Article
Immunology
Joseph Humphrey Kofi Bonney, Terrel Sanders, Deborah Pratt, Bright Agbodzi, Dennis Laryea, Nana Kwame Fredua Agyeman, Selassie Kumordjie, Keren Attiku, Patience Lartekai Adams, Gideon Aning Boateng, Sally-Ann Ohene, Christopher Tamal, Gifty Mawuli, Clara Yeboah, Samuel Dadzie, Chrysantus Kubio, Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, John Kofi Odoom
Summary: Yellow fever outbreak in Ghana resulted in severe casualties. The outbreak primarily affected unvaccinated nomadic communities. Molecular amplification methods were used for diagnosis and provided important DNA sequences. Advanced molecular diagnostic techniques helped control the spread of the outbreak.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Yoonhyuk Choi, Younghee Kim
Summary: A multiplex real-time PCR virus detection method has been developed, which can simultaneously detect different hemorrhagic fever viruses, with the advantages of being quick and cost-effective.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Letter
Immunology
Mohammad M. Obaidat, James C. Graziano, Maria Morales-Betoulle, Shelley M. Brown, Cheng-Feng Chiang, John D. Klena
Summary: The epidemiology of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) in Jordan is unknown. A study found 3% of tested dairy cattle, sheep, and goats were RVFV seropositive and 14% were CCHFV seropositive. Ongoing surveillance is necessary to evaluate the risk to humans and protect public health.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Alexander Y. Trick, Hoan Thanh Ngo, Anju H. Nambiar, Marisa M. Morakis, Fan-En Chen, Liben Chen, Kuangwen Hsieh, Tza-Huei Wang
Summary: In this study, a streamlined workflow for extraction of plasma from whole blood, HIV RNA extraction, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in a portable magnetofluidic cartridge platform for use at the point-of-care was outlined. The viral particles were isolated from blood using a 3D-printed filter module and then automated nucleic acid capture and purification were performed using magnetic beads, followed by qPCR using compact instrumentation. The study demonstrated rapid detection of HIV viral particles from whole blood in a short period of time.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Lynda Coughlan, Eric J. Kremer, Dmitry M. Shayakhmetov
Summary: Zoonotic viruses pose a continuous threat, and investing in vaccine development is crucial. Replication-defective adenoviral vectors have shown potential as vaccine platforms. This review discusses the progress in using Ad-based vaccines against emerging viruses and summarizes their global safety profile during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Tomoya Ueda, Hajime Shinoda, Asami Makino, Mami Yoshimura, Tatsuya Iida, Rikiya Watanabe
Summary: A rapid and robust genetic test called Direct-SATORI has been developed for plant virus detection, which eliminates the need for purification and amplification processes of viral genomes. It can detect various plant viruses in less than 15 minutes with high sensitivity and specificity.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Nasir Mohajel, Arash Arashkia
Summary: Surveying patenting activity can help coordinate R&D efforts in combating emerging infectious diseases.
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Desmond Brennan, Louise O'Connor, Martin Cormican, James Kileen, Eoin Clancy, Terry J. Smith, Paul Galvin
Summary: A PCR assay was developed to screen Chlamydia trachomatis directly from urine with high sensitivity and specificity, suitable for implementation on a disposable cartridge system. The assay protocol involved heating urine samples to 85°C for ten minutes and performing a duplex realtime PCR on resulting urine lysate.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2021)
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Leanne P. M. van Leeuwen, Wesley de Jong, Laura Doornekamp, Eric C. M. van Gorp, Pieter J. Wismans, Marco Goeijenbier
Summary: Certain exotic viruses can cause clinical diseases with liver involvement. These viruses have various transmission routes and clinical presentations, and they may cause severe liver damage. Timely detection of these exotic hepatitis viruses is crucial.
JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Naoki Uno, Ziyue Li, Lori Avery, Maroun M. Sfeir, Changchun Liu
Summary: CRISPR technology combined with isothermal amplification has been used as a powerful biosensing tool for sensitive nucleic acid detection. However, integrating isothermal amplification into CRISPR detection in a one-pot system has been challenging. In this study, a simple CRISPR gel biosensing platform was developed for HIV RNA detection, which successfully detected down to 30 copies of HIV RNA per test within 30 minutes.
ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Tomoki Yoshikawa
Summary: Vaccinia virus, once used as a smallpox vaccine, is now utilized for bioterrorism defense and as a vector for recombinant vaccines for infectious diseases. Third-generation smallpox vaccine strains like MVA and LC16m8 are popular for their balanced safety and immunogenicity profiles.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Amy J. Schuh, Jackson Kyondo, James Graziano, Stephen Balinandi, Markus H. Kainulainen, Alex Tumusiime, Luke Nyakarahuka, Sophia Mulei, Jimmy Baluku, William Lonergan, Oren Mayer, Rastus Masereka, Fredrick Masereka, Esther Businge, Alphonse Gatare, Loice Kabyanga, Samuel Muhindo, Raymond Mugabe, Issa Makumbi, Joshua Kayiwa, Milton Makoba Wetaka, Vance Brown, Joseph Ojwang, Lisa Nelson, Monica Millard, Stuart T. Nichol, Joel M. Montgomery, Celine H. Taboy, Julius J. Lutwama, John D. Klena
Summary: The Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread to northeastern DRC, with over 2,000 reported cases and over 1,000 deaths by June 2019. In Western Uganda's Kasese District, three individuals from a Congolese family were confirmed to have EVD, leading to an outbreak declaration by the Ugandan Ministry of Health and a rapid response from various organizations. Despite no EVD cases being detected by the field laboratory, it played a crucial role in patient management and epidemiological surveillance, providing diagnostic results in less than 3 hours.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Virology
Annika Brinkmann, Steven Uddin, Eva Krause, Rebecca Surtees, Ender Dincer, Sirri Kar, Sabri Hacioglu, Aykut Ozkul, Koray Ergunay, Andreas Nitsche
Summary: The SISPA + nanopore sequencing method successfully screened viruses in ticks, generating data comparable to NGS and providing an effective tool for broad-range virus detection.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Xun He, Shan Wang, Caoyuan Ma, Guang-Ri Xu, Jinyou Ma, Hongbing Xie, Wei Zhu, Hongyang Liu, Lei Wang, Yimin Wang
Summary: The detection of animal viruses is a challenging task with significant practical implications. Early diagnosis of animal virus infections is crucial for preventing disease spread and reducing economic losses. Electrochemical sensors have emerged as promising tools for rapid diagnosis, offering benefits such as sensitivity, affordability, usability, portability, and real-time analysis. This review focuses on the construction and advantages of electrochemical biosensors for animal virus detection, highlighting their potential as a research direction.
Review
Cell Biology
Dominika Bebnowska, Paulina Niedzwiedzka-Rystwej
Summary: Autophagy, a process essential for maintaining organism homeostasis, plays a complex role in viral infections where it can both aid in fighting the virus and facilitate its replication. Further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms of autophagy in viral infections and its potential use as a therapeutic target. Studies in specific research models are crucial for this purpose.
Article
Immunology
Brittany A. Petros, Jacquelyn Turcinovic, Nicole L. Welch, Laura F. White, Eric D. Kolaczyk, Matthew R. Bauer, Michael Cleary, Sabrina T. Dobbins, Lynn Doucette-Stamm, Mitch Gore, Parvathy Nair, Tien G. Nguyen, Scott Rose, Bradford P. Taylor, Daniel Tsang, Erik Wendlandt, Michele Hope, Judy T. Platt, Karen R. Jacobson, Tara Bouton, Seyho Yune, Jared R. Auclair, Lena Landaverde, Catherine M. Klapperich, Davidson H. Hamer, William P. Hanage, Bronwyn L. MacInnis, Pardis C. Sabeti, John H. Connor, Michael Springer
Summary: This study describes the rapid fixation of the Omicron variant in universities and highlights its high transmissibility in small populations. It emphasizes the importance of asymptomatic surveillance programs in early detection of pathogen dynamics.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Philipp A. Ilinykh, Sivakumar Periasamy, Kai Huang, Natalia A. Kuzmina, Palaniappan Ramanathan, Michelle N. Meyer, Chad E. Mire, Ivan V. Kuzmin, Preeti Bharaj, Jessica R. Endsley, Maria Chikina, Stuart C. Sealfon, Steven G. Widen, Mark A. Endsley, Alexander Bukreyev
Summary: Respiratory tract vaccination induces immune responses at the portal of SARS-CoV-2 entry, including neutralizing antibodies and memory T cell responses, providing advantages against COVID-19.
