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I Greiser-Wilke

Publications and source records attributed to I Greiser-Wilke.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Genetic typing and prevalence of Border disease virus (BDV) in small ruminant flocks in Spain.

Between 2001 and 2002, samples from 1,413 animals in 21 Spanish small ruminant flocks, most of them with animals showing clinical signs compatible with Border disease (BD), were screened for the presence of Pestivirus antigen and antibodies by an indirect peroxidase monolayer assay (IPMA) and the virus neutralization test (VNT), respectively. Although all flocks harboured seropositive animals, virus could only be isolated from animals in five of the flocks. Between 4 and 11 months later all animals older than 6 months in three of the flocks were resampled. At this time, 51-83% of them had neutralizing antibodies. The prevalence of persistently infected (PI) animals within two of the flocks was 0.3 and 0.6%, respectively. The third flock presumably had eliminated all the PI animals. Fourteen virus isolates were obtained. The 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) was amplified by RT-PCR and directly sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses classified them as a group of Border disease viruses (BDV), separated from BDV-1, but showing a relatively low bootstrap value. Three of the 14 isolates were in the same subgroup as a set of formerly characterised Spanish isolates from the Basque Country, which were allocated to subgroup BDV-C. In addition, they were in the group with an isolate from chamois, which is currently allocated in group BDV-4. Because of its close relation to the chamois isolate, these isolates were tentatively reallocated in a subgroup BDV-4a. The remaining isolates generated a new subgroup, related but not in the same cluster as the chamois isolate, and was therefore tentatively assigned to a new subgroup BDV-4b. Our results show that classification and nomenclature of BDV needs to be harmonised.

5' Untranslated Regions↗

Detection of Burkholderia cepacia DNA from artificially infected EDTA-blood and lung tissue comparing different DNA isolation methods.

Bacterial DNA (Burkholderia cepacia) was prepared from artificially infected equine ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-blood and lung tissue by using four standard methods (lysis buffer containing proteinase K, phenol/chloroform/isoamylalcohol-extraction, microwave-treatment, heat treatment) and six commercially available kits (Puregene, High Pure PCR Template Preparation Kit, InstaGene, QiaAmp Tissue Kit, DNAzol and Elu-Quik). After a subsequent polymerase chain reaction (PCR), their efficacy and sensitivity were compared. Concerning the detection limits, the simple lysis with a proteinase K-containing buffer led to the best results for EDTA-blood as well as for artificially infected lung tissue.

Animals↗

Incidence of BVDV1 and BVDV2 infections in cattle submitted for necropsy in Northern Germany.

The incidence of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) 1 and 2 infections was determined in calves, young cattle and older cattle with signs of mucosal disease (MD) submitted for necropsy to three laboratories in Northern Germany between June 2000 and May 2001. At necropsy, tonsils, retropharyngeal lymph nodes, mesenteric lymph nodes, ileal Peyer's patch and spleen were collected and examined by immunohistochemistry and virus isolation. From 311 animals examined, 30 (9.6%) were positive for BVDV. All viral isolates were typed by polymerase chain reaction after reverse transcription using species-specific primers and determined to be BVDV1. Based on the distribution of lesions and viral antigen, animals with MD, persistent infection (PI) and acute, transient infection could be distinguished. Twelve of the positive animals had characteristic signs of MD: severe diarrhoea, erosive to ulcerative lesions throughout the digestive tract and severe depletion of all lymphoid tissues. Viral antigen was present in all tissues and cell types, but particularly in depleted lymphoid follicles and altered epithelium. In seven calves, viral antigen was detectable in all tissues and cell types, but lesions were mild or missing. This is typical for PI. The remaining 11 calves most likely represent animals with acute, transient infection. Distribution of antigen was more variable, predominantly restricted to lymphoid follicles and often not seen in all tissues examined. Clinical findings were combined bronchopneumonia and enteritis. The detection of BVDV1 in young calves with pneumonia and enteritis emphasizes the importance of BVDV1 and not only BVDV2 for severe respiratory and enteric diseases of calves.

