Pteropox infection in a juvenile grey-headed flying fox (Pteropus poliocephalus).

A juvenile grey-headed flying fox (GHFF) (Pteropus poliocephalus) presented to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital after a wildlife carer found the animal hanging on the outside of an aviary. On presentation, the animal was emaciated and moribund with disseminated, multifocal, depigmented and proliferative lesions on the wing membranes and skin of the neck. Histopathology revealed multiple, well-circumscribed proliferative epidermal lesions with intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies. A poxvirus was identified via transmission electron microscopy and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Analysis of sequences obtained demonstrated 99% nucleotide identity to Pteropox virus strain Australia (GenBank KU980965). To the authors' knowledge, this paper describes the first case of Pteropox virus infection in a GHFF.

A Necropsy Study of Disease and Comorbidity Trends in Morbidity and Mortality in the Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in South-East Queensland, Australia.

Koalas are an iconic Australian marsupial undergoing precipitous population reduction in South-East Queensland from complex interacting threats. To investigate the causes of death and the interaction of comorbidities with demography in South-East Queensland koalas, a large scale, high-throughput prospective necropsy survey was conducted spanning 2013-2016. During this period, 519 necropsies were conducted in 155 young/subadult koalas, 235 mature, 119 old koalas and 10 of unknown age. Similar numbers of males and females were assessed. Trauma and infectious disease at were the most common single diagnoses. However, comorbidity was frequent, including multicentric infection or infectious disease in combination with trauma or senescence. Female koalas had proportionally more reproductive chlamydiosis compared to males in which the ocular and urinary systems were more commonly affected. Comorbidity and disease were strongly associated with poor body condition, and trauma was associated with good body condition. Animals affected by motor vehicle trauma were often in better body condition than those affected by animal attack, tree fall or other causes of trauma. This study identified a higher frequency of infections and comorbidity then previously reported, confirming the complex nature of interacting threats to the koala population.

IL-10 and TNF-alpha polymorphisms and the recovery from HCV infection.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection becomes chronic in about 85% of infected individuals, whereas only 15% of infected people clear spontaneously the virus. It is conceivable that the host immunogenetic background influences the course of infection in term of recovery. Thus, in this study we have evaluated the effect of functionally relevant polymorphisms at tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha, i.e., 2 biallelic polymorphisms at nt -863 and nt-308 of the promoter) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) loci (i.e., 1 biallelic polymorphism at nt -1082 of the promoter), on the clearance of HCV infection. To this purpose, we compared 18 Sicilian patients who had spontaneously recovered from previous HCV infection with 42 Sicilian patients with current HCV infection and 135 Sicilian healthy patients. The results demonstrate a decreased frequency of the -863CC TNF-alpha promoter genotype (involved in high production of this pro-inflammatory cytokine) and an increased frequency of the -1082GG IL-10 promoter genotype (involved in high production of this anti-inflammatory cytokine) in patients recovered from HCV infection. The evaluation of combined TNF-alpha and IL-10 genotypes revealed a significant increase of the "anti-inflammatory genotype" (low-TNF/high-IL-10 producers) in resolved HCV infection group compared with patients with persistent HCV infection. On the whole, our findings suggest that a genetically determined control of the HCV-induced inflammatory response may play a role in the resolution of HCV infection.

Hepatitis C virus RNA profiles in chronically infected individuals: do they relate to disease activity?

Fluctuations of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-RNA serum levels were monitored in a multicenter study in 76 chronic HCV carriers who had been followed longitudinally without receiving antiviral therapy to assess their relation with the course of liver disease activity. Forty-four patients had normal transaminases over more than 2 years, while 32 additional patients had fluctuating levels. Viral load was measured in serial serum samples prospectively collected for 10 to 12 months in 54 patients and in sera stored yearly up to 8 years in an additional 22 patients. In patients tested monthly, a lesser extent of fluctuations was detected in cases with constantly normal transaminases as compared with those with fluctuating transaminases. In the former group, the mean difference between maximum and minimum values observed in each individual patient was 0.7 Log, while in the latter group, it was 1.3 Log (P =.0004). Most of these patients experienced, on average, three peaks of viremia over 1 year. The range of variation observed upon yearly testing was between 0.2 and 2.2 Log and did not reach statistical significance between the two groups. In conclusion, a careful viral replication profile can be achieved only by monthly testing, because longer time intervals could miss viremia fluctuations. HCV-RNA levels are more stable in asymptomatic HCV carriers than in patients with biochemical activity of liver disease.

Determination of plasma alpha-glutathione S-transferases in patients with HCV-related chronic infection: its significance and possible clinical relevance.

AIMS/BACKGROUND: Alpha-glutathione S-transferases (alpha-GST) are the cytoplasmatic class of enzymes responsible for cellular detoxifying processes. We evaluated the plasma alpha-GST activity in relation to chronic infection caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV). METHODS: Eighteen anti-HCV-negative healthy subjects (controls), 32 anti-HCV-positive subjects with a constant normality of alanine aminotransferases (ALT) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GT) levels ("apparently healthy carriers"), and 85 patients with HCV-related chronic liver disease (40 chronic hepatitis, 27 cirrhosis, and 18 with hepatocellular carcinoma) were studied. We assayed plasma alpha-GST in all subjects upon their entry into the study; and every 6 months for 3 years in the control group and in anti-HCV apparently healthy carriers. RESULTS: Alpha-GST values were significantly higher than normal values in 57% of the 21 HCV-RNA-positive apparently healthy carriers and in none of 11 persistently HCV-RNA-negative subjects; the highest increment of alpha-GST was documented in patients with chronic hepatitis. We did not observe correlation among HCV-RNA, histological activity, gamma-GT and ALT or alpha-GST values. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, the increment of plasma alpha-GST indicates a liver involvement even when ALT levels are normal. This may be clinically relevant to "apparently healthy carriers" whose plasma alpha-GST values, when increased, might need further evaluation.

Rifaximine versus neomycin in the treatment of portosystemic encephalopathy.

In 14 patients with cirrhosis and chronic portosystemic encephalopathy, the effectiveness of treatment with a new non-assorbable antibiotic (rifaximine) was compared to neomycin. The parameters evaluated were: bradylalia, flapping tremor, performance, visual evoked potentials and the trial making test. Both treatments were combined with lactulose. The analysis of results showed a rate of positive results in the patients treated with rifaximine greater than that with neomycin. Differences, however, were not significant.