OBJECTIVETo study the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) like virus in animals at a live animal market of Guanzhou in 2004 before and after culling of wild animal action taken by the local authority, in order to predict the re-emerging of SARS from animal originals in this region.

METHODSAnimals at live animal market were sampled for rectal and throat swabs in triplicate. A single step realtime reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) diagnostic kit was performed for screening SARS-CoV like virus, the manual nested RT- PCR and DNA sequencing were performed for confirmation. Only specimens which tested positive for both of the N and P genes by nested RT-PCR were scored as positive.

RESULTSIn 31 animals sampled in January 5 2004 before culling of wild animals at Guangdong Province, including 20 cats (Felis catus), 5 red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and 6 Lesser rice field rats (Rattus losea), 8 (25.8%) animals were tested positive for SARS-CoV like virus by RT-PCR methods, of which 4 cats, 3 red fox and one Lesser rice field rats were included. However, two weeks after culling of animals and disinfection of the market were implemented, in 119 animals sampled in January 20 2004, including 6 rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), 13 cats, 46 red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), 13 spotbill duck (Anas platyrhynchos), 10 greylag goose (Anser anser), 31 Chinese francolin (Franclinus pintadeanus), only rectal swab from one greylag goose was tested positive for SARS-CoV like virus. Furthermore, in 102 animals that including 14 greylag gooses, 3 cats, 5 rabbits, 9 spotbill duck (Anaspoecilorhyncha), 2 Chinese francolin (Franclinus pintadeanus), 8 common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), 6 pigeons, 9 Chinese muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi), 19 wild boar (Sus scrofa), 16 Lesser rice field rats, 5 dogs, 1 mink (Mustela vison), 3 goats, 2 green peafowl (Pavo muticus) sampled in April, May, June, July, August and November, only rectal swab from one pig was tested positive. However, of 12 and 10 palm civets sampled in November and December including five of which had been at the live animals market for 2 days, none of them was tested positive.

CONCLUSIONThis findings revealed that animals being sampled in April, May, June, July, August and November of 2004, only one rectal swab from a pig was tested positive as SARS-CoV like virus, much lower than the results from the previous year, suggesting that the possibility of re-emerging of human infection from animal origins is low for the winter of 2004-2005.

Animals ; Animals, Wild ; virology ; China ; DNA, Viral ; analysis ; Felidae ; virology ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; SARS Virus ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVETo examine the association of genetic variants with characteristic symptoms of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODSA matched case-control study was performed to investigate the association between common variants in four genes (CDKAL1, GLIS3, GRK5, and TCF7L2) and symptoms of T2DM. Symptoms were examined with questionnaire for 710 subjects. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cell by salting-out procedure. Genotyping was carried out by direct sequencing of the unpurified polymerase chain reaction products.

RESULTMost of the T2DM patients pressented characteristic symptoms, such as feeling weak in limbs (P =0.0057), hand tremor (P =0.0208), bradymasesis (P =0.0234), and polyuria (P =0.0051). Some of the T2DM patients shared characteristic symptoms, such as desire for cold drinks (P =0.0304), polyphagia (P =0.0051), and furred tongue (P =0.028). The impaired glucose regulation (IGR) cases took only one characteristic symptom of frequent micturition (P =0.0422). GLIS3 rs7034200 and GRK5 rs10886471 were significantly associated with increased T2DM risk (GLIS3 rs7034200 under dominant model: P=0.0307; GRK5 rs10886471 under recessive model: P=0.0092). However, only the rs10886471 polymorphism in GRK5 showed a significant effect on both differentiated symptoms and T2DM risk. The C-allele was involved in both dampness-heat encumbering Pi (Spleen) syndrome (P =0.047) and qi-yin deficiency syndrome (P =0.002) via increased GRK5 expression.

CONCLUSIONSBoth T2DM and IGR exhibited its corresponding characteristic symptoms. The variants of GRK5 were involved with both qi-yin deficiency syndrome and dampness-heat encumbering Pi syndrome.