Digital Commons Network^™

Modified Vaccine Vectors To Understand Adjuvant Functions Of Listeria During Chronic Schistosomiasis, Stephanie K. Norwood

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Vaccination is one of the most effective strategies employed to prevent infectious diseases. Successful vaccination is dependent upon the induction of a specific, robust, and prolonged immune response. One of the major challenges faced by vaccine development is vaccine failure due to host-related factors that can modulate the immune system, which leads to non-responsiveness to vaccinations. The generation of new vaccine strategies is imperative to combat these effects. Live bacterial vectors are one approach used as they can elicit humoral immunity, cellular immunity, or both. Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram positive, intracellular pathogen that is an effective bacterial vaccine vector …

Existing Evidence For Influenza B Virus Adaptations To Drive Replication In Humans As The Primary Host, Matthew J. Pekarek, Eric A. Weaver

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Influenza B virus (IBV) is one of the two major types of influenza viruses that circulate each year. Unlike influenza A viruses, IBV does not harbor pandemic potential due to its lack of historical circulation in non-human hosts. Many studies and reviews have highlighted important factors for host determination of influenza A viruses. However, much less is known about the factors driving IBV replication in humans. We hypothesize that similar factors influence the host restriction of IBV. Here, we compile and review the current understanding of host factors crucial for the various stages of the IBV viral replication cycle. While …

Immunepotent Crp Enhances Cyclophosphamide-Induced Cytotoxicity Through A Caspase Independent But Ros Dependent Mechanism In Triple Negative-Breast Cancer Cells, Ana L. Rivera, A. C. Martínez-Torres, C. Rodríguez-Padilla

Research Symposium

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Cyclophosphamide (CYP) remains a mainstay in cancer therapy mainly in the triple negative breast cancer subtype (TNBC) in spite of harmful adverse effects and cell death-resistances. To face this, combination of chemotherapies and immunotherapies has been proposed. IMMUNEPOTENT CRP (ICRP) is an immunotherapy that has cytotoxic effects in several cancer cells without affecting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and CD3+ cells, beside improving clinical parameters of chemotherapy-treated patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mechanism of cytotoxicity induced by ICRP in combination with …

Antibody Mediated Targeted Drug Delivery System To Improve Immunotherapy In Pancreatic Cancer, Poornima Devi Shaji, Meena Jaggi, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan

Research Symposium

About 95% of tumor arises from epithelial cell lining ducts known to be pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, with less than 5-7% survival rate. Unfortunately, little progress has been seen in the outcomes of patients with PDAC as tumor develops high desmoplasia and chemo-resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, such as gemcitabine (Gem). Immunotherapy has shown promising results in cancers, except pancreatic cancer due to their characteristic fibrotic tumor microenvironment. The therapies are unable to penetrate to the fibrotic tumors leading to insufficient availability of the therapeutic drugs at the tumor site. A recently identified mucin, MUC13 is aberrantly expressed in pancreatic tumors but …

Transgenic Mice Expressing Functional Tcrs Specific To Cardiac Myhc-Α 334–352 On Both Cd4 And Cd8 T Cells Are Resistant To The Development Of Myocarditis On C57bl/6 Genetic Background, Meghna Sur, Mahima T. Rasquinha, Rajkumar Arumugam, Chandirasegaran Massilamany, Arunkumar Gangaplara, Kiruthiga Mone, Ninaad Lasrado, Bharathi Yalaka, Aakash Doiphode, Channabasavaiah Gurumurthy, David J. Steffen, Jay Reddy

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Myocarditis is a predominant cause of congestive heart failure and sudden death in children and young adolescents that can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy. Lymphocytic myocarditis mediated by T cells can result from the recognition of cardiac antigens that may involve CD4 or CD8 T cells or both. In this report, we describe the generation of T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mice on a C57BL/6 genetic background specific to cardiac myosin heavy chain (Myhc)-α 334–352 and make the following observations: First, we verified that Myhc-α 334–352 was immunogenic in wild-type C57BL/6 mice and induced antigen-specific CD4 T cell responses despite being …

