to investigate the effects of various substances, pathogens, or cancer treatments on developing embryos, providing valuable insights into potential risks and therapeutic strategies. In toxicology, in ovo models allow for early detection of harmful compounds and their impact on embryonic development, aiding in the assessment of environmental hazards. In immunology, these models offer a controlled system to explore the developing immune responses and the interaction between pathogens and host defenses. Additionally, in ovo models are instrumental in oncology research as they enable the study of tumor development and response to therapies in a dynamic, rapidly developing environment. Thus, these versatile models play a crucial role in advancing our understanding of complex biological processes and guiding the development of safer therapeutics and interventions. The data presented here can aid in understanding the potential toxic effects of these substances on hematopoiesis and the overall health of the developing organism. Moreover, the large dataset of blood smear images can serve as a resource for training machine learning algorithms to automatically detect and classify blood cells, provided that specific optimized conditions such as image magnification and background light are maintained for comparison. This can lead to the development of automated tools for blood cell analysis, which can be useful in research. Moreover, the data is amenable to the use as teaching and learning resource for histology and developmental biology.

A novel I117T substitution in neuraminidase of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus conferring reduced susceptibility to oseltamivir and zanamivir

Occurrence of avian influenza (AI) with Neuraminidase (NA) mutations which confer reduced neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) susceptibility has remained a cause of concern. The susceptibility to NAIs of 67 highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses isolated during 2006-2012 in India was tested in phenotypic fluorescence-based NA inhibition assay, sequence analysis and in ovo. One isolate showed a novel NA I117T amino acid substitution (N2 numbering) and eight isolates showed previously known NAI-resistance marker mutations (I117V, E119D, N294S, total 9/67). The overall incidence of resistant variants was 13.4%. The novel I117T substitution reduced oseltamivir susceptibility by 18.6-fold and zanamivir susceptibility by 11.8-fold, compared to the wild type AI H5N1virus, thus showed cross-resistance to both oseltamivir and zanamivir in NA inhibition assays. However, the other two isolates with I117V substitution were sensitive to both the NAIs. In addition, the comparison of growth of the I117T and I117V variants in presence of NAI's in the in ovo assays exhibited difference in growth levels. The present study reports the natural occurrence of a novel I117T mutation in AI H5N1 virus conferring cross-resistance to oseltamivir and zanamivir highlighting the urgent need of antiviral surveillance of AI viruses.