Efficacy of Inhaled N-Chlorotaurine in a Mouse Model of Lichtheimia corymbifera and Aspergillus fumigatus Pneumonia.

N-chlorotaurine (NCT) can be used topically as a well-tolerated anti-infective at different body sites. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of inhaled NCT in a mouse model of fungal pneumonia. Specific pathogen-free female C57BL/6JRj seven-week-old mice were immune-suppressed with cyclophosphamide. After 4 days, the mice were inoculated intranasally with 1.5 × 10E7 spores of Lichtheimia corymbifera or 1.0 × 10E7 spores of Aspergillus fumigatus. They were randomized and treated three times daily for 10 min with aerosolized 1% NCT or 0.9% sodium chloride starting 1 h after the inoculation. The mice were observed for survival for two weeks, and fungal load, blood inflammation parameters, bronchoalveolar lavage, and histology of organs were evaluated upon their death or at the end of this period. Inhalations were well-tolerated. After challenge with L. corymbifera, seven out of the nine mice (77.8%) survived for 15 days in the test group, which was in strong contrast to one out of the nine mice (11.1%) in the control group (p = 0.0049). The count of colony-forming units in the homogenized lung tissues came to 1.60 (1.30; 1.99; median, quartiles) log10 in the test group and to 4.26 (2.17; 4.53) log10 in the control group (p = 0.0032). Body weight and temperature, white blood count, and haptoglobin significantly improved with NCT treatment. With A. fumigatus, all the mice except for one in the test group died within 4 days without a significant difference from the control group. Inhaled NCT applied early demonstrated a highly significant curative effect in L. corymbifera pneumonia, while this could not be shown in A. fumigatus pneumonia, probably due to a too high inoculum. Nevertheless, this study for the first time disclosed efficacy of NCT in pneumonia in vivo.

Serological evidence for Parapoxvirus infection in chamois from the Tyrol regions of Austria and Italy.

Orf-virus (ORFV) is a parapoxvirus that infects small ruminants worldwide causing sporadic zoonotic infections, mainly transmitted by direct contact with sheep and goats. Following an ORFV case in a hunter of Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), who did not report previous contact to domestic animals, a serological survey in Western Austria was conducted to assess the seroprevalence of ORFV in this species. In addition, this study also tested blood/tissue samples of chamois from different areas of the adjacent province of Bolzano/Northern Italy for antibodies against ORFV using immunofluorescence and ELISA. The observed seropositivity rates in the chamois tested on the Austrian and Italian side of the Alps were 23.5% and 9.5%, respectively, with a combined 95% confidence interval ranging from 0.0678 to 0.238. Although the prevalence was significantly lower than the one observed in Austrian sheep flocks, this study provided the first evidence that parapoxviruses have spilled over into chamois populations to a significant degree in the Tyrol regions of Austria and Italy.

ORF virus infection in a hunter in Western Austria, presumably transmitted by game.

A variety of animals host parapoxviruses. Orf virus is prevalent in sheep and goats in the Tyrol region of Austria and Northern Italy. Zoonotic infections in humans mostly occur after occupational exposure. We report here a case of a hunter with a typical Orf lesion (contagious ecthyma) on the finger, with no history of direct contact with domestic animals. Three weeks previously he had been hunting chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) and cut his finger while handling a carcass. Parapoxvirus infection was confirmed by electron microscopy and PCR, and the species was identified by DNA sequencing. The sequence was highly homologous with prevalent sheep Orf virus and rather distant from parapoxviruses found in red deer in Northern Italy. As this case indicated that the infection was acquired via game, we performed spot testing in the suspected area and detected several seropositive animals. This is a strong indication that Orf virus has been introduced into chamois in Western Austria. This probably occurred via roaming domestic sheep sharing the high alpine areas during the summer months.