Varicella Research Articles

Features of course of chickenpox and immunization of children with congenital epidermolysis bullosa from <i>Varicella zoster virus</i>: Results of retrospective and prospective study

Patients with congenital epidermolysis bullosa (CEB) are at increased risk of developing skin infections. In this category of patients, infection with the varicella zoster virus (VZV) can lead to such complications.Purpose of the study. To assess the severity of Varicella (VA) and the immune status of patients with CEB who had a history of VA. To study the efficacy and safety of the varicella vaccine in patients with CEB.Methods. During the study, two groups were formed: children with CEB who had a history of VO (group 1), children who received one dose of vaccine against VO (group 2). The severity of chickenpox in children from group 1 was assessed based on the survey data. The immune status of participants in groups 1 and 2 was determined by the level of serum IgG antibodies to VZV by enzyme immunoassay. The safety of immunization against varicella in children with CEB was assessed by the number of adverse events in the post-vaccination period.Results. The study included 16 children with CEB who had a history of chickenpox and 30 children with CEB who were vaccinated against chickenpox. According to the survey, in group 1 5 (31.25%) people had mild chickenpox, 8 (50.00%) children had moderate severity, and 3 (18.75%) children had a severe course of the disease. According to the results of laboratory data, in 15 (94.00%) children, a sufficient level of protective antibodies was formed after the disease. Thirty patients were immunized with the first dose of varicella vaccine. The vast majority of patients developed a level of protective antibodies to the varicella-zoster virus. All patients did not have serious adverse events and worsening of the underlying disease in the post-vaccination period.Conclusion. The data obtained indicate a good safety profile and efficacy of the first dose of the varicella vaccine and allow us to proceed with further observations after the completion of the course of immunization of children with CEB against this infection.

Immunization of children with congenital epidermolysis bullosa against Varicella‑zoster virus: results of prospective study

Severe chickenpox (CP) may occur in immunocompromised patients. The most common complication of chickenpox is bacterial superinfection. In children with congenital epidermolysis bullosa (CEB), infection with Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) increases the risk of skin infectious complications, and also aggravates the course of the underlying disease.Purpose of the study. To study the safety and efficacy of varicella vaccination in patients with CEB. Based on the data obtained, develop clinical guidelines for immunization of this category of patients against the VZV.Methods. A group of children was formed with an established diagnosis of CEB and who had previously received the first dose of the varicella vaccine. During the study, immunization with a second dose of vaccine against CP was carried out. Tolerability of vaccination was assessed by the number of adverse events in the post-vaccination period. The assessment of the immune response of the participants was determined by the level of serum IgG antibodies to VZV by enzyme immunoassay.Results. The study included 23 children with CEB who were immunized with a second dose of varicella vaccine. In all patients, after the introduction of the vaccine, there were no serious post-vaccination reactions and worsening of the underlying disease in the post-vaccination period. In 22 (96%) study participants, IgG to VZV was detected, indicating seroconversion. Conclusions. The results of the work showed a good safety and efficacy profile of the vaccine, which makes it possible to develop recommendations for vaccinating children with CEB against the VZV.

Evaluation of Rapid Dot-Immunoassay for Detection Orthopoxviruses Using Laboratory-Grown Viruses and Animal's Clinical Specimens.

The aim of the work was an experimental evaluation of the characteristics of the kit for the rapid immunochemical detection of orthopoxviruses (OPV). The kit is based on the method of one-stage dot-immunoassay on flat protein arrays using gold conjugates and a silver developer. Rabbit polyclonal antibodies against the vaccinia virus were used as capture and detection reagents. The sensitivity of detection of OPV and the specificity of the analysis were assessed using culture crude preparations (monkeypox virus, vaccinia virus, rabbitpox virus, cowpox virus, and ectromelia virus), a suspension from a crust from a human vaccination site as well as blood and tissue suspensions of infected rabbits. It has been shown that the assay using the kit makes it possible to detect OPV within 36 min at a temperature of 18-40 °C in unpurified culture samples of the virus and clinical samples in the range of 103-104 PFU/mL. Tests of the kit did not reveal cross-reactivity with uninfected cell cultures and viral pathogens of exanthematous infections (measles, rubella and chicken pox). The kit can be used to detect or exclude the presence of a virus threat in samples and can be useful in various aspects of biosecurity. The simplicity of analysis, the possibility of visual accounting the and interpretation of the results make it possible to use the test in laboratories with a high level of biological protection and in out-of-laboratory conditions.

