Viruses-Basel最新文献

Norovirus is a major etiological agent of nonbacterial gastroenteritis around the world. Due to its in vitro culture complexity, high genome diversity, and the lack of cross-reactive immunity between genogroups, there is an unmet urgent need for polyvalent norovirus vaccines that provide broad-spectrum protection, and no vaccine has gained global approval to date. In this study, we constructed a bivalent norovirus vaccine, based on the highly attenuated poxvirus [strain VG9] vector, expressing the major capsid protein VP1 from genotypes GII.4 and GII.17. VG9-NOR exhibited a comparable replication ability to the authentic virus while preserving good safety. After the intramuscular and intranasal immunization of mice, VG9-NOR induced high IgG- and IgA-binding antibody (Ab) titers against GII.4 and GII.17, increased the secretion of GII.4 and GII.17-specific HGBA-blocking antibodies, and enhanced GII.17-specific mucosal immunity. Furthermore, VG9-NOR also induced a Th1-mediated cellular response. These results demonstrate that the polyvalent poxvirus vector vaccine expressing VP1 variants from different subtypes is able to elicit effective protection. Our study highlights the VG9 vector as a highly promising candidate for the development of polyvalent norovirus vaccines.

This study aims to describe neurological, visual, and auditory findings in children whose mothers had confirmed Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy, with most of these children not presenting congenital microcephaly; Methods: an observational, longitudinal, and prospective study was conducted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from March 2015 to January 2017, involving children with in utero exposure to Zika virus, following from birth up to 30 months of age. Results: Of the 2882 pregnant women admitted, 116 had a suspected ZIKV infection, of whom 33 had laboratory confirmation. Only one child presented with congenital microcephaly. Despite this, neurodevelopment delay was observed in 36.4% of children evaluated, radiological abnormalities in 29.1%, auditory abnormalities in 8.3%, and ophthalmological abnormalities in 10%. Conclusions: Newborns of mothers with confirmed ZIKV infection during pregnancy may present with varying degrees of visual, auditory, and neurological impairment, despite the presence of congenital microcephaly.

Occult HCV infection (OCI) is defined by the presence of HCV RNA in hepatocytes and/or peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) without detectable HCV RNA or anti-HCV antibodies in plasma. OCI is underrecognized and may contribute to HCV transmission. This study estimated OCI prevalence and associated risk factors in adults from Mexico City. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted, analyzing 507 general population volunteers. Demographic data and potential risk factors were collected via questionnaire. Anti-HCV detection was performed using two techniques: immunochromatographic rapid test and chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA). Nested PCR was employed to detect HCV RNA in plasma and PBMCs. Positive samples were genotyped through sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the Core/E1 region. Results: Of 507 participants, four were anti-HCV positive. HCV RNA was found in PBMCs of 27 individuals, while plasma samples tested negative, indicating a 5.3% OCI prevalence. OCI was significantly associated with blood donation (p = 0.015), drug use (p = 0.019), particularly cocaine (p = 0.001), and endoscopy (p = 0.043). Genotypes 1b, 1a, 2b, 3a, and 2j were detected in OCI cases. Conclusions: OCI prevalence in Mexico City's general population is notable, with significant links to blood donation, cocaine use, and endoscopy. Enhanced diagnostic strategies are crucial to detect OCI and mitigate HCV transmission.

Viruses are a major pathogen challenging the sustainable production of cucurbits worldwide. Pumpkin and winter squash showed severe virus-like symptoms during the fall of 2022 and 2023 in Georgia, USA. Symptomatic leaves were collected from the field and processed for small RNA sequencing for virus identification using high-throughput sequencing (HTS). HTS analysis revealed the presence of two aphid-transmitted viruses (ATVs), zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) and papaya ringspot virus (PRSV), along with three whitefly-transmitted viruses, cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus, cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus, and cucurbit leaf crumple virus. The results of our study suggest a significant shift in ATV's abundance in these two crops between 2022 and 2023. According to the qPCR data in the fall of 2022, pumpkins experience an incidence of 56.25% and 31.25% of PRSV and ZYMV, respectively. Similarly, winter squash shows an incidence of 50% and 32.14% of PRSV and ZYMV, respectively. Mixed infection of both viruses was also observed in these two crops. In 2023, we observed a predominance of ZYMV in pumpkin and winter squash (61.25% and 42.50%, respectively). However, PRSV was not detected in pumpkins, and it was detected at a negligible level (0.62%) in winter squash using qPCR. Phylogenetic analysis of ZYMV-encoded coat protein (CP) and helper component-protease (HC-Pro) from Georgia suggests a close relationship with the European isolates. Conversely, PRSV-encoded CP and NIa-VPg show a more diverse evolutionary history. Overall, this research will provide valuable insights into the dynamics of ZYMV and PRSV in pumpkin and winter squash crops within the southeastern United States.

Repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor or neuron-restrictive silencer factor (REST/NRSF) is an extensively studied neuronal gene regulator both in neuronal cells and non-neuronal cells. Even though the role of REST in host cellular gene regulation is well established, its role in the establishment of viral infections and its capability to stabilize and destabilize such viral infections are scarcely studied. Co-repressor and DNA modifiers are involved in REST-mediated repressive action of its target genes. The role of REST and co-repressors together or individually in the regulation of viral as well as host genes has been unraveled in a few viruses such as HIV and influenza as well as two of the herpesvirus family members, namely herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). Here, we summarize all such virus studies involved with REST to gain a better insight into REST biology in virus infections. We also focus on unraveling the possible RE-1 binding sites in the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome, a well-known human oncogenic herpesvirus that is associated with infectious mononucleosis and neoplasms such as B-cell lymphomas, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, gastric carcinoma, etc. An in silico-based approach was employed towards the prediction of such possible RE-1 binding elements in the EBV genome. This review advances the present knowledge of REST in virus infection which will aid in future efforts towards a better understanding of how REST acts in herpesviruses and other viruses for their infections and pathogenesis.

