Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted descending) Filter | PMID Filter |
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| increased acid stability of the hemagglutinin protein enhances h5n1 influenza virus growth in the upper respiratory tract but is insufficient for transmission in ferrets. | influenza virus entry is mediated by the acidic-ph-induced activation of hemagglutinin (ha) protein. here, we investigated how a decrease in the ha activation ph (an increase in acid stability) influences the properties of highly pathogenic h5n1 influenza virus in mammalian hosts. we generated isogenic a/vietnam/1203/2004 (h5n1) (vn1203) viruses containing either wild-type ha protein (activation ph 6.0) or an ha2-k58i point mutation (k to i at position 58) (activation ph 5.5). the vn1203-ha2-k58 ... | 2013 | 23824818 |
| structure and receptor-binding properties of an airborne transmissible avian influenza a virus hemagglutinin h5 (vn1203mut). | avian influenza a virus continues to pose a global threat with occasional h5n1 human infections, which is emphasized by a recent severe human infection caused by avian-origin h7n9 in china. luckily these viruses do not transmit efficiently in human populations. with a few amino acid substitutions of the hemagglutinin h5 protein in the laboratory, two h5 mutants have been shown to obtain an air-borne transmission in a mammalian ferret model. here in this study one of the mutant h5 proteins develo ... | 2013 | 23794001 |
| adaptive mutations in the h5n1 polymerase complex. | adaptation of the viral polymerase to host factors plays an important role in interspecies transmission of h5n1 viruses. several adaptive mutations have been identified that, in general, determine not only host range, but also pathogenicity and transmissibility of the virus. the available evidence indicates that most of these mutations are found in the pb2 subunit of the polymerase. particularly prominent mutations are located in the c-terminal domain of pb2 involving the amino acid exchanges e6 ... | 2013 | 23732876 |
| receptor binding by a ferret-transmissible h5 avian influenza virus. | cell-surface-receptor binding by influenza viruses is a key determinant of their transmissibility, both from avian and animal species to humans as well as from human to human. highly pathogenic avian h5n1 viruses that are a threat to public health have been observed to acquire affinity for human receptors, and transmissible-mutant-selection experiments have identified a virus that is transmissible in ferrets, the generally accepted experimental model for influenza in humans. here, our quantitati ... | 2013 | 23615615 |
| new wisdom to defy an old enemy: summary from a scientific symposium at the 4th influenza vaccines for the world (ivw) 2012 congress, 11 october, valencia, spain. | both seasonal and pandemic influenza cause considerable morbidity and mortality globally. in addition, the ongoing threat of new, unpredictable influenza pandemics from emerging variant strains cannot be underestimated. recently biocsl (previously known as csl biotherapies) sponsored a symposium 'new wisdom to defy an old enemy' at the 4th influenza vaccines for the world congress in valencia, spain. this symposium brought together a renowned faculty of experts to discuss lessons from past exper ... | 2013 | 23587330 |
| mutations in haemagglutinin that affect receptor binding and ph stability increase replication of a pr8 influenza virus with h5 ha in the upper respiratory tract of ferrets and may contribute to transmissibility. | the h5n1 influenza a viruses have circulated widely in the avian population for 10 years with only sporadic infection of humans observed and no sustained human to human transmission. vaccination against potential pandemic strains is one strategy in planning for future influenza pandemics; however, the success of live attenuated vaccines for h5n1 has been limited, due to poor replication in the human upper respiratory tract (urt). mutations that increase the ability of h5n1 viruses to replicate i ... | 2013 | 23486663 |
| h5n1 pathogenesis studies in mammalian models. | h5n1 influenza viruses are capable of causing severe disease and death in humans, and represent a potential pandemic subtype should they acquire a transmissible phenotype. due to the expanding host and geographic range of this virus subtype, there is an urgent need to better understand the contribution of both virus and host responses following h5n1 virus infection to prevent and control human disease. the use of mammalian models, notably the mouse and ferret, has enabled the detailed study of b ... | 2013 | 23458998 |
| influenza viruses with rearranged genomes as live-attenuated vaccines. | h5n1 and h9n2 avian influenza virus subtypes top the world health organization's list for the greatest pandemic potential. inactivated h5n1 vaccines induce limited immune responses and, in the case of live-attenuated influenza virus vaccines (laiv), there are safety concerns regarding the possibility of reassortment between the h5 gene segment and circulating influenza viruses. in order to overcome these drawbacks, we rearranged the genome of an avian h9n2 influenza virus and expressed the entir ... | 2013 | 23449800 |
| quantitative description of glycan-receptor binding of influenza a virus h7 hemagglutinin. | in the context of recently emerged novel influenza strains through reassortment, avian influenza subtypes such as h5n1, h7n7, h7n2, h7n3 and h9n2 pose a constant threat in terms of their adaptation to the human host. among these subtypes, it was recently demonstrated that mutations in h5 and h9 hemagglutinin (ha) in the context of lab-generated reassorted viruses conferred aerosol transmissibility in ferrets (a property shared by human adapted viruses). we previously demonstrated that the quanti ... | 2013 | 23437033 |
| tropism and infectivity of influenza virus, including highly pathogenic avian h5n1 virus, in ferret tracheal differentiated primary epithelial cell cultures. | tropism and adaptation of influenza viruses to new hosts is partly dependent on the distribution of the sialic acid (sa) receptors to which the viral hemagglutinin (ha) binds. ferrets have been established as a valuable in vivo model of influenza virus pathogenesis and transmission because of similarities to humans in the distribution of ha receptors and in clinical signs of infection. in this study, we developed a ferret tracheal differentiated primary epithelial cell culture model that consist ... | 2013 | 23255802 |
| long-term vaccine-induced heterologous protection against h5n1 influenza viruses in the ferret model. | highly pathogenic h5n1 influenza viruses reemerged in humans in 2003 and have caused fatal human infections in asia and africa as well as ongoing outbreaks in poultry. these viruses have evolved substantially and are now so antigenically varied that a single vaccine antigen may not protect against all circulating strains. nevertheless, studies have shown that substantial cross-reactivity can be achieved with h5n1 vaccines. these studies have not, however, addressed the issue of duration of such ... | 2013 | 22897930 |
| identification and structural characterization of a broadly neutralizing antibody targeting a novel conserved epitope on the influenza virus h5n1 hemagglutinin. | the unabated circulation of the highly pathogenic avian influenza a virus/h5n1 continues to be a serious threat to public health worldwide. because of the high frequency of naturally occurring mutations, the emergence of h5n1 variants with high virulence has raised great concerns about the potential transmissibility of the virus in humans. recent studies have shown that laboratory-mutated or reassortant h5n1 viruses could be efficiently transmitted among mammals, particularly ferrets, the best a ... | 2013 | 23221567 |
