Ancylostoma ceylanicum
- Authors: Colella, Vito , Bradbury, Richard , Traub, Rebecca
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Trends in Parasitology Vol. 37, no. 9 (2021), p. 844-845
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Effect of contamination and purity priming on attitudes to vaccination and other health interventions : a randomised controlled experiment
- Authors: Bryden, Gabrielle , Rockloff, Matthew , Browne, Matthew , Unsworth, Carolyn
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Vaccine Vol. 39, no. 45 (2021), p. 6653-6659
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- Description: The objective of this experiment is to assess whether priming for contamination and purity causes a change in attitudes to health interventions, including vaccination, and complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs). An online priming experiment was conducted with four between-subject experimental conditions including photos of: 1) biological contamination, 2) chemical contamination, 3) pure environments, such as pristine landscapes, and 4) hazard signs/icons indicating physical threats. Two control conditions included photos of neutral scenes and neutral icons, whereby experimental groups were compared against the related control groups (photograph for conditions 1–3 and neutral icons for condition 4). Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the six conditions, and after exposure to the images they were asked to rate 10 conventional and alternative health interventions for effectiveness and safety, as well being assessed for disgust sensitivity using the reduced-item DPSS-R [10]. A total of 642 adults completed the experiment. Exposure to primes did not cause a differential change in ratings of health interventions. Nevertheless, higher levels of sensitivity to disgust were associated with lower ratings of the effectiveness of MMR vaccination, tetanus injection, antibiotics, and surgery; and higher levels of sensitivity to disgust were associated with higher ratings of effectiveness of vitamins/minerals. In conclusion, this online experiment did not find an experimental effect of priming for contamination and purity on subjects’ ratings of the safety and effectiveness of conventional and alternative health interventions. This indicates that attitudes to these health interventions are not influenced by a temporary increase in the salience of feelings of contamination or purity. However, individual differences in disgust sensitivity are related to their attitudes to vaccination and CAM interventions. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Lack of effectiveness of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccination against pneumococcal carriage density in Papua New Guinean infants
- Authors: Britton, Kathryn , Pickering, Janessa , Pomat, William , de Gier, Camilla , Greenhill, Andrew
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Vaccine Vol. 39, no. 38 (2021), p. 5401-5409
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- Description: Background: Papua New Guinea (PNG) introduced the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in 2014, with administration at 1, 2, and 3 months of age. PCV13 has reduced or eliminated carriage of vaccine types in populations with low pneumococcal carriage prevalence, carriage density and serotype diversity. This study investigated PCV13 impact on serotype-specific pneumococcal carriage prevalence, density, and serotype diversity in PNG infants, who have some of the highest reported rates of pneumococcal carriage and disease in the world. Methods: Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected at 1, 4 and 9 months of age from PCV13-vaccinated infants (n = 57) and age-/season-matched, unvaccinated infants (at approximately 1 month, n = 53; 4 months, n = 57; 9 months, n = 52). Serotype-specific pneumococcal carriage density and antimicrobial resistance genes were identified by qPCR and microarray. Results: Pneumococci were present in 89% of swabs, with 60 different serotypes and four non-encapsulated variants detected. Multiple serotype carriage was common (47% of swabs). Vaccine type carriage prevalence was similar between PCV13-vaccinated and unvaccinated infants at 4 and 9 months of age. The prevalence of non-vaccine type carriage was also similar between cohorts, with non-vaccine types present in three-quarters of samples (from both vaccinated and unvaccinated infants) by 4 months of age. The median pneumococcal carriage density was high and similar at each age group (~7.0 log10 genome equivalents/mL). PCV13 had no effect on overall pneumococcal carriage density, vaccine type density, non-vaccine type density, or the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance genes. Conclusion: PNG infants experience dense and diverse pneumococcal colonisation with concurrent serotypes from 1 month of age. PCV13 had no impact on pneumococcal carriage density, even for vaccine serotypes. The low prevalence of vaccine serotypes, high pneumococcal carriage density and abundance of non-vaccine serotypes likely contribute to the lack of PCV13 impact on carriage in PNG infants. Indirect effects of the infant PCV programs are likely to be limited in PNG. Alternative vaccines with broader coverage should be considered. © 2021 The Authors. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Andrew Greenhill" is provided in this record**
Gut microbiota composition in obese and non-obese adult relatives from the highlands of Papua New Guinea
- Authors: Jonduo, Marinjho , Wawae, Lorry , Masiria, Geraldine , Suda, Wataru , Hattori, Masahira , Takayasu, Lena , Abdad, Mohammad , Greenhill, Andrew , Horwood, Paul , Pomat, William , Umezaki, Masahiro
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: FEMS microbiology letters Vol. 367, no. 19 (2020), p.