Measles, rubella, mumps and chicken pox seroprevalence of health workers in a second level hospital

Abstract Healthcare workers are a professional group subject to a risk of occupational exposure to a variety of infectious agents. From a public health perspective, their immune status has a great impact on the worker’s own health, on the patients and on the general population. Measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox are vaccine-preventable diseases caused by viruses. Seroprevalence surveys are a powerful evaluation tool that provide information on the frequency, distribution, and dynamics of communicable diseases. In this study, the prevalence of immunity to measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella viruses was analyzed in healthcare workers in a General Hospital of Granada (Spain). A cross-sectional study examining the seroprevalence was carried out in a population of health professionals incorporated into the General Hospital between January 2021 and February 2022. 260 professionals were studied, classified into groups according to age: 20-29, 30-39. Serum determination of IgG to measles virus was performed using a marketed chemiluminescent immunoassay. The resulting seroconversion rates were: 66.54% measles, 89.75% rubella, 84.62% mumps, and 88.08% chickenpox. The lowest rates were observed for measles, resulting in a minimum among professionals between 20-29 years of age, with a seroconversion rate of 65.4%. In general, women had a higher percentage of antibodies against measles. The highest rates were for the varicella virus, reaching up to 93.18% among health professionals between 30-39 years old. Considerable decrease in titers of antibodies against measles is observed in healthcare workers, especially in the age group 20-29 years, which may be due to the loss of serological protection as time goes by since vaccination with the 2nd dose of Triple Viral, possibly due to the absence of contact with the wild virus. It will be necessary to assess the need for new vaccination strategies in certain population groups such as healthcare workers based on their risk of exposure. Key messages • It will be necessary to assess the need for new vaccination strategies in certain population groups. • More seroprevalence studies are necessary to update the status of protection against infectious disease.

Importance of the COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose in Protection and Immunity.

Background: There is debate on the necessity of booster doses of COVID-19 vaccination, especially in countries with limited resources. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a referral laboratory in Tehran, Iran. The level of COVID-19 antibodies was measured and compared between individuals regarding the number of COVID-19 vaccine shots. Results: In this study, 176 individuals with a mean age of 36.3 (±11.7) years participated. A total of 112 individuals received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 64 individuals received three doses. Level of all antibodies was higher in those who received three doses than in those who received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Considering the SARS-CoV-2 Spike IgG, the difference was not statistically significant but for the SARS-CoV-2 RBD IgG and SARS-CoV-2 NAB the difference was statistically significant. Regarding to the background variables, receiving influenza vaccine in the past year, history of autoimmune diseases and past medical history of chicken pox showed a significant association with the number of vaccine doses received. Their effects on the outcome variables assessed with multivariate logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: The results of our study show that a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine enhances the antibody response.

Determinants of Male Infertility among Married Couples in a Tertiary Hospital in Bangladesh

