Journal articles on the topic 'Delta infection Victoria Prevention'
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1
Taylor, John M. "Infection by Hepatitis Delta Virus." Viruses 12, no. 6 (June 16, 2020): 648. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v12060648.
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Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) are blood-borne viruses that infect human hepatocytes and cause significant liver disease. Infections with HBV are more damaging when there is a coinfection with HDV. The genomes and modes of replication of these two viruses are fundamentally different, except for the fact that, in nature, HDV replication is dependent upon the envelope proteins of HBV to achieve assembly and release of infectious virus particles, ones that use the same host cell receptor. This review focuses on what has been found of the various ways, natural and experimental, by which HDV particles can be assembled and released. This knowledge has implications for the prevention and treatment of HDV infections, and maybe for an understanding of the origin of HDV.
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Asanbekov, Zhanybek Asanbekovich. "Situation with and prevention of the coronavirus infection in Bishkek." Social'naja politika i social'noe partnerstvo (Social Policy and Social Partnership), no. 1 (January 1, 2022): 48–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.33920/pol-01-2201-07.
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The article analyzes the situation with the coronavirus infection in the city of Bishkek of the Kyrgyz Republic. At the end of December 2019, in the Chinese city of Wuhan (Hubei province), for the first time, people encountered an unknown virus. Since that time, an unknown virus has swept the whole world. Later, the virus was named COVID-19, and it was rapidly becoming dangerous, which is why new shocking diseases associated with high mortality appear around the world. In addition, various measures were introduced to preserve the life of humankind. Despite this, the situation is periodically aggravated, as in case of the Indian strain Delta. According to the researchers, Delta turned out to be the most infectious of all currently known COVID-19 viruses. Bishkek also suffers from the coronavirus infection, the situation is monitored, and additional preventive measures are regularly introduced to save the citizens’ lives. Recently, vaccination against the coronavirus has been actively carried out.
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NAEEM, MUHAMMAD, AMEER AHMAD, IMRAN QAISAR, and Fiaz Ahmad. "STATUS OF HEPATITIS C VIRUS (HCV) INFECTION." Professional Medical Journal 18, no. 03 (September 10, 2011): 445–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.29309/tpmj/2011.18.03.2364.
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Objective: To know the status of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in children admitted in Pediatric ward of Bahawal Victoria Hospital Bahawalpur. Study design: Cross-sectional descriptive study. Place and duration of study: Pediatric unit-1 Bahawal Victoria Hospital Bahawalpur over a period of 2 months and 15 days. Material and methods: This study was conducted over 500 children admitted in children ward-1 of Bahawal Victoria Hospital Bahawalpur. Children of 1-15 years of age were included in the study. The blood samples of these children were taken at the time of admission and serum was tested for HCV with ICT method and later on confirmed by ELISA. Children having HCV infection were tested for SGPT level. Different risk factors for transmission of HCV infection were also studied. Results: Out of 500 children 43 were HCV positive by ICT method. Out of these 43 ICT positive children 38 were confirmed by ELISA. In this way 7.6% children were found positive for HCV. In 23 cases (60.5%) SGPT was raised (>40). Statistically significant risk factors for transmission of HCV infection found in this study were past history of blood transfusion and history of injections in past. Conclusions: HCV infection is quite common in children. Safe blood transfusions and use of disposable and sterilized syringes is important for prevention of this infection.
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Pormohammad, Ali, Mohammad Zarei, Saied Ghorbani, Mehdi Mohammadi, Saeideh Aghayari Sheikh Neshin, Alireza Khatami, Diana L. Turner, et al. "Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines against Delta (B.1.617.2) Variant: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Studies." Vaccines 10, no. 1 (December 25, 2021): 23. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10010023.
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The high transmissibility, mortality, and morbidity rate of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) variant have raised concerns regarding vaccine effectiveness (VE). To address this issue, all publications relevant to the effectiveness of vaccines against the Delta variant were searched in the Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE, and Medline (via PubMed) databases up to 15 October 2021. A total of 15 studies (36 datasets) were included in the meta-analysis. After the first dose, the VE against the Delta variant for each vaccine was 0.567 (95% CI 0.520–0.613) for Pfizer-BioNTech, 0.72 (95% CI 0.589–0.822) for Moderna, 0.44 (95% CI 0.301–0.588) for AstraZeneca, and 0.138 (95% CI 0.076–0.237) for CoronaVac. Meta-analysis of 2,375,957 vaccinated cases showed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had the highest VE against the infection after the second dose, at 0.837 (95% CI 0.672–0.928), and third dose, at 0.972 (95% CI 0.96–0.978), as well as the highest VE for the prevention of severe infection or death, at 0.985 (95% CI 0.95–0.99), amongst all COVID-19 vaccines. The short-term effectiveness of vaccines, especially mRNA-based vaccines, for the prevention of the Delta variant infection, hospitalization, severe infection, and death is supported by this study. Limitations include a lack of long-term efficacy data, and under-reporting of COVID-19 infection cases in observational studies, which has the potential to falsely skew VE rates. Overall, this study supports the decisions by public health decision makers to promote the population vaccination rate to control the Delta variant infection and the emergence of further variants.
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Polish, L. B., M. Gallagher, H. A. Fields, and S. C. Hadler. "Delta hepatitis: molecular biology and clinical and epidemiological features." Clinical Microbiology Reviews 6, no. 3 (July 1993): 211–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/cmr.6.3.211.
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Hepatitis delta virus, discovered in 1977, requires the help of hepatitis B virus to replicate in hepatocytes and is an important cause of acute, fulminant, and chronic liver disease in many regions of the world. Because of the helper function of hepatitis delta virus, infection with it occurs either as a coinfection with hepatitis B or as a superinfection of a carrier of hepatitis B surface antigen. Although the mechanisms of transmission are similar to those of hepatitis B virus, the patterns of transmission of delta virus vary widely around the world. In regions of the world in which hepatitis delta virus infection is not endemic, the disease is confined to groups at high risk of acquiring hepatitis B infection and high-risk hepatitis B carriers. Because of the propensity of this viral infection to cause fulminant as well as chronic liver disease, continued incursion of hepatitis delta virus into areas of the world where persistent hepatitis B infection is endemic will have serious implications. Prevention depends on the widespread use of hepatitis B vaccine. This review focuses on the molecular biology and the clinical and epidemiologic features of this important viral infection.
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Bennett, N. J., J. M. Bradford, A. L. Bull, and L. J. Worth. "Infection prevention quality indicators in aged care: ready for a national approach." Australian Health Review 43, no. 4 (2019): 396. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah18052.
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Accreditation standards for Australian aged care homes include the requirement for programs to ensure infections are controlled. Effective infection prevention programs are supported by surveillance data providing the impetus for quality improvement and facilitating evaluation of interventions at the facility level. In 2016, infection control professionals employed in Victorian public-sector residential aged care services were surveyed to examine the nature and resourcing of local infection prevention programs and monitoring activities. Overall, 164 services participated (90% response rate). A high proportion (84%) reported executive support for infection surveillance, with mean allocation of 12h per fortnight per facility for infection prevention activities. Current surveillance activities included monitoring of infections and antimicrobial use (90%), influenza vaccination compliance for staff (96%) and residents (76%) and monitoring of infection due to significant organisms (84%). A successful statewide program including eight quality indicators has subsequently been implemented in Victoria. We suggest that a national focus could strengthen this framework, ensuring a uniform strategy with enhanced benchmarking capacity. Stakeholder engagement and refinement of appropriate indicators for monitoring quality improvement in public, not-for-profit and private sectors within aged care is required.
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Pinho, João Renato Rebello, Fernanda de Mello Malta, and Michele Soares Gomes-Gouvêa. "Hepatitis B, C, and Delta—Updates in Screening and Infection Prevention Opportunities for Eradication." Current Treatment Options in Infectious Diseases 9, no. 1 (February 14, 2017): 18–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40506-017-0105-0.
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Loconsole, Daniela, Francesca Centrone, Caterina Morcavallo, Silvia Campanella, Marisa Accogli, Anna Sallustio, Davide Peccarisi, Angela Stufano, Piero Lovreglio, and Maria Chironna. "Changing Features of COVID-19: Characteristics of Infections with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) and Alpha (B.1.1.7) Variants in Southern Italy." Vaccines 9, no. 11 (November 18, 2021): 1354. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9111354.