Bacteriophages (phages) have coevolved with their bacterial hosts for billions of years. With the rise of antibiotic resistance, the significance of using phages in therapy is increasing. Investigating the dynamics of phage evolution can provide valuable insights for pre-adapting phages to more challenging clones of their hosts that may arise during treatment. Two primary models describe interactions in phage-bacteria systems: arms race dynamics and fluctuating selection dynamics. Numerous factors influence which dynamics dominate the interactions between a phage and its host. These dynamics, in turn, affect the coexistence of phages and bacteria, ultimately determining which organism will adapt more effectively to the other, and whether a stable state will be reached. In this review, we summarize key findings from research on phage-bacteria coevolution, focusing on the different concepts that can describe these interactions, the factors that may contribute to the prevalence of one model over others, and the effects of various dynamics on both phages and bacteria.

Bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) acute infection leads to latently infected sensory neurons in trigeminal ganglia. During lytic infection, the immediate early expression of infected cell protein 0 (bICP0) and bICP4 is regulated by an immediate early transcription unit 1 (IEtu1) promoter. A separate bICP0 early (E) promoter drives bICP0 as an early viral gene, presumably to sustain high levels during productive infection. Notably, bICP0 protein expression is detected before bICP4 during reactivation from latency, suggesting the bICP0 E promoter drives bICP0 protein expression during the early phases of reactivation from latency. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) cooperatively transactivate the bICP0 E promoter despite this promoter lacks a consensus GR response element (GRE). KLF and specificity protein (Sp) family members comprise a "super-family" of transcription factors. Consequently, we hypothesized Sp1 and Sp3 transactivated the bICP0 E promoter. These studies revealed GR and Sp3 or Sp1 cooperatively transactivated bICP0 E promoter activity. KLF4 and Sp3, but not Sp1, had an additive effect on bICP0 E promoter activity. Mutating the consensus Sp1 and CACCC binding sites proximal to the TATA box impaired promoter activity more than the Sp1 sites further upstream from the TATA box.

Fish viral infections have great environmental and economic implications in aquaculture. Nervous necrosis virus (NNV) is a pathogen affecting more than 120 different species, causing high mortality and morbidity. Herein, we study how NNV re-infection affects the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, L.) head kidney transcriptome in disease-resistant and -susceptible sea bass families. To determine how each family responds to re-infection, we performed the RNA-sequencing analysis of experimentally NNV-infected D. labrax. Fish were experimentally infected in a long-term study, and one month after the last recorded death, all surviving fish were re-infected by the same NNV strain. Fish tissues were sampled 7 days upon re-infection. The transcriptome profiles of infected vs. non-infected fish revealed 103 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for the resistant family and 336 DEGs for the susceptible family. Only a few pathways were commonly enriched in the two families, further indicating that the resistant and susceptible families utilize completely different mechanisms to fight the NNV re-infection. Protein-protein interaction analysis identified a variety of hub genes for the resistant and the susceptible families, quite distinct in their function on NNV resistance. In conclusion, NNV-resistant and -sensitive sea bass transcriptomes were analyzed following NNV survivors' viral re-infection, offering a glimpse into how host attempts to control the infection depending on its genetic background in relation with virus resistance.

People with HIV (PWH) have a high risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Cytomegalovirus (CMV) co-infection is very common in PWH, but little is known about its association with CAD. We aimed to investigate if CMV IgG serostatus and concentrations are associated with CAD in PWH. From the Copenhagen Comorbidity in HIV Infection (COCOMO) Study we included PWH with coronary CT angiography (CCTA) and quantitative CMV IgG concentration measurements. We measured the stenosis grades and plaque volumes in the coronary vessels. Using multivariable regressions adjusted for traditional CAD risk factors, we investigated if CMV IgG serostatus and concentrations were associated with any atherosclerosis, obstructive CAD, or plaque volumes. We included 620 PWH of whom 586 had positive CMV serostatus, which was not associated with any atherosclerosis, obstructive CAD, or plaque volumes. A doubling of CMV IgG concentrations was associated with any atherosclerosis (OR 1.21 [95% CI: 1.06-1.39]), obstructive CAD (OR 1.31 [95% CI: 1.07-1.59]), and higher total plaque volume (1.56 [95% CI: 1.21-2.01] fold increase), but the association did not remain significant after adjustment for traditional CAD risk factors. This indicates that CMV IgG serostatus and concentrations are not independently associated with prevalent CAD in PWH.

Arboviruses pose significant public health challenges globally, particularly in Pakistan, where deforestation, climate change, urbanization, inadequate sanitation, and natural disasters have all contributed to the spread of mosquito-borne flavivirus diseases like dengue fever. The lack of a thorough national surveillance system has made it difficult to determine the extent and distribution of these diseases. Concern has been raised by recent outbreaks of West Nile virus (WNV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) epidemics, which may lead to Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks in the future. Additionally, hospital-based surveillance has detected the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in the region. Evidence also points to the presence of additional arboviruses in healthy populations, such as the Karshi virus (KSV), Tamdy virus (TAMV), Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), and severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV). This review aims to address the risk factors linked to these diseases, provide specific policy recommendations for efficient disease prevention and control, and describe the epidemiological trends of these diseases in Pakistan while emphasizing the critical need for improved surveillance and thorough epidemiological investigations.