| antiviral activity of oleandrin and a defined extract of nerium oleander against sars-cov-2. | with continued expansion of the coronavirus disease (covid-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (sars-cov-2), both antiviral drugs as well as effective vaccines are desperately needed to treat patients at high risk of life-threatening disease. here, we present in vitro evidence for significant inhibition of sars-cov-2 by oleandrin and a defined extract of n. oleander (designated as pbi-06150). using vero cells, we found that prophylactic (pre-infection) oleandrin (as eithe ... | 2021 | 33721754 |
| inhalable nanobody (pin-21) prevents and treats sars-cov-2 infections in syrian hamsters at ultra-low doses. | globally there is an urgency to develop effective, low-cost therapeutic interventions for coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19). we previously generated the stable and ultrapotent homotrimeric pittsburgh inhalable nanobody 21 (pin-21). using syrian hamsters that model moderate to severe covid-19 disease, we demonstrate the high efficacy of pin-21 to prevent and treat sars-cov-2 infection. intranasal delivery of pin-21 at 0.6 mg/kg protects infected animals from weight loss and substantially reduce ... | 2021 | 33655253 |
| tissue distribution of ace2 protein in syrian golden hamster (mesocricetus auratus) and its possible implications in sars-cov-2 related studies. | the syrian golden hamster (mesocricetus auratus) has recently been demonstrated as a clinically relevant animal model for sars-cov-2 infection. however, lack of knowledge about the tissue-specific expression pattern of various proteins in these animals and the unavailability of reagents like antibodies against this species hampers these models' optimal use. the major objective of our current study was to analyze the tissue-specific expression pattern of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, a proven ... | 2021 | 33568991 |
| the g614 pandemic sars-cov-2 variant is not more pathogenic than the original d614 form in adult syrian hamsters. | dynamic tracking of variant frequencies among viruses circulating in the global pandemic has revealed the emergence and dominance of a d614g mutation in the sars-cov-2 spike protein. to address whether pandemic sars-cov-2 g614 variant has evolved to become more pathogenic, we infected adult hamsters (>10 months old) with two natural sars-cov-2 variants carrying either d614 or g614 spike protein to mimic infection of the adult/elderly human population. hamsters infected by the two variants exhibi ... | 2021 | 33556653 |
| sars-cov-2 seroprevalence in household domestic ferrets (mustela putorius furo). | animal infections with sars-cov-2 have been reported in different countries and several animal species have been proven to be susceptible to infection with sars-cov-2 both naturally and by experimental infection. moreover, infections under natural conditions in more than 20 mink farms have been reported where humans could have been the source of infection for minks. however, little information is available about the susceptibility of pet animals under natural conditions and currently there is no ... | 2021 | 33801548 |
| covid-19 and the animal world, from a still mysterious origin towards an always unpredictable future. | although the emergence of covid-19 in china has not been clearly elucidated, the hypothesis of an animal origin remains the most likely. it is supported by the presence of the horseshoe bat suspected to be the progenitor of sars-cov-2 and by the scarcity of pork, due to african swine fever, diverting consumers to exotic animals of breeding sold in the markets. during this pandemic, several animal species were affected by sars-cov-2. sporadic cases were first reported in pets (dogs and cats) infe ... | 2021 | 34305142 |
| wild american mink (neovison vison) may pose a covid-19 threat. | | 2021 | 34149325 |
| survival of sars-cov-2 on clothing materials. | in order to plan and execute proper preventative measures against covid-19, we need to understand how sars-cov-2 is transmitted. it has been shown to remain infectious on surfaces from hours to days depending on surface type and environmental factors. the possibility of transmission through fur animals and contaminated pelts, along with the safety of those working with them, is a major concern. sars-cov-2 can infect minks and raccoon dogs and has spread to mink farms in numerous countries. here, ... | 2021 | 33927762 |
| mink, sars-cov-2, and the human-animal interface. | mink are small carnivores of the mustelidae family. the american mink is the most common and was imported to europe, asia, and latin america for breeding, as its fur is very popular. denmark, the netherlands, and china are the biggest producers of mink. mink farms with a high population density in very small areas and a low level of genetic heterogeneity are places conducive to contagion. the mink's receptor for sars-cov-2 is very similar to that of humans. experimental models have shown the sus ... | 2021 | 33868218 |
| preliminary report of an outbreak of sars-cov-2 in mink and mink farmers associated with community spread, denmark, june to november 2020. | in june-november 2020, sars-cov-2-infected mink were detected in 290 of 1,147 danish mink farms. in north denmark region, 30% (324/1,092) of people found connected to mink farms tested sars-cov-2-pcr-positive and approximately 27% (95% confidence interval (ci): 25-30) of sars-cov-2-strains from humans in the community were mink-associated. measures proved insufficient to mitigate spread. on 4 november, the government ordered culling of all danish mink. farmed mink constitute a potential virus re ... | 2021 | 33541485 |