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Differences in the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients infected with the Alpha and Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in a large region of Southern Italy were assessed. Two cohorts of positive patients were compared. The Alpha group consisted of 11,135 subjects diagnosed between 21 March and 21 April 2021, and the Delta group consisted of 499 positive subjects diagnosed between 21 July and 21 August 2021. A descriptive and statistical analysis of the demographic and clinical characteristics of the two groups was performed. The proportion of patients with mild and moderate infections was significantly higher in the Delta than in the Alpha group (p < 0.001). In fully vaccinated patients, the proportion of symptomatic individuals was significantly higher in the Delta than in the Alpha group. The Delta group showed odds ratios of 3.08 (95% CI, 2.55–3.72) for symptomatic infection and 2.66 (95% CI, 1.76–3.94) for hospitalization. Improving COVID-19 vaccination rates is a priority, since infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant has a significant impact on patient outcomes. Additional targeted prevention strategies such as social distancing, the use of masks in indoor settings irrespective of vaccination status, and the use of a sanitary passport could be crucial to contain further spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Błaszczuk, Agata, Aleksander Michalski, Dominika Sikora, Maria Malm, Bartłomiej Drop, and Małgorzata Polz-Dacewicz. "Antibody Response after SARS-CoV-2 Infection with the Delta and Omicron Variant." Vaccines 10, no. 10 (October 16, 2022): 1728. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10101728.
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The SARS-CoV-2 virus caused a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. So far, 6,120,834 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 116,773 deaths have been reported in Poland. According to WHO, a total of 54,662,485 vaccine doses have been administered. New variants emerge that become dominant. The aim of this study was a comparison of antibody level after infection caused by Delta and Omicron variants. The study included 203 persons who underwent mild COVID-19 despite two doses of vaccine. The obtained results indicate that a significantly lower titer was observed in patients with the Omicron variant infection. Therefore, these patients may be at risk of reinfection with new strains of the Omicron variant. Due to the possibility of reinfection, booster vaccinations are necessary. Further epidemiological and clinical studies are necessary to develop new prevention strategies.
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Barger, Alexandra C., William S. Pearson, Christofer Rodriguez, David Crumly, Georgia Mueller-Luckey, and Wiley D. Jenkins. "Sexually transmitted infections in the Delta Regional Authority: significant disparities in the 252 counties of the eight-state Delta Region Authority." Sexually Transmitted Infections 94, no. 8 (August 27, 2018): 611–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2018-053556.
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ObjectiveChlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis (primary and secondary) are at high levels in the USA. Disparities by race, gender and sexual orientation have been characterised, but while there are indications that rural poor populations may also be at distinct risk this has been subjected to little study by comparison. The federally designated Delta Regional Authority, similar in structure to the Appalachian Regional Commission, oversees 252 counties within eight Mississippi Delta states experiencing chronic economic and health disparities. Our objective was to identify differences in infection risk between Delta Region (DR)/non-DR counties and examine how they might vary by rurality, population density, primary care access and education attainment.MethodsReported chlamydia/gonorrhoea/syphilis data were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention AtlasPlus, county demographic data from the Area Health Resource File and rurality classifications from the Department of Agriculture. Data were subjected to analysis by t-test, χ2 and linear regression to assess geographical disparities in incidence and their association with measures of rurality, population and primary care density, and education.ResultsOverall rates for each infection were significantly higher in DR versus non-DR counties (577.8 vs 330.1/100 000 for chlamydia; 142.8 vs 61.8 for gonorrhoea; 3.6 vs 1.7 for syphilis; all P<0.001) and for nearly every infection for every individual state. DR rates for each infection were near-universally significantly increased for every level of rurality (nine levels) and population density (quintiles). Regression found that primary care and population density and HS graduation rates were significantly associated with each, though model predictive abilities were poor.ConclusionsThe nearly 10 million people living in the DR face significant disparities in the incidence of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis—in many instances a near-doubling of risk. Our findings suggest that resource-constrained areas, as measured by rurality, should be considered a priority for future intervention efforts.
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Tang, Lin, Yanyang Zhang, Fuzhen Wang, Dan Wu, Zhao-Hui Qian, Rui Zhang, Ai-Bin Wang, et al. "Relative vaccine effectiveness against Delta and Omicron COVID-19 after homologous inactivated vaccine boosting: a retrospective cohort study." BMJ Open 12, no. 11 (November 2022): e063919. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063919.
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ObjectiveTwo COVID-19 outbreaks occurred in Henan province in early 2022—one was a Delta variant outbreak and the other was an Omicron variant outbreak. COVID-19 vaccines used at the time of the outbreak were inactivated, 91.8%; protein subunit, 7.5%; and adenovirus5-vectored, 0.7% vaccines. The outbreaks provided an opportunity to evaluate variant-specific breakthrough infection rates and relative protective effectiveness of homologous inactivated COVID-19 vaccine booster doses against symptomatic infection and pneumonia.DesignRetrospective cohort studyMethodsWe evaluated relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) with a retrospective cohort study of close contacts of infected individuals using a time-dependent Cox regression model. Demographic and epidemiologic data were obtained from the local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; clinical and laboratory data were obtained from COVID-19-designated hospitals. Vaccination histories were obtained from the national COVID-19 vaccination dataset. All data were linked by national identification number.ResultsAmong 784 SARS-CoV-2 infections, 379 (48.3%) were caused by Delta and 405 (51.7%) were caused by Omicron, with breakthrough rates of 9.9% and 17.8%, respectively. Breakthrough rates among boosted individuals were 8.1% and 4.9%. Compared with subjects who received primary vaccination series ≥180 days before infection, Cox regression modelling showed that homologous inactivated booster vaccination was statistically significantly associated with protection from symptomatic infection caused by Omicron (rVE 59%; 95% CI 13% to 80%) and pneumonia caused by Delta (rVE 62%; 95% CI 34% to 77%) and Omicron (rVE 87%; 95% CI 3% to 98%).ConclusionsCOVID-19 vaccination in China provided good protection against symptomatic COVID-19 and COVID-19 pneumonia caused by Delta and Omicron variants. Protection declined 6 months after primary series vaccination but was restored by homologous inactivated booster doses given 6 months after the primary series.
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Miao, Zhijiang, Shaoshi Zhang, Xumin Ou, Shan Li, Zhongren Ma, Wenshi Wang, Maikel P. Peppelenbosch, Jiaye Liu, and Qiuwei Pan. "Estimating the Global Prevalence, Disease Progression, and Clinical Outcome of Hepatitis Delta Virus Infection." Journal of Infectious Diseases 221, no. 10 (November 28, 2019): 1677–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiz633.
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Abstract Background Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) coinfects with hepatitis B virus (HBV) causing the most severe form of viral hepatitis. However, its exact global disease burden remains largely obscure. We aim to establish the global epidemiology, infection mode-stratified disease progression, and clinical outcome of HDV infection. Methods We conducted a meta-analysis with a random-effects model and performed data synthesis. Results The pooled prevalence of HDV is 0.80% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63–1.00) among the general population and 13.02% (95% CI, 11.96–14.11) among HBV carriers, corresponding to 48–60 million infections globally. Among HBV patients with fulminant hepatitis, cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma, HDV prevalence is 26.75% (95% CI, 19.84–34.29), 25.77% (95% CI, 20.62–31.27), and 19.80% (95% CI, 10.97–30.45), respectively. The odds ratio (OR) of HDV infection among HBV patients with chronic liver disease compared with asymptomatic controls is 4.55 (95% CI, 3.65–5.67). Hepatitis delta virus-coinfected patients are more likely to develop cirrhosis than HBV-monoinfected patients with OR of 3.84 (95% CI, 1.79–8.24). Overall, HDV infection progresses to cirrhosis within 5 years and to hepatocellular carcinoma within 10 years, on average. Conclusions Findings suggest that HDV poses a heavy global burden with rapid progression to severe liver diseases, urging effective strategies for screening, prevention, and treatment.
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Peng, Yanchun, Suet Ling Felce, Danning Dong, Frank Penkava, Alexander J. Mentzer, Xuan Yao, Guihai Liu, et al. "An immunodominant NP105–113-B*07:02 cytotoxic T cell response controls viral replication and is associated with less severe COVID-19 disease." Nature Immunology 23, no. 1 (December 1, 2021): 50–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41590-021-01084-z.
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AbstractNP105–113-B*07:02-specific CD8+ T cell responses are considered among the most dominant in SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals. We found strong association of this response with mild disease. Analysis of NP105–113-B*07:02-specific T cell clones and single-cell sequencing were performed concurrently, with functional avidity and antiviral efficacy assessed using an in vitro SARS-CoV-2 infection system, and were correlated with T cell receptor usage, transcriptome signature and disease severity (acute n = 77, convalescent n = 52). We demonstrated a beneficial association of NP105–113-B*07:02-specific T cells in COVID-19 disease progression, linked with expansion of T cell precursors, high functional avidity and antiviral effector function. Broad immune memory pools were narrowed postinfection but NP105–113-B*07:02-specific T cells were maintained 6 months after infection with preserved antiviral efficacy to the SARS-CoV-2 Victoria strain, as well as Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants. Our data show that NP105–113-B*07:02-specific T cell responses associate with mild disease and high antiviral efficacy, pointing to inclusion for future vaccine design.