Introduction: Infertility may be defined as a lack of conception after 1 – 2 years of unprotected coitus. In a normal population approximately 60 % of couples will achieve pregnancy within 6 months, 80 % by 12 months, and 90 % by 18 months leaving approximately 10 % of couples arbitrarily classified as infertile. A general classification of causes of infertility are male 35 – 40 %, female 40 – 50 %, sexual 10 % and unknown 10 %. Objective: To see the determinants of male infertility among the infertile couples who attending the outpatient department of infertility unit of the department of obstetrics and gynaecology of Bangabandhu Shiekh Mujib Medical University, Shahbag, Dhaka. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in the Infertility unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Bangabandhu Shiekh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, during the period from 31.10.2016 to 21.03.2018. 500 infertile male patients were recruited from the out-patient department of infertility unit who came to take treatment for their infertility problem. They were analyzed by data collection sheet and the results were plotted in the table. Result: The socio-demographic characteristics of the study subjects (n = 500).Husbands age group was 22 -55in years, Mean ± SD (34.0 ± 5.9). Educational level of male partners was, no education = 5 (1.0%), primary = 27 (5.4%), secondary = 152 (30.4%), graduate = 148 (29.6%), postgraduate = 74 (14.8%), 0thers = 94 (18.8%). Occupation of male partners was, unemployed = 6 (1.2%), service = 356 (71.2%), business = 138 (27.6%). Diabetes: In male = 28 (5.6%).Mumps: In male = 7 (1.4%). Chicken pox: In male = 18 (3.6%). Hypertension: In male = 10 (2.0%). Orchitis: In male = 6 (1.2%). Personal history of husband: Smoking = 129 (25.8%). In male patients, Testosterone level normal (10 – 30 nmol/L) in 133 (26.6%) patients and above normal (>30 nmol/L) in 367 (73.4%) patients. The semen analysis of the husbands of the infertile female patients.In quality of semen poor (<4%) in 305 (61%) patients. Regarding semen quality, oligospermia (<15 million/ml) was in 480 (96%) patients and azospermia (0% count) in 20 (4%) patients. In case of motility of sperms, rapid linear below normal (<50%) was in 90 (18%). In case of slow linear (SL), below normal (<15%) in 324 (64.8%) patients. In case of morphology of sperms, below normal (<14million/ml) in 25 (5%) patients. Conclusion: This study shows a significant percentage of male are suffering from infertility. There is considerable association of determinants of infertility among the male partners. Medicine Today 2022 Vol.34(2): 153-156

A case of chickenpox with multiple bacterial complications requiring surgical treatment

Chickenpox is a controlled infection, even a single vaccination effectively prevents the development of severe forms (up to 98%).Purpose — to demonstrate a case of severe chicken pox in a child aged 3.8 years with secondary infection of the skin of the right subscapular region and subcutaneous fat (phlegmon of the trunk) of streptococcal etiology.The diagnosis of varicella was confirmed by the detection of Varicella-Zoster virus DNA by PCR from the skin. Surgical treatment was performed — opening and drainage of phlegmon, purulent-serous discharge was obtained, sowing was performed, Streptococcus pyogenes was isolated.The child received antibiotic therapy — cefepime sulbactam, amikacin, acyclovir, infusion therapy, local treatment.Conclusions. The given clinical case demonstrates the development of a severe bacterial complication of chicken pox, which required surgical treatment and substantiates the need for vaccination against chicken pox and its possible complications.

“The Army of Exempts”: Medical Examinations and the Challenges of Mobilization in Civil War Connecticut

“The Army of Exempts”: Medical Examinations and the Challenges of Mobilization in Civil War Connecticut

Susceptibility towards Chickenpox, Measles and Rubella among Healthcare Workers at a Teaching Hospital in Rome.

Immunization is the best protection against chickenpox, measles and rubella. It is important to identify and immunize susceptible healthcare workers to prevent and control hospital infections. Our aim was to estimate the susceptibility level of healthcare workers at a Teaching Hospital in Rome concerning these diseases and the factors associated to the susceptibility. Methods: a cross sectional study was carried out at the Department of Occupational Medicine of the Umberto I General Hospital of Rome. Participants were recruited during routine occupational health surveillance. As far as inclusion criteria, the following professionals were considered: doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians and other health professionals. Concerning the exclusion criteria, patients with HIV, cancer and diseases of the immune system, and acute illness or fever more than 38.5 °C, were not included in the study. A blood sample was tested for the presence of antibodies against measles, rubella and chicken pox. Results: 1106 healthcare professionals were involved in the study (41.8% nurses, 30.4% doctors, 12.3% laboratory technicians, 15.1% other health professionals): 25 (2.3%), 73 (6.6%) and 35 (3.2%) of these were susceptible to measles, rubella and chicken pox, respectively. The only variable associated with susceptibility of measles was age (p < 0.001). Furthermore, there was evidence of an association between various susceptibilities, particularly between measles and chickenpox (OR: 4.38). Conclusion: this study showed that even if the majority of our healthcare professionals are immunized for MRV, it is necessary not to underestimate the seronegativity of non-immune ones. All health professionals should be vaccinated to ensure safety for patients, especially the weakest.

