Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.7.49 (reverse transcriptase)
 31,746 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Thousands of Caspian seals (Phoca caspica) died in the Caspian Sea from April to August 2000. Lesions characteristic of morbillivirus infection were found in tissue specimens from dead seals. Canine distemper virus infection was identified by serologic examination, reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction, and sequencing of selected P gene fragments. These results implicate canine distemper virus infection as the primary cause of death.
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PMID:Mass die-Off of Caspian seals caused by canine distemper virus. 1107 23

In December 2000, an infectious disease spread through a captive breeding group of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in Tanzania, killing 49 of 52 animals within 2 months. The causative agent was identified as Canine distemper virus (CDV) by means of histologic examination, virus isolation, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis, and nucleotide sequencing. This report emphasizes the importance of adequate protection against infectious diseases for the successful outcome of captive breeding programs of endangered species.
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PMID:Distemper outbreak and its effect on African wild dog conservation. 1189 78

Previous evidence implicating Paramyxoviruses in the aetiopathology of Paget's disease of bone has proved controversial. Whilst several groups have demonstrated Paramyxoviruses using techniques such as in situ hybridisation (ISH), reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and in situ-RT-PCR (IS-RT-PCR), others have found no evidence of viruses using only RT-PCR. To investigate this latter finding, we have now compared detection of canine distemper virus by ISH, RT-PCR (three different methods) and IS-RT-PCR, in 10 patients with Paget's disease, and samples of non-diseased bone from four patients. Canine distemper virus was detectable in six of the samples by ISH, but only in five of the samples by RT-PCR, using one of the methods. Neither of the other RT-PCR methods detected canine distemper virus. IS-RT-PCR demonstrated canine distemper virus in all 10 samples. There was no evidence of virus in the control samples. We have shown that the ability to detect canine distemper virus in bone is dependent on the technique used. IS-RT-PCR clearly showed that canine distemper virus was present in 100% of Pagetic samples, whereas canine distemper virus was only found in 60% by ISH and in 50% using one particular RT-PCR method. These results provide conclusive evidence that canine distemper virus is present within Pagetic bone, and provide a possible explanation for the failure of some groups to detect Paramyxovirus sequences. These findings also have wider implications for other studies investigating viral expression.
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PMID:A comparison of in situ hybridisation, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in situ-RT-PCR for the detection of canine distemper virus RNA in Paget's disease. 1271 Oct 70

Four dead canine pups (5-12 days old) from 3 litters in Douglas County of north central Colorado were submitted to the Colorado State University Diagnostic Laboratory for necropsy. Pups were originally presented to the referring clinics for respiratory tract illness, with or without diarrhea. At necropsy, the lungs from all pups had similar lesions, including random foci of hemorrhage and failure to collapse on opening of the thoracic cavity. The lungs were histologically characterized by subacute interstitial pneumonia, with alveolar septa expanded by a histiocyte-rich infiltrate with a few lymphocytes and neutrophils. The alveolar spaces were filled with moderate amounts of proteinaceous fluid, foamy macrophages, and a few neutrophils. Lungs from 3 of the 4 pups were test positive for canine distemper virus (CDV) by use of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Immunohistochemically stained lungs, including those from the pup that were CDV negative, by use of RT-PCR analysis, were test positive for CDV antigen in bronchial and bronchiolar epithelial cells and in a few alveolar macrophages. Central nervous system lesions were not observed in any of the 4 pups. These cases represent an unusual presentation of canine distemper in neonatal pups marked by respiratory tract lesions without central nervous system involvement. Canine distemper should be considered in the differential diagnosis of neonatal canine respiratory tract illness.
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PMID:Interstitial pneumonia in neonatal canine pups with evidence of canine distemper virus infection. 1661 3