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Matsuyama-Kato, Ayumi, Bahram Shojadoost, Nitish Boodhoo, Sugandha Raj, Mohammadali Alizadeh, Fatemeh Fazel, Charlotte Fletcher, et al. "Activated Chicken Gamma Delta T Cells Are Involved in Protective Immunity against Marek’s Disease." Viruses 15, no. 2 (January 19, 2023): 285. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v15020285.
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Gamma delta (γδ) T cells play a significant role in the prevention of viral infection and tumor surveillance in mammals. Although the involvement of γδ T cells in Marek’s disease virus (MDV) infection has been suggested, their detailed contribution to immunity against MDV or the progression of Marek’s disease (MD) remains unknown. In the current study, T cell receptor (TCR)γδ-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were infused into recipient chickens and their effects were examined in the context of tumor formation by MDV and immunity against MDV. We demonstrated that the adoptive transfer of TCRγδ-activated PBMCs reduced virus replication in the lungs and tumor incidence in MDV-challenged chickens. Infusion of TCRγδ-activated PBMCs induced IFN-γ-producing γδ T cells at 10 days post-infection (dpi), and degranulation activity in circulating γδ T cell and CD8α+ γδ T cells at 10 and 21 dpi in MDV-challenged chickens. Additionally, the upregulation of IFN-γ and granzyme A gene expression at 10 dpi was significant in the spleen of the TCRγδ-activated PBMCs-infused and MDV-challenged group compared to the control group. Taken together, our results revealed that TCRγδ stimulation promotes the effector function of chicken γδ T cells, and these effector γδ T cells may be involved in protection against MD.
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Jones, Amanda L., Rachel H. V. Needham, and Craig E. Rubens. "The Delta Subunit of RNA Polymerase Is Required for Virulence of Streptococcus agalactiae." Infection and Immunity 71, no. 7 (July 2003): 4011–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/iai.71.7.4011-4017.2003.
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ABSTRACT Group B streptococci (GBS) remain the most significant bacterial pathogen causing neonatal sepsis, pneumonia, and meningitis in the United States despite the chemoprophylaxis strategies for preventing infection recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Using signature-tagged transposon mutagenesis to screen for novel virulence factors, we identified the rpoE gene as essential for development of sepsis in a neonatal rat model of GBS infection. An rpoE allelic replacement mutant displayed attenuated virulence in the sepsis model of infection identical to that of the transposon mutant, confirming linkage of the phenotype to the mutation in rpoE. The rpoE mutants also displayed increased sensitivity to killing in whole-blood bactericidal assays, which may explain the attenuated virulence. The mutants were otherwise phenotypically identical to the wild-type strain, including growth rate in plasma, indicating that a growth defect is not responsible for the attenuated virulence. rpoE is found only in gram-positive bacterial species and encodes the delta peptide, a subunit of RNA polymerase. Previous in vitro studies in other bacteria suggest that the delta peptide plays a role in maintaining transcriptional fidelity by blocking RNA polymerase binding at all but the strongest promoters, thereby inhibiting initiation of transcription. Despite the availability of rpoE mutants for several gram-positive bacterial species, a role for the peptide in vivo has not been defined, though it has been postulated that the delta peptide may be important for long-term survival in vitro or during growth phase transitions. Our data represent the first report of a phenotype relevant to virulence for rpoE mutants.
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GREEN, HELEN K., JOSE C. SOUSA-FIGUEIREDO, MARIA-GLORIA BASÁÑEZ, MARTHA BETSON, NARCIS B. KABATEREINE, ALAN FENWICK, and J. RUSSELL STOTHARD. "Anaemia in Ugandan preschool-aged children: the relative contribution of intestinal parasites and malaria." Parasitology 138, no. 12 (August 8, 2011): 1534–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0031182011001016.
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SUMMARYAnaemia is a severe public health issue among African preschool-aged children, yet little effective progress has been made towards its amelioration, in part due to difficulties in unravelling its complex, multifactorial aetiology. To determine the current anaemia situation and assess the relative contribution of malaria, intestinal schistosomiasis and infection with soil-transmitted helminths, two separate cross-sectional epidemiological surveys were carried out in Uganda including 573 and 455 preschool-aged children (⩽6 years) living along the shores of Lake Albert and on the islands in Lake Victoria, respectively. Anaemia was found to be a severe public health problem in Lake Albert, affecting 68·9% of children (ninety-five percent confidence intervals (95% CI) 64·9–72·7%), a statistically significant higher prevalence relative to the 27·3% detected in Lake Victoria (95% CI: 23·3–31·7%). After multivariate analysis (controlling for sex and age of the child), the only factor found to be significantly associated with increased odds of anaemia in both lake systems was malaria (Lake Albert, odds ratio (OR)=2·1, 95% CI: 1·4–3·2; Lake Victoria, OR=1·9, 95% CI: 1·2–2·9). Thus intervention strategies primarily focusing on very young children and combating malaria appear to represent the most appropriate use of human and financial resources for the prevention of anaemia in this age group and area. Looking to the future, these activities could be further emphasised within the National Child Health DaysPLUSagenda.
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Sominina, Anna, Daria Danilenko, Andrey Komissarov, Ludmila Karpova, Maria Pisareva, Artem Fadeev, Nadezhda Konovalova, et al. "Resurgence of Influenza Circulation in the Russian Federation during the Delta and Omicron COVID-19 Era." Viruses 14, no. 9 (August 29, 2022): 1909. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v14091909.
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Influenza circulation was substantially reduced after March 2020 in the European region and globally due to the wide introduction of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) against COVID-19. The virus, however, has been actively circulating in natural reservoirs. In summer 2021, NPIs were loosened in Russia, and influenza activity resumed shortly thereafter. Here, we summarize the epidemiological and virological data on the influenza epidemic in Russia in 2021–2022 obtained by the two National Influenza Centers. We demonstrate that the commonly used baseline for acute respiratory infection (ARI) is no longer sufficiently sensitive and BL for ILI incidence was more specific for early recognition of the epidemic. We also present the results of PCR detection of influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses as well as antigenic and genetic analysis of influenza viruses. Influenza A(H3N2) prevailed this season with influenza B being detected at low levels at the end of the epidemic. The majority of A(H3N2) viruses were antigenically and genetically homogenous and belonged to the clade 3C.2a1b.2a.2 of the vaccine strain A/Darwin/9/2021 for the season 2022–2023. All influenza B viruses belonged to the Victoria lineage and were similar to the influenza B/Austria/1359417/2021 virus. No influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and influenza B/Yamagata lineage was isolated last season.
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Moghaddar, Mehrnoosh, Ramtin Radman, and Ian Macreadie. "Severity, Pathogenicity and Transmissibility of Delta and Lambda Variants of SARS-CoV-2, Toxicity of Spike Protein and Possibilities for Future Prevention of COVID-19." Microorganisms 9, no. 10 (October 18, 2021): 2167. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9102167.
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The World Health Organization reports that SARS-CoV-2 has infected over 220 million people and claimed over 4.7 million lives globally. While there are new effective vaccines, the differences in behavior of variants are causing challenges in vaccine development or treatment. Here, we discuss Delta, a variant of concern, and Lambda, a variant of interest. They demonstrate high infectivity and are less responsive to the immune response in vaccinated individuals. In this review, we briefly summarize the reason for infectivity and the severity of the novel variants. Delta and Lambda variants exhibit more changes in NSPs proteins and the S protein, compared to the original Wuhan strain. Lambda also has numerous amino acid substitutions in NSPs and S proteins, plus a deletion in the NTD of S protein, leading to partial escape from neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) in vaccinated individuals. We discuss the role of furin protease and the ACE2 receptor in virus infection, hotspot mutations in the S protein, the toxicity of the S protein and the increased pathogenicity of Delta and Lambda variants. We discuss future therapeutic strategies, including those based on high stability of epitopes, conservation of the N protein and the novel intracellular antibody receptor, tripartite-motif protein 21 (TRIM21) recognized by antibodies against the N protein.
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Kent, Lillian, Michelle McPherson, and Nasra Higgins. "A positive association between cryptosporidiosis notifications and ambient temperature, Victoria, Australia, 2001–2009." Journal of Water and Health 13, no. 4 (April 10, 2015): 1039–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wh.2015.130.
