Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Sirle Saul, Pei-Tzu Huang, Shirit Einav, Christopher R. M. Asquith
Summary: This study identified three potent compounds against dengue virus and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, all of which showed nearly no toxicity, providing promising prospects for the development of clinical compounds against these emerging viral threats.
BIOORGANIC & MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Jean-Paul Carrera, Dimelza Arauz, Alejandra Rojas, Fatima Cardozo, Victoria Stittleburg, Ingra Morales Claro, Josefrancisco Galue, Carlos Lezcano-Coba, Filipe Romero Rebello Moreira, Luis Felipe-Rivera, Maria Chen-German, Brechla Moreno, Zeuz Capitan-Barrios, Sandra Lopez-Verges, Juan Miguel Pascale, Ester C. Sabino, Anayansi Valderrama, Kathryn A. Hanley, Christl A. Donnelly, Nikos Vasilakis, Nuno R. Faria, Jesse J. Waggoner
Summary: Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assays were designed and clinically assessed for detecting Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), Madariaga virus (MADV), and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus complex (VEEV). The assays successfully detected the presence of VEEV complex RNA in outbreak samples, suspected dengue cases, and mosquito pools, demonstrating the potential application of this method in encephalitic alphavirus surveillance programs.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Benjamin C. Pierson, Anthony P. Cardile, Arthur C. Okwesili, Isaac L. Downs, Ronald B. Reisler, Ellen F. Boudreau, Mark G. Kortepeter, Craig D. Koca, Manmohan Ranadive, Patricia L. Petitt, Niranjan Kanesa-thasan, Robert G. Rivard, Dani L. Liggett, Jeannine M. Haller, Sarah L. Norris, Bret K. Purcell, Phillip R. Pittman, David L. Saunders, Maryam Keshtkar Jahromi
Summary: The study showed that an inactivated EEEV vaccine is safe and immunogenic in at-risk laboratory personnel. Prolonging the primary vaccination series with a dose at month 6 significantly improved vaccine immunogenicity.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Lauren Panny, Ivan Akrhymuk, Nicole Bracci, Caitlin Woodson, Rafaela Flor, Isaac Elliott, Weidong Zhou, Aarthi Narayanan, Catherine Campbell, Kylene Kehn-Hall
Summary: Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is transmitted by mosquitos and can cause febrile illness and severe neurological complications. There are currently no FDA approved vaccines or antiviral treatments available. A study identified protein disulfide isomerase family A member 6 (PDIA6) as a critical regulator of alphavirus replication. Inhibition of PDIs through LOC14 or nitazoxanide treatment effectively reduced production of VEEV and other alphaviruses in vitro.
ANTIVIRAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Editorial Material
Entomology
Nathan D. Burkett-Cadena, Durland Fish, Scott Weaver, Amy Y. Vittor
Summary: Everglades virus (EVEV) is a subtype II of the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) complex, endemic to Florida, USA. The virus is transmitted through rodents and specific mosquitoes, with rare cases of human infection reported. Mutations in the virus could potentially lead to epidemics, but there is currently no evidence to support this. Other factors such as mosquito populations and environmental changes may also influence the transmission of EVEV.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katherine Basore, Hongming Ma, Natasha M. Kafai, Samantha Mackin, Arthur S. Kim, Christopher A. Nelson, Michael S. Diamond, Daved H. Fremont
Summary: The recently defined receptor LDLRAD3 binds to the VEEV virus, providing new insights into the structural basis of alphavirus-receptor interactions. Understanding these interactions could inform the development of therapies to mitigate infection and disease caused by multiple members of this virus family.
