Emerging national space launch programs: Economics and safeguards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chow, Brian G.

Most ballistic missile nonproliferation studies have focused on trends in the numbers and performance of missiles and the resulting security threats. This report concentrates on the economic viability of emerging national space launch programs and the prospects for imposing effective safeguards against the use of space launch technology for military missiles. For the convenience of discussion in this report, a reference to ballistic missiles hereafter means surface-to-surface guided ballistic missiles only. Space launch vehicles (SLV's) are surface-to-space ballistic missiles, and they will be referred to explicitly as 'space launch vehicles' or 'space launchers'. Surface-to-surface unguided ballistic missiles will be referred to as 'rockets.'

Genome sequence of E. coli O104:H4 leads to rapid development of a targeted antimicrobial agent against this emerging pathogen.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A recent widespread outbreak of Escherichia coli O104:H4 in Germany demonstrates the dynamic nature of emerging and re-emerging food-borne pathogens, particularly STECs and related pathogenic E. coli. Rapid genomic sequencing and public availability of these data from the German outbreak strain allo...

Evolution and population genetics of exotic and reemerging pathogens: traditional and novel tools and approaches

Treesearch

N.J. Grünwald; E.M. Goss

2011-01-01

Given human population growth and accelerated global trade, the rate of emergence of exotic plant pathogens is bound to increase. Understanding the processes that lead to the emergence of new pathogens can help manage emerging epidemics. Novel tools for analyzing population genetic variation can be used to infer the evolutionary history of populations or species,...

STS-79 Commander Readdy and Pilot Wilcutt at slidewire

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

Clad in their launch/entry suits, STS-79 Commander William F. Readdy (left) and Pilot Terrence W. Wilcutt test the fit of a slidewire basket on the emergency egress system at Launch Pad 39A. The six astronauts assigned to the fourth Shuttle-Mir docking flight are completing Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities. A dress rehearsal for launch, the TCDT includes emergency egress training at the launch pad and culminates with a simulated countdown. The Space Shuttle Atlantis is undergoing preparations for liftoff on STS-79 no earlier than Sept. 12.

SLC-41 Water Deluge Test

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-11-02

NASA and Boeing personnel experience conditions during a water deluge test on the Crew Access Tower at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The test gathered data on how launch site and astronaut crews would exit in the event of an emergency from the white room at the end of the crew access arm to the emergency escape system on the pad. Boeing’s Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Emerging foodborne pathogens

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The emergence of new foodborne pathogens is due to a number of factors. An important factor is the globalization of the food supply with the possibility of the introduction of foodborne pathogens from other countries. Animal husbandry, food production, food processing, and food distribution system...

Guidance to Registrants: Process for Making Claims Against Emerging Viral Pathogens not on EPA-Registered Disinfectant Labels

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This guidance proposes to use an organism hierarchy to identify effective products for use with emerging pathogens and to permit registrants to make limited statements against such pathogens. It provides general guidance to interested parties.

Phylogenetic Analysis and Antimicrobial Profiles of Cultured Emerging Opportunistic Pathogens (Phyla Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria) Identified in Hot Springs.

PubMed

Jardine, Jocelyn Leonie; Abia, Akebe Luther King; Mavumengwana, Vuyo; Ubomba-Jaswa, Eunice

2017-09-15

Hot spring water may harbour emerging waterborne opportunistic pathogens that can cause infections in humans. We have investigated the diversity and antimicrobial resistance of culturable emerging and opportunistic bacterial pathogens, in water and sediment of hot springs located in Limpopo, South Africa. Aerobic bacteria were cultured and identified using 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene sequencing. The presence of Legionella spp. was investigated using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Isolates were tested for resistance to ten antibiotics representing six different classes: β-lactam (carbenicillin), aminoglycosides (gentamycin, kanamycin, streptomycin), tetracycline, amphenicols (chloramphenicol, ceftriaxone), sulphonamides (co-trimoxazole) and quinolones (nalidixic acid, norfloxacin). Gram-positive Kocuria sp. and Arthrobacter sp. and gram-negative Cupriavidus sp., Ralstonia sp., Cronobacter sp., Tepidimonas sp., Hafnia sp. and Sphingomonas sp. were isolated, all recognised as emerging food-borne pathogens. Legionella spp. was not detected throughout the study. Isolates of Kocuria , Arthrobacter and Hafnia and an unknown species of the class Gammaproteobacteria were resistant to two antibiotics in different combinations of carbenicillin, ceftriaxone, nalidixic acid and chloramphenicol. Cronobacter sp. was sensitive to all ten antibiotics. This study suggests that hot springs are potential reservoirs for emerging opportunistic pathogens, including multiple antibiotic resistant strains, and highlights the presence of unknown populations of emerging and potential waterborne opportunistic pathogens in the environment.

Emerging pathogens in the fish farming industry and sequencing-based pathogen discovery.

PubMed

Tengs, Torstein; Rimstad, Espen

2017-10-01

The use of large scale DNA/RNA sequencing has become an integral part of biomedical research. Reduced sequencing costs and the availability of efficient computational resources has led to a revolution in how problems concerning genomics and transcriptomics are addressed. Sequencing-based pathogen discovery represents one example of how genetic data can now be used in ways that were previously considered infeasible. Emerging pathogens affect both human and animal health due to a multitude of factors, including globalization, a shifting environment and an increasing human population. Fish farming represents a relevant, interesting and challenging system to study emerging pathogens. This review summarizes recent progress in pathogen discovery using sequence data, with particular emphasis on viruses in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Case Study of Airborne Pathogen Dispersion Patterns in Emergency Departments with Different Ventilation and Partition Conditions

PubMed Central

Cheong, Chang Heon; Lee, Seonhye

2018-01-01

The prevention of airborne infections in emergency departments is a very important issue. This study investigated the effects of architectural features on airborne pathogen dispersion in emergency departments by using a CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation tool. The study included three architectural features as the major variables: increased ventilation rate, inlet and outlet diffuser positions, and partitions between beds. The most effective method for preventing pathogen dispersion and reducing the pathogen concentration was found to be increasing the ventilation rate. Installing partitions between the beds and changing the ventilation system’s inlet and outlet diffuser positions contributed only minimally to reducing the concentration of airborne pathogens. PMID:29534043

Case Study of Airborne Pathogen Dispersion Patterns in Emergency Departments with Different Ventilation and Partition Conditions.

PubMed

Cheong, Chang Heon; Lee, Seonhye

2018-03-13

The prevention of airborne infections in emergency departments is a very important issue. This study investigated the effects of architectural features on airborne pathogen dispersion in emergency departments by using a CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation tool. The study included three architectural features as the major variables: increased ventilation rate, inlet and outlet diffuser positions, and partitions between beds. The most effective method for preventing pathogen dispersion and reducing the pathogen concentration was found to be increasing the ventilation rate. Installing partitions between the beds and changing the ventilation system's inlet and outlet diffuser positions contributed only minimally to reducing the concentration of airborne pathogens.

KSC-2013-2848

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare the launch abort motor for connection to the attitude control motor. Both are segments of Orion’s Launch Abort System, which is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2847

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the launch abort motor has been prepared for connection to the attitude control motor. Both are segments of Orion’s Launch Abort System, which is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2844

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician prepares the launch abort motor for connection to the attitude control motor. Both are segments of Orion’s Launch Abort System, which is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2845

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician prepares the launch abort motor for connection to the attitude control motor. Both are segments of Orion’s Launch Abort System, which is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2846

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician prepares the launch abort motor for connection to the attitude control motor. Both are segments of Orion’s Launch Abort System, which is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

STS-42 Payload Specialist Bondar in single person life raft at JSC's WETF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

STS-42 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, Payload Specialist Roberta L. Bondar, wearing launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), floats in single person life raft during launch emergency egress exercises held in the Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29 pool. Bondar holds the Space Shuttle Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) portable locating beacon (PLB). The STS-42 crewmembers rehearsed procedures for launch emergency egress and a water landing. Bondar is representing Canada during the International Microgravity Laboratory 1 (IML-1) mission aboard OV-103.

STS-56 MS1 Foale, in LES/LEH, floats during bailout exercises in JSC WETF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

STS-56 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, Mission Specialist 1 (MS1) Michael Foale, wearing launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), floats in a single person life raft during launch emergency egress (bailout) exercises in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29 pool. Foale's body is covered with the life raft tarp. His head and the space shuttle search and rescue satellite aided tracking (SARSAT) antenna protrude above the tarp. This simulation prepares the astronauts for the event of an emergency egress and subsequent water landing during launch.

Emerging US Space Launch, Trends and Space Solar Power

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zapata, Edgar

2015-01-01

Reviews the state of the art of emerging US space launch and spacecraft. Reviews the NASA budget ascontext, while providing example scenarios. Connects what has been learned in space systems commercial partnershipsto a potential path for consideration by the space solar power community.

Global and local environmental changes as drivers of Buruli ulcer emergence.

PubMed

Combe, Marine; Velvin, Camilla Jensen; Morris, Aaron; Garchitorena, Andres; Carolan, Kevin; Sanhueza, Daniel; Roche, Benjamin; Couppié, Pierre; Guégan, Jean-François; Gozlan, Rodolphe Elie

2017-04-26

Many emerging infectious diseases are caused by generalist pathogens that infect and transmit via multiple host species with multiple dissemination routes, thus confounding the understanding of pathogen transmission pathways from wildlife reservoirs to humans. The emergence of these pathogens in human populations has frequently been associated with global changes, such as socio-economic, climate or biodiversity modifications, by allowing generalist pathogens to invade and persist in new ecological niches, infect new host species, and thus change the nature of transmission pathways. Using the case of Buruli ulcer disease, we review how land-use changes, climatic patterns and biodiversity alterations contribute to disease emergence in many parts of the world. Here we clearly show that Mycobacterium ulcerans is an environmental pathogen characterized by multi-host transmission dynamics and that its infectious pathways to humans rely on the local effects of global environmental changes. We show that the interplay between habitat changes (for example, deforestation and agricultural land-use changes) and climatic patterns (for example, rainfall events), applied in a local context, can lead to abiotic environmental changes and functional changes in local biodiversity that favor the pathogen's prevalence in the environment and may explain disease emergence.

Parallels in amphibian and bat declines from pathogenic fungi.

PubMed

Eskew, Evan A; Todd, Brian D

2013-03-01

Pathogenic fungi have substantial effects on global biodiversity, and 2 emerging pathogenic species-the chytridiomycete Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which causes chytridiomycosis in amphibians, and the ascomycete Geomyces destructans, which causes white-nose syndrome in hibernating bats-are implicated in the widespread decline of their vertebrate hosts. We synthesized current knowledge for chytridiomycosis and white-nose syndrome regarding disease emergence, environmental reservoirs, life history characteristics of the host, and host-pathogen interactions. We found striking similarities between these aspects of chytridiomycosis and white-nose syndrome, and the research that we review and propose should help guide management of future emerging fungal diseases.

Task 1.5 Genomic Shift and Drift Trends of Emerging Pathogens

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Borucki, M

2010-01-05

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Bioinformatics group has recently taken on a role in DTRA's Transformation Medical Technologies Initiative (TMTI). The high-level goal of TMTI is to accelerate the development of broad-spectrum countermeasures. To achieve those goals, TMTI has a near term need to conduct analyses of genomic shift and drift trends of emerging pathogens, with a focused eye on select agent pathogens, as well as antibiotic and virulence markers. Most emerging human pathogens are zoonotic viruses with a genome composed of RNA. The high mutation rate of the replication enzymes of RNA viruses contributes to sequence drift andmore » provides one mechanism for these viruses to adapt to diverse hosts (interspecies transmission events) and cause new human and zoonotic diseases. Additionally, new viral pathogens frequently emerge due to genetic shift (recombination and segment reassortment) which allows for dramatic genotypic and phenotypic changes to occur rapidly. Bacterial pathogens also evolve via genetic drift and shift, although sequence drift generally occurs at a much slower rate for bacteria as compared to RNA viruses. However, genetic shift such as lateral gene transfer and inter- and intragenomic recombination enables bacteria to rapidly acquire new mechanisms of survival and antibiotic resistance. New technologies such as rapid whole genome sequencing of bacterial genomes, ultra-deep sequencing of RNA virus populations, metagenomic studies of environments rich in antibiotic resistance genes, and the use of microarrays for the detection and characterization of emerging pathogens provide mechanisms to address the challenges posed by the rapid emergence of pathogens. Bioinformatic algorithms that enable efficient analysis of the massive amounts of data generated by these technologies as well computational modeling of protein structures and evolutionary processes need to be developed to allow the technology to fulfill its potential.« less

Bacterial genomics reveal the complex epidemiology of an emerging pathogen in arctic and boreal ungulates

USGS Publications Warehouse

Forde, Taya L.; Orsel, Karin; Zadoks, Ruth N.; Biek, Roman; Adams, Layne G.; Checkley, Sylvia L.; Davison, Tracy; De Buck, Jeroen; Dumond, Mathieu; Elkin, Brett T.; Finnegan, Laura; Macbeth, Bryan J.; Nelson, Cait; Niptanatiak, Amanda; Sather, Shane; Schwantje, Helen M.; van der Meer, Frank; Kutz, Susan J.

2016-01-01

Northern ecosystems are currently experiencing unprecedented ecological change, largely driven by a rapidly changing climate. Pathogen range expansion, and emergence and altered patterns of infectious disease, are increasingly reported in wildlife at high latitudes. Understanding the causes and consequences of shifting pathogen diversity and host-pathogen interactions in these ecosystems is important for wildlife conservation, and for indigenous populations that depend on wildlife. Among the key questions are whether disease events are associated with endemic or recently introduced pathogens, and whether emerging strains are spreading throughout the region. In this study, we used a phylogenomic approach to address these questions of pathogen endemicity and spread for Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, an opportunistic multi-host bacterial pathogen associated with recent mortalities in arctic and boreal ungulate populations in North America. We isolated E. rhusiopathiae from carcasses associated with large-scale die-offs of muskoxen in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and from contemporaneous mortality events and/or population declines among muskoxen in northwestern Alaska and caribou and moose in western Canada. Bacterial genomic diversity differed markedly among these locations; minimal divergence was present among isolates from muskoxen in the Canadian Arctic, while in caribou and moose populations, strains from highly divergent clades were isolated from the same location, or even from within a single carcass. These results indicate that mortalities among northern ungulates are not associated with a single emerging strain of E. rhusiopathiae, and that alternate hypotheses need to be explored. Our study illustrates the value and limitations of bacterial genomic data for discriminating between ecological hypotheses of disease emergence, and highlights the importance of studying emerging pathogens within the broader context of environmental and host factors.

Phylogenetic Analysis and Antimicrobial Profiles of Cultured Emerging Opportunistic Pathogens (Phyla Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria) Identified in Hot Springs

PubMed Central

Jardine, Jocelyn Leonie; Mavumengwana, Vuyo

2017-01-01

Hot spring water may harbour emerging waterborne opportunistic pathogens that can cause infections in humans. We have investigated the diversity and antimicrobial resistance of culturable emerging and opportunistic bacterial pathogens, in water and sediment of hot springs located in Limpopo, South Africa. Aerobic bacteria were cultured and identified using 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene sequencing. The presence of Legionella spp. was investigated using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Isolates were tested for resistance to ten antibiotics representing six different classes: β-lactam (carbenicillin), aminoglycosides (gentamycin, kanamycin, streptomycin), tetracycline, amphenicols (chloramphenicol, ceftriaxone), sulphonamides (co-trimoxazole) and quinolones (nalidixic acid, norfloxacin). Gram-positive Kocuria sp. and Arthrobacter sp. and gram-negative Cupriavidus sp., Ralstonia sp., Cronobacter sp., Tepidimonas sp., Hafnia sp. and Sphingomonas sp. were isolated, all recognised as emerging food-borne pathogens. Legionella spp. was not detected throughout the study. Isolates of Kocuria, Arthrobacter and Hafnia and an unknown species of the class Gammaproteobacteria were resistant to two antibiotics in different combinations of carbenicillin, ceftriaxone, nalidixic acid and chloramphenicol. Cronobacter sp. was sensitive to all ten antibiotics. This study suggests that hot springs are potential reservoirs for emerging opportunistic pathogens, including multiple antibiotic resistant strains, and highlights the presence of unknown populations of emerging and potential waterborne opportunistic pathogens in the environment. PMID:28914802

STS-113 TCDT emergency exit training at Launch Pad 39A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-113 Mission Specialist John Herrington (left) and cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin (center) listen to instructions from a trainer on the emergency egress system on Launch Pad 39A. They are other crew members are taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, which also include a simulated launch countdown. The 16th assembly flight to the International Space Station, STS-113 will carry the Port 1 (P1) truss aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour as well as the Expedition 6 crew, who will replace Expedition 5 on the Station. Mission STS-113 is scheduled to launch Nov. 10, 2002.

STS-55 MS3 Harris in life raft during emergency egress exercises at JSC WETF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

Using a small single person life raft, STS-55 Mission Specialist 3 (MS3) Bernard A. Harris, Jr floats in the pool located in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29. Harris, wearing a launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), prepares to send a flare during this launch emergency egress (bailout) training session. STS-55 with the Spacelab Deutsche 2 (SL-D2) payload will fly aboard Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, in 1993.

73. VIEW OF LAUNCH OPERATOR AND LAUNCH ANAYLST PANELS LOCATED ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

73. VIEW OF LAUNCH OPERATOR AND LAUNCH ANAYLST PANELS LOCATED NEAR CENTER OF SOUTH WALL OF SLC-3E CONTROL ROOM. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ON WALL IN BACKGROUND: COMMUNICATIONS HEADSET AND FOOT PEDAL IN FORGROUND. ACCIDENT REPORTING EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM TELEPHONE, ATLAS H FUEL COUNTER, AND DIGITAL COUNTDOWN CLOCK. - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Operations Building, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

Emerging tuberculosis pathogen hijacks social communication behavior in the group-living banded mongoose (Mungos mungo)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mycobacterium mungi, a novel M. tuberculosis complex pathogen (MtbC), has emerged in wild banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) in Northern Botswana, causing significant mortality. Unlike other members of the MtbC, M. mungi is not transmitted through a primary aerosol route. Rather, pathogen invasion occur...

Genome Sequences for Five Strains of the Emerging Pathogen Haemophilus haemolyticus

PubMed Central

Jordan, I. King; Conley, Andrew B.; Antonov, Ivan V.; Arthur, Robert A.; Cook, Erin D.; Cooper, Guy P.; Jones, Bernard L.; Knipe, Kristen M.; Lee, Kevin J.; Liu, Xing; Mitchell, Gabriel J.; Pande, Pushkar R.; Petit, Robert A.; Qin, Shaopu; Rajan, Vani N.; Sarda, Shruti; Sebastian, Aswathy; Tang, Shiyuyun; Thapliyal, Racchit; Varghese, Neha J.; Ye, Tianjun; Katz, Lee S.; Wang, Xin; Rowe, Lori; Frace, Michael; Mayer, Leonard W.

2011-01-01

We report the first whole-genome sequences for five strains, two carried and three pathogenic, of the emerging pathogen Haemophilus haemolyticus. Preliminary analyses indicate that these genome sequences encode markers that distinguish H. haemolyticus from its closest Haemophilus relatives and provide clues to the identity of its virulence factors. PMID:21952546

CE-BLAST makes it possible to compute antigenic similarity for newly emerging pathogens.

PubMed

Qiu, Tianyi; Yang, Yiyan; Qiu, Jingxuan; Huang, Yang; Xu, Tianlei; Xiao, Han; Wu, Dingfeng; Zhang, Qingchen; Zhou, Chen; Zhang, Xiaoyan; Tang, Kailin; Xu, Jianqing; Cao, Zhiwei

2018-05-02

Major challenges in vaccine development include rapidly selecting or designing immunogens for raising cross-protective immunity against different intra- or inter-subtypic pathogens, especially for the newly emerging varieties. Here we propose a computational method, Conformational Epitope (CE)-BLAST, for calculating the antigenic similarity among different pathogens with stable and high performance, which is independent of the prior binding-assay information, unlike the currently available models that heavily rely on the historical experimental data. Tool validation incorporates influenza-related experimental data sufficient for stability and reliability determination. Application to dengue-related data demonstrates high harmonization between the computed clusters and the experimental serological data, undetectable by classical grouping. CE-BLAST identifies the potential cross-reactive epitope between the recent zika pathogen and the dengue virus, precisely corroborated by experimental data. The high performance of the pathogens without the experimental binding data suggests the potential utility of CE-BLAST to rapidly design cross-protective vaccines or promptly determine the efficacy of the currently marketed vaccine against emerging pathogens, which are the critical factors for containing emerging disease outbreaks.

Emergence of the sudden oak death pathogen Phytophthora ramorum

Treesearch

Niklaus J. Grunwald; Matteo Garbelotto; Erica M. Goss; Kurt Huengens; Simone Prospero

2012-01-01

The recently emerged plant pathogen Phytophthora ramorum is responsible for causing the sudden oak death epidemic. This review documents the emergence of P. ramorum based on evolutionary and population genetic analyses. Currently infection by P. ramorum occurs only in Europe and North America and three...

KSC-2013-3797

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-27

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the launch abort system, or LAS, components are horizontally stacked as processing continues for the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 mission. Components of the LAS are the launch abort motor, the attitude control motor, the jettison motor and the fairing. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The LAS is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2013-3798

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-27

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the launch abort system, or LAS, components are horizontally stacked as processing continues for the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 mission. Components of the LAS are the launch abort motor, the attitude control motor, the jettison motor and the fairing. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The LAS is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Population genomic insights into the emergence, crop-adaptation and dissemination of Pseudomonas syringae pathogens

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Although pathogen strains that cause disease outbreaks are often well characterized, relatively little is known about the reservoir populations from which they emerge. Genomic comparison of outbreak strains with isolates of reservoir populations can give new insight into mechanisms of disease emerge...

Role of India's wildlife in the emergence and re-emergence of zoonotic pathogens, risk factors and public health implications.

PubMed

Singh, B B; Gajadhar, A A

2014-10-01

Evolving land use practices have led to an increase in interactions at the human/wildlife interface. The presence and poor knowledge of zoonotic pathogens in India's wildlife and the occurrence of enormous human populations interfacing with, and critically linked to, forest ecosystems warrant attention. Factors such as diverse migratory bird populations, climate change, expanding human population and shrinking wildlife habitats play a significant role in the emergence and re-emergence of zoonotic pathogens from India's wildlife. The introduction of a novel Kyasanur forest disease virus (family flaviviridae) into human populations in 1957 and subsequent occurrence of seasonal outbreaks illustrate the key role that India's wild animals play in the emergence and reemergence of zoonotic pathogens. Other high priority zoonotic diseases of wildlife origin which could affect both livestock and humans include influenza, Nipah, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, plague, leptospirosis, anthrax and leishmaniasis. Continuous monitoring of India's extensively diverse and dispersed wildlife is challenging, but their use as indicators should facilitate efficient and rapid disease-outbreak response across the region and occasionally the globe. Defining and prioritizing research on zoonotic pathogens in wildlife are essential, particularly in a multidisciplinary one-world one-health approach which includes human and veterinary medical studies at the wildlife-livestock-human interfaces. This review indicates that wild animals play an important role in the emergence and re-emergence of zoonotic pathogens and provides brief summaries of the zoonotic diseases that have occurred in wild animals in India. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ancient isolation and independent evolution of the three clonal lineages of the exotic sudden oak death pathogen Phytophthora ramorum

Treesearch

E.M. Goss; I. Carbone; N.J. Grünwald

2009-01-01

The genus Phytophthora includes some of the most destructive plant pathogens affecting agricultural and native ecosystems and is responsible for a number of recent emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases of plants. Sudden oak death, caused by the exotic pathogen P. ramorum, has caused extensive mortality of oaks...

STS-113 TCDT emergency exit training at Launch Pad 39A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - As part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, the STS-113 and Expedition 6 crews receive training in emergency exit from the orbiter on Launch Pad 39A. Shown are (from left) Mission Commander James Wetherbee and cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin and astronaut Donald Pettit of the Expedition 6 crew. The TCDT also includes a simulated launch countdown. The 16th assembly flight to the International Space Station, STS-113 will carry the Port 1 (P1) truss aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour as well as the Expedition 6 crew, who will replace Expedition 5 on the Station. Mission STS-113 is scheduled to launch Nov. 10, 2002.

STS-113 TCDT emergency exit training at Launch Pad 39A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - As part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, the STS-113 and Expedition 6 crews receive training in emergency exit from the orbiter on Launch Pad 39A. Shown are (from left) Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox; STS-113 Pilot Paul Lockhart; astronaut Donald Pettit; Mission Specialist Michael Lopez-Alegria, Commander James Wetherbee and Mission Specialist John Herrington; and cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin. The TCDT also includes a simulated launch countdown. The 16th assembly flight to the International Space Station, STS-113 will carry the Port 6 crew, who will replace Expedition 5 on the Station. Mission STS-113 is scheduled to launch Nov. 10, 2002.

STS-113 TCDT emergency exit training at Launch Pad 39A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 39A, a trainer (right) explains use of the slidewire basket, part of the emergency egress system, to Expedition 6 astronaut Donald Pettit (left) and STS-113 Mission Specialists Michael Lopez-Alegria (center) and John Herrington (right). . They are other crew members are taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, which also include a simulated launch countdown. The 16th assembly flight to the International Space Station, STS-113 will carry the Port 1 (P1) truss aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour as well as the Expedition 6 crew, who will replace Expedition 5 on the Station. Mission STS-113 is scheduled to launch Nov. 10, 2002.

KSC-08pd2858

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-09-23

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - STS-125 Pilot Gregory C. Johnson serves as a “guinea pig” to demonstrate emergency escape apparatus from the 195-foot level of the fixed service structure on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Looking on are Mission Specialists Andrew Feustel, Megan McArthur and Mike Massimino. The crew is at Kennedy to take part in terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities before launching on space shuttle Atlantis’ mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization, emergency training and a simulated launch countdown. Atlantis is targeted to launch Oct. 10. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Rhamnolipids elicit defense responses and induce disease resistance against biotrophic, hemibiotrophic, and necrotrophic pathogens that require different signaling pathways in Arabidopsis and highlight a central role for salicylic acid.

PubMed

Sanchez, Lisa; Courteaux, Barbara; Hubert, Jane; Kauffmann, Serge; Renault, Jean-Hugues; Clément, Christophe; Baillieul, Fabienne; Dorey, Stéphan

2012-11-01

Plant resistance to phytopathogenic microorganisms mainly relies on the activation of an innate immune response usually launched after recognition by the plant cells of microbe-associated molecular patterns. The plant hormones, salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid, and ethylene have emerged as key players in the signaling networks involved in plant immunity. Rhamnolipids (RLs) are glycolipids produced by bacteria and are involved in surface motility and biofilm development. Here we report that RLs trigger an immune response in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) characterized by signaling molecules accumulation and defense gene activation. This immune response participates to resistance against the hemibiotrophic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato, the biotrophic oomycete Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis, and the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea. We show that RL-mediated resistance involves different signaling pathways that depend on the type of pathogen. Ethylene is involved in RL-induced resistance to H. arabidopsidis and to P. syringae pv tomato whereas jasmonic acid is essential for the resistance to B. cinerea. SA participates to the restriction of all pathogens. We also show evidence that SA-dependent plant defenses are potentiated by RLs following challenge by B. cinerea or P. syringae pv tomato. These results highlight a central role for SA in RL-mediated resistance. In addition to the activation of plant defense responses, antimicrobial properties of RLs are thought to participate in the protection against the fungus and the oomycete. Our data highlight the intricate mechanisms involved in plant protection triggered by a new type of molecule that can be perceived by plant cells and that can also act directly onto pathogens.

New trends in emerging pathogens.

PubMed

Skovgaard, Niels

2007-12-15

The emergence of pathogens is the result of a number of impact in all parts of the food chain. The emerging technologies in food production explain how new pathogens can establish themselves in the food chain and compromise food safety. The impact of the food technology is analysed for several bacteria, such as Yersinia, Campylobacter, Arcobacter, Helicobacter pullorum, Enterobacter sakazakii, Mycobacterium avium spp. paratuberculosis, prions related to vCJD and others. The importance of the ability of many microbes to form VBNC forms is elaborated on. Research on culture independent methods may address this outstanding issue to the better understanding of emerging pathogens. The "demerging" of pathogens also occur, and examples of this are explained. The reaction of bacteria to stresses and sublethal treatments, and how exposure to one stress factor can confer resistance to other stresses, literally speaking causing contagious resistance, are explained. The implication of this e.g. in modern approaches of food preservation, such as Minimally processed Foods, is considerable. Intestinal colonization of EHEC may be regulated by Quorum sensing, and this ability of microbes plays an important role in the colonization of microbes in food and on food processing equipment, an important factor in the emergence of pathogens. The emergence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as an opportunistic human pathogen, used for centuries for food and production of alcoholic beverages, calls for research in molecular tools to distinguish between probiotic and clinical strains. Cyclospora cayetanensis and Norovirus outbreaks can no longer be designated as emerging pathogens, they share however one characteristic in the epidemiology of emerging nature, the importance of the hygiene in the primary production stage, including supply of potable water, and the application of GMP and the HACCP principles in the beginning of the food chain. Hepatitis E virus is a potential emerging food borne pathogen and swine may serve as a source of infection in human, a most challenging issue in greater part of the world raising pigs. Tick-borne encephalitis virus infection, either thick borne or caused by consumption of raw milk, is an increasing trend in the industrialized part of the world. Consumer awareness, ethics of food, sustainability in food production, and trust in foods, are of growing importance to the consumer. The reaction of the consumer to new technology, such as nanotechnology, is unpredictable. Many efforts should be devoted to communication of non-biased information to both the food producers as well as the consumer.

Development of an aquatic pathogen database (AquaPathogen X) and its utilization in tracking emerging fish virus pathogens in North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Emmenegger, E.J.; Kentop, E.; Thompson, T.M.; Pittam, S.; Ryan, A.; Keon, D.; Carlino, J.A.; Ranson, J.; Life, R.B.; Troyer, R.M.; Garver, K.A.; Kurath, G.

2011-01-01

The AquaPathogen X database is a template for recording information on individual isolates of aquatic pathogens and is freely available for download (http://wfrc.usgs.gov). This database can accommodate the nucleotide sequence data generated in molecular epidemiological studies along with the myriad of abiotic and biotic traits associated with isolates of various pathogens (e.g. viruses, parasites and bacteria) from multiple aquatic animal host species (e.g. fish, shellfish and shrimp). The cataloguing of isolates from different aquatic pathogens simultaneously is a unique feature to the AquaPathogen X database, which can be used in surveillance of emerging aquatic animal diseases and elucidation of key risk factors associated with pathogen incursions into new water systems. An application of the template database that stores the epidemiological profiles of fish virus isolates, called Fish ViroTrak, was also developed. Exported records for two aquatic rhabdovirus species emerging in North America were used in the implementation of two separate web-accessible databases: the Molecular Epidemiology of Aquatic Pathogens infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (MEAP-IHNV) database (http://gis.nacse.org/ihnv/) released in 2006 and the MEAP- viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (http://gis.nacse.org/vhsv/) database released in 2010.

KSC01padig082

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-02-13

The STS-102 crew pose in front of an armored carrier that is used for emergency egress training. In the event of an emergency at the pad prior to launch, the carrier could be used to transport the crew to a nearby bunker or farther. The STS-102 crew is at KSC to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which also include a simulated launch countdown. STS-102 is the eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, carrying as payload the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. Launch on mission STS-102 is scheduled for March 8

Cubesats: Cost-effective science and technology platforms for emerging and developing nations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woellert, Kirk; Ehrenfreund, Pascale; Ricco, Antonio J.; Hertzfeld, Henry

2011-02-01

The development, operation, and analysis of data from cubesats can promote science education and spur technology utilization in emerging and developing nations. This platform offers uniquely low construction and launch costs together with a comparative ubiquity of launch providers; factors that have led more than 80 universities and several emerging nations to develop programs in this field. Their small size and weight enables cubesats to “piggyback” on rocket launches and accompany orbiters travelling to Moon and Mars. It is envisaged that constellations of cubesats will be used for larger science missions. We present a brief history, technology overview, and summary of applications in science and industry for these small satellites. Cubesat technical success stories are offered along with a summary of pitfalls and challenges encountered in both developed and emerging nations. A discussion of economic and public policy issues aims to facilitate the decision-making process for those considering utilization of this unique technology.

Selected Pathogens of Concern to Industrial Food Processors: Infectious, Toxigenic, Toxico-Infectious, Selected Emerging Pathogenic Bacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behling, Robert G.; Eifert, Joseph; Erickson, Marilyn C.; Gurtler, Joshua B.; Kornacki, Jeffrey L.; Line, Erick; Radcliff, Roy; Ryser, Elliot T.; Stawick, Bradley; Yan, Zhinong

This chapter, written by several contributing authors, is devoted to discussing selected microbes of contemporary importance. Microbes from three categories are described by the following: (1) infectious invasive agents like Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter; (2) toxigenic pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Clostridium botulinum; and (3) toxico-infectious agents like enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens. In addition, emerging pathogens, like Cronobacter (Enterobacter) sakazakii, Arcobacter spp., and Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis are also described.

Dendritic cell control of tolerogenic responses

PubMed Central

Manicassamy, Santhakumar; Pulendran, Bali

2011-01-01

Summary One of the most fundamental problems in immunology is the seemingly schizophrenic ability of the immune system to launch robust immunity against pathogens, while acquiring and maintaining a state of tolerance to the body’s own tissues and the trillions of commensal microorganisms and food antigens that confront it every day. A fundamental role for the innate immune system, particularly dendritic cells (DCs), in orchestrating immunological tolerance has been appreciated, but emerging studies have highlighted the nature of the innate receptors and the signaling pathways that program DCs to a tolerogenic state. Furthermore, several studies have emphasized the major role played by cellular interactions, and the microenvironment in programming tolerogenic DCs. Here we review these studies and suggest that the innate control of tolerogenic responses can be viewed as different hierarchies of organization, in which DCs, their innate receptors and signaling networks, and their interactions with other cells and local microenvironments represent different levels of the hierarchy. PMID:21488899

From SARS to MERS: evidence and speculation.

PubMed

Gao, Hainv; Yao, Hangping; Yang, Shigui; Li, Lanjuan

2016-12-01

The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a novel zoonotic pathogen. In 2012, the infectious outbreak caused by MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia has spread to more than 1600 patients in 26 countries, resulting in over 600 deaths.Without a travel history, few clinical and radiological features can reliably differentiate MERS from SARS. But in real world, comparing with SARS, MERS presents more vaguely defined epidemiology, more severe symptoms, and higher case fatality rate. In this review, we summarize the recent findings in the field of MERS-CoV, especially its molecular virology, interspecies mechanisms, clinical features, antiviral therapies, and the further investigation into this disease. As a newly emerging virus, many questions are not fully answered, including the exact mode of transmission chain, geographical distribution, and animal origins. Furthermore, a new protocol needs to be launched to rapidly evaluate the effects of unproven antiviral drugs and vaccine to fasten the clinical application of new drugs.

The worldwide growth of launch vehicle technology and services : Quarterly Launch Report : special report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

This report will discuss primarily those vehicles being introduced by the newly emerging space nations. India, Israel, and Brazil are all trying to turn launch vehicle assets into profitable businesses. In this effort, they have found the technologic...

KSC-2013-3796

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-27

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to work on the launch abort system, or LAS, for the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 mission. Horizontally stacked together are the components of the LAS, the launch abort motor, the attitude control motor, the jettison motor and the fairing. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The LAS is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2013-3795

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-09-27

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician works on the launch abort system, or LAS, for the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 mission. Horizontally stacked together are the components of the LAS, the launch abort motor, the attitude control motor, the jettison motor and the fairing. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The LAS is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2013-3816

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-10-24

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the launch abort system, or LAS, for the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1, is being moved by flatbed truck from the high bay. The LAS will be moved to a low bay at the facility to complete processing. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The LAS is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

KSC-2013-3814

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-10-24

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the launch abort system, or LAS, for the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 mission is being loaded onto a flatbed truck. The LAS will be moved to a low bay at the facility to complete processing. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The LAS is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

KSC-2013-3818

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-10-24

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the launch abort system, or LAS, for the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1, is backed by flatbed truck into a low bay at the facility. The low bay has been prepared for additional LAS processing. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The LAS is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

KSC-2013-3815

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-10-24

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the launch abort system, or LAS, for the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1, is being moved by flatbed truck from the high bay. The LAS will be moved to a low bay at the facility to complete processing. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The LAS is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

KSC-2013-3813

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-10-24

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the launch abort system, or LAS, for the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 mission is being loaded onto a flatbed truck. The LAS will be moved to a low bay at the facility to complete processing. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The LAS is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

STS-53 Commander Walker adjusts LES prior to JSC emergency egress training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-53 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, Commander David M. Walker pulls at launch and entry suit (LES) neck ring and neck dam in an attempt to adjust it and/or loosen it. Walker appears uncomfortable and makes the adjustments in preparation for launch emergency egress bailout procedures in JSC's Mockup and Integration Laboratory (MAIL) Bldg 9NE.

KSC-05PD-0855

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, STS-114 Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas is ready to practice driving an M-113, an armored personnel carrier that is used for speedy departure from the launch pad in an emergency. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.

KSC-05PD-0854

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, STS-114 Pilot James Kelly is ready to practice driving an M-113, an armored personnel carrier that is used for speedy departure from the launch pad in an emergency. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.

KSC-05PD-0846

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the STS-114 Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence is getting ready to practice driving an M-113, an armored personnel carrier that is used for speedy departure from the launch pad in an emergency. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.

KSC-05PD-0848

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, STS-114 Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson is getting ready to practice driving an M-113, an armored personnel carrier that is used for speedy departure from the launch pad in an emergency. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.

STS-105 and Expedition Three crews get slidewire training at Launch Pad 39A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- During emergency egress training on Launch Pad 39A, Expedition Three cosmonaut Vladimir Nikolaevich Dezhurov, STS-105 Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester, and cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin watch while other crew members descend in a slidewire basket. Both crews are at KSC to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include the emergency egress training, a simulated launch countdown and familiarization with the payload. Mission STS-105 will be transporting the Expedition Three crew, several payloads and scientific experiments to the International Space Station aboard Discovery. The current Expedition Two crew members on the Station will return to Earth on Discovery. Launch of Discovery is scheduled no earlier than Aug. 9, 2001.

STS-93 crew members take part in an emergency egress exercise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

During an emergency egress exercise at the launch pad, Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby (left) and Commander Eileen M. Collins (right) practice getting into the slidewire basket that is part of an emergency escape route for persons in the Shuttle and on the Rotating Service Structure. The STS-93 crew has been taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities that include the emergency exit training and a launch-day dress rehearsal culminating with a simulated main engine cut-off. Other crew members participating are Mission Specialists Catherine G. Coleman (Ph.D.), Steven A. Hawley (Ph.D.), and Michel Tognini of France, who represents the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Collins is the first woman to serve as a Shuttle commander. The primary mission of STS-93 is the release of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which will allow scientists from around the world to obtain unprecedented X-ray images of exotic environments in space to help understand the structure and evolution of the universe. The targeted launch date for STS-93 is no earlier than July 20 at 12:36 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B.

STS-93 crew members take part in an emergency egress exercise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

During an emergency egress exercise at the launch pad, Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby (left) and Commander Eileen M. Collins (right) hurry down the yellow-painted path to a slidewire basket. The baskets are part of an emergency escape route for persons in the Shuttle and on the Rotating Service Structure. The STS-93 crew members have been taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities that include the emergency exit training and a launch-day dress rehearsal culminating with a simulated main engine cut-off. Other crew members participating are Mission Specialists Catherine G. Coleman (Ph.D.), Steven A. Hawley (Ph.D.), and Michel Tognini of France, who represents the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Collins is the first woman to serve as a Shuttle commander. The primary mission of STS-93 is the release of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which will allow scientists from around the world to obtain unprecedented X-ray images of exotic environments in space to help understand the structure and evolution of the universe. The targeted launch date for STS-93 is no earlier than July 20 at 12:36 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B.

Chimpanzee adenoviral vectors as vaccines for outbreak pathogens

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The 2014–15 Ebola outbreak in West Africa highlighted the potential for large disease outbreaks caused by emerging pathogens and has generated considerable focus on preparedness for future epidemics. Here we discuss drivers, strategies and practical considerations for developing vaccines against outbreak pathogens. Chimpanzee adenoviral (ChAd) vectors have been developed as vaccine candidates for multiple infectious diseases and prostate cancer. ChAd vectors are safe and induce antigen-specific cellular and humoral immunity in all age groups, as well as circumventing the problem of pre-existing immunity encountered with human Ad vectors. For these reasons, such viral vectors provide an attractive platform for stockpiling vaccines for emergency deployment in response to a threatened outbreak of an emerging pathogen. Work is already underway to develop vaccines against a number of other outbreak pathogens and we will also review progress on these approaches here, particularly for Lassa fever, Nipah and MERS. PMID:29083948

Spectrum of Viral Pathogens in Blood of Malaria-Free Ill Travelers Returning to Canada.

PubMed

Kariyawasam, Ruwandi; Lau, Rachel; Eshaghi, Alireza; Patel, Samir N; Sider, Doug; Gubbay, Jonathan B; Boggild, Andrea K

2016-05-01

Malaria is the most common specific cause of fever in returning travelers, but many other vectorborne infections and viral infections are emerging and increasingly encountered by travelers. We documented common and emerging viral pathogens in malaria-negative specimens from ill travelers returning to Canada. Anonymized, malaria-negative specimens were examined for various viral pathogens by real-time PCR. Samples were positive for herpes simplex viruses 1 or 2 (n = 21, 1.6%), cytomegalovirus (n = 4, 0.3%), Epstein-Barr virus (n = 194, 14.9%), dengue virus types 1-4 (n = 27, 2.1%), chikungunya virus (n = 5, 0.4%), and hepatitis A virus (n = 12, 0.9%). Travel-acquired viral pathogens were documented in >20% of malaria-negative specimens, of which 2.5% were infected with dengue and chikungunya viruses. Our findings support the anecdotal impression that these vectorborne pathogens are emerging among persons who travel from Canada to other countries.

