ETIDIOH - NEW

 A poultry farm in Sachsen Region. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6301 _____

A whopper swan was found dead . It was sent to the Swedish Veterinary Agency (formerly National Veterinary Institute) for laboratory analysis as part of the national surveillance program for avian influenza. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6299 ____

{Summary} In outbreak situations involving a novel pathogen timely and coordinated response is crucial. The WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens recently released a global framework to guide future scientific investigations into the origin of emerging pathogens. Source: Nature Communications,  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57218-6 ____

Abstract Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) pose a serious public health concern . In March 2024, a first-time outbreak of HPAIV H5N1 in dairy cattle herds was reported in the United States (US). Since then, the virus has continued to spread in cattle herds and spilt over into humans . We recently showed that the first human isolate reported in the US in Texas (HPhTX) from a dairy worker in an affected cattle farm has enhanced replication kinetics and pathogenicity in mice compared to a closely related bovine isolate (HPbTX). However, the molecular determinants of differential pathogenicity have not yet been identified. Herein, we show that HPhTX has enhanced polymerase activity , compared with HPbTX, in human cells and that the polymerase basic 2 (PB2) protein is the main factor responsible for this difference. Through single and combined site-directed mutagenesis and swapping the three amino acids different between HPhTX and HPbTX, we found that PB2 mutation E627K is t...

Abstract In 2020–2021, a “mysterious illness” struck Senegalese fishermen , causing severe acute dermatitis in over one thousand individuals following exposure through drift-net fishing activity . Here, by performing deep analysis of the environmental samples we reveal the presence of the marine dinoflagellate Vulcanodinium rugosum and its associated cyclic imine toxins . Specifically, we show that the toxin PortimineA, strongly enriched in environmental samples, impedes ribosome function in human keratinocytes , which subsequently activates the stress kinases ZAKα and P38 and promotes the nucleation of the human NLRP1 inflammasome, leading to the release of IL-1β/IL-18 pro-inflammatory cytokines and cell death . Furthermore, cell-based models highlight that naturally occurring mutations in the P38-targeted sites of human NLRP1 are unable to respond to PortimineA exposure. Finally, the development and use of human organotypic skins and zebrafish models of PortimineA exposure demonstrat...