scholarly journals Non-respiratory particles emitted by guinea pigs in airborne disease transmission experiments

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sima Asadi ◽  
Manilyn J. Tupas ◽  
Ramya S. Barre ◽  
Anthony S. Wexler ◽  
Nicole M. Bouvier ◽  
...  

AbstractAnimal models are often used to assess the airborne transmissibility of various pathogens, which are typically assumed to be carried by expiratory droplets emitted directly from the respiratory tract of the infected animal. We recently established that influenza virus is also transmissible via “aerosolized fomites,” micron-scale dust particulates released from virus-contaminated surfaces (Asadi et al. in Nat Commun 11(1):4062, 2020). Here we expand on this observation, by counting and characterizing the particles emitted from guinea pig cages using an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS) and an Interferometric Mie Imaging (IMI) system. Of over 9000 airborne particles emitted from guinea pig cages and directly imaged with IMI, none had an interference pattern indicative of a liquid droplet. Separate measurements of the particle count using the APS indicate that particle concentrations spike upwards immediately following animal motion, then decay exponentially with a time constant commensurate with the air exchange rate in the cage. Taken together, the results presented here raise the possibility that a non-negligible fraction of airborne influenza transmission events between guinea pigs occurs via aerosolized fomites rather than respiratory droplets, though the relative frequencies of these two routes have yet to be definitively determined.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sima Asadi ◽  
Manilyn J. Tupas ◽  
Ramya S. Barre ◽  
Anthony S. Wexler ◽  
Nicole M. Bouvier ◽  
...  

Abstract Animal models are often used to assess the airborne transmissibility of various pathogens, which are typically assumed to be carried by expiratory droplets emitted directly from the respiratory tract of the infected animal. We recently established that influenza virus is also transmissible via “aerosolized fomites,” micron-scale dust particulates released from virus-contaminated surfaces (Asadi et al., Nature Communications, 2020). Here we expand on this observation, by counting and characterizing the particles emitted from guinea pig cages using an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS) and an Interferometric Mie Imaging (IMI) system. Of over 9,000 airborne particles emitted from guinea pig cages and directly imaged with IMI, none had an interference pattern indicative of a liquid droplet. Separate measurements of the particle count using the APS indicate that particle concentrations spike upwards immediately following animal motion, then decay exponentially with a time constant commensurate with the air exchange rate in the cage. Taken together, the results presented here raise the possibility that a non-negligible fraction of airborne influenza transmission events between guinea pigs occurs via aerosolized fomites rather than respiratory droplets, though the relative frequencies of these two routes have yet to be definitively determined.


2021 ◽  
Vol 126 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Leong Chong ◽  
Chong Shen Ng ◽  
Naoki Hori ◽  
Rui Yang ◽  
Roberto Verzicco ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S16-S16
Author(s):  
Cody Ruhl ◽  
Lexy Kindt ◽  
Haaris Khan ◽  
Chelsea E Stamm ◽  
Breanna Pasko ◽  
...  

Abstract Background A hallmark symptom of active pulmonary tuberculosis vital for disease transmission is cough. The current paradigm for tuberculosis-related cough is that it results from airway damage or irritation. However, there is limited experimental data to support this theory, and whether Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) induces cough to facilitate its own transmission has not been explored. The cough reflex is a complex and coordinated event involving both the nervous and musculoskeletal systems initiated by particulate or chemical molecules activating nociceptive neurons, which sense pain or irritation. This activation induces a signaling cascade ultimately resulting in a cough. Respiratory nociceptive neurons innervate the airway of humans and most mammals, and thus are poised to respond to noxious molecules to help protect the lung from damage. Because Mtb is a lung pathogen, cough is a primary mechanism of Mtb transmission, and respiratory nociceptive neurons activate cough, we hypothesized that Mtb produces molecules that stimulate cough, thereby facilitating its spread from infected to uninfected individuals. Methods We used an in vitro neuronal activation bioassay to fractionate, identify, and characterize Mtb cough-inducing molecules. We also measured cough in vivo in response to pure Mtb-derived cough molecules and during Mtb infection using a guinea pig model. Results We found that an acellular organic extract of Mtb triggers and activates nociceptive neurons in vitro with a neuronal response that is as robust as the response to capsaicin, an established nociceptive and cough-inducing molecule. Using analytical chemistry and our neuronal bioassay, we then isolated 2 molecules produced by Mtb that activate nociceptive neurons. Both the organic Mtb extract and purified molecules alone were sufficient to induce cough in a conscious guinea pig cough model. Finally guinea pigs infected with wild-type Mtb cough much more frequently than guinea pigs infected with Mtb strains unable to produce nociceptive molecules. Conclusion We conclude that Mtb produces molecules that activate nociceptive neurons and induce cough. These findings have significant implications for our understanding of Mtb transmission. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chong Shen Ng ◽  
Kai Leong Chong ◽  
Rui Yang ◽  
Mogeng Li ◽  
Roberto Verzicco ◽  
...  