KSC-07pd3344

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-11-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-122 Mission Specialist Rex Walheim, at right, practices driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier as the instructor beside him monitors his performance. The practice near Launch Pad 39B is part of training on emergency egress procedures. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is participating in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, a standard part of launch preparations. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with equipment familiarization, emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. On mission STS-122, Atlantis will deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus module to the International Space Station. Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony, and will expand the research facilities aboard the station. Launch is targeted for Dec. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3336

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-11-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-122 Commander Stephen Frick takes time out from driving practice of the M-113 armored personnel carrier to pose for a photo. The practice near Launch Pad 39B is part of training on emergency egress procedures. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is participating in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, a standard part of launch preparations. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with equipment familiarization, emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. On mission STS-122, Atlantis will deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus module to the International Space Station. Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony, and will expand the research facilities aboard the station. Launch is targeted for Dec. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3338

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-11-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-122 Pilot Alan Poindexter takes time out from driving practice of the M-113 armored personnel carrier to pose for a photo. The practice near Launch Pad 39B is part of training on emergency egress procedures. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is participating in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, a standard part of launch preparations. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with equipment familiarization, emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. On mission STS-122, Atlantis will deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus module to the International Space Station. Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony, and will expand the research facilities aboard the station. Launch is targeted for Dec. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3340

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-11-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-122 Mission Specialist Leland Melvin takes time out from driving practice of the M-113 armored personnel carrier to pose for a photo. The practice near Launch Pad 39B is part of training on emergency egress procedures. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is participating in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, a standard part of launch preparations. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with equipment familiarization, emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. On mission STS-122, Atlantis will deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus module to the International Space Station. Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony, and will expand the research facilities aboard the station. Launch is targeted for Dec. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3345

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-11-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-122 Mission Specialist Hans Schlegel, of the European Space Agency, takes time out from driving practice of the M-113 armored personnel carrier to pose for a photo. The practice near Launch Pad 39B is part of training on emergency egress procedures. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is participating in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, a standard part of launch preparations. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with equipment familiarization, emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. On mission STS-122, Atlantis will deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus module to the International Space Station. Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony, and will expand the research facilities aboard the station. Launch is targeted for Dec. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

STS-102 crew poses on the FSS at Launch Pad 39B during TCDT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Three members of the STS-102 crew hurry to the slidewire baskets for emergency egress training. The crew is at KSC for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include the emergency training and a simulated launch countdown. STS-102 is the eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, with Space Shuttle Discovery carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. In addition, the Expedition Two crew will be on the mission, to replace Expedition One, who will return to Earth with Discovery. Launch on mission STS-102 is scheduled for March 8.

STS-55 MS3 Harris in life raft during emergency egress exercises at JSC WETF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

Using a small single person life raft, STS-55 Mission Specialist 3 (MS3) Bernard A. Harris, Jr floats in the pool located in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29. Harris, wearing a launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), opens a sealed canister containing a flare. Harris, along with other crewmembers, is participating in a launch emergency egress (bailout) training session. STS-55 with the Spacelab Deutsche 2 (SL-D2) payload will fly aboard Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, in 1993.

The Promise of Whole Genome Pathogen Sequencing for the Molecular Epidemiology of Emerging Aquaculture Pathogens

PubMed Central

Bayliss, Sion C.; Verner-Jeffreys, David W.; Bartie, Kerry L.; Aanensen, David M.; Sheppard, Samuel K.; Adams, Alexandra; Feil, Edward J.

2017-01-01

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food-producing sector, and the sustainability of this industry is critical both for global food security and economic welfare. The management of infectious disease represents a key challenge. Here, we discuss the opportunities afforded by whole genome sequencing of bacterial and viral pathogens of aquaculture to mitigate disease emergence and spread. We outline, by way of comparison, how sequencing technology is transforming the molecular epidemiology of pathogens of public health importance, emphasizing the importance of community-oriented databases and analysis tools. PMID:28217117

Evolutionary genomics of yeast pathogens in the Saccharomycotina

PubMed Central

Naranjo-Ortíz, Miguel A.; Marcet-Houben, Marina

2016-01-01

Saccharomycotina comprises a diverse group of yeasts that includes numerous species of industrial or clinical relevance. Opportunistic pathogens within this clade are often assigned to the genus Candida but belong to phylogenetically distant lineages that also comprise non-pathogenic species. This indicates that the ability to infect humans has evolved independently several times among Saccharomycotina. Although the mechanisms of infection of the main groups of Candida pathogens are starting to be unveiled, we still lack sufficient understanding of the evolutionary paths that led to a virulent phenotype in each of the pathogenic lineages. Deciphering what genomic changes underlie the evolutionary emergence of a virulence trait will not only aid the discovery of novel virulence mechanisms but it will also provide valuable information to understand how new pathogens emerge, and what clades may pose a future danger. Here we review recent comparative genomics efforts that have revealed possible evolutionary paths to pathogenesis in different lineages, focusing on the main three agents of candidiasis worldwide: Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis and C. glabrata. We will discuss what genomic traits may facilitate the emergence of virulence, and focus on two different genome evolution mechanisms able to generate drastic phenotypic changes and which have been associated to the emergence of virulence: gene family expansion and interspecies hybridization. PMID:27493146

Novel Insights into Cell Entry of Emerging Human Pathogenic Arenaviruses.

PubMed

Fedeli, Chiara; Moreno, Héctor; Kunz, Stefan

2018-06-22

Viral hemorrhagic fevers caused by emerging RNA viruses of the Arenavirus family are among the most devastating human diseases. Climate change, global trade, and increasing urbanization promote the emergence and re-emergence of these human pathogenic viruses. Emerging pathogenic arenaviruses are of zoonotic origin and reservoir-to-human transmission is crucial for spillover into human populations. Host cell attachment and entry are the first and most fundamental steps of every virus infection and represent major barriers for zoonotic transmission. During host cell invasion, viruses critically depend on cellular factors, including receptors, co-receptors, and regulatory proteins of endocytosis. An in-depth understanding of the complex interaction of a virus with cellular factors implicated in host cell entry is therefore crucial to predict the risk of zoonotic transmission, define the tissue tropism, and assess disease potential. Over the past years, investigation of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying host cell invasion of human pathogenic arenaviruses uncovered remarkable viral strategies and provided novel insights into viral adaptation and virus-host co-evolution that will be covered in the present review. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

STS-35 Commander Brand listens to trainer during water egress exercises

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

STS-35 Commander Vance D. Brand listens to training personnel during launch emergency egress procedures conducted in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29. Brand, wearing a launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), is seated on the pool side while reviewing instructions.

Disease ecology and the global emergence of zoonotic pathogens.

PubMed

Wilcox, Bruce A; Gubler, Duane J

2005-09-01

The incidence and frequency of epidemic transmission of zoonotic diseases, both known and newly recognized, has increased dramatically in the past 30 years. It is thought that this dramatic disease emergence is primarily the result of the social, demographic, and environmental transformation that has occurred globally since World War II. However, the causal linkages have not been elucidated. Investigating emerging zoonotic pathogens as an ecological phenomenon can provide significant insights as to why some of these pathogens have jumped species and caused major epidemics in humans. A review of concepts and theory from biological ecology and of causal factors in disease emergence previously described suggests a general model of global zoonotic disease emergence. The model links demographic and societal factors to land use and land cover change whose associated ecological factors help explain disease emergence. The scale and magnitude of these changes are more significant than those associated with climate change, the effects of which are largely not yet understood. Unfortunately, the complex character and non-linear behavior of the human-natural systems in which host-pathogen systems are embedded makes specific incidences of disease emergence or epidemics inherently difficult to predict. Employing a complex systems analytical approach, however, may show how a few key ecological variables and system properties, including the adaptive capacity of institutions, explains the emergence of infectious diseases and how an integrated, multi-level approach to zoonotic disease control can reduce risk.

KSC-05PD-0850

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins gets ready to practice driving an M-113, an armored personnel carrier that is used for speedy departure from the launch pad in an emergency. Behind her is Capt. George Hoggard, who is astronaut rescue team leader. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.

KSC-05PD-0849

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, STS-114 Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson (right) practices driving an M-113, an armored personnel carrier that is used for speedy departure from the launch pad in an emergency. At left is Capt. George Hoggard, who is astronaut rescue team leader. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.

STS-102 crew poses on the FSS at Launch Pad 39B during TCDT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Relaxing after emergency escape training on the 195-foot level of the Fixed Service Structure, Launch Pad 39B, are(left to right) STS-102 Mission Specialists Andrew Thomas and Paul Richards and Commander James Wetherbee. The crew is at KSC for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include the emergency training and a simulated launch countdown. STS-102 is the eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, with Space Shuttle Discovery carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. Also flying on the mission are the Expedition Two crew, who will replace the Expedition One crew on Space Station. Expedition One will return to Earth with Discovery. Launch on mission STS-102 is scheduled for March 8.

Using open-access taxonomic and spatial information to create a comprehensive database for the study of mammalian and avian livestock and pet infections.

PubMed

McIntyre, K M; Setzkorn, C; Wardeh, M; Hepworth, P J; Radford, A D; Baylis, M

2014-10-01

What are all the species of pathogen that affect our livestock? As 6 out of every 10 human pathogens came from animals, with a good number from livestock and pets, it seems likely that the majority that emerge in the future, and which could threaten or devastate human health, will come from animals. Only 10 years ago, the first comprehensive pathogen list was compiled for humans; we still have no equivalent for animals. Here we describe the creation of a novel pathogen database, and present outputs from the database that demonstrate its value. The ENHanCEd Infectious Diseases database (EID2) is open-access and evidence-based, and it describes the pathogens of humans and animals, their host and vector species, and also their global occurrence. The EID2 systematically collates information on pathogens into a single resource using evidence from the NCBI Taxonomy database, the NCBI Nucleotide database, the NCBI MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) library and PubMed. Information about pathogens is assigned using data-mining of meta-data and semi-automated literature searches. Here we focus on 47 mammalian and avian hosts, including humans and animals commonly used in Europe as food or kept as pets. Currently, the EID2 evidence suggests that: • Within these host species, 793 (30.5%) pathogens were bacteria species, 395 (15.2%) fungi, 705 (27.1%) helminths, 372 (14.3%) protozoa and 332 (12.8%) viruses. • The odds of pathogens being emerging compared to not emerging differed by taxonomic division, and increased when pathogens had greater numbers of host species associated with them, and were zoonotic rather than non-zoonotic. • The odds of pathogens being zoonotic compared to non-zoonotic differed by taxonomic division and also increased when associated with greater host numbers. • The pathogens affecting the greatest number of hosts included: Escherichia coli, Giardia intestinalis, Toxoplasma gondii, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Cryptosporidium parvum, Rabies virus, Staphylococcus aureus, Neospora caninum and Echinococcus granulosus. • The pathogens of humans and domestic animal hosts are characterised by 4223 interactions between pathogen and host species, with the greatest number found in: humans, sheep/goats, cattle, small mammals, pigs, dogs and equids. • The number of pathogen species varied by European country. The odds of a pathogen being found in Europe compared to the rest of the world differed by taxonomic division, and increased if they were emerging compared to not emerging, or had a larger number of host species associated with them. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

KSC-2013-4302

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first of four new emergency egress vehicles, called Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protection, or MRAP, vehicles arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida from the U.S. Army Red River Depot in Texarkana, Texas. Each vehicle will be processed in and then transported to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility near the Vehicle Assembly Building for temporary storage. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy led the efforts to an emergency egress vehicle that future astronauts could quickly use to leave the Launch Complex 39 area in case of an emergency. During crewed launches of NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, the MRAP will be stationed by the slidewire termination area at the pad. In case of an emergency, the crew will ride a slidewire to the ground and immediately board the MRAP for safe egress from the pad. The new vehicles replace the M-113 vehicles that were used during the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2013-4300

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first of four new emergency egress vehicles, called Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protection, or MRAP, vehicles arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida from the U.S. Army Red River Depot in Texarkana, Texas. Each vehicle will be processed in and then transported to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility near the Vehicle Assembly Building for temporary storage. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy led the efforts to an emergency egress vehicle that future astronauts could quickly use to leave the Launch Complex 39 area in case of an emergency. During crewed launches of NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, the MRAP will be stationed by the slidewire termination area at the pad. In case of an emergency, the crew will ride a slidewire to the ground and immediately board the MRAP for safe egress from the pad. The new vehicles replace the M-113 vehicles that were used during the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2013-4301

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first of four new emergency egress vehicles, called Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protection, or MRAP, vehicles arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida from the U.S. Army Red River Depot in Texarkana, Texas. Each vehicle will be processed in and then transported to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility near the Vehicle Assembly Building for temporary storage. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy led the efforts to an emergency egress vehicle that future astronauts could quickly use to leave the Launch Complex 39 area in case of an emergency. During crewed launches of NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, the MRAP will be stationed by the slidewire termination area at the pad. In case of an emergency, the crew will ride a slidewire to the ground and immediately board the MRAP for safe egress from the pad. The new vehicles replace the M-113 vehicles that were used during the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Indirect effects of an invasive annual grass on seed fates of two native perennial grass species.

PubMed

Meyer, Susan E; Merrill, Katherine T; Allen, Phil S; Beckstead, Julie; Norte, Anna S

2014-04-01

Invasive plants exhibit both direct and indirect negative effects on recruitment of natives following invasion. We examined indirect effects of the invader Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) on seed fates of two native grass species, Elymus elymoides and Pseudoroegneria spicata, by removing B. tectorum and by adding inoculum of the shared seed pathogen Pyrenophora semeniperda in factorial experiments at xeric and mesic field sites. We also included a supplemental watering treatment to increase emergence and also the potential for pathogen escape. We recorded emergence and survival of native seedlings and also determined the fate of unemerged seeds. At the xeric site, Pyrenophora-caused mortality was high (34%), and effects of other pathogens and failed emergence of germinants were smaller. Cheatgrass removal negatively affected both emergence (35 vs. 25%) and spring survival (69 vs. 42%). Pyrenophora-caused seed mortality increased with inoculum augmentation for both species (22 vs. 47% overall), but emergence was negatively impacted only for P. spicata (20 vs. 34%). At the mesic site, Pyrenophora-caused mortality was low (6%). Cheatgrass removal doubled emergence (26 vs. 14%). Seed mortality increased significantly with inoculum augmentation for P. spicata (12 vs. 5%) but not E. elymoides, while emergence was not significantly affected in either species. A large fraction of seeds produced germinants that failed to emerge (37%), while another large fraction (35%) was killed by other pathogens. We conclude that facilitation by cheatgrass at the xeric site but interference at the mesic site was probably mediated through litter effects that could be ameliorative or suppressive. Apparent competition between cheatgrass and native grasses could occur through Pyrenophora, especially in a xeric environment, but effects were weak or absent at emergence. This was probably because Pyrenophora attacks the same slow-germinating fraction that is subject to pre-emergence mortality from other causes, including attack by other pathogens such as Fusarium.

The Vietnam Initiative on Zoonotic Infections (VIZIONS): A Strategic Approach to Studying Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.

PubMed

Rabaa, Maia A; Tue, Ngo Tri; Phuc, Tran My; Carrique-Mas, Juan; Saylors, Karen; Cotten, Matthew; Bryant, Juliet E; Nghia, Ho Dang Trung; Cuong, Nguyen Van; Pham, Hong Anh; Berto, Alessandra; Phat, Voong Vinh; Dung, Tran Thi Ngoc; Bao, Long Hoang; Hoa, Ngo Thi; Wertheim, Heiman; Nadjm, Behzad; Monagin, Corina; van Doorn, H Rogier; Rahman, Motiur; Tra, My Phan Vu; Campbell, James I; Boni, Maciej F; Tam, Pham Thi Thanh; van der Hoek, Lia; Simmonds, Peter; Rambaut, Andrew; Toan, Tran Khanh; Van Vinh Chau, Nguyen; Hien, Tran Tinh; Wolfe, Nathan; Farrar, Jeremy J; Thwaites, Guy; Kellam, Paul; Woolhouse, Mark E J; Baker, Stephen

2015-12-01

The effect of newly emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases of zoonotic origin in human populations can be potentially catastrophic, and large-scale investigations of such diseases are highly challenging. The monitoring of emergence events is subject to ascertainment bias, whether at the level of species discovery, emerging disease events, or disease outbreaks in human populations. Disease surveillance is generally performed post hoc, driven by a response to recent events and by the availability of detection and identification technologies. Additionally, the inventory of pathogens that exist in mammalian and other reservoirs is incomplete, and identifying those with the potential to cause disease in humans is rarely possible in advance. A major step in understanding the burden and diversity of zoonotic infections, the local behavioral and demographic risks of infection, and the risk of emergence of these pathogens in human populations is to establish surveillance networks in populations that maintain regular contact with diverse animal populations, and to simultaneously characterize pathogen diversity in human and animal populations. Vietnam has been an epicenter of disease emergence over the last decade, and practices at the human/animal interface may facilitate the likelihood of spillover of zoonotic pathogens into humans. To tackle the scientific issues surrounding the origins and emergence of zoonotic infections in Vietnam, we have established The Vietnam Initiative on Zoonotic Infections (VIZIONS). This countrywide project, in which several international institutions collaborate with Vietnamese organizations, is combining clinical data, epidemiology, high-throughput sequencing, and social sciences to address relevant one-health questions. Here, we describe the primary aims of the project, the infrastructure established to address our scientific questions, and the current status of the project. Our principal objective is to develop an integrated approach to the surveillance of pathogens circulating in both human and animal populations and assess how frequently they are exchanged. This infrastructure will facilitate systematic investigations of pathogen ecology and evolution, enhance understanding of viral cross-species transmission events, and identify relevant risk factors and drivers of zoonotic disease emergence.

The trans-kingdom identification of negative regulators of pathogen hypervirulence.

PubMed

Brown, Neil A; Urban, Martin; Hammond-Kosack, Kim E

2016-01-01

Modern society and global ecosystems are increasingly under threat from pathogens, which cause a plethora of human, animal, invertebrate and plant diseases. Of increasing concern is the trans-kingdom tendency for increased pathogen virulence that is beginning to emerge in natural, clinical and agricultural settings. The study of pathogenicity has revealed multiple examples of convergently evolved virulence mechanisms. Originally described as rare, but increasingly common, are interactions where a single gene deletion in a pathogenic species causes hypervirulence. This review utilised the pathogen-host interaction database (www.PHI-base.org) to identify 112 hypervirulent mutations from 37 pathogen species, and subsequently interrogates the trans-kingdom, conserved, molecular, biochemical and cellular themes that cause hypervirulence. This study investigates 22 animal and 15 plant pathogens including 17 bacterial and 17 fungal species. Finally, the evolutionary significance and trans-kingdom requirement for negative regulators of hypervirulence and the implication of pathogen hypervirulence and emerging infectious diseases on society are discussed. © FEMS 2015.

Population-genomic insights into emergence, crop adaptation and dissemination of Pseudomonas syringae pathogens

PubMed Central

Monteil, Caroline L.; Yahara, Koji; Studholme, David J.; Mageiros, Leonardos; Méric, Guillaume; Swingle, Bryan; Morris, Cindy E.

2016-01-01

Many bacterial pathogens are well characterized but, in some cases, little is known about the populations from which they emerged. This limits understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying disease. The crop pathogen Pseudomonas syringae sensu lato has been widely isolated from the environment, including wild plants and components of the water cycle, and causes disease in several economically important crops. Here, we compared genome sequences of 45 P. syringae crop pathogen outbreak strains with 69 closely related environmental isolates. Phylogenetic reconstruction revealed that crop pathogens emerged many times independently from environmental populations. Unexpectedly, differences in gene content between environmental populations and outbreak strains were minimal with most virulence genes present in both. However, a genome-wide association study identified a small number of genes, including the type III effector genes hopQ1 and hopD1, to be associated with crop pathogens, but not with environmental populations, suggesting that this small group of genes may play an important role in crop disease emergence. Intriguingly, genome-wide analysis of homologous recombination revealed that the locus Psyr 0346, predicted to encode a protein that confers antibiotic resistance, has been frequently exchanged among lineages and thus may contribute to pathogen fitness. Finally, we found that isolates from diseased crops and from components of the water cycle, collected during the same crop disease epidemic, form a single population. This provides the strongest evidence yet that precipitation and irrigation water are an overlooked inoculum source for disease epidemics caused by P. syringae. PMID:28348830

Population-genomic insights into emergence, crop adaptation and dissemination of Pseudomonas syringae pathogens.

PubMed

Monteil, Caroline L; Yahara, Koji; Studholme, David J; Mageiros, Leonardos; Méric, Guillaume; Swingle, Bryan; Morris, Cindy E; Vinatzer, Boris A; Sheppard, Samuel K

2016-10-01

Many bacterial pathogens are well characterized but, in some cases, little is known about the populations from which they emerged. This limits understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying disease. The crop pathogen Pseudomonas syringae sensu lato has been widely isolated from the environment, including wild plants and components of the water cycle, and causes disease in several economically important crops. Here, we compared genome sequences of 45 P. syringae crop pathogen outbreak strains with 69 closely related environmental isolates. Phylogenetic reconstruction revealed that crop pathogens emerged many times independently from environmental populations. Unexpectedly, differences in gene content between environmental populations and outbreak strains were minimal with most virulence genes present in both. However, a genome-wide association study identified a small number of genes, including the type III effector genes hopQ1 and hopD1 , to be associated with crop pathogens, but not with environmental populations, suggesting that this small group of genes may play an important role in crop disease emergence. Intriguingly, genome-wide analysis of homologous recombination revealed that the locus Psyr 0346, predicted to encode a protein that confers antibiotic resistance, has been frequently exchanged among lineages and thus may contribute to pathogen fitness. Finally, we found that isolates from diseased crops and from components of the water cycle, collected during the same crop disease epidemic, form a single population. This provides the strongest evidence yet that precipitation and irrigation water are an overlooked inoculum source for disease epidemics caused by P. syringae .

14 CFR 420.53 - Control of public access.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... by a launch operator, through the use of security personnel, surveillance systems, physical barriers... the launch site of safety rules and emergency and evacuation procedures prior to that person's entry...

Draft Genome Sequence of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Pathogen M. mungi, Identified in a Banded Mongoose (Mungos mungo) in Northern Botswana.

PubMed

Alexander, Kathleen A; Larsen, Michelle H; Robbe-Austerman, Suelee; Stuber, Tod P; Camp, Patrick M

2016-07-28

Mycobacterium mungi, a Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex pathogen, has emerged in banded mongoose in northern Botswana and Northwest Zimbabwe. The pathogen is transmitted through infected secretions used in olfactory communication behavior (K. A. Alexander, C. E. Sanderson, M. H. Larsen, S. Robbe-Austerman, M. C. Williams, and M. V. Palmer, mBio 7(3):e00281-16, 2016, http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00281-16). We announce here the draft genome sequence of this emerging pathogen. Copyright © 2016 Alexander et al.

Public Health Threat of New, Reemerging, and Neglected Zoonoses in the Industrialized World

PubMed Central

Cutler, Sally J.; Fooks, Anthony R.

2010-01-01

Microbiologic infections acquired from animals, known as zoonoses, pose a risk to public health. An estimated 60% of emerging human pathogens are zoonotic. Of these pathogens, >71% have wildlife origins. These pathogens can switch hosts by acquiring new genetic combinations that have altered pathogenic potential or by changes in behavior or socioeconomic, environmental, or ecologic characteristics of the hosts. We discuss causal factors that influence the dynamics associated with emergence or reemergence of zoonoses, particularly in the industrialized world, and highlight selected examples to provide a comprehensive view of their range and diversity. PMID:20031035

KSC-01pp0777

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-04-08

STS-100 Commander Kent V. Rominger is ready to take the wheel on the M-113 armored carrier that could be used by the crew in the event of an emergency at the pad during which the crew must make a quick exit from the area. Driving the tracked vehicle is part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include emergency escape training, payload walkdown and a simulated launch countdown. The primary payload on mission STS-100 comprises the Canadian robotic arm, SSRMS, and Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, Raffaello. Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-100 is targeted for April 19 at 2:41 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A

KSC-01pp0779

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-04-08

STS-100 Mission Specialist Chris A. Hadfield is ready to take the wheel on the M-113 armored carrier that could be used by the crew in the event of an emergency at the pad during which the crew must make a quick exit from the area. Driving the tracked vehicle is part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include emergency escape training, payload walkdown and a simulated launch countdown. The primary payload on mission STS-100 comprises the Canadian robotic arm, SSRMS, and Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, Raffaello. Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-100 is targeted for April 19 at 2:41 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A

STS-65 Mission Specialist Chiao in LES at pre-test WETF bailout briefing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

STS-65 Mission Specialist Leroy Chiao, outfitted in a launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), listens to a briefing on procedures that would become necessary in the event of an emergency egress situation from the Space Shuttle. The astronaut was in the Johnson Space Center's (JSC's) Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29 for the launch emergency egress training (bailout) exercise. Chiao will join five other NASA astronauts and a Japanese payload specialist for the second International Microgravity Laboratory 2 (IML-2) mission aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, later this year.

JEM-EUSO Design for Accommodation on the SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christl, Mark

2013-01-01

The JEM-EUSO mission has been planned for launch on JAXA's H2 Launch Vehicle. Recently, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft has emerged as an alternative payload carrier for JEM-EUSO. This paper will discuss a concept for the re-design of JEM-EUSO so that it can be launched on Dragon.

Vector-borne Infections

PubMed Central

Ben Beard, C.

2011-01-01

Infections with vector-borne pathogens are a major source of emerging diseases. The ability of vectors to bridge spatial and ecologic gaps between animals and humans increases opportunities for emergence. Small adaptations of a pathogen to a vector can have profound effects on the rate of transmission to humans. PMID:21529382

Parallel independent evolution of pathogenicity within the genus Yersinia

PubMed Central

Reuter, Sandra; Connor, Thomas R.; Barquist, Lars; Walker, Danielle; Feltwell, Theresa; Harris, Simon R.; Fookes, Maria; Hall, Miquette E.; Petty, Nicola K.; Fuchs, Thilo M.; Corander, Jukka; Dufour, Muriel; Ringwood, Tamara; Savin, Cyril; Bouchier, Christiane; Martin, Liliane; Miettinen, Minna; Shubin, Mikhail; Riehm, Julia M.; Laukkanen-Ninios, Riikka; Sihvonen, Leila M.; Siitonen, Anja; Skurnik, Mikael; Falcão, Juliana Pfrimer; Fukushima, Hiroshi; Scholz, Holger C.; Prentice, Michael B.; Wren, Brendan W.; Parkhill, Julian; Carniel, Elisabeth; Achtman, Mark; McNally, Alan; Thomson, Nicholas R.

2014-01-01

The genus Yersinia has been used as a model system to study pathogen evolution. Using whole-genome sequencing of all Yersinia species, we delineate the gene complement of the whole genus and define patterns of virulence evolution. Multiple distinct ecological specializations appear to have split pathogenic strains from environmental, nonpathogenic lineages. This split demonstrates that contrary to hypotheses that all pathogenic Yersinia species share a recent common pathogenic ancestor, they have evolved independently but followed parallel evolutionary paths in acquiring the same virulence determinants as well as becoming progressively more limited metabolically. Shared virulence determinants are limited to the virulence plasmid pYV and the attachment invasion locus ail. These acquisitions, together with genomic variations in metabolic pathways, have resulted in the parallel emergence of related pathogens displaying an increasingly specialized lifestyle with a spectrum of virulence potential, an emerging theme in the evolution of other important human pathogens. PMID:24753568

Impact of Vector Dispersal and Host-Plant Fidelity on the Dissemination of an Emerging Plant Pathogen

PubMed Central

Johannesen, Jes; Foissac, Xavier; Kehrli, Patrik; Maixner, Michael

2012-01-01

Dissemination of vector-transmitted pathogens depend on the survival and dispersal of the vector and the vector's ability to transmit the pathogen, while the host range of vector and pathogen determine the breath of transmission possibilities. In this study, we address how the interaction between dispersal and plant fidelities of a pathogen (stolbur phytoplasma tuf-a) and its vector (Hyalesthes obsoletus: Cixiidae) affect the emergence of the pathogen. Using genetic markers, we analysed the geographic origin and range expansion of both organisms in Western Europe and, specifically, whether the pathogen's dissemination in the northern range is caused by resident vectors widening their host-plant use from field bindweed to stinging nettle, and subsequent host specialisation. We found evidence for common origins of pathogen and vector south of the European Alps. Genetic patterns in vector populations show signals of secondary range expansion in Western Europe leading to dissemination of tuf-a pathogens, which might be newly acquired and of hybrid origin. Hence, the emergence of stolbur tuf-a in the northern range was explained by secondary immigration of vectors carrying stinging nettle-specialised tuf-a, not by widening the host-plant spectrum of resident vectors with pathogen transmission from field bindweed to stinging nettle nor by primary co-migration from the resident vector's historical area of origin. The introduction of tuf-a to stinging nettle in the northern range was therefore independent of vector's host-plant specialisation but the rapid pathogen dissemination depended on the vector's host shift, whereas the general dissemination elsewhere was linked to plant specialisation of the pathogen but not of the vector. PMID:23284774

Impact of vector dispersal and host-plant fidelity on the dissemination of an emerging plant pathogen.

PubMed

Johannesen, Jes; Foissac, Xavier; Kehrli, Patrik; Maixner, Michael

2012-01-01

Dissemination of vector-transmitted pathogens depend on the survival and dispersal of the vector and the vector's ability to transmit the pathogen, while the host range of vector and pathogen determine the breath of transmission possibilities. In this study, we address how the interaction between dispersal and plant fidelities of a pathogen (stolbur phytoplasma tuf-a) and its vector (Hyalesthes obsoletus: Cixiidae) affect the emergence of the pathogen. Using genetic markers, we analysed the geographic origin and range expansion of both organisms in Western Europe and, specifically, whether the pathogen's dissemination in the northern range is caused by resident vectors widening their host-plant use from field bindweed to stinging nettle, and subsequent host specialisation. We found evidence for common origins of pathogen and vector south of the European Alps. Genetic patterns in vector populations show signals of secondary range expansion in Western Europe leading to dissemination of tuf-a pathogens, which might be newly acquired and of hybrid origin. Hence, the emergence of stolbur tuf-a in the northern range was explained by secondary immigration of vectors carrying stinging nettle-specialised tuf-a, not by widening the host-plant spectrum of resident vectors with pathogen transmission from field bindweed to stinging nettle nor by primary co-migration from the resident vector's historical area of origin. The introduction of tuf-a to stinging nettle in the northern range was therefore independent of vector's host-plant specialisation but the rapid pathogen dissemination depended on the vector's host shift, whereas the general dissemination elsewhere was linked to plant specialisation of the pathogen but not of the vector.

KSC-07pd0474

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 39, STS-117 Commander Rick Sturckow signals that he is ready to practice driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. The astronauts on the STS-117 crew are participating in M-113 armored personnel carrier training during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, a dress rehearsal for their launch, targeted for March 15. The M-113 could be used to move the crew away from the launch pad quickly in the event of an emergency. The TCDT also includes pad emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. The mission payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, along with a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0469

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 39, STS-117 Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester is helmeted and ready to practice driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. The astronauts on the STS-117 crew are participating in M-113 armored personnel carrier training during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, a dress rehearsal for their launch, targeted for March 15. The M-113 could be used to move the crew away from the launch pad quickly in the event of an emergency. The TCDT also includes pad emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. The mission payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, along with a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0476

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 39, STS-117 Pilot Lee Archambault is helmeted and ready to practice driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. The astronauts on the STS-117 crew are participating in M-113 armored personnel carrier training during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, a dress rehearsal for their launch, targeted for March 15. The M-113 could be used to move the crew away from the launch pad quickly in the event of an emergency. The TCDT also includes pad emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. The mission payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, along with a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-05PD-0851

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins takes her turn at driving an M-113, an armored personnel carrier that is used for speedy departure from the launch pad in an emergency. Standing behind her is Capt. George Hoggard, who is astronaut rescue team leader. On the left is KSC videographer Glen Benson. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.

KSC-07pd0470

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 39, STS-117 Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester (right) waits his turn to practice driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier as fellow crew members look on. The astronauts on the STS-117 crew are participating in M-113 armored personnel carrier training during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, a dress rehearsal for their launch, targeted for March 15. The M-113 could be used to move the crew away from the launch pad quickly in the event of an emergency. The TCDT also includes pad emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. The mission payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, along with a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-05PD-0853

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, STS-114 Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi drives an M- 113, an armored personnel carrier that is used for speedy departure from the launch pad in an emergency. Behind him at left is Capt. George Hoggard, who is astronaut rescue team leader. Noguchi is with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.

KSC-07pd0471

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 39, STS-117 Mission Specialist Danny Olivas is helmeted and ready to practice driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. The astronauts on the STS-117 crew are participating in M-113 armored personnel carrier training during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, a dress rehearsal for their launch, targeted for March 15. The M-113 could be used to move the crew away from the launch pad quickly in the event of an emergency. The TCDT also includes pad emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. The mission payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, along with a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0477

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 39, members of the STS-117 crew are instructed in the operation of an M-113 armored personnel carrier by the astronaut rescue team. The astronauts on the STS-117 crew are participating in M-113 armored personnel carrier training during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, a dress rehearsal for their launch, targeted for March 15. The M-113 could be used to move the crew away from the launch pad quickly in the event of an emergency. The TCDT also includes pad emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. The mission payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, along with a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0472

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 39, STS-117 Mission Specialist Steven Swanson is helmeted and ready to practice driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. The astronauts on the STS-117 crew are participating in M-113 armored personnel carrier training during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, a dress rehearsal for their launch, targeted for March 15. The M-113 could be used to move the crew away from the launch pad quickly in the event of an emergency. The TCDT also includes pad emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. The mission payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, along with a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0473

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 39, STS-117 Mission Specialist James Reilly is helmeted and ready to practice driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. The astronauts on the STS-117 crew are participating in M-113 armored personnel carrier training during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, a dress rehearsal for their launch, targeted for March 15. The M-113 could be used to move the crew away from the launch pad quickly in the event of an emergency. The TCDT also includes pad emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. The mission payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, along with a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

STS-102 crew poses on the FSS at Launch Pad 39B during TCDT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- At the 195-foot level on the Fixed Service Structure, Launch Pad 39B, members of the STS-102 crew relax after emergency escape training. From left are Mission Specialists Paul Richards, Andrew Thomas and Susan Helms, and Commander James Wetherbee. The crew is at KSC for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include the emergency training and a simulated launch countdown. STS-102 is the eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, with Space Shuttle Discovery carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. Helms is part of the Expedition Two crew who will be on the mission to replace Expedition One on the International Space Station. Expedition One will return to Earth with Discovery. Launch on mission STS-102 is scheduled for March 8.

STS-102 crew poses on the FSS at Launch Pad 39B during TCDT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- At the 195-foot level on the Fixed Service Structure, Launch Pad 39B, members of the STS-102 crew relax after emergency escape training. At left is Pilot James Kelly; in the center and right are Mission Specialists Yury Usachev and James Voss. The crew is at KSC for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include the emergency training and a simulated launch countdown. STS-102 is the eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, with Space Shuttle Discovery carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. Usachev and Voss are part of the Expedition Two crew who will be on the mission to replace Expedition One on the International Space Station. Expedition One will return to Earth with Discovery. Launch on mission STS-102 is scheduled for March 8.

STS-102 crew poses on the FSS at Launch Pad 39B during TCDT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- STS-102 Mission Specialists Yury Usachev (left), Susan Helms (center) and James Voss (right) take time to pose for the camera after emergency escape training on the 195-foot level of the Fixed Service Structure, Launch Pad 39B. They are the Expedition Two crew who will be flying to the International Space Station on mission STS-102 to replace Expedition One. The STS-102 crew is at KSC for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include the emergency training and a simulated launch countdown. STS-102 is the eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, with Space Shuttle Discovery carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. Expedition One will return to Earth with Discovery. Launch on mission STS-102 is scheduled for March 8.

STS-102 crew gets emergency exit training at Launch Pad 39B during TCDT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Getting training on the use of the slidewire basket for emergency exits from the launch pad are STS-102 Mission Specialists Paul Richards and Andrew Thomas. The rest of the crew includes Commander James Wetherbee, Pilot James Kelly and Mission Specialists James Voss, Susan Helms and Yury Usachev. The crew is taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include a simulated launch countdown. STS-102 is the eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, with Space Shuttle Discovery carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. Voss, Helms and Usachev are the Expedition Two crew who will be the second resident crew on the International Space Station. They will replace Expedition One, who will return to Earth with Discovery. Launch on mission STS-102 is scheduled for March 8.

KSC-07pd3348

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-11-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-122 Mission Specialist Stanley Love, at right, practices driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier as the instructor behind him monitors his performance. Former astronaut Jerry Ross, chief of the Vehicle Integration Test Office at NASA Johnson Space Center, enjoys the ride in back. The practice near Launch Pad 39B is part of training on emergency egress procedures. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is participating in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, a standard part of launch preparations. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with equipment familiarization, emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. On mission STS-122, Atlantis will deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus module to the International Space Station. Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony, and will expand the research facilities aboard the station. Launch is targeted for Dec. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3334

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-11-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-122 crew poses for a group portrait near Launch Pad 39B during a training session on the operation of the M-113 armored personnel carrier. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of an emergency on the pad before their launch. From left are Mission Specialists Rex Walheim, Leopold Eyharts and Hans Schlegel of the European Space Agency, Stanley Love; Commander Steve Frick; Pilot Alan Poindexter; and Mission Specialist Leland Melvin. The crew is participating in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, a standard part of launch preparations. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with equipment familiarization, emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. On mission STS-122, Atlantis will deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus module to the International Space Station. Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony, and will expand the research facilities aboard the station. Launch is targeted for Dec. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Context-dependent conservation responses to emerging wildlife diseases

Treesearch

Kate E Langwig; Jamie Voyles; Mark Q Wilber; Winifred F Frick; Kris A Murray; Benjamin M Bolker; James P Collins; Tina L Cheng; Matthew C Fisher; Joseph R Hoyt; Daniel L Lindner; Hamish I McCallum; Robert Puschendorf; Erica Bree Rosenblum; Mary Toothman; Craig KR Willis; Cheryl J Briggs; A Marm Kilpatrick

2015-01-01

Emerging infectious diseases pose an important threat to wildlife. While established protocols exist for combating outbreaks of human and agricultural pathogens, appropriate management actions before, during, and after the invasion of wildlife pathogens have not been developed. We describe stage-specific goals and management actions that minimize disease impacts on...

KSC-2011-2030

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Volunteers portraying injured astronauts are loaded onto a helicopter as part of an emergency exit, or Mode II/IV, exercise that allows teams to practice an emergency response at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The exercise involves NASA fire rescue personnel, volunteers portraying astronauts with simulated injuries, helicopters and personnel from the Air Force’s 920th Rescue Wing, and medical trauma teams at three Central Florida hospitals. The drill allows teams to practice an emergency response at the launch pad, including helicopter evacuation to local hospitals. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2011-2026

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Volunteers portraying injured astronauts are transported to a helicopter as part of an emergency exit, or Mode II/IV, exercise that allows teams to practice an emergency response at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The exercise involves NASA fire rescue personnel, volunteers portraying astronauts with simulated injuries, helicopters and personnel from the Air Force’s 920th Rescue Wing, and medical trauma teams at three Central Florida hospitals. The drill allows teams to practice an emergency response at the launch pad, including helicopter evacuation to local hospitals. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2011-2029

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Volunteers portraying injured astronauts are transported to a helicopter as part of an emergency exit, or Mode II/IV, exercise that allows teams to practice an emergency response at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The exercise involves NASA fire rescue personnel, volunteers portraying astronauts with simulated injuries, helicopters and personnel from the Air Force’s 920th Rescue Wing, and medical trauma teams at three Central Florida hospitals. The drill allows teams to practice an emergency response at the launch pad, including helicopter evacuation to local hospitals. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2011-2027

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Volunteers portraying injured astronauts are loaded onto a helicopter as part of an emergency exit, or Mode II/IV, exercise that allows teams to practice an emergency response at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The exercise involves NASA fire rescue personnel, volunteers portraying astronauts with simulated injuries, helicopters and personnel from the Air Force’s 920th Rescue Wing, and medical trauma teams at three Central Florida hospitals. The drill allows teams to practice an emergency response at the launch pad, including helicopter evacuation to local hospitals. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Pathogen reduction in human plasma using an ultrashort pulsed laser

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pathogen reduction is an ideal approach to ensure the continued safety of the blood supply against emerging pathogens. However, the currently licensed pathogen reduction techniques are ineffective against non-enveloped viruses, and they introduce chemicals with concerns of side effects which prevent...

The trans-kingdom identification of negative regulators of pathogen hypervirulence

PubMed Central

Brown, Neil A.; Urban, Martin; Hammond-Kosack, Kim E.

2015-01-01

Modern society and global ecosystems are increasingly under threat from pathogens, which cause a plethora of human, animal, invertebrate and plant diseases. Of increasing concern is the trans-kingdom tendency for increased pathogen virulence that is beginning to emerge in natural, clinical and agricultural settings. The study of pathogenicity has revealed multiple examples of convergently evolved virulence mechanisms. Originally described as rare, but increasingly common, are interactions where a single gene deletion in a pathogenic species causes hypervirulence. This review utilised the pathogen–host interaction database (www.PHI-base.org) to identify 112 hypervirulent mutations from 37 pathogen species, and subsequently interrogates the trans-kingdom, conserved, molecular, biochemical and cellular themes that cause hypervirulence. This study investigates 22 animal and 15 plant pathogens including 17 bacterial and 17 fungal species. Finally, the evolutionary significance and trans-kingdom requirement for negative regulators of hypervirulence and the implication of pathogen hypervirulence and emerging infectious diseases on society are discussed. PMID:26468211

Host specific glycans are correlated with susceptibility to infection by lagoviruses, but not with their virulence.