A Naturally Derived Watercress Flower-Based Phenethyl Isothiocyanate-Enriched Extract Induces The Activation Of Intrinsic Apoptosis Via Subcellular Ultrastructural And Ca2+ Efflux Alterations In An In Vitro Model Of Human Malignant Melanoma, Sotiris Kyriakou, Louiza Potamiti, Nikoletta Demosthenous, Tom Amery, Kyle Stewart, Paul G. Winyard, Rodrigo Franco, Aglaia Pappa, Mihalis I. Panayiotidis

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The aim of the current study was to (i) extract isolated fractions of watercress flowers enriched in polyphenols, phenethyl isothiocyanate and glucosinolates and (ii) characterize the anticancer mode of action of non-lethal, sub-lethal and lethal concentrations of the most potent extract fraction in primary (A375) and metastatic (COLO-679) melanoma cells as well as non-tumorigenic immortalized keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells. Cytotoxicity was assessed via the Alamar Blue assay, whereas ultrastructural alterations in mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum were determined via transmission electron microscopy. Mitochondrial membrane depolarization was determined using Mito-MP dye, whereas apoptosis was evaluated through the activation of caspases-3, -8 and …

Color Stability, Physical Properties And Antifungal Effects Of Zro2 Additions To Experimental Maxillofacial Silicones: Comparisons With Tio2, Mazen Alkahtany, Mark W. Beatty, Fahd Alsalleeh, Thomas M. Petro, Bobby Simetich, You Zhou, Dennis Feely, Grigoris Polyzois

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

(1) Background: Color changes, physical degradation, and fungal infections are challenges to the longevity of maxillofacial polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomers. This study aimed to evaluate color changes, physical properties, and antifungal properties of PDMS loaded with ZrO₂ and TiO₂ submicron- and nano-sized particles. (2) Methods: A 1% weight of 40 nm or 200 nm diameter ZrO₂ or TiO₂ nanoparticles was mixed into PDMS with 2% functional intrinsic yellow pigment and polymerized. Control materials contained 13% weight 200 nm silica. Samples were exposed to 3000 h of UVB radiation (200 μW/cm²) or darkness. Color parameters L*a*b* …

Targeting Breast Cancer: The Familiar, The Emerging, And The Uncharted Territories, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi, Arthur Manda, Riya Sidgal, Co Chung

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Breast cancer became the most diagnosed cancer in the world in 2020. Chemotherapy is still the leading clinical strategy in breast cancer treatment, followed by hormone therapy (mostly used in hormone receptor-positive types). However, with our ever-expanding knowledge of signaling pathways in cancer biology, new molecular targets are identified for potential novel molecularly targeted drugs in breast cancer treatment. While this has resulted in the approval of a few molecularly targeted drugs by the FDA (including drugs targeting immune checkpoints), a wide array of signaling pathways seem to be still underexplored. Also, while combinatorial treatments have become common practice in …

Analyzing Pseudomonas Aeruginosa With Bacteriophage Tags Using Photoacoustic Flow Cytometry, Jennifer C. Schinke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The number of daily bacterial infections is climbing and the CDC explains that this is due to the antibiotic-resistant threat in the United States. Finding a faster way of bacterial identification is necessary as it currently takes 1-4 days for a medical lab to culture and identify bacteria. Photoacoustic flow cytometry (PAFC) can be used as an alternative method resulting in swift identification within an hour (Edgar, 2019). Pseudomonas aeruginosa, cell line PA01, will be coated in up to a few hundred red dyed phages making it detectible by the photoacoustic flow cytometry system. Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that …

Multiphasic Molecular Mechanisms Regulate Expression Of Interleukin 1Β, As Well As Other Immediate-Early Genes, In Monocytes And Macrophages, David Macar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Interleukin 1β (IL-1β), an important cytokine in both health and disease, functions as a major proinflammatory mediator of pathological challenges, including involvement in the cytokine storm associated with Macrophage Activation Syndrome, Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis and the severe secondary effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therapeutic approaches to limiting the effects of IL-1β protein have focused either on specific protein neutralization before release from activated macrophages (by general metabolic inhibitors and inflammasome inhibition) or after release by ligand and receptor obstruction (e.g., Canakinumab, Anakinra and Rilonacept). Although these approaches are efficacious, they inhibit steps after gene expression. Since a single gene expresses …

