African swine fever (ASF) is a viral disease with a high fatality rate in both domestic pigs and wild boars. ASF has greatly challenged pig-raising countries and also negatively impacted regional and national trade of pork products. To date, ASF has spread throughout Africa, Europe, and Asia. The development of safe and effective ASF vaccines is urgently required for the control of ASF outbreaks. The ASF virus (ASFV), the causative agent of ASF, has a large genome and a complex structure. The functions of nearly half of its viral genes still remain to be explored. Knowledge on the structure and function of ASFV proteins, the mechanism underlying ASFV infection and immunity, and the identification of major immunogenicity genes will contribute to the development of an ASF vaccine. In this context, this paper reviews the available knowledge on the structure, replication, protein function, virulence genes, immune evasion, inactivation, vaccines, control, and diagnosis of ASFV.

Infections due to Vibrio cholerae are rarely documented in Israel. Here we report a case of recurrent otitis media in a young male, caused by V. cholerae non-O1/O139. This extra-intestinal infection was caused by V. cholerae O100 and has been associated with freshwater exposure and travel. Symptoms of chronic periodic earaches along with purulent exudate began about one week after the patient suffered a water skiing accident on a river in Australia. The condition lasted for three years, until his ear exudate was examined in a clinical laboratory, diagnosed and treated. Five bacterial isolates were identified as V. cholerae O100. The isolates were screened for genetic characteristics and were found positive for the presence of hapA, hlyA, and ompU virulence genes. All isolates were negative for the presence of ctxA. Based on antibiogram susceptibility testing, ciprofloxacin ear drops were used until the patient\'s symptoms disappeared. This case demonstrates that exposure to freshwater can cause otitis media by V. cholerae non-O1/O139 in young and otherwise healthy humans.

In a study where the prevalence of Aeromonas in shellfish was analysed, three isolates of Aeromonas schubertii were identified, representing this the first report of this species from mussels. This species was originally described in 1988 from strains isolated from extra-intestinal human infections and since then has been cited in only 18 occasions. For many years, A. schubertii was the only mannitol-negative species of the genus. However, three additional mannitol-negative species (Aeromonas simiae, Aeromonas diversa and Aeromonas australiensis) have been described. This, together with the fact that A. schubertii is a rare human pathogenic species, motivated the present study to characterize its biochemical behaviour and differentiation from the other mannitol-negative species. The molecular similarity (16S rRNA, rpoD and gyrB genes) of the strains, presence of virulence genes and antimicrobial resistance were determined. All A. schubertii strains showed the same phenotypic behaviour, i.e. they use citrate, are positive for lysine decarboxylase and DL-lactate, but negative for production of mannitol, indole and acid from sucrose and could be easily differentiated from other mannitol-negative species. All strains carried the aerA and lafA virulence genes and showed susceptibility to all antibiotics tested. Seafood could be a transmission route of this bacterium to humans.