| an adenovirus-based vaccine with a double-stranded rna adjuvant protects mice and ferrets against h5n1 avian influenza in oral delivery models. | an oral gene-based avian influenza vaccine would allow rapid development and simplified distribution, but efficacy has previously been difficult to achieve by the oral route. this study assessed protection against avian influenza virus challenge using a chimeric adenovirus vector expressing hemagglutinin and a double-stranded rna adjuvant. immunized ferrets and mice were protected upon lethal challenge. further, ferrets immunized by the peroral route induced cross-clade neutralizing antibodies, ... | 2013 | 23155123 |
| assessing the fitness of distinct clades of influenza a (h9n2) viruses. | influenza a (h9n2) viruses are a genetically diverse population that infects wild and domestic avian species and mammals and contributed the internal gene segments to the a/h5n1 and a/h7n9 viruses associated with lethal human infections. here we comprehensively assess the potential risk to mammals of a diverse panel of a/h9n2 viruses, representing the major h9n2 clades, using a combination of in vitro assays (e.g., antiviral susceptibility and virus growth in primary differentiated human airway ... | 2013 | 26038443 |
| selection on haemagglutinin imposes a bottleneck during mammalian transmission of reassortant h5n1 influenza viruses. | the emergence of human-transmissible h5n1 avian influenza viruses poses a major pandemic threat. h5n1 viruses are thought to be highly genetically diverse both among and within hosts; however, the effects of this diversity on viral replication and transmission are poorly understood. here we use deep sequencing to investigate the impact of within-host viral variation on adaptation and transmission of h5n1 viruses in ferrets. we show that, although within-host genetic diversity in haemagglutinin ( ... | 2013 | 24149915 |
| antigenicity and transmissibility of a novel clade 2.3.2.1 avian influenza h5n1 virus. | a genetic variant of the h5n1 influenza virus, termed subclade 2.3.2.1, was first identified in bulgaria in 2010 and has subsequently been found in vietnam and laos. several cases of human infections with this virus have been identified. thus, it is important to understand the antigenic properties and transmissibility of this variant. our results showed that, although it is phylogenetically closely related to other previously characterized clade 2.3 viruses, this novel 2.3.2.1 variant exhibited ... | 2013 | 24077367 |
| human antibodies that neutralize respiratory droplet transmissible h5n1 influenza viruses. | recent studies described the experimental adaptation of influenza h5 has that confers respiratory droplet transmission (rdt) to influenza virus in ferrets. acquisition of the ability to transmit via aerosol may lead to the development of a highly pathogenic pandemic h5 virus. vaccines are predicted to play an important role in h5n1 control should the virus become readily transmissible between humans. we obtained pbmcs from patients who received an a/vietnam/1203/2004 h5n1 subunit vaccine. human ... | 2013 | 23999429 |
| decrease of virus receptors during highly pathogenic h5n1 virus infection in humans and other mammals. | highly pathogenic avian influenza h5n1 virus causes a severe, often fatal, pneumonia in humans. the tropism and pathogenesis of highly pathogenic avian influenza h5n1 virus can partly be explained by the presence of h5n1 virus receptors in the human alveoli, which are the site of inflammation during pneumonia. although studies on the distribution of influenza virus receptors in normal respiratory tract tissues have provided significant insights into the cell tropism and pathogenesis of influenza ... | 2013 | 23993779 |
| microrna-based strategy to mitigate the risk of gain-of-function influenza studies. | recent gain-of-function studies in influenza a virus h5n1 strains revealed that as few as three-amino-acid changes in the hemagglutinin protein confer the capacity for viral transmission between ferrets. as transmission between ferrets is considered a surrogate indicator of transmissibility between humans, these studies raised concerns about the risks of gain-of-function influenza a virus research. here we present an approach to strengthen the biosafety of gain-of-function influenza experiments. ... | 2013 | 23934176 |
| limited airborne transmission of h7n9 influenza a virus between ferrets. | wild waterfowl form the main reservoir of influenza a viruses, from which transmission occurs directly or indirectly to various secondary hosts, including humans. direct avian-to-human transmission has been observed for viruses of subtypes a(h5n1), a(h7n2), a(h7n3), a(h7n7), a(h9n2) and a(h10n7) upon human exposure to poultry, but a lack of sustained human-to-human transmission has prevented these viruses from causing new pandemics. recently, avian a(h7n9) viruses were transmitted to humans, cau ... | 2013 | 23925116 |
| quantitative characterization of glycan-receptor binding of h9n2 influenza a virus hemagglutinin. | avian influenza subtypes such as h5, h7 and h9 are yet to adapt to the human host so as to establish airborne transmission between humans. however, lab-generated reassorted viruses possessing hemagglutinin (ha) and neuraminidase (na) genes from an avian h9 isolate and other genes from a human-adapted (h3 or h1) subtype acquired two amino acid changes in ha and a single amino acid change in na that confer respiratory droplet transmission in ferrets. we previously demonstrated for human-adapted h1 ... | 2013 | 23626667 |
| evaluation of live attenuated h7n3 and h7n7 vaccine viruses for their receptor binding preferences, immunogenicity in ferrets and cross reactivity to the novel h7n9 virus. | live attenuated influenza vaccine (laiv) candidates of the h7 subtype, a/netherlands/219/03 (h7n7, nl03 ca) and a/chicken/british columbia/cn-6/2004 (h7n3, bc04 ca), were evaluated for their receptor binding specificity and immunogenicity in ferrets. the bc04 ca virus exhibited α2,3-sa and α2,6-sa dual receptor binding preference while the nl03 ca virus preferentially bound to α2,3-sa. substitution of the q226 and g228 (q-g) by the l226 and s228 (l-s) residues in the ha improved binding to α2,6- ... | 2013 | 24130801 |
| pathogenesis, transmissibility, and ocular tropism of a highly pathogenic avian influenza a (h7n3) virus associated with human conjunctivitis. | h7 subtype influenza a viruses, responsible for numerous outbreaks in land-based poultry in europe and the americas, have caused over 100 cases of confirmed or presumed human infection over the last decade. the emergence of a highly pathogenic avian influenza h7n3 virus in poultry throughout the state of jalisco, mexico, resulting in two cases of human infection, prompted us to examine the virulence of this virus (a/mexico/indre7218/2012 [mx/7218]) and related avian h7 subtype viruses in mouse a ... | 2013 | 23487452 |
| the mouse and ferret models for studying the novel avian-origin human influenza a (h7n9) virus. | the current study was conducted to establish animal models (including mouse and ferret) for the novel avian-origin h7n9 influenza virus. | 2013 | 23927489 |
