Viral Origin Research Articles

When Adolescents Disagree with Their Vaccine-Hesitant Parents about COVID-19 Vaccination.

AbstractAs we journey into the fourth year of the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of Americans express relief at a "return to normal," experience pandemic fatigue, or embrace the idea of living with COVID-19 in much the same way we live with the seasonal flu. But transition to a new phase of life with SARS-CoV-2 does not diminish the importance of vaccination. The US Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration recently recommended another round of booster dose for persons age 5 and up, or an initial series for those not previously vaccinated, with an updated bivalent formula that protects against both the original virus strain and Omicron subvariants that are now the dominant source of infection. By most accounts most of the population has been or will become infected with SARS-CoV-2. Suboptimal uptake of the COVID-19 vaccines among the approximately 25 million adolescents in the United States is a significant obstacle to population coverage, public health, and the health and well-being of adolescents. A major cause of low adolescent uptake is parental vaccine hesitancy. This article discusses parental vaccine hesitancy and argues that permitting independent adolescent consent to COVID-19 vaccination should be an ethical and policy priority as we continue to confront the threat of Omicron and other variants of the coronavirus. We discuss the central role of the pediatric healthcare team in caring for adolescent patients who disagree with their parents about vaccination.

Swine Flu (Influenza A, H1N1pdm2009) Infection on an Elderly Patient with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): A Case Report

Introduction: Influenza is one of the most common causes of respiratory illness in the world. In April 2009, a novel H1N1 virus of swine origin was spreading among individuals, and within days became a pandemic, called H1N1pdm2009. Years after the pandemic, H1N1pdm2009 is now a common seasonal flu that manifests as flu-like symptoms just like other influenza. Swine flu is a self-limiting disease that doesn’t need necessary antiviral treatment unless it displays moderate presentation or in an individual with comorbidities. Case: A 71-year-old man came to the emergency room with a chief complaint of shortness of breath. Symptoms started with common flu one week before admission and worsened prior the admission date. In the emergency room, patient looked lethargic, tachypnea, and low saturation, his oxygen saturation was 88% on room air and 99% using a non-rebreathing mask of 8 liters per minute. Ronchi was heard on both sides of the lungs. He has regular visits for his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Multiple investigations were done including thorax imaging, complete blood count and naso-orofaring PCR. Swab results indicated an influenza-A H1N1pdm2009 infection with no COVID-19 co-infection. During hospitalization, patient received a 75 mg dose of oseltamivir twice a day and other supportive treatment. The patient was discharged after five days of oseltamivir therapy with an improvement in conditions. Conclusion: Swine flu manifestation is similar to another influenza; however, in patients with comorbidities this virus can show moderate or severe presentation. Oseltamivir administration was given for five days and helped to improve the patient’s condition.

Contact-number-driven virus evolution: A multi-level modeling framework for the evolution of acute or persistent RNA virus infection.

Viruses evolve in infected host populations, and host population dynamics affect viral evolution. RNA viruses with a short duration of infection and a high peak viral load, such as SARS-CoV-2, are maintained in human populations. By contrast, RNA viruses characterized by a long infection duration and a low peak viral load (e.g., borna disease virus) can be maintained in nonhuman populations, and the process of the evolution of persistent viruses has rarely been explored. Here, using a multi-level modeling approach including both individual-level virus infection dynamics and population-scale transmission, we consider virus evolution based on the host environment, specifically, the effect of the contact history of infected hosts. We found that, with a highly dense contact history, viruses with a high virus production rate but low accuracy are likely to be optimal, resulting in a short infectious period with a high peak viral load. In contrast, with a low-density contact history, viral evolution is toward low virus production but high accuracy, resulting in long infection durations with low peak viral load. Our study sheds light on the origin of persistent viruses and why acute viral infections but not persistent virus infection tends to prevail in human society.

Managing the deluge of newly discovered plant viruses and viroids: an optimized scientific and regulatory framework for their characterization and risk analysis.