Article
Microbiology
Nicole N. Haese, Nicholas A. May, Sharon Taft-Benz, Omar Moukha-Chafiq, Nikhil Madadi, Sixue Zhang, Shuklendu D. Karyakarte, Kevin J. Rodzinak, Theresa H. Nguyen, Michael Denton, Aaron D. Streblow, Nichole A. Towers, Lynn Rasmussen, Robert J. Bostwick, Joseph A. Maddry, Subramaniam Ananthan, Corinne E. Augelli-Szafran, Mark J. Suto, Wes Sanders, Nathaniel Moorman, Victor DeFilippis, Mark T. Heise, Ashish K. Pathak, Daniel N. Streblow, Thomas E. Morrison
Summary: A quinolinone compound was found to have antiviral activity against VEEV and other alphaviruses, inhibiting the early-to-mid stage of viral replication. Deep sequencing and reverse genetics studies identified unique resistance mutations in the nsP2 gene that conferred VEEV resistance on this chemical series, while computational modeling indicated potential docking alignment for the compounds.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Lisa Henning, Kathrin Endt, Robin Steigerwald, Michael Anderson, Ariane Volkmann
Summary: This study evaluated the immunogenicity and efficacy of EEV vaccines based on the MVA-BN(R) platform in mice, finding that monovalent and trivalent EEV vaccines induced neutralizing antibodies and T cell responses effectively, demonstrating complete protective efficacy against both homologous and heterologous EEV exposures.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Virology
Crystal W. Burke, Rebecca A. Erwin-Cohen, Aimee Goodson, Catherine Wilhelmsen, Jennifer A. Edmundson, Charles E. White, Pamela J. Glass
Summary: The study evaluated the effects of route of administration on the immunogenicity and efficacy of the WEVEE vaccine in cynomolgus macaques. The vaccine was found to be immunogenic and provided neutralizing antibody responses against VEEV, EEEV and WEEV. The vaccinated animals showed significant protection against a WEEV challenge compared to the control group.
Article
Virology
Amanda L. Phelps, Francisco J. Salguero, Laura Hunter, Alexander L. Stoll, Dominic C. Jenner, Lyn M. O'Brien, E. Diane Williamson, M. Stephen Lever, Thomas R. Laws
Summary: Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) causes a disease characterized by systemic infection and sometimes severe encephalitis in humans. In a mouse model, biomarkers related to inflammation were identified and found to be strongly correlated with disease severity. The virus was found in various regions of the brain, and the olfactory bulb and midbrain/thalamus showed the most pathology. Targeting these biomarkers may help improve the encephalitic syndrome caused by VEEV.
Article
Immunology
Rebeca Froes Rocha, Juliana L. Del Sarto, Giovanni F. Gomes, Mariana P. Goncalves, Milene A. Rachid, Juliana H. C. Smetana, Daniele G. Souza, Mauro Martins Teixeira, Rafael Elias Marques
Summary: The research found that type I and type II interferons have different roles in St. Louis encephalitis virus infection, with type I interferon being essential for controlling viral replication while type II interferon is not associated with protection in this model.
Article
Virology
Mahgol Behnia, Alan Baer, Andrew M. Skidmore, Caitlin W. Lehman, Nicole Bracci, Kylene Kehn-Hall, Steven B. Bradfute
Summary: In this study, the researchers tested the inactivation of viral genomic RNA using RNA fragmentation and cDNA synthesis methods. They successfully inactivated VEEV genomic RNA and also found that cDNA synthesis method can inactivate EEEV and WEEV genomic RNA. Moreover, they discovered that the viral genome cannot cause infection without being transfected into cells.
Article
Plant Sciences
Caitlin W. Lehman, Kylene Kehn-Hall, Megha Aggarwal, Nicole R. Bracci, Han-Chi Pan, Lauren Panny, Robert A. Lamb, Shih-Chao Lin
Summary: Resveratrol has been shown to inhibit Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) replication, increase cell viability, reduce virion production, and interfere with viral attachment and entry. Additionally, its antiviral activity may be associated with the suppression of apoptotic signaling adaptors and decreased phosphorylation of the AKT/GSK-3 pathway during VEEV infection.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Emily E. Coates, Srilatha Edupuganti, Grace L. Chen, Myra Happe, Larisa Strom, Alicia Widge, Maria Burgos Florez, Josephine H. Cox, Ingelise Gordon, Sarah Plummer, Abidemi Ola, Galina Yamshchikov, Charla Andrews, Sharon Curate -Ingram, Patricia Morgan, Shashi Nagar, Matthew H. Collins, Amy Bray, Thuy Nguyen, Judy Stein, Christopher L. Case, Florence Kaltovich, Diane Wycuff, Jason Liang, Kevin Carlton, Sandra Vazquez, John R. Mascola, Julie E. Ledgerwood
Summary: This study evaluated the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of an investigational trivalent virus-like particle vaccine for Western, Eastern, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses. The vaccine was found to be safe and well tolerated, and induced an immune response. The results of this study suggest that the WEVEE VLP vaccine deserves further evaluation in advanced-phase clinical trials.
LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Virology
Marilia M. Moraes, Janaina Rigotti Kubiszeski, Carla J. da Silva Pessoa Vieira, Arianne Fagotti Gusmao, Taina Silva Pratis, Tatiana E. Colombo, Sirlei Franck Thies, Fabiana do Carmo Araujo, Cleslei F. Zanelli, Bruno Henrique Goncalves de Aguiar Milhim, Gislaine C. D. da Silva, Mauricio L. Nogueira, Carolina C. Pacca, Roberta de Morais Bronzoni, Adriano Mondini
Summary: During outbreaks of Dengue and Zika viruses in two Brazilian states, circulation of Saint Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) was observed. Phylogenetic analysis placed the samples from this study within genotype V, which is closely related to strains previously circulating in other parts of the country. Genotype V appears to have established circulation in Brazil.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Pathology
Marisa C. Nielsen, Rafael R. G. Machado, Brooke M. Mitchell, Allan J. McConnell, Nehad I. Saada, Scott C. Weaver, Ping Ren
Summary: This study evaluated the Novaplex SARS-CoV-2 Variants I, II, and IV assays from Seegene Technologies, which demonstrated good agreement with traditional spike gene Sanger sequencing results, providing an accurate, rapid, and less labor-intensive method for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and identifying known variants of interest and concern.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marciela M. DeGrace, Elodie Ghedin, Matthew B. Frieman, Florian Krammer, Alba Grifoni, Arghavan Alisoltani, Galit Alter, Rama R. Amara, Ralph S. Baric, Dan H. Barouch, Jesse D. Bloom, Louis-Marie Bloyet, Gaston Bonenfant, Adrianus C. M. Boon, Eli A. Boritz, Debbie L. Bratt, Traci L. Bricker, Liliana Brown, William J. Buchser, Juan Manuel Carreno, Liel Cohen-Lavi, Tamarand L. Darling, Meredith E. Davis-Gardner, Bethany L. Dearlove, Han Di, Meike Dittmann, Nicole A. Doria-Rose, Daniel C. Douek, Christian Drosten, Venkata-Viswanadh Edara, Ali Ellebedy, Thomas P. Fabrizio, Guido Ferrari, Will M. Fischer, William C. Florence, Ron A. M. Fouchier, John Franks, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Adam Godzik, Ana Silvia Gonzalez-Reiche, Aubree Gordon, Bart L. Haagmans, Peter J. Halfmann, David D. Ho, Michael R. Holbrook, Yaoxing Huang, Sarah L. James, Lukasz Jaroszewski, Trushar Jeevan, Robert M. Johnson, Terry C. Jones, Astha Joshi, Yoshihiro Kawaoka, Lisa Kercher, Marion P. G. Koopmans, Bette Korber, Eilay Koren, Richard A. Koup, Eric B. LeGresley, Jacob E. Lemieux, Mariel J. Liebeskind, Zhuoming Liu, Brandi Livingston, James P. Logue, Yang Luo, Adrian B. McDermott, Margaret J. McElrath, Victoria A. Meliopoulos, Vineet D. Menachery, David C. Montefiori, Barbara Muehlemann, Vincent J. Munster, Jenny E. Munt, Manoj S. Nair, Antonia Netzl, Anna M. Niewiadomska, Sijy O'Dell, Andrew Pekosz, Stanley Perlman, Marjorie C. Pontelli, Barry Rockx, Morgane Rolland, Paul W. Rothlauf, Sinai Sacharen, Richard H. Scheuermann, Stephen D. Schmidt, Michael Schotsaert, Stacey Schultz-Cherry, Robert A. Seder, Mayya Sedova, Alessandro Sette, Reed S. Shabman, Xiaoying Shen, Pei-Yong Shi, Maulik Shukla, Viviana Simon, Spencer Stumpf, Nancy J. Sullivan, Larissa B. Thackray, James Theiler, Paul G. Thomas, Sanja Trifkovic, Sina Tureli, Samuel A. Turner, Maria A. Vakaki, Harm van Bakel, Laura A. VanBlargan, Leah R. Vincent, Zachary S. Wallace, Li Wang, Maple Wang, Pengfei Wang, Wei Wang, Scott C. Weaver, Richard J. Webby, Carol D. Weiss, David E. Wentworth, Stuart M. Weston, Sean P. J. Whelan, Bradley M. Whitener, Samuel H. Wilks, Xuping Xie, Baoling Ying, Hyejin Yoon, Bin Zhou, Tomer Hertz, Derek J. Smith, Michael S. Diamond, Diane J. Post, Mehul S. Suthar
Summary: The SAVE program is a real-time risk assessment initiative established by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to address the public health threat posed by the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Its goal is to evaluate the potential impact of these variants on transmission, virulence, and immunity induced through infection or vaccination.