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- Description: Obesity is a condition that results from an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. Recently, obesity has been linked to differences in the composition of gut microbiota. To examine this association in Papua New Guinea (PNG) highlanders, fecal samples were collected from 18 adults; nine obese participants were paired with their non-obese relative. Amplification of the 16S rRNA gene targeting the V1-V2 region was performed on DNA extracts for each participant, with high-quality sequences selected and used for operational taxonomic unit clustering. The data showed Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the two dominant phyla, while at genus level Prevotella was the most dominant genus in all of the samples. Nonetheless, statistical evaluation of potential association between nutritional status and bacterial abundance at both phyla and genus levels showed no significant difference. Further studies, ideally in both rural and urban areas, are needed to evaluate the role of the gut microbiome in the occurrence of obesity in PNG and other resource-limited settings. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of FEMS.
Influenza A(H5N1) viruses with A(H9N2) single gene (matrix or PB1) reassortment isolated from Cambodian live bird markets
- Authors: Suttie, Annika , Karlsson, Erik , Deng, Yi-Mo , Horm, Srey , Yann, Sokhoun , Tok, Songha , Sorn, San , Holl, Davun , Tum, Sothyra , Hurt, Aeron , Greenhill, Andrew , Barr, Ian , Horwood, Paul , Dussart, Philippe
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Virology Vol. 523, no. (2018), p. 22-26
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- Description: Live bird market surveillance for avian influenza viruses in Cambodia in 2015 has led to the detection of two 7:1 reassortant influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.2.1c viruses. These reassortant strains, designated A/duck/Cambodia/Z564W35M1/2015 and A/chicken/Cambodia/Z850W49M1/2015, both contained a single gene (PB1 and matrix gene, respectively) from concurrently circulating A(H9N2) influenza viruses. All other viral genes from both isolates clustered with A(H5N1) clade 2.3.2.1 viruses. Continued and prolonged co-circulation of influenza A(H5N1) and A(H9N2) viruses in Cambodian live bird markets may present a risk for the emergence of novel influenza reassortant viruses with negative agricultural and/or public health implications. © 2018
Taxonomy based on science is necessary for global conservation
- Authors: Greenslade, Penelope
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS Biology Vol. 16, no. 3 (2018), p. 1-12
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- Description: Taxonomy is a scientific discipline that has provided the universal naming and classification system of biodiversity for centuries and continues effectively to accommodate new knowledge. A recent publication by Garnett and Christidis [1] expressed concerns regarding the difficulty that taxonomic changes represent for conservation efforts and proposed the establishment of a system to govern taxonomic changes. Their proposal to "restrict the freedom of taxonomic action" through governing subcommittees that would "review taxonomic papers for compliance" and their assertion that "the scientific community's failure to govern taxonomy threatens the effectiveness of global efforts to halt biodiversity loss, damages the credibility of science, and is expensive to society" are flawed in many respects. They also assert that the lack of governance of taxonomy damages conservation efforts, harms the credibility of science, and is costly to society. Despite its fairly recent release, Garnett and Christidis' proposition has already been rejected by a number of colleagues [2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. Herein, we contribute to the conversation between taxonomists and conservation biologists aiming to clarify some misunderstandings and issues in the proposition by Garnett and Christidis. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the Federation University Australia affiliate is provided in this record**
CHROMagar COL-APSE : A selective bacterial culture medium for the isolation and differentiation of colistin-resistant gram-negative pathogens
- Authors: Abdul Momin, Muhd , Bean, David , Hendriksen, Rene , Haenni, Marisa , Phee, Lynette , Wareham, David