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Increased temperatures provide optimal conditions for pathogen survival, virulence and replication as well as increased opportunities for human–pathogen interaction. This paper examined the relationship between notifications of cryptosporidiosis and temperature in metropolitan and rural areas of Victoria, Australia between 2001 and 2009. A negative binomial regression model was used to analyse monthly average maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall and the monthly count of cryptosporidiosis notifications. In the metropolitan area, a 1 °C increase in monthly average minimum temperature of the current month was associated with a 22% increase in cryptosporidiosis notifications (incident rate ratio (IRR) 1.22; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13–1.31). In the rural area, a 1 °C increase in monthly average minimum temperature, lagged by 3 months, was associated with a 9% decrease in cryptosporidiosis notifications (IRR 0.91; 95% CI 0.86–0.97). Rainfall was not associated with notifications in either area. These relationships should be considered when planning public health response to ecological risks as well as when developing policies involving climate change. Rising ambient temperature may be an early warning signal for intensifying prevention efforts, including appropriate education for pool users about cryptosporidiosis infection and management, which might become more important as temperatures are projected to increase as a result of climate change.
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Holder, Kayla, Keeley Hatfield, Danielle Ings, Katie Fifield, Debbie Harnum, and Michael Grant. "Antibody ‘Hotspots’ induce antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity against SARS-CoV-2 spike-expressing lung fibroblasts." Journal of Immunology 208, no. 1_Supplement (May 1, 2022): 50.21. http://dx.doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.208.supp.50.21.
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Abstract Since COVID-19 emerged in 2019, neutralizing antibody (Ab) responses have dominated as surrogate measures of protection against infection and severe illness. The mostly self-limiting course of SARS-CoV-2 infection suggests the innate immune system, including natural killer (NK) cells, plays a role in its control. Therefore, we investigated SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and if Abs against Wuhan and early SARS-CoV-2 variants activate ADCC against emergent highly transmissible variants. ADCC was evaluated by measuring NK cell cytotoxicity (51Cr) against plasma (1:1000)-sensitized MRC-5 cells stably transduced to express Wuhan or Delta spike. ADCC mediated by plasma from double-vaccinated and convalescent adults was generally low (range 1.2 – 24.9%; median 7.2% (IQR 5.2 – 10.6%), and plasma from those with previous natural infection mediated significant ADCC (> 10% lysis) to the same extent as plasma from fully vaccinated individuals (13/34 vs 11/44). Hybrid immunity imparted robust ADCC (27.9 ± 10.8% target lysis) in 32/34 individuals tested and levels of ADCC significantly correlated with IgG3 responses (P = 0.0093) against spike stalk (S2) domain. A peptide scan identified four distinct ‘hotspot’ regions associated with robust ADCC in individuals with reactive Abs. Overall, a minor decline in ADCC against Delta variant spike-expressing relative to Wuhan targets occurred in all groups; however, individuals with Abs against the region containing D614G mediated greater ADCC against Delta variant than Wuhan targets. Determining which Abs provide robust and broad ADCC can inform future COVID-19 prevention and treatment strategies and predict ADCC responses for emergent variants. Supported by grants from CIHR through the COVID Immunity Task Force (VR1-173202)
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Kong, Fabian Y. S., Jane S. Hocking, Chris Kyle Link, Marcus Y. Chen, and Margaret E. Hellard. "Sex and sport: sexual risk behaviour in young people in rural and regional Victoria." Sexual Health 7, no. 2 (2010): 205. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sh09071.
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Background: To determine the prevalence of chlamydia and understand sexual risk behaviour in 16–29 year olds in rural Victoria through a chlamydia testing program undertaken at local sporting clubs. Methods: Young people were recruited from the Loddon Mallee region of Victoria, Australia between May and September 2007. After a night of sporting practice, participants provided a first pass urine sample and completed a brief questionnaire about sexual risk behaviour. Those positive for chlamydia were managed by telephone consultation with a practitioner from Melbourne Sexual Health Centre. Results: A total of 709 young people participated (77% male, 23% female) in the study; 77% were sexually active. Overall chlamydia prevalence in sexually active participants was 5.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.4–7.3); 7.4% in females (95% CI: 3.5–13.6) and 4.5% in males (95% CI: 2.7–6.9). Approximately 60% of males and 20% of females consumed alcohol at high ‘Risky Single Occasion Drinking’ levels at least weekly and 60% had used an illicit drug in their lifetime. Nearly 45% reported having sex in the past year when they usually wouldn’t have because they were too drunk or high. Sexually transmissible infection (STI) knowledge was generally poor and only 25% used a condom the last time they had sex. Conclusion: Chlamydia prevalence was high in our study population. Many participants had poor knowledge about STIs and low condom use. These findings combined with high levels of risky alcohol use and having sex while intoxicated highlights the need for programs in rural and regional Victoria that combine both STI testing and prevention and education programs.
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Ignatova, Galina L., and Vladimir N. Antonov. "The actuality of preventing influenza and pneumococcal infection during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic." Consilium Medicum 23, no. 3 (2021): 275–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.26442/20751753.2021.3.200765.
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The article discusses the issues of vaccine prevention of influenza and pneumococcal infections during the ongoing pandemic of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19. Statistical data on the prevalence of these infections at the current time are provided. Co-infection can increase the symptoms of the diseases in these cases, and managing this condition is important for certain groups of patients. Respiratory viruses induce the attachment of pneumococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Hemophilus bacillus to the epithelial cells of the respiratory tract. The WHO position on influenza vaccination in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is presented, and its main provisions are analyzed. Recommendations on the use of the main types of vaccines are given. Currently, the priority is to use 4-valent vaccines that ensure the development of the most stable immunity. In the Russian Federation, such a vaccine that meets all WHO recommendations is Ultrix Quadri, a tetravalent inactivated split influenza vaccine. The drug is a mixture of protective surface and internal antigens of influenza viruses of type A [subtypes A(H1N1) and A(H3N2)] and type B (Yamagata line and Victoria line). The use of vaccination schemes for pneumococcal infection was also discussed.
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Duong, Bao V., Puchanee Larpruenrudee, Tianxin Fang, Sheikh I. Hossain, Suvash C. Saha, Yuantong Gu, and Mohammad S. Islam. "Is the SARS CoV-2 Omicron Variant Deadlier and More Transmissible Than Delta Variant?" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 8 (April 11, 2022): 4586. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084586.
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Genetic variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) have been globally surging and devastating many countries around the world. There are at least eleven reported variants dedicated with inevitably catastrophic consequences. In 2021, the most dominant Delta and Omicron variants were estimated to lead to more severity and deaths than other variants. Furthermore, these variants have some contagious characteristics involving high transmissibility, more severe illness, and an increased mortality rate. All outbreaks caused by the Delta variant have been rapidly skyrocketing in infection cases in communities despite tough restrictions in 2021. Apart from it, the United States, the United Kingdom and other high-rate vaccination rollout countries are still wrestling with this trend because the Delta variant can result in a significant number of breakthrough infections. However, the pandemic has changed since the latest SARS-CoV-2 variant in late 2021 in South Africa, Omicron. The preliminary data suggest that the Omicron variant possesses 100-fold greater than the Delta variant in transmissibility. Therefore, this paper aims to review these characteristics based on the available meta-data and information from the first emergence to recent days. Australia and the five most affected countries, including the United States, India, Brazil, France, as well as the United Kingdom, are selected in order to review the transmissibility, severity and fatality due to Delta and Omicron variants. Finally, the vaccination programs for each country are also reviewed as the main factor in prevention.
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Thompson, Sandra C., and Maureen Norris. "Hepatitis B Vaccination of Personnel Employed in Victorian Hospitals: Are Those at Risk Adequately Protected?" Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology 20, no. 01 (January 1999): 51–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/501552.
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AbstractObjective:To examine the policies and practices in hospitals within the state of Victoria, Australia, with respect to vaccination of staff against hepatitis B infection.Design:A written self-administered questionnaire to be completed by the infection control officer (or designated officer for hepatitis B vaccination) within each hospital.Setting:Public (teaching and nonteaching) and private hospitals, including metropolitan and rural institutions in Victoria.Participants:A random sample of 30% of Victorian hospitals were asked to participate in the survey. Of 78 eligible institutions, 69 (88%) completed and returned questionnaires.Results:There was no consistent hepatitis B prevention policy in place across Victoria. Of the 69 responding hospitals, 63 (91%) offered hepatitis B vaccination to staff, and 58 (84%) of these also paid all costs of vaccination. Of the 63 hospitals offering vaccination to staff, 39 offered vaccination to all staff, 23 offered vaccination based on job title, and one offered vaccination based on anticipated exposure. In many institutions, postexposure protocols were recalled more readily than preexposure vaccination guidelines. Numerous respondents indicated a need for clear guidelines on policy and clarification on practical matters of management, such as acceptable immune levels, management of nonresponders to the primary series, and the need for, and timing of, booster doses of vaccine. Eleven (18%) of the 63 hospitals offering hepatitis B vaccination to staff undertook routine prevaccination screening, a practice not generally regarded as cost-effective in Australia. Fifty-five of these hospitals (91%) also undertook postvaccination screening.Conclusions:It is evident from this study that a considerable number of potentially susceptible healthcare personnel in Victorian hospitals remain unprotected against hepatitis B infection. A more reliable and consistent approach to preexposure hepatitis B vaccination is recommended
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Adamson, E., N. Yussf, and E. Schreiber. "Using Liver Cancer Prevention Messages to Scale up the Diagnosis and Treatment of People Living With Hepatitis B." Journal of Global Oncology 4, Supplement 2 (October 1, 2018): 132s. http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/jgo.18.32800.
