Metawee Thongdee, Somjit Chaiwattanarungruengpaisan, Natthaphat Ketchim
et al.
Crocodilians are susceptible to a range of virus infection including influenza A virus (IAV). However, little is known about the ecology and epidemiology of IAV in crocodile species. This study aimed to investigate IAV infection in farmed Siamese crocodiles in central Thailand. We collected plasma samples and pharyngeal swab samples from Siamese crocodiles residing in 13 crocodile farms in 9 provinces of central Thailand during 2019. Additional archival plasma samples of Siamese crocodiles collected in 2012 and 2018 were also included in the study. Plasma samples were screened for influenza A antibodies by a hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay and positive were evaluated by a cytopathic effect/hemagglutination based-microneutralization (MN) assay. Swab samples were tested for influenza viral RNA by a real-time RT-PCR assay targeting the influenza matrix (M) gene. Among 246 tested plasma samples, the overall seroprevalence of antibodies against IAV in farmed Siamese crocodiles was 17.5% (43/246). The most common hemagglutinin (HA) subtype was H2 (46.5%, 20/43) followed by H9 (39.5%, 17/43), human H1 (14%, 6/43) and H1 (7%, 3/43). Multiple HA subtypes were also detected in 7% (3/43) of infected crocodiles with combination of H1 and H2 subtypes. All 126 tested swab samples were negative for influenza viral RNA. In addition, we demonstrated the ability of wild-type IAV subtypes (H1, H2, H9 and human H1) to infect primary Siamese crocodile fibroblast cells. To our knowledge, this is the first report of serological evidences of avian and human IAV infection in Siamese crocodiles. Our findings highlighted the role of crocodile species in the ecology of IAV particularly the potential to serve as the reservoir or mixing vessel for the viruses that significantly threaten both human and animal health.
Nae Tanpradit, Metawee Thongdee, Ladawan Sariya
et al.
Abstract Background Although Chlamydia sp. causes widespread disease outbreaks in juvenile crocodiles in Thailand, data regarding the epidemiology, and risk factors of such infections are limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and possible risk factors associated with Chlamydia sp. infections on Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) farms in Thailand. A cross-sectional study was conducted from July to December 2019. Samples were collected from 40 farms across six regions in Thailand. Conjunctival, pharyngeal, and cloacal swab samples were analyzed for Chlamydiaceae nucleic acids using semi-nested PCR followed by phylogenetic analysis based on the ompA gene fragment. Risk factors of infection were analyzed using chi-square and univariate regression to calculate odds ratios. Results The prevalence of Chlamydia sp. infection across all regions was 65%. The ompA phylogenetic analysis showed that Chlamydia sp. detected in this study was genetically closely related to Chlamydia crocodili and Chlamydia caviae. The risk factors for infection were water source, reusing treated wastewater from the treatment pond, not disposing of leftover food, low frequency of water replacement in the enclosure of juvenile crocodiles, and lack of water replacement after the death of a crocodile. Conclusion The prevalence of Chlamydia sp. infection in farmed crocodiles in Thailand was 65% during the study period. Cloacal swabs were superior to conjunctival and pharyngeal swabs due to their higher sensitivity in detecting Chlamydia sp., as well as their lower invasiveness. Good management and biosecurity in crocodile farming can reduce the risk of Chlamydia sp. infection.
Sarin Suwanpakdee, Anuwat Wiratsudakul, Nattarun Chaisilp
et al.
Abstract The canine distemper virus (CDV) could infect various wildlife species worldwide. The viral infection in large felids directly impacts wildlife conservation. This study aimed to understand better the burden of CDV outbreaks in captive tiger populations in Thailand and a novel discovery of their clinical signs with a history of CDV exposure. We followed up on their infection from June 2016 to October 2020 with laboratory testing and veterinary medical records. The cumulative morbidity and mortality rates were relatively high. Moreover, 50% of the tigers survived at 2 years after infection. Approximately 38% of CDV infections were detected with laryngeal inflammation, which developed into paralysis in almost 50% of cases. Altogether, 50% of tigers with chronic infection developed stridor at 314 days after virus infection [95% CI: 302–320]. Our data indicates that laryngeal paralysis resulted from the CDV infection, potentially affecting the peripheral and central nervous systems. This condition can pose a life-threatening risk to tigers. The virus can spread quickly by contact with bodily excretion among tigers and fomite contamination once it affects a specific population. Implementation of biosecurity measures and vaccination is essential to mitigate the risk of disease spread and infection rates in tiger populations.
With the idea to find geometric formulations of particle physics we investigate the predictions of a three dimensional generalisation of the Sine-Gordon model, very close to the Skyrme model and to the Wu-Yang description of Dirac monopoles. With three rotational degrees of freedom of spatial Dreibeins we formulate a Lagrangian and confront the predictions to electromagnetic phenomena. Stable solitonic excitations we compare with the lightest fundamental electric charges, electrons and positrons. Two Goldstone bosons we relate to the properties of photons. These particles are characterised by three topological quantum numbers, which we compare to charge, spin and photon number. Finally we conjecture some ideas for further comparisons with experiments.
Somjit Chaiwattanarungruengpaisan, Metawee Thongdee, Songtham Anuntakarun
et al.
Chlamydia is a known pathogen in both saltwater and freshwater crocodiles. However, the exact species/strain has not been clearly identified. In this study, we successfully cultivated Siamese crocodile Chlamydia in McCoy cells at a temperature of 30°C. Electron microscopy; phylogeny based on nine conserved taxonomically informative markers, on ompA, or on seven housekeeping genes; and whole-genome sequencing and analysis of the isolate confirmed the identity of the isolate as a new member of the genus Chlamydia, a new species that we name Chlamydia crocodili.