PubMed

Lopes, Ana M; Breiman, Adrien; Lora, Mónica; Le Moullac-Vaidye, Béatrice; Galanina, Oxana; Nyström, Kristina; Marchandeau, Stephane; Le Gall-Reculé, Ghislaine; Strive, Tanja; Neimanis, Aleksija; Bovin, Nicolai V; Ruvoën-Clouet, Nathalie; Esteves, Pedro J; Abrantes, Joana; Le Pendu, Jacques

2017-11-29

The rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) and the European brown hare syndrome virus (EBHSV) are two lagoviruses from the family Caliciviridae that cause fatal diseases in two leporid genera, Oryctolagus and Lepus , respectively. In the last few years, several examples of host jumps of lagoviruses among leporids were recorded. In addition, a new pathogenic genotype of RHDV emerged and many non-pathogenic strains of lagoviruses have been described. The molecular mechanisms behind host shifts and the emergence of virulence are unknown. Since RHDV uses glycans of the histo-blood group antigen type as attachment factors to initiate infection, we studied if glycan specificities of the new pathogenic RHDV genotype, non-pathogenic lagoviruses and EBHSV potentially play a role in determining host range and virulence of lagoviruses. We observed binding to A, B or H antigens of the histo-blood group family for all strains known to primarily infect European rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ), that have recently been classified as GI strains. Yet, we could not explain the emergence of virulence since similar glycan specificities were found between several pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains. By contrast, EBHSV, recently classified as GII.1, bound to terminal β-linked N-acetylglucosamine residues of O-glycans. Expression of these attachment factors in the upper respiratory and digestive tracts in three lagomorph species ( Oryctolagus cuniculus, Lepus europaeus and Sylvilagus floridanus ) showed species-specific patterns regarding the susceptibility to infection by these viruses, indicating that species-specific glycan expression is likely a major contributor to lagoviruses host specificity and range. IMPORTANCE Lagoviruses constitute a genus of the Caliciviridae family, comprising highly pathogenic viruses, RHDV and EBHSV, which infect rabbits and hares, respectively. Recently, non-pathogenic strains were discovered and new pathogenic strains have emerged. In addition, host jumps between lagomorphs are observed. The mechanisms responsible for the emergence of pathogenicity and host-species range are unknown. Previous studies showed that RHDV strains attach to glycans expressed in the upper respiratory and digestive tracts of rabbits, the likely doors of virus entry. Here we studied the glycan-binding properties of novel pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains looking for a link between glycan-binding and virulence or between glycan specificity and host range. We found that glycan binding did not correlate with virulence. However, expression of glycan motifs in the upper respiratory and digestive tracts of lagomorphs revealed species-specific patterns associated with the host range of the virus strains, suggesting that glycan diversity contributes to lagoviruses' host range. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Directional Selection from Host Plants Is a Major Force Driving Host Specificity in Magnaporthe Species.

PubMed

Zhong, Zhenhui; Norvienyeku, Justice; Chen, Meilian; Bao, Jiandong; Lin, Lianyu; Chen, Liqiong; Lin, Yahong; Wu, Xiaoxian; Cai, Zena; Zhang, Qi; Lin, Xiaoye; Hong, Yonghe; Huang, Jun; Xu, Linghong; Zhang, Honghong; Chen, Long; Tang, Wei; Zheng, Huakun; Chen, Xiaofeng; Wang, Yanli; Lian, Bi; Zhang, Liangsheng; Tang, Haibao; Lu, Guodong; Ebbole, Daniel J; Wang, Baohua; Wang, Zonghua

2016-05-06

One major threat to global food security that requires immediate attention, is the increasing incidence of host shift and host expansion in growing number of pathogenic fungi and emergence of new pathogens. The threat is more alarming because, yield quality and quantity improvement efforts are encouraging the cultivation of uniform plants with low genetic diversity that are increasingly susceptible to emerging pathogens. However, the influence of host genome differentiation on pathogen genome differentiation and its contribution to emergence and adaptability is still obscure. Here, we compared genome sequence of 6 isolates of Magnaporthe species obtained from three different host plants. We demonstrated the evolutionary relationship between Magnaporthe species and the influence of host differentiation on pathogens. Phylogenetic analysis showed that evolution of pathogen directly corresponds with host divergence, suggesting that host-pathogen interaction has led to co-evolution. Furthermore, we identified an asymmetric selection pressure on Magnaporthe species. Oryza sativa-infecting isolates showed higher directional selection from host and subsequently tends to lower the genetic diversity in its genome. We concluded that, frequent gene loss or gain, new transposon acquisition and sequence divergence are host adaptability mechanisms for Magnaporthe species, and this coevolution processes is greatly driven by directional selection from host plants.

Directional Selection from Host Plants Is a Major Force Driving Host Specificity in Magnaporthe Species

PubMed Central

Zhong, Zhenhui; Norvienyeku, Justice; Chen, Meilian; Bao, Jiandong; Lin, Lianyu; Chen, Liqiong; Lin, Yahong; Wu, Xiaoxian; Cai, Zena; Zhang, Qi; Lin, Xiaoye; Hong, Yonghe; Huang, Jun; Xu, Linghong; Zhang, Honghong; Chen, Long; Tang, Wei; Zheng, Huakun; Chen, Xiaofeng; Wang, Yanli; Lian, Bi; Zhang, Liangsheng; Tang, Haibao; Lu, Guodong; Ebbole, Daniel J.; Wang, Baohua; Wang, Zonghua

2016-01-01

One major threat to global food security that requires immediate attention, is the increasing incidence of host shift and host expansion in growing number of pathogenic fungi and emergence of new pathogens. The threat is more alarming because, yield quality and quantity improvement efforts are encouraging the cultivation of uniform plants with low genetic diversity that are increasingly susceptible to emerging pathogens. However, the influence of host genome differentiation on pathogen genome differentiation and its contribution to emergence and adaptability is still obscure. Here, we compared genome sequence of 6 isolates of Magnaporthe species obtained from three different host plants. We demonstrated the evolutionary relationship between Magnaporthe species and the influence of host differentiation on pathogens. Phylogenetic analysis showed that evolution of pathogen directly corresponds with host divergence, suggesting that host-pathogen interaction has led to co-evolution. Furthermore, we identified an asymmetric selection pressure on Magnaporthe species. Oryza sativa-infecting isolates showed higher directional selection from host and subsequently tends to lower the genetic diversity in its genome. We concluded that, frequent gene loss or gain, new transposon acquisition and sequence divergence are host adaptability mechanisms for Magnaporthe species, and this coevolution processes is greatly driven by directional selection from host plants. PMID:27151494

Disease-emergence dynamics and control in a socially-structured wildlife species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pepin, Kim M.; Vercauteren, Kurt C.

2016-04-01

Once a pathogen is introduced in a population, key factors governing rate of spread include contact structure, supply of susceptible individuals and pathogen life-history. We examined the interplay of these factors on emergence dynamics and efficacy of disease prevention and response. We contrasted transmission dynamics of livestock viruses with different life-histories in hypothetical populations of feral swine with different contact structures (homogenous, metapopulation, spatial and network). Persistence probability was near 0 for the FMDV-like case under a wide range of parameter values and contact structures, while persistence was probable for the CSFV-like case. There were no sets of conditions where the FMDV-like pathogen persisted in every stochastic simulation. Even when population growth rates were up to 300% annually, the FMDV-like pathogen persisted in <25% of simulations regardless of transmission probabilities and contact structure. For networks and spatial contact structure, persistence probability of the FMDV-like pathogen was always <10%. Because of its low persistence probability, even very early response to the FMDV-like pathogen in feral swine was unwarranted while response to the CSFV-like pathogen was generally effective. When pre-emergence culling of feral swine caused population declines, it was effective at decreasing outbreak size of both diseases by ≥80%.

STS-35 MS Hoffman is suspended above pool during JSC water egress exercises

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

STS-35 Mission Specialist (MS) Jeffrey A. Hoffman is suspended above pool during launch emergency egress procedures conducted in JSC's Weightless Environmental Training Facility Bldg 29. Hoffman, wearing a launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), adjusts flotation device (life jacket) as he is raised above the pool.

Emerging and Reemerging Neurologic Infections

PubMed Central

Glaser, Carol A.

2014-01-01

The list of emerging and reemerging pathogens that cause neurologic disease is expanding. Various factors, including population growth and a rise in international travel, have contributed to the spread of pathogens to previously nonendemic regions. Recent advances in diagnostic methods have led to the identification of novel pathogens responsible for infections of the central nervous system. Furthermore, new issues have arisen surrounding established infections, particularly in an increasingly immunocompromised population due to advances in the treatment of rheumatologic disease and in transplant medicine. PMID:25360203

Mycoplasmas and their host: emerging and re-emerging minimal pathogens.

PubMed

Citti, Christine; Blanchard, Alain

2013-04-01

Commonly known as mycoplasmas, bacteria of the class Mollicutes include the smallest and simplest life forms capable of self replication outside of a host. Yet, this minimalism hides major human and animal pathogens whose prevalence and occurrence have long been underestimated. Owing to advances in sequencing methods, large data sets have become available for a number of mycoplasma species and strains, providing new diagnostic approaches, typing strategies, and means for comprehensive studies. A broader picture is thus emerging in which mycoplasmas are successful pathogens having evolved a number of mechanisms and strategies for surviving hostile environments and adapting to new niches or hosts. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

STS-102 crew poses on the FSS at Launch Pad 39B during TCDT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- STS-102 Commander James Wetherbee reaches for the release lever for the slidewire basket, used for emergency egress from the orbiter and pad. Behind him is Pilot James Kelly. The crew is at KSC for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include the emergency training and a simulated launch countdown. STS-102 is the eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, with Space Shuttle Discovery carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. In addition, the Expedition Two crew will be on the mission, to replace Expedition One, who will return to Earth with Discovery. Launch on mission STS-102 is scheduled for March 8.

KSC-01pp0776

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-04-08

Ready to take the wheel on the M-113 armored carrier is STS-100 Mission Specialist Umberto Guidoni. He and the rest of the crew are taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include emergency escape training, payload walkdown and a simulated launch countdown. The tracked vehicle could be used by the crew in the event of an emergency at the pad during which the crew must make a quick exit from the area. The primary payload on mission STS-100 comprises the Canadian robotic arm, SSRMS, and Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, Raffaello. Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-100 is targeted for April 19 at 2:41 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A

KSC-01pp0775

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-04-08

Ready to take the wheel on the M-113 armored carrier is STS-100 Mission Specialist John L. Phillips. He and the rest of the crew are taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include emergency escape training, payload walkdown and a simulated launch countdown. The tracked vehicle could be used by the crew in the event of an emergency at the pad during which the crew must make a quick exit from the area. The primary payload on mission STS-100 comprises the Canadian robotic arm, SSRMS, and Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, Raffaello. Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-100 is targeted for April 19 at 2:41 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A

STS-65 Pilot Halsell floats in a life raft during WETF bailout exercises

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

STS-65 Pilot James D. Halsell, Jr, wearing a launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), floats in a single person life raft while he is assisted by a SCUBA-equipped diver during an emergency egress bailout rehearsal. The STS-65 crew used the 25-feet deep pool in Johnson Space Center's (JSC's) Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29 to simulate a water landing during the launch emergency egress (bailout) exercise. Halsell will join five other NASA astronauts and a Japanese payload specialist for the International Microgravity Laboratory 2 (IML-2) mission aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, later this year.

Bats prove to be rich reservoirs for emerging viruses

USGS Publications Warehouse

Calisher, Charles H.; Holmes, Kathryn V.; Dominguez, Samuel R.; Schountz, Tony; Cryan, Paul M.

2008-01-01

Emerging pathogens, many of them viruses, continue to surprise us, providing many newly recognized diseases to study and to try to control. Many of these emergent viruses are zoonotic, transmitted from reservoirs in wild or domestic animals to humans, either by insect vectors or by exposure to the droppings or tissues of such animals. One rich- but, until recently, underappreciated-source of emergent viruses is bats (Chiroptera, meaning "hand wing"). Accounting for 1,116, or nearly one fourth, of the 4,600 recognized species of mammals, bats are grouped into two suborders Megachiroptera, which contains a single family, Pteropodidae, consisting of 42 genera and 186 species, and Microchiroptera, which contains 17 families, 160 genera, and 930 species. Although bats are among the most abundant, diverse, and geographically dispersed orders of terrestrial mammals, research on these flying mammals historically focused more on their habits and outward characteristics than on their role in carrying microorganisms and transmitting pathogens to other species. Even in those cases where bats were known to carry particular pathogens, the microbiologists who studied those pathogens typically knew little about the bat hosts. Hence, investigators now are seeking to explain how variations of anatomy, physiology, ecology, and behavior influence the roles of bats as hosts for viral pathogens.

Bacteremia Caused by Arcobacter butzleri in an Immunocompromised Host

PubMed Central

Arguello, Esther; Otto, Caitlin C.; Mead, Peter

2015-01-01

Arcobacter butzleri is an emerging pathogen that has been implicated as the causative agent of persistent watery diarrhea. We describe a case involving a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who developed invasive A. butzleri bacteremia. This case illustrates the unique challenges involved in diagnosing infections caused by emerging gastrointestinal pathogens. PMID:25673792

DEVELOPMENT OF A MOLECULAR METHOD TO IDENTIFY THE EMERGING PATHOGEN HEPATITIS E IN WATER SAMPLES

EPA Science Inventory

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging pathogen that causes significant illness in the developing world. Like the hepatitis A virus, it is transmitted via the fecal-oral route and can cause short-term, acute hepatitis. In addition, hepatitis E has been found to cause a signific...

A Review of the Current Status of Relevant Zoonotic Pathogens in Wild Swine (Sus scrofa) Populations: Changes Modulating the Risk of Transmission to Humans.

PubMed

Ruiz-Fons, F

2017-02-01

Many wild swine populations in different parts of the World have experienced an unprecedented demographic explosion that may result in increased exposure of humans to wild swine zoonotic pathogens. Interactions between humans and wild swine leading to pathogen transmission could come from different ways, being hunters and game professionals the most exposed to acquiring infections from wild swine. However, increasing human settlements in semi-natural areas, outdoor activities, socio-economic changes and food habits may increase the rate of exposure to wild swine zoonotic pathogens and to potentially emerging pathogens from wild swine. Frequent and increasing contact rate between humans and wild swine points to an increasing chance of zoonotic pathogens arising from wild swine to be transmitted to humans. Whether this frequent contact could lead to new zoonotic pathogens emerging from wild swine to cause human epidemics or emerging disease outbreaks is difficult to predict, and assessment should be based on thorough epidemiologic surveillance. Additionally, several gaps in knowledge on wild swine global population dynamics trends and wild swine-zoonotic pathogen interactions should be addressed to correctly assess the potential role of wild swine in the emergence of diseases in humans. In this work, viruses such as hepatitis E virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, Influenza virus and Nipah virus, and bacteria such as Salmonella spp., Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Campylobacter spp. and Leptospira spp. have been identified as the most prone to be transmitted from wild swine to humans on the basis of geographic spread in wild swine populations worldwide, pathogen circulation rates in wild swine populations, wild swine population trends in endemic areas, susceptibility of humans to infection, transmissibility from wild swine to humans and existing evidence of wild swine-human transmission events. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protection vehicles

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – One of four new emergency egress vehicles, called Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protection, or MRAP, vehicles sits near space shuttle-era M-113 vehicles at the Maintenance and Operations Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MRAPs arrived from the U.S. Army Red River Depot in Texarkana, Texas in December 2013. The vehicles were processed in and then transported to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility near the Vehicle Assembly Building for temporary storage. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy led the efforts to an emergency egress vehicle that future astronauts could quickly use to leave the Launch Complex 39 area in case of an emergency. During crewed launches of NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, the MRAP will be stationed by the slidewire termination area at the pad. In case of an emergency, the crew will ride a slidewire to the ground and immediately board the MRAP for safe egress from the pad. The new vehicles replace the M-113 vehicles that were used during the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protection vehicles

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – One of four new emergency egress vehicles, called Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protection, or MRAP, vehicles is driven to the Maintenance and Operations Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MRAPs arrived from the U.S. Army Red River Depot in Texarkana, Texas in December 2013. The vehicles were processed in and then transported to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility near the Vehicle Assembly Building for temporary storage. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy led the efforts to an emergency egress vehicle that future astronauts could quickly use to leave the Launch Complex 39 area in case of an emergency. During crewed launches of NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, the MRAP will be stationed by the slidewire termination area at the pad. In case of an emergency, the crew will ride a slidewire to the ground and immediately board the MRAP for safe egress from the pad. The new vehicles replace the M-113 vehicles that were used during the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protection vehicles

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A URS Federal Services worker pulls down the steps to the entrance of one of the four new emergency egress vehicles, called Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected, or MRAP, vehicles at the Maintenance and Operations Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MRAPs arrived from the U.S. Army Red River Depot in Texarkana, Texas in December 2013. The vehicles were processed in and then transported to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility near the Vehicle Assembly Building for temporary storage. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy led the efforts to an emergency egress vehicle that future astronauts could quickly use to leave the Launch Complex 39 area in case of an emergency. During crewed launches of NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, the MRAP will be stationed by the slidewire termination area at the pad. In case of an emergency, the crew will ride a slidewire to the ground and immediately board the MRAP for safe egress from the pad. The new vehicles replace the M-113 vehicles that were used during the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protection vehicles

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-02-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A view of the interior of one of four new emergency egress vehicles, called Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected, or MRAP, vehicles is shown. The MRAPs are at the Maintenance and Operations Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MRAPs arrived from the U.S. Army Red River Depot in Texarkana, Texas in December 2013. The vehicles were processed in and then transported to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility near the Vehicle Assembly Building for temporary storage. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy led the efforts to an emergency egress vehicle that future astronauts could quickly use to leave the Launch Complex 39 area in case of an emergency. During crewed launches of NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, the MRAP will be stationed by the slidewire termination area at the pad. In case of an emergency, the crew will ride a slidewire to the ground and immediately board the MRAP for safe egress from the pad. The new vehicles replace the M-113 vehicles that were used during the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

STS-101 Mission Specialists Helms, Usachev and Voss practice emergency exit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

As part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration (TCDT) activities, the STS-101 crew practices emergency egress from the orbiter at the 195-foot level of the Fixed Service Structure. Shown heading down the easily identified exit path, known as the 'yellow brick road,' are Mission Specialists Susan J. Helms (leading), Yuri Usachev of Russia and James Voss. The TCDT also includes a simulated launch countdown and familiarization with the payload. During their mission to the International Space Station, the STS- 101 crew will be delivering logistics and supplies, plus preparing the Station for the arrival of the Zvezda Service Module, expected to be launched by Russia in July 2000. Also, the crew will conduct one space walk to perform maintenance on the Space Station. This will be the third assembly flight to the Space Station. STS-101 is scheduled to launch April 24 at 4:15 p.m. from Launch Pad 39A.

KSC-07pd0475

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-21

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 39, members of the STS-117 crew are instructed in the operation of an M-113 armored personnel carrier by astronaut rescue team leader Capt. George Hoggard (left). The astronauts on the STS-117 crew are participating in M-113 armored personnel carrier training during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities, a dress rehearsal for their launch, targeted for March 15. The M-113 could be used to move the crew away from the launch pad quickly in the event of an emergency. The TCDT also includes pad emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. The mission payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, along with a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-05PD-0847

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, STS-114 Mission Specialist Charles Camarda is getting ready to practice driving an M-113, an armored personnel carrier that is used for speedy departure from the launch pad in an emergency. Behind him are Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson and Capt. George Hoggard, who is astronaut rescue team leader, and, at right, Commander Eileen Collins. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.

KSC-05PD-0852

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, STS-114 Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi is ready to practice driving an M-113, an armored personnel carrier that is used for speedy departure from the launch pad in an emergency. Behind him at left is Capt. George Hoggard, who is astronaut rescue team leader. Noguchi is with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.

STS-102 MS Helms, Usachev and Voss pose on the FSS at Launch Pad 39B during TCDT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After emergency escape training on the 195-foot level of the Fixed Service Structure, Launch Pad 39B, STS-102 Mission Specialists Susan Helms, Yury Usachev and James Voss pose for the camera. The three are also the Expedition Two crew who will be replacing Expedition One on the International Space Station. Behind them, at left, can be seen the tops of the solid rocket booster and external tank on Space Shuttle Discovery. The STS-102 crew is at KSC for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include the emergency training and a simulated launch countdown. STS-102 is the eighth construction flight to the Space Station, with Discovery carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. Expedition One will return to Earth with Discovery. Launch on mission STS-102 is scheduled for March 8.

STS-105 and Expedition Three crews get slidewire training at Launch Pad 39A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- On the 195-foot level of the Fixed Service Structure, Launch Pad 39A, the STS-105 and Expedition Three crews listen to instructions about use of the slidewire basket, part of emergency egress training at the pad. From left are Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson, STS-105 Pilot Rick Sturckow; cosmonauts Mikhail Tyurin and Vladimir Nikolaevich Dezhurov; Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester, Commander Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialist Daniel Barry. Both crews are at KSC to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include the emergency egress training, a simulated launch countdown and familiarization with the payload. Mission STS-105 will be transporting the Expedition Three crew, several payloads and scientific experiments to the International Space Station aboard Discovery. The current Expedition Two crew members on the Station will return to Earth on Discovery. Launch of Discovery is scheduled no earlier than Aug. 9, 2001.

Emerging oomycete threats to plants and animals

PubMed Central

Chaparro-Garcia, Angela

2016-01-01

Oomycetes, or water moulds, are fungal-like organisms phylogenetically related to algae. They cause devastating diseases in both plants and animals. Here, we describe seven oomycete species that are emerging or re-emerging threats to agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture and natural ecosystems. They include the plant pathogens Phytophthora infestans, Phytophthora palmivora, Phytophthora ramorum, Plasmopara obducens, and the animal pathogens Aphanomyces invadans, Saprolegnia parasitica and Halioticida noduliformans. For each species, we describe its pathology, importance and impact, discuss why it is an emerging threat and briefly review current research activities. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Tackling emerging fungal threats to animal health, food security and ecosystem resilience’. PMID:28080985

Environmental Transport of Emerging Human-Pathogenic Cryptosporidium Species and Subtypes through Combined Sewer Overflow and Wastewater

PubMed Central

Huang, Chengchen; Hu, Yue; Wang, Lin; Wang, Yuanfei; Li, Na; Guo, Yaqiong; Xiao, Lihua

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The environmental transport of Cryptosporidium spp. through combined sewer overflow (CSO) and the occurrence of several emerging human-pathogenic Cryptosporidium species in developing countries remain unclear. In this study, we collected 40 CSO samples and 40 raw wastewater samples from Shanghai, China, and examined them by PCR and DNA sequencing for Cryptosporidium species (targeting the small subunit rRNA gene) and Giardia duodenalis (targeting the triosephosphate isomerase, β-giardin, and glutamate dehydrogenase genes) and Enterocytozoon bieneusi (targeting the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer) genotypes. Human-pathogenic Cryptosporidium species were further subtyped by sequence analysis of the 60-kDa glycoprotein gene, with additional multilocus sequence typing on the emerging zoonotic pathogen Cryptosporidium ubiquitum. Cryptosporidium spp., G. duodenalis, and E. bieneusi were detected in 12 and 15, 33 and 32, and 37 and 40 CSO and wastewater samples, respectively, including 10 Cryptosporidium species, 3 G. duodenalis assemblages, and 8 E. bieneusi genotypes. In addition to Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium parvum, two new pathogens identified in industrialized nations, C. ubiquitum and Cryptosporidium viatorum, were frequently detected. The two novel C. ubiquitum subtype families identified appeared to be genetic recombinants of known subtype families. Similarly, the dominant group 1 E. bieneusi genotypes and G. duodenalis subassemblage AII are known human pathogens. The similar distribution of human-pathogenic Cryptosporidium species and E. bieneusi and G. duodenalis genotypes between wastewater and CSO samples reaffirms that storm overflow is potentially a significant contamination source of pathogens in surface water. The frequent identification of C. ubiquitum and C. viatorum in urban wastewater suggests that these newly identified human pathogens may be endemic in China. IMPORTANCE Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are major waterborne pathogens. Their transport into surface water through combined sewer overflow, which remains largely untreated in developing countries, has not been examined. In addition, the identification of these pathogens to genotypes and subtypes in urban storm overflow and wastewater is necessary for rapid and accurate assessment of pathogen transmission in humans and transport in the environment. Data from this study suggest that, like untreated urban wastewater, combined sewer overflow is commonly contaminated with human-pathogenic Cryptosporidium, G. duodenalis, and E. bieneusi genotypes and subtypes, and urban storm overflow potentially plays a significant role in the contamination of drinking source water and recreational water with human pathogens. They also indicate that Cryptosporidium ubiquitum and Cryptosporidium viatorum, two newly identified human pathogens, may be common in China, and genetic recombination can lead to the emergence of novel C. ubiquitum subtype families. PMID:28600310

USEPA PATHOGEN EQUIVALENCY COMMITTEE RETREAT

EPA Science Inventory

The Pathogen Equivalency Committee held its retreat from September 20-21, 2005 at Hueston Woods State Park in College Corner, Ohio. This presentation will update the PEC’s membership on emerging pathogens, analytical methods, disinfection techniques, risk analysis, preparat...

Shifts in disease dynamics in a tropical amphibian assemblage are not due to pathogen attenuation.

PubMed

Voyles, Jamie; Woodhams, Douglas C; Saenz, Veronica; Byrne, Allison Q; Perez, Rachel; Rios-Sotelo, Gabriela; Ryan, Mason J; Bletz, Molly C; Sobell, Florence Ann; McLetchie, Shawna; Reinert, Laura; Rosenblum, Erica Bree; Rollins-Smith, Louise A; Ibáñez, Roberto; Ray, Julie M; Griffith, Edgardo J; Ross, Heidi; Richards-Zawacki, Corinne L

2018-03-30

Infectious diseases rarely end in extinction. Yet the mechanisms that explain how epidemics subside are difficult to pinpoint. We investigated host-pathogen interactions after the emergence of a lethal fungal pathogen in a tropical amphibian assemblage. Some amphibian host species are recovering, but the pathogen is still present and is as pathogenic today as it was almost a decade ago. In addition, some species have defenses that are more effective now than they were before the epidemic. These results suggest that host recoveries are not caused by pathogen attenuation and may be due to shifts in host responses. Our findings provide insights into the mechanisms underlying disease transitions, which are increasingly important to understand in an era of emerging infectious diseases and unprecedented global pandemics. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Detection of the emerging amphibian pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and ranavirus in Russia.

PubMed

Reshetnikov, Andrey N; Chestnut, Tara; Brunner, Jesse L; Charles, Kaylene; Nebergall, Emily E; Olson, Deanna H

2014-08-11

In a population of the European common toad Bufo bufo from a rural pond in the region of Lake Glubokoe Regional Reserve in Moscow province, Russia, unexplained mass mortality events involving larvae and metamorphs have been observed over a monitoring period of >20 yr. We tested toads from this and a nearby site for the emerging amphibian pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and ranavirus (Rv). Both pathogens were detected, and at the rural pond site, with the above-noted losses and decline in toad breeding success, 40% of B. bufo metamorphs were Bd positive, 46% were Rv positive and 20% were co-infected with both pathogens. Toad metamorphs from a neighbouring water body were also Bd and Rv positive (25 and 55%, respectively). This is the first confirmation of these pathogens in Russia. Questions remain as to the origins of these pathogens in Russia and their roles in documented mass mortality events.

STS-46 ESA MS Nicollier in life raft during water egress training at JSC WETF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-46 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, European Space Agency (ESA) Mission Specialist (MS) Claude Nicollier, wearing launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), floats in a one-person life raft during a launch emergency egress (bailout) simulation conducted in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29 pool.

STS-46 MS Chang-Diaz floats in life raft during water egress training at JSC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-46 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, Mission Specialist (MS) Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, wearing launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), relies on a one-person life raft to get him to 'safety' during a launch emergency egress (bailout) simulation conducted in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29 pool.

Emerging bacterial pathogens: the past and beyond.

PubMed

Vouga, M; Greub, G

2016-01-01

Since the 1950s, medical communities have been facing with emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, and emerging pathogens are now considered to be a major microbiologic public health threat. In this review, we focus on bacterial emerging diseases and explore factors involved in their emergence as well as future challenges. We identified 26 major emerging and reemerging infectious diseases of bacterial origin; most of them originated either from an animal and are considered to be zoonoses or from water sources. Major contributing factors in the emergence of these bacterial infections are: (1) development of new diagnostic tools, such as improvements in culture methods, development of molecular techniques and implementation of mass spectrometry in microbiology; (2) increase in human exposure to bacterial pathogens as a result of sociodemographic and environmental changes; and (3) emergence of more virulent bacterial strains and opportunistic infections, especially affecting immunocompromised populations. A precise definition of their implications in human disease is challenging and requires the comprehensive integration of microbiological, clinical and epidemiologic aspects as well as the use of experimental models. It is now urgent to allocate financial resources to gather international data to provide a better understanding of the clinical relevance of these waterborne and zoonotic emerging diseases. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: an Emerging Global Opportunistic Pathogen

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Summary: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an emerging multidrug-resistant global opportunistic pathogen. The increasing incidence of nosocomial and community-acquired S. maltophilia infections is of particular concern for immunocompromised individuals, as this bacterial pathogen is associated with a significant fatality/case ratio. S. maltophilia is an environmental bacterium found in aqueous habitats, including plant rhizospheres, animals, foods, and water sources. Infections of S. maltophilia can occur in a range of organs and tissues; the organism is commonly found in respiratory tract infections. This review summarizes the current literature and presents S. maltophilia as an organism with various molecular mechanisms used for colonization and infection. S. maltophilia can be recovered from polymicrobial infections, most notably from the respiratory tract of cystic fibrosis patients, as a cocolonizer with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Recent evidence of cell-cell communication between these pathogens has implications for the development of novel pharmacological therapies. Animal models of S. maltophilia infection have provided useful information about the type of host immune response induced by this opportunistic pathogen. Current and emerging treatments for patients infected with S. maltophilia are discussed. PMID:22232370

Effectiveness of traveller screening for emerging pathogens is shaped by epidemiology and natural history of infection

PubMed Central

Gostic, Katelyn M; Kucharski, Adam J; Lloyd-Smith, James O

2015-01-01

During outbreaks of high-consequence pathogens, airport screening programs have been deployed to curtail geographic spread of infection. The effectiveness of screening depends on several factors, including pathogen natural history and epidemiology, human behavior, and characteristics of the source epidemic. We developed a mathematical model to understand how these factors combine to influence screening outcomes. We analyzed screening programs for six emerging pathogens in the early and late stages of an epidemic. We show that the effectiveness of different screening tools depends strongly on pathogen natural history and epidemiological features, as well as human factors in implementation and compliance. For pathogens with longer incubation periods, exposure risk detection dominates in growing epidemics, while fever becomes a better target in stable or declining epidemics. For pathogens with short incubation, fever screening drives detection in any epidemic stage. However, even in the most optimistic scenario arrival screening will miss the majority of cases. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05564.001 PMID:25695520

KSC-07pd2717

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-08

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Mission Specialist Doug Wheelock has his helmet fitted on his launch and entry suit, preparing for launch. The fitting is part of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities the crew is undertaking at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The TCDT also includes emergency egress procedures, equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120, which will carry the Italian-built U.S. Node 2 to the International Space Station, is targeted for launch on Oct. 23. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd2719

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-08

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Mission Specialist Daniel Tani tries on his helmet with his launch and entry suit, preparing for launch. The fitting is part of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities the crew is undertaking at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The TCDT also includes emergency egress procedures, equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120, which will carry the Italian-built U.S. Node 2 to the International Space Station, is targeted for launch on Oct. 23. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd2715

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-08

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Mission Specialist Doug Wheelock tries on his launch and entry suit to prepare for launch. The fitting is part of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities the crew is undertaking at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The TCDT also includes emergency egress procedures, equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120, which will carry the Italian-built U.S. Node 2 to the International Space Station, is targeted for launch on Oct. 23. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd2718

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-08

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Mission Specialist Paolo Nespoli has his helmet fitted on his launch and entry suit, preparing for launch. The fitting is part of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities the crew is undertaking at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The TCDT also includes emergency egress procedures, equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120, which will carry the Italian-built U.S. Node 2 to the International Space Station, is targeted for launch on Oct. 23. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd2721

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-08

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson tries on her launch and entry suit, preparing for launch. The fitting is part of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities the crew is undertaking at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The TCDT also includes emergency egress procedures, equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120, which will carry the Italian-built U.S. Node 2 to the International Space Station, is targeted for launch on Oct. 23. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The evolution of automated launch processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tomayko, James E.

1988-01-01

The NASA Launch Processing System (LPS) to which attention is presently given has arrived at satisfactory solutions for the distributed-computing, good user interface and dissimilar-hardware interface, and automation-related problems that emerge in the specific arena of spacecraft launch preparations. An aggressive effort was made to apply the lessons learned in the 1960s, during the first attempts at automatic launch vehicle checkout, to the LPS. As the Space Shuttle System continues to evolve, the primary contributor to safety and reliability will be the LPS.

Control of extraintestinal foodborne pathogens using intervention technologies

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In recent years it has become apparent that emerging foodborne pathogens including Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC), Staphylococcus saprophyticus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae are associated with human health conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis (UC...

46 CFR 112.15-1 - Temporary emergency loads.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... independent batteries separately charged by solar cells). (r) Each general emergency alarm system required by... AND POWER SYSTEMS Emergency Loads § 112.15-1 Temporary emergency loads. On vessels required by § 112... the area of the water where it is to be launched. (h) Electric communication systems that are...

Emerging Pathogens: Challenges and Successes of Molecular Diagnostics

PubMed Central

Dong, Jianli; Olano, Juan P.; McBride, Jere W.; Walker, David H.

2008-01-01

More than 50 emerging and reemerging pathogens have been identified during the last 40 years. Until 1992 when the Institute of Medicine issued a report that defined emerging infectious diseases, medicine had been complacent about such infectious diseases despite the alarm bells of infections with human immunodeficiency virus. Molecular tools have proven useful in discovering and characterizing emerging viruses and bacteria such as Sin Nombre virus (hantaviral pulmonary syndrome), hepatitis C virus, Bartonella henselae (cat scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis), and Anaplasma phagocytophilum (human granulocytotropic anaplasmosis). The feasibility of applying molecular diagnostics to dangerous, fastidious, and uncultivated agents for which conventional tests do not yield timely diagnoses has achieved proof of concept for many agents, but widespread use of cost-effective, validated commercial assays has yet to occur. This review presents representative emerging viral respiratory infections, hemorrhagic fevers, and hepatitides, as well as bacterial and parasitic zoonotic, gastrointestinal, and pulmonary infections. Agent characteristics, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnostic methods are tabulated for another 22 emerging viruses and five emerging bacteria. The ongoing challenge to the field of molecular diagnostics is to apply contemporary knowledge to facilitate agent diagnosis as well as to further discoveries of novel pathogens. PMID:18403608

Projecting the global distribution of the emerging amphibian fungal pathogen, batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, based on IPCC climate futures

Treesearch

Gisselle Yang Xie; Deanna H. Olson; Andrew R. Blaustein

2016-01-01

Projected changes in climate conditions are emerging as significant risk factors to numerous species, affecting habitat conditions and community interactions. Projections suggest species range shifts in response to climate change modifying environmental suitability and is supported by observational evidence. Both pathogens and their hosts can shift ranges with climate...

Resiliency or restoration: management of sudden oak death before and after outbreak

Treesearch

Richard Cobb; Peter Hartsough; Noam Ross; Janet Klein; David LaFever; Susan Frankel; David Rizzo

2017-01-01

Forests at risk to diseases caused by invasive Phytophthora pathogens can be grouped into two broad classes: those already invaded by the focal pathogen where disease has emerged or those at significant risk of invasion and subsequent emergence of disease. This dichotomy represents distinct management scenarios – treating after or before disease...

Draft Genome Sequence of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, an Emergent Opportunistic Pathogen

PubMed Central

Deligios, Massimo; Fraumene, Cristina; Abbondio, Marcello; Mannazzu, Ilaria; Tanca, Alessandro; Addis, Maria Filippa

2015-01-01

Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, a yeast with valuable biotechnological features, has also been recorded as an emergent opportunistic pathogen that might cause disease in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of R. mucilaginosa strain C2.5t1, which was isolated from cacao seeds in Cameroon. PMID:25858834

Rise of the microbes

PubMed Central

Mahan, Michael J.; Kubicek-Sutherland, Jessica Z.; Heithoff, Douglas M.

2013-01-01

Infectious diseases continue to plague the modern world. In the evolutionary arms race of pathogen emergence, the rules of engagement appear to have suddenly changed. Human activities have collided with nature to hasten the emergence of more potent pathogens from natural microbial populations. This is evident in recent infectious disease outbreaks, the events that led to their origin, and lessons learned: influenza (2009), meningitis (Africa, 2009), cholera (Haiti, 2010), E. coli (Germany, 2011) and Salmonella (USA, 2012). Developing a comprehensive control plan requires an understanding of the genetics, epidemiology and evolution of emergent pathogens for which humans have little or no pre-existing immunity. As we plot our next move, nature’s genetic lottery continues, providing the fuel to transform the most unlikely infectious disease scenarios into reality. PMID:23334178

Coinfection by the tick-borne pathogens Babesia microti and Borrelia burgdorferi: ecological, epidemiological and clinical consequences

PubMed Central

Diuk-Wasser, Maria A.; Vannier, Edouard

2015-01-01

Ixodes ticks maintain a large and diverse array of human pathogens in the enzootic cycle, including Borrelia burgdorferi and Babesia microti. Despite the poor ecological fitness of B. microti, babesiosis has recently emerged in areas endemic for Lyme disease. Studies in ticks, reservoir hosts and humans indicate that coinfection with B. burgdorferi and B. microti is common, promotes transmission and emergence of B. microti in the enzootic cycle, and causes greater disease severity and duration in humans. These integrative studies may serve as a paradigm for the study of other vector-borne coinfections. Identifying ecological drivers of pathogen emergence and host factors that fuel disease severity will help guide the design of effective curative and prevention strategies. PMID:26613664

Orion is Lifted for Mating with Delta IV

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-12

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians mate the agency's Orion spacecraft to its Delta IV Heavy rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.

STS-79 MISSION SPECIALIST JOHN E. BLAHA AND COMMANDER WILLIAM F. READDY CHAT DURING EMERGENCY EGRESS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

STS-79 Mission Specialist John E. Blaha (left) and Mission Commander William F. Readdy chat during emergency egress training at the 195-foot (59-meter) level of Launch Pad 39A. The training is part of their Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities. A dress rehearsal for launch, the TCDT culminates with a simulated countdown. The Space Shuttle Atlantis is undergoing preparations for liftoff on STS-79 no earlier than Sept. 12.

KSC-2011-2025

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – An emergency exit, or Mode II/IV, exercise is under way near Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The exercise involves NASA fire rescue personnel, volunteers portraying astronauts with simulated injuries, helicopters and personnel from the Air Force’s 920th Rescue Wing, and medical trauma teams at three Central Florida hospitals. The drill allows teams to practice an emergency response at the launch pad, including helicopter evacuation to local hospitals. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2011-2018

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – An emergency exit, or Mode II/IV, exercise is under way in a bunker of Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The exercise involves NASA fire rescue personnel, volunteers portraying astronauts with simulated injuries, helicopters and personnel from the Air Force’s 920th Rescue Wing, and medical trauma teams at three Central Florida hospitals. The drill allows teams to practice an emergency response at the launch pad, including helicopter evacuation to local hospitals. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2011-2024

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – An emergency exit, or Mode II/IV, exercise is under way near Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The exercise involves NASA fire rescue personnel, volunteers portraying astronauts with simulated injuries, helicopters and personnel from the Air Force’s 920th Rescue Wing, and medical trauma teams at three Central Florida hospitals. The drill allows teams to practice an emergency response at the launch pad, including helicopter evacuation to local hospitals. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

STS-37 Mission Specialist (MS) Jerome Apt floats in raft in JSC's WETF pool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

STS-37 Mission Specialist (MS) Jerome Apt, wearing launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), propels his one-person life raft by splashing water during emergency egress exercise in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29 pool. Apt, floating in the life raft, was simulating the steps involved in emergency egress from a Space Shuttle. The WETF's 25-ft pool served as a simulated ocean into which a parachute landing might be made.

Vacated niches, competitive release and the community ecology of pathogen eradication

PubMed Central

Lloyd-Smith, James O.

2013-01-01

A recurring theme in the epidemiological literature on disease eradication is that each pathogen occupies an ecological niche, and eradication of one pathogen leaves a vacant niche that favours the emergence of new pathogens to replace it. However, eminent figures have rejected this view unequivocally, stating that there is no basis to fear pathogen replacement and even that pathogen niches do not exist. After exploring the roots of this controversy, I propose resolutions to disputed issues by drawing on broader ecological theory, and advance a new consensus based on robust mechanistic principles. I argue that pathogen eradication (and cessation of vaccination) leads to a ‘vacated niche’, which could be re-invaded by the original pathogen if introduced. Consequences for other pathogens will vary, with the crucial mechanisms being competitive release, whereby the decline of one species allows its competitors to perform better, and evolutionary adaptation. Hence, eradication can cause a quantitative rise in the incidence of another infection, but whether this leads to emergence as an endemic pathogen depends on additional factors. I focus on the case study of human monkeypox and its rise following smallpox eradication, but also survey how these ideas apply to other pathogens and discuss implications for eradication policy. PMID:23798698

KSC-07pd1896

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-07-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- STS-118 Mission Specialist Dave Williams, who represents the Canadian Space Agency, signals success after driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier as part of emergency exit training. Behind him are, at left, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and, right, Mission Specialist Tracy Caldwell. They and other crew members are at Kennedy for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), a dress rehearsal for launch. TCDT activities include the M-113 training, payload familiarization, emergency egress training at the pad and a simulated launch countdown. The STS-118 payload aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour includes the S5 truss, a SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and is targeted for launch on Aug.7. NASA/George Shelton

KSC-2009-3386

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Pilot Doug Hurley drives the M-113 armored personnel carrier, which is part of the training on emergency egress procedures. The crew members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission are taking turns driving the M-113, which will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes the emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-3384

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky takes his turn driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier, which is part of the training on emergency egress procedures. The crew members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission are taking turns driving the M-113. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes the emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-3380

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Mission Specialist Tim Kopra practices driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier, which is part of the training on emergency egress procedures. Other crew members are seated behind him and will take their turns at driving the M-113. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes the emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

STS-102 crew poses on the FSS at Launch Pad 39B during TCDT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- An STS-102 crew member reaches for the release lever for the slidewire basket, used for emergency egress from the orbiter and pad. The crew is at KSC for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include the emergency training and a simulated launch countdown. On the horizon in the background can be seen the Vehicle Assembly Building. STS-102 is the eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, with Space Shuttle Discovery carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. In addition, the Expedition Two crew will be on the mission, to replace Expedition One, who will return to Earth with Discovery. Launch on mission STS-102 is scheduled for March 8.