Article
Immunology
Tara C. Bouton, Joseph Atarere, Jacquelyn Turcinovic, Scott Seitz, Cole Sher-Jan, Madison Gilbert, Laura White, Zhenwei Zhou, Mohammad M. Hossain, Victoria Overbeck, Lynn Doucette-Stamm, Judy Platt, Hannah E. Landsberg, Davidson H. Hamer, Catherine Klapperich, Karen R. Jacobson, John H. Connor
Summary: The majority of Delta- and Omicron-infected cohort culture-converted by day 6, with no further impact of booster vaccination on sterilization or cycle threshold decay. Rapid antigen testing may provide reassurance of lack of infectiousness, though guidance to mask for days 6-10 is supported by our finding that 17% of participants remained culture-positive after isolation.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Lauren E. Brown, Scott Seitz, Ashley Kondas, Paul T. Marcyk, Claire Marie Filone, Mohammad M. Hossain, Scott E. Schaus, Victoria A. Olson, John H. Connor
Summary: This study described efforts to improve the potency of the anti-poxvirus small molecule CMLDBU6128 and identified several compounds with increased potency. The study also showed that these compounds can inhibit the replication of variola virus, a related orthopoxvirus.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Jacquelyn Turcinovic, Beau Schaeffer, Bradford P. Taylor, Tara C. Bouton, Aubrey R. Odom-Mabey, Sarah E. Weber, Sara Lodi, Elizabeth J. Ragan, John H. Connor, Karen R. Jacobson, William P. Hanage
Summary: Through the incorporation of sequences from public genomic databases, it was discovered that 73% of coronavirus cases in healthcare workers are likely novel introductions rather than nosocomial spread. This highlights the importance of expanding public genomic surveillance for infection control measures.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Lena Landaverde, Jacquelyn Turcinovic, Lynn Doucette-Stamm, Kevin Gonzales, Judy Platt, John H. Connor, Catherine Klapperich
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased use of rapid diagnostic tests. While these tests are less sensitive than quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, their accessibility and quick results have made them popular. A study on the Abbott BinaxNOW rapid diagnostic test showed it can accurately confirm SARS-CoV-2 infection in individuals with substantial viral load, but may miss some infected individuals if used exclusively to rule out infection.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jacquelyn Turcinovic, Kayla Kuhfeldt, Madison Sullivan, Lena Landaverde, Judy T. Platt, Lynn Doucette-Stamm, William P. Hanage, Davidson H. Hamer, Catherine Klapperich, Hannah E. Landsberg, John H. Connor
Summary: This study utilizes the combined approach of contact tracing and genomic analysis to monitor and understand the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a university environment. The investigation of a cluster originating from an athletic team highlights the importance of contact tracing and genomic analysis, and suggests that certain safety protocols can reduce transmission.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Da-Yuan Chen, Chue Vin Chin, Devin Kenney, Alexander H. Tavares, Nazimuddin Khan, Hasahn L. Conway, GuanQun Liu, Manish C. Choudhary, Hans P. Gertje, Aoife K. O'Connell, Scott Adams, Darrell N. Kotton, Alexandra Herrmann, Armin Ensser, John H. Connor, Markus Bosmann, Jonathan Z. Li, Michaela U. Gack, Susan C. Baker, Robert N. Kirchdoerfer, Yachana Kataria, Nicholas A. Crossland, Florian Douam, Mohsan Saeed
Summary: The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is highly immune evasive but less virulent compared to other major viral variants. It has a large number of mutations in the spike protein, which is the main driver of these traits. The virus bearing Omicron S can efficiently escape vaccine-induced immunity, replicate in cells, and cause less severe disease, but its pathogenicity is determined by mutations both in and outside of the spike protein.