The ambient conditions surrounding liquid droplets determine their growth or shrinkage. However, the precise fate of a liquid droplet expelled from a respiratory puff as dictated by its surroundings and the puff itself has not yet been fully quantified. From the view of airborne disease transmission, such as SARS-CoV-2, knowledge of such dependencies are critical. Here we employ direct numerical simulations (DNS) of a turbulent respiratory vapour puff and account for the mass and temperature exchange with respiratory droplets and aerosols. In particular, we investigate how droplets respond to different ambient temperatures and relative humidity (RH) by tracking their Lagrangian statistics. We reveal and quantify that in cold and humid environments, as there the respiratory puff is supersaturated, expelled droplets can first experience significant growth, and only later followed by shrinkage, in contrast to the monotonic shrinkage of droplets as expected from the classical view by William F. Wells (1934). Indeed, cold and humid environments diminish the ability of air to hold water vapour, thus causing the respiratory vapour puff to super-saturate. Consequently, the super-saturated vapour field drives the growth of droplets that are caught and transported within the humid puff. To analytically predict the likelihood for droplet growth, we propose a model for the axial RH based on the assumption of a quasi-stationary jet. Our model correctly predicts super-saturated RH conditions and is in good quantitative agreement with our DNS. Our results culminate in a temperature-RH map that can be employed as an indicator for droplet growth or shrinkage.Significance StatementInfluence of environmental conditions on airborne diseases transmission is an important issue, especially during the pandemic of COVID-19. Human-to-human transmission is mediated by the transport of virus-laden respiratory droplets. Here we investigate the problem from a fluid mechanics perspective by conducting numerical simulations to quantify the fate of respiratory droplets in a warm humid coughing puff under different ambient conditions. We reveal a non-intuitive regime with considerable growth of respiratory droplets, dominated by a super-saturated vapour field, preferentially occurring in cold and humid environments. We further propose a theoretical model that accurately predicts the condition for droplet growth. Our work should inform socializing policies and ventilation strategies for controlling indoor ambient conditions to mitigate dispersion of droplets from asymptomatic individuals.


Author(s):  
Corazon D. Bucana

In the circulating blood of man and guinea pigs, glycogen occurs primarily in polymorphonuclear neutrophils and platelets. The amount of glycogen in neutrophils increases with time after the cells leave the bone marrow, and the distribution of glycogen in neutrophils changes from an apparently random distribution to large clumps when these cells move out of the circulation to the site of inflammation in the peritoneal cavity. The objective of this study was to further investigate changes in glycogen content and distribution in neutrophils. I chose an intradermal site because it allows study of neutrophils at various stages of extravasation.Initially, osmium ferrocyanide and osmium ferricyanide were used to fix glycogen in the neutrophils for ultrastructural studies. My findings confirmed previous reports that showed that glycogen is well preserved by both these fixatives and that osmium ferricyanide protects glycogen from solubilization by uranyl acetate.I found that osmium ferrocyanide similarly protected glycogen. My studies showed, however, that the electron density of mitochondria and other cytoplasmic organelles was lower in samples fixed with osmium ferrocyanide than in samples fixed with osmium ferricyanide.


1976 ◽  
Vol 36 (02) ◽  
pp. 401-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Buichi Fujttani ◽  
Toshimichi Tsuboi ◽  
Kazuko Takeno ◽  
Kouichi Yoshida ◽  
Masanao Shimizu

SummaryThe differences among human, rabbit and guinea-pig platelet adhesiveness as for inhibitions by adenosine, dipyridamole, chlorpromazine and acetylsalicylic acid are described, and the influence of measurement conditions on platelet adhesiveness is also reported. Platelet adhesiveness of human and animal species decreased with an increase of heparin concentrations and an increase of flow rate of blood passing through a glass bead column. Human and rabbit platelet adhesiveness was inhibited in vitro by adenosine, dipyridamole and chlorpromazine, but not by acetylsalicylic acid. On the other hand, guinea-pig platelet adhesiveness was inhibited by the four drugs including acetylsalicylic acid. In in vivo study, adenosine, dipyridamole and chlorpromazine inhibited platelet adhesiveness in rabbits and guinea-pigs. Acetylsalicylic acid showed the inhibitory effect in guinea-pigs, but not in rabbits.


1963 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Ekholm ◽  
T. Zelander ◽  
P.-S. Agrell

ABSTRACT Guinea pigs, kept on a iodine-sufficient diet, were injected with Na131I and the thyroids excised from 45 seconds to 5 days later. The thyroid tissue was homogenized and separated into a combined nuclear-mitochondrial-microsomal fraction and a supernatant fraction by centrifugation at 140 000 g for one hour. Protein bound 131iodine (PB131I) and free 131iodide were determined in the fractions and the PB131I was analysed for monoiodotyrosine (MIT), diiodotyrosine (DIT) and thyroxine after hydrolysis of PB131I. As early as only 20 minutes after the Na131I-injection almost 100% of the particulate fraction 131I was protein bound. In the supernatant fraction the protein binding was somewhat less rapid and PB131I values above 90% of total supernatant 131I were not found until 3 hours after the injection. In all experiments the total amount of PB131I was higher in the supernatant than in the corresponding particulate fraction. The ratio between supernatant PB131I and pellet PB131I was lower in experiments up to 3 minutes and from 2 to 5 days than in experiments of 6 minutes to 20 hours. Hydrolysis of PB131I yielded, even in the shortest experiments, both MIT and DIT. The DIT/MIT ratio was lower in the experiments up to 2 hours than in those of 3 hours and over.