Biomarkers In Borrelia Burgdorferi Infected Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells, Sambuddha Paul

Master's Theses

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with limited treatment options and a poor prognosis. Although some studies have attempted to identify new biomarkers and therapies, only a few have shown promise in clinical trials. In the context of cancer development, infectious agents rank as the third major risk factor, contributing to approximately 15-20% of cancer cases, according to the American Cancer Society. Hence, the identification of biomarkers associated with infection-originated cancer is crucial for enhancing cancer prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment. Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, has been linked to TNBC …

Functional Analysis Of Two Campoletis Sonorensis Ichnovirus Vinnexins In Drosophila Melanogaster, Peng Zhang

All Dissertations

Campoletis sonorensis Ichnovirus (CsIV) is produced by the ichneumonid parasitoid Campoletis sonorensis (the primary host). Female parasitoid wasps restrictedly replicate viruses in their ovaries and inject them into a larval lepidopteran (secondary host) during oviposition. This symbiotic virus of C. sonorensis is essential for successful parasitization. CsIV is characterized by having a large, segmented double-stranded DNA genome with a large number of genes, many of which are associated with one of five multigene families. The CsIV vinnexin gene family is one of them and has four members, including CsIV-vnxD and CsIV-vnxG. Vinnexins are homologues of insect Innexins, which form gap …

Role Of Il-17/Il-17ra Signaling In The Pancreatic Tumor Microenvironment, Susana Castro Pando, Susana Castro Pando

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. PDAC is characterized by the early establishment of a highly immunosuppressive fibro-cellular tumor microenvironment (TME). Our research has revealed the important role of IL-17 in the development and progression of pancreatic cancer, yet the specific cellular compartment responsible for IL-17-mediated tumor promotion remains unknown. We generated a transgenic mouse model with pancreatic KrasG12D activation and selective deletion of IL-17RA in the epithelial vs. immune component using either genetic manipulation or bone marrow transplantation. Deletion of IL17RA from the pancreatic epithelial compartment delayed premalignant lesion development …

Investigating The Role Of Il-10 Producing Nkt Cells In Prevention Of Graft Versus Host Disease, Drew Boagni

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The standard curative treatment for hematologic malignancies is allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT), in which the patient’s immune system is replaced with that of a healthy donor. This can lead to cure through the graft versus leukemia (GVL) effect but can also cause graft versus host disease (GVHD), which is characterized by systemic inflammation and organ damage mediated by dysregulated donor T cells. Preclinical studies have shown invariant natural killer T cells (iNKT) cells can prevent GVHD while preserving GVL. iNKT cells are unconventional T cells which recognize glycolipid antigens presented in the context of CD1d. Upon activation, they secrete …

Met Alterations In Glioblastoma: Characterization Of Patient-Derived Xenografts And Therapeutic Strategies, Anna Musket

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Glioblastoma is the most commonly diagnosed central nervous system primary malignancy and it is considered a terminal diagnosis with few treatment options available. Glioblastoma tumors frequently develop treatment resistance due in part to their highly heterogenic nature. The heterogeneity of glioblastoma is partially attributed to the presence of glioma stem-like cells (GSC), which are highly invasive and resistant to chemotherapy and irradiation treatments. Signaling of the receptor tyrosine kinase MET is a known regulator of GSC. Glioblastoma patients have an increasingly poor prognosis that corresponds with increasing MET expression. Both GSC and MET are known to contribute to treatment resistance …

Investigating The Physiological Mechanisms Between Resistance Training And Pain Relief In The Cancer Population: A Literature Review, Yvonne Jiang, Peter C. Angeletti, Amy J. Hoffman

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

This literature review examines the mechanisms of how exercise, specifically in the form of resistance training, may lead to pain relief in the cancer population. Primary data from three different cancer populations: breast, prostate, and lung, will be examined. A number of experimental studies have been conducted to confirm the effectiveness of resistance training on pain relief as well as the biochemical pathways that relate to this process. In this review, we will examine 5 randomized controlled trials. For the purposes of this review, pain is defined as physical suffering or discomfort associated with illness. Pain is the body’s natural …

