Article
Hematology
Matthew Locke, Colin Longstaff, Peter Rigsby
Summary: The study showed that the potency estimates for the candidate replacement standard 19/188 were closer to the current standard (01/580) than those of 01/578, with low variation between and within laboratories.
JOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Alicja Sadowska-Klasa, Wendy M. Leisenring, Ajit P. Limaye, Michael Boeckh
Summary: A systematic review of randomized and observational studies from 2013-2023 indicated that antiviral preemptive therapy initiated at cytomegalovirus viral load thresholds between 2 and 3 log10 IU/mL had comparable cytomegalovirus disease rates. Thus, viral thresholds within this range appeared to effectively safeguard patients who did not receive prophylaxis.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Susanna Esposito, Giulia Chiopris, Giulia Messina, Tiziana D'Alvano, Serafina Perrone, Nicola Principi
Summary: CMV is a common cause of congenital infection and non-genetic sensorineural hearing loss in children, with up to 2% of neonates affected, particularly in developing countries. Research on a vaccine to prevent CMV infection faces challenges due to the complex relationship between the host's immune system and the virus, highlighting the need for further studies.
Article
Immunology
Vera Portillo, Stavroula Masouridi-Levrat, Lena Royston, Sabine Yerly, Manuel Schibler, Maria Mappoura, Sarah Morin, Federica Giannotti, Anne-Claire Mamez, Christian van Delden, Yves Chalandon, Dionysios Neofytos
Summary: Positive CMV serology in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients (allo-HCTRs) may be false-positive due to transfusion-associated passive immunity. Reclassifying CMV status can help accurately assess the risk of CMV infection in these patients.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Sara Alonso-Alvarez, Enrique Colado, Marco A. Moro-Garcia, Rebeca Alonso-Arias
Summary: The intricate relationship between herpesvirus and humans has evolved over millions of years, resulting in a low level of viral activity due to latency. This balance is disrupted in immunosuppressed patients, particularly those with hematologic disorders. New treatment modalities have shed light on the role of various immune cells and the impact of CMV infection in different patient groups.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Virology
Andrea Gilioli, Andrea Messerotti, Paola Bresciani, Angela Cuoghi, Valeria Pioli, Corrado Colasante, Francesca Bettelli, Davide Giusti, Fabio Forghieri, Leonardo Potenza, Francesca Donatelli, Rachele Giubbolini, Laura Galassi, Roberto Marasca, Federico Banchelli, Roberto D'Amico, Monica Pecorari, William Gennari, Tommaso Trenti, Patrizia Comoli, Mario Luppi, Franco Narni
Summary: The study retrospectively analyzed a cohort of patients who underwent HSCT and found that CMV clinically significant infection (CS-CMVi) occurred in 48% of prophylactically treated patients, but it did not impact relapse incidence or overall survival. Additionally, the use of CMV-IG alone as prophylactic therapy did not effectively prevent CMV reactivation.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Hannah Greye, Thomas Wex, Elina Taneva, Anke Redlich, Serban-Dan Costa, Anke Rissmann
Summary: The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence rate for cytomegalovirus (CMV) in pregnant women and the rate of CMV serological testing utilised during pregnancy in a rural region in Germany. The study found that out of 19,511 pregnant women, only 3,800 underwent CMV serological testing, with 2,081 of them testing negative and a seroconversion rate of 0.37-1.42%.
BMC PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH
(2023)
Review
Biology
Markus J. Barten, Fausto Baldanti, Alexander Staus, Christian M. Hueber, Kyriaki Glynou, Andreas Zuckermann
Summary: This meta-analysis suggests that prophylactic CMVIG treatment in solid organ transplantation patients can reduce the risk of CMV infection. This is particularly beneficial for patients at high risk of CMV infection or disease.