Article
Virology
RuthMabel Boytz, Scott Seitz, Emily Gaudiano, J. J. Patten, Patrick T. T. Keiser, John H. H. Connor, Arlene H. H. Sharpe, Robert A. A. Davey
Summary: Reliable inactivation methods are essential for virus research and development of diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics. This study validates the use of gamma irradiation to inactivate culture supernatants and cell pellets of SARS-CoV-2 and Ebola virus. The required doses for virus inactivation are reported, and the method allows for analysis of protein-based host responses to infection.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Elif Seymour, M. Selim Unlu, John H. Connor
Summary: Using a single-particle interferometric reflectance imaging sensor (SP-IRIS), we screened 30 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against Ebola, Sudan, and Lassa viruses to detect whole viruses. We also developed a model to map the antibody epitopes on the viral surface glycoproteins (GPs). The SP-IRIS results showed that mAbs binding to the mucin-like domain or glycan cap of the GP had the highest signal for Ebola detection. For Lassa virus, the 8.9F antibody performed the best. Additionally, we demonstrated a novel antibody competition assay using SP-IRIS to explain the higher efficacy of the ZMapp cocktail compared to other cocktails against Ebola infection.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Pathology
Anna E. Tseng, Mariano Carossino, Hans P. Gertje, Aoife K. O'Connell, Suryaram Gummuluru, Vijaya B. Kolachalama, Udeni B. R. Balasuriya, John H. Connor, Richard S. Bennett, David X. Liu, Lisa E. Hensley, Nicholas A. Crossland
Summary: The liver in rhesus macaques infected with Ebola virus shows altered myeloid phenotypes, increased neutrophil influx, and activation of interferon responses. These findings provide insights into potential therapeutic strategies for modulating the host's inflammatory response and normalizing hepatic myeloid functionality.
VETERINARY PATHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Ludy R. Carmola, Jacquelyn Turcinovic, Garrison Draper, David Webner, Margot Putukian, Holly Silvers-Granelli, Andrei Bombin, Bradley A. Connor, Kristina M. Angelo, Phyllis Kozarsky, Michael Libman, Ralph Huits, Davidson H. Hamer, Jessica K. Fairley, John H. Connor, Anne Piantadosi, Daniel L. Bourque
Summary: MLS used SARS-CoV-2 testing protocol to identify individuals with coronavirus disease 2019. Despite the majority of players being vaccinated, several players still tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, with a family member visiting from England identified as a potential index case. Whole genome sequencing was used to track transmission patterns and identify potential sources of infection.
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Da-Yuan Chen, Jacquelyn Turcinovic, Shuchen Feng, Devin J. Kenney, Chue Vin Chin, Manish C. Choudhary, Hasahn L. Conway, Marc Semaan, Brianna J. Close, Alexander H. Tavares, Scott Seitz, Nazimuddin Khan, Sebastian Kapell, Nicholas A. Crossland, Jonathan Z. Li, Florian Douam, Susan C. Baker, John H. Connor, Mohsan Saeed
Summary: A simple and robust cell culture system is crucial for generating authentic SARSpounds and preparing inactivated vaccines. Vero E6, a commonly used cell line for growing SARS-CoV-2, is not efficient in supporting viral propagation of new variants and leads to rapid cell culture adaptation of the virus. We created a panel of 17 human cell lines overexpressing SARS-CoV-2 entry factors and tested their ability to support viral infection, with two cell lines yielding highly concentrated virus stocks. Interestingly, these cell lines were more sensitive than Vero E6 cells in recovering SARS-CoV-2 from clinical specimens.
Article
Entomology
Seth Gibson, Leela E. Noronha, Heidi Tubbs, Lee W. Cohnstaedt, William C. Wilson, Chad Mire, Dana Mitzel, Assaf Anyamba, Melinda Rostal, Kenneth J. Linthicum, Ary Faraji
Summary: Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a vector-borne zoonotic disease that poses a threat to global agriculture and public health. It can be transmitted by mosquitoes and direct contact with infected tissues. With changing climate and environmental factors, the virus may be introduced to new areas. However, understanding the virus's transmission patterns and evolutionary factors can help reduce the risk of outbreaks.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Adam J. Ronk, Nicole M. Lloyd, Min Zhang, Caroline Atyeo, Hailee R. Perrett, Chad E. Mire, Kathryn M. Hastie, Rogier W. Sanders, Philip J. M. Brouwer, Erica Olmann Saphire, Andrew B. Ward, Thomas G. Ksiazek, Juan Carlos Alvarez Moreno, Harshwardhan M. Thaker, Galit Alter, Sunny Himansu, Andrea Carfi, Alexander Bukreyev
Summary: The study presents an mRNA-based Lassa virus vaccine that provides protection against lethal infection in a guinea pig model without the need for neutralizing antibodies. Vaccination induced strong binding antibody responses and demonstrated the potential of mRNA vaccines as a platform against Lassa virus.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)