STS-102 crew poses on the FSS at Launch Pad 39B during TCDT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- STS-102 Mission Specialists Andrew Thomas (front, left) and Paul Richards take their seats in the slidewire basket, used for emergency egress from the orbiter and pad. Behind them, other crew members climb into their basket. The crew is at KSC for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include the emergency training and a simulated launch countdown. STS-102 is the eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, with Space Shuttle Discovery carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. In addition, the Expedition Two crew will be on the mission, to replace Expedition One, who will return to Earth with Discovery. Launch on mission STS-102 is scheduled for March 8.

KSC-01pp0774

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-04-08

Ready to take the wheel on the M-113 armored carrier is STS-100 Mission Specialist Yuri V. Lonchakov, who is with the Russian Space and Aviation Agency. He and the rest of the crew are taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include emergency escape training, payload walkdown and a simulated launch countdown. The tracked vehicle could be used by the crew in the event of an emergency at the pad during which the crew must make a quick exit from the area. The primary payload on mission STS-100 comprises the Canadian robotic arm, SSRMS, and Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, Raffaello. Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-100 is targeted for April 19 at 2:41 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A

KSC-08pd1177

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- With Launch Pad 39B in the background, STS-124 Pilot Ken Ham drives the M113 armored personnel carrier as part of emergency training. Behind him at right is Mission Specialist Karen Nyberg. At center is Battalion Chief George Hoggard providing supervision. Ham and other crew members are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a dress launch rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

National Security Space Launch Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

fielding a radical breakthrough in space launch during the next 15 years. We uncovered no evidence that such a breakthrough would emerge before 2020...to the NSS launch architecture as the two families mature and knowledge is gained that will be vital to EELV decisions. Anticipating that near ...procured these systems on a commercial basis, making insight into their design and development limited compared with programs intended for near

STS-135 Launch Day

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-07-07

Warren Hinson, a NASA Emergency Response Team (ERT) member, keeps an eye out while flying near the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) prior to the launch of space shuttle Atlantis, STS-135, Friday, July 8, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The launch of Atlantis, is the final flight of the shuttle program, a 12-day mission to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Disentangling host, pathogen, and environmental determinants of a recently emerged wildlife disease: lessons from the first 15 years of amphibian chytridiomycosis research.

PubMed

James, Timothy Y; Toledo, L Felipe; Rödder, Dennis; da Silva Leite, Domingos; Belasen, Anat M; Betancourt-Román, Clarisse M; Jenkinson, Thomas S; Soto-Azat, Claudio; Lambertini, Carolina; Longo, Ana V; Ruggeri, Joice; Collins, James P; Burrowes, Patricia A; Lips, Karen R; Zamudio, Kelly R; Longcore, Joyce E

2015-09-01

The amphibian fungal disease chytridiomycosis, which affects species across all continents, recently emerged as one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. Yet, many aspects of the basic biology and epidemiology of the pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), are still unknown, such as when and from where did Bd emerge and what is its true ecological niche? Here, we review the ecology and evolution of Bd in the Americas and highlight controversies that make this disease so enigmatic. We explore factors associated with variance in severity of epizootics focusing on the disease triangle of host susceptibility, pathogen virulence, and environment. Reevaluating the causes of the panzootic is timely given the wealth of data on Bd prevalence across hosts and communities and the recent discoveries suggesting co-evolutionary potential of hosts and Bd. We generate a new species distribution model for Bd in the Americas based on over 30,000 records and suggest a novel future research agenda. Instead of focusing on pathogen "hot spots," we need to identify pathogen "cold spots" so that we can better understand what limits the pathogen's distribution. Finally, we introduce the concept of "the Ghost of Epizootics Past" to discuss expected patterns in postepizootic host communities.

Orion Leaves from the VAB

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-11

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency's Orion is transported to Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. After arrival at the launch pad, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians will lift Orion and mount it atop its Delta IV Heavy rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.

Bushmeat Hunting, Deforestation, and Prediction of Zoonotic Disease

PubMed Central

Daszak, Peter; Kilpatrick, A. Marm; Burke, Donald S.

2005-01-01

Understanding the emergence of new zoonotic agents requires knowledge of pathogen biodiversity in wildlife, human-wildlife interactions, anthropogenic pressures on wildlife populations, and changes in society and human behavior. We discuss an interdisciplinary approach combining virology, wildlife biology, disease ecology, and anthropology that enables better understanding of how deforestation and associated hunting leads to the emergence of novel zoonotic pathogens. PMID:16485465

Are outbreaks of emerging pathogens correlated with construction of wetlands? Report 2 : amphibian breeding and disease outbreaks during 2014-2015 and possible correlates with environmental variables : research report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-10-01

A study of wetlands near the Intercounty Connector construction site (now a toll facility MD 200) in Maryland, : found that an emerging pathogen known as Ranavirus was having a significant impact on at least two species of : amphibians as well as...

Bacteremia caused by Arcobacter butzleri in an immunocompromised host.

PubMed

Arguello, Esther; Otto, Caitlin C; Mead, Peter; Babady, N Esther

2015-04-01

Arcobacter butzleri is an emerging pathogen that has been implicated as the causative agent of persistent watery diarrhea. We describe a case involving a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who developed invasive A. butzleri bacteremia. This case illustrates the unique challenges involved in diagnosing infections caused by emerging gastrointestinal pathogens. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Newly emerged populations of Plasmopara halstedii infecting rudbeckia exhibit unique genotypic profiles and are distinct from sunflower-infecting strains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The oomycete Plasmopara halstedii emerged at the onset of the 21st century as a destructive new pathogen causing downy mildew disease of ornamental Rudbeckia fulgida (rudbeckia) in the U.S.A. The pathogen is also a significant global problem of sunflower (Helianthus annuus), and is widely regarded a...

Adaption of wild-bird origin H5Nx highly pathogenic avian influenza virus Clade 2.3.4.4 in vaccinated poultry

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The 2014-2015 incursion of H5Nx clade 2.3.4.4 high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) virus caused the largest animal health emergency in U.S. history and renewed interest in developing vaccines against these newly emergent viruses. Our previous research demonstrated several H5 vaccines with varyi...

Disease Risk in a Dynamic Environment: The Spread of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Minnesota, USA

PubMed Central

Robinson, Stacie J.; Neitzel, David F.; Moen, Ronald A.; Craft, Meggan E.; Hamilton, Karin E.; Johnson, Lucinda B.; Mulla, David J.; Munderloh, Ulrike G.; Redig, Patrick T.; Smith, Kirk E.; Turner, Clarence L.; Umber, Jamie K.; Pelican, Katharine M.

2015-01-01

As humans and climate change alter the landscape, novel disease risk scenarios emerge. Understanding the complexities of pathogen emergence and subsequent spread as shaped by landscape heterogeneity is crucial to understanding disease emergence, pinpointing high-risk areas, and mitigating emerging disease threats in a dynamic environment. Tick-borne diseases present an important public health concern and incidence of many of these diseases are increasing in the United States. The complex epidemiology of tick-borne diseases includes strong ties with environmental factors that influence host availability, vector abundance, and pathogen transmission. Here, we used 16 years of case data from the Minnesota Department of Health to report spatial and temporal trends in Lyme disease (LD), human anaplasmosis, and babesiosis. We then used a spatial regression framework to evaluate the impact of landscape and climate factors on the spread of LD. Finally, we use the fitted model, and landscape and climate datasets projected under varying climate change scenarios, to predict future changes in tick-borne pathogen risk. Both forested habitat and temperature were important drivers of LD spread in Minnesota. Dramatic changes in future temperature regimes and forest communities predict rising risk of tick-borne disease. PMID:25281302

Pathogen evolution and disease emergence in carnivores.

PubMed

McCarthy, Alex J; Shaw, Marie-Anne; Goodman, Simon J

2007-12-22

Emerging infectious diseases constitute some of the most pressing problems for both human and domestic animal health, and biodiversity conservation. Currently it is not clear whether the removal of past constraints on geographical distribution and transmission possibilities for pathogens alone are sufficient to give rise to novel host-pathogen combinations, or whether pathogen evolution is also generally required for establishment in novel hosts. Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a morbillivirus that is prevalent in the world dog population and poses an important conservation threat to a diverse range of carnivores. We performed an extensive phylogenetic and molecular evolution analysis on complete sequences of all CDV genes to assess the role of selection and recombination in shaping viral genetic diversity and driving the emergence of CDV in non-dog hosts. We tested the specific hypothesis that molecular adaptation at known receptor-binding sites of the haemagglutinin gene is associated with independent instances of the spread of CDV to novel non-dog hosts in the wild. This hypothesis was upheld, providing compelling evidence that repeated evolution at known functional sites (in this case residues 530 and 549 of the haemagglutinin molecule) is associated with multiple independent occurrences of disease emergence in a range of novel host species.

Disease risk in a dynamic environment: the spread of tick-borne pathogens in Minnesota, USA.

PubMed

Robinson, Stacie J; Neitzel, David F; Moen, Ronald A; Craft, Meggan E; Hamilton, Karin E; Johnson, Lucinda B; Mulla, David J; Munderloh, Ulrike G; Redig, Patrick T; Smith, Kirk E; Turner, Clarence L; Umber, Jamie K; Pelican, Katharine M

2015-03-01

As humans and climate change alter the landscape, novel disease risk scenarios emerge. Understanding the complexities of pathogen emergence and subsequent spread as shaped by landscape heterogeneity is crucial to understanding disease emergence, pinpointing high-risk areas, and mitigating emerging disease threats in a dynamic environment. Tick-borne diseases present an important public health concern and incidence of many of these diseases are increasing in the United States. The complex epidemiology of tick-borne diseases includes strong ties with environmental factors that influence host availability, vector abundance, and pathogen transmission. Here, we used 16 years of case data from the Minnesota Department of Health to report spatial and temporal trends in Lyme disease (LD), human anaplasmosis, and babesiosis. We then used a spatial regression framework to evaluate the impact of landscape and climate factors on the spread of LD. Finally, we use the fitted model, and landscape and climate datasets projected under varying climate change scenarios, to predict future changes in tick-borne pathogen risk. Both forested habitat and temperature were important drivers of LD spread in Minnesota. Dramatic changes in future temperature regimes and forest communities predict rising risk of tick-borne disease.

The biology, identification and management of Rhizoctonia pathogens

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rhizoctonia solani is an economically important soilborne pathogen causing economic losses to crops, vegetables, ornamentals, forest trees and turfgrasses. The pathogenic isolates may belong to diverse genera and species and are variously responsible for pre- or post-emergence damping off of seedlin...

Genetics: A New Landscape for Medical Geography

PubMed Central

Carrel, Margaret; Emch, Michael

2014-01-01

The emergence and re-emergence of human pathogens resistant to medical treatment will present a challenge to the international public health community in the coming decades. Geography is uniquely positioned to examine the progressive evolution of pathogens across space and through time, and to link molecular change to interactions between population and environmental drivers. Landscape as an organizing principle for the integration of natural and cultural forces has a long history in geography, and, more specifically, in medical geography. Here, we explore the role of landscape in medical geography, the emergent field of landscape genetics, and the great potential that exists in the combination of these two disciplines. We argue that landscape genetics can enhance medical geographic studies of local-level disease environments with quantitative tests of how human-environment interactions influence pathogenic characteristics. In turn, such analyses can expand theories of disease diffusion to the molecular scale and distinguish the important factors in ecologies of disease that drive genetic change of pathogens. PMID:24558292

KSC-2009-5278

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-10-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, volunteers portraying astronauts are transported to helicopters as part of a Mode II-IV exercise that allows teams to practice an emergency response at Launch Pad 39A, including helicopter evacuation to local hospitals. The exercise allows teams to practice an emergency response at Launch Pad 39A, including helicopter evacuation to local hospitals. The exercise involves NASA fire rescue personnel, volunteers portraying astronauts with simulated injuries, helicopters and personnel from the Air Force’s 920th Rescue Wing and medical trauma teams at three central Florida hospitals. The Space Shuttle Program and U.S. Air Force are conducting the emergency simulation. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

Detecting the emergence of novel, zoonotic viruses pathogenic to humans.

PubMed

Rosenberg, Ronald

2015-03-01

RNA viruses, with their high potential for mutation and epidemic spread, are the most common class of pathogens found as new causes of human illness. Despite great advances made in diagnostic technology since the 1950s, the annual rate at which novel virulent viruses have been found has remained at 2-3. Most emerging viruses are zoonoses; they have jumped from mammal or bird hosts to humans. An analysis of virus discovery indicates that the small number of novel viruses discovered annually is an artifact of inadequate surveillance in tropical and subtropical countries, where even established endemic pathogens are often misdiagnosed. Many of the emerging viruses of the future are already infecting humans but remain to be uncovered by a strategy of disease surveillance in selected populations.

Novel organisms: comparing invasive species, GMOs, and emerging pathogens.

PubMed

Jeschke, Jonathan M; Keesing, Felicia; Ostfeld, Richard S

2013-09-01

Invasive species, range-expanding species, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), synthetic organisms, and emerging pathogens increasingly affect the human environment. We propose a framework that allows comparison of consecutive stages that such novel organisms go through. The framework provides a common terminology for novel organisms, facilitating knowledge exchange among researchers, managers, and policy makers that work on, or have to make effective decisions about, novel organisms. The framework also indicates that knowledge about the causes and consequences of stage transitions for the better studied novel organisms, such as invasive species, can be transferred to more poorly studied ones, such as GMOs and emerging pathogens. Finally, the framework advances understanding of how climate change can affect the establishment, spread, and impacts of novel organisms, and how biodiversity affects, and is affected by, novel organisms.

KSC-2009-4470

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-128 Mission Specialist Jose Hernandez takes his turn driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency exit training and equipment familiarization, as well as a simulated launch countdown. Launch of Discovery is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-4471

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-128 Mission Specialist Jose Hernandez has completed his turn driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency exit training and equipment familiarization, as well as a simulated launch countdown. Launch of Discovery is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-4465

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-128 Mission Specialist Nicole Stott has completed her turn at driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency exit training and equipment familiarization, as well as a simulated launch countdown. Launch of Discovery is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-4466

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-128 Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester has completed his turn at driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency exit training and equipment familiarization, as well as a simulated launch countdown. Launch of Discovery is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-4468

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-128 Mission Specialist John "Danny" Olivas has completed his turn driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency exit training and equipment familiarization, as well as a simulated launch countdown. Launch of Discovery is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-4469

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-128 Mission Specialist John "Danny" Olivas takes his turn driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency exit training and equipment familiarization, as well as a simulated launch countdown. Launch of Discovery is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

STS-46 Pilot Allen and Payload Specialist Malerba in life rafts at JSC's WEFT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-46 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, Pilot Andrew M. Allen (foreground) and Italian Payload Specialist Franco Malerba, wearing launch and entry suits (LESs) and launch and entry helmets (LEHs), float in one-person life rafts during a launch emergency egress (bailout) simulation in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29 pool. A SCUBA-equipped diver assists in the training activity.

LAMP detection assays for boxwood blight pathogens: a comparative genomics approach

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rapid and accurate molecular diagnostic tools are critical to efforts to minimize the impact and spread of emergent pathogens. The identification of diagnostic markers for novel pathogens presents several challenges, especially in the absence of information about population diversity, and where gen...

KSC-04PD-2447

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During a simulated launch countdown/emergency simulation on Launch Pad 39A, the rescue team helps astronaut-suited workers climb into an M-113 armored personnel carrier for transport away from the pad. The four-hour exercise simulated normal launch countdown operations, with the added challenge of a fictitious event causing an evacuation of the vehicle and launch pad. It tested the teams rescue approaches on the Fixed Service Structure, slidewire basket evacuation, triage care and transportation of injured personnel to hospitals, as well as communications and coordination.

KSC-04PD-2445

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During a simulated launch countdown/emergency simulation on Launch Pad 39A, the rescue team carries injured astronaut-suited workers into an M-113 armored personnel carrier for transport away from the pad. The four-hour exercise simulated normal launch countdown operations, with the added challenge of a fictitious event causing an evacuation of the vehicle and launch pad. It tested the teams rescue approaches on the Fixed Service Structure, slidewire basket evacuation, triage care and transportation of injured personnel to hospitals, as well as communications and coordination.

KSC-07pd2716

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-08

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Mission Specialist Paolo Nespoli tries on his gloves with his launch and entry suit, preparing for launch. Nespoli represents the European Space Agency. The fitting is part of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities the crew is undertaking at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The TCDT also includes emergency egress procedures, equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120, which will carry the Italian-built U.S. Node 2 to the International Space Station, is targeted for launch on Oct. 23. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

STS-105 Commander Horowitz tries on gas mask at Launch Pad 39A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- At Launch Pad 39A, STS-105 Commander Scott Horowitz puts on a gas mask as part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which also include emergency egress, a simulated launch countdown and familiarization with the payload. Mission STS-105 will be transporting the Expedition Three crew, several payloads and scientific experiments to the International Space Station aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. The current Expedition Two crew members on the Station will return to Earth on Discovery. Launch is scheduled no earlier than Aug. 9, 2001.

Bats, emerging infectious diseases, and the rabies paradigm revisited

PubMed Central

Kuzmin, Ivan V.; Bozick, Brooke; Guagliardo, Sarah A.; Kunkel, Rebekah; Shak, Joshua R.; Tong, Suxiang; Rupprecht, Charles E

2011-01-01

The significance of bats as sources of emerging infectious diseases has been increasingly appreciated, and new data have been accumulated rapidly during recent years. For some emerging pathogens the bat origin has been confirmed (such as lyssaviruses, henipaviruses, coronaviruses), for other it has been suggested (filoviruses). Several recently identified viruses remain to be ‘orphan’ but have a potential for further emergence (such as Tioman, Menangle, and Pulau viruses). In the present review we summarize information on major bat-associated emerging infections and discuss specific characteristics of bats as carriers of pathogens (from evolutionary, ecological, and immunological positions). We also discuss drivers and forces of an infectious disease emergence and describe various existing and potential approaches for control and prevention of such infections at individual, populational, and societal levels. PMID:24149032

Bats, emerging infectious diseases, and the rabies paradigm revisited.

PubMed

Kuzmin, Ivan V; Bozick, Brooke; Guagliardo, Sarah A; Kunkel, Rebekah; Shak, Joshua R; Tong, Suxiang; Rupprecht, Charles E

2011-06-20

The significance of bats as sources of emerging infectious diseases has been increasingly appreciated, and new data have been accumulated rapidly during recent years. For some emerging pathogens the bat origin has been confirmed (such as lyssaviruses, henipaviruses, coronaviruses), for other it has been suggested (filoviruses). Several recently identified viruses remain to be 'orphan' but have a potential for further emergence (such as Tioman, Menangle, and Pulau viruses). In the present review we summarize information on major bat-associated emerging infections and discuss specific characteristics of bats as carriers of pathogens (from evolutionary, ecological, and immunological positions). We also discuss drivers and forces of an infectious disease emergence and describe various existing and potential approaches for control and prevention of such infections at individual, populational, and societal levels.

Detection of the emerging amphibian pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and ranavirus in Russia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reshetnikov, Andrey N.; Chestnut, Tara E.; Brunner, Jesse L.; Charles, Kaylene M.; Nebergall, Emily E.; Olson, Deanna H.

2014-01-01

In a population of the European common toad Bufo bufo from a rural pond in the region of Lake Glubokoe Regional Reserve in Moscow province, Russia, unexplained mass mortality events involving larvae and metamorphs have been observed over a monitoring period of >20 yr. We tested toads from this and a nearby site for the emerging amphibian pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and ranavirus (Rv). Both pathogens were detected, and at the rural pond site, with the above-noted losses and decline in toad breeding success, 40% of B. bufo metamorphs were Bd positive, 46% were Rv positive and 20% were co-infected with both pathogens. Toad metamorphs from a neighbouring water body were also Bd and Rv positive (25 and 55%, respectively). This is the first confirmation of these pathogens in Russia. Questions remain as to the origins of these pathogens in Russia and their roles in documented mass mortality events.

The threat of emerging infections.

PubMed

1996-11-01

A variety of newly discovered pathogens and new forms of older infectious agents threaten to reemerge. Typical symptoms of acute infection are fever, headache, malaise, vomiting, and diarrhea. Some of the better-known emerging viral infections include dengue, filoviruses (Ebola, Marburg), hantaviruses, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, influenza, lassa fever, measles, rift valley fever, rotavirus, and yellow fever. Emerging bacterial infections include cholera, Escherichia coli 0157:H7, legionnaires disease (Legionella), lyme disease, streptococcus infections (group A), tuberculosis, and typhoid. Emerging parasitic infections include cryptosporidium and other waterborne pathogens and malaria. The causes of many diseases are still shrouded in mystery; thus, treatments and cures for them are as yet unknown.

A framework for the study of zoonotic disease emergence and its drivers: spillover of bat pathogens as a case study

PubMed Central

Wood, James L. N.; Leach, Melissa; Waldman, Linda; MacGregor, Hayley; Fooks, Anthony R.; Jones, Kate E.; Restif, Olivier; Dechmann, Dina; Hayman, David T. S.; Baker, Kate S.; Peel, Alison J.; Kamins, Alexandra O.; Fahr, Jakob; Ntiamoa-Baidu, Yaa; Suu-Ire, Richard; Breiman, Robert F.; Epstein, Jonathan H.; Field, Hume E.; Cunningham, Andrew A.

2012-01-01

Many serious emerging zoonotic infections have recently arisen from bats, including Ebola, Marburg, SARS-coronavirus, Hendra, Nipah, and a number of rabies and rabies-related viruses, consistent with the overall observation that wildlife are an important source of emerging zoonoses for the human population. Mechanisms underlying the recognized association between ecosystem health and human health remain poorly understood and responding appropriately to the ecological, social and economic conditions that facilitate disease emergence and transmission represents a substantial societal challenge. In the context of disease emergence from wildlife, wildlife and habitat should be conserved, which in turn will preserve vital ecosystem structure and function, which has broader implications for human wellbeing and environmental sustainability, while simultaneously minimizing the spillover of pathogens from wild animals into human beings. In this review, we propose a novel framework for the holistic and interdisciplinary investigation of zoonotic disease emergence and its drivers, using the spillover of bat pathogens as a case study. This study has been developed to gain a detailed interdisciplinary understanding, and it combines cutting-edge perspectives from both natural and social sciences, linked to policy impacts on public health, land use and conservation. PMID:22966143

Orion EFT-1 Wet Dress Rehearsal

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-05

In the Hangar A&E control room, displays are seen during a dress rehearsal for the launch of the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket for the upcoming Orion Flight Test. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.

Orion is Lifted for Mating with Delta IV

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-12

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians prepare to mate the agency's Orion spacecraft to its Delta IV Heavy rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.

Orion is Lifted for Mating with Delta IV

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-12

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians prepare to lift the agency's Orion spacecraft for mounting atop its Delta IV Heavy rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.

Orion is Lifted for Mating with Delta IV

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-12

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians begin lifting the agency's Orion spacecraft for mounting atop its Delta IV Heavy rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.

STS-93 crew practices emergency egress training from Launch Pad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The STS-93 crew pose in front of an M-113, an armored personnel carrier, before emergency egress training from the launch pad. From left are Mission Specialist Steven A. Hawley (Ph.D.), Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby, Mission Specialist Michel Tognini of France, Commander Eileen M. Collins and Mission Specialist Catherine G. Coleman. Collins is the first woman to serve as mission commander. Tognini represents the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). TCDT activities familiarize the crew with the mission, provide training in emergency exit from the orbiter and launch pad, and include a launch-day dress rehearsal culminating with a simulated main engine cut-off. The primary mission of STS- 93 is the release of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which will allow scientists from around the world to obtain unprecedented X- ray images of exotic environments in space to help understand the structure and evolution of the universe. Chandra is expected to provide unique and crucial information on the nature of objects ranging from comets in our solar system to quasars at the edge of the observable universe. Since X-rays are absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere, space-based observatories are necessary to study these phenomena and allow scientists to analyze some of the greatest mysteries of the universe.

STS-71 astronauts and cosmonauts listen to briefing during training session

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

A number of Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut listen to a briefing on launch and landing emergency situations during a training session in the Systems Integration Facility at JSC. Scheduled to launch aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis with the S

The Challenge of Technological Superiority

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-01

direct support to the Defense Innovation Initiative ( DII ). Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel launched the DII with a goal of identifying new and...warfighters. Defense Innovation Initiative The DII was launched to harness the brightest minds inside and outside the DoD to identify current and emerging

KSC-05PD-0845

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the STS-114 crew takes part in training on an M-113, an armored personnel carrier that is used for speedy departure from the launch pad in an emergency. Seated in the M-113, left to right, are Commander Eileen Collins, Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson, Capt. George Hoggard, astronaut rescue team leader, Mission Specialists Andrew Thomas, Soichi Noguchi and Charles Camarda, and Pilot James Kelly. Noguchi is with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.

STS-97 crew meets with the media at Launch Pad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Standing in the slidewire landing zone at Launch Pad 39B, the STS-97 crew respond to questions from the media. They are, left to right, Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Joe Tanner, Marc Garneau and Carlos Noriega. Garneau is with the Canadian Space Agency. The nets suspended behind them are a braking system catch net for the slidewire baskets that provide emergency exit from the orbiter and Fixed Service Structure. The crew is at KSC to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities that include emergency egress training, familiarization with the payload, and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-97is the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections. STS-97 is scheduled to launch Nov. 30 at 10:05 p.m. EST.

The ecology of emerging infectious diseases in migratory birds: an assessment of the role of climate change and priorities for future research.

PubMed

Fuller, Trevon; Bensch, Staffan; Müller, Inge; Novembre, John; Pérez-Tris, Javier; Ricklefs, Robert E; Smith, Thomas B; Waldenström, Jonas

2012-03-01

Pathogens that are maintained by wild birds occasionally jump to human hosts, causing considerable loss of life and disruption to global commerce. Preliminary evidence suggests that climate change and human movements and commerce may have played a role in recent range expansions of avian pathogens. Since the magnitude of climate change in the coming decades is predicted to exceed climatic changes in the recent past, there is an urgent need to determine the extent to which climate change may drive the spread of disease by avian migrants. In this review, we recommend actions intended to mitigate the impact of emergent pathogens of migratory birds on biodiversity and public health. Increased surveillance that builds upon existing bird banding networks is required to conclusively establish a link between climate and avian pathogens and to prevent pathogens with migratory bird reservoirs from spilling over to humans.

Rational Design of Pathogen-Mimicking Amphiphilic Materials as Nanoadjuvants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulery, Bret D.; Petersen, Latrisha K.; Phanse, Yashdeep; Kong, Chang Sun; Broderick, Scott R.; Kumar, Devender; Ramer-Tait, Amanda E.; Carrillo-Conde, Brenda; Rajan, Krishna; Wannemuehler, Michael J.; Bellaire, Bryan H.; Metzger, Dennis W.; Narasimhan, Balaji

2011-12-01

An opportunity exists today for cross-cutting research utilizing advances in materials science, immunology, microbial pathogenesis, and computational analysis to effectively design the next generation of adjuvants and vaccines. This study integrates these advances into a bottom-up approach for the molecular design of nanoadjuvants capable of mimicking the immune response induced by a natural infection but without the toxic side effects. Biodegradable amphiphilic polyanhydrides possess the unique ability to mimic pathogens and pathogen associated molecular patterns with respect to persisting within and activating immune cells, respectively. The molecular properties responsible for the pathogen-mimicking abilities of these materials have been identified. The value of using polyanhydride nanovaccines was demonstrated by the induction of long-lived protection against a lethal challenge of Yersinia pestis following a single administration ten months earlier. This approach has the tantalizing potential to catalyze the development of next generation vaccines against diseases caused by emerging and re-emerging pathogens.

KSC-2009-3385

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Pilot Doug Hurley smiles after practicing driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier. The crew members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission will each practice driving the M-113 in turn as part of their training on emergency egress procedures. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes the emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-3373

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Mission Specialist Dave Wolf takes the wheel of the M-113 armored personnel carrier. Driving the M-113 is part of the training on emergency egress procedures. The crew members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission are taking turns driving the M-113. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes the emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-3375

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Mission Specialist Christopher Cassidy is ready to take the wheel to practice driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier, which is part of the training on emergency egress procedures. The crew members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission are taking turns driving the M-113. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes the emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-3374

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Mission Specialist Dave Wolf poses for a photograph after driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier, which is part of the training on emergency egress procedures. The crew members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission are taking turns driving the M-113. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes the emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-3382

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Mission Specialist Tom Marshburn takes his turn driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier, which is part of the training on emergency egress procedures. The crew members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission are taking turns driving the M-113. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes the emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-3379

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Mission Specialist Tim Kopra is happy to have successfully driven the M-113 armored personnel carrier, which is part of the training on emergency egress procedures. The crew members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission are taking turns driving the M-113. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes the emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-3383

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky smiles after practicing driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier. The crew members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission will each practice driving the M-113 in turn as part of their training on emergency egress procedures. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes the emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-3381

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Mission Specialist Tom Marshburn smiles after successfully driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier, which is part of the training on emergency egress procedures. The crew members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission are taking turns driving the M-113. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes the emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Skin Temperatures During Unaided Egress: Unsuited and While Wearing the NASA Launch and Entry or Advanced Crew Escape Suits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodruff, Kristin K.; Lee, Stuart M. C.; Greenisen, Michael C.; Schneider, Suzanne M.

2000-01-01

The two flight suits currently worn by crew members during Shuttle launch and landing, the Launch and Entry Suit (LES) and the Advanced Crew Escape Suit (ACES), are designed to protect crew members in the case of emergency. Although the Liquid Cooling Garment (LCG) worn under the flight suits was designed to counteract the heat storage of the suits, the suits may increase thermal stress and limit the astronaut's egress capabilities. The purpose of this study was to assess the thermal loads experienced by crew members during a simulated emergency egress before and after spaceflight. Comparisons of skin temperatures were made between the preflight unsuited and suited conditions. between the pre- and postflight suited conditions, and between the two flight suits.

Bactericidal assessment of nano-silver on emerging and re-emerging human pathogens.

PubMed

Anuj, Samir A; Gajera, Harsukh P; Hirpara, Darshna G; Golakiya, Baljibhai A

2018-04-24

With the threat of the growing number of bacteria resistant to antibiotics, the re-emergence of previously deadly infections and the emergence of new infections, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic agent. Silver in the nano form, which is being used increasingly as antibacterial agents, may extend its antibacterial application to emerging and re-emerging multidrug-resistant pathogens, the main cause of nosocomial diseases worldwide. In the present study, a completely bottom up method to prepare green nano-silver was used. To explore the action of nano-silver on emerging Bacillus megaterium MTCC 7192 and re-emerging Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 741 pathogenic bacteria, the study includes an analysis of the bacterial membrane damage through Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) as well as alternation of zeta potential and intracellular leakages. In this work, we observed genuine bactericidal property of nano-silver as compare to broad spectrum antibiotics against emerging and re-emerging mode. After being exposed to nano-silver, the membrane becomes scattered from their original ordered arrangement based on SEM observation. Moreover, our results also suggested that alternation of zeta potential enhanced membrane permeability, and beyond a critical point, it leads to cell death. The leakages of intracellular constituents were confirmed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). In conclusion, the combine results suggested that at a specific dose, nano-silver may destroy the structure of bacterial membrane and depress its activity, which causes bacteria to die eventually. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Lipids in host-pathogen interactions: pathogens exploit the complexity of the host cell lipidome.

PubMed

van der Meer-Janssen, Ynske P M; van Galen, Josse; Batenburg, Joseph J; Helms, J Bernd

2010-01-01

Lipids were long believed to have a structural role in biomembranes and a role in energy storage utilizing cellular lipid droplets and plasma lipoproteins. Research over the last decades has identified an additional role of lipids in cellular signaling, membrane microdomain organization and dynamics, and membrane trafficking. These properties make lipids an attractive target for pathogens to modulate host cell processes in order to allow their survival and replication. In this review we will summarize the often ingenious strategies of pathogens to modify the lipid homeostasis of host cells, allowing them to divert cellular processes. To this end pathogens take full advantage of the complexity of the lipidome. The examples are categorized in generalized and emerging principles describing the involvement of lipids in host-pathogen interactions. Several pathogens are described that simultaneously induce multiple changes in the host cell signaling and trafficking mechanisms. Elucidation of these pathogen-induced changes may have important implications for drug development. The emergence of high-throughput lipidomic techniques will allow the description of changes of the host cell lipidome at the level of individual molecular lipid species and the identification of lipid biomarkers.

Multi-criteria decision analysis tools for prioritising emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases associated with climate change in Canada.

PubMed

Cox, Ruth; Sanchez, Javier; Revie, Crawford W

2013-01-01

Global climate change is known to result in the emergence or re-emergence of some infectious diseases. Reliable methods to identify the infectious diseases of humans and animals and that are most likely to be influenced by climate are therefore required. Since different priorities will affect the decision to address a particular pathogen threat, decision makers need a standardised method of prioritisation. Ranking methods and Multi-Criteria Decision approaches provide such a standardised method and were employed here to design two different pathogen prioritisation tools. The opinion of 64 experts was elicited to assess the importance of 40 criteria that could be used to prioritise emerging infectious diseases of humans and animals in Canada. A weight was calculated for each criterion according to the expert opinion. Attributes were defined for each criterion as a transparent and repeatable method of measurement. Two different Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis tools were tested, both of which used an additive aggregation approach. These were an Excel spreadsheet tool and a tool developed in software 'M-MACBETH'. The tools were trialed on nine 'test' pathogens. Two different methods of criteria weighting were compared, one using fixed weighting values, the other using probability distributions to account for uncertainty and variation in expert opinion. The ranking of the nine pathogens varied according to the weighting method that was used. In both tools, using both weighting methods, the diseases that tended to rank the highest were West Nile virus, Giardiasis and Chagas, while Coccidioidomycosis tended to rank the lowest. Both tools are a simple and user friendly approach to prioritising pathogens according to climate change by including explicit scoring of 40 criteria and incorporating weighting methods based on expert opinion. They provide a dynamic interactive method that can help to identify pathogens for which a full risk assessment should be pursued.

Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Tools for Prioritising Emerging or Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases Associated with Climate Change in Canada

PubMed Central

Cox, Ruth; Sanchez, Javier; Revie, Crawford W.

2013-01-01

Global climate change is known to result in the emergence or re-emergence of some infectious diseases. Reliable methods to identify the infectious diseases of humans and animals and that are most likely to be influenced by climate are therefore required. Since different priorities will affect the decision to address a particular pathogen threat, decision makers need a standardised method of prioritisation. Ranking methods and Multi-Criteria Decision approaches provide such a standardised method and were employed here to design two different pathogen prioritisation tools. The opinion of 64 experts was elicited to assess the importance of 40 criteria that could be used to prioritise emerging infectious diseases of humans and animals in Canada. A weight was calculated for each criterion according to the expert opinion. Attributes were defined for each criterion as a transparent and repeatable method of measurement. Two different Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis tools were tested, both of which used an additive aggregation approach. These were an Excel spreadsheet tool and a tool developed in software ‘M-MACBETH’. The tools were trialed on nine ‘test’ pathogens. Two different methods of criteria weighting were compared, one using fixed weighting values, the other using probability distributions to account for uncertainty and variation in expert opinion. The ranking of the nine pathogens varied according to the weighting method that was used. In both tools, using both weighting methods, the diseases that tended to rank the highest were West Nile virus, Giardiasis and Chagas, while Coccidioidomycosis tended to rank the lowest. Both tools are a simple and user friendly approach to prioritising pathogens according to climate change by including explicit scoring of 40 criteria and incorporating weighting methods based on expert opinion. They provide a dynamic interactive method that can help to identify pathogens for which a full risk assessment should be pursued. PMID:23950868

Emergence of H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza strains in Indonesia that are resistant to vaccines

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Vaccines have been used to protect poultry in Asia against H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) since 2002. Reports of vaccine “failures” began to emerge in 2006 in Indonesia, with identification of clinical disease consistent with HPAI or isolation of H5N1 HPAIV in vaccinated flocks or in...

Moving Beyond Too Little, Too Late: Managing Emerging Infectious Diseases in Wild Populations Requires International Policy and Partnerships

Treesearch

Jamie Voyles; A. Marm Kilpatrick; James P. Collins; Matthew C. Fisher; Winifred F. Frick; Hamish McCallum; Craig K. R. Willis; David S. Blehert; Kris A. Murray; Robert Puschendorf; Erica Bree Rosenblum; Benjamin M. Bolker; Tina L. Cheng; Kate E. Langwig; Daniel L. Lindner; Mary Toothman; Mark Q. Wilber; Cheryl J. Briggs

2015-01-01

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are on the rise due to multiple factors, including human facilitated movement of pathogens, broad-scale landscape changes, and perturbations to ecological systems (Jones et al. 2008; Fisher et al. 2012). Epidemics in wildlife are problematic because they can lead to pathogen spillover to new host organisms, erode biodiversity and...

KSC-2011-2020

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an emergency exit, or Mode II/IV, exercise is under way. Seen here are M-113 armored personnel carriers near the slidewire basked landing site. The exercise involves NASA fire rescue personnel, volunteers portraying astronauts with simulated injuries, helicopters and personnel from the Air Force’s 920th Rescue Wing, and medical trauma teams at three Central Florida hospitals. The drill allows teams to practice an emergency response at the launch pad, including helicopter evacuation to local hospitals. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

STS-62 crew prepare for emergency egress training

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-11-05

S93-48458 (5 Nov. 1993) --- In the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Shuttle mockup and integration laboratory, the five crew members training for NASA's next mission are assisted in donning their partial pressure launch and entry suits. From left to right are astronaut John H. Casper, Andrew M. Allen, Pierre J. Thuot, Charles D. (Sam) Gemar and Marsha S. Ivins. Minutes later the crew was in the crew compartment trainer (CCT) rehearsing their scheduled March 1994 mission aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. Launch, landing and emergency egress procedures were covered in the training session.

Advances in diagnostics of downy mildews: Lessons learned from other oomycetes and future challenges

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Early detection of downy mildews in the environment is critical to establish pathogen presence and identity, determine fungicide resistance, and understand how pathogen populations disperse. Knowing when and where pathogens emerge is also important for identifying critical control points to restrict...

The slippery difficulty of ever containing drug resistance with current practices.

PubMed

Fullybright, R

2017-04-01

It has previously been shown that the rate of drug resistance emergence in medicine is exponential, while we have been producing drugs at a much lower rate. Our ability to successfully contain resistance at any one time is function of how many drugs we have at our disposal to counter new resistances from pathogens. Here, we assess our level of preparedness through a mathematical comparison of the drug manufacture rate by the pharmaceutical industry with the resistance emergence rate in pathogens. To that effect, changes in the rates of growth of the drugs production and resistance emergence processes are computed over multiple time segments and compared. It is found that new resistance emergence rate in infectious diseases medicine remains mathematically and permanently ahead of the drugs production rate by the pharmaceutical industry. Consequently, we are not in a position to ever contain current or future strengths of resistance from pathogens. A review of current practices is called for.

Novel Reassortant H5N6 Influenza A Virus from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Is Highly Pathogenic in Chickens

PubMed Central

Layton, Daniel S.; Phommachanh, Phouvong; Harper, Jennifer; Payne, Jean; Evans, Ryan M.; Valdeter, Stacey; Walker, Som; Harvey, Gemma; Shan, Songhua; Bruce, Matthew P.; Rootes, Christina L.; Gough, Tamara J.; Rohringer, Andreas; Peck, Grantley R.; Fardy, Sarah J.; Karpala, Adam J.; Johnson, Dayna; Wang, Jianning; Douangngeun, Bounlom; Morrissy, Christopher; Wong, Frank Y. K.; Bean, Andrew G. D.; Bingham, John; Williams, David T.

2016-01-01

Avian influenza viruses of H5 subtype can cause highly pathogenic disease in poultry. In March 2014, a new reassortant H5N6 subtype highly pathogenic avian influenza virus emerged in Lao People’s Democratic Republic. We have assessed the pathogenicity, pathobiology and immunological responses associated with this virus in chickens. Infection caused moderate to advanced disease in 6 of 6 chickens within 48 h of mucosal inoculation. High virus titers were observed in blood and tissues (kidney, spleen, liver, duodenum, heart, brain and lung) taken at euthanasia. Viral antigen was detected in endothelium, neurons, myocardium, lymphoid tissues and other cell types. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were elevated compared to non-infected birds. Our study confirmed that this new H5N6 reassortant is highly pathogenic, causing disease in chickens similar to that of Asian H5N1 viruses, and demonstrated the ability of such clade 2.3.4-origin H5 viruses to reassort with non-N1 subtype viruses while maintaining a fit and infectious phenotype. Recent detection of influenza H5N6 poultry infections in Lao PDR, China and Viet Nam, as well as six fatal human infections in China, demonstrate that these emergent highly pathogenic H5N6 viruses may be widely established in several countries and represent an emerging threat to poultry and human populations. PMID:27631618

Novel Reassortant H5N6 Influenza A Virus from the Lao People's Democratic Republic Is Highly Pathogenic in Chickens.

PubMed

Butler, Jeffrey; Stewart, Cameron R; Layton, Daniel S; Phommachanh, Phouvong; Harper, Jennifer; Payne, Jean; Evans, Ryan M; Valdeter, Stacey; Walker, Som; Harvey, Gemma; Shan, Songhua; Bruce, Matthew P; Rootes, Christina L; Gough, Tamara J; Rohringer, Andreas; Peck, Grantley R; Fardy, Sarah J; Karpala, Adam J; Johnson, Dayna; Wang, Jianning; Douangngeun, Bounlom; Morrissy, Christopher; Wong, Frank Y K; Bean, Andrew G D; Bingham, John; Williams, David T

2016-01-01

Avian influenza viruses of H5 subtype can cause highly pathogenic disease in poultry. In March 2014, a new reassortant H5N6 subtype highly pathogenic avian influenza virus emerged in Lao People's Democratic Republic. We have assessed the pathogenicity, pathobiology and immunological responses associated with this virus in chickens. Infection caused moderate to advanced disease in 6 of 6 chickens within 48 h of mucosal inoculation. High virus titers were observed in blood and tissues (kidney, spleen, liver, duodenum, heart, brain and lung) taken at euthanasia. Viral antigen was detected in endothelium, neurons, myocardium, lymphoid tissues and other cell types. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were elevated compared to non-infected birds. Our study confirmed that this new H5N6 reassortant is highly pathogenic, causing disease in chickens similar to that of Asian H5N1 viruses, and demonstrated the ability of such clade 2.3.4-origin H5 viruses to reassort with non-N1 subtype viruses while maintaining a fit and infectious phenotype. Recent detection of influenza H5N6 poultry infections in Lao PDR, China and Viet Nam, as well as six fatal human infections in China, demonstrate that these emergent highly pathogenic H5N6 viruses may be widely established in several countries and represent an emerging threat to poultry and human populations.