Article
Virology
Claire Perillaud-Dubois, Emmanuelle Letamendia, Elise Bouthry, Rana Rafek, Isabelle Thouard, Corinne Vieux-Combe, Olivier Picone, Anne-Gael Cordier, Christelle Vauloup-Fellous
Summary: This study aims to report the dynamics of CMV markers in NPI women. The results show that available diagnostic tools are unreliable for detecting active infection in over half of confirmed CMV NPI pregnant women. Therefore, universal neonatal screening for CMV is necessary.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Chandler H. Monk, Brady M. Youngquist, Alyson D. Brady, Jeffrey G. Shaffer, Tony Y. Hu, Bo Ning, Kevin J. Zwezdaryk
Summary: Despite decades of research, human cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in transplant settings and viral congenital infections. The current clinical diagnosis using RT-qPCR is limited by poor sensitivity and lack of standardization. This study introduces CRISPR-Cas12a technology as a rapid diagnostic for CMV, which overcomes these limitations and has the potential to be used as a point-of-care screening tool.
ANTIVIRAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Steven B. Kleiboeker
Summary: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a significant human pathogen, with low but impactful prevalence of drug resistance mutations. In this study, 30.04% of patient samples showed resistance to one or more anti-CMV drugs, with most resistance mutations found in UL97. Rapid monitoring for resistance in suspected cases allows for tailored treatment based on objective results instead of empirical drug selection.
ANTIVIRAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Maria Grazia Capretti, Concetta Marsico, Angela Chiereghin, Liliana Gabrielli, Arianna Aceti, Tiziana Lazzarotto
Summary: The study demonstrates that QuantiFERON (R)-CMV testing conducted on day 14 and the second month after birth can correlate with clinical manifestations and CMV DNA levels in neonates with cCMV infection. Patients with reactive results are more likely to be asymptomatic and have lower CMV DNAemia.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Review
Virology
Janine Zeng, Dabbu Kumar Jaijyan, Shaomin Yang, Shakai Pei, Qiyi Tang, Hua Zhu
Summary: Viral vectors, especially cytomegalovirus (CMV), have shown great potential in gene therapy due to their large packaging capacity, ability to achieve superinfection, broad host range, and capacity to induce virus-specific T cell responses. CMV vectors have been successful in various diseases and may serve as a promising vaccine vector.
Article
Virology
Claire Perillaud-Dubois, Elise Bouthry, Lina Mouna, Christine Pirin, Corinne Vieux-Combe, Olivier Picone, Anne-Marie Roque-Afonso, Alexandre J. Vivanti, Christelle Vauloup-Fellous
Summary: This study found that serum CMV PCR is reliable in diagnosing recent primary infection (PI) when only IgM is detected. The method has a high sensitivity and is valuable for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission.
Review
Microbiology
Stephen M. Matthews, Ian J. Groves, Christine M. O'Connor
Summary: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a betaherpesvirus that establishes lifelong infection in its host and can cause severe comorbidities in individuals with suppressed or compromised immune systems. The lifecycle of HCMV consists of lytic and latent phases, largely dependent upon the cell type infected and whether transcription from the major immediate early locus can ensue. Epigenetic regulation through chromatinization, chromatin modifiers, and transcription factor recruitment play important roles in controlling gene expression from the HCMV genome during infection.