Harnessing Autoimmunity With Dominant Self-Peptide: Modulating The Sustainability Of Tissue-Preferential Antigen-Specific Tregs By Governing The Binding Stability Via Peptide Flanking Residues, Youwei Lin, Shun Sakuraba, Chandirasegaran Massilamany, Jayagopala Reddy, Yoshimasa Tanaka, Sachiko Miyake, Takashi Yamamura

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Sensitization to self-peptides induces various immunological responses, from autoimmunity to tumor immunity, depending on the peptide sequence; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, and thus, curative therapeutic options considering immunity balance are limited. Herein, two overlapping dominant peptides of myelin proteolipid protein, PLP136-150 and PLP139-151, which induce different forms of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), monophasic and relapsing EAE, respectively, were investigated. Mice with monophasic EAE exhibited highly resistant to EAE re-induction with any encephalitogenic peptides, whereas mice with relapsing EAE were susceptible, and progressed, to EAE re-induction. This resistance to relapse and reinduction in monophasic EAE mice was associated with …

Preclinical Evaluation Of Anti-Cd38 Therapy In Mature T-Cell Neoplasms, Colleen Isabelle, William Johnson, Kathleen Mcconnell, Ashley Vogel, Jonathan Brammer, Amy Boles, Robyn Keller, Paola Sindaco, Liam Nisenfeld, Guldeep Uppal, Neda Nikbakht, Bruno Calabretta, Patrizia Porazzi, Jerald Gong, Nitin Chakravarti, Pierluigi Porcu, Anjali Mishra

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

The Knowns And Unknowns Of Cardiac Autoimmunity In Viral Myocarditis, Kiruthiga Mone, Jay Reddy

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Myocarditis can result from various infectious and non‐infectious causes that can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and heart failure. Among the infectious causes, viruses are commonly suspected. But the challenge is our inability to demonstrate infectious viral particles during clinical presentations, partly because by that point, the viruses would have damaged the tissues and be cleared by the immune system. Therefore, viral signatures such as viral nucleic acids and virus-reactive antibodies may be the only readouts pointing to viruses as potential primary triggers of DCM. Thus, it becomes hard to explain persistent inflammatory infiltrates that might occur in individuals affected …

Sars‑Cov‑2 Entry Into And Evolution Within A Skilled Nursing Facility, Nicole R. Sexton, Parker Parker Cline, Emily N. Gallichotte, Emily Fitzmeyer, Michael C. Young, Ashley J. Janich, Kristy L. Pabilonia, Nicole Ehrhart, Gregory D. Ebel

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the family Coronaviridae which includes multiple human pathogens that have an outsized impact on aging populations. As a novel human pathogen, SARS-CoV-2 is undergoing continuous adaptation to this new host species and there is evidence of this throughout the scientific and public literature. However, most investigations of SARS-CoV-2 evolution have focused on largescale collections of data across diverse populations and/or living environments. Here we investigate SARS-CoV-2 evolution in epidemiologically linked individuals within a single outbreak at a skilled nursing facility beginning with initial introduction of the pathogen. The data demonstrate that SARSCoV- 2 was introduced to the …

Proteomic Approaches To Identify Unique And Shared Substrates Among Kinase Family Members, Charles Lincoln Howarth

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Protein phosphorylation is a reversible post-translational modification that is a critical component of almost all signaling pathways. Kinases regulate substrate proteins through phosphorylation, and nearly all proteins are phosphorylated to some extent. Crucially, breakdown in phosphorylation signaling is an underlying factor in many diseases, including cancer. Understanding how phosphorylation signaling mediates cellular pathways is crucial for understanding cell biology and human disease.