Evolution of pathogen virulence across space during an epidemic

USGS Publications Warehouse

Osnas, Erik; Hurtado, Paul J.; Dobson, Andrew P.

2015-01-01

We explore pathogen virulence evolution during the spatial expansion of an infectious disease epidemic in the presence of a novel host movement trade-off, using a simple, spatially explicit mathematical model. This work is motivated by empirical observations of the Mycoplasma gallisepticum invasion into North American house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) populations; however, our results likely have important applications to other emerging infectious diseases in mobile hosts. We assume that infection reduces host movement and survival and that across pathogen strains the severity of these reductions increases with pathogen infectiousness. Assuming these trade-offs between pathogen virulence (host mortality), pathogen transmission, and host movement, we find that pathogen virulence levels near the epidemic front (that maximize wave speed) are lower than those that have a short-term growth rate advantage or that ultimately prevail (i.e., are evolutionarily stable) near the epicenter and where infection becomes endemic (i.e., that maximize the pathogen basic reproductive ratio). We predict that, under these trade-offs, less virulent pathogen strains will dominate the periphery of an epidemic and that more virulent strains will increase in frequency after invasion where disease is endemic. These results have important implications for observing and interpreting spatiotemporal epidemic data and may help explain transient virulence dynamics of emerging infectious diseases.

STS-35 Commander Brand is suspended over JSC WETF pool during egress exercise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

STS-35 Commander Vance D. Brand is suspended via his parachute harness above the pool in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29 during launch emergency egress exercises. Divers in the pool hold Brand's feet to steady him. In the background and on the poolside is Pilot Guy S. Gardner. Both Brand and Gardner are wearing launch and entry suits (LESs) and launch and entry helmets (LEHs).

KSC-2009-4472

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-128 Mission Specialist Christer Fuglesang takes his turn driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. Fuglesang represents the European Space Agency. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency exit training and equipment familiarization, as well as a simulated launch countdown. Launch of Discovery is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-4473

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-128 Mission Specialist Christer Fuglesang has completed his turn driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. Fuglesang represents the European Space Agency. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency exit training and equipment familiarization, as well as a simulated launch countdown. Launch of Discovery is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd3351

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-11-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-122 crew poses for a group portrait near Launch Pad 39B following a training session on the operation of the M-113 armored personnel carrier. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of an emergency on the pad before their launch. From left are Mission Specialists Rex Walheim and Stanley Love; Commander Steve Frick; Pilot Alan Poindexter; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Leopold Eyharts and Hans Schlegel. Eyharts and Schlegel are with the European Space Agency. Eyharts will remain on the International Space Station as a flight engineer for Expedition 16 following the STS-122 mission. The crew is participating in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, a standard part of launch preparations. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with equipment familiarization, emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. On mission STS-122, Atlantis will deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus module to the International Space Station. Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony, and will expand the research facilities aboard the station. Launch is targeted for Dec. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Effect of Intermediate Hosts on Emerging Zoonoses.

PubMed

Cui, Jing-An; Chen, Fangyuan; Fan, Shengjie

2017-08-01

Most emerging zoonotic pathogens originate from animals. They can directly infect humans through natural reservoirs or indirectly through intermediate hosts. As a bridge, an intermediate host plays different roles in the transmission of zoonotic pathogens. In this study, we present three types of pathogen transmission to evaluate the effect of intermediate hosts on emerging zoonotic diseases in human epidemics. These types are identified as follows: TYPE 1, pathogen transmission without an intermediate host for comparison; TYPE 2, pathogen transmission with an intermediate host as an amplifier; and TYPE 3, pathogen transmission with an intermediate host as a vessel for genetic variation. In addition, we established three mathematical models to elucidate the mechanisms underlying zoonotic disease transmission according to these three types. Stability analysis indicated that the existence of intermediate hosts increased the difficulty of controlling zoonotic diseases because of more difficult conditions to satisfy for the disease to die out. The human epidemic would die out under the following conditions: TYPE 1: [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]; TYPE 2: [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]; and TYPE 3: [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] Simulation with similar parameters demonstrated that intermediate hosts could change the peak time and number of infected humans during a human epidemic; intermediate hosts also exerted different effects on controlling the prevalence of a human epidemic with natural reservoirs in different periods, which is important in addressing problems in public health. Monitoring and controlling the number of natural reservoirs and intermediate hosts at the right time would successfully manage and prevent the prevalence of emerging zoonoses in humans.

Multiplex and label-free screening of foodborne pathogens using surface plasmon resonance imaging

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In order to protect outbreaks caused by foodborne pathogens, more rapid and efficient methods are needed for pathogen screening from food samples. Surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) is an emerging optical technique, which allows for label-free screening of multiple targets simultaneously with ...

Forest species diversity reduces disease risk in a generalist plant pathogen invasion

Treesearch

Sarah E. Haas; Mevin B. Hooten; David M. Rizzo; Ross K. Meentemeyer

2011-01-01

Empirical evidence suggests that biodiversity loss can increase disease transmission, yet our understanding of the diversity-disease hypothesis for generalist pathogens in natural ecosystems is limited. We used a landscape epidemiological approach to examine two scenarios regarding diversity effects on the emerging plant pathogen Phytophthora ramorum...

Pathology of the emerging Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex pathogen, M. mungi in the banded mongoose (Mungos mungo)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wild banded mongooses (Mungos mungo) in northeastern Botswana and Northwest Zimbabwe are infected with a novel Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex pathogen (MTC), M. mungi. This pathogen is transmitted environmentally between mongoose hosts through exposure to infected scent marks used in olfactory c...

Differential host susceptibility to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, an emerging amphibian pathogen

Treesearch

C.L. Searle; S.S. Gervasi; J. Hua; J.I. Hammond; R.A. Relyea; D.H. Olson; A.R. Blaustein

2011-01-01

The amphibian fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has received considerable attention due to its role in amphibian population declines worldwide. Although many amphibian species appear to be affected by Bd, there is little information on species-specific differences in susceptibility to this pathogen. We used a comparative...

Extreme sensitivity to ultraviolet light in the fungal pathogen causing white-nose syndrome of bats

Treesearch

Jonathan M. Palmer; Kevin P. Drees; Jeffrey T. Foster; Daniel L. Lindner

2018-01-01

Bat white-nose syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has decimated North American hibernating bats since its emergence in 2006. Here, we utilize comparative genomics to examine the evolutionary history of this pathogen in comparison to six closely related nonpathogenic species....

Cold plasma inactivation of human pathogens on foods and regulatory status update

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Contamination of foods with human pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, norovirus, and other pathogens is an ongoing challenge for growers and processors. In recent years, cold plasma has emerged as a promising antimicrobial treatment for fresh and fresh-cut...

Novel vaccine strategies against emerging viruses

PubMed Central

García-Sastre, Adolfo; Mena, Ignacio

2013-01-01

One of the main public health concerns of emerging viruses is their potential introduction into and sustained circulation among populations of immunologically naïve, susceptible hosts. The induction of protective immunity through vaccination can be a powerful tool to prevent this concern by conferring protection to the population at risk. Conventional approaches to develop vaccines against emerging pathogens have significant limitations: lack of experimental tools for several emerging viruses of concern, poor immunogenicity, safety issues, or lack of cross-protection against antigenic variants. The unpredictability of the emergence of future virus threats demands the capability to rapidly develop safe, effective vaccines. We describe some recent advances in new vaccine strategies that are being explored as alternatives to classical attenuated and inactivated vaccines, and provide examples of potential novel vaccines for emerging viruses. These approaches might be applied to the control of many other emerging pathogens. PMID:23477832

Evidence for the Convergence Model: The Emergence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) in Viet Nam

PubMed Central

Saksena, Sumeet; Fox, Jefferson; Epprecht, Michael; Tran, Chinh C.; Nong, Duong H.; Spencer, James H.; Nguyen, Lam; Finucane, Melissa L.; Tran, Vien D.; Wilcox, Bruce A.

2015-01-01

Building on a series of ground breaking reviews that first defined and drew attention to emerging infectious diseases (EID), the ‘convergence model’ was proposed to explain the multifactorial causality of disease emergence. The model broadly hypothesizes disease emergence is driven by the co-incidence of genetic, physical environmental, ecological, and social factors. We developed and tested a model of the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 based on suspected convergence factors that are mainly associated with land-use change. Building on previous geospatial statistical studies that identified natural and human risk factors associated with urbanization, we added new factors to test whether causal mechanisms and pathogenic landscapes could be more specifically identified. Our findings suggest that urbanization spatially combines risk factors to produce particular types of peri-urban landscapes with significantly higher HPAI H5N1 emergence risk. The work highlights that peri-urban areas of Viet Nam have higher levels of chicken densities, duck and geese flock size diversities, and fraction of land under rice or aquaculture than rural and urban areas. We also found that land-use diversity, a surrogate measure for potential mixing of host populations and other factors that likely influence viral transmission, significantly improves the model’s predictability. Similarly, landscapes where intensive and extensive forms of poultry production overlap were found at greater risk. These results support the convergence hypothesis in general and demonstrate the potential to improve EID prevention and control by combing geospatial monitoring of these factors along with pathogen surveillance programs. PMID:26398118

Insights From Genomics Into Spatial and Temporal Variation in Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.

PubMed

Byrne, A Q; Voyles, J; Rios-Sotelo, G; Rosenblum, E B

2016-01-01

Advances in genetics and genomics have provided new tools for the study of emerging infectious diseases. Researchers can now move quickly from simple hypotheses to complex explanations for pathogen origin, spread, and mechanisms of virulence. Here we focus on the application of genomics to understanding the biology of the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a novel and deadly pathogen of amphibians. We provide a brief history of the system, then focus on key insights into Bd variation garnered from genomics approaches, and finally, highlight new frontiers for future discoveries. Genomic tools have revealed unexpected complexity and variation in the Bd system suggesting that the history and biology of emerging pathogens may not be as simple as they initially seem. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Naval Health Research Center Respiratory Disease Laboratory.

PubMed

Ryan, M; Gray, G; Hawksworth, A; Malasig, M; Hudspeth, M; Poddar, S

2000-07-01

Concern about emerging and reemerging respiratory pathogens prompted the development of a respiratory disease reference laboratory at the Naval Health Research Center. Professionals working in this laboratory have instituted population-based surveillance for pathogens that affect military trainees and responded to threats of increased respiratory disease among high-risk military groups. Capabilities of this laboratory that are unique within the Department of Defense include adenovirus testing by viral shell culture and microneutralization serotyping, influenza culture and hemagglutination inhibition serotyping, and other special testing for Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Mycoplasma pneumonia, and Chlamydia pneumoniae. Projected capabilities of this laboratory include more advanced testing for these pathogens and testing for other emerging pathogens, including Bordetella pertussis, Legionella pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae type B. Such capabilities make the laboratory a valuable resource for military public health.

Biosurveillance enterprise for operational awareness, a genomic-based approach for tracking pathogen virulence

PubMed Central

Valdivia-Granda, Willy A

2013-01-01

To protect our civilians and warfighters against both known and unknown pathogens, biodefense stakeholders must be able to foresee possible technological trends that could affect their threat risk assessment. However, significant flaws in how we prioritize our countermeasure-needs continue to limit their development. As recombinant biotechnology becomes increasingly simplified and inexpensive, small groups, and even individuals, can now achieve the design, synthesis, and production of pathogenic organisms for offensive purposes. Under these daunting circumstances, a reliable biosurveillance approach that supports a diversity of users could better provide early warnings about the emergence of new pathogens (both natural and manmade), reverse engineer pathogens carrying traits to avoid available countermeasures, and suggest the most appropriate detection, prophylactic, and therapeutic solutions. While impressive in data mining capabilities, real-time content analysis of social media data misses much of the complexity in the factual reality. Quality issues within freeform user-provided hashtags and biased referencing can significantly undermine our confidence in the information obtained to make critical decisions about the natural vs. intentional emergence of a pathogen. At the same time, errors in pathogen genomic records, the narrow scope of most databases, and the lack of standards and interoperability across different detection and diagnostic devices, continue to restrict the multidimensional biothreat assessment. The fragmentation of our biosurveillance efforts into different approaches has stultified attempts to implement any new foundational enterprise that is more reliable, more realistic and that avoids the scenario of the warning that comes too late. This discussion focus on the development of genomic-based decentralized medical intelligence and laboratory system to track emerging and novel microbial health threats in both military and civilian settings and the use of virulence factors for risk assessment. Examples of the use of motif fingerprints for pathogen discrimination are provided. PMID:24152965

Evaluation of the Emergency Response Dose Assessment System(ERDAS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Randolph J.; Lambert, Winifred C.; Manobianco, John T.; Taylor, Gregory E.; Wheeler, Mark M.; Yersavich, Ann M.

1996-01-01

The emergency response dose assessment system (ERDAS) is a protype software and hardware system configured to produce routine mesoscale meteorological forecasts and enhanced dispersion estimates on an operational basis for the Kennedy Space Center (KSC)/Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) region. ERDAS provides emergency response guidance to operations at KSC/CCAS in the case of an accidental hazardous material release or an aborted vehicle launch. This report describes the evaluation of ERDAS including: evaluation of sea breeze predictions, comparison of launch plume location and concentration predictions, case study of a toxic release, evaluation of model sensitivity to varying input parameters, evaluation of the user interface, assessment of ERDA's operational capabilities, and a comparison of ERDAS models to the ocean breeze dry gultch diffusion model.

Emergence of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia nosocomial isolates in a Saudi children's hospital. Risk factors and clinical characteristics.

PubMed

Alqahtani, Jobran M

2017-05-01

  To describe the clinical characteristics of pediatric patients colonized or infected by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (S. maltophilia) at a Saudi children's hospital, to identify risk factors associated with infection, and to investigate the antimicrobial resistance patterns of this emerging pathogen.  Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, 64 non-duplicating S. maltophilia strains were isolated  in Najran Maternity and Children's Hospital, Najran,  Saudi Arabia between January 2015 to February 2016. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the reference broth microdilution method.  Results: In this study, 48 (75%) isolates were identified in true infections and 16 (25%) isolates were considered colonization. The main types of S. maltophilia infection were pneumonia in 22 (45.8%) patients and bloodstream infection in 14 (29.2%) patients. The significant risk factors included exposure to invasive procedure (p=0.02), and presence of acute leukemia as an underlying disease (p=0.02). The most active antimicrobials were trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (100% sensitivity) and tigecycline (93.7% sensitivity). Conclusions: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an emerging nosocomial pathogen among pediatric patients. Accurate identification and susceptibility testing of this emerging pathogen are crucial for the management of infected patients and prevention of spread of this nosocomial pathogen.

Searching for animal models and potential target species for emerging pathogens: Experience gained from Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus.

PubMed

Vergara-Alert, Júlia; Vidal, Enric; Bensaid, Albert; Segalés, Joaquim

2017-06-01

Emerging and re-emerging pathogens represent a substantial threat to public health, as demonstrated with numerous outbreaks over the past years, including the 2013-2016 outbreak of Ebola virus in western Africa. Coronaviruses are also a threat for humans, as evidenced in 2002/2003 with infection by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), which caused more than 8000 human infections with 10% fatality rate in 37 countries. Ten years later, a novel human coronavirus (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, MERS-CoV), associated with severe pneumonia, arose in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Until December 2016, MERS has accounted for more than 1800 cases and 35% fatality rate. Finding an animal model of disease is key to develop vaccines or antivirals against such emerging pathogens and to understand its pathogenesis. Knowledge of the potential role of domestic livestock and other animal species in the transmission of pathogens is of importance to understand the epidemiology of the disease. Little is known about MERS-CoV animal host range. In this paper, experimental data on potential hosts for MERS-CoV is reviewed. Advantages and limitations of different animal models are evaluated in relation to viral pathogenesis and transmission studies. Finally, the relevance of potential new target species is discussed.

The Wallops Flight Facility Model for an Integrated Federal/Commercial Launch Range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Underwood, Bruce E.

1999-01-01

Historically, the federal government has been the predominant purchaser of space launches in the United States. The government met its needs through purchase of hardware and services. It also provided the infrastructure necessary to conduct launch operations through federal launch ranges, both military and NASA. Under this model, the government had the complete ownership, responsibility, liability, and expense for launch activities. As the commercial space sector grew, there emerged a corresponding growth in demand for launch range services. However, the expense and complexity of activities has thus far deterred a rapid rise in the establishment of purely commercial launch sites. In this context, purely commercial is defined as "without benefit of capabilities provided by the federal government." Consistent with the Commercial Space Launch Act, in recent years NASA and the Air Force have supported commercial launches from government launch ranges on a cost-reimbursable, non-interference basis. In this mode the commercial launch service providers contract with the government to provide services including use of facilities, tracking and data services, and range safety. As the commercial market projections began to show significant opportunities for economic development, several states established spaceports to provide the services necessary to meet these projected commercial needs. In 1997, NASA agreed to the establishment of the Virginia Space Flight Center (VSFC) at the Wallops Flight Facility. Under this arrangement, NASA agreed to allow Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (VCSFA) to construct facilities on NASA property and agreed to provide services in accordance with the Space Act of 1958 and the Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984 (as amended) to support VSFC launch customers. The relationship between NASA and VCSFA, however, has evolved beyond a customer supplier relationship. A partnership relationship has emerged which pairs the strengths of the established NASA test range and the state-sponsored, commercial launch facility provider, in an attempt to satisfy the needs for flexible, low-cost access to space. Furthermore, the future of the NASA/Wallops Test Range is closely linked with the success of VCSFA in promoting commercial launches from Wallops. This paper will describe the changing paradigm of the federal launch range and the unique aspects of the NASA/Wallops Facility relationship with VCSFA. Discussion will include institutional cost-sharing, business development and marketing, joint educational programs, and strategic planning.

STS-35 MS Hoffman watches water egress exercises at JSC's WETF Bldg 29 pool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

STS-35 Mission Specialist (MS) Jeffrey A. Hoffman, wearing launch and entry suit (LES), comments on launch emergency egress procedures from the poolside of JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29. Hoffman awaits his turn to participate in the training activities.

34. VIEW OF THREE MONITORS LOCATED IMMEDIATELY WEST OF THOSE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

34. VIEW OF THREE MONITORS LOCATED IMMEDIATELY WEST OF THOSE IN PHOTO A-33. TELEPHONE BELOW THE CENTER MONITOR IS LABLED 'ACCIDENT REPORTING EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM ONLY.' - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Operations Building, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

Surveillance programs for detection and characterization of emergent pathogens and antimicrobial resistance: results from the Division of Infectious Diseases, UNIFESP.

PubMed

Colombo, Arnaldo L; Janini, Mario; Salomão, Reinaldo; Medeiros, Eduardo A S; Wey, Sergio B; Pignatari, Antonio C C

2009-09-01

Several epidemiological changes have occurred in the pattern of nosocomial and community acquired infectious diseases during the past 25 years. Social and demographic changes possibly related to this phenomenon include a rapid population growth, the increase in urban migration and movement across international borders by tourists and immigrants, alterations in the habitats of animals and arthropods that transmit disease, as well as the raise of patients with impaired host defense abilities. Continuous surveillance programs of emergent pathogens and antimicrobial resistance are warranted for detecting in real time new pathogens, as well as to characterize molecular mechanisms of resistance. In order to become more effective, surveillance programs of emergent pathogens should be organized as a multicenter laboratory network connected to the main public and private infection control centers. Microbiological data should be integrated to guide therapy, adapting therapy to local ecology and resistance patterns. This paper presents an overview of data generated by the Division of Infectious Diseases, Federal University of São Paulo, along with its participation in different surveillance programs of nosocomial and community acquired infectious diseases.

KSC-04PD-2451

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During a simulated launch countdown/emergency simulation on Launch Pad 39A, the rescue team moves injured astronaut-suited workers out of the M-113 armored personnel carriers that transported them away from the pad (seen in the distance). Pad team members participated in the four-hour exercise simulating normal launch countdown operations, with the added challenge of a fictitious event causing an evacuation of the vehicle and launch pad. The simulation tested the teams rescue approaches on the Fixed Service Structure, slidewire basket evacuation, triage care and transportation of injured personnel to hospitals, as well as communications and coordination.

KSC-04PD-2450

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During a simulated launch countdown/emergency simulation on Launch Pad 39A, the rescue team moves injured astronaut-suited workers out of the M-113 armored personnel carriers that transported them away from the pad (seen in the distance). Pad team members participated in the four-hour exercise simulating normal launch countdown operations, with the added challenge of a fictitious event causing an evacuation of the vehicle and launch pad. The simulation tested the teams rescue approaches on the Fixed Service Structure, slidewire basket evacuation, triage care and transportation of injured personnel to hospitals, as well as communications and coordination.

Apollo 4 launch

NASA Image and Video Library

1967-09-11

S67-50903 (9 Nov. 1967) --- The Apollo 4 (Spacecraft 017/Saturn 501) space mission was launched from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The liftoff of the huge 363-feet tall Apollo/Saturn V space vehicle was at 7:00:01 a.m. (EST), Nov. 9, 1967. The successful objectives of the Apollo 4 Earth-orbital unmanned space mission obtained included (1) flight information on launch vehicle and spacecraft structural integrity and compatibility, flight loads, stage separation, subsystem operation, emergency detection subsystem, and (2) evaluation of the Apollo Command Module heat shield under conditions encountered on return from a moon mission.

Draft genome sequence of Enterococcus faecium strain LMG 8148.

PubMed

Michiels, Joran E; Van den Bergh, Bram; Fauvart, Maarten; Michiels, Jan

2016-01-01

Enterococcus faecium, traditionally considered a harmless gut commensal, is emerging as an important nosocomial pathogen showing increasing rates of multidrug resistance. We report the draft genome sequence of E. faecium strain LMG 8148, isolated in 1968 from a human in Gothenburg, Sweden. The draft genome has a total length of 2,697,490 bp, a GC-content of 38.3 %, and 2,402 predicted protein-coding sequences. The isolation of this strain predates the emergence of E. faecium as a nosocomial pathogen. Consequently, its genome can be useful in comparative genomic studies investigating the evolution of E. faecium as a pathogen.

Tracking the establishment of local endemic populations of an emergent enteric pathogen

PubMed Central

Holt, Kathryn E.; Thieu Nga, Tran Vu; Thanh, Duy Pham; Vinh, Ha; Kim, Dong Wook; Vu Tra, My Phan; Campbell, James I.; Hoang, Nguyen Van Minh; Vinh, Nguyen Thanh; Minh, Pham Van; Thuy, Cao Thu; Nga, Tran Thi Thu; Thompson, Corinne; Dung, Tran Thi Ngoc; Nhu, Nguyen Thi Khanh; Vinh, Phat Voong; Tuyet, Pham Thi Ngoc; Phuc, Hoang Le; Lien, Nguyen Thi Nam; Phu, Bui Duc; Ai, Nguyen Thi Thuy; Tien, Nguyen Manh; Dong, Nguyen; Parry, Christopher M.; Hien, Tran Tinh; Farrar, Jeremy J.; Parkhill, Julian; Dougan, Gordon; Thomson, Nicholas R.; Baker, Stephen

2013-01-01

Shigella sonnei is a human-adapted pathogen that is emerging globally as the dominant agent of bacterial dysentery. To investigate local establishment, we sequenced the genomes of 263 Vietnamese S. sonnei isolated over 15 y. Our data show that S. sonnei was introduced into Vietnam in the 1980s and has undergone localized clonal expansion, punctuated by genomic fixation events through periodic selective sweeps. We uncover geographical spread, spatially restricted frontier populations, and convergent evolution through local gene pool sampling. This work provides a unique, high-resolution insight into the microevolution of a pioneering human pathogen during its establishment in a new host population. PMID:24082120

Occurrence of infected amoebae in cooling towers compared with natural aquatic environments: implications for emerging pathogens.

PubMed

Berk, S G; Gunderson, J H; Newsome, A L; Farone, A L; Hayes, B J; Redding, K S; Uddin, N; Williams, E L; Johnson, R A; Farsian, M; Reid, A; Skimmyhorn, J; Farone, M B

2006-12-01

Many species of bacteria pathogenic to humans, such as Legionella, are thought to have evolved in association with amoebal hosts. Several novel unculturable bacteria related to Legionella have also been found in amoebae, a few of which have been thought to be causes of nosocomial infections in humans. Because amoebae can be found in cooling towers, we wanted to know whether cooling tower environments might enhance the association between amoebae and bacterial pathogens of amoebae in order to identify potential "hot spots" for emerging human pathogens. To compare occurrence of infected amoebae in natural environments with those in cooling towers, 40 natural aquatic environments and 40 cooling tower samples were examined. Logistic regression analysis determined variables that were significant predictors of the occurrence of infected amoebae, which were found in 22 of 40 cooling tower samples but in only 3 of the 40 natural samples. An odds ratio showed that it is over 16 times more likely to encounter infected amoebae in cooling towers than in natural environments. Environmental data from cooling towers and natural habitats combined revealed dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and pH were predictors of the occurrence of the pathogens, however, when cooling tower data alone were analyzed, no variables accounted for the occurrence. Several bacteria have novel rRNA sequences, and most strains were not culturable outside of amoebae. Such pathogens of amoebae may spread to the environment via aerosols from cooling towers. Studies of emerging infectious diseases should strongly consider cooling towers as a source of amoeba-associated pathogens.

Genome-wide phylogenetic analysis of the pathogenic potential of Vibrio furnissii

PubMed Central

Lux, Thomas M.; Lee, Rob; Love, John

2014-01-01

We recently reported the genome sequence of a free-living strain of Vibrio furnissii (NCTC 11218) harvested from an estuarine environment. V. furnissii is a widespread, free-living proteobacterium and emerging pathogen that can cause acute gastroenteritis in humans and lethal zoonoses in aquatic invertebrates, including farmed crustaceans and molluscs. Here we present the analyses to assess the potential pathogenic impact of V. furnissii. We compared the complete genome of V. furnissii with 8 other emerging and pathogenic Vibrio species. We selected and analyzed more deeply 10 genomic regions based upon unique or common features, and used 3 of these regions to construct a phylogenetic tree. Thus, we positioned V. furnissii more accurately than before and revealed a closer relationship between V. furnissii and V. cholerae than previously thought. However, V. furnissii lacks several important features normally associated with virulence in the human pathogens V. cholera and V. vulnificus. A striking feature of the V. furnissii genome is the hugely increased Super Integron, compared to the other Vibrio. Analyses of predicted genomic islands resulted in the discovery of a protein sequence that is present only in Vibrio associated with diseases in aquatic animals. We also discovered evidence of high levels horizontal gene transfer in V. furnissii. V. furnissii seems therefore to have a dynamic and fluid genome that could quickly adapt to environmental perturbation or increase its pathogenicity. Taken together, these analyses confirm the potential of V. furnissii as an emerging marine and possible human pathogen, especially in the developing, tropical, coastal regions that are most at risk from climate change. PMID:25191313

Genome-wide phylogenetic analysis of the pathogenic potential of Vibrio furnissii.

PubMed

Lux, Thomas M; Lee, Rob; Love, John

2014-01-01

We recently reported the genome sequence of a free-living strain of Vibrio furnissii (NCTC 11218) harvested from an estuarine environment. V. furnissii is a widespread, free-living proteobacterium and emerging pathogen that can cause acute gastroenteritis in humans and lethal zoonoses in aquatic invertebrates, including farmed crustaceans and molluscs. Here we present the analyses to assess the potential pathogenic impact of V. furnissii. We compared the complete genome of V. furnissii with 8 other emerging and pathogenic Vibrio species. We selected and analyzed more deeply 10 genomic regions based upon unique or common features, and used 3 of these regions to construct a phylogenetic tree. Thus, we positioned V. furnissii more accurately than before and revealed a closer relationship between V. furnissii and V. cholerae than previously thought. However, V. furnissii lacks several important features normally associated with virulence in the human pathogens V. cholera and V. vulnificus. A striking feature of the V. furnissii genome is the hugely increased Super Integron, compared to the other Vibrio. Analyses of predicted genomic islands resulted in the discovery of a protein sequence that is present only in Vibrio associated with diseases in aquatic animals. We also discovered evidence of high levels horizontal gene transfer in V. furnissii. V. furnissii seems therefore to have a dynamic and fluid genome that could quickly adapt to environmental perturbation or increase its pathogenicity. Taken together, these analyses confirm the potential of V. furnissii as an emerging marine and possible human pathogen, especially in the developing, tropical, coastal regions that are most at risk from climate change.

KSC-2009-3378

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Mission Specialist Julie Payette smiles after her success in driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier, which is part of the training on emergency egress procedures. Payette represents the Canadian Space Agency. The crew members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission are taking turns driving the M-113. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes the emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-3376

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Mission Specialist Christopher Cassidy practices driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier, which is part of the training on emergency egress procedures. Other crew members seated behind him are Mission Specialist Julie Payette, Dave Wolf, Tom Marshburn and Pilot Doug Hurley, who will take their turns at driving the M-113. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes the emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-3377

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Mission Specialist Julie Payette takes her turn practice driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier, which is part of the training on emergency egress procedures. Payette represents the Canadian Space Agency. Behind her is Pilot Doug Hurley. The crew members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission are taking turns driving the M-113. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes the emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd0508

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-24

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, STS-123 Mission Specialist Takao Doi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency receives instruction on the operation of a slidewire basket during emergency egress training. The crew is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test or TCDT. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Endeavour is targeted to launch March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-4467

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-128 Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester takes his turn driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. At left is Mission Specialist John "Danny" Olivas. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency exit training and equipment familiarization, as well as a simulated launch countdown. Launch of Discovery is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC01pp0308

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-02-13

STS-102 Commander James Wetherbee drives the M-113 armored carrier that the crew could use to exit the pad if an emergency ever occurred prior to launch. The STS-102 crew is at KSC to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which also include a simulated launch countdown. STS-102 is the eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, carrying as payload the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. Launch on mission STS-102 is scheduled for March 8

STS-42 Commander Grabe in single person life raft during JSC egress exercises

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

STS-42 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, Commander Ronald J. Grabe, wearing launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), floats in single person life raft during launch emergency egress (bailout) exercises conducted in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29 pool. The Space Shuttle Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) portable locating beacon (PLB) antenna is extended through the life raft cover. SCUBA-equipped divers monitor egress exercises.

KSC-06pd1744

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-08-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-115 Mission Specialist arrives at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility aboard a T-38 jet aircraft. The STS-115 crew has flown to NASA's Kennedy Space Center to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. The TCDT is a pre-launch preparation that includes practicing emergency egress from the pad, driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier, and simulating the launch countdown. Launch of STS-115 is currently scheduled for Aug. 27. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

CCP Boeing/ULA Crew Access Arm Emergency Evacuation Water Test

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-23

Water sprays on the Crew Access Arm during a deluge systems test March 23 at a construction yard near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The arm is being tested before being installed on Space Launch Complex 41 Crew Access Tower later this year. It will be used as a bridge by astronauts to board Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft as it stands on the launch pad atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

STS-47 Commander Gibson and MS Apt in JSC WETF for bailout exercises

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-47 Endeavour, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 105, Commander Robert L. Gibson, wearing launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), listens to instructions before participating in launch emergency egress (bailout) exercises in JSC's Weightless Environment Trainining Facility (WETF) Bldg 29. Mission Specialist (MS) Jerome Apt, wearing LES and LES parachute, is seen in the background. This exercise is conducted in the WETF pool to simulate a water landing.

STS-55 MS3 Harris listens to technician during JSC WETF egress exercises

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-55 Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, Mission Specialist 3 (MS3) Bernard A. Harris, Jr, wearing launch and entry suit (LES), launch and entry helmet (LEH), and parachute, listens to technician Karen Porter's instructions prior to launch emergency egress (bailout) exercises. The session, held in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29, used the facility's 25-foot deep pool to simulate the ocean as Harris and other crewmembers practiced water bailout procedures.

KSC-04PD-2441

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. On Launch Pad 39A, a rescue force climbs into slidewire baskets on the Fixed Service Structure during an emergency egress scenario. The four-hour exercise simulated normal launch countdown operations, with the added challenge of a fictitious event causing an evacuation of the vehicle and launch pad. It tested the teams rescue approaches on the Fixed Service Structure, slidewire basket evacuation, triage care and transportation of injured personnel to hospitals, as well as communications and coordination.

Orion Leaves from the VAB

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-11

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency's Orion spacecraft passes the spaceport's iconic Vehicle Assembly Building as it is transported to Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. After arrival at the launch pad, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians will lift Orion and mount it atop its Delta IV Heavy rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.

LAMP detection assays for boxwood blight pathogens: A comparative genomics approach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Malapi-Wight, Martha; Demers, Jill E.; Veltri, Daniel

Rapid and accurate molecular diagnostic tools are critical to efforts to minimize the impact and spread of emergent pathogens. The identification of diagnostic markers for novel pathogens presents several challenges, especially in the absence of information about population diversity and where genetic resources are limited. The objective of this study was to use comparative genomics datasets to find unique target regions suitable for the diagnosis of two fungal species causing a newly emergent blight disease of boxwood. Candidate marker regions for loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays were identified from draft genomes of Calonectria henricotiae and C. pseudonaviculata, as well asmore » three related species not associated with this disease. To increase the probability of identifying unique targets, we used three approaches to mine genome datasets, based on (i) unique regions, (ii) polymorphisms, and (iii) presence/absence of regions across datasets. From a pool of candidate markers, we demonstrate LAMP assay specificity by testing related fungal species, common boxwood pathogens, and environmental samples containing 445 diverse fungal taxa. In conclusion, this comparative-genomics-based approach to the development of LAMP diagnostic assays is the first of its kind for fungi and could be easily applied to diagnostic marker development for other newly emergent plant pathogens.« less

LAMP detection assays for boxwood blight pathogens: A comparative genomics approach

DOE PAGES

Malapi-Wight, Martha; Demers, Jill E.; Veltri, Daniel; ...

2016-05-20

Rapid and accurate molecular diagnostic tools are critical to efforts to minimize the impact and spread of emergent pathogens. The identification of diagnostic markers for novel pathogens presents several challenges, especially in the absence of information about population diversity and where genetic resources are limited. The objective of this study was to use comparative genomics datasets to find unique target regions suitable for the diagnosis of two fungal species causing a newly emergent blight disease of boxwood. Candidate marker regions for loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays were identified from draft genomes of Calonectria henricotiae and C. pseudonaviculata, as well asmore » three related species not associated with this disease. To increase the probability of identifying unique targets, we used three approaches to mine genome datasets, based on (i) unique regions, (ii) polymorphisms, and (iii) presence/absence of regions across datasets. From a pool of candidate markers, we demonstrate LAMP assay specificity by testing related fungal species, common boxwood pathogens, and environmental samples containing 445 diverse fungal taxa. In conclusion, this comparative-genomics-based approach to the development of LAMP diagnostic assays is the first of its kind for fungi and could be easily applied to diagnostic marker development for other newly emergent plant pathogens.« less

The World Health Organization Global Health Emergency Workforce: What Role Will the United States Play?

PubMed

Burkle, Frederick M

2016-08-01

During the May 2016 World Health Assembly of 194 member states, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the process of developing and launching emergency medical teams as a critical component of the global health workforce concept. Over 64 countries have either launched or are in the development stages of vetting accredited teams, both international and national, to provide surge support to national health systems through WHO Regional Organizations and the delivery of emergency clinical care to sudden-onset disasters and outbreak-affected populations. To date, the United States has not yet committed to adopting the emergency medical team concept in funding and registering an international field hospital level team. This article discusses future options available for health-related nongovernmental organizations and the required educational and training requirements for health care provider accreditation. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:531-535).

Emerging Viral Infections in Pakistan: Issues, Concerns, and Future Prospects.

PubMed

Khalil, Ali Talha; Ali, Muhammad; Tanveer, Faouzia; Ovais, Muhammad; Idrees, Muhammad; Shinwari, Zabta Khan; Hollenbeck, James E

Emerging infectious diseases pose a serious threat to public health security; this is especially true in the underdeveloped world because of limited resources to combat them. These emerging pathogens are characterized by a novel mode of pathogenesis and, in some cases, a broad host range. Over the past few decades, Pakistan has suffered a great deal from infectious diseases such as dengue, Crimean-Congo fever, hepatitis, measles, and polio. Changing climate conditions, environmental degradation, global warming, loss of biodiversity, and other ecological determinants have a direct effect on these diseases and result in the emergence and reemergence of infectious entities. The causes of such disease outbreaks are complex and often not well understood. Dealing with an outbreak requires an integrated and coordinated approach, with decision making by various state departments. Stringent biosecurity and biosafety protocols can help to reduce the chances of infection dissemination. In order to mitigate the risks associated with emerging pathogens, there is a greater need to understand the interactions of pathogen-host-environment, to monitor molecular evolution and genomic surveillance, and to facilitate the gearing up of scientists across the globe to control these emerging diseases. This article reviews recent outbreaks in Pakistan and challenges for the development of an agile healthcare setup in the country.

Purified coronavirus Spike protein nanoparticles induce coronavirus neutralizing antibodies in mice

PubMed Central

Mu, Haiyan; Taylor, Justin K; Massare, Michael; Flyer, David C

2014-01-01

Development of vaccination strategies for emerging pathogens are particularly challenging because of the sudden nature of the emergence of these viruses and the long process needed for traditional vaccine development. Therefore, there is a need for development of a rapid method of vaccine development that can respond to emerging pathogens in a short time frame. The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in 2003 and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) in late 2012 demonstrate the importance of coronaviruses as emerging pathogens. The spike glycoproteins of coronaviruses reside on the surface of the virion and are responsible for virus entry. The spike glycoprotein is the major immunodominant antigen of coronaviruses and has proven to be an excellent target for vaccine designs that seek to block coronavirus entry and promote antibody targeting of infected cells. Vaccination strategies for coronaviruses have involved live attenuated virus, recombinant viruses, non-replicative virus-like particles expressing coronavirus proteins or DNA plasmids expressing coronavirus genes. None of these strategies has progressed to an approved human coronavirus vaccine in the ten years since SARS-CoV emerged. Here we describe a novel method for generating MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV full-length spike nanoparticles, which in combination with adjuvants are able to produce high titer antibodies in mice. PMID:24736006

The Food Production Environment and the Development of Antimicrobial Resistance in Human Pathogens of Animal Origin.

PubMed

Lekshmi, Manjusha; Ammini, Parvathi; Kumar, Sanath; Varela, Manuel F

2017-03-14

Food-borne pathogens are a serious human health concern worldwide, and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant food pathogens has further confounded this problem. Once-highly-efficacious antibiotics are gradually becoming ineffective against many important pathogens, resulting in severe treatment crises. Among several reasons for the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance, their overuse in animal food production systems for purposes other than treatment of infections is prominent. Many pathogens of animals are zoonotic, and therefore any development of resistance in pathogens associated with food animals can spread to humans through the food chain. Human infections by antibiotic-resistant pathogens such as Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus are increasing. Considering the human health risk due to emerging antibiotic resistance in food animal-associated bacteria, many countries have banned the use of antibiotic growth promoters and the application in animals of antibiotics critically important in human medicine. Concerted global efforts are necessary to minimize the use of antimicrobials in food animals in order to control the development of antibiotic resistance in these systems and their spread to humans via food and water.

The consequences of human actions on risks for infectious diseases: a review

PubMed Central

Lindahl, Johanna F.; Grace, Delia

2015-01-01

The human population is growing, requiring more space for food production, and needing more animals to feed it. Emerging infectious diseases are increasing, causing losses in both human and animal lives, as well as large costs to society. Many factors are contributing to disease emergence, including climate change, globalization and urbanization, and most of these factors are to some extent caused by humans. Pathogens may be more or less prone to emergence in themselves, and rapidly mutating viruses are more common among the emerging pathogens. The climate-sensitive vector-borne diseases are likely to be emerging due to climate changes and environmental changes, such as increased irrigation. This review lists the factors within pathogens that make them prone to emergence, and the modes of transmission that are affected. The anthropogenic changes contributing to disease emergence are described, as well as how they directly and indirectly cause either increased numbers of susceptible or exposed individuals, or cause increased infectivity. Many actions may have multiple direct or indirect effects, and it may be difficult to assess what the consequences may be. In addition, most anthropogenic drivers are related to desired activities, such as logging, irrigation, trade, and travelling, which the society is requiring. It is important to research more about the indirect and direct effects of the different actions to understand both the benefits and the risks. PMID:26615822

Food safety trends in the U.S. and update on pathogenic E. coli

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet): FoodNet is a main part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Emerging Pathogens Program and was established in 1995 as a population-based sentinel surveillance system to monitor changes in the incidence of nine pathogens ...

Exploitation of microbial forensics and nanotechnology for the monitoring of emerging pathogens.

PubMed

Bokhari, Habib

2018-03-07

Emerging infectious diseases remain among the leading causes of global mortality. Traditional laboratory diagnostic approaches designed to detect and track infectious disease agents provide a framework for surveillance of bio threats. However, surveillance and outbreak investigations using such time-consuming approaches for early detection of pathogens remain the major pitfall. Hence, reasonable real-time surveillance systems to anticipate threats to public health and environment are critical for identifying specific aetiologies and preventing the global spread of infectious disease. The current review discusses the growing need for monitoring and surveillance of pathogens with the same zeal and approach as adopted by microbial forensics laboratories, and further strengthening it by integrating with the innovative nanotechnology for rapid detection of microbial pathogens. Such innovative diagnostics platforms will help to track pathogens from high risk areas and environment by pre-emptive approach that will minimize damages. The various scenarios with the examples are discussed where the high risk associated human pathogens in particular were successfully detected using various nanotechnology approaches with potential future prospects in the field of microbial forensics.

