The assumed definitive host of the heartworm Acanthocheilonema spirocauda (Onchocerdidae; Filarioidea) is the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina). This filaroid nematode parasitizing in cardiac ventricles and blood vessel lumina of harbour seals (P. vitulina) has a low prevalence and seldom causes severe health impacts. The seal louse (Echinophthirius horridus) is the assumed intermediate host for transmission of A. spirocauda filariae between seals, comprising a unique parasite assembly conveyed from the terrestrial ancestors of pinnipeds. Although grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are infected by seal lice, heartworm infection was not verified. Analysing a longterm dataset compiled over decades (1996–2021) of health monitoring seals along the German coasts comprising post mortem investigations and archived parasites, 2 cases of A. spirocauda infected male grey seals were detected. Tentative morphological identification was confirmed with molecular tools by sequencing a section of mtDNA COI and comparing nucleotide data with available heartworm sequence. This is the first record of heartworm individuals collected from the heart of grey seals at necropsy. It remains puzzling why heartworm infection occur much less frequently in grey than in harbour seals, although both species use the same habitat, share mixed haul-outs and consume similar prey species. If transmission occurs directly via seal louse vectors on haul-outs, increasing seal populations in the North- and Baltic Sea could have density dependent effects on prevalence of heartworm and seal louse infections. It remains to be shown how species-specificity of filarial nematodes as well as immune system traits of grey seals influence infection patterns of A. spirocauda.

The Centre for Advanced Laser Applications in Garching, Germany, is home to the ATLAS-3000 multi-petawatt laser, dedicated to research on laser particle acceleration and its applications. A control system based on Tango Controls is implemented for both the laser and four experimental areas. The device server approach features high modularity, which, in addition to the hardware control, enables a quick extension of the system and allows for automated data acquisition of the laser parameters and experimental data for each laser shot. In this paper we present an overview of our implementation of the control system, as well as our advances in terms of experimental operation, online supervision and data processing. We also give an outlook on advanced experimental supervision and online data evaluation – where the data can be processed in a pipeline – which is being developed on the basis of this infrastructure.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Understanding how SARS-CoV-2 is evolving as well as spreading within and between communities is vital for the design of rational, evidence-based control measures. Continuous genomic surveillance is imperative to identify and track variants and can be paired with clinical data, to identify associations with severity or vaccine breakthroughs. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: In June of 2021, we established UNM as a CDC-funded hub for genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 for New Mexico and 3 other Rocky Mountain region states (Wyoming, Idaho, Montana). Through our Rocky Mountain COVID Consortium (RMCC), we have sequenced over 6,000 genomes of SARS-CoV-2 from RMCC partners. For New Mexico we integrate county and zip code data to provide more granular insights into how SARS-CoV-2, and particular variants, are transmitting within the state. We also pair this data with vaccine breakthrough cases identified by the NMDOH, as well as with clinical outcome data. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We sequenced over 6,000 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from New Mexico (n=3091), Idaho (n=1538), Arkansas (n=1101), Wyoming (n=251), and Montana (n=33). We used this data to infer the transmission dynamics, identify variants, and map the spread of the virus. We identified a novel local variant that spread across New Mexico in early 2021, but was quickly replaced by the Alpha variant. In all RMCC states, the Delta variant overtook Alpha and has become nearly the only variant currently circulating in these states. We identified sequenced isolates from vaccine breakthrough cases in NM and demonstrate their role in onward transmission. We can identify shifts at a county or zip-code level in circulating lineages which may correspond to clinical outcomes or fluctuating case counts. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This integrated genomic data can be used by policy and decision makers within the New Mexico Department of Health and our RMCC partners to guide their public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The occurrence of 19 cetacean species along the German North Sea coastline as well as the lower reaches of the major rivers discharging into the German Bight is reviewed for the period 1604–2017 based on records of dead animals, either stranded dead or put to death. The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is considered the most abundant and only native species in German coastal and riverine waters. Based on written sources its presence can be traced back to at least 1651, although with statistical data only available from 1990. Finds of further 18 species have been documented: white-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris), bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus), common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas), killer whale (Orcinus orca), beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), narwhal (Monodon monoceros), Sowerby's beaked whale (Mesoplodon bidens), northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis), fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) and humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). This review corrects several false species assignments earlier introduced in literature based on incorrect scientific or ambiguous German vernacular names and recovers lost records of beluga whale, northern bottlenose whale, sperm whale and fin whale.