Weena Paungpin, Metawee Thongdee, Somjit Chaiwattanarungruengpaisan
et al.
Background and Aim: For a decade, chlamydial and herpesvirus infections have caused significant morbidity and mortality in farmed crocodiles. In September 2017, a total of 160 juvenile freshwater Siamese crocodiles (Crocodylus siamensis) with conjunctivitis/pharyngitis lesions were admitted at the Veterinary Aquatic Animal Research Health Care Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University. All crocodiles did not respond well to antibiotics or supportive treatments and died. This study aimed to detect and identify the causative agents associated with conjunctivitis/pharyngitis and fatal outcomes in juvenile farmed Siamese crocodiles. Materials and Methods: A total of 138 pharyngeal and conjunctival swabs and conjunctival scrapes were collected from live crocodiles. All swab and scrape samples were DNA-extracted and amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using Chlamydiaceae- and herpesvirus-specific primers. Tissue samples (brain, lung, liver, heart, spleen, and intestine) were collected from two representative postmortem animals. All tissue samples were processed for molecular and pathological analyses. Results: PCR examinations identified chlamydial and herpesvirus DNA in 92% (126/138) and 100% (138/138), respectively, of the tested swab and scrape samples. Of those positive samples, 79% (26/33), 67% (4/6), and 98% (97/99) of the pharyngeal swabs, conjunctival swabs, and conjunctival scrapes, respectively, were positive for both chlamydial and herpesvirus DNA. Histopathological examination indicated necrosis and mononuclear cell infiltration in the liver, kidney, and intestine of the affected animals. The intracytoplasmic accumulation of Chlamydia was randomly observed in the examined tissue sample. Moreover, the presence of chlamydial and herpesvirus DNA was also detected in the tissue samples, including the heart, intestine, brain, lung, liver, and spleen, of the affected animals by PCR. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that Chlamydia spp. detected in the juvenile Siamese crocodiles was notably different from other known species in the Chlamydia genus, while the herpesvirus detected in the crocodiles was closely related to crocodyline herpesvirus 1. Conclusion: Based on histopathological and molecular examinations, this report provided the first evidence of coinfection of Chlamydia spp. and crocodyline herpesvirus 1 in juvenile Siamese crocodiles in Thailand.
In this paper we discuss the second bosonization of the Hirota bilinear equation for the CKP hierarchy introduced by Date, Jimbo, Kashiwara and Miwa. We show that there is a second, untwisted, Heisenberg action on the Fock space, in addition to the twisted Heisenberg action suggested by Date, Jimbo, Kashiwara and Miwa and studied by van de Leur, Orlov and Shiota. We derive the decomposition of the Fock space into irreducible Heisenberg modules under this action. We show that the space spanned by the highest weight vectors of the irreducible Heisenberg modules has a structure of a super vertex algebra, specifically the symplectic fermions vertex algebra. We complete the second bosonization of the CKP Hirota equation by expressing the generating field via exponentiated boson vertex operators acting on a polynomial algebra with two infinite sets of variables.
We give a construction of completely integrable $(2m)$-dimensional Hamiltonian systems with cubic Hamilton functions. The construction depends on a constant skew-Hamiltonian matrix $A$, that is, a matrix satisfying $A^{\rm T}J=JA$, where $J$ is a non-degenerate skew-symmetric matrix defining the standard symplectic structure on the phase space $\mathbb R^{2m}$. Applying to any such system the so called Kahan-Hirota-Kimura discretization scheme, we arrive at a birational $(2m)$-dimensional map. We show that this map is symplectic with respect to a symplectic structure that is a perturbation of the standard symplectic structure on $\mathbb R^{2m}$, and possesses $m$ independent integrals of motion, which are perturbations of the original Hamilton functions and are in involution with respect to the invariant symplectic structure. Thus, this map is completely integrable in the Liouville-Arnold sense. Moreover, under a suitable normalization of the original $m$-tuples of commuting vector fields, their Kahan-Hirota-Kimura discretizations also commute and share the invariant symplectic structure and the $m$ integrals of motion.
We consider certain boundary conditions supporting soliton solutions in the generalized non-linear Schrödinger equation (AKNS$_r$)\,($r=1,2$). Using the dressing transformation (DT) method and the related tau functions we study the AKNS$_{r}$ system for the vanishing, (constant) non-vanishing and the mixed boundary conditions, and their associated bright, dark, and bright-dark N-soliton solutions, respectively. Moreover, we introduce a modified DT related to the dressing group in order to consider the free field boundary condition and derive generalized N-dark-dark solitons. As a reduced submodel of the AKNS$_r$ system we study the properties of the focusing, defocusing and mixed focusing-defocusing versions of the so-called coupled non-linear Schrödinger equation ($r-$CNLS), which has recently been considered in many physical applications. We have shown that two$-$dark$-$dark$-$soliton bound states exist in the AKNS$_2$ system, and three$-$ and higher$-$dark$-$dark$-$soliton bound states can not exist. The AKNS$_r$\,($r\geq 3$) extension is briefly discussed in this approach. The properties and calculations of some matrix elements using level one vertex operators are outlined.
We present changes of variables that transform new integrable hierarchies found by Szablikowski and Błaszak using the $R$-matrix deformation technique [J. Math. Phys. 47 (2006), paper 043505, nlin.SI/0501044] into known Harry-Dym-type and mKdV-type hierarchies.