Article
Virology
Federica Zavaglio, Francesca Rivela, Irene Cassaniti, Francesca Arena, Elisa Gabanti, Anna L. Asti, Daniele Lilleri, Teresa Rampino, Fausto Baldanti, Marilena Gregorini
Summary: Measuring the amount of CMV-specific T cells can help identify solid organ transplant recipients who are protected against CMV disease. This study used flow cytometry and ELISPOT assays to measure T cell frequencies. CD4(+) CFC-iDC and ELISPOT-iCL had better diagnostic performance than CD8(+) CFC-iDC, and provided earlier detection of protective immune reconstitution. This monitoring method is effective in discriminating transplant recipients at risk of or protected from CMV disease.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Maria Rescigno, Chiara Agrati, Carlo Salvarani, Diana Giannarelli, Massimo Costantini, Alberto Mantovani, Raffaella Massafra, Pier Luigi Zinzani, Aldo Morrone, Stefania Notari, Giulia Matusali, Giuseppe Lauria Pinter, Antonio Uccelli, Gennaro Ciliberto, Fausto Baldanti, Franco Locatelli, Nicola Silvestris, Valentina Sinno, Elena Turola, Maria Teresa Lupo-Stanghellini, Giovanni Apolone
Summary: This study compared the B-cell, T-cell, and neutralizing antibody response to WT and Omicron BA.2 SARS-CoV-2 virus in patients with hematological malignancies, solid tumors, and immune-rheumatological diseases after the fourth dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The T-cell response was similarly boosted by the fourth dose across different subgroups, while the antibody response was improved only in patients not receiving B-cell targeted therapies. However, a small percentage of patients did not have neutralizing antibodies to either virus variants, making them vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The increment of neutralizing antibodies was similar towards Omicron BA.2 and WT virus after the third or fourth dose of vaccine. Additional booster doses are recommended for frail patients to enhance the development of a B-cell response against Omicron and/or to enhance the T-cell response in patients treated with anti-CD20.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Angioletta Lasagna, Giuseppe Albi, Renato Maserati, Andrea Zuccarini, Mattia Quaccini, Fausto Baldanti, Paolo Sacchi, Raffaele Bruno, Paolo Pedrazzoli
Summary: The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus (OBI) and the incidence of reactivation (HBVr) in patients with solid tumors undergoing immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) treatment. The results show that about a quarter of the patients had potential occult hepatitis B, and immunotherapy may have a low risk of reactivation, but the correct management remains a challenge for oncologists and hepatologists.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Filippo Bianchini, Virginia Crivelli, Morgan E. Abernathy, Concetta Guerra, Martin Palus, Jonathan Muri, Harold Marcotte, Antonio Piralla, Mattia Pedotti, Raoul De Gasparo, Luca Simonelli, Milos Matkovic, Chiara Toscano, Maira Biggiogero, Veronica Calvaruso, Pavel Svoboda, Tomas Cervantes Rincon, Tommaso Fava, Lucie Podesvova, Akanksha A. Shanbhag, Andrea Celoria, Jacopo Sgrignani, Michal Stefanik, Vaclav Honig, Veronika Pranclova, Tereza Michalcikova, Jan Prochazka, Giuditta Guerrini, Dora Mehn, Annalisa Clabbattini, Hassan Abolhassani, David Jarrossay, Mariagrazia Uguccioni, Donata Medaglini, Qiang Pan-Hammarstroem, Luigi Calzolai, Daniel Fernandez, Fausto Baldanti, Alessandra Franzetti-Pellanda, Christian Garzoni, Radislav Sedlacek, Daniel Ruzek, Luca Varani, Andrea Cavalli, Christopher O. Barnes, Davide F. Robbiani
Summary: Using coldspot-guided antibody discovery, neutralizing antibodies to highly conserved viral epitopes were identified. Antibody fp.006 binds the fusion peptide and cross-reacts against coronaviruses. Antibody hr2.016 targets the stem helix and neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 variants. Antibody sd1.040 binds to subdomain 1 and synergizes with antibody rbd.042 for neutralization.
SCIENCE IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Virology
Salvatore Camiolo, Joseph Hughes, Fausto Baldanti, Milena Furione, Daniele Lilleri, Giuseppina Lombardi, Micol Angelini, Giuseppe Gerna, Maurizio Zavattoni, Andrew J. Davison, Nicolas M. Suarez
Summary: Understanding the intrahost evolution of viral populations is important for pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment. However, the analysis is sensitive to bias, error, and artefact in the data, and it is crucial to address these issues adequately.