Animals↗

[Genetic typing of classical swine fever viruses--a review].

Classical swine fever (CSF) is a notifiable disease of domestic pigs and wild boar. It is caused by the highly contagious CSF virus and in its acute form the disease generally results in high morbidity and mortality. Due to the great economical impact an outbreak can cause to the pig industry it is one of the most important swine diseases worldwide. To limit the damage in the case of a new outbreak it is necessary to identify the virus as fast as possible. This information helps epidemiologists to trace the origin of the virus and to follow the virus spread. Genetic typing revealed that CSF virus genotypes, subgroups and types show a regional distribution making it an important tool for epidemiologists. Meanwhile, besides epidemiological data and nucleotide sequences from European isolates, information from isolates from South- and Central America, the Caribbean, Asia and recently from South Africa have become available. The data are stored in a database in the EU Reference Laboratory for CSF, accessible by the WWW (http://viro08.tiho-hanno ver.de). A new module was implemented that allows efficient automated genotyping.

Animals↗

Replication of classical swine fever virus strains and isolates in different porcine cell lines.

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is an economically important pathogen of domestic pigs and wild boar. Due to the highly variable clinical picture of CSF, laboratory methods are essential for an unambiguous diagnosis. Virus isolation using cell culture is still considered the gold standard. It is based on the incubation of permissive cells with organ or leukocyte preparations followed by antigen detection. In the "EU Diagnostic Manual for CSF Diagnosis", the permanent cell line PK(15) (porcine kidney) is recommended. In the European Reference Laboratory (EURL) a clone of this cell line, PK(15)A, and the STE (swine testicular epitheloid) cell line are in use for propagation of CSFV. The aim of this work was to assess the relative ability of eleven permanent cell lines derived from various organs of wild boar and domestic pig, respectively, to support the replication of different strains and isolates in comparison to these cell lines. An avirulent and a highly virulent laboratory CSFV strain, and several recent field isolates from domestic pigs and wild boars were used. Titers were determined after one, two and three virus passages, and after 48 and 120 h of incubation. Of the eleven cell lines analyzed, two were found that replicated all the tested CSFV strains and field isolates. Those may be useful for improving diagnosis of CSFV and for preparing low-passaged virus stocks of new isolates.

Animals↗

Case report: the significance of genotyping for the epidemiological tracing of classical swine fever (CSF).

In Germany, eleven outbreaks of CSF in domestic pig holdings were reported in 2002. They occurred exclusively in regions where CSF virus circulated in the wild boar population. In ten cases the phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolates from domestic pigs and wild boar had identical sequences in the 5' non-translated region (5'NTR). However, in one case a subtype was isolated which was slightly different from the virus subtype found in the wild boar population of that region. This case is decribed in detail. The epidemiological significance of different diagnostic methods is discussed, in particular the genetic typing of CSF virus isolates.

Animals↗

Implementation of two-step vaccination in the control of bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD).

Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) control/eradication programmes based on the test and removal of persistently infected cattle without use of vaccination were first introduced by the Scandinavian countries in the early 1990s. Within the last 10 years the programmes have proven to be very successful and have served as a blueprint for several other European regions. However, in areas with high cattle densities, intense animal trade and high BVD prevalence this control approach is risky, because there is a high probability that herds, which have been cleared of persistently infected (PI) animals and have become partly or fully susceptible to reintroduction of the virus, will come in contact with a BVD virus (BVDV) infected animal. A combination of the test and removal strategy with subsequent systematic vaccination of cattle could overcome this problem. The goals of vaccination in such a programme is protection against reintroduction of BVDV into herds free from PI cattle and foetal protection of pregnant animals accidentally exposed to the virus. Two-step vaccination is based on the use of inactivated BVDV-1 vaccine for priming followed by a live attenuated vaccine booster 4 weeks later. The immune response elicited by such a vaccination scheme has proven to be long lasting and foetal infection after challenge with BVDV-1 and BVDV-2 was prevented in pregnant animals 5 months after vaccination. These findings suggest that the implementation of a two-step vaccination in the initial phase of control programmes in addition to test and removal of PI animals in areas with high cattle densities and endemic BVD is practical and efficacious.

