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Puntilla is a traditional slaughter method in which a knife is plunged into the back of the neck to sever the spinal cord. The aim is to produce immediate collapse of the animal. Puntilla is not condoned as a stunning method by the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE)…

Slaughter by puntilla followed by neck sticking was examined in 309 cattle, to assess the humaneness of this method. After the neck stab, brain and spinal function as well as presence of selected cognitive responses were measured. In addition breed, sex, live weight, body…

Slaughter by puntilla followed by neck sticking was examined in 20 recumbent llamas. Repeat stabbing was needed to penetrate the foramen ovale in 45% of the llamas, and two animals attempted to stand after the first stab. Puntilla was found to be ineffective, as all animals…

The signaling lymphocyte activation molecule F1 (SLAMF1) is both a microbial sensor and entry receptor for measles virus (MeV). Herein, we describe a new role for SLAMF1 to mediate MeV endocytosis that is in contrast with the alternative, and generally accepted, model that…

The recruitment of lymphocytes via the hepatic sinusoidal channels and positioning within liver tissue is a critical event in the development and persistence of chronic inflammatory liver diseases. The hepatic sinusoid is a unique vascular bed lined by hepatic sinusoidal…

Intrahost genetic diversity and replication error rates are intricately linked to RNA virus pathogenesis, with alterations in viral polymerase fidelity typically leading to attenuation during infections in vivo. We have previously shown that norovirus intrahost genetic…

The technological revolution in high-throughput nucleic acid and protein analysis in the last 15 years has launched the field of 'omics' and led to great advances in our understanding of cell biology. Consequently the study of the cellular proteome and protein dynamics, in…

Peste des petits ruminants, caused by the peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), is a highly contagious and economically important transboundary viral disease of domestic and wild small ruminants and a major hindrance to small-ruminant production in Nigeria. The…

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), a viral disease of sheep and goats, is endemic in Nigeria. There are reports indicating the involvement of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), the causative agent of PPR, in a camel respiratory syndrome in Africa. Considering that…

All members of the Caliciviridae family of viruses produce a subgenomic RNA during infection. The subgenomic RNA typically encodes only the major and minor capsid proteins, but in murine norovirus (MNV), the subgenomic RNA also encodes the VF1 protein, which functions to…