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Background and context: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a major public health issue in Australia, affecting an estimated 238,000 people. If not appropriately managed, chronic hepatitis B infection can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer. Liver cancer has the fastest increasing incidence rate of all cancers in Australia, and its survival is among the lowest. To reduce the burden of liver cancer, more people with CHB need to be diagnosed and treated. The majority of people living in Australia with CHB (61%) were born overseas, and research indicates people have low levels of understanding about hepatitis B, and its link to liver cancer. Cancer Council Victoria developed several communication campaigns to increase testing and diagnosis for hepatitis B in the Vietnamese and south Sudanese communities living in Victoria. Aim: •To raise awareness about hepatitis B and the link to liver cancer in the Vietnamese and south Sudanese community •To increase understanding about diagnosis, vaccination and management •To mobilize the community to talk to their trusted GP about hepatitis and to be tested. Strategy/Tactics: The campaign strategy was designed to address the knowledge barriers to testing for these two communities. To inform the strategy, qualitative focus groups and community interviews were used to identify perceptions of hepatitis B and liver cancer, as well as the barriers and motivators to testing. Both communities identified their local doctor as a trusted source of health information. Two media campaigns were developed featuring a known doctor from each community. An additional campaign was tailored specifically for young south Sudanese people using hip hop music as method of disseminating key messages about liver cancer prevention. Program/Policy process: The campaigns were designed by the Screening, Early Detection and Immunization Team at Cancer in Council Victoria, Australia. Outcomes: Digital metrics and face to face interviews with community members, nurses and doctors were used to assess the impact of the campaigns. Evaluation results also indicated people did visit their doctor to talk about hepatitis B. The success in motivating people to see their doctor was attributed to the campaigns featuring a message about liver cancer being caused by hepatitis B, and it being led by a known and respected doctor from their own community. What was learned: Cancer organizations can target liver cancer prevention efforts to · increase awareness about liver cancer and hepatitis B in at risk communities; · motivate at risk people to visit their doctor for hepatitis B testing, vaccination and treatment by linking the prevention of liver cancer to hepatitis treatment; · tailor communications to the specific needs of different culturally diverse communities; · collaborate closely with communities from culturally diverse backgrounds to ensure campaign messages and calls to action are culturally appropriate.
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N., Eze Chinwe, and Edwin Queen Okwuchi. "Trichomonas Vaginalis Infection Among Students of University of Port Harcourt." Journal of Advance Research in Food, Agriculture and Environmental Science (ISSN: 2208-2417) 6, no. 8 (August 31, 2020): 01–08. http://dx.doi.org/10.53555/nnfaes.v6i8.858.
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Trichomonas vaginalis is one of the most common curable sexually transmitted disease. Untreated Trichomoniasis in women can cause cervicitis, vaginites and pelvic inflammatory disease. Trichomonas vaginalisis contributes to high risk of cervical cancer in women and HIV in men. This is an institutional based cross- sectional descriptive study conducted among two hundred (200) female students of Delta Hostels, University of Port Harcourt. High vaginal swabs (HVS) and urine samples were collected from consented students and examined for the presence of T. vaginalis under the microscope. A total of 32(16%) were infected and results obtained from HVS showed a prevalence of 32% compared to urine microscopy which no positive sample was detected. Students between the age group 15-25yrs had the highest prevalence of infection 31(17.2%) while the age group 26-35 years had 1(5%). However, the difference was statistically significant. Based on marital status all were single and had 32(16%) prevalence. This study observed a high prevalence of T. Vaginalis and its symptoms among the study population. The study also noted that high vaginal swab microscopy showed better detection sensitivity compared to urine microscopy. The best option for prevention and control is to educate students on personal hygiene and safe sex practice.
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Lim, Megan S. C., Jane L. Goller, Rebecca Guy, Judy Gold, Mark Stoove, Jane S. Hocking, Christopher K. Fairley, et al. "Correlates of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in a primary care sentinel surveillance network." Sexual Health 9, no. 3 (2012): 247. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sh11019.
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Background Chlamydia is the most commonly notified infection in Australia. Prevention strategies should be informed by routine data on at-risk populations. Methods: We calculated chlamydia positivity and correlates of infection using multivariable logistic regression for data collected between April 2006 and June 2009. Results: Chlamydia positivity was 5.6% in 12 233 females, 7.7% in 10 316 heterosexual males and 6.2% in 7872 men who have sex with men (MSM). Correlates of chlamydia positivity among females included younger age (odds ratio (OR) 2.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.92–2.69), being born overseas (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.25–1.82), multiple sex partners in the past year (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.40–2.11) and inconsistent condom use with regular sex partners (OR 3.44 ,95% CI 1.65–7.20). Sex work was protective for females (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.53–0.86). Among heterosexual males, correlates of positivity were younger age (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.62–2.17), being born overseas (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.16–1.58), symptoms at the time of testing (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.40–1.92) and multiple sex partners in the past year (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.46–2.30). Correlates of positivity among MSM were being born overseas (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.00–1.51), being HIV-positive (OR 1.80, 95%CI 1.32–2.47), and reporting six or more anal sex partners in the past 6 months (OR 4.45, 95% CI 1.37–14.5). Conclusions: Our analysis identified subgroups at the highest risk of chlamydia in Victoria. These estimates will provide important baseline information to measure the impact of chlamydia control strategies.
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Chen, Zheng, and Ling Shen. "Targeting microbial-specific gamma/delta T-cell subset for vaccine development." Journal of Immunology 204, no. 1_Supplement (May 1, 2020): 246.29. http://dx.doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.204.supp.246.29.
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Abstract Tuberculosis (TB), caused by M. tuberculosis (Mtb), remains the top killer among infectious diseases. The current TB vaccine, Bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG), only protects young children from severe disseminated TB, but not effectively protects against pulmonary TB in adults. Improved TB vaccine or vaccination approach is needed for effective global prevention against TB. Our decade-long mechanistic studies in nonhuman primates (NHP) employed 2 innovative “gain-of-function” manipulations to generate Vγ2Vδ2 T effector cells in vivo for definition of their function and immunity against high-dose TB. These seminal studies established that HMBPP-specific Vγ2Vδ2 T effector cells are fast-acting, multi-functional and protective against high-dose TB in NHP. These novel findings prompted us to perform creative immunization of Vγ2Vδ2 T subset using our innovative vaccine vector Listeria ΔactA prfA*. Respiratory vaccination of macaques with an HMBPP-producing attenuated LM ΔactA prfA*, but not the control, caused prolonged expansion of HMBPP-specific Vγ2Vδ2 T cells in pulmonary and circulating compartments. After pulmonary Mtb challenge, macaques vaccinated with LM ΔactA prfA* exhibited rapid memory-like response of Vγ2Vδ2+ Th1 cells. The selective immunization of Vγ2Vδ2 T cells contained Mtb infection/dissemination and reduced lung TB pathology, enhancing the ability of tissue-resident Vγ2Vδ2 T cells to inhibit Mtb growth in macrophages. Thus, selective immunization of Vγ2Vδ2 T cells elicits fast-acting/durable memory-like responses, providing an approach to creating more effective TB vaccines.
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Sistla, Sujatha. "Association between Serum Antibody Titers against Influenza Viruses and the Risk of Influenza in Patients with Chronic Respiratory Diseases - a Prospective, Longitudinal Study." Journal of Communicable Diseases 53, no. 03 (September 30, 2021): 69–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.24321/0019.5138.202140.