Kauai Test Facility hazards assessment document

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Swihart, A

1995-05-01

The Department of Energy Order 55003A requires facility-specific hazards assessment be prepared, maintained, and used for emergency planning purposes. This hazards assessment document describes the chemical and radiological hazards associated with the Kauai Test Facility, Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii. The Kauai Test Facility`s chemical and radiological inventories were screened according to potential airborne impact to onsite and offsite individuals. The air dispersion model, ALOHA, estimated pollutant concentrations downwind from the source of a release, taking into consideration the toxicological and physical characteristics of the release site, the atmospheric conditions, and the circumstances of the release. The greatest distance to themore » Early Severe Health Effects threshold is 4.2 kilometers. The highest emergency classification is a General Emergency at the {open_quotes}Main Complex{close_quotes} and a Site Area Emergency at the Kokole Point Launch Site. The Emergency Planning Zone for the {open_quotes}Main Complex{close_quotes} is 5 kilometers. The Emergency Planning Zone for the Kokole Point Launch Site is the Pacific Missile Range Facility`s site boundary.« less

KSC-08pd1174

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-124 Mission Specialist Akihiko Hoshide takes his place in the M113 armored personnel carrier, to practice driving as part of emergency training. He and other crew members are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a dress launch rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd1171

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-124 Mission Specialist Ron Garan is pleased with his driving practice in the M113 armored personnel carrier, part of emergency training. He and other crew members are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a dress launch rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd1182

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-124 Commander Mark Kelly is ready to practice driving the M113 armored personnel carrier as part of emergency training. He and other crew members are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a dress launch rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd1180

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-124 Mission Specialist Mike Fossum stands ready to practice driving the M113 armored personnel carrier as part of emergency training. He and other crew members are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a dress launch rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd1178

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-124 Mission Specialist Greg Chamitoff stands ready to practice driving the M113 armored personnel carrier as part of emergency training. He and other crew members are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a dress launch rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-5270

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-10-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, volunteers portraying astronauts are helped with the launch-and-entry suits. The volunteers are taking part in a Mode II-IV exercise that allows teams to practice an emergency response at Launch Pad 39A, including helicopter evacuation to local hospitals. The exercise involves NASA fire rescue personnel, volunteers portraying astronauts with simulated injuries, helicopters and personnel from the Air Force’s 920th Rescue Wing and medical trauma teams at three central Florida hospitals. The Space Shuttle Program and U.S. Air Force are conducting the emergency simulation. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

Implications of climate change (global warming) for the healthcare system.

PubMed

Raffa, R B; Eltoukhy, N S; Raffa, K F

2012-10-01

Temperature-sensitive pathogenic species and their vectors and hosts are emerging in previously colder regions as a consequence of several factors, including global warming. As a result, an increasing number of people will be exposed to pathogens against which they have not previously needed defences. We illustrate this with a specific example of recent emergence of Cryptococcus gattii infections in more temperate climates. The outbreaks in more temperate climates of the highly virulent--but usually tropically restricted--C. gattii is illustrative of an anticipated growing challenge for the healthcare system. There is a need for preparedness by healthcare professionals in anticipation and for management of such outbreaks, including other infections whose recent increased prevalence in temperate climates can be at least partly associated with global warming. (Re)emergence of temperature-sensitive pathogenic species in more temperate climates will present new challenges for healthcare systems. Preparation for outbreaks should precede their occurrence. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene and emerging enteric pathogens.

PubMed

Warshauer, David; Monson, Tim; Kurzynski, Terry

2003-01-01

At the turn of the 20th century, typhoid fever was common in Wisconsin, and was a major impetus for the establishment of the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) in 1903. By the 1940s, typhoid was virtually eliminated in the United States due to public health measures such as disinfection of drinking water, sewage treatment, pasteurization, and shellfish bed sanitation. However, new food and waterborne pathogens have emerged to take the place of Salmonella Typhi. Infections with non-typhoidal Salmonella strains in the United States have increased almost 10-fold since the 1950s. In the last 20 years, the emergence of foodborne pathogens, such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Noroviruses (Norwalk-like viruses), Cryptosporidium parvum, Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia enterocolitica, and multi-drug-resistant Salmonella, has identified a need for accurate laboratory diagnosis of enteric disease and outbreaks.

Innovative Approaches to Improve Anti-Infective Vaccine Efficacy.

PubMed

Yeaman, Michael R; Hennessey, John P

2017-01-06

Safe and efficacious vaccines are arguably the most successful medical interventions of all time. Yet the ongoing discovery of new pathogens, along with emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and a burgeoning population at risk of such infections, imposes unprecedented public health challenges. To meet these challenges, innovative strategies to discover and develop new or improved anti-infective vaccines are necessary. These approaches must intersect the most meaningful insights into protective immunity and advanced technologies with capabilities to deliver immunogens for optimal immune protection. This goal is considered through several recent advances in host-pathogen relationships, conceptual strides in vaccinology, and emerging technologies. Given a clear and growing risk of pandemic disease should the threat of infection go unmet, developing vaccines that optimize protective immunity against high-priority and antibiotic-resistant pathogens represents an urgent and unifying imperative.

Intensive fish farming and the evolution of pathogen virulence: the case of columnaris disease in Finland

PubMed Central

Pulkkinen, K.; Suomalainen, L.-R.; Read, A. F.; Ebert, D.; Rintamäki, P.; Valtonen, E. T.

2010-01-01

Ecological changes affect pathogen epidemiology and evolution and may trigger the emergence of novel diseases. Aquaculture radically alters the ecology of fish and their pathogens. Here we show an increase in the occurrence of the bacterial fish disease Flavobacterium columnare in salmon fingerlings at a fish farm in northern Finland over 23 years. We hypothesize that this emergence was owing to evolutionary changes in bacterial virulence. We base this argument on several observations. First, the emergence was associated with increased severity of symptoms. Second, F. columnare strains vary in virulence, with more lethal strains inducing more severe symptoms prior to death. Third, more virulent strains have greater infectivity, higher tissue-degrading capacity and higher growth rates. Fourth, pathogen strains co-occur, so that strains compete. Fifth, F. columnare can transmit efficiently from dead fish, and maintain infectivity in sterilized water for months, strongly reducing the fitness cost of host death likely experienced by the pathogen in nature. Moreover, this saprophytic infectiousness means that chemotherapy strongly select for strains that rapidly kill their hosts: dead fish remain infectious; treated fish do not. Finally, high stocking densities of homogeneous subsets of fish greatly enhance transmission opportunities. We suggest that fish farms provide an environment that promotes the circulation of more virulent strains of F. columnare. This effect is intensified by the recent increases in summer water temperature. More generally, we predict that intensive fish farming will lead to the evolution of more virulent pathogens. PMID:19864284

Development of blood transfusion product pathogen reduction treatments: a review of methods, current applications and demands.

PubMed

Salunkhe, Vishal; van der Meer, Pieter F; de Korte, Dirk; Seghatchian, Jerard; Gutiérrez, Laura

2015-02-01

Transfusion-transmitted infections (TTI) have been greatly reduced in numbers due to the strict donor selection and screening procedures, i.e. the availability of technologies to test donors for endemic infections, and routine vigilance of regulatory authorities in every step of the blood supply chain (collection, processing and storage). However, safety improvement is still a matter of concern because infection zero-risk in transfusion medicine is non-existent. Alternatives are required to assure the safety of the transfusion product and to provide a substitution to systematic blood screening tests, especially in less-developed countries or at the war-field. Furthermore, the increasing mobility of the population due to traveling poses a new challenge in the endemic screening tests routinely used, because non-endemic pathogens might emerge in a specific population. Pathogen reduction treatments sum a plethora of active approaches to eliminate or reduce potential threatening pathogen load from blood transfusion products. Despite the success of pathogen reduction treatments applied to plasma products, there is still a long way to develop and deploy pathogen reduction treatments to cellular transfusion products (such as platelets, RBCs or even to whole blood) and there is divergence on its acceptance worldwide. While the use of pathogen reduction treatments in platelets is performed routinely in a fair number of European blood banks, most of these treatments are not (or just) licensed in the USA or elsewhere in the world. The development of pathogen reduction treatments for RBC and whole blood is still in its infancy and under clinical trials. In this review, we discuss the available and emerging pathogen reduction treatments and their advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of characterizing standard transfusion products with current and emerging approaches (OMICS) and clinical outcome, and integrating this information on a database, thinking on the benefits it might bring in the future toward personalized transfusion therapies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

LauncherOne: Virgin Orbit's Dedicated Launch Vehicle for Small Satellites & Impact to the Space Enterprise Vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaughn, M.; Kwong, J.; Pomerantz, W.

Virgin Orbit is developing a space transportation service to provide an affordable, reliable, and responsive dedicated ride to orbit for smaller payloads. No longer will small satellite users be forced to make a choice between accepting the limitations of flight as a secondary payload, paying dramatically more for a dedicated launch vehicle, or dealing with the added complexity associated with export control requirements and international travel to distant launch sites. Virgin Orbit has made significant progress towards first flight of a new vehicle that will give satellite developers and operators a better option for carrying their small satellites into orbit. This new service is called LauncherOne (See the figure below). LauncherOne is a two stage, air-launched liquid propulsion (LOX/RP) rocket. Air launched from a specially modified 747-400 carrier aircraft (named “Cosmic Girl”), this system is designed to conduct operations from a variety of locations, allowing customers to select various launch azimuths and increasing available orbital launch windows. This provides small satellite customers an affordable, flexible and dedicated option for access to space. In addition to developing the LauncherOne vehicle, Virgin Orbit has worked with US government customers and across the new, emerging commercial sector to refine concepts for resiliency, constellation replenishment and responsive launch elements that can be key enables for the Space Enterprise Vision (SEV). This element of customer interaction is being led by their new subsidiary company, VOX Space. This paper summarizes technical progress made on LauncherOne in the past year and extends the thinking of how commercial space, small satellites and this new emerging market can be brought to bear to enable true space system resiliency.

Emerging and re-emerging infections.

PubMed

Lim, V K

1999-06-01

An emerging infection is defined as an infection which has newly appeared in a population while a re-emerging infection is one which has existed in the past but its incidence is rapidly increasing. The reasons for the emergence and re-emergence of infections are not well understood but appear to be associated with factors that involve the pathogen, the host and the environment. These factors are often inter-related and act together in a complex manner to bring about changes in patterns of infection. Pathogens are extremely resourceful and possess mechanisms to adapt to new hosts and environments as well as to acquire new virulence traits. Host factors include herd immunity, social behaviour and demographics. Environmental factors like the climate, deforestation and new technologies have an impact on the emergence of infections. The challenge is to contain an infection when it emerges but more importantly to prevent its emergence in the first place. As the emergence of an infection is complex and multifactorial, a multidisciplinary approach is required. Health based strategies alone are insufficient. Social, economic and environmental measures and the political will to implement appropriate policies are equally important.

Host-Brucella interactions and the Brucella genome as tools for subunit antigen discovery and immunization against brucellosis

PubMed Central

Gomez, Gabriel; Adams, Leslie G.; Rice-Ficht, Allison; Ficht, Thomas A.

2013-01-01

Vaccination is the most important approach to counteract infectious diseases. Thus, the development of new and improved vaccines for existing, emerging, and re-emerging diseases is an area of great interest to the scientific community and general public. Traditional approaches to subunit antigen discovery and vaccine development lack consideration for the critical aspects of public safety and activation of relevant protective host immunity. The availability of genomic sequences for pathogenic Brucella spp. and their hosts have led to development of systems-wide analytical tools that have provided a better understanding of host and pathogen physiology while also beginning to unravel the intricacies at the host-pathogen interface. Advances in pathogen biology, host immunology, and host-agent interactions have the potential to serve as a platform for the design and implementation of better-targeted antigen discovery approaches. With emphasis on Brucella spp., we probe the biological aspects of host and pathogen that merit consideration in the targeted design of subunit antigen discovery and vaccine development. PMID:23720712

Parasitic, fungal and prion zoonoses: an expanding universe of candidates for human disease.

PubMed

Akritidis, N

2011-03-01

Zoonotic infections have emerged as a burden for millions of people in recent years, owing to re-emerging or novel pathogens often causing outbreaks in the developing world in the presence of inadequate public health infrastructure. Among zoonotic infections, those caused by parasitic pathogens are the ones that affect millions of humans worldwide, who are also at risk of developing chronic disease. The present review discusses the global effect of protozoan pathogens such as Leishmania sp., Trypanosoma sp., and Toxoplasma sp., as well as helminthic pathogens such as Echinococcus sp., Fasciola sp., and Trichinella sp. The zoonotic aspects of agents that are not essentially zoonotic are also discussed. The review further focuses on the zoonotic dynamics of fungal pathogens and prion diseases as observed in recent years, in an evolving environment in which novel patient target groups have developed for agents that were previously considered to be obscure or of minimal significance. © 2011 The Author. Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2011 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Astronaut Joseph Tanner checks gloves during during launch/entry training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

Astronaut Joseph R. Tanner, mission specialist, checks his gloves during a rehearsal for the launch and entry phases of the scheduled November 1994 flight of STS-66. This rehearsal, held in the crew compartment trainer (CCT) of JSC's Shuttle mockup and integration laboratory, was followed by a training session on emergency egress procedures.

Technicians assist STS-47 MS Jemison prior to JSC bailout training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-47 Endeavour, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 105, Mission Specialist (MS) Mae C. Jemison, assisted by technicians, adjusts a strap on her launch and entry suit (LES) prior to launch emergency egress (bailout) exercises in JSC's Mockup and Integration Laboratory Bldg 9A. Jemison is making her first flight in space.

STS-97 crew meets with the media at Launch Pad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Standing in the slidewire landing zone at Launch Pad 39B, the STS-97 crew respond to questions from the media. Commander Brent Jett (on left, with microphone) introduces the rest of the crew (left to right) Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Joe Tanner, Marc Garneau and Carlos Noriega. Garneau is with the Canadian Space Agency. The nets suspended behind them are a braking system catch net for the slidewire baskets that provide emergency exit from the orbiter and Fixed Service Structure. The crew is at KSC to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities that include emergency egress training, familiarization with the payload, and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-97is the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections. STS-97 is scheduled to launch Nov. 30 at about 10:05 p.m. EST.

The STS-97 crew meets with the media at Launch Pad 39B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Standing in the slidewire landing zone at Launch Pad 39B, the STS-97 crew respond to questions from the media. They are, left to right, Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Joe Tanner, Marc Garneau and Carlos Noriega. Garneau is with the Canadian Space Agency. The nets suspended behind them are a braking system catch net for the slidewire baskets that provide emergency exit from the orbiter and Fixed Service Structure. The crew is at KSC to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities that include emergency egress training, familiarization with the payload, and a simulated launch countdown. Visible in the background are the solid rocket booster and external tank on Space Shuttle Endeavour. Mission STS-97is the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections. STS-97 is scheduled to launch Nov. 30 at about 10:05 p.m. EST.

KSC-07pd2722

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-08

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson has her helmet adjusted during fitting of her launch and entry suit. The fitting is part of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities the crew is undertaking at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The TCDT also includes emergency egress procedures, equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120, which will carry the Italian-built U.S. Node 2 to the International Space Station, is targeted for launch on Oct. 23. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd2720

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-10-08

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Mission Specialist Daniel Tani has his helmet adjusted during fitting of his launch and entry suit. The fitting is part of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities the crew is undertaking at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The TCDT also includes emergency egress procedures, equipment familiarization and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-120, which will carry the Italian-built U.S. Node 2 to the International Space Station, is targeted for launch on Oct. 23. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-06pd1745

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-08-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-115 Commander Brent Jett introduces his crew to waiting media at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility after their arrival from Houston. The STS-115 crew has flown to NASA's Kennedy Space Center to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. The TCDT is a pre-launch preparation that includes practicing emergency egress from the pad, driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier, and simulating the launch countdown. Launch of STS-115 is currently scheduled for Aug. 27. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-01pp1330

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- At Launch Pad 39A, STS-105 Commander Scott Horowitz puts on a gas mask as part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which also include emergency egress, a simulated launch countdown and familiarization with the payload. Mission STS-105 will be transporting the Expedition Three crew, several payloads and scientific experiments to the International Space Station aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. The current Expedition Two crew members on the Station will return to Earth on Discovery. Launch is scheduled no earlier than Aug. 9, 2001

STS-42 crewmembers in LESs prepare for egress exercises in JSC's WETF Bldg 29

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

STS-42 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, crewmembers, (left to right) Commander Ronald J. Grabe, Payload Specialist Roberta L. Bondar, and Pilot Stephen S. Oswald, participate in launch emergency egress (bailout) exercises in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29. The crewmembers are outfitted in their launch and entry suits (LESs) and launch and entry helmets (LEHs) as they prepare for the simulated water landing using the WETF's 25 ft deep pool as the ocean.

STS-65 Commander Cabana floats in life raft during WETF bailout exercise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

STS-65 Commander Robert D. Cabana, suited in his launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet, deploys a single person life raft during launch emergency egress (bailout) training at the Johnson Space Center's (JSC's) Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29. Cabana will be joined by five other NASA astronauts and a Japanese payload specialist for the International Microgravity Laboratory 2 (IML-2) mission aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, later this year.

Emerging Tick-Borne Viruses in the Twenty-First Century

PubMed Central

Mansfield, Karen L.; Jizhou, Lv; Phipps, L. Paul; Johnson, Nicholas

2017-01-01

Ticks, as a group, are second only to mosquitoes as vectors of pathogens to humans and are the primary vector for pathogens of livestock, companion animals, and wildlife. The role of ticks in the transmission of viruses has been known for over 100 years and yet new pathogenic viruses are still being detected and known viruses are continually spreading to new geographic locations. Partly as a result of their novelty, tick-virus interactions are at an early stage in understanding. For some viruses, even the principal tick-vector is not known. It is likely that tick-borne viruses will continue to emerge and challenge public and veterinary health long into the twenty-first century. However, studies focusing on tick saliva, a critical component of tick feeding, virus transmission, and a target for control of ticks and tick-borne diseases, point toward solutions to emerging viruses. The aim of this review is to describe some currently emerging tick-borne diseases, their causative viruses, and to discuss research on virus-tick interactions. Through focus on this area, future protein targets for intervention and vaccine development may be identified. PMID:28744449

Forum of Microbial Threats

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

Cryptococcus gattii, a pathogenic environmental fungus believed to have been introduced onto Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada in 1999, is...factors‖ others such as Crytococcus gattii, are emerging with altered virulence and geographic ranges. Cryptococcus gattii, a pathogenic environmental

Linking ecology and epidemiology to understand predictors of multi-host responses to an emerging pathogen, the amphibian chytrid fungus

Treesearch

Stephanie S. Gervasi; Patrick R. Stephens; Jessica Hua; Catherine L. Searle; Gisselle Yang Xie; Jenny Urbina; Deanna H. Olson; Betsy A. Bancroft; Virginia Weis; John I. Hammond; Rick A. Relyea; Andrew R. Blaustein; Stefan Lötters

2017-01-01

Variation in host responses to pathogens can have cascading effects on populations and communities when some individuals or groups of individuals display disproportionate vulnerability to infection or differ in their competence to transmit infection. The fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been detected in almost 700 different...

KSC-01pp1334

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- On the 195-foot level of the Fixed Service Structure, Launch Pad 39A, the STS-105 and Expedition Three crews listen to instructions about use of the slidewire basket, part of emergency egress training at the pad. From left are Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson, STS-105 Pilot Rick Sturckow; cosmonauts Mikhail Tyurin and Vladimir Nikolaevich Dezhurov; Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester, Commander Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialist Daniel Barry. Both crews are at KSC to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include the emergency egress training, a simulated launch countdown and familiarization with the payload. Mission STS-105 will be transporting the Expedition Three crew, several payloads and scientific experiments to the International Space Station aboard Discovery. The current Expedition Two crew members on the Station will return to Earth on Discovery. Launch of Discovery is scheduled no earlier than Aug. 9, 2001

KSC-08pd0515

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-24

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, the crew for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission receives instruction on the operation of a slidewire basket during emergency egress training. In the basket are Mission Specialists Takao Doi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Garrett Reisman and Rick Linnehan. The crew is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test or TCDT. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Endeavour is targeted to launch March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd0495

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-24

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, a mission specialist on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission, Takao Doi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, prepares to take questions from the media during a break from emergency egress training. The crew is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test or TCDT. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Endeavour is targeted to launch March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Humans and Cattle: A Review of Bovine Zoonoses

PubMed Central

Cardwell, Diana M.; Moeller, Robert B.; Gray, Gregory C.

2014-01-01

Abstract Infectious disease prevention and control has been among the top public health objectives during the last century. However, controlling disease due to pathogens that move between animals and humans has been challenging. Such zoonotic pathogens have been responsible for the majority of new human disease threats and a number of recent international epidemics. Currently, our surveillance systems often lack the ability to monitor the human–animal interface for emergent pathogens. Identifying and ultimately addressing emergent cross-species infections will require a “One Health” approach in which resources from public veterinary, environmental, and human health function as part of an integrative system. Here we review the epidemiology of bovine zoonoses from a public health perspective. PMID:24341911

Microbial genome-enabled insights into plant-microorganism interactions.

PubMed

Guttman, David S; McHardy, Alice C; Schulze-Lefert, Paul

2014-12-01

Advances in genome-based studies on plant-associated microorganisms have transformed our understanding of many plant pathogens and are beginning to greatly widen our knowledge of plant interactions with mutualistic and commensal microorganisms. Pathogenomics has revealed how pathogenic microorganisms adapt to particular hosts, subvert innate immune responses and change host range, as well as how new pathogen species emerge. Similarly, culture-independent community profiling methods, coupled with metagenomic and metatranscriptomic studies, have provided the first insights into the emerging field of research on plant-associated microbial communities. Together, these approaches have the potential to bridge the gap between plant microbial ecology and plant pathology, which have traditionally been two distinct research fields.

Infectious Bronchitis Virus Variants: Molecular Analysis and Pathogenicity Investigation

PubMed Central

Lin, Shu-Yi

2017-01-01

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) variants constantly emerge and pose economic threats to poultry farms worldwide. Numerous studies on the molecular and pathogenic characterization of IBV variants have been performed between 2007 and 2017, which we have reviewed herein. We noted that viral genetic mutations and recombination events commonly gave rise to distinct IBV genotypes, serotypes and pathotypes. In addition to characterizing the S1 genes, full viral genomic sequencing, comprehensive antigenicity, and pathogenicity studies on emerging variants have advanced our understanding of IBV infections, which is valuable for developing countermeasures against IBV field outbreaks. This review of IBV variants provides practical value for understanding their phylogenetic relationships and epidemiology from both regional and worldwide viewpoints. PMID:28937583

Determinants of host species range in plant viruses.

PubMed

Moury, Benoît; Fabre, Frédéric; Hébrard, Eugénie; Froissart, Rémy

2017-04-01

Prediction of pathogen emergence is an important field of research, both in human health and in agronomy. Most studies of pathogen emergence have focused on the ecological or anthropic factors involved rather than on the role of intrinsic pathogen properties. The capacity of pathogens to infect a large set of host species, i.e. to possess a large host range breadth (HRB), is tightly linked to their emergence propensity. Using an extensive plant virus database, we found that four traits related to virus genome or transmission properties were strongly and robustly linked to virus HRB. Broader host ranges were observed for viruses with single-stranded genomes, those with three genome segments and nematode-transmitted viruses. Also, two contrasted groups of seed-transmitted viruses were evidenced. Those with a single-stranded genome had larger HRB than non-seed-transmitted viruses, whereas those with a double-stranded genome (almost exclusively RNA) had an extremely small HRB. From the plant side, the family taxonomic rank appeared as a critical threshold for virus host range, with a highly significant increase in barriers to infection between plant families. Accordingly, the plant-virus infectivity matrix shows a dual structure pattern: a modular pattern mainly due to viruses specialized to infect plants of a given family and a nested pattern due to generalist viruses. These results contribute to a better prediction of virus host jumps and emergence risks.

The Media Tour the BFF, VAB, and the ML

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-02

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media tour the spaceport's Vehicle Assembly Building. They were shown an ogive panel which, together with others, cover the Orion spacecraft during launch. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.

KSC-04PD-2448

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. During a simulated launch countdown/emergency simulation on Launch Pad 39A, M-113 armored personnel carriers transport workers away from the pad. In the background are the Fixed (tall) and Rotating Service Structures. To the left is the water tower that holds 300,000 gallons used during liftoffs.The four-hour exercise simulated normal launch countdown operations, with the added challenge of a fictitious event causing an evacuation of the vehicle and launch pad. It tested the teams rescue approaches on the Fixed Service Structure, slidewire basket evacuation, triage care and transportation of injured personnel to hospitals, as well as communications and coordination.

KSC-01pp1344

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-20

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- STS-105 Pilot Rick Sturckow waits for his helmet during suit check before heading to Launch Pad 39A. The STS-105 and Expedition Three crews are at Kennedy Space Center participating in a Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, a dress rehearsal for launch. The activities include emergency egress training, a simulated launch countdown and familiarization with the payload. Mission STS-105 will be transporting the Expedition Three crew, several payloads and scientific experiments to the International Space Station aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. The Expedition Two crew members currently on the Station will return to Earth on Discovery. The mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than Aug. 9, 2001

KSC-01pp1345

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-20

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- STS-105 Commander Scott Horowitz finishes with suit check before heading to Launch Pad 39A. The STS-105 and Expedition Three crews are at Kennedy Space Center participating in a Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, a dress rehearsal for launch. The activities includes emergency egress training, a simulated launch countdown and familiarization with the payload. Mission STS-105 will be transporting the Expedition Three crew, several payloads and scientific experiments to the International Space Station aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. The Expedition Two crew members currently on the Station will return to Earth on Discovery. The mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than Aug. 9, 2001

Orion Flight Test Preview Briefing

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-06

In the Kennedy Space Center’s Press Site auditorium, members of the news media are briefed on the upcoming Orion flight test by Ron Fortson, United Launch Alliance director of Mission Management. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.

Emerging zoonotic viral diseases.

PubMed

Wang, L-F; Crameri, G

2014-08-01

Zoonotic diseases are infectious diseases that are naturally transmitted from vertebrate animals to humans and vice versa. They are caused by all types of pathogenic agents, including bacteria, parasites, fungi, viruses and prions. Although they have been recognised for many centuries, their impact on public health has increased in the last few decades due to a combination of the success in reducing the spread of human infectious diseases through vaccination and effective therapies and the emergence of novel zoonotic diseases. It is being increasingly recognised that a One Health approach at the human-animal-ecosystem interface is needed for effective investigation, prevention and control of any emerging zoonotic disease. Here, the authors will review the drivers for emergence, highlight some of the high-impact emerging zoonotic diseases of the last two decades and provide examples of novel One Health approaches for disease investigation, prevention and control. Although this review focuses on emerging zoonotic viral diseases, the authors consider that the discussions presented in this paper will be equally applicable to emerging zoonotic diseases of other pathogen types.

Experimental vaccines against potentially pandemic and highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses

PubMed Central

Mooney, Alaina J; Tompkins, S Mark

2013-01-01

Influenza A viruses continue to emerge and re-emerge, causing outbreaks, epidemics and occasionally pandemics. While the influenza vaccines licensed for public use are generally effective against seasonal influenza, issues arise with production, immunogenicity, and efficacy in the case of vaccines against pandemic and emerging influenza viruses, and highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in particular. Thus, there is need of improved influenza vaccines and vaccination strategies. This review discusses advances in alternative influenza vaccines, touching briefly on licensed vaccines and vaccine antigens; then reviewing recombinant subunit vaccines, virus-like particle vaccines and DNA vaccines, with the main focus on virus-vectored vaccine approaches. PMID:23440999

Emerging Trends in the Discovery of Natural Product Antibacterials

PubMed Central

Bologa, Cristian G.; Ursu, Oleg; Oprea, Tudor; Melançon, Charles E.; Tegos, George P.

2013-01-01

This article highlights current trends and advances in exploiting natural sources for the deployment of novel and potent anti-infective countermeasures. The key challenge is to therapeutically target microbial pathogens exhibiting a variety of puzzling and evolutionary complex resistance mechanisms. Special emphasis is given to the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities in the natural product antimicrobial drug discovery arena, and to emerging applications driven by advances in bioinformatics, chemical biology, and synthetic biology in concert with exploiting the microbial phenotype. These orchestrated efforts have identified a critical mass of lead natural antimicrobials chemical scaffolds and discovery technologies with high probability of successful implementation against emerging microbial pathogens. PMID:23890825

The Israeli National Genetic database: a 10-year experience.

PubMed

Zlotogora, Joël; Patrinos, George P

2017-03-16

The Israeli National and Ethnic Mutation database ( http://server.goldenhelix.org/israeli ) was launched in September 2006 on the ETHNOS software to include clinically relevant genomic variants reported among Jewish and Arab Israeli patients. In 2016, the database was reviewed and corrected according to ClinVar ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/clinvar ) and ExAC ( http://exac.broadinstitute.org ) database entries. The present article summarizes some key aspects from the development and continuous update of the database over a 10-year period, which could serve as a paradigm of successful database curation for other similar resources. In September 2016, there were 2444 entries in the database, 890 among Jews, 1376 among Israeli Arabs, and 178 entries among Palestinian Arabs, corresponding to an ~4× data content increase compared to when originally launched. While the Israeli Arab population is much smaller than the Jewish population, the number of pathogenic variants causing recessive disorders reported in the database is higher among Arabs (934) than among Jews (648). Nevertheless, the number of pathogenic variants classified as founder mutations in the database is smaller among Arabs (175) than among Jews (192). In 2016, the entire database content was compared to that of other databases such as ClinVar and ExAC. We show that a significant difference in the percentage of pathogenic variants from the Israeli genetic database that were present in ExAC was observed between the Jewish population (31.8%) and the Israeli Arab population (20.6%). The Israeli genetic database was launched in 2006 on the ETHNOS software and is available online ever since. It allows querying the database according to the disorder and the ethnicity; however, many other features are not available, in particular the possibility to search according to the name of the gene. In addition, due to the technical limitations of the previous ETHNOS software, new features and data are not included in the present online version of the database and upgrade is currently ongoing.

Frontiers for research on the ecology of plant-pathogenic bacteria: fundamentals for sustainability: Challenges in Bacterial Molecular Plant Pathology.

PubMed

Morris, Cindy E; Barny, Marie-Anne; Berge, Odile; Kinkel, Linda L; Lacroix, Christelle

2017-02-01

Methods to ensure the health of crops owe their efficacy to the extent to which we understand the ecology and biology of environmental microorganisms and the conditions under which their interactions with plants lead to losses in crop quality or yield. However, in the pursuit of this knowledge, notions of the ecology of plant-pathogenic microorganisms have been reduced to a plant-centric and agro-centric focus. With increasing global change, i.e. changes that encompass not only climate, but also biodiversity, the geographical distribution of biomes, human demographic and socio-economic adaptations and land use, new plant health problems will emerge via a range of processes influenced by these changes. Hence, knowledge of the ecology of plant pathogens will play an increasingly important role in the anticipation and response to disease emergence. Here, we present our opinion on the major challenges facing the study of the ecology of plant-pathogenic bacteria. We argue that the discovery of markedly novel insights into the ecology of plant-pathogenic bacteria is most likely to happen within a framework of more extensive scales of space, time and biotic interactions than those that currently guide much of the research on these bacteria. This will set a context that is more propitious for the discovery of unsuspected drivers of the survival and diversification of plant-pathogenic bacteria and of the factors most critical for disease emergence, and will set the foundation for new approaches to the sustainable management of plant health. We describe the contextual background of, justification for and specific research questions with regard to the following challenges: Development of terminology to describe plant-bacterial relationships in terms of bacterial fitness. Definition of the full scope of the environments in which plant-pathogenic bacteria reside or survive. Delineation of pertinent phylogenetic contours of plant-pathogenic bacteria and naming of strains independent of their presumed life style. Assessment of how traits of plant-pathogenic bacteria evolve within the overall framework of their life history. Exploration of possible beneficial ecosystem services contributed to by plant-pathogenic bacteria. © 2016 BSPP AND JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD.

Epidemiology of nontuberculous mycobacteria, an emerging environmental pathogen

EPA Science Inventory

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is an environmentally transmitted pathogen primarily associated with water and soil exposure. It is increasingly recognized in the developed world and may manifest as infection or colonization of multiple anatomic sites. Nontuberculous mycobacter...

DISINFECTION OF EMERGING PATHOGENS

EPA Science Inventory

There is a growing awareness of the need to control waterborne microbial pathogens. This presentation will concentate on the role of chemical inactivation, using chlorine, chloramines and ozone as a means of controlling bacterial and protozoan species. Information will be present...

77 FR 5257 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Initial Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-02

... announced below concerns Detecting Emerging Vector Borne Zoonotic Pathogens in Indonesia, Funding... Pathogens in Indonesia, FOA CK12-002, initial review.'' Contact Person for More Information: Greg Anderson...

Silver nanoparticles: synthesis, properties, toxicology, applications and perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, Quang Huy; Quy Nguyen, Van; Le, Anh-Tuan

2013-09-01

In recent years the outbreak of re-emerging and emerging infectious diseases has been a significant burden on global economies and public health. The growth of population and urbanization along with poor water supply and environmental hygiene are the main reasons for the increase in outbreak of infectious pathogens. Transmission of infectious pathogens to the community has caused outbreaks of diseases such as influenza (A/H5N1), diarrhea (Escherichia coli), cholera (Vibrio cholera), etc throughout the world. The comprehensive treatments of environments containing infectious pathogens using advanced disinfectant nanomaterials have been proposed for prevention of the outbreaks. Among these nanomaterials, silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) with unique properties of high antimicrobial activity have attracted much interest from scientists and technologists to develop nanosilver-based disinfectant products. This article aims to review the synthesis routes and antimicrobial effects of Ag-NPs against various pathogens including bacteria, fungi and virus. Toxicology considerations of Ag-NPs to humans and ecology are discussed in detail. Some current applications of Ag-NPs in water-, air- and surface- disinfection are described. Finally, future prospects of Ag-NPs for treatment and prevention of currently emerging infections are discussed.

Particulate delivery systems for vaccination against bioterrorism agents and emerging infectious pathogens

PubMed Central

Fan, Yuchen; Moon, James J.

2016-01-01

Bioterrorism agents that can be easily transmitted with high mortality rates and cause debilitating diseases pose major threats to national security and public health. The recent Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa and ongoing Zika virus outbreak in Brazil, now spreading throughout Latin America, are case examples of emerging infectious pathogens that have incited widespread fear and economic and social disruption on a global scale. Prophylactic vaccines would provide effective countermeasures against infectious pathogens and biological warfare agents. However, traditional approaches relying on attenuated or inactivated vaccines have been hampered by their unacceptable levels of reactogenicity and safety issues, whereas subunit antigen-based vaccines suffer from suboptimal immunogenicity and efficacy. In contrast, particulate vaccine delivery systems offer key advantages, including efficient and stable delivery of subunit antigens, co-delivery of adjuvant molecules to bolster immune responses, low reactogenicity due to the use of biocompatible biomaterials, and robust efficiency to elicit humoral and cellular immunity in systemic and mucosal tissues. Thus, vaccine nanoparticles and microparticles are promising platforms for clinical development of biodefense vaccines. In this review, we summarize the current status of research efforts to develop particulate vaccine delivery systems against bioterrorism agents and emerging infectious pathogens. PMID:27038091

Contrasting introduction scenarios among continents in the worldwide invasion of the banana fungal pathogen Mycosphaerella fijiensis.

PubMed

Robert, S; Ravigne, V; Zapater, M-F; Abadie, C; Carlier, J

2012-03-01

Reconstructing and characterizing introduction routes is a key step towards understanding the ecological and evolutionary factors underlying successful invasions and disease emergence. Here, we aimed to decipher scenarios of introduction and stochastic demographic events associated with the global spread of an emerging disease of bananas caused by the destructive fungal pathogen Mycosphaerella fijiensis. We analysed the worldwide population structure of this fungus using 21 microsatellites and 8 sequence-based markers on 735 individuals from 37 countries. Our analyses designated South-East Asia as the source of the global invasion and supported the location of the centre of origin of M. fijiensis within this area. We confirmed the occurrence of bottlenecks upon introduction into other continents followed by widespread founder events within continents. Furthermore, this study suggested contrasting introduction scenarios of the pathogen between the African and American continents. While potential signatures of admixture resulting from multiple introductions were detected in America, all the African samples examined seem to descend from a single successful founder event. In combination with historical information, our study reveals an original and unprecedented global scenario of invasion for this recently emerging disease caused by a wind-dispersed pathogen. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Horizontal Gene Acquisitions, Mobile Element Proliferation, and Genome Decay in the Host-Restricted Plant Pathogen Erwinia Tracheiphila

PubMed Central

Shapiro, Lori R.; Scully, Erin D.; Straub, Timothy J.; Park, Jihye; Stephenson, Andrew G.; Beattie, Gwyn A.; Gleason, Mark L.; Kolter, Roberto; Coelho, Miguel C.; De Moraes, Consuelo M.; Mescher, Mark C.; Zhaxybayeva, Olga

2016-01-01

Modern industrial agriculture depends on high-density cultivation of genetically similar crop plants, creating favorable conditions for the emergence of novel pathogens with increased fitness in managed compared with ecologically intact settings. Here, we present the genome sequence of six strains of the cucurbit bacterial wilt pathogen Erwinia tracheiphila (Enterobacteriaceae) isolated from infected squash plants in New York, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Michigan. These genomes exhibit a high proportion of recent horizontal gene acquisitions, invasion and remarkable amplification of mobile genetic elements, and pseudogenization of approximately 20% of the coding sequences. These genome attributes indicate that E. tracheiphila recently emerged as a host-restricted pathogen. Furthermore, chromosomal rearrangements associated with phage and transposable element proliferation contribute to substantial differences in gene content and genetic architecture between the six E. tracheiphila strains and other Erwinia species. Together, these data lead us to hypothesize that E. tracheiphila has undergone recent evolution through both genome decay (pseudogenization) and genome expansion (horizontal gene transfer and mobile element amplification). Despite evidence of dramatic genomic changes, the six strains are genetically monomorphic, suggesting a recent population bottleneck and emergence into E. tracheiphila’s current ecological niche. PMID:26992913

The emerging diversity of Rickettsia

PubMed Central

Perlman, Steve J; Hunter, Martha S; Zchori-Fein, Einat

2006-01-01

The best-known members of the bacterial genus Rickettsia are associates of blood-feeding arthropods that are pathogenic when transmitted to vertebrates. These species include the agents of acute human disease such as typhus and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. However, many other Rickettsia have been uncovered in recent surveys of bacteria associated with arthropods and other invertebrates; the hosts of these bacteria have no relationship with vertebrates. It is therefore perhaps more appropriate to consider Rickettsia as symbionts that are transmitted vertically in invertebrates, and secondarily as pathogens of vertebrates. In this review, we highlight the emerging diversity of Rickettsia species that are not associated with vertebrate pathogenicity. Phylogenetic analysis suggests multiple transitions between symbionts that are transmitted strictly vertically and those that exhibit mixed (horizontal and vertical) transmission. Rickettsia may thus be an excellent model system in which to study the evolution of transmission pathways. We also focus on the emergence of Rickettsia as a diverse reproductive manipulator of arthropods, similar to the closely related Wolbachia, including strains associated with male-killing, parthenogenesis, and effects on fertility. We emphasize some outstanding questions and potential research directions, and suggest ways in which the study of non-pathogenic Rickettsia can advance our understanding of their disease-causing relatives. PMID:16901827

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli: An Emerging Enteric Food Borne Pathogen.

PubMed

Kaur, P; Chakraborti, A; Asea, A

2010-01-01

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) are quite heterogeneous category of an emerging enteric pathogen associated with cases of acute or persistent diarrhea worldwide in children and adults, and over the past decade has received increasing attention as a cause of watery diarrhea, which is often persistent. EAEC infection is an important cause of diarrhea in outbreak and non-outbreak settings in developing and developed countries. Recently, EAEC has been implicated in the development of irritable bowel syndrome, but this remains to be confirmed. EAEC is defined as a diarrheal pathogen based on its characteristic aggregative adherence (AA) to HEp-2 cells in culture and its biofilm formation on the intestinal mucosa with a "stacked-brick" adherence phenotype, which is related to the presence of a 60 MDa plasmid (pAA). At the molecular level, strains demonstrating the aggregative phenotype are quite heterogeneous; several virulence factors are detected by polymerase chain reaction; however, none exhibited 100% specificity. Although several studies have identified specific virulence factor(s) unique to EAEC, the mechanism by which EAEC exerts its pathogenesis is, thus, far unknown. The present review updates the current knowledge on the epidemiology, chronic complications, detection, virulence factors, and treatment of EAEC, an emerging enteric food borne pathogen.

The New Electron Microscopy: Cells and Molecules in Three Dimensions | Poster

Cancer.gov

NCI recently announced the launch of the new National Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility (NCEF) at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR). The launch comes while cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is enjoying the spotlight as a newly emerging, rapidly evolving technology with the potential to revolutionize the field of structural biology. Read more...

14 CFR 431.45 - Mishap investigation plan and emergency response plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION LICENSING LAUNCH AND REENTRY OF A REUSABLE LAUNCH... materials, as defined in § 401.5 of this chapter, involved in the event, whether on the vehicle, payload, or... dissemination of up to date information to the public, and for doing so in advance of reentry or other landing...

14 CFR 431.45 - Mishap investigation plan and emergency response plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION LICENSING LAUNCH AND REENTRY OF A REUSABLE LAUNCH... materials, as defined in § 401.5 of this chapter, involved in the event, whether on the vehicle, payload, or... dissemination of up to date information to the public, and for doing so in advance of reentry or other landing...

14 CFR 431.45 - Mishap investigation plan and emergency response plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION LICENSING LAUNCH AND REENTRY OF A REUSABLE LAUNCH... materials, as defined in § 401.5 of this chapter, involved in the event, whether on the vehicle, payload, or... dissemination of up to date information to the public, and for doing so in advance of reentry or other landing...