Review
Virology
Angioletta Lasagna, Antonio Piralla, Sabrina Borgetto, Mattia Quaccini, Fausto Baldanti, Paolo Pedrazzoli
Summary: Torque teno virus (TTV) can be detected in over 90% of healthy individuals. It can be detected in various samples such as blood, serum, breast milk, cerebrospinal fluid, and saliva, as well as in different tissues such as the vagina and hepatocytes. TTV DNAemia is stable in healthy infected individuals, while TTV viral load is inversely correlated with T lymphocyte numbers and functions in immunocompromised populations. The role of TTV in cancer pathogenesis and response to anticancer treatments is still not well-known.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chiara Fornara, Eric Schultz, Daniele Lilleri, Fausto Baldanti, Brent Ryckman, Giuseppe Gerna
Summary: The serum neutralizing activity against HCMV varies depending on the producer cell type and the PC/TC ratio of virus preparations. The blocking activity of specific inhibitors also varies according to the PC/TC ratio. There is a potential producer cell effect on virus phenotype, but genetic factors cannot be overlooked. These findings have important implications for therapeutic antibodies and subunit vaccines.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Virology
Mattia Trunfio, Carmela Pinnetti, Stefania Arsuffi, Francesca Bai, Luigi Celani, Gabriella D'Ettorre, Jaime H. H. Vera, Antonella D'Arminio Monforte, Emanuele Foca, Valeria Ghisetti, Stefano Bonora, Andrea Antinori, Andrea Calcagno
Summary: The use of specific antiretroviral (ARV) classes, such as protease inhibitors, is associated with a higher risk of cerebrospinal fluid escape (CVE). This study investigated whether archived resistance-associated mutations (RAMs) mediate this relationship in patients treated with incompletely active ARV regimens. The presence of RAMs in the reverse transcriptase gene was associated with an increased risk of CVE.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Virology
Jose Camilla Sammartino, Irene Cassaniti, Alessandro Ferrari, Antonio Piralla, Federica Bergami, Francesca Adua Arena, Stefania Paolucci, Francesca Rovida, Daniele Lilleri, Elena Percivalle, Fausto Baldanti
Summary: Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is a zoonotic disease endemic in Central and West Africa. Vaccination with vaccinia virus provides 85% protection against MPXV. Comparative data on MPXV immune response in vaccinated or infected subjects are limited.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Anna Carannante, Paola Vacca, Stefano Fontana, Ivano Dal Conte, Valeria Ghisetti, Marco Cusini, Grazia Prignano, Caterina Vocale, Anna Maria Barbui, Elena Stroppiana, Marina Busetti, Antonella Mencacci, Marina Rotondi, Maria Antonia De Francesco, Carmen Luciana Bonanno, Patrizia Innocenti, Maria Agnese Latino, Eleonora Riccobono, Federica Poletti, Ines Clotilde Casonato, Graziella Soldato, Luigina Ambrosio, Stefano Boros, Andrea Ciammaruconi, Florigio Lista, Paola Stefanelli
Summary: This study analyzed the trend of antimicrobial resistance in a 7-year isolate collection in Italy and found an increasing resistance to ceftriaxone monotherapy or ceftriaxone plus azithromycin. It also observed a rise in azithromycin and ciprofloxacin resistance. These findings are important for monitoring the spread of drug-resistant gonorrhea.