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Introduction: Patients with respiratory co-morbidities are the primary target group for influenza vaccination as chronic respiratory diseases pose a serious risk for unvaccinated individuals during influenza season. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, serum antibody titer of ≥ 40 is associated with “at least a 50% decrease in risk of acquiring influenza infection”. Methods: A prospective, longitudinal study was conducted in 345 patients with chronic respiratory diseases (April 2014-August 2015). Serum samples were tested for antibody levels against influenza A and B viruses using hemagglutination inhibition assay as per WHO protocol. These patients were followed up for one year and nasopharyngeal swab was collected from any patient who reported Influenza-like illness symptoms and subjected to real-time PCR for influenza viruses. Results: The seroprotective rates against influenza A (H1N1) pdm09, influenza A(H3N2), influenza B (Victoria and Yamagata) were 61%, 94%, 61%, 68% respectively. During the follow-up period of one year, 5 cases of influenza A/H3N2 and 7 cases of influenza B infection were identified while there were no cases of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 infection. One case of influenza A/H3N2 infection was observed in an individual who had protective titers against the same virus while all 7 cases of influenza B infection occurred in people with non-protective titers against both the strains of influenza B viruses. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it is proposed that in patients with chronic respiratory diseases influenza vaccination may be considered after more concrete information is obtained on correlates of protection against influenza subtypes.
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Meggiolaro, Angela, Monica Sane Schepisi, Georgios F. Nikolaidis, Daniele Mipatrini, Andrea Siddu, and Giovanni Rezza. "Effectiveness of Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Pre-Delta Era: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." Vaccines 10, no. 2 (January 21, 2022): 157. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10020157.
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(1) Background: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in terms of prevention of disease and transmission in the pre-Delta era. The evaluation was narrowed to two mRNA vaccines and two modified adenovirus-vectored vaccines. (2) Methods: The overall risk of any SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by positive real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test was estimated in partially and fully vaccinated individuals. The evidence synthesis was pursued through a random-effects meta-analysis. The effect size was expressed as relative risk (RR) and RRR (RR reduction) of SARS-CoV-2 infection following vaccination. Heterogeneity was investigated through a between-study heterogeneity analysis and a subgroup meta-analysis. (3) Results: The systematic review identified 27 studies eligible for the quantitative synthesis. Partially vaccinated individuals presented a RRR = 73% (95%CI = 59–83%) for positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR (RR = 0.27) and a RRR=79% (95%CI = 30–93%) for symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 PCR (RR = 0.21). Fully vaccinated individuals showed a RRR = 94% (95%CI = 88–98%) for SARS-CoV-2 positive PCR (RR = 0.06) compared to unvaccinated individuals. The full BNT162b2 vaccination protocol achieved a RRR = 84–94% against any SARS-CoV-2-positive PCR and a RRR = 68–84% against symptomatic positive PCR. (4) Conclusions: The meta-analysis results suggest that full vaccination might block transmission. In particular, the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection appeared higher for non-B.1.1.7 variants and individuals aged ≥69 years. Considering the high level of heterogeneity, these findings must be taken with caution. Further research on SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effectiveness against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants is encouraged.
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MacLachlan, Jennifer H., and Benjamin C. Cowie. "Uptake and trends in ordering of funded hepatitis B immunisation for priority populations in Victoria, Australia, 2013–2014." Sexual Health 14, no. 2 (2017): 188. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sh16002.
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Background The Department of Health and Human Services in Victoria provides funded hepatitis B vaccine to many priority groups at risk of acquiring infection. We aimed to determine the uptake of vaccine ordering for at-risk groups over time, to assess any trends and identify any gaps in prevention of hepatitis B for those at risk. Methods: Routinely collected administrative data regarding the indication for vaccine ordered by practitioners were analysed for the period June 2013 to December 2014. Number of doses and courses distributed was determined and compared with the estimated size of the priority populations. Results: During the 18-month period assessed, 20 498 doses of funded hepatitis B vaccine were ordered, equating to ~5700 complete courses, with the overall number of orders per quarter increasing between 2013 and 2014. The most common indication was being a household or sexual contact of people living with hepatitis B (2803 courses, 49.2% of the total), equating to approximately one course per new chronic hepatitis B notification. The remaining doses were largely distributed to people living with HIV (648 courses, 11.4%), people living with hepatitis C (621 courses, 10.9%), and people who inject drugs (594 courses, 10.4%). Conclusions: This analysis demonstrates that access to hepatitis B immunisation among priority populations appears to have increased in Victoria during 2013–14, however it could still be improved. Continued assessment of these data over time will be important to measure the impact of interventions on increasing the reach of the funded vaccine program.
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Dang, Thi Hoang Oanh, Quoc Phu Truong, and Thanh Phuong Nguyen. "Antibacterial resistance of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from shrimp farms located in east coastal region of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam." Can Tho University Journal of Science 14, no. 2 (June 27, 2022): 1–7. http://dx.doi.org/10.22144/ctu.jen.2022.018.
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The study was conducted to evaluate the susceptibility of 58 Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacterial isolates to 16 antibiotics. These bacterial isolates were recovered from diseased shrimp which displayed typical pathology of AHPND such as hepatopancreatic atrophy, empty gut, and hepatopancreatic changes including hemocytic infiltration and bacterial infection. Results of antibiotic susceptibility testing by the disk diffusion method showed that single resistance to tested antibiotics was relatively rare. The bacterial strains were resistant to amoxicillin (100%), cephalexin (100%), Sulfadiazine Sodium (94.7%), and Erythromycin (87.7%). Sensitivity of tested strains was recorded with doxycycline (84.2%) and oxytetacylin (49%). The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined for the sensitive isolates using a broth macro dilution method. The majority of tested isolates had an MIC value of 2μg/mL with doxycycline. The current study suggests caution in the use of antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of AHPND in shrimp farming.
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Experton, Bettina, Adrien Elena, Christopher S. Hein, Dale Nordenberg, Peter Walker, Blake Schwendiman, and Christopher R. Burrow. "Enhanced Vaccine Effectiveness during the Delta Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Medicare Population Supports a Multilayered Prevention Approach." Biology 11, no. 12 (November 24, 2022): 1700. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biology11121700.
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Throughout the pandemic, individuals 65 years and older have contributed most COVID-19 related deaths. To best formulate effective vaccination and other prevention policies to protect older adults, large scale observational studies of these higher risk individuals are needed. We conducted a Vaccine Effectiveness (VE) study during the B.1.617.2 Delta variant phase of the pandemic in July and August 2021 in a cohort of 17 million Medicare beneficiaries of which 5.7 million were fully vaccinated. We found that individuals fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 and Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccines in January 2021 had 2.5 times higher breakthrough infections and hospitalizations than those fully vaccinated in March 2021, consistent with waning of vaccine-induced immunity. Measuring VE weekly, we found that VE against hospitalization, and even more so against infection, increased from July 2021 through August 2021, suggesting that in addition to the protective role of vaccination, increased masking or social distancing might have contributed to the unexpected increase in VE. Ongoing monitoring of Medicare beneficiaries should be a priority as new variants continue to emerge, and the VE of the new bivalent vaccines remains to be established. This could be accomplished with a large Medicare claims database and the analytics platform used for this study.
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Dirontsho, Maphane, Ngwenya Barbara Ntombi, Kolawole Oluwatoyin Dare, Motsholapheko Moseki Ronald, and Pagiwa Vincent. "LOCAL KNOWLEDGE OF ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES AGAINST MALARIA ENDEMICITY IN THE OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA." African Journal of Infectious Diseases 16, no. 2 (May 6, 2022): 21–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.21010/ajid.v16i2.3.
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Background: An increasing recognition of the need to eliminate malaria infection globally and particularly in Africa where more than 90% of the cases originate, should enhance community awareness and participation in the same. The perennial freshwater of Okavango Delta located in northern Botswana, which is a source of rural livelihoods and a suitable habitat for the malaria-causing mosquito, and where malaria is endemic provides a suitable environment for the study.Therefore,local households’adaptive strategies against malaria transmission in the Okavango Delta were investigated. Materials and Methods: The data used in this paper is a subset or retrospective cohort of 79 households that reported malaria cases/incidences during the first community level household survey conducted from October-November 2015 on 355 households in Shakawe and Ngarange. The households were selected through stratified random sampling in the two study villages. The retrospective cohort household survey was conducted from 7-19 August 2016, in the two study sites. Data were collected through socio-economic survey, key informants’ interviews and focus group discussions. Results: The results obtained indicate that most cohort households embraced several adaptive strategies against malaria transmission.These included, inter alia, knowledge capacity building through attendance of health information and education workshops (69%), modifications of houses structures (49.4%),timing of activities and restricting movement at certain times of the day(43%). Discussion: Although most of the stated adaptive strategies such as house screening were not exclusively aimed towards malaria prevention and adaptation, they nonetheless had postive spill over effect that could be a catalyst for eliminating malaria in the study area.
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Lai, Kristi Tsz-Wan, Emilie Yuen-Ting Lai Wan Loong, Terry Ling-Hiu Fung, Luke Wing-Pan Luk, Chor-Chiu Lau, Jonpaul Sze-Tsing Zee, Edmond Shiu-Kwan Ma, and Bone Siu-Fai Tang. "Safety and Immunogenicity of a Booster Vaccination by CoronaVac or BNT162b2 in Previously Two-Dose Inactivated Virus Vaccinated Individuals with Negative Neutralizing Antibody." Vaccines 10, no. 4 (April 3, 2022): 556. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10040556.
