Introduction: Rabies as a zoonosis threatens public health worldwide. Several thousand people die each year of infections by the rabies virus (RABV). Oral rabies vaccination (ORV) of wildlife was successfully implemented in many European countries and led to rabies being brought under control there. In Poland, ORV was introduced in 1993 using vaccines containing an attenuated strain of the rabies virus. However, attenuated rabies viruses may have residual pathogenicity and cause the disease in target and non-target animals. Material and Methods: A red fox carcass was tested as part of national rabies surveillance, and its brain was screened for RABV infection using two conjugates and a fluorescent antibody test (FAT). The rabies virus was isolated in mouse neuroblastoma cells by rabies tissue culture infection test (RTCIT), and viral RNA was detected by heminested reverse transcriptase PCR (hnRT-PCR) as well as by quantitative real-time RT-PCR (rtRT-qPCR). An amplicon of 600 bp was subjected to Sanger sequencing. To differentiate between vaccine and field RABV strains, PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) using the Dra I, Msp I, Nla IV and Mbo II restriction endonucleases was performed. Results: The rabies virus was detected in the fox’s brain using FAT, RTCIT and molecular tests. The PCR-RFLP revealed of vaccine-induced rabies, and full-length genome analysis showed 100% nucleotide sequence identity of the isolate with the reference sequences of Street Alabama Dufferin Bern (SAD Bern) vaccine strains and other vaccine-induced rabies virus isolates detected in animals and deposited in GenBank. Conclusion: We detected vaccine-induced rabies for the first time in Poland in a fox during routine rabies surveillance.

Rabies as a zoonosis threatens public health worldwide. Several thousand people die each year of infections by the rabies virus (RABV). Oral rabies vaccination (ORV) of wildlife was successfully implemented in many European countries and led to rabies being brought under control there. In Poland, ORV was introduced in 1993 using vaccines containing an attenuated strain of the rabies virus. However, attenuated rabies viruses may have residual pathogenicity and cause the disease in target and non-target animals.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes one of the most dangerous diseases of pigs and wild boar – African swine fever (ASF). Since its second introduction into Europe (in 2007), the disease has been spreading consistently, and now ASF-free European countries are at risk. Complex interactions between the host’s immune system and the virus have long prevented the development of a safe vaccine against ASF. This study analysed the possibility of neutralisation of the ASFV in vitro by sera collected from ASF-survivor animals. Two pig and three wild boar serum samples were collected from previously selected potential ASF survivors. All sera presented high antibody titres (>5 log₁₀/mL). Primary alveolar macrophages were cultured in growth medium containing 10% and 20% concentrations of selected sera and infected with a haemadsorbing ASFV strain (Pol18_28298_O111, genotype II). The progress of infection was investigated under a light microscope by observing the cytopathic effect (CPE) and the haemadsorption phenomenon. Growth kinetics were investigated using a real-time PCR assay. Haemadsorption inhibition was detected in the presence of almost all selected sera; however, the inhibition of virus replication in vitro was excluded. In all samples, a CPE and decreasing quantification cycle values of the viral DNA were found. Anti-ASFV antibodies alone are not able to inhibit virus replication. Interactions between the humoral and cellular immune response which effectively combat the disease are implicated in an ASF-survivor’s organism.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes one of the most dangerous diseases of pigs and wild boar – African swine fever (ASF). Since its second introduction into Europe (in 2007), the disease has been spreading consistently, and now ASF-free European countries are at risk. Complex interactions between the host’s immune system and the virus have long prevented the development of a safe vaccine against ASF. This study analysed the possibility of neutralisation of the ASFV in vitro by sera collected from ASF-survivor animals.

Dogs with chronic kidney disease (CKD) may have alterations in the glomerular filtration barrier, including podocyte loss. Detection of podocyte mRNA in urine could be useful for assessing podocyturia in dogs with kidney disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of nephrin mRNA (NPHS1) and podocin mRNA (NPHS2) in urine sediments of dogs with naturally occurring CKD and healthy dogs. Twenty-four dogs, 14 with CKD and 10 as healthy controls, underwent clinical evaluation. The dogs with CKD were divided into two groups, according to the International Renal Interest Society criteria: stage 1 or 2 CKD (n = 5) and stage 3 or 4 CKD (n = 9). Urine was collected by catheterisation or free catch and RNA isolation from the urine sediments was optimised using glycogen as a co-precipitant. Detection of NPHS1 and NPHS2 in the sediment samples was performed using quantitative real-time PCR. Both types of mRNA were detected in samples from all groups, but the percentages of detection were higher in the group of dogs with stage 1 or 2 CKD and lower in the group of dogs with stage 3 or 4 disease. Physiological podocyturia was observed in healthy dogs, and the results suggest differential podocyturia in dogs with CKD, according to the stage of the disease, i.e. an increase in podocyturia in dogs at stage 1 or 2 and a reduction in podocyturia in dogs at stage 3 or 4.

Dogs with chronic kidney disease (CKD) may have alterations in the glomerular filtration barrier, including podocyte loss. Detection of podocyte mRNA in urine could be useful for assessing podocyturia in dogs with kidney disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of nephrin mRNA (NPHS1) and podocin mRNA (NPHS2) in urine sediments of dogs with naturally occurring CKD and healthy dogs.

Potential biomarkers for chronic seasonal heat stress in Kagoshima Berkshire pigs reared in the subtropical region were investigated by comparing the biomarker changes in the summer (a period of chronic heat stress) and winter (a thermoneutral period) seasons. Pigs were allocated to summer- and winter-finishing cohorts, 12 each. The evaluations included assessment of carcass traits and internal organs’ normality carried out at the time of slaughter, and measurement of biomarkers in whole blood: derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) and biological antioxidant potential as markers of oxidative stress, and serum amyloid A and albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio as markers of acute and chronic inflammation, respectively. The summer-finished pigs reared under subtropical field conditions showed lower carcass quality than the winter-finished pigs, indicating a potential adverse effect of summer temperatures on the swine industry. Marginal changes were observed in d-ROMs and the A/G ratio between the summer- and winter-finishing cohorts. The results demonstrate that d-ROMs and the A/G ratio could be used as sensitive markers for heat stress under field conditions.

Potential biomarkers for chronic seasonal heat stress in Kagoshima Berkshire pigs reared in the subtropical region were investigated by comparing the biomarker changes in the summer (a period of chronic heat stress) and winter (a thermoneutral period) seasons.