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Objective: The emergence of West Nile virus (WNV) in several European countries increases the risk of its introduction to Germany. This study evaluated a new method for WNV surveillance by testing for maternal antibodies in chicken eggs.Methods: A total of 1,990 eggs were collected in 35 sampling sites in the south-west of Germany and tested for WNV-specific antibodies.Results: The results did not indicate evidence for WNV circulation in the study area.Conclusion: This work serves as a proof-of-concept that such a method is useful and a potential alternative to use of sentinel chicken for regular WNV surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The measles vaccine is one of the best vaccines currently available. Over the last 30 years, it has been administered to hundreds of millions of children and has proved to be both effective and safe. This attenuated live virus induces life-long immunity after only one or two injections. It is produced on a large scale, with ease, in many countries and is distributed at low cost. These excellent characteristics led us to consider its use as a pediatric live vector, to simultaneously immunize children or adolescents against measles and other viral infections, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or flavivirus infections. For this purpose, we have developed a vector derived from the live attenuated Schwarz strain of the measles virus (MV). We have demonstrated the capacity of this vector to strongly and stably express genes encoding proteins from HIV and to induce specific humoral and cellular immune responses in vivo. Importantly, we observed that, at least in animal models, the vector can bypass measles vaccine pre-existing immunity when two doses of recombinant vaccine are administered. Clinical trials are in progress to confirm this observation in immunized adults. We also produced MV vectors expressing proteins from West Nile virus and other flaviviruses, which in the case of West Nile virus, protected against experimental challenge. Recombinant live attenuated MV might be used as bivalent vaccination vector to mass immunize children and adolescents against both measles and flaviviral diseases such as Dengue or Japanese Encephalitis in the developing world. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Various emerging diseases have been reported in recent years as epidemiologic monitoring improves. These infections can compromise the pregnancy, through adverse maternal outcomes, as well as the outcome for the child following transmission. We report a review of the literature concerning the most quoted emergent virus (H5N1, SARS Coronavirus, Chikungunya, West Nile virus), and relate the perinatal management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The occurrence of vector-borne West Nile virus in Canada has resulted in the use of larvicides for widespread urban mosquito control. To determine the fate of larvicides in storm drainage systems, three catch basins in Toronto, Ontario were treated with methoprene (Altosid) pellets three times over the summer of 2003, at the recommended mosquito control dose of 0.7 g per catch basin. Daily monitoring included: methoprene concentration analysis, precipitation in the area, the presence of mosquito larvae, and the chemical composition of catch basin sumps. A model catch basin in the laboratory was also dosed with methoprene pellets and sampled daily to observe concentration over time under quiescent conditions. It was found that (1) the methoprene concentration at the catch basins fell below the minimum lethal concentration after one or two weeks after treatment; (2) rainfall flushed methoprene from the catch basins to the storm sewer outfall at concentrations lower than the level that may cause ecosystem damage; and (3) the methoprene concentrations in the experiments exhibited a double peak decay pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]