Risk factors for infection with Foot-and-Mouth Disease virus in a cattle population vaccinated with a non-purified vaccine in Iran.

In this study, we estimated the level of Foot-and-Mouth (FMD) virus infection in a cattle-dense north-western province of Islamic Republic of Iran and analyzed putative risk factors for FMD infection. Calves (6-24 months of age) from all 17 districts of West Azerbaijan were tested for antibodies against non-structural proteins (NSP-Ab) of FMD virus. A proportional stratification with a minimum of 30 epi-units was applied for 3 different husbandry systems: villages, dairy and mixed farms. Within an epi-unit, 30 calves were sampled. For the interpretation of ELISA test results, we used the 50% inhibition (50PI) cut-off as per producer's instructions and created one at 75% inhibition (75PI) based on the lowest point of the histogram of PI results. This approach resulted in three categories of outcomes; negative (N), low-positive (LP) and high-positive (HP). A generalized mixed-effect model for binary outcomes was used for analysing putative risk factors and was run for both cut-off values. A total of 8378 calves from 202 villages, 51 dairy farms and 28 mixed farms were eligible for analysis. The percentage of calves testing positive (LP+HP) was 53.7% (95% Confidence interval (CI): 52.6%-54.8%), with 39.6% (95% CI: 38.6-40.7%) testing HP (n=3309) while 14.1% (95% CI: 13.5-15.0%) of calves tested LP (n=1188). Of 281 epi-units sampled, all calves sampled tested negative in only 2 epi-units (0.7% (95% CI: 0.1-2.5%)) and more than 25 calves tested positive in 29 epi-units (10.3% (95% CI: 7.0-14.5%)). Outcomes of regression modelling using the 50 PI cut-off indicated that, for each month increase in age, the odds of testing positive increased 1.01 times (95% CI: 1.00-1.03). The odds of calves testing NSP-positive increased 1.46 times (95% CI: 1.22-1.77) for calves residing in epi-units that had experienced clinical FMD in the 12 months preceding this study. The odds of calves owned by livestock owners who traded livestock testing positive were 1.4-1.6 times higher than those owned by persons not engaged in trading while the odds for calves testing positive in dairy herds was 1.62 (95% CI: 1.10-2.35) times higher compared with calves in villages. The results of the model using the 75 PI cut-off value resulted in comparable estimates, with the age-effect becoming more evident. These results have confirmed widespread FMD infection and were used in developing a risk-based control strategy on FMD, in line with Stage 1 of the Progressive Control Pathway for FMD (PCP-FMD).

Transcription factor 7-like 2 polymorphisms and type 2 diabetes, glucose homeostasis traits and gene expression in US participants of European and African descent.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: We sought to determine: (1) the role of previously described transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) variants in type 2 diabetes in African American individuals and in participants of European ancestry; (2) the physiological impact of these variants on glucose homeostasis; and (3) whether the non-coding variants altered TCF7L2 expression in adipocytes and transformed lymphocytes. METHODS: Association studies were conducted by genotyping 932 Europid and African American diabetic and control participants. Family studies were conducted in 673 members of 68 Europid families ascertained for at least two diabetic siblings. Metabolic studies were conducted in 585 non-diabetic individuals who had undergone frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance tests to determine insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion. Gene expression studies were conducted in 74 adipose samples and 64 muscle samples from non-diabetic individuals with known genotypes and also in 55 lymphoblastoid cell lines. RESULTS: TCF7L2 variants were associated with type 2 diabetes in a Europid case-control population and in families, but not in African Americans. Risk alleles increased the 60 min post-challenge glucose value in Europid families and reduced insulin sensitivity by 45% in Europids, but did not alter insulin secretion. TCF7L2 expression was not altered by genotype and did not correlate with insulin sensitivity or BMI. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: We confirmed TCF7L2 as a risk factor in a population of European descent, where it reduced glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, but not insulin secretion. We found no role in African Americans and could not explain the association by altered adipocyte or muscle gene expression.