Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

Phylogenetic Investigation Of Enteric Bovine Coronavirus In Ireland Reveals Partitioning Between European And Global Strains, Lynda Gunn, P. J. Collins, M. J. O'Connell, Helen O'Shea

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Background

Bovine coronavirus is a primary cause of neonatal calf diarrhea worldwide, and is also associated with acute diarrhea in adult cattle during the winter season. There are no reports on molecular characterization of bovine coronavirus in Ireland, and little data exists apart from serological studies.

Findings

In this study, 11 neonatal (mean age 9 days) calf BCoV strains from the south of Ireland were collected over a one year period and characterized using molecular methods. The spike gene which encodes a protein involved in viral entry, infectivity and immune response shows the most variability amongst the isolates and was …

Whole-Genome Sequencing Of Kshv From Zambian Kaposi’S Sarcoma Biopsies Reveals Unique Viral Diversity, Landon N. Olp, Adrien Jeanniard, Clemence Marimo, John T. West, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the etiological agent for Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS). Both KSHV and KS are endemic in sub-Saharan Africa where approximately 84% of global KS cases occur. Nevertheless, whole-genome sequencing of KSHV has only been completed using isolates from Western countries—where KS is not endemic. The lack of whole-genome KSHV sequence data from the most clinically important geographical region, sub-Saharan Africa, represents an important gap as it remains unclear whether genomic diversity has a role on KSHV pathogenesis. We hypothesized that distinct KSHV genotypes might be present in sub-Saharan Africa compared to Western countries. Using a KSHV-targeted enrichment …

Evaluation Of Cardiac Involvement In Children With Dengue By Serial Echocardiographic Studies, Tawatchai Kirawittaya, In-Kyu Yoon, Sineewanlaya Wichit, Sharone Green, Francis A. Ennis, Robert V. Gibbons, Stephen J. Thomas, Alan L. Rothman, Siripen Kalayanarooj, Anon Srikiatkhachorn

Sharone Green

BACKGROUND: Infection with dengue virus results in a wide range of clinical manifestations from dengue fever (DF), a self-limited febrile illness, to dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) which is characterized by plasma leakage and bleeding tendency. Although cardiac involvement has been reported in dengue, the incidence and the extent of cardiac involvement are not well defined. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We characterized the incidence and changes in cardiac function in a prospective in-patient cohort of suspected dengue cases by serial echocardiography. Plasma leakage was detected by serial chest and abdominal ultrasonography. Daily cardiac troponin-T levels were measured. One hundred and eighty …

The Spatial Dynamics Of Dengue Virus In Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand, Piraya Bhoomiboonchoo, Robert V. Gibbons, Angkana Huang, In-Kyu Yoon, Darunee Buddhari, Ananda Nisalak, Natkamol Chansatiporn, Mathuros Thipayamongkolgul, Siripen Kalanarooj, Timothy Endy, Alan L. Rothman, Anon Srikiatkhachorn, Sharone Green, Mammen P. Mammen, Derek A. Cummings, Henrik Salje

Sharone Green

BACKGROUND: Dengue is endemic to the rural province of Kamphaeng Phet, Northern Thailand. A decade of prospective cohort studies has provided important insights into the dengue viruses and their generated disease. However, as elsewhere, spatial dynamics of the pathogen remain poorly understood. In particular, the spatial scale of transmission and the scale of clustering are poorly characterized. This information is critical for effective deployment of spatially targeted interventions and for understanding the mechanisms that drive the dispersal of the virus.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We geocoded the home locations of 4,768 confirmed dengue cases admitted to the main hospital in Kamphaeng Phet …

Preliminary Evaluation Of Near Infrared Spectroscopy As A Method To Detect Plasma Leakage In Children With Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, Babs R. Soller, Anon Srikiatkhachorn, Fengmei Zou, Alan L. Rothman, In-Kyu Yoon, Robert V. Gibbons, Siripen Kalayanarooj, Stephen J. Thomas, Sharone Green

Sharone Green

BACKGROUND: Dengue viral infections are prevalent in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, resulting in substantial morbidity and mortality. Clinical manifestations range from a self-limited fever to a potential life-threatening plasma leakage syndrome (dengue hemorrhagic fever). The objective of this study was to assess the utility of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) measurements of muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2) as a possible continuous measure to detect plasma leakage in children with dengue.

