Article
Veterinary Sciences
Gerhard Steenkamp, Sonja C. Boy, Paul J. van Staden, Marthan N. Bester
Summary: Focal palatine erosion is a misleading term used to describe random palatitis that occurs in cheetahs. This inflammation is often associated with foreign material trapped in palatal depressions, and conservative management by removing and flushing out the foreign material is sufficient for treating these animals.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Tatsufumi Usui, Miya Ueda, Akinori Azumano, Mika Nomura, Toru Arima, Koichi Murata, Toshihiro Ito, Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi
Summary: In January 2019, four cheetahs at a Japanese zoo showed respiratory signs following an incidence of seasonal influenza in animal caregivers. A(H1N1)pdm09 virus was confirmed in the cheetahs through non-invasive collection of respiratory materials and plasma samples. The study demonstrates the possibility of reverse zoonotic transmission from humans to cheetahs in zoo settings.
ZOONOSES AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Sara Mangiaterra, Anne Schmidt-Kuntzel, Laurie Marker, Alessandro Di Cerbo, Renato Piccinini, Davide Guadagnini, Maria Elena Turba, Sara Berardi, Livio Galosi, Silvia Preziuso, Matteo Cerquetella, Giacomo Rossi
Summary: This study evaluated the efficacy of a specific probiotic mixture in cheetahs, showing that high concentrations of live probiotics can help manage gastrointestinal signs in these animals.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Kelsey Lee Brown, Andre Ganswindt, Gerhard Steenkamp, Adrian Stephen Wolferstan Tordiffe
Summary: This study investigated how offering larger quantities of food less frequently could affect the health of captive-born cheetahs. The results suggest that reducing feeding frequency could improve the gastrointestinal health of captive cheetahs without causing significant stress.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kodzue Kinoshita, Misa Suzuki, Yuuta Sasaki, Aya Yonezawa, Hisayoshi Kamitani, Ryuta Okuda, Tatsuya Ishikawa, Kenta Tsukui, Shiro Kohshima
Summary: Olfactory communication is common among cheetahs, with urine spraying and scraping behaviors strongly associated with sniffing. These behaviors are predominantly observed in adults, with scraping behavior found only in males. The frequencies of these behaviors were higher in males kept in shared enclosures compared to those in monopolized enclosures, while there was no difference among females. These results may be influenced by social differences between the sexes and the living environment.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Noreen M. Mutoro, Robert Chira, Nathan Gichuki, Edward Kariuki, Jonas Eberle, Jan Christian Habel, Mary Wykstra
Summary: The conversion of natural ecosystems by human activities has led to the destruction and deterioration of natural habitats. This study examines the diet preference of cheetahs in the rangelands of south-eastern Kenya and finds that their preference for prey is not influenced by the abundance of specific prey species.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Isabel Seyrling, Paul Wilhelm Dierkes, Anna Lena Burger
Summary: This study investigates the day-time and night-time behavior of lions and cheetahs in zoos and finds that light and feeding time play a significant role in their behavior rhythms. The results suggest that taking into account 24-hour rhythms can help improve management and husbandry practices. This study makes a valuable contribution to understanding the factors influencing lion and cheetah behavior in zoos.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Diana C. Koester, Morgan A. Maly, Sarah Putman, Katie L. Edwards, Karen Meeks, Adrienne E. Crosier
Summary: This study examines and compares the ovarian and adrenal hormone levels in pregnant and non-pregnant cheetahs after ovulation to gain insights into female physiology and potential factors contributing to low reproductive success. The study also validates a urinary progestagen assay for pregnancy detection. The results provide valuable information on the hormonal events surrounding ovulation and pregnancy detection in cheetahs.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Stefan Prost, Ana Paula Machado, Julia Zumbroich, Lisa Preier, Sarita Mahtani-Williams, Rene Meissner, Katerina Guschanski, Jaelle C. Brealey, Carlos Rodriguez Fernandes, Paul Vercammen, Luke T. B. Hunter, Alexei V. Abramov, Martin Plasil, Petr Horin, Lena Godsall-Bottriell, Paul Bottriell, Desire Lee Dalton, Antoinette Kotze, Pamela Anna Burger
Summary: Cheetahs, as apex predators, play important roles in ecosystems, but they are facing a precarious conservation status due to habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and illegal trafficking. A comprehensive genome-wide analysis of cheetah phylogeography revealed that their genetic differentiation is more complex than previously thought, with distinct genetic characteristics in East African cheetahs compared to Southern African cheetahs. Inbreeding was observed in critically endangered Iranian and Northwestern subspecies, and cheetahs were found to have the lowest genome-wide heterozygosity among big cats. These findings provide valuable information for evidence-based conservation policy decisions and protecting this species in light of ongoing translocations and the threat of illegal trafficking.