1965 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1091-1093 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred Richtarik ◽  
Thomas A. Woolsey ◽  
Enrique Valdivia

A device for use in recording ECG's from guinea pigs is described. It is constructed of Plexiglas and consists of a base with four electrodes (separated by plastic ridges) on which the animal stands. The animal's activity is restricted by a removable box, the ends and top of which are adjustable to compensate for variations in animal size. The device permits recording of ECG's in rapid succession from quiet, unanesthetized animals in normal standing posture. Results obtained with the method are reported. apparatus for guinea pig ECG; time relations guinea pig ECG; normal ECG, guinea pig; factors affecting quality of ECG recordings from guinea pigs Submitted on October 21, 1964


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1914
Author(s):  
Pingping Han ◽  
Honghui Li ◽  
Laurence J. Walsh ◽  
Sašo Ivanovski

Dental aerosol-generating procedures produce a large amount of splatters and aerosols that create a major concern for airborne disease transmission, such as COVID-19. This study established a method to visualise splatter and aerosol contamination by common dental instrumentation, namely ultrasonic scaling, air-water spray, high-speed and low-speed handpieces. Mock dental procedures were performed on a mannequin model, containing teeth in a typodont and a phantom head, using irrigation water containing fluorescein dye as a tracer. Filter papers were placed in 10 different locations to collect splatters and aerosols, at distances ranging from 20 to 120 cm from the source. All four types of dental equipment produced contamination from splatters and aerosols. At 120 cm away from the source, the high-speed handpiece generated the greatest amount and size (656 ± 551 μm) of splatter particles, while the triplex syringe generated the largest amount of aerosols (particle size: 1.73 ± 2.23 μm). Of note, the low-speed handpiece produced the least amount and size (260 ± 142 μm) of splatter particles and the least amount of aerosols (particle size: 4.47 ± 5.92 μm) at 120 cm. All four dental AGPs produce contamination from droplets and aerosols, with different patterns of distribution. This simple model provides a method to test various preventive strategies to reduce risks from splatter and aerosols.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifang Yang ◽  
Junshu Wu ◽  
Defu Wu ◽  
Qi Wei ◽  
Tan Zhong ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The use of ocular hypotensive drugs has been reported to attenuate myopia progression. This study explores whether brimonidine can slow myopia progression in the guinea pig form-deprivation (FD) model. Methods Three-week-old pigmented male guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) underwent monocular FD and were treated with 3 different methods of brimonidine administration (eye drops, subconjunctival or intravitreal injections). Four different concentrations of brimonidine were tested for intravitreal injection (2 μg/μL, 4 μg/μL, 20 μg/μL, 40 μg/μL). All treatments continued for a period of 21 days. Tonometry, retinoscopy, and A-scan ultrasonography were used to monitor intraocular pressure (IOP), refractive error and axial length (AL), respectively. On day 21, guinea pigs were sacrificed for RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to screen for associated transcriptomic changes. Results The myopia model was successfully established in FD animals (control eye vs. FD eye, respectively: refraction at day 20, 0.97 ± 0.18 D vs. − 0.13 ± 0.38 D, F = 6.921, P = 0.02; AL difference between day 0 and day 21, 0.29 ± 0.04 mm vs. 0.45 ± 0.03 mm, F = 11.655, P = 0.004). Among the 3 different brimonidine administration methods, intravitreal injection was the most effective in slowing myopia progression, and 4 μg/μL was the most effective among the four different concentrations of brimonidine intravitreal injection tested. The AL and the refraction of the brimonidine intravitreal injection group was significantly shorter or more hyperopic than those of other 2 groups. Four μg/μL produced the smallest difference in AL and spherical equivalent difference values. FD treatment significantly increased the IOP. IOP was significantly lower at 1 day after intravitreal injections which was the lowest in FD eye of intravitreal injection of brimonidine. At day 21, gene expression analyses using RNA-seq showed upregulation of Col1a1 and Mmp2 expression levels by intravitreal brimonidine. Conclusions Among the 3 different administration methods, intravitreal injection of brimonidine was the most effective in slowing myopia progression in the FD guinea pig model. Intravitreal brimonidine at 4 μg/μL significantly reduced the development of FD myopia in guinea pigs. Expression levels of the Col1a1 and Mmp2 genes were significantly increased in the retinal tissues of the FD-Inj-Br group.


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