| h7n9 influenza viruses are transmissible in ferrets by respiratory droplet. | a newly emerged h7n9 virus has caused 132 human infections with 37 deaths in china since 18 february 2013. control measures in h7n9 virus-positive live poultry markets have reduced the number of infections; however, the character of the virus, including its pandemic potential, remains largely unknown. we systematically analyzed h7n9 viruses isolated from birds and humans. the viruses were genetically closely related and bound to human airway receptors; some also maintained the ability to bind to ... | 2013 | 23868922 |
| low pathogenic avian influenza a(h7n9) virus causes high mortality in ferrets upon intratracheal challenge: a model to study intervention strategies. | infections with low pathogenic avian influenza (lpai) a(h7n9) viruses have caused more than 100 hospitalized human cases of severe influenza in china since february 2013 with a case fatality rate exceeding 25%. most of these human infections presented with severe viral pneumonia, while limited information is available currently on the occurrence of mild and subclinical cases. in the present study, a ferret model for this virus infection in humans is presented to evaluate the pathogenesis of the ... | 2013 | 23816392 |
| infectivity, transmission, and pathology of human-isolated h7n9 influenza virus in ferrets and pigs. | the emergence of the h7n9 influenza virus in humans in eastern china has raised concerns that a new influenza pandemic could occur. here, we used a ferret model to evaluate the infectivity and transmissibility of a/shanghai/2/2013 (sh2), a human h7n9 virus isolate. this virus replicated in the upper and lower respiratory tracts of the ferrets and was shed at high titers for 6 to 7 days, with ferrets showing relatively mild clinical signs. sh2 was efficiently transmitted between ferrets via direc ... | 2013 | 23704376 |
| characterization of self-assembled virus-like particles of ferret hepatitis e virus generated by recombinant baculoviruses. | ferret hepatitis e virus (hev), a novel hepatitis e-like virus, has been identified in ferrets in the netherlands. due to the lack of a cell-culture system for ferret hev, the antigenicity, pathogenicity and epidemiology of this virus have remained unclear. in the present study, we used a recombinant baculovirus expression system to express the 112-n-terminus and 47-c-terminus-amino-acid-truncated ferret hev orf2 protein in insect tn5 cells, and found that a large amount of a 53 kda protein (f-p ... | 2013 | 24018315 |
| metagenomic analysis of the ferret fecal viral flora. | ferrets are widely used as a small animal model for a number of viral infections, including influenza a virus and sars coronavirus. to further analyze the microbiological status of ferrets, their fecal viral flora was studied using a metagenomics approach. novel viruses from the families picorna-, papilloma-, and anelloviridae as well as known viruses from the families astro-, corona-, parvo-, and hepeviridae were identified in different ferret cohorts. ferret kobu- and hepatitis e virus were ma ... | 2013 | 23977082 |
| genetic variability and the classification of hepatitis e virus. | the classification of hepatitis e virus (hev) variants is currently in transition without agreed definitions for genotypes and subtypes or for deeper taxonomic groupings into species and genera that could incorporate more recently characterized viruses assigned to the hepeviridae family that infect birds, bats, rodents, and fish. these conflicts arise because of differences in the viruses and genomic regions compared and in the methodology used. we have reexamined published sequences and found t ... | 2013 | 23388713 |
| rapid emergence of a virulent pb2 e627k variant during adaptation of highly pathogenic avian influenza h7n7 virus to mice. | highly pathogenic avian influenza (hpai) viruses pose a potential human health threat as they can be transmitted directly from infected poultry to humans. during a large outbreak of hpai h7n7 virus among poultry in the netherlands in 2003, bird to human transmission was confirmed in 89 cases, of which one had a fatal outcome. | 2013 | 24007444 |
| recombinant hendra viruses expressing a reporter gene retain pathogenicity in ferrets. | hendra virus (hev) is an australian bat-borne zoonotic paramyxovirus that repeatedly spills-over to horses causing fatal disease. human cases have all been associated with close contact with infected horses. | 2013 | 23521919 |
| promotion of hendra virus replication by microrna 146a. | hendra virus is a highly pathogenic zoonotic paramyxovirus in the genus henipavirus. thirty-nine outbreaks of hendra virus have been reported since its initial identification in queensland, australia, resulting in seven human infections and four fatalities. little is known about cellular host factors impacting hendra virus replication. in this work, we demonstrate that hendra virus makes use of a microrna (mirna) designated mir-146a, an nf-κb-responsive mirna upregulated by several innate immune ... | 2013 | 23345523 |
| substitutions t200a and e227a in the hemagglutinin of pandemic 2009 influenza a virus increase lethality but decrease transmission. | we report that swine influenza virus-like substitutions t200a and e227a in the hemagglutinin (ha) of the 2009 pandemic influenza virus alter its pathogenesis and transmission. viral replication is increased in mammalian cells. infected mice show increased disease as measured by weight loss and lethality. transmission in ferrets is decreased in the presence of both substitutions, suggesting that amino acids 200t and 227e are adaptive changes in the ha of swine origin influenza viruses associated ... | 2013 | 23536663 |
| infection of mice, ferrets, and rhesus macaques with a clinical mumps virus isolate. | in recent years, many mumps outbreaks have occurred in vaccinated populations worldwide. the reasons for these outbreaks are not clear. animal models are needed to investigate the causes of outbreaks and to understand the pathogenesis of mumps virus (muv). in this study, we have examined the infection of three animal models with an isolate of mumps virus from a recent outbreak (muv-ia). we have found that while both ferrets and mice generated humoral and cellular immune responses to muv-ia infec ... | 2013 | 23678169 |
| assessment of the ferret as an in vivo model for mumps virus infection. | humans are the sole reservoir for mumps virus (muv), the causative agent of mumps. no animal model currently exists; therefore, in vivo knowledge of the virus is limited. ferrets were assessed for their susceptibility to muv based on their success as a model for influenza. we infected ferrets with clinical or attenuated vaccine muvs by the nasal route and demonstrated evidence of immunogenicity in these animals with generation of a serum antibody response specific to muv infection and cytokine p ... | 2013 | 23446758 |
| twenty years of immunocontraceptive research: lessons learned. | the national wildlife research center (nwrc) began immunocontraception vaccine research by testing porcine zona pellucida (pzp) on white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus). early pzp research demonstrated that pzp induced infertility; however, increased length of the rut was observed in pzp-treated deer. an alternative vaccine using a keyhole limpet hemocyanin-gonadotropin-releasing hormone (klh-gnrh) conjugate formulated with modified freund's adjuvant was developed at nwrc. suppression of gn ... | 2013 | 24437088 |