More than 10,000 Caspian seals (Phoca caspica) were reported dead in the Caspian Sea during spring and summer 2000. We performed necropsies and extensive laboratory analyses on 18 seals, as well as examination of the pattern of strandings and variation in weather in recent years, to identify the cause of mortality and potential contributory factors. The monthly stranding rate in 2000 was up to 2.8 times the historic mean. It was preceded by an unusually mild winter, as observed before in mass mortality events of pinnipeds. The primary diagnosis in 11 of 13 seals was canine distemper, characterized by broncho-interstitial pneumonia, lymphocytic necrosis and depletion in lymphoid organs, and the presence of typical intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies in multiple epithelia. Canine distemper virus infection was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction products. Organochlorine and zinc concentrations in tissues of seals with canine distemper were comparable to those of Caspian seals in previous years. Concurrent bacterial infections that may have contributed to the mortality of the seals included Bordetella bronchiseptica (4/8 seals), Streptococcus phocae (3/8), Salmonella dublin (1/8), and S. choleraesuis (1/8). A newly identified bacterium, Corynebacterium caspium, was associated with balanoposthitis in one seal. Several infectious and parasitic organisms, including poxvirus, Atopobacter phocae, Eimeria- and Sarcocystis-like organisms, and Halarachne sp. were identified in Caspian seals for the first time.
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PMID:The 2000 canine distemper epidemic in Caspian seals (Phoca caspica): pathology and analysis of contributory factors. 1709 70

Canine distemper virus (CDV) infection of the central nervous system results in lesions of the gray and white matter. While a biphasic disease process has been discussed for leukoencephalitis with a prominent loss of viral protein expression, polioencephalitis has been associated with virus persistence. Using semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF)-alpha, interferon (IFN)-gamma, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta were studied in the cerebra of distemper dogs with white matter lesions in the cerebellum. Additionally, cytokine values were correlated with the degree of CDV infection, major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) expression, and infiltration of CD4-, CD8-, and CD3epsilon-positive lymphocytes. Cerebral CDV infection was not associated with detectable light microscopic lesions or infiltration of B and T lymphocytes. However, an increasing number of CDV-antigen-positive cells was associated with an upregulation of MHC II antigen. RT-PCR results revealed a significant upregulation of IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, and TNF-alpha in the cerebra of distemper dogs, whereas IL-10 and TGF-beta showed no significant increase. Elevated cytokine values were directly related to the presence of CDV antigen and MHC II upregulation. However, succeeding increases of the latter did not result in an additional proportional elevation of cytokine expression values. In summary, the present study demonstrates the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines by resident neural cells following CDV infection. Furthermore, the lack of light microscopic changes indicates that additional factors besides cytokines are necessary for the development of a distemper-characteristic neuropathology.
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PMID:Increase of pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in non-demyelinating early cerebral lesions in nervous canine distemper. 1911 29

Canine distemper virus (CDV) infection causes immunosuppression and demyelinating leukoencephalitis in dogs. In viral diseases, an ambiguous function of regulatory T cells (Treg), with both beneficial effects by reducing immunopathology and detrimental effects by inhibiting antiviral immunity, has been described. However, the role of Treg in the pathogenesis of canine distemper remains unknown. In order to determine the effect of CDV upon immune homeostasis, the amount of Foxp3(+) Treg in spleen and brain of naturally infected dogs has been determined by immunohistochemistry. In addition, splenic cytokine expression has been quantified by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Splenic depletion of Foxp3(+) Treg was associated with an increased mRNA-expression of tumor necrosis factor and decreased transcription of interleukin-2 in the acute disease phase, indicative of disturbed immunological counter regulation in peripheral lymphoid organs. In the brain, a lack of Foxp3(+) Treg in predemyelinating and early demyelinating lesions and significantly increased infiltrations of Foxp3(+) Treg in chronic demyelinating lesions were observed. In conclusion, disturbed peripheral and CNS immune regulation associated with a reduction of Treg represents a potential prerequisite for excessive neuroinflammation and early lesion development in canine distemper leukoencephalitis.
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PMID:Dynamic changes of Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells in spleen and brain of canine distemper virus-infected dogs. 2421 Jun 87