MICROBIAL DRUG RESISTANCE
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Daniela Matuozzo, Estelle Talouarn, Astrid Marchal, Peng Zhang, Jeremy Manry, Yoann Seeleuthner, Yu Zhang, Alexandre Bolze, Matthieu Chaldebas, Baptiste Milisavljevic, Adrian Gervais, Paul Bastard, Takaki Asano, Lucy Bizien, Federica Barzaghi, Hassan Abolhassani, Ahmad Abou Tayoun, Alessandro Aiuti, Ilad Alavi Darazam, Luis M. Allende, Rebeca Alonso-Arias, Andres Augusto Arias, Gokhan Aytekin, Peter Bergman, Simone Bondesan, Yenan T. Bryceson, Ingrid G. Bustos, Oscar Cabrera-Marante, Sheila Carcel, Paola Carrera, Giorgio Casari, Khalil Chaibi, Roger Colobran, Antonio Condino-Neto, Laura E. Covill, Ottavia M. Delmonte, Loubna El Zein, Carlos Flores, Peter K. Gregersen, Marta Gut, Filomeen Haerynck, Rabih Halwani, Selda Hancerli, Lennart Hammarstroem, Nevin Hatipoglu, Adem Karbuz, Sevgi Keles, Christele Kyheng, Rafael Leon-Lopez, Jose Luis Franco, Davood Mansouri, Javier Martinez-Picado, Ozge Metin Akcan, Isabelle Migeotte, Pierre-Emmanuel Morange, Guillaume Morelle, Andrea Martin-Nalda, Giuseppe Novelli, Antonio Novelli, Tayfun Ozcelik, Figen Palabiyik, Qiang Pan-Hammarstroem, Rebeca Perez de Diego, Laura Planas-Serra, Daniel E. Pleguezuelo, Carolina Prando, Aurora Pujol, Luis Felipe Reyes, Jacques G. Riviere, Carlos Rodriguez-Gallego, Julian Rojas, Patrizia Rovere-Querini, Agatha Schlueter, Mohammad Shahrooei, Ali Sobh, Pere Soler-Palacin, Yacine Tandjaoui-Lambiotte, Imran Tipu, Cristina Tresoldi, Jesus Troya, Diederik van de Beek, Mayana Zatz, Pawel Zawadzki, Saleh Zaid Al-Muhsen, Mohammed Faraj Alosaimi, Fahad M. Alsohime, Hagit Baris-Feldman, Manish J. Butte, Stefan N. Constantinescu, Megan A. Cooper, Clifton L. Dalgard, Jacques Fellay, James R. Heath, Yu-Lung Lau, Richard P. Lifton, Tom Maniatis, Trine H. Mogensen, Horst von Bernuth, Alban Lermine, Michel Vidaud, Anne Boland, Jean-Francois Deleuze, Robert Nussbaum, Amanda Kahn-Kirby, France Mentre, Sarah Tubiana, Guy Gorochov, Florence Tubach, Pierre Hausfater, C. O. V. I. D. Human Genetic Effort, Isabelle Meyts, Shen-Ying Zhang, Anne Puel, Luigi D. Notarangelo, Stephanie Boisson-Dupuis, Helen C. Su, Bertrand Boisson, Emmanuelle Jouanguy, Jean-Laurent Casanova, Qian Zhang, Laurent Abel, Aurelie Cobat
Summary: Through a genome-wide rare variant burden association analysis, it was found that there is an association between at-risk variants in the TLR7 gene and rare loss-of-function variants in TLR3-dependent type I interferon immunity genes. These findings suggest that rare variants in TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I interferon immunity genes may underlie life-threatening COVID-19 in patients under 60 years old.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Emanuele Pivetta, Silvia Corcione, Paolo Peasso, Irene Cara, Alberto Capodanno, Andrea Brussino, Paolo Petitti, Eleonora Galli, Maddalena Galmozzi, Valeria Ghisetti, Rossana Cavallo, Franco Apra, Enrico Lupia, Francesco Giuseppe De Rosa, Giuseppe Montrucchio
Summary: Bloodstream infections (BSI) are increasingly common reasons for hospital admissions. Differentiating between community-acquired and healthcare-associated (HCA) BSI is important due to varying risks of multidrug resistance (MDR). A retrospective study was conducted in three cohorts to develop and validate a prognostic model for identifying MDR non-hospital-acquired (non-HA) BSI. The model includes various factors such as age, gender, and recent medical procedures, and shows acceptable performance with a C-index of 70%.