| mycobacterium chelonae hand infection following ferret bite. | we present a case of hand infection caused by mycobacterium chelonae. the patient was a 58-year-old woman with type ii diabetes mellitus and stage 4 chronic kidney disease. the infection occurred following a ferret bite and had not responded to oral antibiotics in the primary care setting. she developed signs of pyogenic flexor tenosynovitis of the index and middle fingers of her left hand. laboratory parameters showed high c-reactive protein, raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate and leucocytos ... | 2013 | 22930069 |
| isolation of a novel swine influenza virus from oklahoma in 2011 which is distantly related to human influenza c viruses. | of the orthomyxoviridae family of viruses, only influenza a viruses are thought to exist as multiple subtypes and has non-human maintenance hosts. in april 2011, nasal swabs were collected for virus isolation from pigs exhibiting influenza-like illness. subsequent electron microscopic, biochemical, and genetic studies identified an orthomyxovirus with seven rna segments exhibiting approximately 50% overall amino acid identity to human influenza c virus. based on its genetic organizational simila ... | 2013 | 23408893 |
| detection of neospora caninum in wild carnivorans in great britain. | samples of brain and other tissues were collected from 99 ferrets (mustela furo), 83 red foxes (vulpes vulpes), 70 european polecats (mustela putorius), 65 american mink (neovison vison), 64 eurasian badgers (meles meles) and 9 stoats (mustela erminea), from around great britain. dna was extracted from approximately 1g of tissue and tested by specific nested its1 pcr for neospora caninum. the results from the pcr demonstrated that neospora specific dna was detected in all species of wild carnivo ... | 2013 | 23102760 |
| investigating the role of wild carnivores in the epidemiology of bovine neosporosis. | neospora caninum is a protozoan parasite, primarily associated with bovine abortion. the only definitive hosts discovered to date are carnivores. this study aimed to identify the role of mammalian carnivores in the epidemiology of bovine neosporosis. a sample bank of serum, fecal and brain samples was established: american mink (mustela vison), red foxes (vulpes vulpes), pine martens (martes martes), badgers (meles meles), stoats (mustela erminea), otters (lutra lutra) and feral ferrets (mustela ... | 2013 | 23068142 |
| review of a new molecular virus pathotyping method in the context of bioterrorism. | avian influenza virus (aiv) and newcastle disease virus (ndv) infect various avian species including domestic poultry. clinical manifestations vary from subclinical or mild to severe multiorgan systemic disease with a near 100% mortality rate. severe disease is caused by highly virulent specific virus strains, termed highly pathogenic aiv and velogenic ndv. recent controversial influenza h5 adaptation studies in ferrets have highlighted the importance of preparedness against aiv as a bioterroris ... | 2013 | 23971812 |
| single injection recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus vaccines protect ferrets against lethal nipah virus disease. | nipah virus (niv) is a highly pathogenic zoonotic agent in the family paramyxoviridae that is maintained in nature by bats. outbreaks have occurred in malaysia, singapore, india, and bangladesh and have been associated with 40 to 75% case fatality rates. there are currently no vaccines or postexposure treatments licensed for combating human niv infection. | 2013 | 24330654 |
| vaccination of ferrets with a recombinant g glycoprotein subunit vaccine provides protection against nipah virus disease for over 12 months. | nipah virus (niv) is a zoonotic virus belonging to the henipavirus genus in the family paramyxoviridae. since niv was first identified in 1999, outbreaks have continued to occur in humans in bangladesh and india on an almost annual basis with case fatality rates reported between 40% and 100%. | 2013 | 23867060 |
| complete genome sequence of a rabies virus isolate from a ferret badger (melogale moschata) in jiangxi, china. | the genome of ferret badger rabies virus jx09-17(fb), isolated in jiangxi province, china, in 2009 has been completely sequenced. the genomic length is 11, 923 nucleotides (nt) with an overall organization similar to that of other rabies virus isolates. jx09-17(fb) is closely related to chinese epidemic canine isolates in clade i. | 2013 | 23766399 |
| epidemic and maintenance of rabies in chinese ferret badgers (melogale moschata) indicated by epidemiology and the molecular signatures of rabies viruses. | an epidemic of chinese ferret badger-associated human rabies was investigated in wuyuan county, jiangxi province and rabies viruses isolates from ferret badgers in different districts in jiangxi and zhejiang provinces were sequenced with their nucleotides and amino acids and aligned for epidemiological analysis. the results showed that the human rabies in wuyuan are only associated with ferret badger bites; the rabies virus can be isolated in a high percentage of ferret badgers in the epidemic a ... | 2013 | 23689981 |
| complete genome sequence of a rabies virus isolate from cattle in guangxi, southern china. | a street rabies virus (rv) isolate, gxhxn, was obtained from brain tissue of rabid cattle in the guangxi zhuang autonomous region of china in 2009. gxhxn is the first isolate from cattle in china with its entire genome sequenced and is closely related to bj2011e from horse in beijing, wh11 from donkey in the hubei province, and isolates from dogs in the guangxi and fujian provinces, with homologies of 97.6% to 99.6%. it is more distantly related to isolates from domestic cat, pig, chinese ferret ... | 2013 | 23405368 |
| evidence of the three main clonal toxoplasma gondii lineages from wild mammalian carnivores in the uk. | toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic pathogen defined by three main clonal lineages (types i, ii, iii), of which type ii is most common in europe. very few data exist on the prevalence and genotypes of t. gondii in the uk. wildlife can act as sentinel species for t. gondii genotypes present in the environment, which may subsequently be transmitted to livestock and humans. dna was extracted from tissue samples of wild british carnivores, including 99 ferrets, 83 red foxes, 70 polecats, 65 mink, 64 bad ... | 2013 | 23953298 |
| harvesting, isolation, and functional assessment of primary vagal ganglia cells. | airway sensory nerves play an important defensive role in the lungs, being central in mediating protective responses like cough and bronchoconstriction. in some cases, these responses become excessive, hypersensitive, and deleterious. understanding the normal function of airway nerves and phenotype changes associated with disease will help in developing new therapeutics for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic cough. guinea pigs, and to a lesser extent ferrets, are commonly ... | 2013 | 24510717 |
| identification multiplex assay of 19 terrestrial mammal species present in new zealand. | an identification assay has been developed that allows accurate detection of 19 of the most common terrestrial mammals present in new zealand (cow, red deer, goat, dog, horse, hedgehog, cat, tammar wallaby, mouse, weasel, ferret, stoat, sheep, rabbit, pacific rat, norway rat, ship rat, pig, and brushtail possum). this technique utilizes species-specific primers that, combined in a multiplex pcr, target small fragments of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. each species, except hedgehog, produce ... | 2013 | 24310859 |
