Article
Medical Informatics
Heather R. Jackson, Judith Zandstra, Stephanie Menikou, Melissa Shea Hamilton, Andrew J. Mcardle, Roman Fischer, Adam M. Thorne, Honglei Huang, Michael W. Tanck, Machiel H. Jansen, Tisham De, Philipp K. A. Agyeman, Ulrich Von Both, Enitan Carrol, Marieke Emonts, Irini Eleftheriou, Michiel van der Flier, Colin Fink, Jolein Gloerich, Ronald De Groot, Henriette A. Moll, Marko Pokorn, Andrew J. Pollard, Luregn J. Schlapbach, Maria N. Tsolia, Effua Usuf, Victoria J. Wright, Shunmay Yeung, Dace Zavadska, Werner Zenz, Lachlan J. M. Coin, Climent Casals-Pascual, Aubrey J. Cunnington, Federico Martinon-Torres, Jethro A. Herberg, Marien de Jonge, Michael Levin, Taco W. Kuijpers, Myrsini Kaforou
Summary: Through a multi-center study, we have identified protein biomarkers that may be developed into a blood-based point-of-care diagnostic test for rapidly distinguishing bacterial and viral infections in febrile children. This study provides a potential useful tool for improving the treatment of febrile children.
LANCET DIGITAL HEALTH
(2023)
Letter
Pediatrics
Ivana Pennisi, Jesus Rodriguez-Manzano, Ahmad Moniri, Myrsini Kaforou, Jethro A. Herberg, Michael Levin, Pantelis Georgiou
Summary: This study evaluates a 2-gene RNA signature that can be transformed into a rapid and portable laboratory-on-a-chip platform for point-of-care testing, which can be completed in less than 25 minutes.
Review
Infectious Diseases
B. Leticia Fernandez-Carballo, Camille Escadafal, Emily MacLean, Anokhi J. Kapasi, Sabine Dittrich
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate host biomarkers that can distinguish bacterial from non-bacterial causes of AFI, finding that most studies focused on protein, hematology, RNA, and metabolite biomarkers. Results showed a high overall risk of bias for most biomarkers, but some showed good sensitivity/specificity in blood samples. Most of the well-performing biomarkers identified are well-known, with a few new biomarkers showing promise, but further high-quality studies are needed to confirm these findings.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kelsey M. Haas, Michael J. Mcgregor, Mehdi Bouhaddou, Benjamin J. Polacco, Eun-Young Kim, Thong T. Nguyen, Billy W. Newton, Matthew Urbanowski, Heejin Kim, Michael A. P. Williams, Veronica V. Rezelj, Alexandra Hardy, Andrea Fossati, Erica J. Stevenson, Ellie Sukerman, Tiffany Kim, Sudhir Penugonda, Elena Moreno, Hannes Braberg, Yuan Zhou, Giorgi Metreveli, Bhavya Harjai, Tia A. Tummino, James E. Melnyk, Margaret Soucheray, Jyoti Batra, Lars Pache, Laura Martin-Sancho, Jared Carlson-Stevermer, Alexander S. Jureka, Christopher F. Basler, Kevan M. Shokat, Brian K. Shoichet, Leah P. Shriver, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Megan L. Shaw, Sumit K. Chanda, Dan M. Roden, Tonia C. Carter, Leah C. Kottyan, Rex L. Chisholm, Jennifer A. Pacheco, Maureen E. Smith, Steven J. Schrodi, Randy A. Albrecht, Marco Vignuzzi, Lorena Zuliani-Alvarez, Danielle L. Swaney, Manon Eckhardt, Steven M. Wolinsky, Kris M. White, Judd F. Hultquist, Robyn M. Kaake, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Nevan J. Krogan
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive network model of IAV infection in human cells, identifying functional host targets for pan-viral HDT. Key host proteins essential for IAV infection are revealed, and gene variants associated with severe influenza are discovered. Moreover, compounds targeting identified host factors suppress IAV replication and exhibit broad antiviral activity across influenza and coronavirus families.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wenshuai Wang, Anna Marie Pyle
Summary: RIG-I is an innate immune receptor that plays a crucial role in detecting and responding to RNA virus infections. New research has shown that RIG-I can distinguish viral RNA from host RNA by adopting different protein folds. This distinction allows RIG-I to recognize RNA molecules that differ by as little as one phosphate group. These findings provide insights into the selective antiviral sensing and the development of autoimmunity caused by RIG-I dysregulation.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Raquel Almansa, Carmen Herrero-Rodriguez, Misericordia Martinez-Huelamo, Maria del Pilar Vicente-Andres, Jose Angel Nieto-Barbero, Miryam Martin-Ballesteros, Maria del Mar Rodilla-Carvajal, Amanda de la Fuente, Alicia Ortega, Maria Jesus Alonso-Ramos, James Wacker, Oliver Liesenfeld, Timothy E. Sweeney, Jesus F. Bermejo-Martin, Luis Garcia-Ortiz
Summary: The Fever-7 test is a promising host immune mRNA marker for the early identification of respiratory viral infections in the community, showing high sensitivity and specificity in predicting viral infections.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2021)
Review
Pediatrics
Danilo Buonsenso, Giorgio Sodero, Piero Valentini
Summary: Traditional laboratory markers fail to accurately distinguish between viral and bacterial infections in children, potentially leading to delayed recognition of sepsis and severe bacterial infections. Transcript host-RNA signatures offer a new tool to differentiate viral from bacterial infections, improving characterization of the spectrum of infections and optimizing antibiotic use in children.
PEDIATRIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Virology
Larissa Menezes dos Reis, Marcelo Rodrigues Bercot, Bianca Gazieri Castelucci, Ana Julia Estumano Martins, Gisele Castro, Pedro M. M. Moraes-Vieira
Summary: RNA viruses can cause a wide range of respiratory tract illnesses, including the latest coronavirus pandemic, which have significant impact on public health and the global economy. Despite efforts, there are still no effective and scalable treatments for respiratory RNA virus infections due to their high mutation rate. Host-directed therapies that target immune cell factors and metabolic pathways show promise in combating these infections. Understanding the immunometabolic modulation in response to virus infection may provide valuable insights for developing new therapies against respiratory RNA viruses.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alberto Gomez-Carballa, Ruth Barral-Arca, Miriam Cebey-Lopez, Xabier Bello, Jacobo Pardo-Seco, Federico Martinon-Torres, Antonio Salas
Summary: Developing a three-gene signature based on host transcriptomics can accurately differentiate viral and bacterial infections, contributing to improved patient management and treatment in the fight against antibiotic resistance.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Jack Albright, Eran Mick, Estella Sanchez-Guerrero, Jack Kamm, Anthea Mitchell, Angela M. Detweiler, Norma Neff, Alexandra Tsitsiklis, Paula Hayakawa Serpa, Kalani Ratnasiri, Diane Havlir, Amy Kistler, Joseph L. DeRisi, Angela Oliveira Pisco, Charles R. Langelier
Summary: In this study, a 2-gene host-based COVID-19 diagnostic classifier was developed and validated using upper respiratory tract gene expression. The classifier demonstrated utility in reducing false-negative results caused by SARS-CoV-2 variants and false-positive viral PCR results due to laboratory cross-contamination.
Article
Medical Laboratory Technology
Anil K. Chokkalla, Estella Tam, Rommel Liang, Andrea T. Cruz, Sridevi Devaraj
Summary: MeMed-BV is a reliable multivariate index test for distinguishing viral and bacterial infections. This study validates the performance of MeMed-BV in a pediatric hospital and shows that it performs better in classifying bacterial infections.
CLINICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Eimear Kelly, Sean Olann Whelan, Eli Harriss, Sarah Murphy, Andrew J. Pollard, Daniel O'Connor
Summary: This study conducted a systematic review to evaluate the performance of host genomic biomarkers in the diagnosis of bacterial infection. The results showed that host genomic biomarkers have high sensitivity and specificity for bacterial infection, indicating their potential clinical utility, but further validation is needed before clinical implementation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Antonio Cappuccio, Daniel G. Chawla, Xi Chen, Aliza B. Rubenstein, Wan Sze Cheng, Weiguang Mao, Thomas W. Burke, Ephraim L. Tsalik, Elizabeth Petzold, Ricardo Henao, Micah T. McClain, Christopher W. Woods, Maria Chikina, Olga G. Troyanskaya, Stuart C. Sealfon, Steven H. Kleinstein, Elena Zaslavsky
Summary: By applying a multi-objective optimization framework to analyze blood samples from COVID-19 patients, a COVID-19 signature regulated at both transcriptional and epigenetic levels was identified. The robustness of this signature was validated in multiple independent COVID-19 cohorts. Unlike previously reported signatures, this signature showed no cross-reactivity with other infections or comorbidities, and plasmablasts and memory T cells played important roles in the interpretation of the signature.
Article
Pediatrics
Johannes Aasa, Eva Tiselius, Indranil Sinha, Gunnar Edman, Martina Wahlund, Shanie Saghafian Hedengren, Anna Nilsson, Anna Berggren
Summary: Febrile neutropenia is a common complication in paediatric cancer care during chemotherapy, and current diagnostic tests are not reliable in distinguishing between bacterial and viral infections. This study found that RNA sequencing and the 2-transcript signature (FAM89A and IFI44L) can be used as a potential diagnostic tool to identify bacterial infections in immunosuppressed children with febrile neutropenia. The study also identified upregulated genes associated with antibacterial responses in children classified as having probable bacterial infection.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ewa Ostrycharz, Beata Hukowska-Szematowicz
Summary: This article presents key miRNAs involved in viral infections in humans and animals. The authors summarize existing literature data and reveal that 12 miRNAs are mainly involved in human viral infections, while 10 miRNAs are commonly found in animal viral infections. Investigating the roles of these miRNAs can contribute to understanding the pathogenesis of viral diseases and aid in the development of therapeutic agents.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