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COVID-19 has swept across the globe since 2019 and repeated waves of infection have been caused by different variants of the original SARS-CoV-2 (wild type), with the Omicron and Delta variants having dominated recently. Vaccination is among the most important measures in the absence of widespread use of antivirals for prevention of morbidity and mortality. Inactivated virus vaccine has been abundantly used in many countries as the primary two-dose regimen. We aim to study the safety and immunogenicity of CoronaVac (three-dose inactivated virus vaccine) and the BNT162b2 (two-dose inactivated virus vaccine followed by an mRNA vaccine) booster. Both CoronaVac and BNT162b2 boosters are generally safe and have good immunogenicity against the wild type SARS-CoV-2 and the Delta variant with the majority having neutralizing antibodies (NAb) on day 30 and day 90. However, the BNT162b2 booster is associated with a much higher proportion of positive NAb against the Omicron variant. Only 8% of day 30 and day 90 samples post CoronaVac booster have NAb against the Omicron variant. In addition, more BNT162b2 booster recipients are having positive T-cell responses using interferon gamma release assay. In places using inactivated virus vaccine as the primary two-dose scheme, the heterologous mRNA vaccine booster is safe and more immunogenic against the Omicron variant and should be considered as a preferred option during the current outbreak.
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Prasetyoputri, Anggia, Anik B. Dharmayanthi, Syam B. Iryanto, Ade Andriani, Isa Nuryana, Andri Wardiana, Asep M. Ridwanuloh, et al. "The dynamics of circulating SARS-CoV-2 lineages in Bogor and surrounding areas reflect variant shifting during the first and second waves of COVID-19 in Indonesia." PeerJ 10 (March 22, 2022): e13132. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13132.
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Background Indonesia is one of the Southeast Asian countries with high case numbers of COVID-19 with up to 4.2 million confirmed cases by 29 October 2021. Understanding the genome of SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for delivering public health intervention as certain variants may have different attributes that can potentially affect their transmissibility, as well as the performance of diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics. Objectives We aimed to investigate the dynamics of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants over a 15-month period in Bogor and its surrounding areas in correlation with the first and second wave of COVID-19 in Indonesia. Methods Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab samples collected from suspected patients from Bogor, Jakarta and Tangerang were confirmed for SARS-CoV-2 infection with RT-PCR. RNA samples of those confirmed patients were subjected to whole genome sequencing using the ARTIC Network protocol and sequencer platform from Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT). Results We successfully identified 16 lineages and six clades out of 202 samples (male n = 116, female n = 86). Genome analysis revealed that Indonesian lineage B.1.466.2 dominated during the first wave (n = 48, 23.8%) while Delta variants (AY.23, AY.24, AY.39, AY.42, AY.43 dan AY.79) were dominant during the second wave (n = 53, 26.2%) following the highest number of confirmed cases in Indonesia. In the spike protein gene, S_D614G and S_P681R changes were dominant in both B.1.466.2 and Delta variants, while N439K was only observed in B.1.466.2 (n = 44) and B.1.470 (n = 1). Additionally, the S_T19R, S_E156G, S_F157del, S_R158del, S_L452R, S_T478K, S_D950N and S_V1264L changes were only detected in Delta variants, consistent with those changes being characteristic of Delta variants in general. Conclusions We demonstrated a shift in SARS-CoV-2 variants from the first wave of COVID-19 to Delta variants in the second wave, during which the number of confirmed cases surpassed those in the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. Higher proportion of unique mutations detected in Delta variants compared to the first wave variants indicated potential mutational effects on viral transmissibility that correlated with a higher incidence of confirmed cases. Genomic surveillance of circulating variants, especially those with higher transmissibility, should be continuously conducted to rapidly inform decision making and support outbreak preparedness, prevention, and public health response.
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Ezukwa, Omoronyia Ogban, Ekpenyong Nnette Okon, Mkpanam Nkese Effiong, and Akpet Obaji Etaba. "Knowledge of Viral Hepatitis among MSM in a Sub-Saharan African City: A Cross-Sectional Study in Calabar, Nigeria." Recent Advances in Biology and Medicine 03 (2017): 118. http://dx.doi.org/10.18639/rabm.2017.03.518093.
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Infection with hepatitis B or C viruses is still one of the most dreaded infectious diseases worldwide. Health education and screening, particularly among vulnerable groups, are the most cost-effective interventions that can be provided in developing countries. Facility and community-based provision, of effective strategic health education and counseling, are dependent on better understanding of the factors that may be associated with the level of knowledge on hepatitis. One of such groups is men who sleep with men (MSM) or homosexuals, who are at high risk of hepatitis infection through unprotected anal intercourse. This study was therefore aimed at assessing the knowledge of hepatitis infection among MSM in Calabar, a metropolitan city in the oil-rich Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. Cross-sectional study design was utilized. The snow-ball sampling method was used to recruit subjects, with self-administration of structured questionnaires. Questionnaire assessed awareness, causes, sources, consequence, and prevention of hepatitis infection. Knowledge scores were obtained for each subject. Chi-square was used to assess factors associated with knowledge, with p-value fixed at 0.05. Sixty-nine (69) consenting subjects were surveyed, with mean age of 22.5 ± 3.2 years, ranging from 16 to 31 years. Mean knowledge percentage score was 43.5 ± 32.0, ranging from 0% to 100%. Age group, occupation, and other sociodemographic characteristics were not significantly associated with the knowledge of hepatitis infection. There is inadequate knowledge of hepatitis infection among MSM in the study area. This inadequacy appears worse among receivers, who are even at higher risk of sexually transmitted infections compared with inserters. These findings have implications for control of viral hepatitis in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Grebely, Jason, Marc Bilodeau, Jordan J. Feld, Julie Bruneau, Benedikt Fischer, Jennifer F. Raven, Eve Roberts, et al. "The Second Canadian Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus: A Call to Action." Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology 27, no. 11 (2013): 627–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/242405.
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In Canada, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection results in considerable morbidity, mortality and health-related costs. Within the next three to 10 years, it is expected that tolerable, short-duration (12 to 24 weeks) therapies capable of curing >90% of those who undergo treatment will be approved. Given that most of those already infected are aging and at risk for progressive liver disease, building research-based interdisciplinary prevention, care and treatment capacity is an urgent priority. In an effort to increase the dissemination of knowledge in Canada in this rapidly advancing field, the National CIHR Research Training Program in Hepatitis C (NCRTP-HepC) established an annual interdisciplinary Canadian Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus. The first symposium was held in Montreal, Quebec, in 2012, and the second symposium was held in Victoria, British Columbia, in 2013. The current article presents highlights from the 2013 meeting. It summarizes recent advances in HCV research in Canada and internationally, and presents the consensus of the meeting participants that Canada would benefit from having its own national HCV strategy to identify critical gaps in policies and programs to more effectively address the challenges of expanding HCV screening and treatment.
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Aljamaan, Fadi, Ali Alhaboob, Basema Saddik, Rolan Bassrawi, Rasha Assiri, Elshazaly Saeed, Khalid Alhasan, et al. "In-Person Schooling Amidst Children’s COVID-19 Vaccination: Exploring Parental Perceptions Just after Omicron Variant Announcement." Vaccines 10, no. 5 (May 12, 2022): 768. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10050768.
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Background: The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spread fast globally and became the predominant variant in many countries. Resumption of public regular life activities, including in-person schooling, presented parents with new sources of worry. Thus, it is important to study parental worry about the Omicron variant, willingness to vaccinate their children, and knowledge about school-based COVID-19 precautionary measures. Methods: A national, cross-sectional, pilot-validated online questionnaire targeting parents in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was distributed between 31 December 2021, and 7 January 2022. The survey included sociodemographic, COVID-19 infection data, parental and children vaccination status, attitudes towards booster vaccine, parents’ Omicron-related perceptions and worries, and attitude towards in-person schooling. Results: A total of 1340 participants completed the survey, most (65.3%) of whom were mothers. Of the parents, 96.3% either received two or three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Only 32.1% of the parents were willing to vaccinate their young children (5–11 years of age). In relation to their children 12–18 years of age, 48% had already had them vaccinated, 31% were planning to vaccinate them, and 42.8% were willing to administer a booster dose. Only 16% were more worried about the Omicron variant compared to the Delta variant. Residents of western KSA were more worried about Omicron compared to Delta. Parents worried about the Omicron variant and male participants were significantly less aware of school-based COVID-19 precautionary measures. Parents with post-graduate degrees and those having more children were significantly more inclined to send their children to school even if COVID-19 outbreaks could occur in schools, while parents who were more worried about the Omicron variant and were more committed to infection prevention measures were significantly less inclined to do so. Conclusions: Overall, parents had lower worry levels about the Omicron variant compared to the Delta variant. They had a higher willingness to vaccinate their older children compared to the younger ones. In addition, our cohort of parents showed high willingness to send their children to schools and trusted the school-based preventative measures. These findings can inform policy makers when considering school related decisions during the current or future public health crises.