Progressive Choroidal Vitiligo after Varicella-Zoster Virus Reactivation

A 50-year-old immunocompetent man with a history of chicken pox at age 3 presented with vision of 20/100 in the right eye for 3 days, with associated red eye. Anterior chamber examination was normal. Fundus showed macular exudative-retinal detachment with no visible retinal lesions (Fig A). Work-up revealed varicella-zoster virus (VZV)-immunoglobulin M (26, normal < 15) and immunoglobulin G (> 2000). Qualitative polymerase chain reaction of conjunctiva was positive for VZV. A diagnosis of posterior zoster-uveitis was made.

Pattern of skin diseases in mid-western region of Nepal

Introduction: There are various types of skin lesions that might present to the dermatologist. Most dermatologists are aware of such disease in ages. The occurrence of skin diseases in any community depends upon various factors. This retrospective study, likely reflects the pattern of skin disease in the Mid-Western Region of Nepal due to the only skin clinic in whole Surkhet valley.&#x0D; Methods: All the newly diagnosed cases attending the OPD during the period. The skin diseases were grouped into infective and non-infective diseases. Diagnosis was made on clinical grounds and laboratory method if required.&#x0D; Results: The total numbers of cases recorded were 2151. Tinea infection emerged as the commonest disease as 13.25% followed by eczema (12.32 %). Urticaria (9.72%), acne vulgaris (9.21 %), seborrhic dermatitis (5.11 %) and alopecia areata (4.74 %) were the commonest diseases among non-infective skin disease. Among viral infections warts (5.90 %) and chicken pox (3.25 %) were commonest followed by Herpes simplex (2.42 %) and Herpes zoster (1.02 %).&#x0D; Conclusions: Tinea infection, eczema and urticarial disorders were the most common pattern of dermatological condition found. The pattern found in our study was in similar to that found in various other studies.

Impacts of Climate Change in Bangladesh and its Consequences on Public Health

Climate change can affect many aspects of our lives, for example, health and environment, access to natural resources, safety and security, agriculture and food production. Health issues are the most crucial and burning difficulties for human beings in all of these aspects. The scope of this review considered commonly used methodologies for climate change-induced diseases research and assessment of climate-induced health problems throughout Bangladesh. Surveys, key informant interviews (KII), focus group discussion (FGD), registered hospital visit patient data as well as and other similar methodologies are found popular in this research area. Negligible studies are found that used experimental method including laboratory analysis and registered hospital visit of patient information. Very few experimental studies observed water sample tests and human health-related samples like urine and blood pressure. People living in the coastal part has climate-induced crisis like salinity intrusion, cyclone, storm surge that lead to health problems like diarrhea, cholera, skin diseases, typhoid, chicken pox. While people living in both drought-prone and flood prone areas have health problems like diarrhea, cholera, fever, and skin diseases. People living in the urban and the hilly regions have climate induced crisis of increased temperature and they suffer from vector-borne diseases. Waterborne communicable diseases are the most common climate-induced diseases found in this review. Waterborne non-communicable diseases like hypertension, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia and gynecological problems during pregnancy are common and women suffers a lot. Blood pressure and related cardiovascular diseases, jaundice, and respiratory issues are also getting worse day by day which has strong connection with climate change effects like temperature, rainfall and salinity.