TACSAT-4 Early Flight Operations Including Lessons From Integration, Test, and Launch Processing

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-01

Healy used TacSat-4 as it returned from the Bering Sea from its ice breaking mission with the Russian tanker Renda to deliver emergency fuel supplies to...required extra design and verification work for the electrical power system, but it provided real benefits at the launch range. Specifically, it eliminated

Phenotypic interactions between tree hosts and invasive forest pathogens in the light of globalization and climate change

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Invasive pathogens can cause considerable damage to forest ecosystems. Lack of coevolution is generally thought to enable invasive pathogens to bypass the defence and/or recognition systems in the host. Although mostly true, this argument fails to predict intermittent outcomes in space and time, underlining the need to include the roles of the environment and the phenotype in host–pathogen interactions when predicting disease impacts. We emphasize the need to consider host–tree imbalances from a phenotypic perspective, considering the lack of coevolutionary and evolutionary history with the pathogen and the environment, respectively. We describe how phenotypic plasticity and plastic responses to environmental shifts may become maladaptive when hosts are faced with novel pathogens. The lack of host–pathogen and environmental coevolution are aligned with two global processes currently driving forest damage: globalization and climate change, respectively. We suggest that globalization and climate change act synergistically, increasing the chances of both genotypic and phenotypic imbalances. Short moves on the same continent are more likely to be in balance than if the move is from another part of the world. We use Gremmeniella abietina outbreaks in Sweden to exemplify how host–pathogen phenotypic interactions can help to predict the impacts of specific invasive and emergent diseases. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Tackling emerging fungal threats to animal health, food security and ecosystem resilience’. PMID:28080981

Phenotypic interactions between tree hosts and invasive forest pathogens in the light of globalization and climate change.

PubMed

Stenlid, Jan; Oliva, Jonàs

2016-12-05

Invasive pathogens can cause considerable damage to forest ecosystems. Lack of coevolution is generally thought to enable invasive pathogens to bypass the defence and/or recognition systems in the host. Although mostly true, this argument fails to predict intermittent outcomes in space and time, underlining the need to include the roles of the environment and the phenotype in host-pathogen interactions when predicting disease impacts. We emphasize the need to consider host-tree imbalances from a phenotypic perspective, considering the lack of coevolutionary and evolutionary history with the pathogen and the environment, respectively. We describe how phenotypic plasticity and plastic responses to environmental shifts may become maladaptive when hosts are faced with novel pathogens. The lack of host-pathogen and environmental coevolution are aligned with two global processes currently driving forest damage: globalization and climate change, respectively. We suggest that globalization and climate change act synergistically, increasing the chances of both genotypic and phenotypic imbalances. Short moves on the same continent are more likely to be in balance than if the move is from another part of the world. We use Gremmeniella abietina outbreaks in Sweden to exemplify how host-pathogen phenotypic interactions can help to predict the impacts of specific invasive and emergent diseases.This article is part of the themed issue 'Tackling emerging fungal threats to animal health, food security and ecosystem resilience'. © 2016 The Author(s).

A distributed national network for label-free rapid identification of emerging pathogens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, J. Paul; Rajwa, Bartek P.; Dundar, M. Murat; Bae, Euiwon; Patsekin, Valery; Hirleman, E. Daniel; Roumani, Ali; Bhunia, Arun K.; Dietz, J. Eric; Davisson, V. Jo; Thomas, John G.

2011-05-01

Typical bioterrorism prevention scenarios assume well-known and well-characterized pathogens like anthrax or tularemia, which are serious public concerns if released into food and/or water supplies or distributed using other vectors. Common governmental contingencies include rapid response to these biological threats with predefined treatments and management operations. However, bioterrorist attacks may follow a far more sophisticated route. With the widely known and immense progress in genetics and the availability of molecular biology tools worldwide, the potential for malicious modification of pathogenic genomes is very high. Common non-pathogenic microorganisms could be transformed into dangerous, debilitating pathogens. Known pathogens could also be modified to avoid detection, because organisms are traditionally identified on the basis of their known physiological or genetic properties. In the absence of defined primers a laboratory using genetic biodetection methods such as PCR might be unable to quickly identify a modified microorganism. Our concept includes developing a nationwide database of signatures based on biophysical (such as elastic light scattering (ELS) properties and/or Raman spectra) rather than genetic properties of bacteria. When paired with a machine-learning system for emerging pathogen detection these data become an effective detection system. The approach emphasizes ease of implementation using a standardized collection of phenotypic information and extraction of biophysical features of pathogens. Owing to the label-free nature of the detection modalities ELS is significantly less costly than any genotypic or mass spectrometry approach.

Common and emerging infectious diseases in the animal shelter.

PubMed

Pesavento, P A; Murphy, B G

2014-03-01

The beneficial role that animal shelters play is unquestionable. An estimated 3 to 4 million animals are cared for or placed in homes each year, and most shelters promote public health and support responsible pet ownership. It is, nonetheless, inevitable that shelters are prime examples of anthropogenic biological instability: even well-run shelters often house transient, displaced, and mixed populations of animals. Many of these animals have received minimal to no prior health care, and some have a history of scavenging or predation to survive. Overcrowding and poor shelter conditions further magnify these inherent risks to create individual, intraspecies, and interspecies stress and provide an environment conducive to exposure to numerous potentially collaborative pathogens. All of these factors can contribute to the evolution and emergence of new pathogens or to alterations in virulence of endemic pathogens. While it is not possible to effectively anticipate the timing or the pathogen type in emergence events, their sites of origin are less enigmatic, and pathologists and diagnosticians who work with sheltered animal populations have recognized several such events in the past decade. This article first considers the contribution of the shelter environment to canine and feline disease. This is followed by summaries of recent research on the pathogenesis of common shelter pathogens, as well as research that has led to the discovery of novel or emerging diseases and the methods that are used for their diagnosis and discovery. For the infectious agents that commonly affect sheltered dogs and cats, including canine distemper virus, canine influenza virus, Streptococcus spp, parvoviruses, feline herpesvirus, feline caliciviruses, and feline infectious peritonitis virus, we present familiar as well as newly recognized lesions associated with infection. Preliminary studies on recently discovered viruses like canine circovirus, canine bocavirus, and feline norovirus indicate that these pathogens can cause or contribute to canine and feline disease.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N6 Viruses Exhibit Enhanced Affinity for Human Type Sialic Acid Receptor and In-Contact Transmission in Model Ferrets

PubMed Central

Sun, Honglei; Pu, Juan; Wei, Yandi; Sun, Yipeng; Hu, Jiao; Liu, Litao; Xu, Guanlong; Gao, Weihua; Li, Chong; Zhang, Xuxiao; Huang, Yinhua; Chang, Kin-Chow; Liu, Xiufan

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Since May 2014, highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N6 virus has been reported to cause six severe human infections three of which were fatal. The biological properties of this subtype, in particular its relative pathogenicity and transmissibility in mammals, are not known. We characterized the virus receptor-binding affinity, pathogenicity, and transmissibility in mice and ferrets of four H5N6 isolates derived from waterfowl in China from 2013-2014. All four H5N6 viruses have acquired a binding affinity for human-like SAα2,6Gal-linked receptor to be able to attach to human tracheal epithelial and alveolar cells. The emergent H5N6 viruses, which share high sequence similarity with the human isolate A/Guangzhou/39715/2014 (H5N6), were fully infective and highly transmissible by direct contact in ferrets but showed less-severe pathogenicity than the parental H5N1 virus. The present results highlight the threat of emergent H5N6 viruses to poultry and human health and the need to closely track their continual adaptation in humans. IMPORTANCE Extended epizootics and panzootics of H5N1 viruses have led to the emergence of the novel 2.3.4.4 clade of H5 virus subtypes, including H5N2, H5N6, and H5N8 reassortants. Avian H5N6 viruses from this clade have caused three fatalities out of six severe human infections in China since the first case in 2014. However, the biological properties of this subtype, especially the pathogenicity and transmission in mammals, are not known. Here, we found that natural avian H5N6 viruses have acquired a high affinity for human-type virus receptor. Compared to the parental clade 2.3.4 H5N1 virus, emergent H5N6 isolates showed less severe pathogenicity in mice and ferrets but acquired efficient in-contact transmission in ferrets. These findings suggest that the threat of avian H5N6 viruses to humans should not be ignored. PMID:27122581

STS-99 crew check out emergency egress equipment at launch pad during TCDT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

At Launch Pad 39A, STS-99 Mission Specialists Gerhard Thiele (Ph.D.), of the European Space Agency (in front), and Janet Kavandi (Ph.D.) prepare to practice emergency egress procedures with a slidewire basket. Seven slidewires, with flatbottom baskets suspended from each wire, extend from the Fixed Service Structure at the orbiter access arm level. These baskets could provide an escape route for the astronauts until the final 30 seconds of the countdown in case of an emergency. The crew is taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities that provide the crew with simulated countdown exercises, emergency egress training, and opportunities to inspect the mission payloads in the orbiter's payload bay. STS-99 is the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, which will chart a new course, using two antennae and a 200-foot-long section of space station-derived mast protruding from the payload bay to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. The result of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. Besides contributing to the production of better maps, these measurements could lead to improved water drainage modeling, more realistic flight simulators, better locations for cell phone towers, and enhanced navigation safety. Launch of Endeavour on the 11-day mission is scheduled for Jan. 31 at 12:47 p.m. EST.

KSC-08pd1172

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-124 Mission Specialist Karen Nyberg is ready to begin driving practice in the M113 armored personnel carrier, part of emergency training. Behind her is Pilot Ken Ham. She and other crew members are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a dress launch rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd1176

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-124 Pilot Ken Ham stands ready to practice driving the M113 armored personnel carrier as part of emergency training. Behind him is Mission Specialist Karen Nyberg. Ham and other crew members are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a dress launch rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd1169

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-124 Mission Specialist Ron Garan is ready to drive the M113 armored personnel carrier as part of emergency training. Behind him is Pilot Ken Ham. They and other crew members are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a dress launch rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd1179

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-124 Mission Specialist Greg Chamitoff drives the M113 armored personnel carrier as part of emergency training. Behind him Commander Mark Kelly. At center is Battalion Chief George Hoggard providing supervision. Chamitoff and other crew members are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a dress launch rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-07pd0490

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-02-22

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the 195-foot level of the fixed service structure on Launch Pad 39A, STS-117 crew members receive instruction on emergency egress during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. Pilot Lee Archambault reviews emergency egress procedures using the slidewire basket system to get off the pad. The TCDT also includes M-113 armored personnel carrier training, and a simulated launch countdown. The mission payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, along with a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Transcriptome Remodeling Contributes to Epidemic Disease Caused by the Human Pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes.

PubMed

Beres, Stephen B; Kachroo, Priyanka; Nasser, Waleed; Olsen, Randall J; Zhu, Luchang; Flores, Anthony R; de la Riva, Ivan; Paez-Mayorga, Jesus; Jimenez, Francisco E; Cantu, Concepcion; Vuopio, Jaana; Jalava, Jari; Kristinsson, Karl G; Gottfredsson, Magnus; Corander, Jukka; Fittipaldi, Nahuel; Di Luca, Maria Chiara; Petrelli, Dezemona; Vitali, Luca A; Raiford, Annessa; Jenkins, Leslie; Musser, James M

2016-05-31

For over a century, a fundamental objective in infection biology research has been to understand the molecular processes contributing to the origin and perpetuation of epidemics. Divergent hypotheses have emerged concerning the extent to which environmental events or pathogen evolution dominates in these processes. Remarkably few studies bear on this important issue. Based on population pathogenomic analysis of 1,200 Streptococcus pyogenes type emm89 infection isolates, we report that a series of horizontal gene transfer events produced a new pathogenic genotype with increased ability to cause infection, leading to an epidemic wave of disease on at least two continents. In the aggregate, these and other genetic changes substantially remodeled the transcriptomes of the evolved progeny, causing extensive differential expression of virulence genes and altered pathogen-host interaction, including enhanced immune evasion. Our findings delineate the precise molecular genetic changes that occurred and enhance our understanding of the evolutionary processes that contribute to the emergence and persistence of epidemically successful pathogen clones. The data have significant implications for understanding bacterial epidemics and for translational research efforts to blunt their detrimental effects. The confluence of studies of molecular events underlying pathogen strain emergence, evolutionary genetic processes mediating altered virulence, and epidemics is in its infancy. Although understanding these events is necessary to develop new or improved strategies to protect health, surprisingly few studies have addressed this issue, in particular, at the comprehensive population genomic level. Herein we establish that substantial remodeling of the transcriptome of the human-specific pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes by horizontal gene flow and other evolutionary genetic changes is a central factor in precipitating and perpetuating epidemic disease. The data unambiguously show that the key outcome of these molecular events is evolution of a new, more virulent pathogenic genotype. Our findings provide new understanding of epidemic disease. Copyright © 2016 Beres et al.

Weak support for disappearance and restricted emergence/persistence of highly pathogenic influenza A in North American waterfowl

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ramey, Andy M.; Spackman, Erica; Kim Torchetti, Mia; DeLiberto, Thomas J.

2016-01-01

Krauss et al. (1) use lack of detection of highly pathogenic (HP) H5 clade 2.3.4.4 (henceforth "H5") influenza A viruses (IAVs) from >22,000 wild bird samples collected in North America in 2014–2015 to argue that HP H5 IAVs disappeared from waterfowl and that unresolved mechanisms restrict emergence and perpetuation of HP IAVs in natural reservoir species. Here we offer an alternative interpretation.

Rapid Emergence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Subtypes from a Subtype H5N1 Hemagglutinin Variant.

PubMed

de Vries, Erik; Guo, Hongbo; Dai, Meiling; Rottier, Peter J M; van Kuppeveld, Frank J M; de Haan, Cornelis A M

2015-05-01

In 2014, novel highly pathogenic avian influenza A H5N2, H5N5, H5N6, and H5N8 viruses caused outbreaks in Asia, Europe, and North America. The H5 genes of these viruses form a monophyletic group that evolved from a clade 2.3.4 H5N1 variant. This rapid emergence of new H5Nx combinations is unprecedented in the H5N1 evolutionary history.

Bio-Functional Au/Si Nanorods for Pathogen Detection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Technical Abstract Nanotechnology applications for food safety and biosecurity, especially development of nanoscale sensors for foodborne pathogen measurement are emerging. A novel bio-functional nanosensor for Salmonella detection was developed using hetero-nanorods. The silica nanorods were fabr...

Diversity of foliar Phytophthora species on Rhododendron in Oregon nurseries

Treesearch

B.J. Knaus; K.A. Graham; Niklaus J. Grünwald; Valerie J. Fieland

2017-01-01

The genus Phytophthora contains some of the most notorious plant pathogens affecting nursery crops. Given the recent emergence of the sudden oak death pathogen Phytophthora ramorum, particularly in association with Rhododendron spp., characterization of Phytophthora communities...

KSC-2014-2060

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A container carrying the first set of Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System is transferred into the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During processing, the Ogive panels will enclose and protect the Orion spacecraft and attach to the Launch Abort System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

Final design report of a personnel launch system and a family of heavy lift launch vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tupa, James; Merritt, Debbie; Riha, David; Burton, Lee; Kubinski, Russell; Drake, Kerry; Mann, Darrin; Turner, Ken

1991-01-01

The objective was to design both a Personnel Launch System (PLS) and a family of Heavy Lift Launch Vehicles (FHLLVs) that provide low cost and efficient operation in missions not suited for the Shuttle. The PLS vehicle is designed primarily for space station crew rotation and emergency crew return. The final design of the PLS vehicle and its interior is given. The mission of the FHLLVs is to place large, massive payloads into Earth orbit with payload flexibility being considered foremost in the design. The final design of three launch vehicles was found to yield a payload capacity range from 20 to 200 mt. These designs include the use of multistaged, high thrust liquid engines mounted on the core stages of the rocket.

KSC-2014-2056

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Containers carrying the first set of Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System are being offloaded for transfer into the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During processing, the Ogive panels will enclose and protect the Orion spacecraft and attach to the Launch Abort System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-2054

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The first set of Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System arrives by truck at the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During processing, the Ogive panels will enclose and protect the Orion spacecraft and attach to the Launch Abort System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-2059

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Containers carrying the first set of Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System aretransferred into the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During processing, the Ogive panels will enclose and protect the Orion spacecraft and attach to the Launch Abort System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-2052

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The first set of Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System arrives by truck at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ogive panels will be delivered to the Launch Abort System Facility. During processing, the panels will enclose and protect the Orion spacecraft and attach to the Launch Abort System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-2057

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Containers carrying the first set of Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System have been transferred into the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During processing, the Ogive panels will enclose and protect the Orion spacecraft and attach to the Launch Abort System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-2055

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The first set of Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System arrives by truck at the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During processing, the Ogive panels will enclose and protect the Orion spacecraft and attach to the Launch Abort System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-2058

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A container carrying the first set of Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System is offloaded for transfer into the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During processing, the Ogive panels will enclose and protect the Orion spacecraft and attach to the Launch Abort System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-2053

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-10

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The first set of Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System arrives by truck at the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During processing, the Ogive panels will enclose and protect the Orion spacecraft and attach to the Launch Abort System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

STS-87 Mission Specialist Chawla is assisted with her launch and entry spacesuit at LC 39B during TC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

STS-87 Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla, Ph.D., is assisted with her orange launch and entry spacesuit by NASA suit technicians at Launch Pad 39B during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities. The crew of the STS-87 mission is scheduled for launch Nov. 19 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight providing the crew of each mission opportunities to participate in simulated countdown activities. The TCDT ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cut-off. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the pad and has an opportunity to view and inspect the payloads in the orbiter's payload bay.

KSC-2014-3637

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-22

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA astronauts tour the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left, are Scott Tingle, Jack Fischer, Mark Vande Hei and Katie Rubins. They are standing near the Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System. During processing, the Ogive panels will enclose and protect the Orion spacecraft for Exploration Flight Test-1 and attach to the Launch Abort System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Dimitri Gerondidakis

Food-borne diseases - the challenges of 20 years ago still persist while new ones continue to emerge.

PubMed

Newell, Diane G; Koopmans, Marion; Verhoef, Linda; Duizer, Erwin; Aidara-Kane, Awa; Sprong, Hein; Opsteegh, Marieke; Langelaar, Merel; Threfall, John; Scheutz, Flemming; van der Giessen, Joke; Kruse, Hilde

2010-05-30

The burden of diseases caused by food-borne pathogens remains largely unknown. Importantly data indicating trends in food-borne infectious intestinal disease is limited to a few industrialised countries, and even fewer pathogens. It has been predicted that the importance of diarrhoeal disease, mainly due to contaminated food and water, as a cause of death will decline worldwide. Evidence for such a downward trend is limited. This prediction presumes that improvements in the production and retail of microbiologically safe food will be sustained in the developed world and, moreover, will be rolled out to those countries of the developing world increasingly producing food for a global market. In this review evidence is presented to indicate that the microbiological safety of food remains a dynamic situation heavily influenced by multiple factors along the food chain from farm to fork. Sustaining food safety standards will depend on constant vigilance maintained by monitoring and surveillance but, with the rising importance of other food-related issues, such as food security, obesity and climate change, competition for resources in the future to enable this may be fierce. In addition the pathogen populations relevant to food safety are not static. Food is an excellent vehicle by which many pathogens (bacteria, viruses/prions and parasites) can reach an appropriate colonisation site in a new host. Although food production practices change, the well-recognised food-borne pathogens, such as Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli, seem able to evolve to exploit novel opportunities, for example fresh produce, and even generate new public health challenges, for example antimicrobial resistance. In addition, previously unknown food-borne pathogens, many of which are zoonotic, are constantly emerging. Current understanding of the trends in food-borne diseases for bacterial, viral and parasitic pathogens has been reviewed. The bacterial pathogens are exemplified by those well-recognized by policy makers; i.e. Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes. Antimicrobial resistance in several bacterial food-borne pathogens (Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella and Vibrio spp., methicillin resistant Staphylcoccus aureas, E. coli and Enterococci) has been discussed as a separate topic because of its relative importance to policy issues. Awareness and surveillance of viral food-borne pathogens is generally poor but emphasis is placed on Norovirus, Hepatitis A, rotaviruses and newly emerging viruses such as SARS. Many food-borne parasitic pathogens are known (for example Ascaris, Cryptosporidia and Trichinella) but few of these are effectively monitored in foods, livestock and wildlife and their epidemiology through the food-chain is poorly understood. The lessons learned and future challenges in each topic are debated. It is clear that one overall challenge is the generation and maintenance of constructive dialogue and collaboration between public health, veterinary and food safety experts, bringing together multidisciplinary skills and multi-pathogen expertise. Such collaboration is essential to monitor changing trends in the well-recognised diseases and detect emerging pathogens. It will also be necessary understand the multiple interactions these pathogens have with their environments during transmission along the food chain in order to develop effective prevention and control strategies. Crown Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

KSC-01PP1663

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-11-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- STS-108 Mission Specialist Linda A. Godwin is ready to take her turn driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. She and other crew members are taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include emergency exit from the launch pad and a simulated launch countdown. The 11-day mission will carry the replacement Expedition 4 crew to the International Space Station, as well as the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello, filled with supplies and equipment. STS-108 is scheduled to launch Nov. 29 on Space Shuttle Endeavour

KSC-01PP1653

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-11-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- STS-108 Mission Specialist Daniel M. Tani is ready to practice driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. He and other crew members are taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include emergency exit from the launch pad and a simulated launch countdown. STS-108 is a Utilization Flight that will carry the replacement Expedition 4 crew to the International Space Station, as well as the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello, filled with supplies and equipment. The l1-day mission is scheduled for launch Nov. 29 on Space Shuttle Endeavour

KSC-2009-5229

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket with Space Tracking and Surveillance System - Demonstrator, or STSS-Demo, spacecraft emerges from a blanket of smoke after liftoff from Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. STSS-Demo was launched at 8:20:22 a.m. EDT by NASA for the Missile Defense System. The STSS-Demo is a space-based sensor component of a layered Ballistic Missile Defense System designed for the overall mission of detecting, tracking and discriminating ballistic missiles. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray-Tim Powers

KSC-2009-5227

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-09-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket with Space Tracking and Surveillance System - Demonstrator, or STSS-Demo, spacecraft emerges from a blanket of smoke after liftoff from Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. STSS-Demo was launched at 8:20:22 a.m. EDT by NASA for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. The STSS-Demo is a space-based sensor component of a layered Ballistic Missile Defense System designed for the overall mission of detecting, tracking and discriminating ballistic missiles. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray-Tim Powers

STS-55 Payload Specialist Schlegel with technicians during JSC WETF bailout

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-55 Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, Payload Specialist 2 Hans Schlegel, wearing launch and entry suit (LES), launch and entry helmet (LEH), and parachute, discusses procedures with technicians Karen Porter and Todd Bailey prior to launch emergency egress (bailout) exercises. The session, held in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29, used the facility's 25-foot deep pool to simulate the ocean as Schlegel and other crewmembers practiced water bailout procedures. Schlegel represents the DLR for the upcoming Spacelab Deutsche 2 (SL-D2) mission.

STS-55 backup Payload Specialist Thiele with technician in JSC's WETF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-55 Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, backup German Payload Specialist Dr. P. Gerhard Thiele, wearing launch and entry suit (LES), launch and entry helmet (LEH), and parachute, seated on the poolside waits his turn to participate in launch emergency egress (bailout) exercises. The session, held in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29, used the facility's 25-foot deep pool to simulate the ocean as Thiele and other crewmembers practiced water bailout procedures. Thiele represents the DLR for the upcoming Spacelab Deutsche 2 (SL-D2) mission.

STS-55 MS2 Precourt in life raft during egress exercises at JSC's WETF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-55 Mission Specialist 2 (MS2) Charles J. Precourt drains his single person life raft (using hose) as he floats in the pool located in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29. Precourt, wearing a launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), is participating in launch emergency egress (bailout) training. A SCUBA-equipped diver monitors Precourt's actions. STS-55 with the Spacelab Deutsche 2 (SL-D2) payload will fly aboard Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, in 1993.

KSC-2009-3408

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Mission Specialist Dave Wolf answers a question during a session with the media at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. Space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-3409

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Mission Specialist Julie Payette answers a question during a session with the media at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A. Payette represents the Canadian Space Agency. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. Space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2009-3406

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 Pilot Doug Hurley answers a question from the media during a session with the media at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. Space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Mechanisms of Antibiotic Resistance

PubMed Central

Munita, Jose M.; Arias, Cesar A.

2015-01-01

Emergence of resistance among the most important bacterial pathogens is recognized as a major public health threat affecting humans worldwide. Multidrug-resistant organisms have emerged not only in the hospital environment but are now often identified in community settings, suggesting that reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are present outside the hospital. The bacterial response to the antibiotic “attack” is the prime example of bacterial adaptation and the pinnacle of evolution. “Survival of the fittest” is a consequence of an immense genetic plasticity of bacterial pathogens that trigger specific responses that result in mutational adaptations, acquisition of genetic material or alteration of gene expression producing resistance to virtually all antibiotics currently available in clinical practice. Therefore, understanding the biochemical and genetic basis of resistance is of paramount importance to design strategies to curtail the emergence and spread of resistance and devise innovative therapeutic approaches against multidrug-resistant organisms. In this chapter, we will describe in detail the major mechanisms of antibiotic resistance encountered in clinical practice providing specific examples in relevant bacterial pathogens. PMID:27227291

Emerging zoonoses in the southern United States: toxocariasis, bovine tuberculosis and southern tick-associated rash illness.

PubMed

Clinton, Rachel M; Carabin, Hélène; Little, Susan E

2010-09-01

The majority of emerging diseases in humans have been linked to zoonotic pathogens originating in domestic animals or wildlife. This is a public health concern because zoonotic infections affect several aspects of the society. The complex interactions among pathogen, host and environment also pose challenges in estimating the true burden of those infections. However, the recent development of new molecular diagnostic tools has allowed for better diagnosis of zoonotic infections. This review focuses on 3 emerging zoonoses, namely toxocariasis, bovine tuberculosis and southern tick-associated rash illness, and demonstrates that these infections may be more prevalent in the southern United States than previously recognized. This review places special emphasis on the recent epidemiologic trends, intra/interspecies transmission and clinical features of each of these zoonoses. In addition, treatment and prevention for each zoonotic pathogen are discussed. Clinicians working in the southern United States should be aware of the presence of those zoonotic infections.

Polymorphic SSR Markers for Plasmopara obducens (Peronosporaceae), the Newly Emergent Downy Mildew Pathogen of Impatiens (Balsaminaceae)

DOE PAGES

Salgado-Salazar, Catalina; Rivera, Yazmín; Veltri, Daniel; ...

2015-11-10

Premise of the study: Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were developed for Plasmopara obducens, the causal agent of the newly emergent downy mildew disease of Impatiens walleriana. Methods and Results: A 202-Mb draft genome assembly was generated from P. obducens using Illumina technology and mined to identify 13,483 SSR motifs. Primers were synthesized for 62 marker candidates, of which 37 generated reliable PCR products. Testing of the 37 markers using 96 P. obducens samples showed 96% of the markers were polymorphic, with 2-6 alleles observed. Observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.000-0.892 and 0.023-0.746, respectively. Just 17 markers were sufficientmore » to identify all multilocus genotypes. Conclusions: These are the first SSR markers available for this pathogen, and one of the first molecular resources. These markers will be useful in assessing variation in pathogen populations and determining the factors contributing to the emergence of destructive impatiens downy mildew disease.« less

CRISPR interference can prevent natural transformation and virulence acquisition during in vivo bacterial infection.

PubMed

Bikard, David; Hatoum-Aslan, Asma; Mucida, Daniel; Marraffini, Luciano A

2012-08-16

Pathogenic bacterial strains emerge largely due to transfer of virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes between bacteria, a process known as horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) loci of bacteria and archaea encode a sequence-specific defense mechanism against bacteriophages and constitute a programmable barrier to HGT. However, the impact of CRISPRs on the emergence of virulence is unknown. We programmed the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae with CRISPR sequences that target capsule genes, an essential pneumococcal virulence factor, and show that CRISPR interference can prevent transformation of nonencapsulated, avirulent pneumococci into capsulated, virulent strains during infection in mice. Further, at low frequencies bacteria can lose CRISPR function, acquire capsule genes, and mount a successful infection. These results demonstrate that CRISPR interference can prevent the emergence of virulence in vivo and that strong selective pressure for virulence or antibiotic resistance can lead to CRISPR loss in bacterial pathogens. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Resistance in persisting bat populations after white-nose syndrome invasion.

PubMed

Langwig, Kate E; Hoyt, Joseph R; Parise, Katy L; Frick, Winifred F; Foster, Jeffrey T; Kilpatrick, A Marm

2017-01-19

Increases in anthropogenic movement have led to a rise in pathogen introductions and the emergence of infectious diseases in naive host communities worldwide. We combined empirical data and mathematical models to examine changes in disease dynamics in little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) populations following the introduction of the emerging fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, which causes the disease white-nose syndrome. We found that infection intensity was much lower in persisting populations than in declining populations where the fungus has recently invaded. Fitted models indicate that this is most consistent with a reduction in the growth rate of the pathogen when fungal loads become high. The data are inconsistent with the evolution of tolerance or an overall reduced pathogen growth rate that might be caused by environmental factors. The existence of resistance in some persisting populations of little brown bats offers a glimmer of hope that a precipitously declining species will persist in the face of this deadly pathogen.This article is part of the themed issue 'Human influences on evolution, and the ecological and societal consequences'. © 2016 The Author(s).

The Media Tour the BFF, VAB, and the ML

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-02

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media tour the spaceport's Vehicle Assembly Building. They were briefed on progress to upgrade and modify crawler-transporter CT 2 to support the Space Launch System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.

The Expedition Three crew poses for photo at Launch Pad 39A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Expedition Three crew poses in front of Space Shuttle Discovery on Launch Pad 39A. From left are cosmonauts Mikhail Tyurin and Vladimir Nikolaevich Dezhurov and Commander Frank Culbertson. Along with the STS-105 crew, they are taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include emergency egress from the pad, a simulated launch countdown and familiarization with the payload. Mission STS-105 will be transporting the Expedition Three crew, several payloads and scientific experiments to the International Space Station aboard Discovery. The current Expedition Two crew members on the Station will return to Earth on Discovery. Launch of Discovery is scheduled no earlier than Aug. 9, 2001.

KSC-01pp1354

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-20

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Expedition Three crew join hands for a photo on Launch Pad 39A. From left are cosmonaut Vladimir Nikolaevich Dezhurov, Commander Frank Culbertson and cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin. The STS-105 and Expedition Three crews are at Kennedy Space Center participating in a Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, a dress rehearsal for launch. The activities include emergency egress training, a simulated launch countdown and familiarization with the payload. Mission STS-105 will be transporting the Expedition Three crew, several payloads and scientific experiments to the International Space Station aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. The Expedition Two crew members currently on the Station will return to Earth on Discovery. The mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than Aug. 9, 2001

STS-52 Commander Wetherbee, in LES/LEH, during JSC WETF bailout exercises

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-52 Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, Commander James D. Wetherbee, fully outfitted in a launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), prepares for emergency egress (bailout) training exercise in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29 pool. The WETF's 25-ft deep pool will be used to simulate a water landing.

STS-47 MS Davis dons LES with technicians' help prior to JSC bailout training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-47 Endeavour, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 105, Mission Specialist (MS) N. Jan Davis, wearing a launch and entry suit (LES), looks on as technicians adjust her LES parachute pack prior to launch emergency egress (bailout) exercises in JSC's Mockup and Integration Laboratory (MAIL) Bldg 9A. Davis is making her first flight in space.

STS-39 MS Hieb floats in single person life raft in JSC's WETF Bldg 29 pool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

STS-39 Mission Specialist (MS) Richard J. Hieb, wearing launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), floats in single person life raft after landing in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29 pool. During emergency egress bailout procedures, Hieb practiced procedures necessary for a water landing. Divers monitor Hieb's activity.

KSC-07pd3350

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-11-18

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-122 Mission Specialist Leopold Eyharts of the European Space Agency, in front, practices driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier as the instructor, in the helmet beside him, monitors his performance. Eyharts will remain on the International Space Station as a flight engineer for Expedition 16 following the STS-122 mission. In back from left, former astronaut Jerry Ross, chief of the Vehicle Integration Test Office at NASA Johnson Space Center, and STS-122 Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Stanley Love (standing) and Hans Schlegel of the European Space Agency, are along for the ride. The practice near Launch Pad 39B is part of training on emergency egress procedures. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is participating in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, a standard part of launch preparations. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with equipment familiarization, emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. On mission STS-122, Atlantis will deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus module to the International Space Station. Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony, and will expand the research facilities aboard the station. Launch is targeted for Dec. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-99pp0723

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-06-22

The STS-93 crew pose in front of an M-113, an armored personnel carrier, which they will use for emergency egress training from the launch pad. From left are Mission Specialist Steven A. Hawley (Ph.D.), Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby, Mission Specialist Michel Tognini of France, Commander Eileen M. Collins and Mission Specialist Catherine G. Coleman (Ph.D.). Collins is the first woman to serve as mission commander. Tognini represents the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). TCDT activities familiarize the crew with the mission, provide training in emergency exit from the orbiter and launch pad, and include a launch-day dress rehearsal culminating with a simulated main engine cut-off. The primary mission of STS-93 is the release of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which will allow scientists from around the world to obtain unprecedented X-ray images of exotic environments in space to help understand the structure and evolution of the universe. Chandra is expected to provide unique and crucial information on the nature of objects ranging from comets in our solar system to quasars at the edge of the observable universe. Since X-rays are absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere, space-based observatories are necessary to study these phenomena and allow scientists to analyze some of the greatest mysteries of the universe. The targeted launch date for STS-93 is no earlier than July 20 at 12:36 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B

Scedosporium inflatum, an emerging pathogen.

PubMed Central

Salkin, I F; McGinnis, M R; Dykstra, M J; Rinaldi, M G

1988-01-01

The salient morphologic and physiologic characteristics of 18 isolates of Scedosporium inflatum, a newly reported human pathogen, were compared with those of the morphologically similar fungi Scedosporium apiospermum, Scopulariopsis brevicaulis, and Scopulariopsis brumptii. The formation by S. inflatum of annelloconidia in wet clumps at the apices of annellides with swollen bases was found to be the most useful characteristic in differentiating this potential pathogen. Images PMID:3356789

Analysis of the synonymous codon usage bias in recently emerged enterovirus D68 strains.

PubMed

Karniychuk, Uladzimir U

2016-09-02

Understanding the codon usage pattern of a pathogen and relationship between pathogen and host's codon usage patterns has fundamental and applied interests. Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is an emerging pathogen with a potentially high public health significance. In the present study, the synonymous codon usage bias of 27 recently emerged, and historical EV-D68 strains was analyzed. In contrast to previously studied enteroviruses (enterovirus 71 and poliovirus), EV-D68 and human host have a high discrepancy between favored codons. Analysis of viral synonymous codon usage bias metrics, viral nucleotide/dinucleotide compositional parameters, and viral protein properties showed that mutational pressure is more involved in shaping the synonymous codon usage bias of EV-D68 than translation selection. Computation of codon adaptation indices allowed to estimate expression potential of the EV-D68 genome in several commonly used laboratory animals. This approach requires experimental validation and may provide an auxiliary tool for the rational selection of laboratory animals to model emerging viral diseases. Enterovirus D68 genome compositional and codon usage data can be useful for further pathogenesis, animal model, and vaccine design studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Parallel Evolution of Two Clades of an Atlantic-Endemic Pathogenic Lineage of Vibrio parahaemolyticus by Independent Acquisition of Related Pathogenicity Islands

PubMed Central

Xu, Feng; Drees, Kevin P.; Sebra, Robert P.; Jones, Stephen H.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Shellfish-transmitted Vibrio parahaemolyticus infections have recently increased from locations with historically low disease incidence, such as the Northeast United States. This change coincided with a bacterial population shift toward human-pathogenic variants occurring in part through the introduction of several Pacific native lineages (ST36, ST43, and ST636) to nearshore areas off the Atlantic coast of the Northeast United States. Concomitantly, ST631 emerged as a major endemic pathogen. Phylogenetic trees of clinical and environmental isolates indicated that two clades diverged from a common ST631 ancestor, and in each of these clades, a human-pathogenic variant evolved independently through acquisition of distinct Vibrio pathogenicity islands (VPaI). These VPaI differ from each other and bear little resemblance to hemolysin-containing VPaI from isolates of the pandemic clonal complex. Clade I ST631 isolates either harbored no hemolysins or contained a chromosome I-inserted island we call VPaIβ that encodes a type 3 secretion system (T3SS2β) typical of Trh hemolysin producers. The more clinically prevalent and clonal ST631 clade II had an island we call VPaIγ that encodes both tdh and trh and that was inserted in chromosome II. VPaIγ was derived from VPaIβ but with some additional acquired elements in common with VPaI carried by pandemic isolates, exemplifying the mosaic nature of pathogenicity islands. Genomics comparisons and amplicon assays identified VPaIγ-type islands containing tdh inserted adjacent to the ure cluster in the three introduced Pacific and most other emergent lineages that collectively cause 67% of infections in the Northeast United States as of 2016. IMPORTANCE The availability of three different hemolysin genotypes in the ST631 lineage provided a unique opportunity to employ genome comparisons to further our understanding of the processes underlying pathogen evolution. The fact that two different pathogenic clades arose in parallel from the same potentially benign lineage by independent VPaI acquisition is surprising considering the historically low prevalence of community members harboring VPaI in waters along the Northeast U.S. coast that could serve as the source of this material. This illustrates a possible predisposition of some lineages to not only acquire foreign DNA but also become human pathogens. Whereas the underlying cause for the expansion of V. parahaemolyticus lineages harboring VPaIγ along the U.S. Atlantic coast and spread of this element to multiple lineages that underlies disease emergence is not known, this work underscores the need to define the environment factors that favor bacteria harboring VPaI in locations of emergent disease. PMID:28687650

REAL-TIME PCR DETECTION OF THREE HUMAN-PATHOGENIC SPECIES FROM THE MICROSPORIDIAL GENUS ENCEPHALITOZOON

EPA Science Inventory

Three microsporidial species from the genus Encephalitozoon, E. hellem, E. cuniculi and E. intestinalis, have emerged as important opportunistic pathogens of humans affecting organ transplant recipients, AIDS patients, and other immunocompromised patients. Even though these thre...

EXPLORATORY OCCURRENCE STUDY OF NEWLY EMERGING PATHOGENS IN POTABLE WATER

EPA Science Inventory

Recent attention has focused on the potential transmission via drinking water of two bacterial pathogens, Aeromonas and Helicobacter pylori, both of which are included in the current Contaminant Candidate List. Aeromonas bacteria occur naturally in surface waters and have been i...

Hydrothermal carbonization of livestock mortality for the reduction of pathogens and microbially-derived DNA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), utilizing high temperature and pressure, has the potential to treat agricultural waste and inactivate pathogens, antibiotic resistance genes (ARG), and contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) in an environmentally and economically friendly manner. Livestock mortality...

Evaluating host resistance to Macrophomina crown rot in strawberry

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Macrophomina crown rot, caused by the soilborne fungus Macrophomina phaseolina, is an emerging pathogen in California strawberry production. When established, the pathogen can cause extensive plant decline and mortality. Host resistance will be a critical tool for managing this disease and guiding ...

Genomic Evidence for the Emergence and Evolution of Pathogenicity and Niche Preferences in the Genus Campylobacter

PubMed Central

Iraola, Gregorio; Pérez, Ruben; Naya, Hugo; Paolicchi, Fernando; Pastor, Eugenia; Valenzuela, Sebastián; Calleros, Lucía; Velilla, Alejandra; Hernández, Martín; Morsella, Claudia

2014-01-01

The genus Campylobacter includes some of the most relevant pathogens for human and animal health; the continuous effort in their characterization has also revealed new species putatively involved in different kind of infections. Nowadays, the available genomic data for the genus comprise a wide variety of species with different pathogenic potential and niche preferences. In this work, we contribute to enlarge this available information presenting the first genome for the species Campylobacter sputorum bv. sputorum and use this and the already sequenced organisms to analyze the emergence and evolution of pathogenicity and niche preferences among Campylobacter species. We found that campylobacters can be unequivocally distinguished in established and putative pathogens depending on their repertory of virulence genes, which have been horizontally acquired from other bacteria because the nonpathogenic Campylobacter ancestor emerged, and posteriorly interchanged between some members of the genus. Additionally, we demonstrated the role of both horizontal gene transfers and diversifying evolution in niche preferences, being able to distinguish genetic features associated to the tropism for oral, genital, and gastrointestinal tissues. In particular, we highlight the role of nonsynonymous evolution of disulphide bond proteins, the invasion antigen B (CiaB), and other secreted proteins in the determination of niche preferences. Our results arise from assessing the previously unmet goal of considering the whole available Campylobacter diversity for genome comparisons, unveiling notorious genetic features that could explain particular phenotypes and set the basis for future research in Campylobacter biology. PMID:25193310

Ecology of zoonotic infectious diseases in bats: current knowledge and future directions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hayman, D.T.; Bowen, R.A.; Cryan, P.M.; McCracken, G.F.; O'Shea, T.J.; Peel, A.J.; Gilbert, A.; Webb, C.T.; Wood, J.L.

2013-01-01

Bats are hosts to a range of zoonotic and potentially zoonotic pathogens. Human activities that increase exposure to bats will likely increase the opportunity for infections to spill over in the future. Ecological drivers of pathogen spillover and emergence in novel hosts, including humans, involve a complex mixture of processes, and understanding these complexities may aid in predicting spillover. In particular, only once the pathogen and host ecologies are known can the impacts of anthropogenic changes be fully appreciated. Cross-disciplinary approaches are required to understand how host and pathogen ecology interact. Bats differ from other sylvatic disease reservoirs because of their unique and diverse lifestyles, including their ability to fly, often highly gregarious social structures, long lifespans and low fecundity rates. We highlight how these traits may affect infection dynamics and how both host and pathogen traits may interact to affect infection dynamics. We identify key questions relating to the ecology of infectious diseases in bats and propose that a combination of field and laboratory studies are needed to create data-driven mechanistic models to elucidate those aspects of bat ecology that are most critical to the dynamics of emerging bat viruses. If commonalities can be found, then predicting the dynamics of newly emerging diseases may be possible. This modelling approach will be particularly important in scenarios when population surveillance data are unavailable and when it is unclear which aspects of host ecology are driving infection dynamics.