| smallest bitter taste receptor (t2rs) gene repertoire in carnivores. | bitter taste reception is presumably associated with dietary selection, preventing animals from ingesting potentially harmful compounds. accordingly, carnivores, who encounter these toxic substances less often, should have fewer genes associated with bitter taste reception compared with herbivores and omnivores. to investigate the genetic basis of bitter taste reception, we confirmed bitter taste receptor (t2r) genes previously found in the genome sequences of two herbivores (cow and horse), two ... | 2013 | 23776004 |
| comparison of ranging behaviour in a multi-species complex of free-ranging hosts of bovine tuberculosis in relation to their use as disease sentinels. | sentinel species are increasingly used by disease managers to detect and monitor the prevalence of zoonotic diseases in wildlife populations. characterizing home-range movements of sentinel hosts is thus important for developing improved disease surveillance methods, especially in systems where multiple host species co-exist. we studied ranging activity of major hosts of bovine tuberculosis (tb) in an upland habitat of new zealand: we compared home-range coverage by ferrets (mustela furo), wild ... | 2013 | 23433406 |
| ovulation-inducing factor in seminal plasma: a review. | ovulation in mammals involves pulsatile release of gnrh from the hypothalamus into the hypophyseal portal system with subsequent release of lh from the anterior pituitary into systemic circulation. elevated circulating concentrations of lh induce a cascade of events within the mature follicle, culminating in follicle rupture and evacuation. the broad classification of species as either spontaneous or induced ovulators is based on the type of stimulus responsible for eliciting gnrh release from t ... | 2013 | 23141951 |
| identification of critical residues in the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase of influenza virus h1n1pdm for vaccine virus replication in embryonated chicken eggs. | in 2009, we successfully produced a high-yield live attenuated h1n1pdm a/california/7/2009 vaccine (ca/09 laiv) by substitution of three residues (k119e, a186d, and d222g) in the hemagglutinin (ha) protein. since then, we have generated and evaluated additional h1n1pdm vaccine candidates from viruses isolated in 2010 and 2011. the 2010 strains with the new ha substitutions near the ha receptor binding site (n125d and d127e or d127e and k209e) grew well in eggs and formed large plaques in madin-d ... | 2013 | 23408613 |
| invasive mammals and habitat modification interact to generate unforeseen outcomes for indigenous fauna. | biotic invasions and habitat modification are two drivers of global change predicted to have detrimental impacts on the persistence of indigenous biota worldwide. few studies have investigated how they operate synergistically to alter trophic interactions among indigenous and nonindigenous species in invaded ecosystems. we experimentally manipulated a suite of interacting invasive mammals, including top predators (cat felis catus, ferret mustela furo, stoat m. erminea), herbivores (rabbit orycto ... | 2013 | 24261050 |
| why can't rodents vomit? a comparative behavioral, anatomical, and physiological study. | the vomiting (emetic) reflex is documented in numerous mammalian species, including primates and carnivores, yet laboratory rats and mice appear to lack this response. it is unclear whether these rodents do not vomit because of anatomical constraints (e.g., a relatively long abdominal esophagus) or lack of key neural circuits. moreover, it is unknown whether laboratory rodents are representative of rodentia with regards to this reflex. here we conducted behavioral testing of members of all three ... | 2013 | 23593236 |
| pharmacological properties of fk886, a new, centrally active neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist. | the pharmacological properties of the novel neurokinin-1 (nk(1)) receptor antagonist fk886, ([3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl][(2r)-2-(3-hydroxy-4-methylbenzyl)-4-{2-[(2s)-2-(methoxymethyl)morpholin-4-yl]ethyl}piperazin-1-yl]methanone dihydrochloride), were studied. fk886 potently inhibited the binding of [(125)i]bolton-hunter-labeled substance p ([(125)i]bh-sp; 100 pm) to human nk(1) receptors expressed in chinese hamster ovary (cho) cells (ic(50)=0.70 nm). it also possessed high affinities for ... | 2013 | 23302639 |
| a novel nonhuman primate model for influenza transmission. | studies of influenza transmission are necessary to predict the pandemic potential of emerging influenza viruses. currently, both ferrets and guinea pigs are used in such studies, but these species are distantly related to humans. nonhuman primates (nhp) share a close phylogenetic relationship with humans and may provide an enhanced means to model the virological and immunological events in influenza virus transmission. here, for the first time, it was demonstrated that a human influenza virus is ... | 2013 | 24244352 |
| differential cadherin expression in the developing postnatal telencephalon of a new world monkey. | cadherins are cell adhesion molecules widely expressed in the nervous system, where they play various roles in neural patterning, nuclei formation, axon guidance, and synapse formation and function. although many published articles have reported on cadherin expression in rodents and ferrets, there are limited data on their expression in primate brains. in this study, in situ hybridization analysis was performed for 10 cadherins [nine classic cadherins (cdh4, -6, -7, -8, -9, -10, -11, -12, and -2 ... | 2013 | 23784870 |
| postentry processing of recombinant adeno-associated virus type 1 and transduction of the ferret lung are altered by a factor in airway secretions. | we recently created a cystic fibrosis ferret model that acquires neonatal lung infection. to develop lung gene therapies for this model, we evaluated recombinant adeno-associated virus (raav)-mediated gene transfer to the neonatal ferret lung. unlike in vitro ferret airway epithelial (fae) cells, in vivo infection of the ferret lung with raav1 required proteasome inhibitors to achieve efficient airway transduction. we hypothesized that differences in transduction between these two systems were b ... | 2013 | 23948055 |
| number of spikes in climbing fibers determines the direction of cerebellar learning. | cerebellar learning requires context information from mossy fibers and a teaching signal through the climbing fibers from the inferior olive. although the inferior olive fires in bursts, virtually all studies have used a teaching signal consisting of a single pulse. following a number of failed attempts to induce cerebellar learning in decerebrate ferrets with a nonburst signal, we tested the effect of varying the number of pulses in the climbing fiber teaching signal. the results show that trai ... | 2013 | 23946401 |
| ferret lung transplant: an orthotopic model of obliterative bronchiolitis. | obliterative bronchiolitis (ob) is the primary cause of late morbidity and mortality following lung transplantation. current animal models do not reliably develop ob pathology. given the similarities between ferret and human lung biology, we hypothesized an orthotopic ferret lung allograft would develop ob. orthotopic left lower lobe transplants were successfully performed in 22 outbred domestic ferrets in the absence of immunosuppression (is; n = 5) and presence of varying is protocols (n = 17) ... | 2013 | 23205765 |