| covid-19 suppression of human mobility releases mountain lions from a landscape of fear. | humans have outsized effects on ecosystems, in part by initiating trophic cascades that impact all levels of the food chain.1,2 theory suggests that disease outbreaks can reverse these impacts by modifying human behavior,3,4 but this has not yet been tested. the covid-19 pandemic provided a natural experiment to test whether a virus could subordinate humans to an intermediate link in the trophic chain, releasing a top carnivore from a landscape of fear. shelter-in-place orders in the bay area of ... | 2021 | 34197728 |
| exploring barriers to effective implementation of public health measures for prevention and control of covid-19 pandemic in gamo zone of southern ethiopia: using a modified tanahashi model. | since the occurrence of the covid-19 pandemic, different public health measures have been implemented to prevent and control the further spread of the disease. however, barriers that influence the effective implementation of public health measures were not explore in ethiopia especially in study area. therefore, this study tried to fill this gap by exploring the barriers to effective implementation of public health measures for prevention and control of the covid-19 pandemic in the gamo zone of ... | 2021 | 33776499 |
| a lion sleeping next to me: preliminary considerations on the psychological consequences of surviving covid-19. | | 2021 | 33681862 |
| teleingestion remote video capsule endoscope. | we describe 2 cases in which video capsule endoscopy was performed remotely using teleingestion remote video capsule endoscopy (tiger vce), given limited access to endoscopy during the covid-19 pandemic. the patients ingested the capsocam capsule during a televisit, and the video was subsequently reviewed remotely by the physician. tiger vce was used to diagnose a benign etiology of melena and used to confirm a diagnosis of crohn's disease before the initiation of biologic therapy. these cases d ... | 2021 | 34079843 |
| panthera tigris jacksoni population crash and impending extinction due to environmental perturbation and human-wildlife conflict. | the critically endangered malayan tiger (panthera tigris jacksoni), with an estimated population of less than 200 individuals left in isolated rainforest habitats in malaysia, is in an intermediate population crash leading to extinction in the next decade. the population has decreased significantly by illegal poaching, environmental perturbation, roadkill, and being captured during human-wildlife conflicts. forty-five or more individuals were extracted from the wild (four animals captured due to ... | 2021 | 33917373 |
| key components of inflammasome and pyroptosis pathways are deficient in canines and felines, possibly affecting their response to sars-cov-2 infection. | sars-cov-2 causes the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. natural sars-cov-2 infection has been detected in dogs, cats and tigers. however, the symptoms in canines and felines were mild. the underlying mechanisms are unknown. excessive activation of inflammasome pathways can trigger cytokine storm and severe damage to host. in current study, we performed a comparative genomics study of key components of inflammasome and pyroptosis pathways in dogs, cats and tigers. cats and tigers do not have aim2 and nl ... | 2021 | 33584656 |
| sars-cov-2 infection, neuropathogenesis and transmission among deer mice: implications for spillback to new world rodents. | coronavirus disease-19 (covid-19) emerged in late 2019 in china and rapidly became pandemic. as with other coronaviruses, a preponderance of evidence suggests the virus originated in horseshoe bats (rhinolophus spp.) and may have infected an intermediate host prior to spillover into humans. a significant concern is that sars-cov-2 could become established in secondary reservoir hosts outside of asia. to assess this potential, we challenged deer mice (peromyscus maniculatus) with sars-cov-2 and f ... | 2021 | 34010360 |
| social distancing measures differentially affected rats in north america and tokyo. | because rats are commensal organisms that depend on human activities for food, shifts in human behavior will have pronounced effects on local rat populations. in the spring of 2020, social distancing measures were implemented globally to curtail the spread of sars-cov-2. this presented a unique opportunity to obtain information regarding the immediate effects of shifts in human behavior on rat populations in a variety of countries. in response to increased sightings of rats in the usa that were ... | 2021 | 34248453 |
| sars-cov-2 surveillance in norway rats (rattus norvegicus) from antwerp sewer system, belgium. | sars-cov-2 human-to-animal transmission can lead to the establishment of novel reservoirs and the evolution of new variants with the potential to start new outbreaks in humans. we tested norway rats inhabiting the sewer system of antwerp, belgium, for the presence of sars-cov-2 following a local covid-19 epidemic peak. in addition, we discuss the use and interpretation of sars-cov-2 serological tests on non-human samples. between november and december 2020, norway rat oral swabs, faeces and tiss ... | 2021 | 34224205 |
