Biology subjects

Artiaga, B. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Artiaga, B. L..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Temporal dynamics of cytokine, leukocyte, and whole blood transcriptome profiles of pigs infected with African swine fever virus

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is an important transboundary animal pathogen with significant impacts on the global swine industry. Overwhelming proinflammatory responses are a major virulence mechanism for ASFV, but the dynamics of these changes during clinical disease are not completely understood. We constructed a detailed portrait of the innate immune responses during acute African swine fever (ASF) at the cellular, transcriptomic, and cytokine levels. Samples serially obtained from infected piglets show progression of acute ASF is characterized by rapid increases in plasma type I interferons, TNF-, IL-12p40, and IL-10, which coincide with the manifestation of clinical disease and viral DNAemia. Lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells progressively declined, with fluctuations in B cell, CD8+ T cell, and CD4+/CD8+ T cell populations. Blood monocytes and macrophages were highly variable throughout infection, with an abrupt spike in CD203+ mature macrophages immediately prior to death. Transcriptomic analysis of blood showed downregulation of cellular translation as early as 1 day post challenge (DPC), and significant upregulation of antiviral immune processes at 5 DPC and 7 DPC which overlapped with the onset of clinical disease. Together, these results present a highly detailed delineation of fatal ASF as involving an initial infection and damage of susceptible myeloid cells prior to symptomatic disease characterized by pro-inflammatory immune responses, lymphoid depletion, and clinical deterioration.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2021

Susceptibility of sheep to experimental co-infection with the ancestral lineage of SARS-CoV-2 and its alpha variant

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for a global pandemic that has had significant impacts on human health and economies worldwide. SARS-CoV-2 is highly transmissible and the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in humans. A wide range of animal species have also been shown to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection by experimental and/or natural infections. Domestic and large cats, mink, ferrets, hamsters, deer mice, white-tailed deer, and non-human primates have been shown to be highly susceptible, whereas other species such as mice, dogs, pigs, and cattle appear to be refractory to infection or have very limited susceptibility. Sheep (Ovis aries) are a commonly farmed domestic ruminant that have not previously been thoroughly investigated for their susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, we performed in vitro and in vivo studies which consisted of infection of ruminant-derived cell cultures and experimental challenge of sheep to investigate their susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2. Our results showed that sheep-derived cell cultures support SARS-CoV-2 replication. Furthermore, experimental challenge of sheep demonstrated limited infection with viral RNA shed in nasal and oral swabs primarily at 1-day post challenge (DPC), and also detected in the respiratory tract and lymphoid tissues at 4 and 8 DPC. Sero-reactivity was also observed in some of the principal infected sheep but not the contact sentinels, indicating that transmission to co-mingled naive sheep was not highly efficient; however, viral RNA was detected in some of the respiratory tract tissues of sentinel animals at 21 DPC. Furthermore, we used challenge inoculum consisting of a mixture of two SARS-CoV-2 isolates, representatives of the ancestral lineage A and the B.1.1.7-like alpha variant of concern (VOC), to study competition of the two virus strains. Our results indicate that sheep show low susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and that the alpha VOC outcompeted the ancestral lineage A strain.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Susceptibility of swine cells and domestic pigs to SARS-CoV-2

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in an ongoing global pandemic with significant morbidity, mortality, and economic consequences. The susceptibility of different animal species to SARS-CoV-2 is of concern due to the potential for interspecies transmission, and the requirement for pre-clinical animal models to develop effective countermeasures. In the current study, we determined the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to (i) replicate in porcine cell lines, (ii) establish infection in domestic pigs via experimental oral/intranasal/intratracheal inoculation, and (iii) transmit to co-housed naive sentinel pigs. SARS-CoV-2 was able to replicate in two different porcine cell lines with cytopathic effects. Interestingly, none of the SARS-CoV-2-inoculated pigs showed evidence of clinical signs, viral replication or SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses. Moreover, none of the sentinel pigs displayed markers of SARS-CoV-2 infection. These data indicate that although different porcine cell lines are permissive to SARS-CoV-2, five-week old pigs are not susceptible to infection via oral/intranasal/intratracheal challenge. Pigs are therefore unlikely to be significant carriers of SARS-CoV-2 and are not a suitable pre-clinical animal model to study SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis or efficacy of respective vaccines or therapeutics.

microbiology↗