114 documents found, page 1 of 12
Screening Wild Birds for Tick-Borne Zoonotic Pathogens in Portugal
Loureiro, F; Mesquita, JR; Cardoso, L; Santos-Silva, S; Moreira, G; Bento, JT; Soeiro, V; Gonçalves, A; Silva, F; Barradas, PF; Matos, AC; Matos, MWild birds may be involved in the transmission of agents of infectious diseases, including zoonoses, a circumstance which raises a number of public and animal health issues. Migratory bird species play a significant role in the introduction of tick-borne pathogens to new geographic areas, contributing to the dissemination of various etiological agents. This preliminary study aimed to assess the occurrence of fo...
Detection of Bagaza Virus in Europe: A Scoping Review
Loureiro, F; Mesquita, JR; Cardoso, L; Matos, AC; Matos, M; Coelho, ACThe Bagaza virus (BAGV) belongs to the genus Orthoflavivirus (Ntaya serocomplex) and emerged in Europe, Spain, in 2010. The natural transmission cycle of this virus is perpetuated by Culex spp. mosquitoes and viraemic birds. The ability of BAGV to cause infection in several game birds from the family Phasianidae has been well-studied. BAGV is antigenically similar to other orthoflaviviruses from the Japanese en...
First Molecular Detection of Rickettsia conorii and Rickettsia helvetica in Tic...
Moreira, G; Moreira, RSS; Neves, FAD; Swiontek, V; Barradas, PF; Gomes-Gonçalves, S; Mesquita, JRVector-borne diseases, particularly those caused by Rickettsia species, pose a significant public health threat in Europe. Despite extensive research on tick-borne pathogens in various European countries, Luxembourg has yet not been studied for Rickettsia spp. in ticks infesting domestic animals. This study aimed to fill this gap by investigating the presence of Rickettsia spp. in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected...
National survey of the rat hepatitis E virus in rodents in Spain, 2022 to 2023
Caballero-Gómez, J; Fajardo-Alonso, T; Ríos-Muñoz, L; Beato-Benítez, A; Casares-Jiménez, M; García-Bocanegra, I; Cuadrado-Matías, R; Martí-Marco, ABackgroundRat hepatitis E virus (ratHEV) is an emerging virus causing acute and chronic hepatitis in humans. Rats are the main natural reservoir of this pathogen. Large-scale studies assessing ratHEV circulation in rodents in Spain are lacking.AimWe aimed to determine the prevalence of ratHEV in rats in Spain and evaluate potential transmission risk to humans.MethodsWe designed a cross-sectional nationwide stud...
Detection of biliary trematodes in sheep and goats from northern and central Po...
Santos-Silva, S; Cruz, AVS; Gomes da Silva, P; Bento, JT; Almeida, D; Barradas, PF; Cardoso, L; Mesquita, JRFasciolosis and dicrocoeliosis are severe parasitic infections that result in substantial economic damages to livestock farming globally as a consequence of reduced productivity and viscera condemnation. Molecular tests such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can detect Fasciola hepatica and Dicrocoelium dendriticum DNA with high sensitivity and specificity. In this study, we aimed to assess the presence of F. ...
Disrupting SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Activity: A Virtual Screening and Binding A...
Queirós-Reis, L; Alvites, R; Maurício, AC; Brancale, A; Bassetto, M; Mesquita, JRSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a respiratory virus that emerged in late 2019 and rapidly spread worldwide, causing the COVID-19 pandemic. The spike glycoprotein (S protein) plays a crucial role in viral target recognition and entry by interacting with angiotensin, converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the functional receptor for the virus, via its receptor binding domain (RBD). The RBD av...
SARS-CoV-2 RNA Presence in Outdoor Air of Public Spaces in Valladolid During Wi...
da Silva, PG; Gonçalves, J; Rodriguéz, E; García-Encina, PA; Nascimento, MSJ; Sousa, SIV; Mesquita, JRAs SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve and herd immunity establishes, an increasing number of asymptomatic infections have been reported, increasing the risk of airborne spread of the virus. Most of the studies regarding SARS-CoV-2 RNA presence in air refer to indoor environments, with few studies having reported SARS-CoV-2 RNA in outdoor air. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA at two...
An antibody-based survey of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum infection in...
Aires Pereira, M; Nóbrega, C; Mateus, TL; Almeida, D; Oliveira, A; Coelho, C; Cruz, R; Oliveira, PA; Faustino-Rocha, AI; Pires, MJ; Mesquita, JRToxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are intracellular parasites with a great impact on human and animal health, respectively. This work aims to investigate the presence of antibodies against T. gondii and N. caninum in client-owned cats from Portugal and to identify risk factors. A total of 183 domestic cats were sampled and their owners answered an online questionnaire designed to obtain background informat...
Detection of tick-borne pathogens in Rhipicephalus bursa ticks collected from t...
Barradas, PF; Marques, J; Tavares, C; Brito, NV; Mesquita, JRThe Garrano is a semi-feral horse breed native to several mountains in the northern Iberian Peninsula. Despite being endangered, this unique breed of pony has managed to survive in the wild and continues to be selectively bred, highlighting their remarkable resilience and adaptability to harsh environments. Wildlife plays a critical role in the survival of tick vectors in their natural habitats and the transfer...
Detection of Rat Hepatitis E Virus in Pigs, Spain, 2023
Rios Munoz, L; Gonzalvez, M; Caballero Gomez, J; Castro Scholten, S; Casares Jimenez, M; Agullo Ros, I; Corona Mata, D; Garcia Bocanegra, IWe identified rat hepatitis E virus (HEV) RNA in farmed pigs from Spain. Our results indicate that pigs might be susceptible to rat HEV and could serve as viral intermediaries between rodents and humans. Europe should evaluate the prevalence of rat HEV in farmed pigs to assess the risk to public health.