The advances in high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies and bioinformatic tools have provided new opportunities for virus and viroid discovery and diagnostics. Hence, new sequences of viral origin are being discovered and published at a previously unseen rate. Therefore, a collective effort was undertaken to write and propose a framework for prioritizing the biological characterization steps needed after discovering a new plant virus to evaluate its impact at different levels. Even though the proposed approach was widely used, a revision of these guidelines was prepared to consider virus discovery and characterization trends and integrate novel approaches and tools recently published or under development. This updated framework is more adapted to the current rate of virus discovery and provides an improved prioritization for filling knowledge and data gaps. It consists of four distinct steps adapted to include a multi-stakeholder feedback loop. Key improvements include better prioritization and organization of the various steps, earlier data sharing among researchers and involved stakeholders, public database screening, and exploitation of genomic information to predict biological properties.

Detection of African Swine Fever Virus and Blood Meals of Porcine Origin in Hematophagous Insects Collected Adjacent to a High-Biosecurity Pig Farm in Lithuania; A Smoking Gun?

A seasonal trend of African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in domestic pig farms has been observed in affected regions of Eastern Europe. Most outbreaks have been observed during the warmer summer months, coinciding with the seasonal activity pattern of blood-feeding insects. These insects may offer a route for introduction of the ASF virus (ASFV) into domestic pig herds. In this study, insects (hematophagous flies) collected outside the buildings of a domestic pig farm, without ASFV-infected pigs, were analyzed for the presence of the virus. Using qPCR, ASFV DNA was detected in six insect pools; in four of these pools, DNA from suid blood was also identified. This detection coincided with ASFV being reported in the wild boar population within a 10 km radius of the pig farm. These findings show that blood from ASFV-infected suids was present within hematophagous flies on the premises of a pig farm without infected animals and support the hypothesis that blood-feeding insects can potentially transport the virus from wild boars into domestic pig farms.

An Outbreak of Limping Syndrome Associated with Feline Calicivirus.

Feline calicivirus (FCV) is a common viral pathogen found in domestic cats. FCV is highly contagious and demonstrates a high genetic variability. Upper respiratory tract disease, oral ulcerations, salivation, and gingivitis-stomatitis have been regarded as typical clinical signs of FCV infection. Ulcerative dermatitis, abortion, severe pneumonia, enteritis, chronic stomatitis, and virulent systemic disease have been reported more sporadically. Limping syndrome has been also described either in naturally or experimentally FCV-infected cats. In this study, we monitored a small outbreak of FCV infection in two household cats, in which limping disease was monitored with a 12-day lag time. The complete genome sequence was determined for the viruses isolated from the oropharyngeal and rectal swabs of the two animals, mapping up to 39 synonymous nucleotide mutations. The four isolates were sensitive to low pH conditions and trypsin treatment, a pattern usually associated with viruses isolated from the upper respiratory tract. Overall, the asynchronous pattern of infections and the results of genome sequencing suggest that a virus of respiratory origin was transmitted between the animals and that the FCV strain was able to retain the limping disease pathotype during the transmission chain, as previously observed in experimental studies with FCV strains associated with lameness.

Analysis of CRISPR/Cas Genetic Structure, Spacer Content and Molecular Epidemiology in Brazilian Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Isolates.

CRISPR/Cas is a molecular mechanism to prevent predatory viruses from invading bacteria via the insertion of small viral sequences (spacers) in its repetitive locus. The nature of spacer incorporation and the viral origins of spacers provide an overview of the genetic evolution of bacteria, their natural viral predators, and the mechanisms that prokaryotes may use to protect themselves, or to acquire mobile genetic elements such as plasmids. Here, we report on the CRISPR/Cas genetic structure, its spacer content, and strain epidemiology through MLST and CRISPR typing in Acinetobacter baumannii, an opportunistic pathogen intimately related to hospital infections and antimicrobial resistance. Results show distinct genetic characteristics, such as polymorphisms specific to ancestor direct repeats, a well-defined degenerate repeat, and a conserved leader sequence, as well as showing most spacers as targeting bacteriophages, and several self-targeting spacers, directed at prophages. There was a particular relationship between CRISPR/Cas and CC113 in the study of Brazilian isolates, and CRISPR-related typing techniques are interesting for subtyping strains with the same MLST profile. We want to emphasize the significance of descriptive genetic research on CRISPR loci, and we argue that spacer or CRISPR typing are helpful for small-scale investigations, preferably in conjunction with other molecular typing techniques such as MLST.