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Medical Microbiology Vol. 66, no. 11 (2017), p. 1554-1561
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- Description: Purpose. A selective chromogenic culture medium for the laboratory isolation and differentiation of colistin resistant Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas and Enterobacteriaceae spp. (CHROMagar COL-APSE) was developed, evaluated and compared to an existing selective bacterial culture medium (SuperPolymyxin). Methodology. The medium was challenged with 84 isolates, including polymyxin B (POL B)-susceptible and-resistant type strains and colistin (COL)-resistant organisms recovered from human and animal samples. Susceptibility to COL and POL B was determined by agar dilution and broth microtitre dilution. The lower limit for the detection of COL-resistant organisms was also calculated for both CHROMagar COL-APSE and SuperPolymyxin media. The ability to isolate and correctly differentiate COL-resistant organisms within mixed cultures was also assessed and compared using both media. Results. Using CHROMagar COL-APSE, Gram-negative pathogens (n=71) with intrinsic (n=8) or acquired COL (n=63) resistance were recovered with 100% specificity down to the lower limit of detection of 101 colony-forming units (c.f.u.). The growth on SuperPolymyxin was similar, but notably weaker for COL-resistant non-fermentative bacteria (Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas). CHROMagar COL-APSE was also more sensitive in supporting the growth of Enterobacteriaceae with COL resistance associated with the carriage of mcr-1. Conclusion. CHROMagar COL-APSE is a sensitive and specific medium for the growth of COL-resistant bacterial pathogens. Due to the low limit of detection (101 c.f.u.), it may be useful as a primary isolation medium in the surveillance and recovery of COL-resistant bacteria from complex human, veterinary and environmental samples, especially those with plasmidmediated MCR-1 or novel mechanisms of polymyxin resistance. © 2017 The Authors.
Characterization of the localized immune response in the respiratory tract of ferrets following infection with influenza A and B viruses
- Authors: Carolan, Louise , Rockman, Steve , Borg, Kathryn , Guarnaccia, Teagan , Reading, Patrick , Mosse, Jennifer , Kelso, Anne , Barr, Ian , Laurie, Karen
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Virology Vol. 90, no. 6 (2016), p. 2838-2848
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- Description: The burden of infection with seasonal influenza viruses is significant. Each year is typically characterized by the dominance of one (sub)type or lineage of influenza A or B virus, respectively. The incidence of disease varies annually, and while this may be attributed to a particular virus strain or subtype, the impacts of prior immunity, population differences, and variations in clinical assessment are also important. To improve our understanding of the impacts of seasonal influenza viruses, we directly compared clinical symptoms, virus shedding, and expression of cytokines, chemokines, and immune mediators in the upper respiratory tract (URT) of ferrets infected with contemporary A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2), or influenza B virus. Gene expression in the lower respiratory tract (LRT) was also assessed. Clinical symptoms were minimal. Overall cytokine/chemokine profiles in the URT were consistent in pattern and magnitude between animals infected with influenza A and B viruses, and peak expression levels of interleukin-1α (IL-1α), IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12p40, alpha interferon (IFN-α), IFN-β, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) mRNAs correlated with peak levels of viral shedding. MCP1 and IFN-γ were expressed after the virus peak. Granzymes A and B and IL-10 reached peak expression as the virus was cleared and seroconversion was detected. Cytokine/chemokine gene expression in the LRT following A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection reflected the observations seen for the URT but was delayed 2 or 3 days, as was virus replication. These data indicate that disease severities and localized immune responses following infection with seasonal influenza A and B viruses are similar, suggesting that other factors are likely to modulate the incidence and impact of seasonal influenza. © 2016, American Society for Microbiology.