Frequency of skin diseases in Egyptian population during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in remarkable changes in the profiles of diseases including dermatologic conditions. Aim To investigate the patterns of skin diseases in Egypt during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and methods In this cross-sectional study, we reviewed the data of patients who visited dermatology clinics between August 2020 and January 2021 and compared them with the data from the same clinics in the previous year. Results The total number of patients who attended the dermatology clinics between August 2020 and January 2021 was 803 as compared with 1611 patients in the corresponding period of the previous year (49.84% reduction). During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant increase in the frequency of allergic contact dermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis, pityriasis rosea, alopecia areata, erythema multiforme, vasculitis, herpes zoster, and chicken pox (P&lt;0.05). On the contrary, some dermatological conditions such as urticaria and nonscarring hair loss had significantly decreased frequencies during the COVID-19 pandemic (P&lt;0.05). Several skin diseases had unchanged frequencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. These included skin infections (other than viral infections), bullous disorders, some eczematous skin diseases, papulosquamous disorders, and disorders of skin pigmentation. Conclusion This study indicates a significant reduction in the total number of patients attending dermatology clinics in Egypt during the COVID-19 pandemic. The frequency of some skin diseases increased significantly, whereas other skin diseases decreased significantly or remained unchanged during the pandemic. Periodic evaluation of the epidemiologic characteristics of skin diseases is required at different stages of evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pharmacognostic Standardisation of Medicinally Important Notorious Weed-Lantana camera

Background: The species Lantana camera is an important medicinal, ornamental, as well as essential oil-producing herb from the family Verbenaceae. It is also known as red sage and is used as a popular ornamental plant in gardens. L. camara grows in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions at a high altitude up to 2000 m. In India, L. camera is considered a poisonous plant and included in the top ten invasive weeds. Invasive weeds are nothing but a species that is not native to the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction causes economic or environmental harm or human harm. Due to its invasive nature, L. camera is lagging behind in the list of medicinal plants for their uses in drug preparation. However, it is listed as one of the most significant medicinal plants in the world. The plant extracts have been used in folk medicine for the treatment of cancers, chicken pox, measles, asthma, ulcers, swellings, eczema, tumors, high blood pressure, bilious fevers, and catarrhal infections, tetanus, rheumatism and malaria. Despite significant ethnomedicinal properties of L. camera few investigations have been carried out in respect of the Pharmacognostic standardization of complete plant. The work performed related to Pharmacognostic study so far is not sufficient. Therefore, the main objective of the present review is to create awareness about L. camera as one of the useful weeds in society by studying it from a pharmacognosy point of view.&#x0D; Results: With respect to the above, the present work deals with the Pharmacognostic and phytochemical studies of leaves, stems and fruits of L. camera. The details study of Macroscopy, Microscopy, physicochemical and phytochemical parameters demonstrated the various diagnostic features of L. camera.&#x0D; Conclusions: The overall outcome of the macroscopical, microscopical, physicochemical and phytochemical study will be helpful in the correct identification and establishment of standardization parameters for the leaves, stem and fruits of medicinally important notorious weed.

Features of course and treatment of necrotic epifascial phlegmona in children's chicken pox

