Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2021.

OBJECTIVE: To provide epidemiological information on the occurrence of animal and human rabies in the US during 2021 and summaries of 2021 rabies surveillance for Canada and Mexico. PROCEDURES: State and territorial public health departments and USDA Wildlife Services provided data on animals submitted for rabies testing in 2021. Data were analyzed temporally and geographically to assess trends in domestic animal and wildlife rabies cases. RESULTS: During 2021, 54 US jurisdictions reported 3,663 rabid animals, representing an 18.2% decrease from the 4,479 cases reported in 2020. Texas (n = 456 [12.4%]), Virginia (297 [8.1%]), Pennsylvania (287 [7.8%]), North Carolina (248 [6.8%]), New York (237 [6.5%]), California (220 [6.0%]), and New Jersey (201 [5.5%]) together accounted for > 50% of all animal rabies cases reported in 2021. Of the total reported rabid animals, 3,352 (91.5%) involved wildlife, with bats (n = 1,241 [33.9%]), raccoons (1,030 [28.1%]), skunks (691 [18.9%]), and foxes (314 [8.6%]) representing the primary hosts confirmed with rabies. Rabid cats (216 [5.9%]), cattle (40 [1.1%]), and dogs (36 [1.0%]) accounted for 94% of rabies cases involving domestic animals in 2021. Five human rabies deaths were reported in 2021. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The number of animal rabies cases reported in the US decreased significantly during 2021; this is thought to be due to factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effects of supplementing different ratios of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in western-style diets on cow's milk protein allergy in a mouse model.

SCOPE: This study investigated the effects of supplementing different ratios of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids (O6H = 10:1, O3O6 = 4:1, and O3H = 1:4) to western-style diets on cow ß-lactoglobulin (BLG) induced allergic reactions in Balb/c mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three-week-old mice were randomly assigned to three diet groups (n = 20/group). At 9 wk of age, half of the mice from each dietary treatment (n = 10) were intraperitoneally (i.p.) sensitized with three weekly doses of BLG and alum while the remaining half from each group was sham sensitized (controls). One week after the final sensitization, all mice were orally challenged with BLG. Elevated BLG-specific serum Igs were observed in all sensitized and challenged mice. IFN-γ, MCP-1, and IL-12p40 concentrations from lymphocytes of mesenteric lymph nodes were highest in O3H mice, compared to O3O6 and O6H mice. O6H mice had the highest IL-4 concentrations from splenic lymphocytes and a significantly lower rectal temperature after the challenge in comparison to O3O6 and O3H mice. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the ω-3 PUFA rich diets alleviated the severity of allergic reactions, and may modulate immune response toward T helper cell (Th)1-favoured immune response while the ω-6 PUFA rich diet exhibited no allergy alleviation with a stronger Th2 polarized immune response.

Low doses of allergen and probiotic supplementation separately or in combination alleviate allergic reactions to cow ß-lactoglobulin in mice.

Probiotic supplementation and oral tolerance induction can reduce certain types of food allergy. The objectives of this study were to investigate the allergy-reducing effects of probiotics (VSL#3) and/or oral tolerance induction via low doses of an allergen supplementation in ß-lactoglobulin (BLG)-sensitized mice. Three-week-old, male BALB/c mice were divided into 6 groups (n = 8/group): sham-sensitized negative control (CTL-), BLG-sensitized positive control (CTL+), oral tolerance-induced and BLG-sensitized group (OT), probiotic-supplemented OT group (OTP), probiotic-supplemented CTL- (PRO), and probiotic-supplemented and BLG-sensitized (PROC) groups. Mice were i.p. sensitized with BLG and alum and then orally challenged with BLG. Immunological responses were assessed by monitoring hypersensitivity scores and measuring levels of BLG-specific serum Igs, total serum IgE and fecal IgA, and cytokines from serum and spleen lysates. Hypersensitivity scores were significantly lower in the PROC (2.00 ± 0.53), OT (0.75 ± 0.46), and OTP mice (1.00 ± 0.53) than in the CTL+ mice (2.63 ± 0.52) as were BLG-specific serum IgE concentrations (34.3 ± 10, 0.442 ± 0.36, 3.54 ± 3.5, and 78.5 ± 8.7 µg/L for PROC, OT, OTP, and CTL+, respectively). Our results suggest that supplementation of VSL#3 suppressed the allergic reaction mainly through increased intestinal secretary IgA (sIgA) in PROC mice, and oral tolerance offered allergen-specific protective effects to BLG-induced allergy, probably through CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cell-mediated active suppression. In OTP mice, probiotics did not induce a further reduction of hypersensitivity score compared with OT mice but may provide additional protection to unforeseen nonspecific challenges through increased intestinal sIgA.

Effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG supplementation on cow's milk allergy in a mouse model.

BACKGROUND: Cow's milk allergy (CMA) is one of the most prevalent human food-borne allergies, particularly in infants and young children from developed countries. Our study aims to evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) administration on CMA development using whole cow's milk proteins (CMP) sensitized Balb/C mice by two different sensitization methods. METHODS: LGG supplemented mice were either sensitized orally with CMP and cholera toxin B-subunit (CTB) as adjuvant, or intraperitoneally (IP) with CMP but without the adjuvant. Mice were then orally challenged with CMP and allergic responses were accessed by monitoring hypersensitivity scores, measuring the levels of CMP-specific immunoglobulins (IgG1, IgG2a and IgG) and total IgE from sera, and cytokines (IL-4 and IFN-γ) from spleen lysates. RESULTS: Sensitization to CMP was successful only in IP sensitized mice, but not in orally sensitized mice with CMP and CTB. Interestingly, LGG supplementation appeared to have reduced cow's milk allergy (CMA) in the IP group of mice, as indicated by lowered allergic responses. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant-free IP sensitization with CMP was successful in inducing CMA in the Balb/C mice model. LGG supplementation favourably modulated immune reactions by shifting Th2-dominated trends toward Th1-dominated responses in CMP sensitized mice. Our results also suggest that oral sensitization by the co-administration of CMP and CTB, as adjuvant, might not be appropriate to induce CMA in mice.