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- Ivanova, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Hepatitis E Virus in Domestic Pigs, Wild Boars, Pig Farm Workers, and Hunters in Estonia
- 2015
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Ingår i: Food and Environmnetal Virology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1867-0334 .- 1867-0342. ; 7:4, s. 403-412
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- While hepatitis E is a growing health concern in Europe, epidemiological data on hepatitis E virus (HEV) in Estonia are scarce. Along with imported HEV infections, autochthonous cases are reported from European countries. Both domestic and wild animals can be a source of human cases of this zoonosis. Here, we investigated the presence of anti-HEV antibodies and HEV RNA in domestic pigs and wild boars, as well as in pig farm workers and hunters in Estonia. Anti-HEV antibodies were detected in 234/380 (61.6 %) of sera from domestic pigs and in all investigated herds, and in 81/471 (17.2 %) of meat juice samples from wild boars. HEV RNA was detected by real-time PCR in 103/449 (22.9 %) of fecal samples from younger domestic pigs and 13/81 (16.0 %) of anti-HEV-positive wild boar samples. Analysis of sera from 67 pig farm workers and 144 hunters revealed the presence of HEV-specific IgG in 13.4 and 4.2 % of the samples, respectively. No HEV RNA was detected in the human serum samples. Phylogenetic analyses of HEV sequences from domestic pigs and wild boars, based on a 245 bp fragment from the open reading frame 2 showed that all of them belonged to genotype 3. The present study demonstrates the presence of HEV in Estonian domestic pig and wild boar populations, as well as in humans who have direct regular contact with these animals. Our results suggest that HEV infections are present in Estonia and require attention.
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| 2. |
- Bergström, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Grey wolf genomic history reveals a dual ancestry of dogs
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 607:7918, s. 313-320
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The grey wolf (Canis lupus) was the first species to give rise to a domestic population, and they remained widespread throughout the last Ice Age when many other large mammal species went extinct. Little is known, however, about the history and possible extinction of past wolf populations or when and where the wolf progenitors of the present-day dog lineage (Canis familiaris) lived. Here we analysed 72 ancient wolf genomes spanning the last 100,000 years from Europe, Siberia and North America. We found that wolf populations were highly connected throughout the Late Pleistocene, with levels of differentiation an order of magnitude lower than they are today. This population connectivity allowed us to detect natural selection across the time series, including rapid fixation of mutations in the gene IFT88 40,000–30,000 years ago. We show that dogs are overall more closely related to ancient wolves from eastern Eurasia than to those from western Eurasia, suggesting a domestication process in the east. However, we also found that dogs in the Near East and Africa derive up to half of their ancestry from a distinct population related to modern southwest Eurasian wolves, reflecting either an independent domestication process or admixture from local wolves. None of the analysed ancient wolf genomes is a direct match for either of these dog ancestries, meaning that the exact progenitor populations remain to be located.
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| 4. |
- Hampton, DeeAndria, et al.
(författare)
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Philanthropy during COVID‐19 : Learnings and recommendations for philanthropic organizations navigating crisis
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing. - 2691-1361 .- 2691-1361. ; 29:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This practice paper articulates the key learnings for philanthropic organizations based on their experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Which actions can philanthropic organizations take to best support community needs during times of crisis? To answer this question, we synthesize information about how philanthropic organizations responded during the early COVID-19 crisis (spring―fall 2020) across 11 countries: Australia, Austria, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Sweden, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America. Results indicate four key actions that we recommend philanthropic organizations take during times of crisis: (1) Assess community needs; (2) engage with volunteers and donors; (3) communicate effectively and strategically with volunteers, donors, and the public; and (4) focus on equity.
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| 5. |
- Ivanova, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Detection of Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis and Ehrlichia muris in Estonian ticks
- 2017
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Ingår i: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-959X .- 1877-9603. ; 8:1, s. 13-17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- So far neglected bacteria like Candidatud Neoehrlichia mikurensis and Ehrlichia muris-like agents get increased attention in the recent past. Ixodid ticks were demonstrated to harbor both of these pathogens. Estonia is populated by two medically important tick species, I. ricinus and I. persulcatus. In this study the presence of E. muris and Candidatus N. mikurensis in these two tick species was investigated. Tick DNA was analyzed by nested PCR and subsequent sequencing for the presence of 16S rRNA of E. muris and Candidatus N. mikurensis. Positive samples were further confirmed by amplification and sequencing of the partial groESL-operon. The obtained partial groESL sequences were used for construction of amaximum likelihood tree. In total, 776 ticks from 36 collection sites situated in 7 counties on the mainland of Estonia and 2 sites situated in one county on the island Saaremaa were collected. 548 were I. ricinus and 228 were 1. persulcatus. Only in 5 counties (11 sites) samples positive for the Anaplasmataceae 16S rRNA gene were found. The percentage of Candidatus N. mikurensis positive ticks varied from 1% to- 9.1% at different sites. In Eastern and South-Eastern Estonia, the area where I. ricinus and 1. persulcatus are sympatric, no Candidatus.N. mikurensis was found. Ticks carrying E. muris were found in three counties, the site-specific percentage of positive ticks varied from 1.2% to 25.6%. This is the first study revealing the presence of Candidatus N. mikurensis and E. muris in Estonian ticks. Candidatus N. mikurensis was found only in the western part of the country exclusively in I. ricinus and the phylogenetic analysis revealed close relatedness of the Estonian sequences to other European Candidatus N. mikurensis strains. E. muris was detected mostly in I. persulcatus and only in one I. ricinus in the sympatric area of both tick species. This is in correspondence with the observation that this pathogen is more often found in I. persulcatus than in I. ricinus. This study demonstrates the presence of Candidatus N. mikurensis and E. muris in Estonian ticks and highlights the necessity to raise awareness of symptoms by healthcare professionals.
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