Targeted protein degradation (TPD) is a strategy to rapidly deplete a protein of interest (POI) and is applicable to any gene that is amenable to CRISPR-Cas9 editing. One TPD approach is the auxin-inducible degron (AID) system, which relies …

Yes-Associated Protein-1 Overexpression In Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia; A Potential Diagnostic Marker And Therapeutic Target, Peter Julius, Stepfanie N. Siyumbwa, Fred Maate, Phyllis Moonga, Guobin Kang, Trevor Kaile, John T. T., Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Yes-associated protein-1 (YAP-1) is a Hippo system transcription factor, which serves as an oncogene in squamous cell carcinoma, and several solid tumors when the Hippo pathway is dysregulated. Yet, the activity of YAP-1 in ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) has not been determined. Here, we investigate the relationship between YAP-1 overexpression and OSSN. Using a cross-sectional study design, we recruited 227 OSSN patients from the University Teaching Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess YAP-1 protein overexpression in tumor tissue relative to surrounding benign squamous epithelium. OSSN patient samples (preinvasive, n = 62, 27% and invasive, n = …

Naturally Occurring Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus H5n1 Clade 2.3.4.4b Infection In Three Domestic Cats In North America During 2023, Sarah J. Sillman, Mary Drozd, Duan S. Loy, Seth P. Harris

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The Eurasian strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 is a devastating pathogen for birds that also has the capacity to infect mammals. This report describes the presentation, clinical case findings (including haemogram and serum biochemistry), gross and microscopic lesions and virus detection in three HPAI H5N1-infected domestic cats from the USA in 2023. All three cats presented with neurological abnormalities and were euthanized due to a poor prognosis within 2 days (two cats) or 10 days (one cat) of known clinical disease onset. Necropsy consistently revealed pulmonary congestion and oedema, and cerebrocortical malacia with haemorrhage was also seen …

Quantitative Risk Assessment Of Oocyst Versus Bradyzoite Foodborne Transmission Of Toxoplasma Gondii In Brazil, Sophie Zhu, Elizabeth Vanwormer, Beatriz Martínez-López, Lílian Maria Garcia Bahia-Oliveira, Renato Augusto Damatta, Pedro Souto Rodrigues, Karen Shapiro

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Toxoplasma gondii is a globally distributed zoonotic protozoan parasite. Infection with T. gondii can cause congenital toxoplasmosis in developing fetuses and acute outbreaks in the general population, and the disease burden is especially high in South America. Prior studies found that the environmental stage of T. gondii, oocysts, is an important source of infection in Brazil; however, no studies have quantified this risk relative to other parasite stages. We developed a Bayesian quantitative risk assessment (QRA) to estimate the relative attribution of the two primary parasite stages (bradyzoite and oocyst) that can be transmitted in foods to people in …

Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis Candidate Vaccine Strains Are Pro-Apoptotic In Raw264.7murinemacrophages, Raul G. Barletta, John P. Bannantine, Judith R. Stabel, Ezhumalai Muthukrishnan, Dirk Anderson, Enakshy Dutta, Vamsi Manthena, Mostafa Hanafy, Denise K. Zinniel

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the etiological agent of Johne’s disease, a severe gastroenteritis of ruminants. This study developed a model cell culture system to rapidly screen MAP mutants with vaccine potential for apoptosis. Two wild-type strains, a transposon mutant, and two deletion mutant MAP strains (MOI of 10 with 1.2 × 10⁶ CFU) were tested in murine RAW 264.7 macrophages to determine if they induce apoptosis and/or necrosis. Both deletion mutants were previously shown to be attenuated and immunogenic in primary bovine macrophages. All strains had similar growth rates, but cell morphology indicated that both deletion mutants …

Viral Dna Accumulation Regulates Replication Efficiency Of Chlorovirus Osy-Ne5 In Two Closely Related Chlorella Variabilis Strains, Ahmed Esmael, Irina V. Agarkova, David D. Dunigan, You Zhou, James L. Van Etten

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Many chloroviruses replicate in Chlorella variabilis algal strains that are ex-endosymbionts isolated from the protozoan Paramecium bursaria, including the NC64A and Syngen 2-3 strains. We noticed that indigenous water samples produced a higher number of plaque-forming viruses on C. variabilis Syngen 2-3 lawns than on C. variabilis NC64A lawns. These observed differences led to the discovery of viruses that replicate exclusively in Syngen 2-3 cells, named Only Syngen (OSy) viruses. Here, we demonstrate that OSy viruses initiate infection in the restricted host NC64A by synthesizing some early virus gene products and that approximately 20% of the cells produce a …