Impact of intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy with azithromycin-containing regimens on maternal nasopharyngeal carriage and antibiotic sensitivity of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Staphylococcus aureus : A cross-sectional survey at delivery
- Authors: Unger, Holger , Aho, Celestine , Ome-Kaius, Maria , Wangnapi, Regina , Umbers, Alexandra , Jack, Wanda , Lafana, Alice , Michael, Audrey , Hanieh, Sarah , Siba, Peter , Mueller, Ivo , Greenhill, Andrew , Rogerson, Stephen
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Clinical Microbiology Vol. 53, no. 4 (2015), p. 1317-1323
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- Description: Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) plus azithromycin (AZ) (SPAZ) has the potential for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp), but its use could increase circulation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria associated with severe pediatric infections. We evaluated the effect of monthly SPAZ-IPTp compared to a single course of SP plus chloroquine (SPCQ) on maternal nasopharyngeal carriage and antibiotic susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Staphylococcus aureus at delivery among 854 women participating in a randomized controlled trial in Papua New Guinea. Serotyping was performed, and antibiotic susceptibility was evaluated by disk diffusion and Etest. Potential risk factors for carriage were examined. Nasopharyngeal carriage at delivery of S. pneumoniae (SPAZ, 7.2% [30/418], versus SPCQ, 19.3% [84/436]; P < 0.001) and H. influenzae (2.9% [12/418] versus 6.0% [26/436], P = 0.028), but not S. aureus, was significantly reduced among women who had received SPAZ-IPTp. The number of macrolide-resistant pneumococcal isolates was small but increased in the SPAZ group (13.3% [4/30], versus SPCQ, 2.2% [2/91]; P = 0.033). The proportions of isolates with serotypes covered by the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine were similar (SPAZ, 10.3% [3/29], versus SPCQ, 17.6% [16/91]; P = 0.352). Although macrolide-resistant isolates were rare, they were more commonly detected in women who had received SPAZ-IPTp, despite the significant reduction of maternal carriage of S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae observed in this group. Future studies on SPAZ-IPTp should evaluate carriage and persistence of macrolide-resistant S. pneumoniae and other pathogenic bacteria in both mothers and infants and assess the clinical significance of their circulation.
Fetal sex affects expression of renin-angiotensin system components in term human decidua
- Authors: Wang, Yu , Pringle, Kirsty , Sykes, Shane , Marques, Francine , Morris, Brian , Zakar, Tamas , Lumbers, Eugenie
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Endocrinology Vol. 153, no. 1 (January 2012), p. 462-468
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- Description: The maternal decidua expresses the genes of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Human decidua was collected at term either before labor (i.e. cesarean delivery) or after spontaneous labor. The mRNA for prorenin (REN), prorenin receptor (ATP6AP2), angiotensinogen (AGT), angiotensinconverting enzymes 1 and 2 (ACE1 and ACE2), angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AGTR1), and angiotensin 1-7 receptor (MAS1) were measured by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Decidual explants were cultured in duplicate for 24 and 48 h, and all RAS mRNA, and the secretion of prorenin, angiotensin II, and angiotensin 1-7 was measured using quantitative real-time RT-PCR, ELISA, and radioimmunoassay, respectively. In the decidua collected before labor, REN mRNA levels were higher if the fetus was female. In addition, REN, ATP6AP2, AGT, and MAS1 mRNA abundance was greater in decidual explants collected from women carrying a female fetus, as was prorenin protein. After 24 h, ACE1 mRNA was higher in the decidual explants from women with a male fetus, whereas after 48 h, both ACE1 and ACE2 mRNA was higher in decidual explants from women with a female fetus. Angiotensin II was present in all explants, but angiotensin 1-7 levels often registered below the lower limits of sensitivity for the assay. After labor, decidua, when compared with nonlaboring decidua, demonstrated lower REN expression when the fetus was female. Therefore, the maternal decidual RAS is regulated in a sex-specific manner, suggesting that it may function differently when the fetus is male than when it is female.