| comparison of the effects of antiarrhythmic drugs flecainide and verapamil on fkv1.4δn channel currents in xenopus oocytes. | to study the effects of na(+) channel blocker flecainide and l-type ca(2+) channel antagonist verapamil on the voltage-gated fkv1.4δn channel, an n-terminal-deleted mutant of the ferret kv1.4 k(+) channel. | 2013 | 23202797 |
| laminar and connectional organization of a multisensory cortex. | the transformation of sensory signals as they pass through cortical circuits has been revealed almost exclusively through studies of the primary sensory cortices, for which principles of laminar organization, local connectivity, and parallel processing have been elucidated. in contrast, almost nothing is known about the circuitry or laminar features of multisensory processing in higher order, multisensory cortex. therefore, using the ferret higher order multisensory rostral posterior parietal (p ... | 2013 | 23172137 |
| expression of sfrp1 and activation of the wnt pathway in the adrenal glands of healthy ferrets and neutered ferrets with hyperadrenocorticism. | gonadectomy induces the pathogenesis of luteinising hormone receptor positive, androgen and oestrogen producing tumours in the adrenal cortex of ferrets. in mice, the castration-dependent appearance of adrenocortical tumours has been attributed to loss of expression of the tumour suppressor gene secreted frizzled related protein 1 (sfrp1), a dominant inhibitor of the wnt pathway, which controls cell proliferation and 'cell faith' decisions. this study investigated whether sfrp1 and the wnt pathw ... | 2013 | 23117029 |
| optimizing particle-mediated epidermal delivery of an influenza dna vaccine in ferrets. | particle-mediated dna delivery technologies ("gene guns") have been shown in both animal and clinical studies to be an effective means of increasing the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of dna vaccines. the primary goal in optimizing particle-mediated epidermal delivery (pmed) vaccination in different animal models is to achieve delivery of dna-coated gold beads into the viable epidermis. two key para-meters that influence this outcome include the delivery pressure, which controls the pene ... | 2013 | 23104347 |
| long-term synchronized electrophysiological and behavioral wireless monitoring of freely moving animals. | parallel electrophysiological recording and behavioral monitoring of freely moving animals is essential for a better understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying behavior. in this paper we describe a novel wireless recording technique, which is capable of synchronously recording in vivo multichannel electrophysiological (lfp, mua, eog, emg) and activity data (accelerometer, video) from freely moving cats. the method is based on the integration of commercially available components into a sim ... | 2013 | 23099345 |
| evidence for anti-inflammatory and putative analgesic effects of a monoclonal antibody to calcitonin gene-related peptide. | calcitonin gene-related peptide (cgrp) is a powerful pro-inflammatory mediator thought to play a significant role in the development of inflammation and pain. we investigated the role of cgrp in trigeminal inflammatory pain by determining the ability of a monoclonal antibody to cgrp to modify central fos expression in response to stimulation of the inflamed ferret tooth pulp. we also assessed the effect of the antibody on pulpal inflammation. | 2013 | 23098803 |
| differential localization and function of antibody-forming cells responsive to inactivated or live-attenuated influenza virus vaccines. | currently, there are two different types of licensed influenza virus vaccines available in the usa, the live attenuated cold-adapted vaccine and the inactivated vaccine. children greater than 2 years of age and adults younger than 50 years (apart from those suffering from immunodeficiencies or lung disease) may choose between the two vaccines. previous studies have shown that both vaccines elicit significant serum antibody responses. however, comprehensive analyses of antibody-forming cells (afc ... | 2013 | 23143476 |
| zinc histochemistry reveals circuit refinement and distinguishes visual areas in the developing ferret cerebral cortex. | a critical question in brain development is whether different brain circuits mature concurrently or with different timescales. to characterize the anatomical and functional development of different visual cortical areas, one must be able to distinguish these areas. here, we show that zinc histochemistry, which reveals a subset of glutamatergic processes, can be used to reliably distinguish visual areas in juvenile and adult ferret cerebral cortex, and that the postnatal decline in levels of syna ... | 2013 | 23052548 |
| foxp2 is a parvocellular-specific transcription factor in the visual thalamus of monkeys and ferrets. | although the parallel visual pathways are a fundamental basis of visual processing, our knowledge of their molecular properties is still limited. here, we uncovered a parvocellular-specific molecule in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dlgn) of higher mammals. we found that foxp2 transcription factor was specifically expressed in x cells of the adult ferret dlgn. interestingly, foxp2 was also specifically expressed in parvocellular layers 3-6 of the dlgn of adult old world monkeys, providin ... | 2013 | 22791804 |
| a comparison of two methods of endoscopic dilation of acute subglottic stenosis using a ferret model. | balloon dilation is accepted as a first line treatment of acute subglottic stenosis, but its effects on the subglottic tissue remain largely unknown. we aimed to develop an animal model of acute subglottic stenosis using endoscopic techniques. once developed, this model was used to compare the immediate effects of balloon dilation and endotracheal tube dilation on subglottic tissue. | 2013 | 22961260 |
| radiographic kidney measurements in north american pet ferrets (mustela furo). | the purpose of the current study was to determine normal radiographic kidney -measurements in pet ferrets. | 2013 | 22957926 |
| impacts and outcomes of diabetes care in a high risk remote indigenous community over time: implications for practice. | the aim of this study was to determine diabetes care processes and intermediate clinical outcomes in a remote primary care service in 2009 compared with 2004. a retrospective review of diabetes care from january 2009 to january 2010 was conducted using a chronic disease register (project ferret). completeness of ascertainment was verified by a manual audit of charts. the results from this audit were compared with a similar study conducted in this community in 2004. the main outcome measure was d ... | 2013 | 22950855 |
| spatial and temporal variations of cortical growth during gyrogenesis in the developing ferret brain. | spatial and temporal variations in cortical growth were studied in the neonatal ferret to illuminate the mechanisms of folding of the cerebral cortex. cortical surface representations were created from magnetic resonance images acquired between postnatal day 4 and 35. global measures of shape (e.g., surface area, normalized curvature, and sulcal depth) were calculated. in 2 ferrets, relative cortical growth was calculated between surfaces created from in vivo images acquired at p14, p21, and p28 ... | 2013 | 22368085 |
