Tick-borne virus diseases of human interest in Europe

Several human diseases in Europe are caused by viruses transmitted by tick bite. These viruses belong to the genus Flavivirus, and include tick-borne encephalitis virus, Omsk haemorrhagic fever virus, louping ill virus, Powassan virus, Nairovirus (Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus) and Coltivirus (Eyach virus). All of these viruses cause more or less severe neurological diseases, and some are also responsible for haemorrhagic fever. The epidemiology, clinical picture and methods for diagnosis are detailed in this review. Most of these viral pathogens are classified as Biosafety Level 3 or 4 agents, and therefore some of them have been classified in Categories A-C of potential bioterrorism agents by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their ability to cause severe disease in man means that these viruses, as well as any clinical samples suspected of containing them, must be handled with specific and stringent precautions

Public Policy and Regulatory Challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Part 1: Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous SystemsInternational audienceArtificial Intelligence (AI) usage is rapidly expanding in our society. Private sector has already taken the leap of faith in using AI for efficiency and for generating better value for the customers and shareholders. The promise of AI is quite alluring for the governments as well. It promises to be the breakthrough technology which can catapult public sector to hitherto unseen efficiency and productivity. It has the potential to truly transform the public service delivery and the way government interfaces with citizens – from a demand driven model to a predictive model of public service delivery. However, there are a large number of pitfalls and blind-spots associated with AI, which make its adoption in government particularly challenging. For successful adoption of AI in public sector, governments must understand these challenges clearly and lay down regulatory public policies to ensure that the possible adverse impacts (such as exclusion, bias etc.) of AI are mitigated. This paper attempts to systematically explore these challenges with a view to enable public policy makers to respond to them

Pathogenic potential and growth kinetics of Muko virus in mice and human-derived cells

Background: Ticks have been long known as vectors of various pathogens, some of which can cause high fatality rates among infected individuals. Our enhanced tick surveillance around Nagasaki, Japan, led to the isolation and identification of a new strain of a recently identified Orbivirus, Muko virus (MUV). The orbiviruses have a wide host range, including humans, and is related to a spectrum of clinical outcomes. However, the zoonotic potential of some members of the genus, although reported, were not clearly elucidated. Hence, it is imperative to characterize newly isolated orbiviruses and investigate its ability to endanger public health. Methods: In this study, we explored the in vivo pathogenicity of a newly isolated MUV strain (MUV-Hay) using a mouse model and demonstrated its growth kinetics in human-derived cells. Results: Our results showed the ability of MUV-Hay to propagate in human neuronal and renal cells with some cytopathic effect. Furthermore, intracerebral inoculation of our new isolate caused high mortality in adult A129 mice. Conclusion: Our study provided a first step to experimentally test the hypothesis, that MUV can replicate and produce cytopathic effect in human cells and demonstrate virulence in adult mice