Ranaviruses like Frog Virus 3 (FV3) are responsible of emerging infectious diseases spreading worldwide to fish, amphibian and reptilian species. We have developed, in Xenopus laevis, an experimental model to investigate viral transmission. We show that FV3 released in water by immunocompromised infected adults can infect adult and larval stages of Xenopus within 3 hours of exposure. Time course of virus load and viral transcription in different tissues suggests that early waterborne FV3 infection through the digestive tract leads to dissemination in the kidney. Finally, a fraction of adult macrophages becomes infected following exposure to waterborne FV3 as visualized by fluorescence microscopy using macrophage- and FV3-specific antibodies. Little cytopathicity and apoptosis were detected in infected macrophages, which is consistent with our proposition that macrophages are permissive to FV3. These data highlight the efficiency of FV3 infectivity by the water route and the ability of FV3 to adapt to its hosts.

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Twenty-one patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus received simultaneous renal and segmental pancreatic transplants. A retrospective analysis of 112 real-time ultrasound (US) images, 108 technetium-99m glucoheptonate scinti-scans, 55 computed tomography (CT) scans, and 11 cystograms was performed. Complications that were observed included pancreatic transplant rejection, pancreatitis, arteriovenous occlusions, hemorrhage, abscesses, and extravasation at the pancreaticocystostomy site. Scintigraphy is a sensitive indicator of normal transplant function but is non-specific when findings are abnormal. Real-time US aids in the differentiation of acute rejection from pancreatitis and arteriovenous occlusion. CT is helpful for evaluation of postoperative complications. Imaging may play an important role in the noninvasive management of pancreatic transplants.

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