Mink enteritis virus (MEV) causes mink viral enteritis, an acute and highly contagious disease whose symptoms include violent diarrhea, and which is characterized by high morbidity and mortality. Nanoparticle-assisted polymerase chain reaction (nanoPCR) is a recently developed technique for the rapid detection of bacterial and viral DNA. Here we describe a novel nanoPCR assay for the clinical detection and epidemiological characterization of MEV. This assay is based upon primers specific for the conserved region of the MEV NS1 gene, which encodes nonstructural protein 1. Under optimized conditions, the MEV nanoPCR assay had a detection limit of 8.75 × 101 copies recombinant plasmids per reaction, compared with 8.75 × 103 copies for conventional PCR analysis. Moreover, of 246 clinical mink samples collected from five provinces in North-Eastern China, 50.8% were scored MEV positive by our nanoPCR assay, compared with 32.5% for conventional PCR. Furthermore no cross reactivity was observed for the nanoPCR assay with respect to related viruses, including canine distemper virus (CDV) and Aleutian mink disease parvovirus (AMDV). Phylogenetic analysis of four Chinese wild type MEV isolates using the nanoPCR assay indicated that they belonged to a small MEV clade, named “China type”, in the MEV/FPLV cluster, and were closely clustered in the same location. Our results indicate that the MEV China type clade is currently circulating in domestic minks in China. We anticipate that the nanoPCR assay we have described here will be useful for the detection and epidemiological and pathological characterization of MEV.

Canine parvovirus (CPV) and feline parvovirus (FPV) are causative agents of diarrhea in dogs and cats, which manifests as depression, vomiting, fever, loss of appetite, leucopenia, and diarrhea in young animals. CPV and FPV can single or mixed infect cats and cause disease. To diagnose sick animals effectively, an effective virus diagnostic and genome typing method with high sensitivity and specificity is required. In this study, a conserved segment containing one SNP A4408C of parvovirus was used for real-time PCR amplification. Subsequently, data were auto-analyzed and plotted using Applied Biosystems® High Resolution Melt Software v3.1. Results showed that CPV and FPV can be detected simultaneously in a single PCR reaction. No cross-reactions were observed with canine adenovirus, canine coronavirus, and canine distemper virus. The assay had a detection limit of 4.2 genome copies of CPV and FPV. A total of 80 clinical samples were subjected to this assay, as well as to conventional PCR-sequence assay and virus isolation. Results showed that the percentage of agreement of the assay and other methods are high. In short, we have developed a diagnostic test for the accurate detection and differentiation of CPV and FPV in fecal samples, which is also cost effective.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic immune-inflammatory disease. Gut microbes, intestinal immunity, and gut barrier function play a critical role in IBD. Growing evidence suggests that synbiotics may offer therapeutic benefits for individuals with colitis, suggesting an alternative therapy against colitis. With this in mind, we creatively prepared a new synbiotic combination consisting of a probiotic strain (Lactobacillus reuteri) along with one prebiotic Chitooligosaccharides (COS). The protective effect of the synbiotics on DSS-induced colitis and the underlying mechanisms were investigated. We demonstrated that the synbiotics ameliorated colitis in mice, which was evidenced by a significant reduction in body weight, shortening of the colon, and an increase in the DAI index. Notably, synbiotics reduced the intestinal inflammation and injury by synergistically decreasing inflammatory factors, inhibiting TLR4/Myd88/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling, preventing macrophages infiltration, and enhancing the integrity of the intestinal barrier. Moreover, synbiotics selectively promoted the growth of beneficial bacteria (e.g., Akkermansia, Lactobacilus) but decreased the pathogenic bacteria (e.g. Helicobacter). BugBase's analysis supported its ameliorated role in reducing pathogenic bacteria. Collectively, our findings revealed the novel synbiotic had a potential to treat colitis, which was associated with its anti-inflammatory and microbiota-balancing properties. This study will contribute to the development of functional synbiotic products for the treatment of IBD and will provide valuable insights into their mechanisms.