Search Results (4)

Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1) can cause a severe human syndrome characterized by meningo-myeloencephalitis. The actual epidemiology of BoDV-1 remains disputed, and our study summarized prevalence data among children and adolescents (<18-year-old). Through systematic research on three databases (PubMed, EMBASE, MedRxiv), all studies, including seroprevalence rates for BoDV-1 antigens and specific antibodies, were retrieved, and their results were summarized. We identified a total of six studies for a total of 2692 subjects aged less than 18 years (351 subjects sampled for BoDV-1 antibodies and 2557 for antigens). A pooled seroprevalence of 6.09% (95% Confidence Interval [95% CI] 2.14 to 16.17) was eventually calculated for BoDV-1 targeting antibodies and 0.76% (95% CI 0.26 to 2.19) for BoDV-1 antigens. Both estimates were affected by substantial heterogeneity. Seroprevalence rates for BoDV-1 in children and adolescents suggested that a substantial circulation of the pathogen does occur, and as infants and adolescents have relatively scarce opportunities for being exposed to hosts and animal reservoirs, the potential role of unknown vectors cannot be ruled out. Full article

Elsberg syndrome is a typically infectious syndrome that may cause acute or subacute bilateral lumbosacral radiculitis and sometimes lower spinal cord myelitis. Patients often present with various neurological symptoms involving the lower extremities, including numbness, weakness, and urinary disturbances such as retention. A 9-year-old girl with no significant past medical history presented with altered mental status, fever, urinary retention, and anuria and was found to have encephalomyelitis. An extensive diagnostic workup led to ruling out possible etiologies until identifying Elsberg syndrome. In this report, we describe a case of Elsberg syndrome caused by West Nile virus (WNV). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of its kind in the pediatric population. Utilizing PubMed and Web of Science databases, we reviewed the literature to describe the neurogenic control of the urinary system in correlation to a multitude of neurologic pathologies. Full article

An investigative and epidemiological study was carried out for equine herpesvirus type 1 (HVE-1) in 10 outbreaks of neurological disease from different farms in the state of Pará, Brazil. 25 horses were studied: six male and 19 females, aged between one and 13 years. A necropsy of six horses was performed, and the others recovered either with or without treatment (T1—vitamin B1 + dexamentasone; T2—vitamin B1 + flunixim meglumine). Animals that received treatment recovered after eight days. The main clinical signs observed were motor incoordination, progressive paresis, thoracic and/or pelvic limbs abducted after induction of clinical examination, knuckling of the hind fetlocks, sagging and swaying of the hindquarters while standing or walking and paresis. All animals were positive: 88% (22/25) in nested PCR and 72% (18/25) in serum neutralization (including three negatives in serology). Focal brownish areas compatible with hemorrhage were found in the white and gray matter of the spinal cord of two animals. On histological analysis, there were perivasculitis and neutrophilic vasculitis in the gray matter of the spinal cord and brain. Based on the evidence, this work proves the circulation of HVE-1 in the Amazon biome, mainly in the state of Pará, Brazil. Full article

The apicomplexan parasite Sarcocystis neurona causes equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), a degenerative neurological disease of horses. Due to its host range expansion, S. neurona is an emerging threat that requires close monitoring. In apicomplexans, protein kinases (PKs) have been implicated in a myriad of critical functions, such as host cell invasion, cell cycle progression and host immune response evasion. Here, we used various bioinformatics methods to define the kinome of S. neurona and phylogenetic relatedness of its PKs to other apicomplexans. We identified 97 putative PKs clustering within the various eukaryotic kinase groups. Although containing the universally-conserved PKA (AGC group), S. neurona kinome was devoid of PKB and PKC. Moreover, the kinome contains the six-conserved apicomplexan CDPKs (CAMK group). Several OPK atypical kinases, including ROPKs 19A, 27, 30, 33, 35 and 37 were identified. Notably, S. neurona is devoid of the virulence-associated ROPKs 5, 6, 18 and 38, as well as the Alpha and RIO kinases. Two out of the three S. neurona CK1 enzymes had high sequence similarities to Toxoplasma gondii TgCK1-α and TgCK1-β and the Plasmodium PfCK1. Further experimental studies on the S. neurona putative PKs identified in this study are required to validate the functional roles of the PKs and to understand their involvement in mechanisms that regulate various cellular processes and host-parasite interactions. Given the essentiality of apicomplexan PKs in the survival of apicomplexans, the current study offers a platform for future development of novel therapeutics for EPM, for instance via application of PK inhibitors to block parasite invasion and development in their host. Full article