Acanthocephalans are common intestinal parasites of marine mammals, the most widespread of which is the genus Corynosoma. In this study, parasite infrapopulations of two closely related species of Corynosoma were examined: Corynosoma enhydri from sea otters (Enhydra lutris) in Alaska (n = 12) and California (n = 19), and Corynosoma strumosum from seals in Germany (n = 22). Prevalence of C. enhydri was 100% in Californian otters, with a mean abundance of 30, and 83% in Alaskan otters, with a mean abundance of 232. In seals, C. strumosum had a prevalence of 65%, with a mean abundance of 33. Female C. enhydri dominated both Californian (82%) and Alaskan (79%) infections, while, in seals, female C. strumosum made up 68% of the parasite population. Reproduction rates for C. enhydri, with 16% (California) and 18% (Alaska) of females mated, were low compared to C. strumosum in seals, of which 40% of females were mated. Habitat selection also differed significantly between the two species. Corynosoma enhydri was found most frequently in the second and third fifths of the small intestine, while C. strumosum was found most frequently in the fourth. The differences in habitat selection and prevalence analysed in this study may be related to a trade-off between growth and reproduction between the two species.

Early health technology assessment (HTA), which includes all methods used to inform industry and other stakeholders about the potential value of new medical products in development, including methods to quantify and manage uncertainty, has seen many applications in recent years. However, it is still unclear how such early value assessments can be integrated into the technology innovation process. This commentary contributes to the discussion on the purposes early HTA can serve. Similarities and differences in the perspectives of five stakeholders (i.e., the hospital, the patient, the assessor, the medical device industry, and the policy maker) on the purpose, value, and potential challenges of early HTA are described. All five stakeholders agreed that integrating early HTA in the innovation process has the possibility to shape and refine an innovation, and inform research and development decisions. The early assessment, using a variety of methodologies, can provide insights that are relevant for all stakeholders but several challenges, for example, feasibility and responsibility, need to be addressed before early HTA can become standard practice. For early evaluations to be successful, all relevant stakeholders including patients need to be involved. Also, nimble, flexible assessment methods are needed that fit the dynamics of medical technology. Best practices should be shared to optimize both the innovation process and the methods to perform an early value assessment.

We prove a decomposition formula of logarithmic Gromov–Witten invariants in a degeneration setting. A one-parameter log smooth family $X \longrightarrow B$ with singular fibre over $b_0\in B$ yields a family $\mathscr {M}(X/B,\beta ) \longrightarrow B$ of moduli stacks of stable logarithmic maps. We give a virtual decomposition of the fibre of this family over $b_0$ in terms of rigid tropical maps to the tropicalization of $X/B$. This generalizes one aspect of known results in the case that the fibre $X_{b_0}$ is a normal crossings union of two divisors. We exhibit our formulas in explicit examples.

Background: Approximately two-thirds of children aged <5 years receive out-of-home child care. Childcare attendees have an increased risk of infections compared to children not in childcare settings, possibly due to their close contact in a shared environment. As multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) increasingly move from healthcare-associated to community settings, childcare can provide a venue for further transmission of these pathogens. Our objective was to evaluate the bioburden of pathogens present on fomites in childcare centers and how surface contamination changes over time. Methods: The study was conducted in the single-room play area of an Ypsilanti, Michigan, childcare center caring for children aged 3–5 years. Polyester swabs were used to collect surface samples from 16 locations in the room, including (1) laminate, wood and plastic tabletops and furniture; (2) a stainless steel sink and adjacent plastic trash bin; and (3) wood, metal and plastic toys. A water sample was also collected at a 17th site. Samples were collected twice weekly for 5 of 6 weeks, followed by 1 additional collection (September–October 2019). Tryptic soy agar was used for standard plate counts and selective media were used to identify methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Vvancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)–producing Enterobacteriaceae. Single-plex RT-PCR was used to detect norovirus and adenovirus. Results: Among 175 samples collected on 11 days, MRSA and ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae were detected from 10.3% (18 of 175) and 8.0% (14 of 175), respectively, of environmental specimens. No specimens were positive for VRE or norovirus. Adenovirus was detected in 20 of 175 specimens (11.4%). Median bioburden by site ranged from 85 CFU/mL to 2,510 CFU/mL. The highest median bioburden was observed at the sink (2,510 CFU/mL), followed by the plastic building block table (1,620 CFU/mL), the small wood blocks (1,565 CFU/mL) and water from a water play area and an adjacent tabletop (1,260 and 1,100 CFU/mL respectively). The highest single day bioburden was 273,000 CFU/mL at the sink. Conclusion: The presence of MDROs on childcare center fomites raised concern for exposure to these pathogens among vulnerable populations. More study is needed to determine the degree to which these contaminated fomites drive transmission between children. We found the highest bioburdens on sites where children played or washed with water, identifying potential targets for more frequent cleaning.

Funding: None

Disclosures: Emily T. Martin reports a consulting from Pfizer.

The unprecedented amount and accuracy of kinematic data from the second release of the Gaia mission have started revolutionizing our understanding of the dynamics of the Milky Way disk. The detailed stellar velocity field in the Galactic disk should allow us to constrain with unprecedented precision the parameters of the non-axisymmetric modes of the disk. We present here the status of our current modelling efforts in this area, and their implication on the dynamics of the Galactic bar in particular.