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Biomedical subjects

F G Davies

Publications and source records attributed to F G Davies.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

An attempt to define the host range for African horse sickness virus (Orbivirus, Reoviridae) in east Africa, by a serological survey in some Equidae, Camelidae, Loxodontidae and Carnivore.

A survey was carried out in horse, zebra, elephant, camel, sheep and goat and wild carnivore sera for virus-serum neutralising antibody to the nine type strains of African horse sickness virus. Antibody was found amongst the horse, zebra and elephant sera to all nine different strains. No antibody was detected in any sera from camels, sheep and goats. None was found in sera from hyaena and jackals in this series but had been detected earlier.

African Horse Sickness↗
PubMed1992

A new bluetongue virus serotype isolated in Kenya.

An apparently new strain of bluetongue virus was first isolated in Kenya in 1965 and since, has been obtained on 7 further occasions from diseased sheep during clinical outbreaks of disease. It proved to be serologically different from the 16 bluetongue virus strains then held at this laboratory. The virus was modified by passage in embryonated hens eggs to produce a live virus strain suitable for inclusion in a polyvalent vaccine. Recent neutralisation tests, carried out with 24 guinea pig immune sera prepared at Pirbright against the currently known World serotypes, have confirmed the earlier results and show that it is different from any of the existing serotypes.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Sexual abuse and psychiatric symptoms in an epileptic population.

One hundred and seven consecutive patients attending the outpatient epilepsy clinic at a teaching general hospital were assessed by clinical interview for a history of sexual abuse. Questionnaires dealing with overall psychiatric symptomatology i.e., (SCL-90), (TSC-40) and depression (ZSRDS) were also used. The majority of subjects were single (60%), living at home (76.6%) and had an average age of 29 years. The mean duration of epilepsy was 18.8 years and the seizures were controlled with medication in 65.2% of patients. Ten (9.3%) of the subjects had been sexually abused. This frequency of sexual abuse is lower than in the general population and among psychiatric patients. The specific form of sexual abuse consisted of sexual intercourse (n = 4), fondling (n = 4) and oral sex (n = 2). The sexually abused subjects had significantly higher scores on the anxiety subscale of the SCL-90 and depression score on the ZSRDS than non-abused subjects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Patterns of Rift Valley fever activity in Zambia.

An hypothesis that there was an annual emergence of Rift Valley fever virus in Zambia, during or after the seasonal rains, was examined with the aid of sentinel cattle. Serum samples taken during 1974 and 1978 showed evidence of epizootic Rift Valley fever in Zambia, with more than 80% positive. A sentinel herd exposed from 1982 to 1986 showed that some Rift Valley fever occurred each year. This was usually at a low level, with 3-8% of the susceptible cattle seroconverting. In 1985-6 more than 20% of the animals seroconverted, and this greater activity was associated with vegetational changes--which could be detected by remote-sensing satellite imagery--which have also been associated with greater virus activity in Kenya.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Isolation of Rift Valley fever virus from mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) collected during an outbreak in domestic animals in Kenya.

During an outbreak of Rift Valley fever (RVF) in livestock near Lake Naivasha, Rift Valley Province, Kenya, 61,347 mosquitoes (1,287 pools) collected in CO2-baited light traps yielded seven viral isolates. Five isolates of RVF virus were recovered from 18,831 Culex zombaensis Theobald and one from 14,439 Mansonia africana (Theobald). One isolate of a Bunyamwera group virus was recovered from 1,175 Aedes quasiunivittatus (Theobald).

Animals↗
PubMed1990

The occurrence of ephemeral fever in Kenya, 1968-1988.

Ephemeral fever occurs in Kenya in epidemics which have been associated with periods of unusually heavy and prolonged rainfall. The epidemics persist for 2-3 years and involve most of the country. They occur in the same years as epizootics of Rift Valley fever, which is a mosquito-borne Phlebovirus infection. Sporadic outbreaks of the disease have been associated with local heavy rains; though one outbreak occurred during a dry period. Culicoides spp. were generally present in large numbers at the site of the outbreaks. Seroconversions were detected in sentinel cattle, when there had been no apparent clinical disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Application of polar-orbiting, meteorological satellite data to detect flooding of Rift Valley Fever virus vector mosquito habitats in Kenya.

Measurements of green-leaf vegetation dynamics recorded by the advanced very high resolution radiometer instruments onboard National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellites 7 and 9 were used to derive ground moisture and rainfall patterns in Kenya and monitor resultant flooding of mosquito larval habitats (dambos) likely to support Rift Valley Fever virus vector mosquitoes (Aedes and Culex spp.). Satellite-derived data from mid-1981 to December 1988 have been analysed with corresponding rainfall, flooding and vector population data as they relate to Rift Valley Fever virus ecology. Single (7 x 7 km) and multiple grid-cell image analysis (200 x 300 km) in small localized areas and large geographical regions, respectively, of vegetation data were used to quantify the potential for flooding of mosquito breeding habitats. The ability to detect accurately parameters, such as ground moisture, that determine flooding could provide local officials with sufficient warning to allow for implementation of specific mosquito control measures before a disease outbreak.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Isolation of bovine herpesvirus-3 from African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer).

Eleven virus isolations were made from the blood of 45 free living healthy African buffaloes by long term cocultivation of their leucocytes with bovine thymus or spleen cells. The isolates were indistinguishable from each other or from herpesviruses isolated from a severely ill buffalo calf and from a dead buffalo. These viruses possessed the characteristics of the bovine herpesvirus-3 (BHV-3) group and were indistinguishable by serology and restriction endonuclease analysis from the BHV-3 type strains Movar 33/63 and DN599. There was a 93.6 per cent prevalence of indirect immunofluorescent antibody to BHV-3 in the sera of 94 buffaloes in the sample population. No clinical signs or viraemia were detected in five cattle inoculated with 10(8.7) log10 TCID50 of the isolate from the sick buffalo calf. Two of three cattle hyperimmunised with this virus resisted challenge with malignant catarrhal fever herpesvirus, which proved fatal for the other immunised animal and for three control cattle.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Detection of Rift Valley fever viral activity in Kenya by satellite remote sensing imagery.

Data from the advanced very high resolution radiometer on board the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's polar-orbiting meteorological satellites have been used to infer ecological parameters associated with Rift Valley fever (RVF) viral activity in Kenya. An indicator of potential viral activity was produced from satellite data for two different ecological regions in Kenya, where RVF is enzootic. The correlation between the satellite-derived green vegetation index and the ecological parameters associated with RVF virus suggested that satellite data may become a forecasting tool for RVF in Kenya and, perhaps, in other areas of sub-Saharan Africa.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

The alterations in pathogenicity and immunogenicity of a Kenya sheep and goat pox virus on serial passage in bovine foetal muscle cell cultures.

A Kenyan sheep and goat pox virus was attenuated by serial passage in bovine foetal muscle cell cultures. The pathogenicity of the strain was lost between the 15th and 20th passages. Serum-neutralizing antibody developed after inoculation with passages tested up to the 50th. These passages appeared to protect animals against laboratory challenge by intra-dermal titration. The 18th passage was successfully and extensively used to control the disease under field conditions.

Animal Diseases↗