Article
Biology
Alexandra Weyrich, Tania P. Guerrero-Altamirano, Selma Yasar, Gabor A. Czirjak, Bettina Wachter, Joerns Fickel
Summary: Free-ranging cheetahs are generally healthy, while cheetahs under human care suffer from disease. Differences in environment and gene expression may contribute to these disparities.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Sara Mangiaterra, Silvia Vincenzetti, Giacomo Rossi, Andrea Marchegiani, Alessandra Gavazza, Thierry Petit, Gianni Sagratini, Massimo Ricciutelli, Matteo Cerquetella
Summary: This study evaluates the fecal proteome in cheetahs with gastrointestinal disorders, aiming to identify potential new biomarkers for diagnosing and monitoring these diseases. The analysis reveals differences in the fecal proteome between healthy and diseased cheetahs, demonstrating the potential of fecal proteomics for understanding the gastrointestinal environment and discovering diagnostic markers.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Alexia Tommasi, Jacek A. Koziel, Annelin H. Molotsi, Giulia Esposito
Summary: This review provides an in-depth overview of the reproductive physiology and behavior of cheetahs, focusing on the role of pheromones. Further research is needed to investigate the role of semiochemicals in cheetah reproductive behavior to address current difficulties in breeding younger females. Breeding methods in some centers have shown success in utilizing semiochemicals to successfully breed cheetahs in captivity.
Article
Parasitology
Gereon Schares, Maike Joeres, Franziska Rachel, Mareen Tuschy, Gabor a. Czirjak, Pavlo Maksimov, Franz J. Conraths, Bettina Wachter
Summary: Through studying fecal samples from two free-ranging cheetahs in Namibia, a previously unknown Besnoitia species closely related to B. darlingi, B. neotomofelis, B. oryctofelisi, B. akodoni or B. jellisoni was discovered.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Article
Virology
Morgan E. Marino, Melanie A. Mironovich, Nikole E. Ineck, Scott B. Citino, Jessica A. Emerson, David J. Maggs, Lyndon M. Coghill, Edward J. Dubovi, Rachel C. Turner, Renee T. Carter, Andrew C. Lewin
Summary: The study analyzed feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) in captive cheetahs and found that some cheetahs vaccinated with domestic cat vaccines developed diseases, with some mutations in the viral genomes. By sequencing, it was discovered that some cheetah FHV-1 isolates were similar to FHV-1 isolates from domestic cats in the USA, while the ancestral origin of two other cheetah FHV-1 isolates involved recombination events.
Article
Developmental Biology
Morgan A. Maly, Katie L. Edwards, Charlotte E. Farin, Diana C. Koester, Adrienne E. Crosier
Summary: This study aimed to identify the age of pubertal onset in ex situ female cheetahs using non-invasive faecal steroid hormone monitoring and body weights, finding that females aged 24 to 30 months exhibited a marked rise in mean FOM concentration, leading to the conclusion that they were pubertal. These findings have significant implications for the management and reproductive success of cheetahs.