| one health approach to zoonotic parasites: molecular detection of intestinal protozoans in an urban population of norway rats, rattus norvegicus, in barcelona, spain. | rattus norvegicus, the brown or norway rat, is the most abundant mammal after humans in urban areas, where they live in close proximity to people. among rodent-borne diseases, the reservoir role of norway rats of zoonotic parasites in cities has practically been ignored. considering the parasitic diseases in the one health approach, we intended to identify and quantify the zoonotic intestinal protozoans (zip) in an urban population of r. norvegicus in the city of barcelona, spain. we studied the ... | 2021 | 33799948 |
| evidence for sars-cov-2 related coronaviruses circulating in bats and pangolins in southeast asia. | among the many questions unanswered for the covid-19 pandemic are the origin of sars-cov-2 and the potential role of intermediate animal host(s) in the early animal-to-human transmission. the discovery of ratg13 bat coronavirus in china suggested a high probability of a bat origin. here we report molecular and serological evidence of sars-cov-2 related coronaviruses (sc2r-covs) actively circulating in bats in southeast asia. whole genome sequences were obtained from five independent bats (rhinol ... | 2021 | 33563978 |
| functional and genetic analysis of viral receptor ace2 orthologs reveals a broad potential host range of sars-cov-2. | the pandemic of covid-19, caused by sars-cov-2, is a major global health threat. epidemiological studies suggest that bats (rhinolophus affinis) are the natural zoonotic reservoir for sars-cov-2. however, the host range of sars-cov-2 and intermediate hosts that facilitate its transmission to humans remain unknown. the interaction of coronavirus with its host receptor is a key genetic determinant of host range and cross-species transmission. sars-cov-2 uses angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ace2) ... | 2021 | 33658332 |
| asynchronous delivery of a 400 level, partially peer-graded, oral presentation and discussion course in systems neuroscience for 60 students during the covid-19 pandemic. | a 400-level undergraduate oral presentation and discussion course in systems neuroscience was delivered asynchronously online during the covid-19 pandemic. enrolled students banked their narrated oral presentations in video format online then engaged in peer evaluation in virtual classrooms through the course website. student delivered their oral presentation and responded to peer questions at their leisure and convenience, without the stress and anxiety associated with a live performance delive ... | 2021 | 34070393 |
| a bright future for the tree shrew in neuroscience research: summary from the inaugural tree shrew users meeting. | tree shrews (tupaia spp.) have been used in neuroscience research since the 1960s due to their evolutionary proximity to primates. the use and interest in this animal model have recently increased, in part due to the adaptation of modern neuroscience tools in this species. these tools include quantitative behavioral assays, calcium imaging, optogenetics and transgenics. to facilitate the exchange and development of these new technologies and associated research findings, we organized the inaugur ... | 2021 | 34213094 |
| neutralization of sars-cov-2 by highly potent, hyperthermostable, and mutation-tolerant nanobodies. | monoclonal anti-sars-cov-2 immunoglobulins represent a treatment option for covid-19. however, their production in mammalian cells is not scalable to meet the global demand. single-domain (vhh) antibodies (also called nanobodies) provide an alternative suitable for microbial production. using alpaca immune libraries against the receptor-binding domain (rbd) of the sars-cov-2 spike protein, we isolated 45 infection-blocking vhh antibodies. these include nanobodies that can withstand 95°c. the mos ... | 2021 | 34302370 |
| nanobody cocktails potently neutralize sars-cov-2 d614g n501y variant and protect mice. | neutralizing antibodies are important for immunity against sars-cov-2 and as therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of covid-19. here, we identified high-affinity nanobodies from alpacas immunized with coronavirus spike and receptor-binding domains (rbd) that disrupted rbd engagement with the human receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ace2) and potently neutralized sars-cov-2. epitope mapping, x-ray crystallography, and cryo-electron microscopy revealed two distinct antigenic sites a ... | 2021 | 33893175 |
| potent neutralization of sars-cov-2 by hetero-bivalent alpaca nanobodies targeting the spike receptor-binding domain. | cell entry by sars-cov-2 requires the binding between the receptor-binding domain (rbd) of the viral spike protein and the cellular angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ace2). as such, rbd has become the major target for vaccine development, while rbd-specific antibodies are pursued as therapeutics. here, we report the development and characterization of sars-cov-2 rbd-specific vhh/nanobody (nb) from immunized alpacas. seven rbd-specific nbs with high stability were identified using phage display. t ... | 2021 | 33658349 |