The sudden emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) at the end of 2002 resulted in 774 reported deaths from more than 8000 cases worldwide. As no effective vaccines or antiviral agents are available, the most effective measure to prevent the expansion of a SARS epidemic is the rapid diagnosis and isolation of SARS patients. To establish specific diagnostic methods, we generated nine clones of monoclonal antibodies to nucleocapsid protein (NP) of SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV). On immunofluorescent antibody assay and Western blotting analysis, none of the monoclonal antibodies showed cross-reactivity to authentic and recombinant NPs of human coronavirus (HCoV) 229E strain. To determine the region on the NP molecule where the monoclonal antibodies bind, we generated four truncated recombinant NPs and analyzed the reactivity between monoclonal antibodies and truncated NPs. Two monoclonal antibodies reacted with a truncated NP covering from amino acid residues 111 to 230, and seven reacted with another truncated NP covering from amino acid residues 221 to 340. Epitope mapping analysis indicated that monoclonal antibody SN5-25 recognized the amino acid sequence Qsup(245)TVTKKsup(250) on SARS-NP. Within the epitope, Q245, T246, V247, K249, and K250 appeared to form an essential motif for monoclonal antibody SN5-25 to bind. The information about binding sites and epitopes of monoclonal antibodies may be useful for the development of new diagnostic methods for SARS and for analyzing the function of N protein of SARS-CoV.

Anthrax is endemic in Western and North-western Provinces of Zambia. The disease occurs throughout the year and impacts negatively on the economy of the livestock industry and public health in Zambia. During 1989-1995, there were 1,626 suspected cases of anthrax in cattle in Western province and of these 51 were confirmed. There were 220 cases of human anthrax cases in 1990 alone and 248 cases during 1991-1998 with 19.1% and 7.7% case fatality rates, respectively. Interplay of the ecology of affected areas and anthropogenic factors seem to trigger anthrax epidemics. Anthrax has drawn considerable attention in recent years due to its potential use as a biological weapon. In this paper, the history, current status and approaches towards the control of the disease in Zambia are discussed. Quarantine measures restrict trade of livestock and exchange of animals for draught power resulting in poor food security at household levels. Challenges of anthrax control are complex and comprise of socio-political, economical, environmental and cultural factors. Inadequate funding, lack of innovative disease control strategies and lack of cooperation from stakeholders are the major constraints to the control of the disease.

In order to examine whether iodine supplements may have caused a global decline in sperm concentrations during the past several decades, the synchronicity of the decline in mean sperm counts and the introduction of io-dine supplements was analyzed statistically. A positive correlation between the incidence of thyroid disease and sperm counts has been detected in Europe. In addition, it has been shown that sperm counts began falling around 1965 in the United States, 40years after iodine supplements were introduced. Mean sperm counts before and after 1965 were 111 10 sup(6)/ml and 70 10 sup(6)/ml, respec-tively, in calculations weighted by the number of subjects included in each in-dividual publication. The timing of the declines coincided with the introduc-tion of iodine supplements in the United States, France, and the United King-dom. The implications are that the global decline in sperm concentrations may be caused by iodine intake. Geographical variation in the types of sperm count decline also appears to be present.

The efficacy of several povidone-iodine (PVP-I) products, a number of other chemical agents, and various physical conditions were evaluated for their ability to inactivate the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV). Treatment of SARS-CoV with PVP-I products for 2 min reduced the virus infectivity from 1.17 x 10**6 TCID sub(50)/ml to below the detectable level. The efficacy of 70% ethanol was equivalent to that of PVP-I products. Fixation of SARS-CoV-infected Vero E6 cells with a fixative including formalin, glutaraldehyde, methanol, and acetone for 5 min or longer eliminated all infectivity. Heating the virus at 56 deg C for 5 min dramatically reduced the infectivity of the virus from 2.6 x 10**7 to 40 TCID sub(50)/ml, whereas heating the virus for 60 min or longer eliminated all infectivity. Irradiation with ultraviolet light at 134MicroW/square cm for 15 min reduced the infectivity from 3.8 x 10**7 to 180 TCID sub(50)/ml; however, prolonged irradiation (60 min) failed to eliminate the remaining virus, leaving 18.8 TCID sub(50)/ml. We believe that these findings will be useful for the implementation of infection contiol measures against SARS, and for the establishment of effective guidelines for the prevention of SARS outbreaks.

The health hazards of individual organophosphorus insecticides have been characterized by their acute toxicity, mainly by investigating their cholinesterase inhibition. However, the chronic effects of most of these toxicants on the drug-metabolizing enzymes have not been investigated. Profenofos (O-4-bromo-2-chlorophenyl O-ethyl S-propyl phosphorothioate) is an organophosphorus pesticide widely used in cotton cultivation. In the present study, we investigated the effect of profenofos on male-specific cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes in adult Wistar rats. We orally administered 17.8 mg/kg body weight, twice weekly for 65 days. Profenofos downregulated levels of hepatic and testicular CYP2C11 and CYP3A2 mRNA and protein expression. Testicular aromatase (CYP19A) mRNA was decreased in the profenofos-treated rats compared to controls. Overall, the present study suggests that profenofos acts as an endocrine disruptor of male-specific CYP enzymes and affects testosterone concentration, which implicates its deleterious effects on animal or human males chronically exposed to organophosphorus pesticide.

Puumala virus (PUUV), a causative agent of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), is prevalent in Europe and European Russia. No vaccine has been developed for PUUV-associated HFRS, primarily because of the low viral yield in cultured cells. A PUUV strain known as DTK/Ufa-97 was isolated in Russia and adapted for growth in Vero E6 cells maintained in serum-free medium. The DTK/Ufa-97 strain produced a higher viral titer in serum-free medium, suggesting that it may prove useful in the development of an HFRS vaccine. When PUUV-infected Vero E6 cells were grown in serum-free medium, the DTK/Ufa-97 strain yielded more copies of intracellular viral RNA and a higher viral titer in the culture fluid than did the Sotkamo strain. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that PUUVs can be classified into multiple lineages according to geographical origin, and that the DTK/Ufa-97 strain is a member of the Bashkiria-Saratov lineage. The deduced amino acid sequences of the small, medium, and large segments of the DTK/Ufa-97 strain were 99.2% to 100%, 99.3% to 99.8%, and 99.8% identical, respectively, to those of the Bashkirian PUUV strains and 96.9%, 92.6%, and 97.4% identical, respectively, to those of the Sotkamo strain, indicating that the PUUVs are genetically diverse. However, DTK/Ufa-97 and other strains of PUUV exhibited similar patterns of binding to a panel of monoclonal antibodies against Hantaan virus. In addition, diluted antisera (i.e., ranging from 1:160 to 1:640) specific to three strains of PUUV neutralized both homologous and heterologous viruses. These results suggest that the DTK/Ufa-97 strain is capable of extensive growth and is antigenically similar to genetically distant strains of PUUV.