Bat lung epithelial cells show greater host species-specific innate resistance than MDCK cells to human and avian influenza viruses

Background With the recent discovery of novel H17N10 and H18N11 influenza viral RNA in bats and report on high frequency of avian H9 seroconversion in a species of free ranging bats, an important issue to address is the extent bats are susceptible to conventional avian and human influenza A viruses. Method To this end, three bat species (Eidolon helvum, Carollia perspicillata and Tadarida brasiliensis) of lung epithelial cells were separately infected with two avian and two human influenza viruses to determine their relative host innate immune resistance to infection. Results All three species of bat cells were more resistant than positive control Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells to all four influenza viruses. TB1-Lu cells lacked sialic acid α2,6-Gal receptors and were most resistant among the three bat species. Interestingly, avian viruses were relatively more replication permissive in all three bat species of cells than with the use of human viruses which suggest that bats could potentially play a role in the ecology of avian influenza viruses. Chemical inhibition of the JAK-STAT pathway in bat cells had no effect on virus production suggesting that type I interferon signalling is not a major factor in resisting influenza virus infection. Conclusion Although all three species of bat cells are relatively more resistant to influenza virus infection than control MDCK cells, they are more permissive to avian than human viruses which suggest that bats could have a contributory role in the ecology of avian influenza viruses

Concepts of health and well-being in managers: An organizational study

Global changes and new managerial challenges require new concepts of health and well-being in organizational contexts. In the South African context, health and well-being of managers have gained relevance in organizations and in management sciences. International organizations, in particular, attempt to address the increasing demand for health care and the delivery of health services to their managers. Careful and appropriate health management requires research to evaluate context-specific health concepts and strategies. The purpose and aim of this article is to assess managerial concepts on health and well-being that could be used by the organization to contribute to managerial well-being by implementing health promotion according to managerial needs. At the same time, this article contributes to salutogenetic health research that is very rare with regard to the South African organizational management research

Getting More Out of Less - A Quantitative Serological Screening Tool for Simultaneous Detection of Multiple Influenza A Hemagglutinin-Types in Chickens

Current avian influenza surveillance in poultry primarily targets subtypes of interest for the veterinary sector (H5, H7). However, as virological and serological evidence suggest, surveillance of additional subtypes is important for public health as well as for the poultry industry. Therefore, we developed a protein microarray enabling simultaneous identification of antibodies directed against different HA-types of influenza A viruses in chickens. The assay successfully discriminated negative from experimentally and naturally infected, seropositive chickens. Sensitivity and specificity depended on the cut-off level used but ranged from 84.4% to 100% and 100%, respectively, for a cut off level of =1:40, showing minimal cross reactivity. As this testing platform is also validated for the use in humans, it constitutes a surveillance tool that can be applied in human-animal interface studies

The impact of anomia as a factor in a demand resource model of health

The particular aim of the present study was to explore the interrelations between the construct of anomia, conceptualized as internal health demand or resource, and self-reported ill-health in the framework of a demand resource model. The four main constructs of this model were considered as recursive causal levels: (1) socio-economic data, (2) external resources/demands, (3) internal resources/demands, and (4) ill-health. Study statistics comprised graphical models to reveal the relations between variables using the statistical program DIGRAM designed for discrete graphical models. This method of data analysis permits a focus on the link between anomia and the other three levels. The function of anomia as an intermediate data level which might prove to be an intervening variable can be evaluated. A total of 440 subjects of a random community sample were included in the final analysis. In the framework of a demand resource model, it was possible to confirm that the construct of anomia plays a key role in health outcome. Graphical models showed that a low degree of anomia is related to high psychological quality of life and few psychosomatic symptoms on the one hand, and to good social integration and emotional support, a low amount of daily hassles and high educational level on the other hand. As an overall conclusion, it can be stated that the evaluation by the graphical modeling procedure permits a good fit of theory with methods.anomia demand resource model of health graphical models