Norovirus GII.Pe Genotype: Tracking a Foodborne Outbreak on a Cruise Ship Through Molecular Epidemiology,Brazil, 2014

Norovirus (NoV) is recognized as the most common cause of foodborne outbreaks. In 2014, an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis occurred on a cruise ship in Brazil, and NoV became the suspected etiology. Here we present the molecular identification of the NoV strains and the use of sequence analysis to determine modes of virus transmission. Food (cream cheese, tuna salad, grilled fish, orange mousse, and vegetables soup) and clinical samples were analyzed by ELISA, conventional RT-PCR, qRT-PCR, and sequencing. Genogroup GII NoV was identified by ELISA and conventional RT-PCR in fecal samples from 5 of 12 patients tested (41.7%), and in the orange mousse food sample by conventional RT-PCR and qRT-PCR. Two fecal GII NoV samples and the orange mousse GII NoV sample were successfully genotyped as GII.Pe (ORF 1), revealed 98.0–98.8% identities among them, and shared phylogenetically distinct cluster. Establishing the source of a NoV outbreak can be a challenging task. In this report, the molecular analysis of the partial RdRp NoV gene provided a powerful tool for genotyping (GII.Pe) and tracking of outbreak-related samples. In addition, the same fast and simple extraction methods applied to clinical samples could be successfully used for complex food matrices, and have the potential to be introduced in routine laboratories for screening foods for presence of NoV.     

Use of Preservative Agents and Antibiotics for Increased Poliovirus Survival on Positively Charged Filters

Environmental surveillance of poliovirus (PV) and other non-enveloped viruses can help identify silent circulation and is necessary to certify eradication. The bag-mediated filtration system is an efficient method to filter large volumes of environmental waters at field sites for monitoring the presence of viruses. As filters may require long transit times to off-site laboratories for processing, viral inactivation or overgrowth of bacteria and fungi can interfere with virus detection and quantification (Miki and Jacquet in Aquatic Microb Ecol 51(2):195–208, 2008). To evaluate virus survival over time on ViroCap^? filters, the filters were seeded with PV type 1 (PV1) and/or MS2 and then dosed with preservatives or antibiotics prior to storage and elution. These filters were stored at various temperatures and time periods, and then eluted for PV1 and MS2 recovery quantification. Filters dosed with the preservative combination of 2% sodium benzoate and 0.2% calcium propionate had increased virus survival over time when stored at 25 °C, compared to samples stored at 25 °C with no preservatives. While elution within 24 h of filtration is recommended, if storage or shipping is required then this preservative mixture can help preserve sample integrity. Addition of an antibiotic cocktail containing cephapirin, gentamicin, and Proclin^? 300 increased recovery after storage at 4 and 25 °C, when compared to storage with no antibiotics. The antibiotic cocktail can aid sample preservation if access to appropriate antibiotics storage is available and sample cold chain is unreliable. This study demonstrated that the use of preservatives or antibiotics is a simple, cost-effective method to improve virus detection from ViroCap cartridge filters over time.     

DNA Heat Treatment for Improving qPCR Analysis of Human Adenovirus in Wastewater

PCR inhibitory substances in complex sample matrices can cause false negatives or under-estimation of target concentration. This study assessed DNA heat treatment for reducing inhibition during qPCR analysis of human adenovirus (HAdV) in wastewater samples. Inhibition was reduced by heat treating DNA, where mean HAdV concentration was increased by 0.71 log₁₀ GC/L (and up to 3.04 log₁₀ GC/L in one case), and replicate variability and false negatives were reduced. DNA heat treatment should be further investigated for improving reliability of HAdV concentration estimates in water, which can support more accurate assessment of health risks associated with viral pathogen exposure.     

Assessment and Evaluation of an Integrated Hybrid Anaerobic–Aerobic Sewage Treatment System for the Removal of Enteric Viruses

The capability of a cost-effective and a small size decentralized pilot wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to remove enteric viruses such as rotavirus, norovirus genogroup I (GGI), norovirus genogroup II (GGII), Hepatitis E virus (HEV), and adenovirus was studied. This pilot plant is an integrated hybrid anaerobic/aerobic setup which consisted of anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB), biological aerated filter (BAF), and inclined plate settler (IPS). Both the UASB and BAF are packed with a non-woven polyester fabric (NWPF). Results indicated that the overall log₁₀ reductions of enteric viruses’ genome copies through the whole system were 3.1 ± 1, 3.3 ± 0.5, and 2.6 ± 0.9 log₁₀ for rotavirus, norovirus GGI, and adenovirus, respectively. Reduction efficiency for both norovirus GGII and HEV after the different treatment steps could not be calculated because there were no significant numbers of positive samples for both viruses. The overall reduction of rotavirus infectious units through the whole system was 2.2 ± 0.8 log₁₀ reduction which is very close to the overall log₁₀ reduction of adenovirus infectious units through the whole system which was 2.1 ± 0.8 log₁₀ reduction. There was no considerable difference in the removal efficiency for different rotavirus G and P types. Adenovirus 41 was the only type detected in the all positive samples. Although the pilot WWTP investigated is cost effective, has a small footprint, does not need a long distance network pipes, and easy to operate, its efficiency to remove enteric viruses is comparable with the conventional centralized WWTPs.     

因子分析在黄河上游干流地区滑坡灾害中的应用

黄河上游地区干流滑坡灾害频繁发生,造成了严重的经济损失和人员伤亡。对该区滑坡灾害进行研究,对于指导该区的抗灾、减灾和预防工作意义重大。采用遥感技术和野外采样实测,获取了研究区的129处滑坡灾害数据,进而对滑坡灾害影响因素进行了因子分析。通过因子分析,得到公因子,并对公因子命名。在此基础上,计算了因子得分及综合得分,并对其进行了排序。研究结果表明:灾害数据变量之间有较强的相关性,滑坡发生主要受到滑体标高因子、滑体外形因子、地表因子、环境因子和滑体性质5个公共因子的影响。滑体标高、环境特征和滑体性质对滑坡的影响较大,滑体外形因素和地表因素对滑坡发生的影响相对较小。     

黑龙江及周边中强震前不同参数模型矩加速释放(AMR)现象特征分析

应用时间破裂分析方程中表征地震距释放程度的m值,选取不同空间尺度进行时空扫描研究,得到震前1年以每2个月为时间间隔的空间m值随时间变化的分布图像,运用不同参数设置计算了地震前Benioff累积应变释放特征。通过对比这些变化找出研究区内m值空间分布搜索主震破裂点扫描效果较好的参数模型,尝试性地给出了"矩释放程度空间扫描"方法应用于地震预测的经验指标。并结合与矩加速释放具有相同物理机制的加卸载响应比(Load/Unload Response Ratio)方法进行综合分析,利用这两种方法对地震进行中短期预测,达到两种方法互相检验、相互辅助的目的。考虑到本文仅对6个震例进行研究,无法给出具有统计显著性的结论,所以仍需结合其他方法进行点、线、面的综合分析。     

城市应急避难场所服务能力评价综述

应急避难场所对于救灾及灾后恢复都具有至关重要的作用。近年来有关应急避难场所的研究重点逐渐由场地选址转移到了空间优化配置及服务能力提升等方面。对我国城市应急避难场所的现状问题进行分析,提出从避难者的需求出发提升应急避难场所的服务水平;对城市应急避难服务能力评价的有关研究进行了整理,总结归纳了相关评价指标及评价方法。认为目前应急避难场所服务能力评价工作还有待进一步研究,应该建立合适的评价体系,为提高城市应急避难场所服务能力提供决策依据。