| congestive heart failure and other medical facts about ferrets. | congestive heart failure, the most common form of heart disease in aged ferrets, is only one of the diseases to which ferrets are susceptible. congestive heart failure is an insidious, progressive disease for which there is no cure. once the diagnosis is made and the proper medication is determined, the ferret must remain on the medication. the case report included with this article, which was submitted by a pet owner, and the accompanying formula is an example of how a compounding pharmacist ca ... | 2013 | 23966532 |
| chemistry and pharmacological studies of 3-alkoxy-2,5-disubstituted-pyridinyl compounds as novel selective α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor ligands that reduce alcohol intake in rats. | neuronal acetylcholine receptors mediate the addictive effects of nicotine and may also be involved in alcohol addiction. varenicline, an approved smoking cessation medication, showed clear efficacy in reducing alcohol consumption in heavy-drinking smokers. more recently, sazetidine-a, which selectively desensitizes α4β2 nicotinic receptors, was shown to significantly reduce alcohol intake in a rat model. to develop novel therapeutics for treating alcohol use disorder, we designed and synthesize ... | 2013 | 23540678 |
| excellence in exotics: practice tip: ferret urinary tract catheterization. | in ferrets, urinary tract catheterization is most often indicated for neutered males with a urethral obstruction. obstructions are commonly caused by prostatic enlargement secondary to adrenal tumor hormone production or, less commonly, by urolithiasis. a ferret with a urethral obstruction needs immediate intervention to relieve the obstruction. | 2013 | 23532905 |
| auditory cortex represents both pitch judgments and the corresponding acoustic cues. | the neural processing of sensory stimuli involves a transformation of physical stimulus parameters into perceptual features, and elucidating where and how this transformation occurs is one of the ultimate aims of sensory neurophysiology. recent studies have shown that the firing of neurons in early sensory cortex can be modulated by multisensory interactions [1-5], motor behavior [1, 3, 6, 7], and reward feedback [1, 8, 9], but it remains unclear whether neural activity is more closely tied to p ... | 2013 | 23523247 |
| human liver bioengineering using a whole liver decellularized bioscaffold. | as a result of significant progress made in the last years in developing methods of whole organ decellularization techniques, organ bioengineering may now look more feasible than ever before. in this chapter, we describe in detail the necessary steps in human liver bioengineering. these include ferret liver decellularization by detergent perfusion, human liver progenitor and endothelial cell isolation, and finally, liver bioscaffold recellularization in a perfusion bioreactor. | 2013 | 23494438 |
| increased mechanical strain imposed on murine lungs during ventilation in vivo depresses airway responsiveness and activation of protein kinase akt. | continuous positive airway pressure (cpap) administered to tracheostomized rabbits and ferrets for 4 days or 2 wk suppresses bronchial reactivity in vivo and suppresses airway reactivity in lobes and tracheal segments isolated from these animals. in vitro studies of canine tracheal smooth muscle tissues indicate that mechanical loading suppresses the activation of the growth regulatory kinase, akt, and that akt is a negative regulator of smooth muscle differentiation. the transduction of mechani ... | 2013 | 23493362 |
| genetic variability of hev isolates: inconsistencies of current classification. | many hev and hev-like sequences have been reported during the last years, including isolates which may represent a number of potential new genera, new genotypes or new subtypes within the family hepeviridae. using the most common classification system, difficulties in the establishment of subtypes have been reported. moreover the relevance of subtype classification for epidemiology can be questioned. in this study we have performed phylogenetic analyses based on whole capsid gene and complete he ... | 2013 | 23434129 |
| a simple hplc method for the comprehensive analysis of cis/trans (z/e) geometrical isomers of carotenoids for nutritional studies. | geometrical isomers of carotenoids behave differently in aspects like stability towards oxidants, bioavailability, vitamin a activity and specificity for enzymes. the availability of hplc methods for their detailed profiling is therefore advisable to expand our knowledge on their metabolism and biological role. in this paper the development of a methodology to determine the highest number of geometrical isomers of major carotenoids in humans (phytoene, phytofluene, lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxa ... | 2013 | 23411252 |
| functional characterization of ferret ccl20 and ccr6 and identification of chemotactic inhibitors. | ccl20 is currently the only known chemokine ligand for the receptor ccr6, and is a mucosal chemokine involved in normal and pathological immune responses. although nucleotide sequence data are available for ccl20 and ccr6 sequences from multiple species, the ferret ccl20 and ccr6 sequences have not been determined. to increase our understanding of immune function in ferret models of infection and vaccination, we have used rt-pcr to obtain the ferret ccl20 and ccr6 cdna sequences and functionally ... | 2013 | 23360828 |
| viscoelastic properties of the ferret brain measured in vivo at multiple frequencies by magnetic resonance elastography. | characterization of the dynamic mechanical behavior of brain tissue is essential for understanding and simulating the mechanisms of traumatic brain injury (tbi). changes in mechanical properties may also reflect changes in the brain due to aging or disease. in this study, we used magnetic resonance elastography (mre) to measure the viscoelastic properties of ferret brain tissue in vivo. three-dimensional (3d) displacement fields were acquired during wave propagation in the brain induced by harmo ... | 2013 | 23352648 |
| spectral timbre perception in ferrets: discrimination of artificial vowels under different listening conditions. | spectral timbre is an acoustic feature that enables human listeners to determine the identity of a spoken vowel. despite its importance to sound perception, little is known about the neural representation of sound timbre and few psychophysical studies have investigated timbre discrimination in non-human species. in this study, ferrets were positively conditioned to discriminate artificial vowel sounds in a two-alternative-forced-choice paradigm. animals quickly learned to discriminate the vowel ... | 2013 | 23297909 |
| in vitro imaging of retinal whole mounts. | neuronal circuits of the vertebrate retina are organized into stereotyped laminae. this orderly arrangement makes the retina an ideal model system for imaging studies aimed at understanding how circuits assemble during development. in particular, live-cell imaging techniques are readily applied to the developing retina to monitor dynamic changes over time in cell structure and connectivity. such imaging studies have collectively revealed novel strategies by which retinal neurons contact their pr ... | 2013 | 23282639 |
| multisensory and unisensory neurons in ferret parietal cortex exhibit distinct functional properties. | despite the fact that unisensory and multisensory neurons are comingled in every neural structure in which they have been identified, no systematic comparison of their response features has been conducted. towards that goal, the present study was designed to examine and compare measures of response magnitude, latency, duration and spontaneous activity in unisensory and bimodal neurons from the ferret parietal cortex. using multichannel single-unit recording, bimodal neurons were observed to demo ... | 2013 | 23279600 |
