Modern sudden appearance of african swine fever (ASF) as a possible means for biological diversity against Ukraine during the period of military aggression in the East

M. Romanov; O. Kovaliuk; M.V. Velychko; Ya. Honcharuk

doi:10.33273/2663-9726-2020-52-1-45-53

Modern sudden appearance of african swine fever (ASF) as a possible means for biological diversity against Ukraine during the period of military aggression in the East

One Health and Nutrition Problems of Ukraine ◽

10.33273/2663-9726-2020-52-1-45-53 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 52 (1) ◽

pp. 45-53

Author(s):

M. Romanov ◽

O. Kovaliuk ◽

M.V. Velychko ◽

Ya. Honcharuk

Keyword(s):

Biological Diversity ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

African Swine Fever ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Anthropogenic Factor ◽

Special Significance ◽

Biological Character ◽

Sudden Appearance

The purpose of the research carried out by the authors is to establish the causes for the appearance of the African swine fever (ASF) virus on the territory of Ukraine and the mechanisms of its most widespread distribution. In this case, special significance was granted to studying the role of an anthropogenic factor in the context of a confirmation or denial of a possible diversion by the country-aggressor under the existing conditions of aggression against Ukraine. Attention was also paid to a prediction of the long-term spreading of the pathogen along with the development of recommendations for the implementation of preventive measures based on international experience of those struggling against ASF for the purpose of counteracting the threat posed by its biological character and how this would then affect national security and the extent of economic losses to the state. Key Words: biological diversion; African Swine Fever (ASF); source of ASF infections; ASF agents.

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The signature of competition in ecomorphological traits across the avian radiation

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2020.1585 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 287 (1938) ◽

pp. 20201585

Author(s):

A. M. Chira ◽

C. R. Cooney ◽

J. A. Bright ◽

E. J. R. Capp ◽

E. C. Hughes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Interactions ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Phenotypic Evolution ◽

Shared Resources ◽

Deep Time ◽

Extant Species ◽

Phenotypic Diversification ◽

Best Fit

Competition for shared resources represents a fundamental driver of biological diversity. However, the tempo and mode of phenotypic evolution in deep-time has been predominantly investigated using trait evolutionary models which assume that lineages evolve independently from each other. Consequently, the role of species interactions in driving macroevolutionary dynamics remains poorly understood. Here, we quantify the prevalence for signatures of competition between related species in the evolution of ecomorphological traits across the bird radiation. We find that mechanistic trait models accounting for the effect of species interactions on phenotypic divergence provide the best fit for the data on at least one trait axis in 27 out of 59 clades ranging between 21 and 195 species. Where it occurs, the signature of competition generally coincides with positive species diversity-dependence, driven by the accumulation of lineages with similar ecologies, and we find scarce evidence for trait-dependent or negative diversity-dependent phenotypic evolution. Overall, our results suggest that the footprint of interspecific competition is often eroded in long-term patterns of phenotypic diversification, and that other selection pressures may predominantly shape ecomorphological diversity among extant species at macroevolutionary scales.

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The role of connectivity in Australian conservation

Pacific Conservation Biology ◽

10.1071/pc040266 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 266 ◽

Cited By ~ 85

Author(s):

