A novel live attenuated vaccine candidate protects chickens against subtype B avian metapneumovirus

Avian metapneumovirus(aMPV) is a highly contagious pathogen that causes acute upper respiratory tract diseases in chickens and turkeys, resulting in serious economic losses. Subtype B aMPV has recently become the dominant epidemic strain in China. We developed an attenuated aMPV subtype B strain by serial passaging in Vero cells and evaluated its safety and efficacy as a vaccine candidate. The safety test showed that after the 30th passage, the LN16-A strain was fully attenuated, as clinical signs of infection and histological lesions were absent after inoculation.The LN16-A strain did not revert to a virulent strain after five serial passages in chickens. The genomic sequence of LN16-A differed from that of the parent wild-type LN16(wtLN16) strain and had nine amino acid mutations. In chickens, a single immunization with LN16-A induced robust humoral and cellular immune responses, including the abundant production of neutralizing antibodies, CD4^(+) T lymphocytes, and the Th1(IFN-γ) and Th2(IL-4 and IL-6)cytokines. We also confirmed that LN16-A provided 100% protection against subtype B aMPV and significantly reduced viral shedding and turbinate inflammation. Our findings suggest that the LN16-A strain is a promising live attenuated vaccine candidate that can prevent infection with subtype B aMPV.

Status and trends of carbon emissions research at the county level in China

This study provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges to achieving carbon neutrality at the county level in China and offers targeted recommendations,laying the groundwork for future specialized research in this area.A total of 283 relevant studies(2004-2023)were analyzed to assess county-level carbon emissions through three phases:bibliometric analysis,frontier analysis,and future prospects.Bibliometric findings reveal that publication trends were largely influenced by domestic and foreign policies.Keyword cluster discerns ten primary themes,ranging from conceptual frameworks to research methodologies.The frontier analysis of the literature highlights the leading research areas,which include carbon neutrality pathway,driving factors,spatiotemporal variation of carbon emissions,the co-effects of pollutants and carbon reduction,and carbon emissions in China's rural areas.Drawing from the results of bibliometric and frontier analyses,this study elucidates the recommendations for achieving carbon neutrality at the county level from three perspectives:effective regional policy guidance,emphasis on ecological conservation,and the deployment of advanced carbon reduction and sequestration technologies.This study enriches the body of knowledge on carbon emissions at the county level and holds significant implications for China's comprehensive push towards achieving its carbon neutrality objectives.