Article
Immunology
Brandon J. Beddingfield, Chie Sugimoto, Eryu Wang, Scott C. Weaver, Kasi E. Russell-Lodrigue, Stephanie Z. Killeen, Marcelo J. Kuroda, Chad J. Roy
Summary: Research has found that Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) influences the proliferation rates and kinetics of myeloid lineage cells early during infection, which may be useful in the development of therapeutics and evaluation of infection-induced pathogenesis.
Article
Virology
Sasha R. Azar, Rafael K. Campos, Ruimei Yun, Taylor Strange, Shannan L. Rossi, Kathryn A. Hanley, Nikos Vasilakis, Scott C. Weaver
Summary: Chronic conditions like type II diabetes may increase the risk and severity of infections by arboviruses such as Zika virus. However, the effects of diabetes on human blood and its impact on mosquito vector infectivity are still not well understood.
Article
Virology
Janine S. Sabino, Mariene R. Amorim, William M. de Souza, Lia F. Marega, Luciana S. Mofatto, Daniel A. Toledo-Teixeira, Julia Forato, Rodrigo G. Stabeli, Maria Laura Costa, Fernando R. Spilki, Ester C. Sabino, Nuno R. Faria, Bruno D. Benites, Marcelo Addas-Carvalho, Raquel S. B. Stucchi, Dewton M. Vasconcelos, Scott C. Weaver, Fabiana Granja, Jose Luiz Proenca-Modena, Maria Marluce dos S. Vilela
Summary: This study retrospectively examined the clinical course of an immunodeficient patient chronically infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Gamma variant who received breast milk as treatment for COVID-19. The patient showed symptom improvement and tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 after the treatment. Therefore, the hypothesis that antibodies secreted in breast milk could be useful in treating persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection in immunodeficient patients is proposed.
Article
Cell Biology
Yang Liu, Jianyin Liu, Bryan A. Johnson, Hongjie Xia, Zhiqiang Ku, Craig Schindewolf, Steven G. Widen, Zhiqiang An, Scott C. Weaver, Vineet D. Menachery, Xuping Xie, Pei-Yong Shi
Summary: This study reports that the P681R mutation in the Delta spike plays a crucial role in the replacement of the Alpha variant by the Delta variant during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Delta variant outcompetes the Alpha variant in human lung cells and airway tissues. The P681R mutation enhances the cleavage of the spike protein, leading to increased replication of the Delta variant.
Article
Immunology
Jacqueline Kyungah Lim, Valery Ridde, Selidji Todagbe Agnandji, Bertrand Lell, Seydou Yaro, Jae Seung Yang, Damien Hoinard, Scott C. Weaver, Jessica Vanhomwegen, Henrik Salje, In Kyu Yoon
Summary: Chikungunya virus serostudies and models were used to identify outbreaks and reconstruct past circulation in Burkina Faso and Gabon. The findings suggest sporadic outbreaks in these settings and underscore the importance of serostudies and models in supporting disease surveillance.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Virology
Craig Schindewolf, Kumari Lokugamage, Michelle N. Vu, Bryan A. Johnson, Dionna Scharton, Jessica A. Plante, Birte Kalveram, Patricia A. Crocquet-Valdes, Stephanea Sotcheff, Elizabeth Jaworski, Rojelio E. Alvarado, Kari Debbink, Matthew D. Daugherty, Scott C. Weaver, Andrew L. Routh, David H. Walker, Kenneth S. Plante, Vineet D. Menachery
Summary: Understanding the role of NSP16 in SARS-CoV-2 infection and pathogenesis, this study demonstrates the attenuation of a NSP16 mutant both in vitro and in vivo, as well as its sensitivity to IFN-I. Silencing IFIT1 or IFIT3 partially restores the mutant's fitness. Furthermore, targeting NSP16 with a MTase inhibitor enhances the virus' sensitivity to IFN-I. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of NSP16 in immune evasion and suggest a potential target for antiviral development.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2023)
Review
Virology
Rachel A. Reyna, Scott C. Weaver
Summary: Eastern (EEEV), Venezuelan (VEEV), and western equine encephalitis viruses (WEEV) are mosquito-borne alphaviruses that cause febrile illness and severe encephalitic disease. The lack of vaccines and therapeutics highlights the need for advanced animal models and detailed mechanistic understanding of the neurological sequelae induced by these viruses. This review summarizes the clinical neurologic findings, available animal models, and the importance of developing therapeutics and vaccines.