Article
Respiratory System
Antonio Piralla, Francesco Mojoli, Laura Pellegrinelli, Ferruccio Ceriotti, Antonia Valzano, Giacomo Grasselli, Maria Rita Gismondo, Valeria Micheli, Antonio Castelli, Claudio Farina, Marco Arosio, Ferdinando Luca Lorini, Diana Fanti, Andrea Busni, Matteo Laratta, Fabrizio Maggi, Federica Novazzi, Luca Cabrini, Anna Paola Callegaro, Roberto Keim, Giuseppe Remuzzi, Annalisa Cavallero, Sergio Maria Ivano Malandrin, Roberto Rona, Federica Giardina, Guglielmo Ferrari, Federica Zavaglio, Piera D'angelo, Cristina Galli, Laura Bubba, Sandro Binda, Massimo Oggioni, Sara Colonia Uceda Renteria, Patrizia Bono, Andreina Baj, Francesca Drago Ferrante, Davide Guarneri, Marco Tonelli, Gavino Napolitano, Alice Nava, Lorenzo Romeo, Elena Nicolini, Rea Valaperta, Ludovica Varisano, Caterina Mele, Lucia Liguori, Monica Raggi, Silvia Mongodi, Michele Pagani, Paolo Severgnini, Dario Gasberti, Ezio Bonanomi, Paolo Gritti, Francesco Marrazzo, Ilaria Giovannini, Noemi Sacchi, Orlando Sagliocco, Danilo Cereda, Sabrina Buoro, Fausto Baldanti, Elena Pariani
Summary: This multicenter observational study included 171 COVID-19 adult patients hospitalized in the ICUs of nine hospitals in Lombardy (Northern Italy) from December, 1st 2021, to February, 9th 2022. The study found that the Delta/Omicron variant ratio of cases in ICU patients decreased with a delay of two weeks compared to that in the community. Unvaccinated patients had a higher proportion of Delta infections, while boosted patients had a higher rate of Omicron infections. The number of comorbidities and comorbidity score were positively associated with Omicron infection among ICU patients, including vaccinated individuals. The risk of severe disease and the need for ICU admission and mechanical ventilation due to Omicron versus Delta infection remains uncertain.
RESPIRATORY MEDICINE AND RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Virology
Federica Zavaglio, Davide Vitello, Federica Bergami, Francesca Arena, Oscar Borsani, Anna Amelia Colombo, Daniela Caldera, Daniele Lilleri, Irene Cassaniti, Paolo Bernasconi, Fausto Baldanti
Summary: The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic role of HCMV-specific T-cell frequency measured at the end of LTV prophylaxis in predicting the risk for clinically significant HCMV infection. The results showed that patients with lower HCMV-specific T-cell response after HCMV infection treatment had a higher proportion of clinically significant HCMV infection. Therefore, assessment of HCMV-specific immunity upon discontinuation of universal prophylaxis with LTV should be considered as a method for identification of patients at risk for clinically significant HCMV infection.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Tommaso Lupia, Elena Crisa, Alberto Gaviraghi, Barbara Rizzello, Alessia Di Vincenzo, Fabrizio Carnevale-Schianca, Daniela Caravelli, Marco Fizzotti, Francesco Tolomeo, Umberto Vitolo, Ilaria De Benedetto, Nour Shbaklo, Alessandro Cerutti, Piero Fenu, Vanesa Gregorc, Silvia Corcione, Valeria Ghisetti, Francesco Giuseppe De Rosa
Summary: Co-infections of Strongyloides and cytomegalovirus are rarely reported but have high morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised hosts. Most cases occur in male patients, especially in solid organ transplants and hematological or rheumatological diseases. Steroid treatment is common before the diagnosis of co-infections, and the treatment mortality rate is high.
TROPICAL MEDICINE AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE
(2023)