REPRODUCTION FERTILITY AND DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Maximilian Gertler, Eva Krause, Welmoed van Loon, Niklas Krug, Franka Kausch, Chiara Rohardt, Heike Roessig, Janine Michel, Andreas Nitsche, Marcus A. Mall, Olga Nikolai, Franziska Hommes, Susen Burock, Andreas K. Lindner, Frank P. Mockenhaupt, Ulrich Pison, Joachim Seybold
Summary: This study evaluated the sensitivity of self-sampling techniques in COVID-19 patients and found that self-collected oral/nasal/saliva samples have higher sensitivity. However, sensitivity decreases with lower viral load and longer duration of illness.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Marica Grossegesse, Paula Leupold, Joerg Doellinger, Lars Schaade, Andreas Nitsche
Summary: This study tested five different proteomics lysis buffers for their inactivation capacity of coronaviruses, with results showing that at room temperature, SDS, SDC, and TFA successfully inactivated both coronaviruses, while GdmCl and urea resulted in partially incomplete inactivation.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Saloni Agarwal, Christian Warmt, Joerg Henkel, Livia Schrick, Andreas Nitsche, Frank F. Bier
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the necessity of developing ASSURED POCT technology. LAMP-LFA represents a highly sensitive and specific method for nucleic acid amplification, particularly in detecting SARS-CoV-2 N gene. This approach offers quick, accurate detection of the virus within a short timeframe.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Marica Grossegesse, Daniel Bourquain, Markus Neumann, Lars Schaade, Jessica Schulze, Christin Mache, Thorsten Wolff, Andreas Nitsche, Joerg Doellinger
Summary: This study analyzed the protein expression of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 infected human lung cells and found that SARS-CoV-2 triggers a stronger interferon-stimulated gene expression compared to SARS-CoV, possibly due to the higher abundance of viral M protein in SARS-CoV. This study expands our knowledge of the host response to SARS-CoV-2 infections.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laura Vierbaum, Nathalie Wojtalewicz, Hans-Peter Grunert, Vanessa Lindig, Ulf Duehring, Christian Drosten, Victor Corman, Daniela Niemeyer, Sandra Ciesek, Holger F. Rabenau, Annemarie Berger, Martin Obermeier, Andreas Nitsche, Janine Michel, Martin Mielke, Jim Huggett, Denise O'Sullivan, Eloise Busby, Simon Cowen, Peter M. Vallone, Megan H. Cleveland, Samreen Falak, Andreas Kummrow, Thomas Keller, Ingo Schellenberg, Heinz Zeichhardt, Martin Kammel
Summary: To track the circulation of SARS-CoV-2, reliable diagnostic methods are required. However, interlaboratory studies have shown high variability in the reported Ct values. In order to estimate the viral load, standards were introduced, and reference materials containing heat-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 were established. These reference materials proved to be a suitable tool for determining the specific laboratory Ct for a given viral load and could also be used as run controls to ensure the reproducibility of quantitative measurements.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Nele Alexandra ten Hagen, Friederike Twele, Sebastian Meller, Paula Jendrny, Claudia Schulz, Maren von Koeckritz-Blickwede, Ab Osterhaus, Hans Ebbers, Isabell Pink, Tobias Welte, Michael Peter Manns, Thomas Illig, Anahita Fathi, Marylyn Martina Addo, Andreas Nitsche, Andreas Puyskens, Janine Michel, Eva Krause, Rosina Ehmann, Albrecht von Brunn, Christiane Ernst, Katrin Zwirglmaier, Roman Woelfel, Alexandra Nau, Eva Philipp, Michael Engels, Esther Schalke, Holger Andreas Volk