M. E. Soulé ◽

B. G. Mackey ◽

H. F. Recher ◽

J. E. Williams ◽

J. C. Z. Woinarski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Ecological Resilience ◽

Landscape Permeability ◽

Conservation Assessment ◽

Ecological Processes ◽

Trophic Relations ◽

Scientific Framework

The existing system of nature reserves in Australia is inadequate for the long-term conservation and restoration of native biological diversity because it fails to accommodate, among other elements, large scale and long-term ecological processes and change, including physical and biotic transport in the landscape. This paper is an overview of the connectivity elements that inform a scientific framework for significantly improving the prospects for the long-term conservation of Australia's biodiversity. The framework forms the basis for the WildCountry programme. This programme has identified connectivity at landscape, regional and continental scales as a critical component of an effective conservation system. Seven categories of ecological phenomena are reviewed that require landscape permeability and that must be considered when planning for the maintenance of biological diversity and ecological resilience in Australia: (1) trophic relations at regional scales; (2) animal migration, dispersal, and other large scale movements of individuals and propagules; (3) fire and other forms of disturbance at regional scales; (4) climate variability in space and time and human forced rapid climate change; (5) hydroecological relations and flows at all scales; (6) coastal zone fluxes of organisms, matter, and energy; and, (7) spatially-dependent evolutionary processes at all scales. Finally, we mention eight cross-cutting themes that further illuminate the interactions and implications of the seven connectivity-related phenomena for conservation assessment, planning, research, and management, and we suggest how the results might be applied by analysts, planners, scientists, and community conservationists.

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Breakthrough infection after COVID-19 vaccination: A threat for Nepal due to SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in 2nd wave ravaging India

Journal of Patan Academy of Health Sciences ◽

10.3126/jpahs.v8i2.37287 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 69-79

Author(s):

Jay Narayan Shah ◽

Priscilla Samson ◽

Nabees Man Singh Pradhan ◽

Shreekrishna Maharjan ◽

Ashis Shrestha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preventive Measures ◽

Population Analysis ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Local Population ◽

Real Life ◽

Breakthrough Infection ◽

Adverse Event Following Immunization ◽

Minor Adverse Event

After a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the meta-analysis in Dec 2020 did not support its reinfections. Now it’s clear that not only reinfection following earlier exposure is a reality, but also breakthrough infections after vaccinations have been increasingly reported. A breakthrough infection means that the infection has broken through the protection provided by the vaccine. The course of the disease, strict observation for preventive measures, together with safe vaccines is necessary long-term solutions. The effectiveness of the vaccine, durability of immunity, the role of the virus variants, the incidence and severity of breakthrough infections are the challenges in real life. A breakthrough infection is the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA or antigen in the respiratory specimen ≥14 days after inoculation of a vaccine. A breakthrough infection of 0.04 to 13% has been reported in the literature. Nepal began vaccine rollout in late Jan 2021. Nearly 3 million population has been vaccinated by two vaccines, the Covishield (AstraZeneca, from India) and Vero Cell (Sinopharm, China). Only minor ‘Adverse Event Following Immunization’ after the initial vaccine rollout has been reported. There is a lack of reports on the breakthrough infection for these vaccines in the local population. Analysis of the data on breakthrough infection from the vaccine rollouts in Nepal is awaited.

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PATIENTS` AWARENESS ABOUT ARTERIAL HYPERTNESION. THE ROLE OF NURSE STAFFING

Клінічна та профілактична медицина ◽

10.31612/2616-4868.1(11).2020.04 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 32-39

Author(s):

H.H. Mararash

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Nurse Staffing ◽

Preventive Healthcare ◽

Healthy Life ◽

Healthy Life Style ◽

Key Aspects

Purpose: to evaluate the patients` awareness about arterial hypertension (HYP), and to clarify the role of nurse staffing in HYP prevention. Material and methods. We enrolled 120 HYP patients receiving follow-up care in Municipal Out-Patients` Clinic #1 (males – 43,3 %, females – 56,7 %; age ranged from 23 to 79 years). The awareness about HYP was evaluated by means of questioning. All the enrolled patients participated in the survey. Along with the survey, we performed blood pressure check and discussed with patients the issues regarding healthy life-style, risk factors modification and the potential HYP complications. Survey data analysis was performed by the use of Statistica v. 10.0 software package. Results and discussion. The HYP anamnesis duration was characterized by significant variation. The majority of respondents (82 %) pointed at HYP duration more than 10 years. The blood pressure checking revealed the predominance of degrees 1 and 2 of HYP. About the half of patients (n=59 [49,2 %]) were aware of their health status due to the long-term disease, along with 48 (40,0 %) patients who were insufficiently aware of their condition. Finally, 13 (10,8 %) patients had lacked interest in their disease, suggesting the passive and irresponsible attitude towards their own health. Conclusions. The effectiveness of preventive healthcare, as one the nurse staffing activities, is influenced by the following factors: key aspects, format and levels of preventive measures; patient-nurse partnership; material and technical support; patients` needs and interests; and the nurse`s ability to be creative.