Multi-Target Ligand-Guided Selection (Ligs) Against B-Cell Specific Antigens Expressed In A Single Lymphoma Cell Population, Nicole B. Williams

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Nucleic acid ligands called aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules which fold into functional three-dimensional structures to facilitate their target binding with high affinity and specificity. The method used to generate aptamers is an in vitro process called Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential enrichment (SELEX). A variant of SELEX, cell-SELEX has been used to select aptamers against cell-surface proteins in their native state. We recently introduced a novel method called Ligand-Guided Selection (LIGS) to identify aptamers against cell-surface markers. Herein, we expanded LIGS method into a multiplexing platform to partition multiple aptamers against B-cell-specific antigens, CD19 and CD20, …

Development Of Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome Knock Out Protocol For Drug Substance Assay Development, Julia C. Hanna

Master's Theses

Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS) is a rare X-linked primary immunodeficiency affecting approximately 1 in 100,000 live XY births in North America and is caused by a mutation to the WAS gene which is expressed across hematopoietic lineages. The WAS protein (WASp) plays a role in regulating actin polymerization. On a cellular level, there are a variety of effects of a lack of WASp or expression of a dysfunctional WASp protein for patients including issues with migration, adhesion, chemotactic response, phagocytosis, activation, and proliferation across different cell types in addition to reduced platelet size and output. This can lead to several systematic …

Serological Prevalence Of Crimean–Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Infection In Small Ruminants And Cattle In The Gambia, Jerusha Matthews, Arss Secka, David Scott Mcvey, Kimberly A. Dodd, Bonto Faburay

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a widely distributed tickborne zoonotic agent that infects a variety of host species. There is a lack of information on the true geographic distribution of the prevalence and risk of CCHFV in West Africa. A countrywide cross-sectional study involving 1413 extensively managed indigenous small ruminants and cattle at livestock sales markets and in village herds, respectively, was carried out in The Gambia. In sheep, an overall anti-CCHFV antibody prevalence of 18.9% (95% CI: 15.5–22.8%), goats 9.0% (95% CI: 6.7–11.7%), and cattle 59.9% (95% CI: 54.9–64.7%) was detected. Significant variation (p < 0.05) in the prevalence of anti-CCHFV antibodies at sites in the five administrative regions (sheep: 4.8–25.9%; goats: 1.8–17.1%) and three agroecological zones (sheep: 8.9–32.9%; goats: 4.1–18.0%) was also observed. Comparatively, higher anti-CCHFV antibody prevalence was detected in cattle (33.3–84.0%) compared to small ruminants (1.8–8.1%). This study represents the first countrywide investigation of the seroprevalence of CCHFV in The Gambia, and the results suggest potential circulation and endemicity of the virus in the country. These data provide critical information vital to the development of informed policies for the surveillance, diagnosis, and control of CCFHV infection in The Gambia and the region.

Influenza C And D Viruses Demonstrated A Differential Respiratory Tissue Tropism In A Comparative Pathogenesis Study In Guinea Pigs, Chithra C. Sreenivasan, Runxia Liu, Rongyuan Gao, Yicheng Guo, Ben M. Hause, Milton Thomas, Ahsan Naveed, Travis Clement, Dana Rausch, Jane Christopher-Hennings, Eric Nelson, Julian Druce, Miaoyun Zhao, Radhey S. Kaushik, Qingsheng Li, Zizhang Sheng, Dan Dan, Feng Li

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Influenza C virus (ICV) is increasingly associated with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children and its disease severity is worse than the influenza B virus, but similar to influenza A virus associated CAP. Despite the ubiquitous infection landscape of ICV in humans, little is known about its replication and pathobiology in animals. The goal of this study was to understand the replication kinetics, tissue tropism, and pathogenesis of human ICV (huICV) in comparison to the swine influenza D virus (swIDV) in guinea pigs. Intranasal inoculation of both viruses did not cause clinical signs, however, the infected animals shed virus in nasal …