Biology subjects

Wade, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Wade, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

Full genome sequence analysis of African swine fever virus isolates from Cameroon

African swine fever is a devastating disease of domestic pigs that has spread across the globe since its introduction into Georgia in 2007. The etiological agent is a large double-stranded DNA virus with a genome of 170 to 180 kb in length depending on the isolate. Much of the differences in genome length between isolates are due to variations in the copy number of five different multigene families that are encoded in repetitive regions that are towards the termini of the covalently closed ends of the genome. Molecular epidemiology of ASFV is primarily based on Sanger sequencing of a few conserved and variable regions, but due to the stability of the dsDNA genome changes in the variable regions occur relatively slowly. Observations in Europe and Asia have shown that changes in other genetic loci can occur and that this could be useful in molecular tracking. ASFV has been circulating in Western Africa for at least forty years. It is therefore reasonable to assume that changes may have accumulated in regions of the genome other than the standard targets over the years. At present only one full genome sequence is available for an isolate from Western Africa, that of a highly virulent isolate collected from Benin during an outbreak in 1997. In Cameroon, ASFV was first reported in 1981 and outbreaks have been reported to the present day and is considered endemic. Here we report three full genome sequences from Cameroon isolates of 1982, 1994 and 2018 outbreaks and identify novel single nucleotide polymorphisms and insertion-deletions that may prove useful for molecular epidemiology studies in Western Africa and beyond.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Unsupervised identification of internal perceptual states influencing psychomotor performance

AO_SCPLOWBSTRACTC_SCPLOWWhen humans perform repetitive tasks over long periods, their performance is not constant. People may drift in and out of states that might be loosely categorised as engagement, disengagement or flow and these will be reflected in multiple aspects of their performance (for example, reaction time, accuracy, criteria shifts and potentially longer-term strategy) but until recently it has been challenging to relate these behavioural states to the underlying neural mechanisms that generate them. Here, we took Magnetoencephalograpy recordings of participants performing an engaging task that required rapid, strategic behavioural responses. In this way we acquired both high density neural data and contemporaneous, dense behavioural data. Specifically, participants played a laboratory version of Tetris which collects detailed recordings of player input and game-state throughout performance. We asked whether it was possible to infer the presence of distinct behavioural states from the behavioural data and, if so, whether these states would have distinct neural correlates. We used hidden Markov modelling to segment the behavioural time series into states with unique behavioural signatures, finding that we could identify three distinct and robust behavioural states. We then computed occipital alpha power across each state. These within-participant differences in alpha power were statistically significant, suggesting that individuals shift between behaviourally and neurally distinct states during complex performance, and that visuo-spatial attention change across these states.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Prevalence and public health significance of Lyssavirus in bats in North region of Cameroon

BackgroundRabies is a zoonotic disease of all warm-blooded animals including humans. Though, there is little knowledge of the status of rabies in wild animals in Cameroon, the disease is endemic in the country with dogs being the main source of transmission. Bat habitats are widespread in Cameroon, but there is little information on the prevalence of rabies-like viruses in bats, nor the role of bats as a potential reservoir of rabies. MethodsA cross sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence and risk factors of Lyssavirus in bats in the Northern region of Cameroon. A total of 212 bats belonging to three families (Pteropodidae, Vespertilionidae, Molossidae) and 5 species were randomly sampled in 7 localities in the North of Cameroon and were tested for Lyssavirus antigen using direct Immunofluorescence Test (IFA). Overall, 57 (26.89%) of the bats collected showed an IFA positive reaction. The prevalence was higher (P<0.05) in adult bats (33.33%, 95% CI: 25.15 - 42.66) compared to young individuals (20.19%). The main risk factors identified in the study for human exposure to bats were gender (Male), educational level (tertiary), religion (Christianity), ethnic group (Matal), the presence of bats in the area, the practice of bat hunting and consumption and the level of awareness on bat rabies-like viruses. ConclusionThe study found the first evidence of Lyssavirus in bats in Cameroon. This finding revealed that bat rabies-like viruses are real and constitutes a potential human health problem in communities with bat habitats in the North region of Cameroon. Enhancing the level of public awareness and health education on the potential of bats as reservoirs of Lyssavirus in Cameroon as well as the integration of the "One Health" approach for effective management of animal and human rabies should be emphasized. Author summaryRabies is a zoonotic disease caused by a virus of the genus Lyssavirus. It affects all warm-blooded animals including humans. Canine and Human rabies are well documented as endemic in Cameroon, but little is known about this disease in wildlife, in particular among bats, despite their multiple interactions with the inhabitants of Northern Cameroon. Indeed, bats were hunted, sold and eaten as bush meat by local populations. We investigated the presence of Lyssavirus in bat and assessed the risk factors of human exposure to bats in the Northern region of Cameroon. The study highlights that Lyssavirus is present in bats in this area. The population was aware of human and canine rabies, however, the presence of the disease in bats was less known. Based on these findings, investigating bat populations on a large scale, to characterise the Lyssavirus strains circulating in the region, as well as educate the local population on the risks of rabies transmission from bats to humans and other animals.

microbiology↗