A Prospective Cohort Study on Spectrum of Community Acquired Late Onset Neonatal Pneumonia: An Eye Opener for Neonatal Care

Background Acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTIs) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in infants in low- and middle-income countries. We emphasize the differences in presentation and outcome between viral and bacterial origin community acquired ALRTI in late neonatal period. Methods All consecutively admitted neonates, aged 7 days or older, with features of ALRTI were included in the study, other than babies referred with prior hospital stay, congenital airway malformations and heart disease. Relevant investigations including nasopharyngeal swab polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and blood culture were done for etiological diagnosis. The predisposing factors, presenting features and short-term outcomes were compared between viral and bacterial etiology cohorts. Results Half of the 89 babies had primary viral infections, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) being predominant (n = 21, 23.6%); 27 (30.3%) had bacterial infections, while no organisms were identified in 18% cases. Ten babies (11.2%) had COVID-19 and 4 (4.5%) had pertussis. Small for date (n = 15, 55.5%, p < .001) and history of past sick neonatal care unit admission were significantly higher (n = 20, 74.1%, p = .009) in babies with bacterial isolates. Median age of presentation was day 10 (interquartile range [IQR] 8-12). Bacterial ALRTI was more severe with significantly high respiratory score ( p < .001), need for invasive ventilation ( p < .001), systemic complications, and mortality ( p = .012), while viral ALRTI group required longer respiratory support and hospital stay ( p < .001). Conclusions PCR based methods are important in etiological diagnosis of community acquired late onset neonatal pneumonia. Such ALRTI is mostly of viral origin, and this is less likely to be fatal but require longer hospital stay than bacterial pneumonia.

From pandemic to Plandemic: Examining the amplification and attenuation of COVID-19 misinformation on social media

This study examines the proliferation of COVID-19 misinformation through Plandemic—a pseudo-documentary of COVID-19 conspiracy theories—on social media and examines how factors such as (a) themes of misinformation, (b) types of misinformation, (c) sources of misinformation, (d) emotions of misinformation, and (e) fact-checking labels amplify or attenuate online misinformation during the early days of the pandemic. Using CrowdTangle, a Facebook API, we collected a total of 5732 publicly available Facebook pages posts containing Plandemic-related keywords from January 1 to December 19, 2020. A random sample of 600 posts was subsequently coded, and the data were analyzed using negative binomial regression to examine factors associated with amplification and attenuation. Overall, the extended an extended Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF) provided a theoretical lens to understand why certain misinformation was amplified, while others were attenuated. As for posts with misinformation, results showed that themes related to private firms, treatment and prevention of virus transmission, diagnosis and health impacts, virus origins, and social impact were more likely to be amplified. While the different types of misinformation (manipulated, fabricated, or satire) and emotions were not associated with amplification, the type of fact-check labels did influence the virality of misinformation. Specifically, posts that were flagged as false by Facebook were more likely to be amplified, while the virality of posts flagged as containing partially false information was attenuated. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Protein Is a Potential Therapeutic Target for Anticoronavirus Drug Discovery.

SARS-CoV-2, the etiologic agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a highly contagious positive-sense RNA virus. Its explosive community spread and the emergence of new mutant strains have created palpable anxiety even in vaccinated people. The lack of effective anticoronavirus therapeutics continues to be a major global health concern, especially due to the high evolution rate of SARS-CoV-2. The nucleocapsid protein (N protein) of SARS-CoV-2 is highly conserved and involved in diverse processes of the virus replication cycle. Despite its critical role in coronavirus replication, N protein remains an unexplored target for anticoronavirus drug discovery. Here, we demonstrate that a novel compound, K31, binds to the N protein of SARS-CoV-2 and noncompetitively inhibits its binding to the 5' terminus of the viral genomic RNA. K31 is well tolerated by SARS-CoV-2-permissive Caco2 cells. Our results show that K31 inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication in Caco2 cells with a selective index of ~58. These observations suggest that SARS-CoV-2 N protein is a druggable target for anticoronavirus drug discovery. K31 holds promise for further development as an anticoronavirus therapeutic. IMPORTANCE The lack of potent antiviral drugs for SARS-CoV-2 is a serious global health concern, especially with the explosive spread of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide and the constant emergence of new mutant strains with improved human-to-human transmission. Although an effective coronavirus vaccine appears promising, the lengthy vaccine development processes in general and the emergence of new mutant viral strains with a potential to evade the vaccine always remain a serious concern. The antiviral drugs targeted to the highly conserved targets of viral or host origin remain the most viable and timely approach, easily accessible to the general population, in combating any new viral illness. The majority of anticoronavirus drug development efforts have focused on spike protein, envelope protein, 3CLpro, and Mpro. Our results show that virus-encoded N protein is a novel therapeutic target for anticoronavirus drug discovery. Due to its high conservation, the anti-N protein inhibitors will likely have broad-spectrum anticoronavirus activity.

