Avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV) is a causative agent of respiratory disease complex in turkeys and chickens that has recently been detected in Vietnam. Due to its novelty, this study was conducted to elucidate the distribution of aMPV in several provinces in northern Vietnam. By the application of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and nested Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), this study demonstrated the circulation of aMPV in 12 out of 14 cities/provinces with positive rates of 37.6% and 17.2%, respectively. All nested RT-PCR positive samples were aMPV subgroup B. By pairing the detection results with age groups, it was observed that aMPV infections occurred in chickens of all ages. Additionally, by genetic characterization, aMPV strains were demonstrated to not be attenuated vaccine viruses and to belong to at least two genetic clades. Overall, the obtained results provided insights into the prevalence of aMPV and indicated a greater complexity of respiratory diseases in chickens in Vietnam.

Background and objective: Gout is a common form of inflammatory arthritis caused by the crystallization of uric acid. Previous studies have demonstrated that the genetic predisposition of gout varies in different ethnic populations. However the association study of genetic variants with gout remains unknown in the Vietnamese population. Our study aimed to assess the relationship between polymorphisms in ABCG2 and SLC22A12 and gout susceptibility in Vietnamese. Materials and methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from blood of a total of 170 patients with gout and 351 healthy controls. We genotyped single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): rs72552713, rs12505410 of the ABCG2 gene and rs11231825, rs7932775 of the SLC22A12 gene using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) and then confirmed 10% of randomly selected subjects by Sanger sequencing. Results: Three SNPs (rs72552713 and rs12505410 and rs11231825) were in accordance with Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) (p > 0.05) while rs7932775 was not (p < 0.05). For rs72552713, CT genotype was significantly different between gout patient and control groups (p < 0.001) and the T allele was associated with an increased risk of gout (OR = 21.19; 95% CI: 3.00–918.96; p < 0.001). Serum uric acid and hyperuricemia differed significantly between CC and CT genotype groups (p = 0.004 and 0.008, respectively). For rs11231825, a protective effect against gout risk was identified in the presence of the C allele when compared with the T allele (OR = 0.712; 95% CI: 0.526–0.964 p = 0.0302). In contrast, no significant difference of allele frequencies between gout patients and controls was detected for rs12505410 (p > 0.05). However, significant differences in serum uric acid and systolic blood pressure were obtained among gout patients. Conclusion: Our results suggest that ABCG2 rs72552713 and SLC22A12 rs11231825 are likely associated with gout in the Vietnamese population in which T allele may be a risk factor for gout susceptibility.

Swine abortion caused by viruses as well as bacteria has caused many economic losses in domestic farms over the years; however, bacterial abortion has not yet been studied in Korea. Several bacterial species were isolated from aborted fetuses (n = 103) for which the cause of death was not viral abortion. Among them, we focused onAerococcus viridans, which had the highest positive rate within three provinces (Gangwon, Jeonnam and Gyeongnam). A total of 16 isolates were identified asA. viridansby matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization‐time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS), and 13 were characterized by both antibiotic resistance and 16S rRNA gene analysis. Based on antibiotic susceptibility testing result, eight antimicrobials could not effectively eliminate the present isolation (more than 40% of isolates can resist these antibiotics), while all except two strains were susceptible to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Molecular analysis indicated genetic variation among these strains. This study is the first report detectingA. viridansfrom aborted fetuses in Korean domestic farms.

New viruses are continuously emerging and recently there have been many great concerns on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2). Nanographene oxide (nanoGO) has received much attention and is widely investigated to be utilised in therapy for infectious diseases by viruses. Thus, antiviral activity of nanoGO was evaluated using the porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV), bovine coronavirus (BCoV), and SARS‐CoV‐2, which are all Alpha‐ and Beta‐coronavirus. In a virus inhibition assay, the three viruses were inhibited by nanoGO in a dose‐dependent manner, including attempts in the presence of high serum solution which partially mimicked biological fluid.