Animals↗

Phylogenetic analysis of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) field isolates from outbreaks in South and Central America.

To date, there is little information concerning the epidemiological situation of classical swine fever (CSF) in the Americas. Besides summarizing the available data, genotyping of isolates from outbreaks in domestic pigs in several countries of South and Central America was performed. For this, a 190 base fragment of the E2 envelope glycoprotein gene was used. European strains and isolates, and historical isolates from the United States (US) were included for comparison. In contrast to the situation in most parts of Europe, where group 2 isolates predominate, it was found that all the isolates from the American continent analyzed belonged to group 1 and were further resolved into three subgroups. The Cuban isolates clustered in subgroup 1.2, whereas the isolates from Honduras and Guatemala clustered in subgroup 1.3. The remaining isolates from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico generated four poorly resolved clusters in subgroup 1.1, together with the vaccine strains, with historical European and US isolates, and with a recent Russian isolate. While the vaccine strains and the historical European isolates formed a relatively distinct cluster, one of the US isolates clustered together with the Mexican, and another one with Colombian isolates. Historically, CSF (hog cholera) was observed almost simultaneously in the US and in Europe in the first half of the 19th century, and its origin remains a matter of discussion. Our results showed that the US isolates are closely related to isolates from South America, while appearance of isolates in Cuba on one hand and in Honduras and Guatemala on the other hand, seems to have been due to unrelated events. This allows to speculate that at least in the American continent, CSF virus may have appeared independently in several regions, and spreading may have been a secondary effect.

Animals↗

Genetic characterization of a caprine pestivirus as the first member of a putative novel pestivirus subgroup.

Currently, the genus Pestivirus comprises four approved species, namely bovine viral diarrhoea viruses 1 and 2 (BVDV-1, BVDV-2), classical swine fever virus and border disease virus (BDV). Recently, three major genotypes have been identified within the species BDV and termed as subgroups BDV-1, BDV-2 and BDV-3. Here, an isolate from animals in a herd showing BD-like syndromes, which occurred in central Italy was analysed. A reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was performed using primers that specifically amplify a fragment of the 5'-non-coding region (5'-NCR) from BDV. Both the 5'-NCR fragment and the entire Npro gene were sequenced and used for genetic typing. The 5'-NCR sequence revealed that the newly isolated Pestivirus could be allocated to the BDV species. Interestingly, the Npro sequence of this virus isolate significantly differed from all the ovine pestiviruses previously described, providing evidence for the presence of an additional subgroup within the species BDV.

Animals↗

[Analysis of bulk milk samples using polymerase chain reaction: an additional tool for bovine viral diarrhea monitoring].

Programmes for the eradication and control of infections with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) concentrate on the identification and elimination of persistently infected (PI) animals. The identification of these animals is mainly based on the detection of viral antigen using ELISA techniques. Protocols detecting viral nucleic acid using RT-PCR have been described recently. Due to high costs the German model recommends screening of animals of 9 up to 36 months of age. Screening of bulk milk samples using RT-PCR technology would allow a system independent of age. The aim of the present study was to test whether bulk milk samples (1433 including max. 50 animals each) collected in four counties of Lower Saxony are suitable for a complementary identification of PI animals via RT-PCR. Thirty-one bulk milk samples derived from 27 dairy herds were BVDV positive, corresponding to 2.3 % of the herds analysed in this study. Two samples first scored doubtful. Follow up tests revealed lactating PI animals in most cases (18). In other cases the epidemiological status of the herd, i.e. high sero-prevalence and/or presence of PI animals among non-lactating cattle, suggested a transient infection detected in the first bulk milk sample. These results demonstrate that monitoring of lactating cattle of any age using RT-PCR is a very sensitive, economically effective additional method for the identification of PI animals.