| henipavirus infections: lessons from animal models. | the henipavirus genus contains two highly lethal viruses, the hendra and nipah viruses and one, recently discovered, apparently nonpathogenic member; cedar virus. these three, negative-sense single-stranded rna viruses, are hosted by fruit bats and use ephrinb2 receptors for entry into cells. the hendra and nipah viruses are zoonotic pathogens that emerged in the middle of 90s and have caused severe, and often fatal, neurologic and/or respiratory diseases in both humans and different animals; in ... | 2013 | 25437037 |
| pharmacological and nutritional agents promoting browning of white adipose tissue. | the role of brown adipose tissue in the regulation of energy balance and maintenance of body weight is well known in rodents. recently, interest in this tissue has re-emerged due to the realization of active brown-like adipose tissue in adult humans and inducible brown-like adipocytes in white adipose tissue depots in response to appropriate stimuli ("browning process"). brown-like adipocytes that appear in white fat depots have been called "brite" (from brown-in-white) or "beige" adipocytes and ... | 2013 | 23246573 |
| absence from work and the medical sickness certificate. | internet and dematerialization have greatly facilitated the medical profession. contractual physicians and national health service doctors now have efficient tools for the electronic management of their routine administrative workload. a recent innovation is the medical sickness certificate issued by primary care providers and national health service physicians. following postponements and uncertainties, procedures for the electronic completion and online transmission of the sickness certificate ... | 2013 | 23241839 |
| effects of solar particle event proton radiation on parameters related to ferret emesis. | the effectiveness of simulated solar particle event (spe) proton radiation to induce retching and vomiting was evaluated in the ferret experimental animal model. the endpoints measured in the study included: (1) the fraction of animals that retched or vomited, (2) the number of retches or vomits observed, (3) the latency period before the first retch or vomit and (4) the duration between the first and last retching or vomiting events. the results demonstrated that γ ray and proton irradiation de ... | 2013 | 23883319 |
| implementing the cellular mechanisms of synaptic transmission in a neural mass model of the thalamo-cortical circuitry. | a novel direction to existing neural mass modeling technique is proposed where the commonly used "alpha function" for representing synaptic transmission is replaced by a kinetic framework of neurotransmitter and receptor dynamics. the aim is to underpin neuro-transmission dynamics associated with abnormal brain rhythms commonly observed in neurological and psychiatric disorders. an existing thalamocortical neural mass model is modified by using the kinetic framework for modeling synaptic transmi ... | 2013 | 23847522 |
| context-specific reweighting of auditory spatial cues following altered experience during development. | neural systems must weight and integrate different sensory cues in order to make decisions. however, environmental conditions often change over time, altering the reliability of different cues and therefore the optimal way for combining them. to explore how cue integration develops in dynamic environments, we examined the effects on auditory spatial processing of rearing ferrets with localization cues that were modified via a unilateral earplug, interspersed with brief periods of normal hearing. | 2013 | 23810532 |
| laminar firing and membrane dynamics in four visual areas exposed to two objects moving to occlusion. | it is not known how visual cortical neurons react to several moving objects and how their firing to the motion of one object is affected by neurons firing to another moving object. here we combine imaging of voltage sensitive dye (vsd) signals, reflecting the population membrane potential from ferret visual areas 17, 18, 19, and 21, with laminar recordings of multiunit activity, (mua), when two bars moved toward each other in the visual field, occluded one another, and continued on in opposite d ... | 2013 | 23805082 |
| laminar profile of visual response properties in ferret superior colliculus. | in the superior colliculus (sc), visual afferent inputs from various sources converge in a highly organized way such that all layers form topographically aligned representations of contralateral external space. despite this anatomical organization, it remains unclear how the layer-specific termination of different visual input pathways is reflected in the nature of visual response properties and their distribution across layers. to uncover the physiological correlates underlying the laminar orga ... | 2013 | 23803328 |
| bioelectric characterization of epithelia from neonatal cftr knockout ferrets. | cystic fibrosis (cf) is a life-shortening, recessive, multiorgan genetic disorder caused by the loss of cf transmembrane conductance regulator (cftr) chloride channel function found in many types of epithelia. animal models that recapitulate the human disease phenotype are critical to understanding pathophysiology in cf and developing therapies. cftr knockout ferrets manifest many of the phenotypes observed in the human disease, including lung infections, pancreatic disease and diabetes, liver d ... | 2013 | 23782101 |
| reduced subventricular zone proliferation and white matter damage in juvenile ferrets with kaolin-induced hydrocephalus. | hydrocephalus is a neurological condition characterized by altered cerebrospinal fluid (csf) flow with enlargement of ventricular cavities in the brain. a reliable model of hydrocephalus in gyrencephalic mammals is necessary to test preclinical hypotheses. our objective was to characterize the behavioral, structural, and histological changes in juvenile ferrets following induction of hydrocephalus. fourteen-day old ferrets were given an injection of kaolin (aluminum silicate) into the cisterna m ... | 2013 | 23769908 |
| development of a high density hemagglutinin protein microarray to determine the breadth of influenza antibody responses. | we have developed an influenza hemagglutinin protein microarray to assess humoral recognition of diverse influenza strains induced by vaccination and infection. each array consists of controls and 127 hemagglutinin antigens from 60 viruses, spotted in replicates to generate a single array of 1296 spots. six arrays are configured on a single slide, which in the following analysis was probed simultaneously with 2 isotype-specific fluorescent secondary antibodies yielding over 15,000 data points pe ... | 2013 | 23750544 |
| protection against lethal influenza with a viral mimic. | despite countermeasures against influenza virus that prevent (vaccines) and treat (antivirals) infection, this upper respiratory tract human pathogen remains a global health burden, causing both seasonal epidemics and occasional pandemics. more potent and safe new vaccine technologies would contribute significantly to the battle against influenza and other respiratory infections. using plasmid-based reverse genetics techniques, we have developed a single-cycle infectious influenza virus (sciiv) ... | 2013 | 23720727 |