An enrichment protocol and analysis pipeline for long read sequencing of the hepatitis B virus transcriptome.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the smallest human DNA viruses and its 3.2 Kb genome encodes multiple overlapping open reading frames, making its viral transcriptome challenging to dissect. Previous studies have combined quantitative PCR and Next Generation Sequencing to identify viral transcripts and splice junctions, however the fragmentation and selective amplification used in short read sequencing precludes the resolution of full length RNAs. Our study coupled an oligonucleotide enrichment protocol with state-of-the-art long read sequencing (PacBio) to identify the repertoire of HBV RNAs. This methodology provides sequencing libraries where up to 25 % of reads are of viral origin and enable the identification of canonical (unspliced), non-canonical (spliced) and chimeric viral-human transcripts. Sequencing RNA isolated from de novo HBV infected cells or those transfected with 1.3 × overlength HBV genomes allowed us to assess the viral transcriptome and to annotate 5' truncations and polyadenylation profiles. The two HBV model systems showed an excellent agreement in the pattern of major viral RNAs, however differences were noted in the abundance of spliced transcripts. Viral-host chimeric transcripts were identified and more commonly found in the transfected cells. Enrichment capture and PacBio sequencing allows the assignment of canonical and non-canonical HBV RNAs using an open-source analysis pipeline that enables the accurate mapping of the HBV transcriptome.

Humoral Response After Five Successive Doses of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine in Kidney Transplant Patients.

The poor humoral response after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in kidney transplant (KT) patients led to the approval of successive booster doses.1 In recent weeks, the administration of a fifth dose of bivalent vaccines to KT, including components of the original virus strain and of the Omicron variant, was approved in Spain.2 The information about the effect of this new dose of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine on KT humoral response is limited and inaccurate.3,4 In our center, the humoral response to mRNA vaccine was prospectively studied in 16 stable KT recipients who received 5 successive doses between March 2021 and December 2022 (Table 1). They had not received monoclonal antibodies against the virus previously. No prior SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed by negative IgG antibodies against the nucleocapsid in all of them. The level of SARS-CoV-2 IgG anti-S antibodies at baseline and 1 mo after 2, 3, 4, and 5 doses was quantified by SARS-CoV-2 IgG chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (Abbott). Seroconversion was considered with an anti-S antibody titer greater than 260 BAU/mL. The seroconversion rate was 12.5% after 2 doses, 56.2% after the third, 81.2% after the fourth, and 93.8% after the fifth one. Only 1 KT did not develop antibodies after the fifth dose, who is the oldest in this series (73 y). Patients who seroconverted after 2 doses (n = 2) doubled the antibody titer after the third one; in those who seroconverted after 3 doses (n = 7), it increased by 380% after the fourth, and by 60% after the fifth one in those who seroconverted after 4 doses (n = 4). No patients presented acute rejection or serious adverse effects. TABLE 1. - Clinical and analytical characteristics of the patients N = 16 mRNA vaccine type, n (mRNA-1273/BNT162b2) 15/1 Male gender, n (%) 12 (75) Age, median [IQR] 61.5 [52.2–68] Diabetes, n (%) 9 (56.2) Time from KT to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (mo), median [IQR] 50 [19.8–207] Serum creatinine at first dose, median [IQR] 1.3 [1–1.47] Induction immunosuppressive therapy, n (%) 9 (56.3) Tacrolimus, n (%) 15 (93.8) MPA, n (%) 11 (68.8) mTOR inhibitors, n (%) 3 (18.7) Prednisone, n (%) 16 (100) Thymoglobulin in the 2 y before SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, n (%) 5 (31.3) Rituximab in the year before SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, n (%) 0 Belatacept, n (%) 0 Non-heart-beating donor, n (%) 4 (25) Anti-S antibody titer after the second dose (BAU/mL), median 1070 Anti-S antibody titer after the third dose (BAU/mL), median [IQR] 1218 [689–2474] Anti-S antibody titer after the fourth dose (BAU/mL), median [IQR] 2029 [1021–5250] Anti-S antibody titer after the fifth dose (BAU/mL), median [IQR] 3105 [1466–5680] Time between KT and first dose (mo), median [IQR] 50 [19.7–207] Time between second and third doses (d), median [IQR] 127 [124.2–128.7] Time between third and fourth doses (d), median [IQR] 199 [196–204.7] Time between fourth and fifth doses (d), median [IQR] 202.5 [199.2–210] IQR, interquartile range; KT, kidney transplant; MPA, mycophenolic acid; mRNA, messenger RNA. An early experience in 8 KTs was reported with encouraging results, although not all received mRNA vaccines.3 Osmanodja et al retrospectively analyzed the serological response to the fifth dose in a cohort of KT patients.4 However, these patients had previously received different types of vaccines, not only mRNA, and mycophenolic acid dose adjustments was performed before the fourth dose, hindering the interpretation of their results. Our experience includes stable patients followed up prospectively without changes in their immunosuppressive therapy, which allows to analyze the effect of successive vaccine doses with fewer confounding factors. Our results support that successive doses progressively increase the seroconversion rate, allowing the majority of KT patients to maintain an adequate serological response. The limitations of our study include the small number of patients and the lack of information on cellular immunity. However, we present for the first time the evolution of the humoral response after 5 doses of mRNA vaccine in KT. In our opinion, it seems necessary to continue with the vaccination booster given the high seroconversion rate achieved. We must also identify those nonresponders who could benefit from passive immunization. However, the continuous mutations of the virus decrease the efficacy of monoclonal antibody-based prevention,5 so if the infection becomes endemic, it may be beneficial to continue with periodic vaccination boosters in KT patients, similar to the influenza vaccination strategies.

