Diagnosis and Treatment of Mammalian Infectious Diseases

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2024) | Viewed by 2463

Special Issue Editors

Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, 224 Trikalon, 43100 Karditsa, Greece
Interests: clinical pathology; diagnostics; vector-borne diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Clinic of Farm Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54627 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: ruminants' internal medicine; clinical pathology; nutrition; lumpy skin disease virus; vaccine
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Thessaly | UTH, Volos, Greece
Interests: virus; microbiology microbial; molecular biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pathogens circulate widely among mammalian hosts, with many of them causing severe disease and death in livestock, domestic animals, wildlife and humans. Declines in animals driven by mammalian infectious diseases have become increasingly common, and have also caused the majority of pandemics in human populations, presenting a considerable challenge to global health. In addition, almost two-thirds of the pathogens that cause diseases in humans are of animal origin. Continuous research on the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases has important implications for human and animal health. In recent years, many novel diagnostic tools, drugs, and vaccines have been developed and used for the management of zoonotic diseases. At the same time, awareness regarding mammalian infectious diseases—especially their diagnosis, epidemiology, surveillance and treatment—should be further raised among veterinarians, physicians, researchers, and the public, aiming to prevent future pandemics.

This Special Issue of Microorganisms plans to collect the recent research in common or neglected mammalian infectious diseases. Original research articles and comprehensive reviews that cover the diagnosis, pathogenesis, transmission, epidemiology (including the associated environmental factors), surveillance, prevention, treatment, and evaluations of their impact on global health are welcomed.

Dr. Labrini V. Athanasiou
Dr. Panagiotis Dimitrios Katsoulos
Dr. Constantina Tsokana
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1240 KiB  
Article
Relationship between the Cycle Threshold Value (Ct) of a Salmonella spp. qPCR Performed on Feces and Clinical Signs and Outcome in Horses
by Hélène Amory, Carla Cesarini, Lorie De Maré, Clémence Loublier, Nassim Moula, Johann Detilleux, Marc Saulmont, Mutien-Marie Garigliany and Laureline Lecoq
Microorganisms 2023, 11(8), 1950; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11081950 - 30 Jul 2023
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Abstract
The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the clinical significance of fecal quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) Salmonella results when taking the cycle threshold values (Ct) into account. The study included 120 Salmonella qPCR-positive fecal samples obtained from 88 hospitalized [...] Read more.
The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the clinical significance of fecal quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) Salmonella results when taking the cycle threshold values (Ct) into account. The study included 120 Salmonella qPCR-positive fecal samples obtained from 88 hospitalized horses over a 2-year period. The mean Ct of the qPCR test was evaluated in regard to (1) clinical outcome and (2) systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) status (no SIRS, moderate SIRS, or severe SIRS) of the sampled horses. An ROC analysis was performed to establish the optimal cut-off Ct values associated with severe SIRS. The mean ± SD Ct value was significantly lower in samples (1) from horses with a fatal issue (27.87 ± 5.15 cycles) than in surviving horses (31.75 ± 3.60 cycles), and (2) from horses with severe SIRS (27.87 ± 2.78 cycles) than from horses with no (32.51 ± 3.59 cycles) or moderate (31.54 ± 3.02 cycles) SIRS. In the ROC analysis, the optimal cut-off value of Ct associated with a severe SIRS was 30.40 cycles, with an AUC value of 0.84 [95% confidence interval 0.76–0.91] and an OR of 0.64 [0.51–0.79]. Results suggest that including the Ct value in the interpretation of fecal qPCR results could improve the diagnostic value of this test for clinical salmonellosis in horses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Treatment of Mammalian Infectious Diseases)
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Review

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11 pages, 293 KiB  
Review
Assessment of Strategies for Preserving Swine Viral RNA Targets in Diagnostic Specimens
by Berenice Munguía-Ramírez, Luis Giménez-Lirola and Jeffrey Zimmerman
Microorganisms 2024, 12(2), 410; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12020410 - 18 Feb 2024
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Abstract
Successful downstream molecular analyses of viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) in diagnostic laboratories, e.g., reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) or next-generation sequencing, are dependent on the quality of the RNA in the specimen. In swine specimens, preserving the integrity of RNA requires proper [...] Read more.
Successful downstream molecular analyses of viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) in diagnostic laboratories, e.g., reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) or next-generation sequencing, are dependent on the quality of the RNA in the specimen. In swine specimens, preserving the integrity of RNA requires proper sample handling at the time the sample is collected on the farm, during transport, and in the laboratory until RNA extraction is performed. Options for proper handling are limited to maintaining the cold chain or using commercial specimen storage matrices. Herein, we reviewed the refereed literature for evidence that commercial specimen storage matrices can play a role in preserving swine viral RNA in clinical specimens. Refereed publications were included if they compared RNA detection in matrix-treated vs. untreated samples. At present, the small number of refereed studies and the inconsistency in reported results preclude the routine use of commercial specimen storage matrices. For example, specimen storage matrices may be useful under specific circumstances, e.g., where it is mandatory to render the virus inactive. In a broader view, statistically sound side-by-side comparisons between specimens, viral RNA targets, and storage conditions are needed to establish if, when, and how commercial specimen storage matrices could be used in diagnostic medicine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Treatment of Mammalian Infectious Diseases)
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