Numerous reports list the abnormalities obtained from cloning sheep and cattle. To date, few reports provide detailed information regarding the overall health status and performance data of cloned animals. This report follows three litters totaling 10 transgenic cloned piglets from birth through puberty. Significant findings from physical examinations and response to treatments are included, as well as necropsy data from five of the piglets that died during the study. The birth weights, placental weights, and growth rates for this group of piglets were not different from that of control animals raised in the same environment. Hematology and serum chemistry data were collected at 2 days of age, and at 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks of age. Results indicated a mild anemia and hypoproteinemia in the cloned piglets from birth through 4 weeks of age, but both conditions were corrected by 8 weeks of age. Echocardiography was performed on seven of the piglets. No anatomical defects were detected, but three of the piglets had decreased cardiac output values. However, both animals are growing and show no evidence of clinical disease. The immune system was evaluated by quantification of serum IgM and IgG levels and by determining the population of B-cells, macrophages, helper T-cells (CD4), cytotoxic T-cell (CD8), and double positive T-cells (CD4/CD8). With the exception of one animal, no abnormalities were detected with the immune system of the examined piglets. During the course of this study, five of the 10 piglets were euthanized or died, indicating there is a high mortality rate among cloned piglets, but the remaining five cloned piglets are free from detectable defects.
Background Diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever are common among patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT), but such symptoms are also typical with foodborne infections. The burden of disease caused by foodborne infections in patients undergoing HCT is unknown. We sought to describe bacterial foodborne infection incidence post-transplant within a single-center population of HCT recipients. Methods All HCT recipients transplanted from 2001 through 2011 at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA were followed for one year post-transplant. Data were collected retrospectively using center databases, which include information from transplant, on-site examinations, outside records, and collected laboratory data. Patients were considered to have a bacterial foodborne infection if Campylobacter jejuni/coli, Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli 0157:H7, Salmonella species, Shigella species, Vibrio species or Yersinia species were isolated in culture within one-year post-transplant. Non-foodborne infections with these agents and patients with preexisting bacterial foodborne infection (within 30 days of transplant) were excluded from analyses. Results A total of 12/4069 (0.3%) patients developed a bacterial foodborne infection within one year post-transplant. Patients with infections had a median age at transplant of 50.5 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 35–57), and the majority were adults ≥18 years of age (9/12 [75%]), male gender (8/12 [67%]) and post-allogeneic transplant (8/12 [67%]). Infectious episodes occurred at an incidence rate of 1.0 per 100,000 patient-days (95% CI: 0.5–1.7) and at a median of 50.5 days after transplant (IQR: 26–58.5). The most frequent pathogen detected was Campylobacter jejuni/coli (5/12 [42%]) followed by Yersinia (3/12 [25%]), while Salmonella (2/12 [17%]) and Listeria (2/12 [17%]) showed equal frequencies; no cases of Shigella, Vibrio, or E. coli 0157:H7 were detected. Most patients were diagnosed via stool (8/12 [67%]), fewer through blood (2/12 [17%]), one via both stool and blood simultaneously, and one through urine. Mortality due to bacterial foodborne infection was not observed during follow-up. Conclusions Our large single-center study indicates that common bacterial foodborne infections were a rare complication following HCT, and the few cases that did occur resolved without complications. These data provide important baseline incidence for future studies evaluating dietary interventions for HCT patients.
Conclusion: We observed an extremely low RSV pneumonia fatality rate in contrast to that reported in the literature. Perhaps due to strict control of nosocomial transmission, our cohort tended to contract RSV late, which might account for better outcomes. Our low incidence of NIPCs is intriguing, and could be biased by the fact that 66% of our cohort was on 2 immunosuppressors. Our findings support prompt treatment of high-risk patients with inhaled ribavirin/IVIG to diminish early RSV-related mortality and morbidity.
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