Introduction. The most life-threatening bacterial complication of chickenpox in children is necrotizing epifascial phlegmon. The incidence of this disease is 0.01-0.2%. Unsatisfactory results of treatment can be associated with late and erroneous diagnosis, as well as insufficient intensive therapy.The aim is to study the features of the course and treatment of necrotizing epifascial phlegmon with chickenpox in children.Material and methods. An analysis of the treatment of 20 children with necrotizing epifascial phlegmon with chickenpox was carried out. Microbiological and histological studies were performed from the lesion focus, the immune status and the state of hemostasis were studied, and a clinical assessment of the wound process was given on the basis of visual observation.Results. In the study, there were 12 boys and 8 girls among all patients. The most frequent localization of necrotizing epifascial phlegmon in chickenpox was the lower and upper extremities. Of the observed 20 patients with necrotizing epifascial phlegmon at the age from 1 to 7 years, there were 16 children. The development of this disease usually occurred on the 3-5th day of the course of chickenpox. The disease proceeded with a clearly pronounced staging, thrombosis in the vessels of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, followed by necrosis. The severity of the patient's condition depended on the area of skin and subcutaneous tissue lesions. Streptococcus pyogenes was the main causative agent in the inoculation of the lesion separatedfrom the focus. Changes in the immune status for the most part corresponded to those in acute purulent inflammation. Complex treatment with systemic antibacterial and intensive syndromic therapy, active intervention in the lesion focus and the use of modern technologies in the management of wounds and wound defects contributed to the healing of patients and a decrease in mortality.Conclusion. The likelihood of developing necrotic epifascial phlegmon in children with chickenpox is quite high when infected with Streptococcus pyogenes. The course of necrotic epifascial phlegmon with chickenpox in children has a certain sequence: a period of progressive course, a period of necrosis and wound defects, a period of repair. Active early complex treatment with targeted antibacterial and intensive post-syndrome therapy, the use of anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents, antibiotic-novocaine blockade and incisions in the lesion focus, the use of modern technologies in the management of wounds and wound defects contributed to the healing of patients and the prevention of deaths.

Disseminated herpes zoster with mucosal involvement in an immunosuppressed child.

To the editor: We report the case of a 14-year-old boy who presented with some painful, confluent, and erythematous vesicles on the left lumbosacral side, with a 2-day history of fever, severe headache, and fatigue (Figure 1A). There were no convulsions, abdominal pain, or diarrhea. Over the next 5 days, the skin lesions progressed to scattered vesicles throughout the face, trunk, extremities, and oral mucosa (Figure 1B). The boy had a medical history of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis for 7 years and was taking prednisone and thalidomide. He had experienced chicken pox before. The level of C-reactive protein was 71 mg/L (normal range, <8 mg/L), and the immunoglobulin M antibody against varicella zoster virus (VZV) was positive. A biopsy of the lumbosacral lesion revealed the vesicle ballooning degeneration of intraepidermal keratinocyte, and wedge necrosis of the epidermis and dermis (Figure 1C). Localized lymphocytes and sporadic neutrophils, histiocytes, and plasma cells infiltrated the perivascular area in the superficial dermis. The final diagnosis was disseminated herpes zoster (HZ). The patient was treated with intravenous acyclovir for 2 weeks. The vesicles dried up after 7 days, and the skin lesions were resolved after 2 weeks. Disseminated HZ is a serious complication of VZV infection, which may be related to increased risk and potentially fatal complications.1 This almost always happens in immunocompromised people who present with more than 20 vesicles outside the area of primary or adjacent dermatomes, and where mucous membranes are involved. Disseminated HZ may also occur during medication, including with biological agents and small molecule drugs.2, 3 This patient was immunocompromised owing to the long-term use of prednisone. To summarize the mucosal involvement of HZ, a literature review was performed at PubMed from inception to April 15, 2022. The search strategy included “herpes zoster” AND (“mucosa” OR “mucous membrane”) AND “case”; only English-language studies were included. Thirty-one references with 34 cases were ultimately included. The results of mucosal involvement and complications are listed in Table S1. The reported mucosal involvement included oral, tongue, gingiva, pharyngeal, larynx, esophagus, gastric area, intestine, and ears. Oral mucosal involvement was common in patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS).4 Most reported cases with mucosal involvement were adults. Most patients recovered after antiviral treatment but several patients died because of complications and organ failure. Systemic treatment with acyclovir and famciclovir can reduce the duration of skin lesions.5 In this case, the patient was a child without RHS and the lesions were resolved after acyclovir treatment without any complications with post-herpetic neuralgia. In summary, disseminated HZ, as a severe form of HZ, should not be ignored. Both the skin and mucosa can be involved, and early diagnosis and antiviral treatment are important to shorten the duration of the disease and improve the prognosis. This work was supported by Beijing Natural Science Foundation (No. 7222058). Informed consent was obtained from the patient's parent. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.