METHODS: Children ages 6 months to 15 years of age admitted with suspected dengue were enrolled from the dengue ward at Queen Sirikit National Institute for Child Health. …

Sequential Dengue Virus Infections Detected In Active And Passive Surveillance Programs In Thailand, 1994-2010, Piraya Bhoomiboonchoo, Ananda Nisalak, Natkamol Chansatiporn, In-Kyu Yoon, Siripen Kalayanarooj, Mathuros Thipayamongkolgul, Timothy Endy, Alan L. Rothman, Sharone Green, Anon Srikiatkhachorn, Darunee Buddhari, Mammen P. Mammen, Robert V. Gibbons

Sharone Green

BACKGROUND: The effect of prior dengue virus (DENV) exposure on subsequent heterologous infection can be beneficial or detrimental depending on many factors including timing of infection. We sought to evaluate this effect by examining a large database of DENV infections captured by both active and passive surveillance encompassing a wide clinical spectrum of disease.

METHODS: We evaluated datasets from 17 years of hospital-based passive surveillance and nine years of cohort studies, including clinical and subclinical DENV infections, to assess the outcomes of sequential heterologous infections. Chi square or Fisher's exact test was used to compare proportions of infection outcomes such …

Effects Of Antiretroviral Therapy On Kaposi’S Sarcoma–Associated Herpesvirus (Kshv) Transmission Among Hiv-Infected Zambian Children, Landon Olp, Veenu Minhas, Clement Gondwe, Chipepo Kankasa, Janet M. Wojcicki, Charles Mitchell, John T. West, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Background: The risk of Kaposi’s sarcoma–associated herpesvirus (KSHV) acquisition among children is increased by HIV infection. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) was recently made widely available to HIV-infected children in Zambia. However, the impact of early ART on KSHV transmission to HIV-infected children is unknown.

Methods: We enrolled and followed a cohort of 287 HIV-exposed, KSHV-negative children under 12 months of age from Lusaka, Zambia, to identify KSHV seroconversion events. Potential factors associated with KSHV infection—with an emphasis on HIV, ART, and immunological measures—were assessed through structured questionnaires and blood analyses. Incidence rate, Kaplan- Meier, and multivariable Cox regression models were used …

Expert–Novice Differences In Mental Models Of Viruses, Vaccines, And The Causes Of Infectious Disease, Benjamin D. Jee, David H. Uttal, Amy N. Spiegel, Judy Diamond

Amy N. Spiegel

Humans are exposed to viruses everywhere they live, play, and work. Yet people’s beliefs about viruses may be confused or inaccurate, potentially impairing their understanding of scientific information. This study used semi-structured interviews to examine people’s beliefs about viruses, vaccines, and the causes of infectious disease. We compared people at different levels of science expertise: middle school students, teachers, and professional virologists. The virologists described more entities involved in microbiological processes, how these entities behaved, and why. Quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed distinctions in the cognitive organization of several concepts, including infection and vaccination. For example, some students and teachers …

Structural And Functional Interactions Between Bro1 Domain Of Human Alix Protein And Nucleocapsid Packaging Rna Complex From Hiv, Scott Gross

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

A virus is only as powerful as its ability to spread. Enveloped retroviruses, namely HIV-1, use exocytosis pathways that normal host cells use to release particles from the plasma membrane. The main pathways of interest in this study are the Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT) and adjacent ALIX pathways. The ESCRT pathway is especially important for degradation of receptor/cargo complexes that form Multi-Vesicular Bodies (MVBs). Currently, there is no known therapy that targets this endosomal pathway, which would prevent the spread of the virus to other cells. The virus has adapted to jump from pathway to pathway when …

Adapting The Standard Sir Disease Model In Order To Track And Predict The Spreading Of The Ebola Virus Using Twitter Data, Armin Smailhodzic

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A method has been developed to track infectious diseases by using data mining of active Twitter accounts and its efficacy was demonstrated during the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014. Using a meme based n-gram semantic usage model to search the Twitter database for indications of illness, flight and death from the spread of Ebola in Africa, principally from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Memes of interest relate disease to location and severity and are coupled to the density of Tweets and re-Tweets. The meme spreads through the community of social users in a fashion similar to nonlinear wave propagation- …

Exosomes From Hepatitis C Infected Patients Transmit Hcv Infection And Contain Replication Competent Viral Rna In Complex With Ago2-Mir122-Hsp90, Terence N. Bukong, Fatemeh Momen-Heravi, Karen Kodys, Shashi Bala, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

Antibodies targeting receptor-mediated entry of HCV into hepatocytes confer limited therapeutic benefits. Evidence suggests that exosomes can transfer genetic materials between cells; however, their role in HCV infection remains obscure. Here, we show that exosomes isolated from sera of chronic HCV infected patients or supernatants of J6/JFH1-HCV-infected Huh7.5 cells contained HCV RNA. These exosomes could mediate viral receptor-independent transmission of HCV to hepatocytes. Negative sense HCV RNA, indicative of replication competent viral RNA, was present in exosomes of all HCV infected treatment non-responders and some treatment-naive individuals. Remarkably, HCV RNA was associated with Ago2, HSP90 and miR-122 in exosomes isolated …