Article
Virology
Se Hun Gu, Marcos Minarro, Carlos Feliu, Jean-Pierre Hugot, Naomi L. Forrester, Scott C. Weaver, Richard Yanagihara
Summary: Recent detection of NVAV and BRGV in European moles in Belgium and Germany prompted a search for related hantaviruses in the Iberian mole. Analysis of lung tissue from 106 Iberian moles in Spain revealed genetically distinct hantaviruses, including a new hantavirus species designated as ASTV. Next generation sequencing of infected moles confirmed the presence of ASTV. These findings challenge the previous assumption that each hantavirus species is limited to a single host species.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Alioune Gaye, Cheikh Fall, Oumar Faye, Myrielle Dupont-Rouzeyrol, El Hadji Ndiaye, Diawo Diallo, Paolo Marinho de Andrade Zanotto, Ibrahima Dia, Scott C. Weaver, Mawlouth Diallo
Summary: This study assessed the susceptibility of A. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus to ZIKV strains from Senegal, Brazil, and New Caledonia, and found that the Senegalese strain had a significantly higher infection rate compared to the Brazilian and New Caledonian strains. No infection was recorded for C. quinquefasciatus.
TROPICAL MEDICINE AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Shannan N. Rich, Veronica Richards, Carla Mavian, Brittany Rife Magalis, Nathan Grubaugh, Sonja A. Rasmussen, Simon Dellicour, Bram Vrancken, Christine Carrington, Rebecca Fisk-Hoffman, Demi Danso-Odei, Daniel Chacreton, Jerne Shapiro, Marie Nancy Seraphin, Crystal Hepp, Allison Black, Ann Dennis, Nidia Sequeira Trovao, Anne-Mieke Vandamme, Angela Rasmussen, Michael Lauzardo, Natalie Dean, Marco Salemi, Mattia Prosperi
Summary: This study aims to gather experts from public health, infectious diseases, virology, and bioinformatics to discuss and report on the use of phylodynamic tools to inform pandemic responses. The study found that the application of genomic data on the virus is crucial for pandemic responses and requires strong collaboration between academic and public health institutions.
JMIR FORMATIVE RESEARCH
(2023)
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Rafael K. Campos, Shannan L. Rossi, Robert B. Tesh, Scott C. Weaver
Summary: Emerging zoonotic mosquito-borne viruses pose increasing health threats and require global preparedness to effectively mitigate the impacts in terms of health, society, and economy.
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Virology
Douglas Barker, Xiaobing Han, Eryu Wang, Ashley Dagley, Deborah M. Anderson, Aruni Jha, Scott C. Weaver, Justin Julander, Cory Nykiforuk, Shantha Kodihalli
Summary: The despeciated equine polyclonal antibody (CHIKV-EIG) treatment shows promising efficacy in preventing and improving CHIKV infection in mice, with significant reduction in mortality, viremia, and clinical symptoms. It also proves effective in reducing virus-induced arthritis in a dose-dependent manner.
Article
Immunology
Rachel A. Reyna, Jordyn Walker, Brooke Mitchell, Divya P. Shinde, Jessica A. Plante, Scott C. Weaver, Kenneth S. Plante
Summary: Anosmia, a common consequence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, is correlated with disease severity. Different variants of the virus can cause significant loss of smell, and vaccination does not prevent anosmia but can protect against severe disease.