A Reagent and Virus Benchmarking Panel for a Uniform Analytical Performance Assessment of N Antigen-Based Diagnostic Tests for COVID-19.

Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) that detect antigen indicative of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can help in making quick health care decisions and regularly monitoring groups at risk of infection. With many RDT products entering the market, it is important to rapidly evaluate their relative performance. Comparison of clinical evaluation study results is challenged by protocol design variations and study populations. Laboratory assays were developed to quantify nucleocapsid (N) and spike (S) SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Quantification of the two antigens in nasal eluates confirmed higher abundance of N than S antigen. The median concentration of N antigen was 10 times greater than S per genome equivalent. The N antigen assay was used in combination with quantitative reverse transcription (RT)-PCR to qualify a panel composed of recombinant antigens, inactivated virus, and clinical specimen pools. This benchmarking panel was applied to evaluate the analytical performance of the SD Biosensor Standard Q COVID-19 antigen (Ag) test, Abbott Panbio COVID-19 Ag rapid test, Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag test, and the LumiraDx SARS-CoV-2 Ag test. The four tests displayed different sensitivities toward the different panel members, but all performed best with the clinical specimen pool. The concentration for a 90% probability of detection across the four tests ranged from 21 to 102 pg/mL of N antigen in the extracted sample. Benchmarking panels provide a quick way to verify the baseline performance of a diagnostic and enable direct comparisons between diagnostic tests. IMPORTANCE This study reports the results for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) nucleocapsid (N) and spike (S) antigen quantification assays and their performance against clinical reverse transcription (RT)-PCR results, thus describing an open-access quantification method for two important SARS-CoV-2 protein analytes. Characterized N antigen panels were used to evaluate the limits of detection of four different rapid tests for SARS-CoV-2 against multiple sources of nucleocapsid antigen, demonstrating proof-of-concept materials and methodology to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen detection tests. Quantification of N antigen was used to characterize the relationship between viral count and antigen concentration among clinical samples and panel members of both clinical sample and viral culture origin. This contributes to a deeper understanding of protein antigen and molecular analytes and presents analytical methods complementary to clinical evaluation for characterizing the performance of both laboratory-based and point-of-care rapid diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2.