Baculovirus Display of Varicella-Zoster Virus Glycoprotein E Induces Robust Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses in Mice.

Varicella–zoster virus (VZV) is the causative agent of varicella and herpes zoster (HZ) and can pose a significant challenge to human health globally. The initial VZV infection—more common in children—causes a self-limiting chicken pox. However, in later life, the latent VZV can become reactivated in these patients, causing HZ and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a serious and painful complication. VZV glycoprotein E (gE) has been developed into a licensed subunit vaccine against HZ (Shingrix). However, its efficacy relies on the concomitant delivery of a robust adjuvant (AS01B). Here, we sought to create a new immunogen for vaccine design by displaying the VZV–gE on the baculovirus surface (Bac–gE). Correct localization and display of gE on the engineered baculovirus was verified by flow cytometry and immune electron microscopy. We show that Bac–gE provides excellent antigenicity against VZV and induces not only stronger gE-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses but also higher levels of VZV–specific neutralizing antibodies as compared with other vaccine strategies in mice. Collectively, we show that the baculovirus display of VZV–gE confers ideal humoral and cellular immune responses required for HZ vaccine development, paving the way for a baculovirus-based vaccine design.

Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic measures on incidence and representation of other infectious diseases in Germany: a lesson to be learnt.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a wide range of serious health, social and economic consequences. To counteract the pandemic, various measures and restrictions such as lockdowns, closures, social distancing, hygiene, and protective measures such as wearing face masks have been enforced. Apart from the COVID-19 pandemic, these measures also had effects on other transmittable diseases. This study therefore determined the impact on case numbers and interest for other infectious diseases as well. Anonymized data on reported case numbers from the German Robert Koch Institute and data from Google Trends about the search interest have been used in this study to track courses of infectious diseases before and during the coronavirus pandemic in Germany. The results of this analysis clearly demonstrated that the case numbers of influenza, whooping cough, measles, mumps, scarlet fever and chicken pox decreased in the pandemic years, most probably due to anti-pandemic measures in Germany. Additionally, the Google Trends analysis demonstrated public awareness, documented by a corresponding search interest, for the new topic COVID-19 and for other infectious diseases. Online available data provided valuable sources for research purposes in infodemiology or infoveillance.

Variable Gene Expression in Human Ganglia Latently Infected with Varicella-Zoster Virus.

Varicella-Zoster virus (VZV) is a pathogenic human herpes virus that causes varicella (“chicken pox”) as a primary infection, following which it becomes latent in neuronal cells in human peripheral ganglia. It may then reactivate to cause herpes zoster (“shingles”). Defining the pattern of VZV gene expression during latency is an important issue, and four highly expressed VZV genes were first identified by Randall Cohrs in 1996 using cDNA libraries. Further studies from both his and other laboratories, including our own, have suggested that viral gene expression may be more widespread than previously thought, but a confounding factor has always been the possibility of viral reactivation after death in tissues obtained even at 24 h post-mortem. Recent important studies, which Randall Cohrs contributed to, have clarified this issue by studying human trigeminal ganglia at 6 h after death using RNA-Seq methodology when a novel spliced latency-associated VZV transcript (VLT) was found to be mapped antisense to the viral transactivator gene 61. Viral gene expression could be induced by a VLT-ORF 63 fusion transcript when VZV reactivated from latency. Prior detection by several groups of ORF63 in post-mortem-acquired TG is very likely to reflect detection of the VLT-ORF63 fusion and not canonical ORF63. The contributions to the VZV latency field by Randall Cohrs have been numerous and highly significant.

The Green Depression: American Ecoliterature in the 1930s and 1940s by Matthew M. Lambert

<i>The Green Depression: American Ecoliterature in the 1930s and 1940s</i> by Matthew M. Lambert