Summary: This study found that detection dogs can differentiate between SARS-CoV-2 infections and other viral infections with high specificity. However, the diagnostic sensitivities of the scent dogs in this study were lower compared to earlier research. Including a variety of samples from different viral respiratory tract infections in dog training is crucial to ensure successful discrimination process in deploying COVID-19 detection dogs as a reliable screening method.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Fernando Meyer, Adrian Fritz, Zhi-Luo Deng, David Koslicki, Till Robin Lesker, Alexey Gurevich, Gary Robertson, Mohammed Alser, Dmitry Antipov, Francesco Beghini, Denis Bertrand, Jaqueline J. Brito, C. Titus Brown, Jan Buchmann, Aydin Buluc, Bo Chen, Rayan Chikhi, Philip T. L. C. Clausen, Alexandru Cristian, Piotr Wojciech Dabrowski, Aaron E. Darling, Rob Egan, Eleazar Eskin, Evangelos Georganas, Eugene Goltsman, Melissa A. Gray, Lars Hestbjerg Hansen, Steven Hofmeyr, Pingqin Huang, Luiz Irber, Huijue Jia, Tue Sparholt Jorgensen, Silas D. Kieser, Terje Klemetsen, Axel Kola, Mikhail Kolmogorov, Anton Korobeynikov, Jason Kwan, Nathan LaPierre, Claire Lemaitre, Chenhao Li, Antoine Limasset, Fabio Malcher-Miranda, Serghei Mangul, Vanessa R. Marcelino, Camille Marchet, Pierre Marijon, Dmitry Meleshko, Daniel R. Mende, Alessio Milanese, Niranjan Nagarajan, Jakob Nissen, Sergey Nurk, Leonid Oliker, Lucas Paoli, Pierre Peterlongo, Vitor C. Piro, Jacob S. Porter, Simon Rasmussen, Evan R. Rees, Knut Reinert, Bernhard Renard, Espen Mikal Robertsen, Gail L. Rosen, Hans-Joachim Ruscheweyh, Varuni Sarwal, Nicola Segata, Enrico Seiler, Lizhen Shi, Fengzhu Sun, Shinichi Sunagawa, Soren Johannes Sorensen, Ashleigh Thomas, Chengxuan Tong, Mirko Trajkovski, Julien Tremblay, Gherman Uritskiy, Riccardo Vicedomini, Zhengyang Wang, Ziye Wang, Zhong Wang, Andrew Warren, Nils Peder Willassen, Katherine Yelick, Ronghui You, Georg Zeller, Zhengqiao Zhao, Shanfeng Zhu, Jie Zhu, Ruben Garrido-Oter, Petra Gastmeier, Stephane Hacquard, Susanne Haeussler, Ariane Khaledi, Friederike Maechler, Fantin Mesny, Simona Radutoiu, Paul Schulze-Lefert, Nathiana Smit, Till Strowig, Andreas Bremges, Alexander Sczyrba, Alice Carolyn McHardy
Summary: This study presents the results of the second round of the Critical Assessment of Metagenome Interpretation challenges (CAMI II), which is a community-driven effort for comprehensively benchmarking tools for metagenomics data analysis. The results show substantial improvements in assembly, but related strains and assembly quality still pose challenges. Taxon profilers and binners excel at higher bacterial ranks but underperform for viruses and Archaea. The need to improve reproducibility is emphasized by the clinical pathogen detection results.
Article
Microbiology
Sabrina Wamp, Patricia Rothe, Daniel Stern, Gudrun Holland, Janina Doehling, Sven Halbedel
Summary: This study discovered a new signaling route that controls PG production in the human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes and its role in intrinsic resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics. This signaling involves the PrkA kinase and its substrate ReoM, which regulates PG biosynthesis by controlling the stability of MurA. The transglycosylase RodA and the transpeptidase PBP B3 are also important downstream factors. These findings shed new light on the regulation of PG biosynthesis and antibiotic resistance in Gram-positive bacteria.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Thejanee Perera, Franziska Schwarz, Therese Muzeniek, Sahan Siriwardana, Beate Becker-Ziaja, Inoka C. Perera, Shiroma Handunnetti, Jagathpriya Weerasena, Gayani Premawansa, Sunil Premawansa, Andreas Nitsche, Wipula Yapa, Claudia Kohl
Summary: This study addresses the research gap in the molecular taxonomy of Sri Lankan bats by accurately identifying five bat species using molecular techniques. The findings contribute to the future conservation and systematic studies of bats in Sri Lanka.
Article
Virology
Diana Diaz-Canova, Carla Mavian, Annika Brinkmann, Andreas Nitsche, Ugo Moens, Malachy Ifeanyi Okeke
Summary: Cowpox virus is a self-limiting zoonotic infection associated with exposure to infected animals. A study in the Fennoscandian region revealed that cowpox virus consists of multiple species rather than a single species.