Review on Classification and Nomenclature of Viruses

Viruses are subcellular, infectious, non-living creatures that can only replicate and metabolize inside the cells of living hosts. Virus taxonomy is the classification of viruses into categories called taxa. The classification and nomenclature recently gained importance due to the exponentially increasing number of new viruses discovered. Hence the current review on classification and nomenclature of virus aimed to provide sufficient and updated information to readers. Current virus classification is increasingly performed using more complex phylogenetic approaches that move researchers closer to a rudimentary understanding of the origin, evolution, relatedness, and diversification of viruses. In the taxonomic hierarchy of virus, the highest taxa are real and the lowest rank is species. To categorize viruses, phenotypic traits like morphology, nucleic acid type, and mechanism of replication, host organisms, and the sort of disease they cause are taken into consideration. Mostly based on 1. Classical- e.g. Animal, plant, or bacterial virus system- e.g. Naked or enveloped virus. 2. Genomic-Baltimore classification by seven categories: I: dsDNA viruses (e.g. Adeno viruses, Herpes viruses, Pox viruses) II: ssDNA viruses (+ strand or "sense") DNA (e.g. Parvo viruses) III: dsRNA viruses (e.g. Reo viruses) IV: (+) ssRNA viruses (+ strand or sense) RNA (e.g. Corona viruses, Picorna viruses, Toga viruses) V: (−) ssRNA viruses (− strand or antisense) RNA (e.g. Orthomyxo viruses, Rhabdo viruses). VI: ssRNA-RT viruses (+ strand or sense) RNA with DNA intermediate in life-cycle (e.g. Retro viruses). VII: dsDNA-RT viruses DNA with RNA intermediate in life-cycle (e.g. Hepadna viruses). 3. Serology (a corona virus). There isn't a standardized format for virus species names yet, in contrast to the binomial nomenclature used for cellular species. The ICTV now requires that a species name comprise as few words as possible while still being distinct, and must not merely contain the term virus and the host. By responding to a series of questions based on contrasting traits, a species can be identified using the dichotomous key method.

A Comparative Study of Intralesional Acyclovir vs Immunotherapy for Treatment of Viral Warts.

Viral warts are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), are difficult to treat with conventional modalities, and are cosmetically disfiguring; hence, immunomodulators are being used. The viral origin of warts suggests the antiviral drug acyclovir as a potential therapeutic option. The current study compares the effect of intralesional acyclovir (nucleoside analogue) and intralesional purified protein derivative (PPD) (immunotherapy) in treating various viral warts. Prospective observational comparative study was conducted to determine the efficacy of acyclovir, and PPD administered via the intralesional route in patients with viral warts. The study population was categorized into two groups. One group received intralesional acyclovir, and the other received intralesional PPD. Patients were followed-up with for three months. Outcomes considered in our study were recovery (complete, partial, and no recovery) and side effects like pain, burning sensation, and desquamation. Statistical analysis was carried out by coguide software. In our study total of 40 participants, 20 in each group were included. 25 and 15 were of age <30, and ≥ 30, respectively, while 20 were males, and 20 females. Our study reported 60%, and 30% of complete recovery with intralesional acyclovir treatment and intralesional PPD treatment, respectively, in the twelfth week. However, p-value > 0.05 represented no significance between groups. 90% in the acyclovir-treated group presented with pain, and 100% presented with burning sensation, while in the case of PPD-treated group, 60% presented no side effects and the rest 40% showed pain. Intralesional acyclovir is more effective in treating viral warts than PPD. The focus is to be laid on anticipated side effects.

Omicron infection-associated T- and B-cell immunity in antigen-naive and triple-COVID-19-vaccinated individuals.

Since early 2022, various Omicron variants have dominated the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in most countries. All Omicron variants are B-cell immune escape variants, and antibodies induced by first-generation COVID-19 vaccines or by infection with earlier SARS-CoV-2 variants largely fail to protect individuals from Omicron infection. In the present study, we investigated the effect of Omicron infections in triple-vaccinated and in antigen-naive individuals. We show that Omicron breakthrough infections occurring 2-3.5 months after the third vaccination restore B-cell and T-cell immune responses to levels similar to or higher than those measured 14 days after the third vaccination, including the induction of Omicron-neutralizing antibodies. Antibody responses in breakthrough infection derived mostly from cross-reacting B cells, initially induced by vaccination, whereas Omicron infections in antigen-naive individuals primarily generated B cells binding to the Omicron but not the Wuhan spike protein. Although antigen-naive individuals mounted considerable T-cell responses after infection, B-cell responses were low, and neutralizing antibodies were frequently below the limit of detection. In summary, the detection of Omicron-associated B-cell responses in primed and in antigen-naive individuals supports the application of Omicron-adapted COVID-19 vaccines, but calls into question their suitability if they also contain/encode antigens of the original Wuhan virus.

