Frontiers in Veterinary Science new article
Risk of Introduction of Infectious Animal Diseases for Europe Based on the Health Situation of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula is an open access research article.
Abstract:
The pig plague
The BBC program The Food Chain interviews Professor José Manuel Sánchez-Vizcaíno.
Nucleotide sequence variations may be associated with virulence of deformed wing virus
New research article published in Apidologie journal
Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) are key players in crop pollination and in the maintenance of global biodiversity. Their viability is threatened by Varroa destructor, which acts as a vector of the deformed wing virus (DWV). Several genetic DWV variants have been reported, but it is unclear whether their virulence differs. We examined the prevalence of V. destructor and DWV as well as bee health in two colonies over 21 months and then characterizing DWV variants from each colony using phylogenetics. Colony H showed no signs of disease or mortality, and DWV sequence from this colony clustered with VDV/DWV-B sequences previously reported in healthy colonies. Colony W showed DWV symptoms, and DWV sequence clustered with DWV-A sequences previously reported in colonies with symptoms. These results suggest that nucleotide variations in the DWV genome can affect its virulence. Genotyping DWV variants in colonies may be an effective tool to assess risk and initiate preventive measures early.
Scientists Race to Build Vaccine for African Swine Fever
The devastating outbreak of the disease that has led to millions of pig deaths in East Asia has intensified efforts to develop a vaccine quickly, but the virus presents several challenges that are yet to be overcome.
Meeting of Prof. Sánchez-Vizcaíno with the Bioscwin group
Professor José Manuel Sánchez-Vizcaíno has a meeting with members of the China Bioscwin group to discuss both the current situation of African swine fever (ASF) globally, and the specific situation of this disease in China.