- Description: C1
Field vaccination of sheep with a larval-specific antigen of the gastrointestinal nematode, Haemonchus contortus, confers significant protection against an experimental challenge infection
- Authors: Piedrafita, David , De Veer, Michael , Lydall, Jayne , Kraska, Troy , Elhay, Martin , Meeusen, Els
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Vaccine Vol. 30, no. 50 (2012), p. 7199-7204
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- Description: The availability of effective vaccines would add a valuable tool to the management of gastrointestinal nematode infections in livestock. While some experimental vaccines have shown protection in laboratory trials, few have been tested in the field. In the present study, eight month old sheep kept on pasture were treated with anthelmintic 8 weeks before vaccination with a larval surface antigen of the nematode parasite, Haemonchus contortus, under a commercially acceptable protocol, i.e. 2 immunizations using a commercial adjuvant; they were then given a controlled challenge infection 4 weeks later in indoor pens. Vaccination of sheep with 4 increasing doses of antigen resulted in significant reductions of 61% and 27% in cumulative faecal egg counts in the two highest dose groups, and a 69% reduction in worm burden in the highest dose group. Blood loss, as determined by packed cell volume, was also significantly reduced in the highest dose group of sheep. One outlier sheep showed an unusual increase in egg count without a concomitant increase in worm burden compared to the control sheep, indicating a vaccine-induced stress response. Antigen-specific serum antibody levels steadily increased in sheep while on pasture and decreased when transported to indoor pens. No difference in antibody levels could be detected between vaccinated and unvaccinated sheep, but all showed increased antibody levels compared to uninfected control sheep kept in indoors pens for 2–3 months, suggesting sheep were sensitized to the larval antigen either from low dose pasture contamination or cross reaction with pasture-related antigens. The results of these studies confirm the protective properties of the larval surface antigen and its protective effect when vaccinations are performed in the field.
Multilocus sequence typing of Streptococcus pneumoniae by use of mass spectrometry
- Authors: Dunne, Eileen , Ong, Engkok , Moser, Ralf , Siba, Peter , Phuanukoonnon, Suparat , Greenhill, Andrew , Robins-Browne, Roy , Mulholland, Edward , Satzke, Catherine
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Clinical Microbiology Vol. 49, no. 11 (2011), p. 3756-3760
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- Description: Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) is an important tool for the global surveillance of bacterial pathogens that is performed by comparing the sequences of designated housekeeping genes. We developed and tested a novel mass spectrometry-based method for MLST of Streptococcus pneumoniae. PCR amplicons were subjected to in vitro transcription and base-specific cleavage, followed by analysis of the resultant fragments by using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Comparison of the cleavage fragment peak patterns to a reference sequence set permitted automated identification of alleles. Validation experiments using 29 isolates of S. pneumoniae revealed that the results of MALDI-TOF MS MLST matched those obtained by traditional sequence-based MLST for 99% of alleles and that the MALDITOF MS method accurately identified two single-nucleotide variations. The MADLI-TOF MS method was then used for MLST analysis of 43 S. pneumoniae isolates from Papua New Guinean children. The majority of the isolates present in this population were not clonal and contained seven new alleles and 30 previously unreported sequence types.
Increased production through parasite control : can ancient breeds of sheep teach us new lessons?
- Authors: Piedrafita, David , Raadsma, Herman , Gonzalez, Jorge , Meeusen, Els
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Trends in Parasitology Vol. 26, no. 12 (2010), p. 568-573
- Full Text: false
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- Description: With a rising world population and economic development, the global demand for meat, milk and other animal products is increasing dramatically. Controlling parasitic diseases in livestock, in particular helminth infections, could rapidly improve productivity and resource utilization. There is a growing interest in indigenous ruminant breeds because these animals have adapted to survive with minimal maintenance in the presence of high exposure to parasite infection. Recent findings on the mechanisms of parasite resistance in indigenous breeds are discussed, and the possibility that such studies may lead to new insight into the immunity and control of parasites proposed. These findings have important implications for the preservation of poorly characterized local indigenous breeds.