Infectious diseases have influenced population genetics and the evolution of the structure of the human genome in part by selecting for host susceptibility alleles that modify pathogenesis. Norovirus infection is associated with approximately 90% of epidemic non-bacterial acute gastroenteritis worldwide. Here, we show that resistance to Norwalk virus infection is multifactorial. Using a human challenge model, we showed that 29% of our study population was homozygous recessive for the alpha(1,2)fucosyltransferase gene (FUT2) in the ABH histo-blood group family and did not express the H type-1 oligosaccharide ligand required for Norwalk virus binding. The FUT2 susceptibility allele was fully penetrant against Norwalk virus infection as none of these individuals developed an infection after challenge, regardless of dose. Of the susceptible population that encoded a functional FUT2 gene, a portion was resistant to infection, suggesting that a memory immune response or some other unidentified factor also affords protection from Norwalk virus infection.

rNV VLPs use H type 1 and/or H types (3/4) as ligands on gastroduodenal epithelial cells of secretor individuals.

No abstract

No abstract

This study examined and compared the minimal inhibition concentrations (MICs) of enrofloxacin against 393 Staphylococcus intermedius strains isolated in France from canine pyodermas during three different years, 1995 (174 isolates), 1997 (101 isolates) and 1999 (118 isolates). The MICs of enrofloxacin against these strains ranged from 0.063 to 64 mg L-1, with MIC50 and MIC90 equal to 0.125 and 0.25 mg L-1, respectively. Two resistant strains were found, but only among isolates collected in 1999. The data show that resistance to enrofloxacin among S. intermedius strains is still rare in dogs, but the selection in vitro of variants in which the MICs were increased 4-16-fold after 10 serial passages in subinhibitory concentrations of enrofloxacin suggests that inappropriate use might favour the development of resistant strains in vivo.

This report describes the integration of the microbiology and infectious diseases teaching courses in an international Master's level interdisciplinary programme based on the 'One world, one health' WHO concept, and reports the students and teachers' evaluation related to their feelings of about this innovative programme. The integration was evaluated by recording the positioning of these two topics in the five teaching units constituting the programme, and by identifying their contribution in the interactions between the different teaching units. The satisfaction of students was assessed by a quantitative survey, whereas the feelings of students and teachers were assessed by interviews. The study demonstrated that microbiology and infectious diseases were widely involved in interactions between the teaching units, constituting a kind of cement for the programme. The students assigned a mean score of 3.7 to the topics dealing with microbiology and infectious diseases. According to the qualitative data, students and teachers considered that the interdisciplinary approach provided new insights but reported problems of communication, probably inherent to the multiculturalism of the class.

Pseudotuberculosis, an infection caused by the ubiquitous enteropathogenic bacterium Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, is a recurrent veterinary problem in livestock and zoo animals. The only vaccine currently available in zoos is Pseudovac (a mixture of killed strains of various serotypes), but its efficacy is not well established. We show here that Pseudovac does not protect guinea pigs against a severe Y. pseudotuberculosis infection. We thus evaluated the possibility of using a live attenuated Y. pseudotuberculosis strain (IP32680) as an oral vaccine against animal pseudotuberculosis. We report that IP32680 is avirulent for guinea pigs and induces a strong IgG response against various serotypes of Y. pseudotuberculosis. One and two oral inoculations of IP32680 provided 50% and 83% protection, respectively against a severe infection with a highly pathogenic strain. The avirulent Y. pseudotuberculosis IP32680 is therefore much more protective than Pseudovac and may represent a valuable oral vaccine against pseudotuberculosis in zoo animals.

The post-antibiotic eect in vitro (PAE) of cephalexin was determined according to a broth dilution method against 5 isolates of Staphylococcus intermedius obtained from cases of canine pyoderma. Two durations of exposure and 3 concentrations were tested. The PAE increased when time of exposure or concentration increased. The mean PAE ranged from 0.7 to 3.3 h. The PAE of cephalexin against Staphylococcus intermedius may be clinically relevant when selecting a dosage regimen to treat pyoderma in dogs.