Ecology of Zoonotic Infectious Diseases in Bats: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

PubMed Central

Hayman, D T S; Bowen, R A; Cryan, P M; McCracken, G F; O’Shea, T J; Peel, A J; Gilbert, A; Webb, C T; Wood, J L N

2013-01-01

Bats are hosts to a range of zoonotic and potentially zoonotic pathogens. Human activities that increase exposure to bats will likely increase the opportunity for infections to spill over in the future. Ecological drivers of pathogen spillover and emergence in novel hosts, including humans, involve a complex mixture of processes, and understanding these complexities may aid in predicting spillover. In particular, only once the pathogen and host ecologies are known can the impacts of anthropogenic changes be fully appreciated. Cross-disciplinary approaches are required to understand how host and pathogen ecology interact. Bats differ from other sylvatic disease reservoirs because of their unique and diverse lifestyles, including their ability to fly, often highly gregarious social structures, long lifespans and low fecundity rates. We highlight how these traits may affect infection dynamics and how both host and pathogen traits may interact to affect infection dynamics. We identify key questions relating to the ecology of infectious diseases in bats and propose that a combination of field and laboratory studies are needed to create data-driven mechanistic models to elucidate those aspects of bat ecology that are most critical to the dynamics of emerging bat viruses. If commonalities can be found, then predicting the dynamics of newly emerging diseases may be possible. This modelling approach will be particularly important in scenarios when population surveillance data are unavailable and when it is unclear which aspects of host ecology are driving infection dynamics. PMID:22958281

KSC-2014-2232

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The second set of two Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System have arrived at the Launch Abort System Facility, or LASF, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ogive panels are being uncrated for storage inside the LASF. During processing, the panels will be secured around the Orion crew module and attached to the Launch Abort System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-2230

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The second set of two Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System arrives by truck at the Launch Abort System Facility, or LASF, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ogive panels will be uncrated inside the LASF. During processing, the panels will be secured around the Orion crew module and attached to the Launch Abort System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-2229

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The second set of two Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System arrives by truck at the Launch Abort System Facility, or LASF, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ogive panels will be uncrated inside the LASF. During processing, the panels will be secured around the Orion crew module and attached to the Launch Abort System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-2231

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-17

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The second set of two Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System have arrived by truck at the Launch Abort System Facility, or LASF, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ogive panels will be uncrated inside the LASF. During processing, the panels will be secured around the Orion crew module and attached to the Launch Abort System. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Kim Shiflett

Chronic Azithromycin Use in Cystic Fibrosis and Risk of Treatment-Emergent Respiratory Pathogens.

PubMed

Cogen, Jonathan D; Onchiri, Frankline; Emerson, Julia; Gibson, Ronald L; Hoffman, Lucas R; Nichols, David P; Rosenfeld, Margaret

2018-02-23

Azithromycin has been shown to improve lung function and reduce the number of pulmonary exacerbations in cystic fibrosis patients. Concerns remain, however, regarding the potential emergence of treatment-related respiratory pathogens. To determine if chronic azithromycin use (defined as thrice weekly administration) is associated with increased rates of detection of eight specific respiratory pathogens. We performed a new-user, propensity-score matched retrospective cohort study utilizing data from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry. Incident azithromycin users were propensity-score matched 1:1 with contemporaneous non-users. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to evaluate the association between chronic azithromycin use and incident respiratory pathogen detection. Analyses were performed separately for each pathogen, limited to patients among whom that pathogen had not been isolated in the two years prior to cohort entry. After propensity score matching, mean age of the cohorts was ~12 years. Chronic azithromycin users had a significantly lower risk of detection of new methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, non-tuberculous mycobacteria, and Burkholderia cepacia complex compared to non-users. The risk of acquiring the remaining five pathogens was not significantly different between users and non-users. Using an innovative new-user, propensity-score matched study design to minimize indication and selection biases, we found in a predominantly pediatric cohort that chronic azithromycin users had a lower risk of acquiring several cystic fibrosis-related respiratory pathogens. These results may ease concerns that chronic azithromycin exposure increases the risk of acquiring new respiratory pathogens among pediatric cystic fibrosis patients.

Detection of bacterial pathogens including potential new species in human head lice from Mali

PubMed Central

Amanzougaghene, Nadia; Fenollar, Florence; Sangaré, Abdoul Karim; Sissoko, Mahamadou S.; Doumbo, Ogobara K.; Raoult, Didier

2017-01-01

In poor African countries, where no medical and biological facilities are available, the identification of potential emerging pathogens of concern at an early stage is challenging. Head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis, have a short life, feed only on human blood and do not transmit pathogens to their progeny. They are, therefore, a perfect tool for the xenodiagnosis of current or recent human infection. This study assessed the occurrence of bacterial pathogens from head lice collected in two rural villages from Mali, where a high frequency of head lice infestation had previously been reported, using molecular methods. Results show that all 600 head lice, collected from 117 individuals, belonged to clade E, specific to West Africa. Bartonella quintana, the causative agent of trench fever, was identified in three of the 600 (0.5%) head lice studied. Our study also shows, for the first time, the presence of the DNA of two pathogenic bacteria, namely Coxiella burnetii (5.1%) and Rickettsia aeschlimannii (0.6%), detected in human head lice, as well as the DNA of potential new species from the Anaplasma and Ehrlichia genera of unknown pathogenicity. The finding of several Malian head lice infected with B. quintana, C. burnetii, R. aeschlimannii, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia is alarming and highlights the need for active survey programs to define the public health consequences of the detection of these emerging bacterial pathogens in human head lice. PMID:28931077

Adapting High-Throughput Screening Methods and Assays for Biocontainment Laboratories

PubMed Central

Tigabu, Bersabeh; White, E. Lucile; Bostwick, Robert; Tower, Nichole; Bukreyev, Alexander; Rockx, Barry; LeDuc, James W.; Noah, James W.

2015-01-01

Abstract High-throughput screening (HTS) has been integrated into the drug discovery process, and multiple assay formats have been widely used in many different disease areas but with limited focus on infectious agents. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of HTS campaigns using infectious wild-type pathogens rather than surrogates or biochemical pathogen-derived targets. Concurrently, enhanced emerging pathogen surveillance and increased human mobility have resulted in an increase in the emergence and dissemination of infectious human pathogens with serious public health, economic, and social implications at global levels. Adapting the HTS drug discovery process to biocontainment laboratories to develop new drugs for these previously uncharacterized and highly pathogenic agents is now feasible, but HTS at higher biosafety levels (BSL) presents a number of unique challenges. HTS has been conducted with multiple bacterial and viral pathogens at both BSL-2 and BSL-3, and pilot screens have recently been extended to BSL-4 environments for both Nipah and Ebola viruses. These recent successful efforts demonstrate that HTS can be safely conducted at the highest levels of biological containment. This review outlines the specific issues that must be considered in the execution of an HTS drug discovery program for high-containment pathogens. We present an overview of the requirements for HTS in high-level biocontainment laboratories. PMID:25710545

Detection of bacterial pathogens including potential new species in human head lice from Mali.

PubMed

Amanzougaghene, Nadia; Fenollar, Florence; Sangaré, Abdoul Karim; Sissoko, Mahamadou S; Doumbo, Ogobara K; Raoult, Didier; Mediannikov, Oleg

2017-01-01

In poor African countries, where no medical and biological facilities are available, the identification of potential emerging pathogens of concern at an early stage is challenging. Head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis, have a short life, feed only on human blood and do not transmit pathogens to their progeny. They are, therefore, a perfect tool for the xenodiagnosis of current or recent human infection. This study assessed the occurrence of bacterial pathogens from head lice collected in two rural villages from Mali, where a high frequency of head lice infestation had previously been reported, using molecular methods. Results show that all 600 head lice, collected from 117 individuals, belonged to clade E, specific to West Africa. Bartonella quintana, the causative agent of trench fever, was identified in three of the 600 (0.5%) head lice studied. Our study also shows, for the first time, the presence of the DNA of two pathogenic bacteria, namely Coxiella burnetii (5.1%) and Rickettsia aeschlimannii (0.6%), detected in human head lice, as well as the DNA of potential new species from the Anaplasma and Ehrlichia genera of unknown pathogenicity. The finding of several Malian head lice infected with B. quintana, C. burnetii, R. aeschlimannii, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia is alarming and highlights the need for active survey programs to define the public health consequences of the detection of these emerging bacterial pathogens in human head lice.

Predicting pathogen introduction: West Nile virus spread to Galáipagos.

PubMed

Kilpatrick, A Marm; Daszak, Peter; Goodman, Simon J; Rogg, Helmuth; Kramer, Laura D; Cedeño, Virna; Cunningham, Andrew A

2006-08-01

Emerging infectious diseases are a key threat to conservation and public health, yet predicting and preventing their emergence is notoriously difficult. We devised a predictive model for the introduction of a zoonotic vector-borne pathogen by considering each of the pathways by which it may be introduced to a new area and comparing the relative risk of each pathway. This framework is an adaptation of pest introduction models and estimates the number of infectious individuals arriving in a location and the duration of their infectivity. We used it to determine the most likely route for the introduction of West Nile virus to Galápagos and measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of introduction. The introduction of this highly pathogenic virus to this unique World Heritage Site could have devastating consequences, similar to those seen following introductions of pathogens into other endemic island faunas. Our model identified the transport of mosquitoes on airplanes as the highest risk for West Nile virus introduction. Pathogen dissemination through avian migration and the transportation of day-old chickens appeared to be less important pathways. Infected humans and mosquitoes transported in sea containers, in tires, or by wind all represented much lower risk. Our risk-assessment framework has broad applicability to other pathogens and other regions and depends only on the availability of data on the transport of goods and animals and the epidemiology of the pathogen.

The Emerging British Verticillium longisporum Population Consists of Aggressive Brassica Pathogens.

PubMed

Depotter, Jasper R L; Rodriguez-Moreno, Luis; Thomma, Bart P H J; Wood, Thomas A

2017-11-01

Verticillium longisporum is an economically important fungal pathogen of brassicaceous crops that originated from at least three hybridization events between different Verticillium spp., leading to the hybrid lineages A1/D1, A1/D2, and A1/D3. Isolates of lineage A1/D1 generally cause stem striping on oilseed rape (Brassica napus), which has recently been reported for the first time to occur in the United Kingdom. Intriguingly, the emerging U.K. population is distinct from the north-central European stem striping population. Little is known about the pathogenicity of the newly emerged U.K. population; hence, pathogenicity tests were executed to compare British isolates to previously characterized reference strains. In addition to the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the pathogenicity of four British isolates was assessed on four cultivars of three Brassica crop species: oilseed rape (Quartz and Incentive), cauliflower (Clapton), and Chinese cabbage (Hilton). To this end, vascular discoloration of the roots, plant biomass accumulations, and fungal stem colonization upon isolate infection were evaluated. The British isolates appeared to be remarkably aggressive, because plant biomass was significantly affected and severe vascular discoloration was observed. The British isolates were successful stem colonizers and the extent of fungal colonization negatively correlated with plant biomass of cauliflower and Quartz oilseed rape. However, in Quartz, the fungal colonization of A1/D1 isolates was significantly lower than that of the virulent reference isolate from lineage A1/D3, PD589. Moreover, despite levels of stem colonization similar to those of A1/D1 strains, PD589 did not cause significant disease on Incentive. Thus, A1/D1 isolates, including British isolates, are aggressive oilseed rape pathogens despite limited colonization levels in comparison with a virulent A1/D3 isolate.

Quantifying known and emerging uterine pathogens, and evaluating their association with metritis and fever in dairy cows.

PubMed

Cunha, Federico; Jeon, Soo Jin; Daetz, Rodolfo; Vieira-Neto, Achilles; Laporta, Jimena; Jeong, K Casey; Barbet, Anthony F; Risco, Carlos A; Galvão, Klibs N

2018-07-01

Metritis is caused by polymicrobial infection; however, recent metagenomic work challenges the importance of known pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Trueperella pyogenes while identifying potential new pathogens such as Bacteroides pyogenes, Porphyromonas levii and Helcococcus ovis. This study aims to quantify known and emerging uterine pathogens, and to evaluate their association with metritis and fever in dairy cows. Metritis was diagnosed at 6 ± 2 days postpartum, a uterine swab was collected and rectal temperature was measured. 39 cows were classified into three groups: Healthy (n = 14), Metritis without fever (MNoFever; n = 12), and Metritis with fever (MFever; n = 13). Absolute copy number was determined for total bacteria and for 8 potentially pathogenic bacteria using droplet digital PCR. Both MNoFever and MFever cows had higher copy number of total bacteria, Fusobacterium necrophorum, Prevotella melaninogenica, Bacteroides pyogenes, Porphyromonas levii, and Helcococcus ovis than Healthy cows. MNoFever and MFever groups were similar. There was no difference among groups in copy number of Escherichia coli, Trueperella pyogenes, and Bacteroides heparinolyticus, and they all had low copy numbers. Our work confirms the importance of some bacteria identified by culture-based studies in the pathogenesis of metritis such as Fusobacterium necrophorum and Prevotella melaninogenica; however, it challenges the importance of others such as Escherichia coli and Trueperella pyogenes at the time of metritis diagnosis. Additionally, Bacteroides pyogenes, Porphyromonas levii, and Helcococcus ovis were recognized as emerging pathogens involved in the etiology of metritis. Furthermore, fever was not associated with the total bacterial load or specific bacteria. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Constructing Rigorous and Broad Biosurveillance Networks for Detecting Emerging Zoonotic Outbreaks

PubMed Central

Brown, Mac; Moore, Leslie; McMahon, Benjamin; Powell, Dennis; LaBute, Montiago; Hyman, James M.; Rivas, Ariel; Jankowski, Mark; Berendzen, Joel; Loeppky, Jason; Manore, Carrie; Fair, Jeanne

2015-01-01

Determining optimal surveillance networks for an emerging pathogen is difficult since it is not known beforehand what the characteristics of a pathogen will be or where it will emerge. The resources for surveillance of infectious diseases in animals and wildlife are often limited and mathematical modeling can play a supporting role in examining a wide range of scenarios of pathogen spread. We demonstrate how a hierarchy of mathematical and statistical tools can be used in surveillance planning help guide successful surveillance and mitigation policies for a wide range of zoonotic pathogens. The model forecasts can help clarify the complexities of potential scenarios, and optimize biosurveillance programs for rapidly detecting infectious diseases. Using the highly pathogenic zoonotic H5N1 avian influenza 2006-2007 epidemic in Nigeria as an example, we determined the risk for infection for localized areas in an outbreak and designed biosurveillance stations that are effective for different pathogen strains and a range of possible outbreak locations. We created a general multi-scale, multi-host stochastic SEIR epidemiological network model, with both short and long-range movement, to simulate the spread of an infectious disease through Nigerian human, poultry, backyard duck, and wild bird populations. We chose parameter ranges specific to avian influenza (but not to a particular strain) and used a Latin hypercube sample experimental design to investigate epidemic predictions in a thousand simulations. We ranked the risk of local regions by the number of times they became infected in the ensemble of simulations. These spatial statistics were then complied into a potential risk map of infection. Finally, we validated the results with a known outbreak, using spatial analysis of all the simulation runs to show the progression matched closely with the observed location of the farms infected in the 2006-2007 epidemic. PMID:25946164

Molecular detection of emerging tick-borne pathogens in Vojvodina, Serbia.

PubMed

Potkonjak, Aleksandar; Gutiérrez, Ricardo; Savić, Sara; Vračar, Vuk; Nachum-Biala, Yaarit; Jurišić, Aleksandar; Kleinerman, Gabriela; Rojas, Alicia; Petrović, Aleksandra; Baneth, Gad; Harrus, Shimon

2016-02-01

Ticks play an important role in disease transmission globally due to their capability to serve as vectors for human and animal pathogens. The Republic of Serbia is an endemic area for a large number of tick-borne diseases. However, current knowledge on these diseases in Serbia is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of new emerging tick-borne pathogens in ticks collected from dogs and the vegetation from different parts of Vojvodina, Serbia. A total of 187 ticks, including 124 Rhipicephalus sanguineus, 45 Ixodes ricinus and 18 Dermacentor reticulatus were collected from dogs. In addition, 26 questing I. ricinus ticks were collected from the vegetation, using the flagging method, from 4 different localities in Vojvodina, Serbia. DNA was extracted from each tick individually and samples were tested by either conventional or real-time PCR assays for the presence of Rickettsia spp.-DNA (gltA and ompA gene fragments), Ehrlichia/Anaplasma spp.-DNA (16S rRNA gene fragment) and Hepatozoon spp./Babesia spp.-DNA (18S rRNA gene fragment). In addition, all I. ricinus DNA samples were tested for Bartonella spp.-DNA (ITS locus) by real-time PCR. In this study, the presence of novel emerging tick-borne pathogens including Rickettsia raoultii, Rickettsia massiliae, Babesia venatorum, Babesia microti, Hepatozoon canis and Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis was identified for the first time in Serbia. Our findings also confirmed the presence of Rickettsia monacensis, Babesia canis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in ticks from Serbia. The findings of the current study highlight the great diversity of tick-borne pathogens of human and animal importance in Serbia. Physicians, public health workers and veterinarians should increase alertness to the presence of these tick-borne pathogens in this country. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

KSC-08pd1170

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-124 Mission Specialist Ron Garan practices driving the M113 armored personnel carrier as part of emergency training. At center is the Battalion Chief George Hoggard, providing instruction. Behind Garan is Pilot Ken Ham. They and other crew members are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a dress launch rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd1175

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-124 Mission Specialist Akihiko Hoshide drives the M113 armored personnel carrier as part of emergency training. Battalion Chief George Hoggard provides supervision. Behind them are Mission Specialist Ron Garan and Pilot Ken Ham. Hoshide and other crew members are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a dress launch rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd1181

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-07

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-124 Mission Specialist Mike Fossum drives the M113 armored personnel carrier as part of emergency training. Behind him at left is Mission Specialist Greg Chamitoff. At center is Battalion Chief George Hoggard providing supervision. Fossum and other crew members are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a dress launch rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module – Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2011-2705

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- During a simulated pad emergency on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-134 Mission Specialist Roberto Vittori, with the European Space Agency, front, and a fellow crewmate make their way toward a slidewire basket that would take them to a safe bunker below the pad in an unlikely emergency situation. The emergency training while aboard space shuttle Endeavour is part of a week-long Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). Endeavour's six crew members are targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT. They will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the International Space Station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2011-2702

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - During a simulated pad emergency on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-134 Mission Specialist Roberto Vittori, with the European Space Agency, hops in a slidewire basket that would take him to a safe bunker below the pad in an unlikely emergency situation. The emergency training while aboard space shuttle Discovery is part of a week-long Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). Endeavour's six crew members are targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT. They will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the International Space Station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Reconstructing the emergence of a lethal infectious disease of wildlife supports a key role for spread through translocations by humans

PubMed Central

Cunningham, Andrew A.; Langton, Tom E. S.

2016-01-01

There have been few reconstructions of wildlife disease emergences, despite their extensive impact on biodiversity and human health. This is in large part attributable to the lack of structured and robust spatio-temporal datasets. We overcame logistical problems of obtaining suitable information by using data from a citizen science project and formulating spatio-temporal models of the spread of a wildlife pathogen (genus Ranavirus, infecting amphibians). We evaluated three main hypotheses for the rapid increase in disease reports in the UK: that outbreaks were being reported more frequently, that climate change had altered the interaction between hosts and a previously widespread pathogen, and that disease was emerging due to spatial spread of a novel pathogen. Our analysis characterized localized spread from nearby ponds, consistent with amphibian dispersal, but also revealed a highly significant trend for elevated rates of additional outbreaks in localities with higher human population density—pointing to human activities in also spreading the virus. Phylogenetic analyses of pathogen genomes support the inference of at least two independent introductions into the UK. Together these results point strongly to humans repeatedly translocating ranaviruses into the UK from other countries and between UK ponds, and therefore suggest potential control measures. PMID:27683363

Managing marine mollusc diseases in the context of regional and international commerce: policy issues and emerging concerns.

PubMed

Carnegie, Ryan B; Arzul, Isabelle; Bushek, David

2016-03-05

Marine mollusc production contributes to food and economic security worldwide and provides valuable ecological services, yet diseases threaten these industries and wild populations. Although the infrastructure for mollusc aquaculture health management is well characterized, its foundations are not without flaws. Use of notifiable pathogen lists can leave blind spots with regard to detection of unlisted and emerging pathogens. Increased reliance on molecular tools has come without similar attention to diagnostic validation, raising questions about assay performance, and has been accompanied by a reduced emphasis on microscopic diagnostic expertise that could weaken pathogen detection capabilities. Persistent questions concerning pathogen biology and ecology promote regulatory paralysis that impedes trade and which could weaken biosecurity by driving commerce to surreptitious channels. Solutions that might be pursued to improve shellfish aquaculture health management include the establishment of more broad-based surveillance programmes, wider training and use of general methods like histopathology to ensure alertness to emerging diseases, an increased focus on assay assessment and validation as fundamental to assay development, investment in basic research, and application of risk analyses to improve regulation. A continual sharpening of diagnostic tools and approaches and deepening of scientific knowledge is necessary to manage diseases and promote sustainable molluscan shellfish industries. © 2016 The Author(s).

Managing marine mollusc diseases in the context of regional and international commerce: policy issues and emerging concerns

PubMed Central

Carnegie, Ryan B.; Arzul, Isabelle; Bushek, David

2016-01-01

Marine mollusc production contributes to food and economic security worldwide and provides valuable ecological services, yet diseases threaten these industries and wild populations. Although the infrastructure for mollusc aquaculture health management is well characterized, its foundations are not without flaws. Use of notifiable pathogen lists can leave blind spots with regard to detection of unlisted and emerging pathogens. Increased reliance on molecular tools has come without similar attention to diagnostic validation, raising questions about assay performance, and has been accompanied by a reduced emphasis on microscopic diagnostic expertise that could weaken pathogen detection capabilities. Persistent questions concerning pathogen biology and ecology promote regulatory paralysis that impedes trade and which could weaken biosecurity by driving commerce to surreptitious channels. Solutions that might be pursued to improve shellfish aquaculture health management include the establishment of more broad-based surveillance programmes, wider training and use of general methods like histopathology to ensure alertness to emerging diseases, an increased focus on assay assessment and validation as fundamental to assay development, investment in basic research, and application of risk analyses to improve regulation. A continual sharpening of diagnostic tools and approaches and deepening of scientific knowledge is necessary to manage diseases and promote sustainable molluscan shellfish industries. PMID:26880834

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli: An Emerging Enteric Food Borne Pathogen

PubMed Central

Kaur, P.; Chakraborti, A.; Asea, A.

2010-01-01

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) are quite heterogeneous category of an emerging enteric pathogen associated with cases of acute or persistent diarrhea worldwide in children and adults, and over the past decade has received increasing attention as a cause of watery diarrhea, which is often persistent. EAEC infection is an important cause of diarrhea in outbreak and non-outbreak settings in developing and developed countries. Recently, EAEC has been implicated in the development of irritable bowel syndrome, but this remains to be confirmed. EAEC is defined as a diarrheal pathogen based on its characteristic aggregative adherence (AA) to HEp-2 cells in culture and its biofilm formation on the intestinal mucosa with a “stacked-brick” adherence phenotype, which is related to the presence of a 60 MDa plasmid (pAA). At the molecular level, strains demonstrating the aggregative phenotype are quite heterogeneous; several virulence factors are detected by polymerase chain reaction; however, none exhibited 100% specificity. Although several studies have identified specific virulence factor(s) unique to EAEC, the mechanism by which EAEC exerts its pathogenesis is, thus, far unknown. The present review updates the current knowledge on the epidemiology, chronic complications, detection, virulence factors, and treatment of EAEC, an emerging enteric food borne pathogen. PMID:20300577

STS-92 crew talk to media at Launch Pad 39A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

At Launch Pad 39A during a question and answer session with the media, STS-92 Commander Brian Duffy talks about the mission. Standing next to him, left to right, are Pilot Pamela Ann Melroy and Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, William S. McArthur Jr., Peter J.K. 'Jeff' Wisoff, Michael E. Lopez-Alegria and Koichi Wakata of Japan. The crew is at KSC for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities that provide emergency egress training, opportunities to inspect the mission payload, and a simulated countdown. The slidewire basket area is a landing site for the crew if they have to use the slidewire baskets to exit the orbiter on the pad in an emergency. STS-92 is scheduled to launch Oct. 5 at 9:38 p.m. EDT on the fifth flight to the International Space Station. It will carry two elements of the Space Station, the Integrated Truss Structure Z1 and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter. The mission is also the 100th flight in the Shuttle program.

International distance-learning outreach: the APEC EINet experience.

PubMed

Kimball, A M; Shih, L; Brown, J; Harris, T G; Pautler, N; Jamieson, R W; Bolles, J; Horwitch, C

2003-01-01

The Emerging Infections Network is a mature electronic network that links Public Health professionals in the Asia Pacific through regular e-mail bulletins and an extensive Web site (http://www.apec.org/infectious). Emerging infections is a new area of study; learning materials help foster education. Our objective is to quantify the response of the network to the introduction of distance-learning materials on the Web site. Distance-learning materials, developed by the University of Washington School of Public Health, were field tested and launched on the site. Publicity was carried out prior to the launch of the materials. Access was tracked prospectively using server counts of page downloads. Web access increased substantially during the month after the materials were launched, especially among Asia based computers. The effect was isolated to the distance-learning pages, and not general to the site. This Web site appears to be responsive to the advertisement and to the materials. Prospective Web-site monitoring proved useful. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.

KSC-2009-3372

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The STS-127 crew members sit in the M-113 armored personnel carrier for instructions on driving the M-113 as part of their training on emergency egress procedures. On the left are Commander Mark Polansky and Mission Specialists Tom Marshburn, Julie Payette and Dave Wolf (behind Payette). On the right are Mission Specialist Christopher Cassidy, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialist Tim Kopra. The crew members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission will each practice driving the M-113. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes the emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. The STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd0499

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-24

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, the crew of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission answers questions from the media during a break from emergency egress training. From left are From left are Commander Dominic Gorie; Mission Specialist Garrett Reisman; Pilot Gregory H. Johnson; and Mission Specialists Robert L. Behnken, Mike Foreman, Takao Doi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Rick Linnehan. The crew is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test or TCDT. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Endeavour is targeted to launch March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd0504

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-24

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, the crew for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission traverses the exit route from the White Room during instruction on emergency egress from the pad. From back to front are Mission Specialist Mike Foreman, Commander Dominic Gorie, Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Mission Specialists Takao Doi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Garrett Reisman. The crew is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test or TCDT. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Endeavour is targeted to launch March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd0506

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-24

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, the crew for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission receives instruction for emergency egress from the pad. In blue flight suits, from left, are Mission Specialist Mike Foreman; Pilot Gregory H. Johnson; Mission Specialists Takao Doi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Garrett Reisman and Robert L. Behnken; and Commander Dominic Gorie. The crew is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test or TCDT. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Endeavour is targeted to launch March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd0516

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-24

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, the crew for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission receives instruction on the operation of a slidewire basket during emergency egress training. Mission Specialist Takao Doi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency observes from the basket as Mission Specialist Rick Linnehan steadies the basket for Mission Specialist Garrett Reisman to jump to the ground. The crew is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test or TCDT. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Endeavour is targeted to launch March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd0505

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-24

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, the crew for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission receives instruction for emergency egress from the pad. In blue flight suits, from left, are Mission Specialist Mike Foreman; Pilot Gregory H. Johnson; Mission Specialists Takao Doi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Garrett Reisman and Robert L. Behnken; and Commander Dominic Gorie. The crew is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test or TCDT. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Endeavour is targeted to launch March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-08pd0509

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-24

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, the crew for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission receives instruction on the operation of a slidewire basket during emergency egress training. From top left are Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Commander Dominic Gorie. In the basket are Mission Specialists Rick Linnehan, Garrett Reisman and Takao Doi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The crew is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test or TCDT. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Endeavour is targeted to launch March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Moraxella osloensis, an emerging pathogen of endocarditis in immunocompromised patients?

PubMed

Gagnard, Jean-Charles; Hidri, Nadia; Grillon, Antoine; Jesel, Laurence; Denes, Eric

2015-01-01

We report two cases of endocarditis due to Moraxella osloensis. Only one previous case of such infection has been described. These infections occurred in immunocompromised patients (B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and kidney graft associated with Hodgkin's disease) and both patients had a favourable outcome with a complete cure of their infectious endocarditis. This bacterium could be an emerging pathogen revealed by MALDI-TOF. Indeed, its characterisation within the Moraxella group by use of biochemistry-based methods is difficult. Moreover, this strain could be particularly involved in immunocompromised patients.

Recent introduction of a chytrid fungus endangers Western Palearctic salamanders

PubMed Central

Martel, A.; Beukema, W.; Fisher, M. C.; Farrer, R. A.; Schmidt, B. R.; Tobler, U.; Goka, K.; Lips, K. R.; Muletz, C.; Zamudio, K. R.; Bosch, J.; Lötters, S.; Wombwell, E.; Garner, T.W. J.; Cunningham, A. A.; Spitzen-van der Sluijs, A.; Salvidio, S.; Ducatelle, R.; Nishikawa, K.; Nguyen, T. T.; Kolby, J. E.; Van Bocxlaer, I.; Bossuyt, F.; Pasmans, F.

2018-01-01

Emerging infectious diseases are reducing biodiversity on a global scale. Recently, the emergence of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans resulted in rapid declines in populations of European fire salamanders. Here, we screened more than 5000 amphibians from across four continents and combined experimental assessment of pathogenicity with phylogenetic methods to estimate the threat that this infection poses to amphibian diversity. Results show that B. salamandrivorans is restricted to, but highly pathogenic for, salamanders and newts (Urodela). The pathogen likely originated and remained in coexistence with a clade of salamander hosts for millions of years in Asia. As a result of globalization and lack of biosecurity, it has recently been introduced into naïve European amphibian populations, where it is currently causing biodiversity loss. PMID:25359973

Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses and generation of novel reassortants,United States, 2014–2015

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dong-Hun Lee,; Justin Bahl,; Mia Kim Torchetti,; Mary Lea Killian,; Ip, Hon S.; David E Swayne,

2016-01-01

Asian highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N8) viruses spread into North America in 2014 during autumn bird migration. Complete genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of 32 H5 viruses identified novel H5N1, H5N2, and H5N8 viruses that emerged in late 2014 through reassortment with North American low-pathogenicity avian influenza viruses.

Individualistic values are related to an increase in the outbreaks of infectious diseases and zoonotic diseases.

PubMed

Morand, Serge; Walther, Bruno A

2018-03-01

Collectivist versus individualistic values are important attributes of intercultural variation. Collectivist values favour in-group members over out-group members and may have evolved to protect in-group members against pathogen transmission. As predicted by the pathogen stress theory of cultural values, more collectivist countries are associated with a higher historical pathogen burden. However, if lifestyles of collectivist countries indeed function as a social defence which decreases pathogen transmission, then these countries should also have experienced fewer disease outbreaks in recent times. We tested this novel hypothesis by correlating the values of collectivism-individualism for 66 countries against their historical pathogen burden, recent number of infectious disease outbreaks and zoonotic disease outbreaks and emerging infectious disease events, and four potentially confounding variables. We confirmed the previously established negative relationship between individualism and historical pathogen burden with new data. While we did not find a correlation for emerging infectious disease events, we found significant positive correlations between individualism and the number of infectious disease outbreaks and zoonotic disease outbreaks. Therefore, one possible cost for individualistic cultures may be their higher susceptibility to disease outbreaks. We support further studies into the exact protective behaviours and mechanisms of collectivist societies which may inhibit disease outbreaks.

STS-46 crewmembers during water egress training in JSC's WETF Bldg 29

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-46 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, European Space Agency (ESA) Mission Specialist (MS) Claude Nicollier (left) and backup Italian Payload Specialist Umberto Guidoni, seated at the pool's side, relax before participating in a launch emergency egress (bailout) simulation in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29. The two participants are wearing launch and entry suits (LESs) during the pretest briefing.

STS-47 backup payload specialists participate in JSC WETF bailout exercise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-47 Endeavour, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 105, backup payload specialists (left to right) Chiaki Naito-Mukai, Takao Doi, and Stan Koszelak, wearing launch and entry suits, sit on the poolside in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29. These alternates are waiting to participate launch emergency egress (bailout) exercises. The training is conducted in the WETF pool to simulate a water landing.

STS-46 Payload Specialist Malerba in JSC's WETF pool during egress training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-46 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, Italian Payload Specialist Franco Malerba, wearing launch and entry suit (LES) and clamshell helmet, laughes as he floats in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29 pool. Malerba's flotation vest (life jacket) and two SCUBA-equipped divers keep him afloat after he was dropped into the pool during a launch emergency egress simulation.

STS-52 Commander Wetherbee floats in life raft during JSC bailout exercises

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

STS-52 Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, Commander James D. Wetherbee, wearing launch and entry suit (LES) and launch and entry helmet (LEH), floats in single person life raft during emergency egress (bailout) training exercises in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF) Bldg 29 pool. The bailout exercises utilize the WETF's 25-foot deep pool as the ocean for this water landing simulation.

EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASE AGENTS AND ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF TREATED SLUDGES (BIOSOLIDS)

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation looks at the pathogenic microorganisms present in municipal sludges and the public's concerns with the land application of sludges/biosolids. Methods for reducing pathogens in sludge; methods for reducing the vector attractiveness of sludge; and issues associate...

Post-translational modification of LipL32 during Leptospira interrogans infection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Leptospirosis, a re-emerging disease of global importance caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp., is considered the world’s most widespread zoonotic disease. Rats serve as asymptomatic carriers of pathogenic Leptospira and are critical for disease spread. In such reservoir hosts, leptospires colonize ...

Phytoplasma genomes: Evolution through mutually complimentary mechanisms, gene loss and horizontal acquisition

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Phytoplasmas possess the smallest genomes known among plant pathogens. Yet, these biotrophic microbes exist as obligate parasites and pathogens of both plants and insects. After their evolutionary divergence from an acholeplasmalike ancestor and emergence as a discrete clade, phytoplasmas ev...

Recommended advanced techniques for waterborne pathogen detection in developing countries.

PubMed

Alhamlan, Fatimah S; Al-Qahtani, Ahmed A; Al-Ahdal, Mohammed N

2015-02-19

The effect of human activities on water resources has expanded dramatically during the past few decades, leading to the spread of waterborne microbial pathogens. The total global health impact of human infectious diseases associated with pathogenic microorganisms from land-based wastewater pollution was estimated to be approximately three million disability-adjusted life years (DALY), with an estimated economic loss of nearly 12 billion US dollars per year. Although clean water is essential for healthy living, it is not equally granted to all humans. Indeed, people who live in developing countries are challenged every day by an inadequate supply of clean water. Polluted water can lead to health crises that in turn spread waterborne pathogens. Taking measures to assess the water quality can prevent these potential risks. Thus, a pressing need has emerged in developing countries for comprehensive and accurate assessments of water quality. This review presents current and emerging advanced techniques for assessing water quality that can be adopted by authorities in developing countries.

Could chloramphenicol be used against ESKAPE pathogens? A review of in vitro data in the literature from the 21st century.

PubMed

Čivljak, Rok; Giannella, Maddalena; Di Bella, Stefano; Petrosillo, Nicola

2014-02-01

The widespread use of antibiotics has been associated with the emergence of antimicrobial resistance among bacteria. 'ESKAPE' (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acintobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter spp.) pathogens play a major role in the rapidly changing scenario of antimicrobial resistance in the 21st century. Chloramphenicol is a broad spectrum antibiotic that was abandoned in developed countries due to its association with fatal aplastic anemia. However, it is still widely used in the developing world. In light of the emerging problem of multi-drug resistant pathogens, its role should be reassessed. Our paper reviews in vitro data on the activity of chloramphenicol against ESKAPE pathogens. Susceptibility patterns for Gram-positives were good, although less favorable for Gram-negatives. However, in combination with colistin, chloramphenicol was found to have synergistic activity. The risk-benefit related to chloramphenicol toxicity has not been analyzed. Therefore, extra precautions should be taken when prescribing this agent.

Time for T? Immunoinformatics addresses vaccine design for neglected tropical and emerging infectious diseases

PubMed Central

Terry, Frances E; Moise, Leonard; Martin, Rebecca F; Torres, Melissa; Pilotte, Nils; Williams, Steven A; De Groot, Anne S

2015-01-01

Vaccines have been invaluable for global health, saving lives and reducing healthcare costs, while also raising the quality of human life. However, newly emerging infectious diseases (EID) and more well-established tropical disease pathogens present complex challenges to vaccine developers; in particular, neglected tropical diseases, which are most prevalent among the world’s poorest, include many pathogens with large sizes, multistage life cycles and a variety of nonhuman vectors. EID such as MERS-CoV and H7N9 are highly pathogenic for humans. For many of these pathogens, while their genomes are available, immune correlates of protection are currently unknown. These complexities make developing vaccines for EID and neglected tropical diseases all the more difficult. In this review, we describe the implementation of an immunoinformatics-driven approach to systematically search for key determinants of immunity in newly available genome sequence data and design vaccines. This approach holds promise for the development of 21st century vaccines, improving human health everywhere. PMID:25193104

From genes to genomes: a new paradigm for studying fungal pathogenesis in Magnaporthe oryzae.

PubMed

Xu, Jin-Rong; Zhao, Xinhua; Dean, Ralph A

2007-01-01

Magnaporthe oryzae is the most destructive fungal pathogen of rice worldwide and because of its amenability to classical and molecular genetic manipulation, availability of a genome sequence, and other resources it has emerged as a leading model system to study host-pathogen interactions. This chapter reviews recent progress toward elucidation of the molecular basis of infection-related morphogenesis, host penetration, invasive growth, and host-pathogen interactions. Related information on genome analysis and genomic studies of plant infection processes is summarized under specific topics where appropriate. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of MAP kinase and cAMP signal transduction pathways and unique features in the genome such as repetitive sequences and expanded gene families. Emerging developments in functional genome analysis through large-scale insertional mutagenesis and gene expression profiling are detailed. The chapter concludes with new prospects in the area of systems biology, such as protein expression profiling, and highlighting remaining crucial information needed to fully appreciate host-pathogen interactions.

Mucosal immunoglobulins at respiratory surfaces mark an ancient association that predates the emergence of tetrapods

PubMed Central

Xu, Zhen; Takizawa, Fumio; Parra, David; Gómez, Daniela; von Gersdorff Jørgensen, Louise; LaPatra, Scott E.; Sunyer, J. Oriol

2016-01-01

Gas-exchange structures are critical for acquiring oxygen, but they also represent portals for pathogen entry. Local mucosal immunoglobulin responses against pathogens in specialized respiratory organs have only been described in tetrapods. Since fish gills are considered a mucosal surface, we hypothesized that a dedicated mucosal immunoglobulin response would be generated within its mucosa on microbial exposure. Supporting this hypothesis, here we demonstrate that following pathogen exposure, IgT+ B cells proliferate and generate pathogen-specific IgT within the gills of fish, thus providing the first example of locally induced immunoglobulin in the mucosa of a cold-blooded species. Moreover, we demonstrate that gill microbiota is predominantly coated with IgT, thus providing previously unappreciated evidence that the microbiota present at a respiratory surface of a vertebrate is recognized by a mucosal immunoglobulin. Our findings indicate that respiratory surfaces and mucosal immunoglobulins are part of an ancient association that predates the emergence of tetrapods. PMID:26869478

An Efficient Strategy of Screening for Pathogens in Wild-Caught Ticks and Mosquitoes by Reusing Small RNA Deep Sequencing Data

PubMed Central

An, Xiaoping; Fan, Hang; Ma, Maijuan; Anderson, Benjamin D.; Jiang, Jiafu; Liu, Wei; Cao, Wuchun; Tong, Yigang

2014-01-01

This paper explored our hypothesis that sRNA (18∼30 bp) deep sequencing technique can be used as an efficient strategy to identify microorganisms other than viruses, such as prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathogens. In the study, the clean reads derived from the sRNA deep sequencing data of wild-caught ticks and mosquitoes were compared against the NCBI nucleotide collection (non-redundant nt database) using Blastn. The blast results were then analyzed with in-house Python scripts. An empirical formula was proposed to identify the putative pathogens. Results showed that not only viruses but also prokaryotic and eukaryotic species of interest can be screened out and were subsequently confirmed with experiments. Specially, a novel Rickettsia spp. was indicated to exist in Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks collected in Beijing. Our study demonstrated the reuse of sRNA deep sequencing data would have the potential to trace the origin of pathogens or discover novel agents of emerging/re-emerging infectious diseases. PMID:24618575

Hormone crosstalk in plant disease and defense: more than just jasmonate-salicylate antagonism.

PubMed

Robert-Seilaniantz, Alexandre; Grant, Murray; Jones, Jonathan D G

2011-01-01

Until recently, most studies on the role of hormones in plant-pathogen interactions focused on salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), and ethylene (ET). It is now clear that pathogen-induced modulation of signaling via other hormones contributes to virulence. A picture is emerging of complex crosstalk and induced hormonal changes that modulate disease and resistance, with outcomes dependent on pathogen lifestyles and the genetic constitution of the host. Recent progress has revealed intriguing similarities between hormone signaling mechanisms, with gene induction responses often achieved by derepression. Here, we report on recent advances, updating current knowledge on classical defense hormones SA, JA, and ET, and the roles of auxin, abscisic acid (ABA), cytokinins (CKs), and brassinosteroids in molding plant-pathogen interactions. We highlight an emerging theme that positive and negative regulators of these disparate hormone signaling pathways are crucial regulatory targets of hormonal crosstalk in disease and defense. Copyright © 2011 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved.

The U.S. Commercial Space Launch Program and the Department of Defense Dilemma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clapp, William G.

1995-01-01

The U.S. space launch program no longer dominates the world and is now playing 'catch-up' with the world's first commercial launch company, Arianespace. A healthy U.S. commercial launch program is essential and will assure continued low-cost military access to space. The effort to regain the lead in commercial space launch market has been hindered by declining Department of Defense budgets. President Clinton's space policy prohibits expensive new launch vehicles and limits the Department of Defense to low cost upgrades of existing launch vehicles. The U.S. government created the space sector and must ensure a smooth and effective split from the emerging commercial space program in order to regain world dominance. Until U.S. government and commercial ties are severed, the Department of Defense must consider commercial space launch interests when making military decisions. Ariane provides an excellent 'bench mark' for the U.S. to base future launch vehicle upgrades. Ariane advantages were identified and low-cost recommendations have been made. If the U.S. sets the target of first equaling and then surpassing Ariane by incorporating these recommendations, then the U.S. could once again dominate the world commercial launch market and ensure low cost military access to space.