Article
Biology
Simon H. Tausch, Tobias P. Loka, Jakob M. Schulze, Andreas Andrusch, Jeanette Klenner, Piotr Wojciech Dabrowski, Martin S. Lindner, Andreas Nitsche, Bernhard Y. Renard
Summary: NGS has become crucial in pathogen diagnostics, but turnaround times are long. We developed PathoLive, which allows real-time pathogen detection hours before sequencing is completed. It provides fast and accurate identification of pathogens and visualizes them based on clinical significance.
Article
Immunology
Anna Stoliaroff-Pepin, Caroline Peine, Tim Herath, Johannes Lachmann, Delphine Perriat, Achim Doerre, Andreas Nitsche, Janine Michel, Marica Grossegesse, Natalie Hofmann, Thomas Rinner, Claudia Kohl, Annika Brinkmann, Tanja Meyer, Brigitte G. Dorner, Daniel Stern, Fridolin Treindl, Sascha Hein, Laura Werel, Eberhard Hildt, Sven Glaeser, Helmut Schuehlen, Caroline Isner, Alexander Peric, Ammar Ghouzi, Annette Reichardt, Matthias Janneck, Guntram Lock, Lars Schaade, Ole Wichmann, Thomas Harder
Summary: We conducted a prospective multicenter matched case-control study in Germany, including 852 patients, to evaluate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) in preventing COVID-19 hospitalization during the dominance of the Delta variant. The two-dose VE was 89% overall, 79% in patients with more than two comorbidities, and 77% in adults aged 60-75 years. A third dose increased the VE to over 93% in all patient subgroups.
Article
Microbiology
Ruth Offergeld, Karina Preussel, Thomas Zeiler, Konstanze Aurich, Barbara I. Baumann-Baretti, Sandra Ciesek, Victor M. Corman, Viktoria Dienst, Christian Drosten, Siegfried Goerg, Andreas Greinacher, Marica Grossegesse, Sebastian Haller, Hans-Gert Heuft, Natalie Hofmann, Peter A. Horn, Claudia Houareau, Ilay Guelec, Carlos Luis Jimenez Klingberg, David Juhl, Monika Lindemann, Silke Martin, Hannelore K. Neuhauser, Andreas Nitsche, Julia Ohme, Sven Peine, Ulrich J. Sachs, Lars Schaade, Richard Schaefer, Heinrich Scheiblauer, Martin Schlaud, Michael Schmidt, Markus Umhau, Tanja Vollmer, Franz F. Wagner, Lothar H. Wieler, Hendrik Wilking, Malte Ziemann, Marlow Zimmermann, Matthias an der Heiden
Summary: SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance is crucial for infection control measures and understanding underreporting. A study in Germany analyzed blood donor samples collected from April 2020 to April 2021, September 2021, and April/May 2022. The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 increased over time, reaching 100% in April/May 2022. Neutralizing capacity was also observed in the majority of positive specimens. The study revealed low levels of underreporting, indicating an effective testing and notification system in Germany.
Article
Immunology
Tatjana Schwarz, Pinkus Tober-Lau, David Hillus, Elisa T. Helbig, Lena J. Lippert, Charlotte Thibeault, Willi Koch, Irmgard Landgraf, Janine Michel, Leon Bergfeld, Daniela Niemeyer, Barbara Muehlemann, Claudia Conrad, Chantip Dang-Heine, Stefanie Kasper, Friederike Muenn, Kai Kappert, Andreas Nitsche, Rudolf Tauber, Sein Schmidt, Piotr Kopankiewicz, Harald Bias, Joachim Seybold, Christof von Kalle, Terry C. Jones, Norbert Suttorp, Christian Drosten, Leif Erik Sander, Victor M. Corman, Florian Kurth
Summary: After receiving the BNT162b2 vaccine, elderly individuals in Germany showed delayed and reduced antibody and T-cell responses compared to healthcare workers, indicating the potential need for additional immunizations for this age group. Nonpharmaceutical interventions for coronavirus disease remain crucial based on this data.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)