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2 from Singapore 2020 outbreak revealed an Australian recombinant variant.

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) is a significant and debilitating viral disease affecting lagomorphs. In September 2020, Singapore reported its first cases of RHD virus (RHDV) infection in domesticated rabbits. The initial findings reported that the outbreak strain belonged to genotype GI.2 (RHDV2/RHDVb), and epidemiological investigations could not identify the definitive source of the virus origin. Further recombination detection and phylogenetic analyses of the Singapore outbreak strain revealed that the RHDV was a GI.2 structural (S)/GI.4 non-structural (NS) recombinant variant. Sequence analyses on the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database showed high homology to recently emerged Australian variants, which were prevalent in local Australian lagomorph populations since 2017. Time-structured and phylogeographic analyses for the S and NS genes revealed a close genetic relationship between the Singapore RHDV strain and the Australian RHDV variants. More thorough epidemiological inquiries are necessary to ascertain how an Australian RHDV was introduced into the Singapore rabbit population, and opportune development of RHDV diagnostics and vaccines will be important to safeguard lagomorphs from future RHDV infection and disease management.

Diagnostic performance of deep learning in infectious keratitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

IntroductionInfectious keratitis (IK) represents the fifth-leading cause of blindness worldwide. A delay in diagnosis is often a major factor in progression to irreversible visual impairment and/or blindness from IK. The...

Complementary and alternative medicine in the (symptomatic) treatment of acute tonsillitis in children: A systematic review.

Acute tonsillitis (including tonsillopharyngitis) in childhood is a common disease with a peak of illness in school-age. Most of these cases have a viral origin and antibiotic therapy is not indicated, therefore, effective symptomatic therapy is required. For this reason, complementary, alternative and integrative medicine therapies might be a solution. The aim of this review is to demonstrate study status of such therapies. The databases PubMed, Cochrane Library, OVID, CAMbase, CAM-QUEST® and Anthromedics were systematically screened for studies investigating complementary, alternative and integrative therapy approaches in paediatric cohorts. Studies were analyzed by therapy approach, study design, cohort and outcome, using the PRISMA 2020 checklist. The systematic literature search resulted in 321 articles. Five publications corresponded to the search criteria and were assigned to the following specific therapeutic categories: herbal medicine (3), homeopathy (1) and ayurvedic medicine (1). Clinical trials were found for the herbal compounds BNO 1030 (Impupret®) and EPs® 7630 (Umckaloabo), the homeopathic complex Tonzolyt® and the ayurvedic medicine Kanchnara-Guggulu and Pratisarana of Tankana‑Madhu. Antimicrobial effects of essential oils and carvacrol as single agents as well as in combination with erythromycin were analysed in an in vitro study. Clinical studies indicate an improvement of symptoms and a good tolerability of all investigated remedies of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine in the treatment of tonsillitis in childhood. Nevertheless, quality and quantity of the studies were insufficient to make a reliable conclusion regarding effectiveness. Therefore, more clinical trials are urgently needed to achieve a meaningful result.

Greenhouse-Grown Tomatoes: Microbial Diseases and their Control Methods: A Review

The cultivation of tomatoes in greenhouse structures is becoming increasingly common as a crop production system. However, the environmental conditions inside a greenhouse favour the development of microbial diseases. These diseases have an adverse effect on the tomato yield and can lead to serious economic losses. This review will give an insight into the major diseases affecting greenhouse-grown tomatoes, the respective causal agents and recommended control strategies. Some of the major diseases are of a bacterial, fungal, viral or nematode origin and include bacterial spot and speck, bacterial canker, early blight, gray mold, leaf mold, powdery mildew, tomato mosaic virus, tomato big bug and root knot. For each disease, the symptoms and risk factors responsible for disease development are described. In addition, the different structural designs and set-ups of tomato greenhouses are covered along with their advantages and limitations, especially any adverse effects on yield and susceptibility to disease. Although conventional control measures are discussed, greater emphasis is laid on the use of alternative biocontrol measures that include Effective Microorganisms, natural antimicrobials and nanobiopesticides. Moreover, information gathered in this review is based on a combination of available literature and expert guidance. This compilation is hoped to be instructive for tomato growers opting for greenhouse farming and assist them in the application of timely and more effective control measures