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Role of anthropogenic factor in spread of african swine fever in the Russian Federation

Veterinaria Kubani ◽

10.33861/2071-8020-2019-2-15-17 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 15-17

Author(s):

Sergey L. Kuznetsov ◽

◽

Roman A. Krivonos ◽

Dmitriy L. Poklonskiy ◽

Gennadiy G. Eremin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Russian Federation ◽

African Swine Fever ◽

Anthropogenic Factor ◽

The Russian Federation

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African Swine Fever Re-Emerging in Estonia: The Role of Seropositive Wild Boar from an Epidemiological Perspective

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13112121 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 2121

Author(s):

Katja Schulz ◽

Jana Schulz ◽

Christoph Staubach ◽

Sandra Blome ◽

Imbi Nurmoja ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wild Boar ◽

Surveillance System ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

African Swine Fever ◽

Wild Boar Population ◽

Cluster Analyses ◽

Ongoing Surveillance ◽

Low Prevalence

African swine fever (ASF) emerged in Estonia in 2014. From February 2019 to August 2020, no pigs or wild boar tested positive for ASF virus (ASFV), only ASFV-specific antibodies could be detected in shot wild boar. However, ASF recently re-emerged in wild boar. We tested three hypotheses that might explain the current situation: (i) ASFV may have been present throughout, but at a prevalence below the detection limit; (ii) seropositive wild boar may have remained infectious (i.e., virus-carriers) and kept the epidemic going; or (iii) ASF was gone for 1.5 years, but was recently re-introduced. Using Estonian surveillance data, the sensitivity of the surveillance system and the confidence in freedom from ASF were estimated. Furthermore, the detection probability was determined and cluster analyses were performed to investigate the role of serological positive wild boar. The results suggest that the surveillance system was not able to detect virus circulation at a design prevalence below 1%. With respect to the confidence in freedom from ASF, the results indicate that circulating virus should have been detected over time, if the prevalence was ≥2%. However, the decreasing wild boar population density and ongoing surveillance activities made ASFV circulation at a low prevalence unlikely. Cluster analyses provided no evidence for a significant accumulation of serologically positive wild boar in temporal connection to the re-emergence of ASFV. Further targeted research, such as long-term experimental studies and molecular epidemiology, is necessary to improve our knowledge on the epidemiology of ASF and to control the disease more effectively.

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Feed as a mechanical vector in the transmission of swine viral diseases

Medycyna Weterynaryjna ◽

10.21521/mw.6587 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 77 (11) ◽

pp. 6587-2021

Author(s):

NATALIA MAZUR-PANASIUK ◽

MARTA ANTAS ◽

MATEUSZ FILA ◽

JACEK ŻMUDZKI ◽

GRZEGORZ WOŹNIAKOWSKI ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Potential Role ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Virus Transmission ◽

African Swine Fever ◽

The United States ◽

Mechanical Transmission ◽

Viral Pathogens ◽

Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea

The current African swine fever (ASF) epizootic in Europe and Asia has clearly highlighted the crucial role of effective biosecurity in preventing and controlling infectious diseases and in ensuring a high health status of the herd. The role of feed in the mechanical transmission of viral pathogens has long remained unclear, but the unexpected emergence of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) in the United States in 2013 led to intensified research efforts aimed at determining the origin of PEDV. Since then, it has been proven that feed and feed materials can play a role of mechanical vectors for many pathogens, including PEDV, ASFV, FMDV, PRV, PRRSV, PVDV, PCV2, CSV and PRV. In light of the potential risk of virus transmission via imported contaminated feed, a number of preventive measures have been developed and experimentally proven to be effective in mitigating the risk. The aim of this study is to summarize the current knowledge on the potential role of feed in the spread of porcine viral pathogens and on the latest efforts aimed at reducing the risk of such transmission.

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