Animals↗

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus is internalized by clathrin-dependent receptor-mediated endocytosis.

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) is a pestivirus within the family Flaviviridae. In contrast to the members of the genus flavivirus, nothing is known about the viral entry route for pestiviruses. In this study, the process of BVDV infection following attachment to the cell surface was examined. BVDV clearly co-localizes with clathrin, with early endosome antigen-1 (EEA-1), an early endosome marker, and also with lysosomal-associated membrane protein-2 (LAMP-2), a lysosomal marker. BVDV internalization is inhibited by compounds that block clathrin- but not caveolae-dependent endocytosis. These findings demonstrate that BVDV enters the cells via the clathrin-coated pit pathway.

Animals↗

No caspase activation but overexpression of Bcl-2 in bovine cells infected with noncytopathic bovine virus diarrhoea virus.

Cytopathic bovine viral diarrhoea viruses (cp BVDV) induce apoptosis in permissible cell cultures via the intrinsic pathway, which involves the mitochondria as key organelles. An important event is the irreversible opening of the permeability transition pore (PTP) and the breakdown of the transmembrane potential DeltaPsi(m). The resulting release of cytochrome C from the mitochondria serves as a trigger to form the apoptosome which then leads to caspase activation and cell death. In contrast, noncytopathic (ncp) BVDV do not seem to affect cells in vivo or in vitro, suggesting that they inhibit apoptosis. Interestingly, inhibition of caspases in cells infected with cp BVDV delayed the apoptotic cascade but did not prevent the cytopathic effect (CPE). This suggests that the induction of apoptosis and the processes finally leading to the CPE may proceed separately, implying that the inhibition of apoptosis by ncp BVDV has to start earlier in the cascade. In this study we show that in fact apoptosis inhibition in cells infected with ncp BVDV must occur at the mitochondrial level, before the activation of the caspase cascade occurs. To elucidate the role of mitochondria after infection of cells with ncp BVDV, expression of Bcl-2 and Bax were analysed. It was shown that while Bax expression was not affected, the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein was upregulated, presumably suppressing initiation of cell death and enabling persistent infection in vitro.

Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones↗

Genetic typing of recent classical swine fever virus isolates from Croatia.

During a period of 5 years (1997-2001) several outbreaks of classical swine fever (CSF) were recorded in Croatia. For genetic typing, fragments of 150 nucleotides within the 5'-non-translated region (5'-NTR) and 190 nucleotides within the E2 glycoprotein coding gene of nine field isolates that were derived from domestic pigs and wild boars were used. For better epizootiological understanding, isolates from other European countries were included in the study. The results show that the isolates belong to subgroups 2.1 and 2.3 of CSF virus. Isolates from subgroup 2.1 were collected from domestic pigs during sporadic outbreaks in June 1997 and are genetically closely related. A genomic similarity between these isolates and CSF virus isolates from pigs in other European countries from the same year could also be confirmed. In contrast, the isolate from October 1997 was found to be a member of subgroup 2.3, and is closely related to European CSF virus isolates from outbreaks in the last decade in Western and Central European countries. These results show that two different sources of CSF virus caused outbreaks in Croatia during the same year. Furthermore, a close relationship was found between an isolate from a domestic pig in 1999 and isolates of subgroup 2.3 that originated from Croatian wild boars.

Animals↗

Classical swine fever--an update.

Classical swine fever (CSF) is a serious and contagious viral disease of pigs and wild boar with a widespread worldwide distribution. The immunopathology of the disease is poorly understood, but the ability of the CSF virus to infect cells without triggering apoptosis and to kill uninfected cells is probably highly significant. The virus may be spread by various direct and indirect methods, but in most cases the exact mechanisms involved in local spread between farms are not known. Excellent diagnostic tools and typing methods are available, but tests that could be performed on-farm, in pre-clinically infected pigs or on meat would also be advantageous. A more complete picture of the viruses circulating in different parts of the world is needed. There is great interest to develop and use marker vaccines for the control of CSF in domestic pigs and in wild boar. Epidemiological modelling is increasingly used to evaluate control options.

Animals↗

Clinical signs and epidemiology of classical swine fever: a review of new knowledge.

Although classical swine fever (CSF) has been well known for decades and epidemics still occur, clinical diagnosis continues to cause problems for veterinary practitioners. This is due to the extensive differential diagnosis, further complicated by the emergence of new diseases such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome (PDNS). In addition, acute, chronic and prenatal courses of CSF have to be distinguished. As a cause of considerable economical losses within the EU, control of CSF requires knowledge of the primary outbreaks and spread of the disease. Genetic typing of CSF virus isolates has proved to be a potent method of supporting epidemiological investigations. Phylogenetic analysis of CSF virus strains and isolates originating from different continents has allowed three genetic groups and several subgroups within these groups to be distinguished. Whereas isolates belonging to group 3 seem to occur solely in Asia, all CSF virus isolates of the 1990s isolated in the EU belonged to one of the subgroups within group 2 (2.1, 2.2, or 2.3) and were clearly distinct from former CSF reference viruses, which belong to group 1. Within the EU, different strategies are followed for the eradication of CSF in domestic pigs and in wild boar. While a strict non-vaccination policy is followed for domestic pigs, eradication of the disease in wild boar is more complex, and oral immunisation together with special hunting strategies have been applied. Recently, marker vaccines with a companion discriminatory test designed to allow differentiation between vaccinated animals and animals having recovered from field virus infection have been developed. Preliminary studies indicated that the discriminatory tests had a reduced sensitivity and specificity. Further improvements are therefore necessary before marker vaccines can be considered for emergency use in EU Member States. Prevention of CSF remains the main objective within the EU.

Animals↗

Molecular epidemiology of classical swine fever in the Russian Federation.

The ability to discriminate between various classical swine fever virus (CSFV) strains and isolates is a prerequisite for following the spread of the virus after an outbreak. To determine the relatedness between Russian CSFV isolates from different geographical regions, three fragments of the viral genome (5' NTR, the variable region of the E2 gene and a fragment of the NS5B gene) were sequenced and used for genetic typing. Thirty-one field isolates were obtained from CSF outbreaks which occurred between 1994 and 1999. In addition, three attenuated strains were included in the study, namely the LK and CS vaccine strains, and the moderately virulent 238H isolate. The vaccine strains have been used in Russia for more than 30 years. Our results showed that all field isolates are in subgroup 1.1 together with Alfort 187 and with the highly virulent strain Shimen. In contrast, the CS and LK vaccine strains belong to subgroup 1.2. While there is no evidence for the reversion of the two vaccine strains to wild type, it is feasible that the highly virulent Shimen strain, which has been used as a challenge strain for many years, contributed to field strain generation. The Russian field isolates from the 1990s can be distinguished from the CSF virus isolates which occurred in the EU Member States in the same decade, as here all outbreaks were caused by CSF viruses belonging to subgroup 2.

Animals↗

Induction of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway in cells infected with cytopathic bovine virus diarrhoea virus.

Cytopathic bovine viral diarrhoea virus (cp BVDV) induces apoptosis in bovine cell cultures. This also seems to be a prominent feature in the pathogenesis of mucosal disease. To gain an insight into the molecular pathways of the cell alterations, the involvement of different members of the apoptotic cascade was analyzed. It was shown that inhibition of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore significantly delayed the cytopathic effect without affecting virus replication. Moreover, the membrane potential (deltapsi(m)) was affected, and translocation of cytochrome c to the cytosol, overexpression of apoptotic protease-activating factor 1 and a significant increase of caspase-9 activity were demonstrated, indicating that the apoptosome is formed. We conclude that at least in vitro, infection of cells with cp BVDV leads to the activation of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis.

Animals↗