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Amran, Mugahed, Natt Makul, Roman Fediuk, Aleksey Borovkov, Mujahid Ali, and Abdullah M. Zeyad. "A Review on Building Design as a Biomedical System for Preventing COVID-19 Pandemic." Buildings 12, no. 5 (April 30, 2022): 582. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/buildings12050582.
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Sustainable design methods aim to obtain architectural solutions that assure the coexistence and welfare of human beings, inorganic structures, and living things that constitute ecosystems. The novel coronavirus emergence, inadequate vaccines against the present severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-(SARS-CoV-2), and increases in microbial resistance have made it essential to review the preventative approaches used during pre-antibiotic periods. Apart from low carbon emissions and energy, sustainable architecture for facilities, building designs, and digital modeling should incorporate design approaches to confront the impacts of communicable infections. This review aims to determine how architectural design can protect people and employees from harm; it models viewpoints to highlight the architects’ roles in combating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and designing guidelines as a biomedical system for policymakers. The goals include exploring the hospital architecture evolution and the connection between architectural space and communicable infections and recommending design and digital modeling strategies to improve infection prevention and controls. Based on a wide-ranging literature review, it was found that design methods have often played important roles in the prevention and control of infectious diseases and could be a solution for combating the wide spread of the novel coronavirus or coronavirus variants or delta.
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Guy, Rebecca J., Ann M. McDonald, Mark J. Bartlett, Jo C. Murray, Carolien M. Giele, Therese M. Davey, Ranil D. Appuhamy, et al. "Characteristics of HIV diagnoses in Australia, 1993-2006." Sexual Health 5, no. 2 (2008): 91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sh07070.
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Objective: To describe recent trends in the diagnosis of HIV infection in Australia. Methods: National HIV surveillance data from 1993 to 2006 were analysed with a focus on geographic differences by HIV exposure route and late presentation (HIV within 3 months of a first AIDS-defining illness or a CD4 count of less than 200 cells μL–1). Results: In 1993–99, the number of HIV diagnoses declined by 32%, and then increased by 39% from 1999 to 2006. From 2000 onwards, rates increased significantly in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. The most frequently reported routes of HIV exposure were male to male sex (71%) and heterosexual contact (18%), and the population rate of diagnoses have increased in both categories. Among the cases reported as heterosexually acquired (n = 2199), 33% were in people born in a high-prevalence country and 19% in those with partners from a high-prevalence country. Late presentation was most frequent in heterosexually acquired infections in persons who had a partner from a high-prevalence country: 32% compared with 20% overall. Conclusions: Recent increases in annual numbers of HIV diagnoses in Australia underline the continuing need for HIV-prevention programs, particularly among men having male to male sex. Early diagnosis and access to care and treatment should also be emphasised, as a substantial proportion of people with HIV infection are unaware of their status until late in the course of disease.
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Chu, Long, R. Quentin Grafton, and Tom Kompas. "What vaccination rate(s) minimize total societal costs after ’opening up’ to COVID-19? Age-structured SIRM results for the Delta variant in Australia (New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia)." PLOS Global Public Health 2, no. 6 (June 14, 2022): e0000499. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000499.
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Using three age-structured, stochastic SIRM models, calibrated to Australian data post July 2021 with community transmission of the Delta variant, we projected possible public health outcomes (daily cases, hospitalisations, ICU beds, ventilators and fatalities) and economy costs for three states: New South Wales (NSW), Victoria (VIC) and Western Australia (WA). NSW and VIC have had on-going community transmission from July 2021 and were in ‘lockdown’ to suppress transmission. WA did not have on-going community transmission nor was it in lockdown at the model start date (October 11th 2021) but did maintain strict state border controls. We projected the public health outcomes and the economic costs of ‘opening up’ (relaxation of lockdowns in NSW and VIC or fully opening the state border for WA) at alternative vaccination rates (70%, 80% and 90%), compared peak patient demand for ICU beds and ventilators to staffed state-level bed capacity, and calculated a ‘preferred’ vaccination rate that minimizes societal costs and that varies by state. We found that the preferred vaccination rate for all states is at least 80% and that the preferred population vaccination rate is increasing with: (1) the effectiveness (infection, hospitalization and fatality) of the vaccine; (2) the lower is the daily lockdown cost; (3) the larger are the public health costs from COVID-19; (4) the higher is the rate of community transmission before opening up; and (5) the less effective are the public health measures after opening up.
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Worth, Leon J., Ann L. Bull, Tim Spelman, Judith Brett, and Michael J. Richards. "Diminishing Surgical Site Infections in Australia: Time Trends in Infection Rates, Pathogens and Antimicrobial Resistance Using a Comprehensive Victorian Surveillance Program, 2002–2013." Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology 36, no. 4 (January 20, 2015): 409–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/ice.2014.70.
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OBJECTIVETo evaluate time trends in surgical site infection (SSI) rates and SSI pathogens in Australia.DESIGNProspective multicenter observational cohort study.SETTINGA group of 81 Australian healthcare facilities participating in the Victorian Healthcare Associated Infection Surveillance System (VICNISS).PATIENTSAll patients underwent surgeries performed between October 1, 2002, and June 30, 2013. National Healthcare Safety Network SSI surveillance methods were employed by the infection prevention staff at the participating hospitals.INTERVENTIONProcedure-specific risk-adjusted SSI rates were calculated. Pathogen-specific and antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections were modeled using multilevel mixed-effects Poisson regression.RESULTSA total of 183,625 procedures were monitored, and 5,123 SSIs were reported. Each year of observation was associated with 11% risk reduction for superficial SSI (risk ratio [RR], 0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88–0.90), 9% risk reduction for deep SSI (RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.90–0.93), and 5% risk reduction for organ/space SSI (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.93–0.97). Overall, 3,318 microbiologically confirmed SSIs were reported. Of these SSIs, 1,174 (35.4%) were associated with orthopedic surgery, 827 (24.9%) with coronary artery bypass surgery, 490 (14.8%) with Caesarean sections, and 414 (12.5%) with colorectal procedures. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequently identified pathogen, and a statistically significant increase in infections due to ceftriaxone-resistant Escherichia coli was observed (RR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.10–1.70).CONCLUSIONSStandardized SSI surveillance methods have been implemented in Victoria, Australia. Over an 11-year period, diminishing rates of SSIs have been observed, although AMR infections increased significantly. Our findings facilitate the refinement of recommended surgical antibiotic prophylaxis regimens and highlight the need for a more expansive national surveillance strategy to identify changes in epidemiology.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015;00(0): 1–8
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Rueda, Beatriz Zago Gomes, Luciana Lofêgo Gonçalves, Mateus André Rueda-Dantas, Brunna Vila Coutinho Ferreira, and Maria da Penha Zago-Gomes. "Change in the Epidemiological Profile of Hepatitis B in Brazil." SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine 1, no. 12 (November 21, 2019): 1015–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42399-019-00168-0.
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AbstractInfection caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) is an important public health problem and can progress with death from cirrhosis and liver cancer. In 2017 it has been 21 years since the universal vaccination against HBV has been introduced in Brazil. The objectives are to analyze the reports of hepatitis B virus infection in the Brazilian public health system between 2010 and 2015 and to calculate incidence and prevalence of the hepatitis B virus infection. The methods are observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional epidemiological study of reports of hepatitis B infection in children under 20 years of age in Brazil between 2010 and 2015. There were 4275 cases in Brazil. The prevalence was 6.49 cases/100,000 inhabitants. The age group with the highest number of notifications in Brazil was from 15 to 19 years old (68.58%). The incidence dropped significantly in 2015, and the occurrences were predominant in females. The Amazon region presented the highest number of occurrences, annual incidence, and prevalence. The form of transmission was ignored in almost half of the cases, and the most reported form of transmission in Brazil was the sexual transmission. The most common coinfection was with the hepatitis delta virus (1.87%). Chronic hepatitis was the most prevalent clinical form. The prevalence and incidence of hepatitis B virus in children under 20 years of age showed a marked and progressive decrease, which indicates the efficacy of the vaccine. The form of sexual infection in adolescents reinforces the need for policies aimed at the prevention of sexually transmitted infections.
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Tran, Hoai Thi Thu, Michael Gigl, Nguyen Phan Khoi Le, Corinna Dawid, and Evelyn Lamy. "In Vitro Effect of Taraxacum officinale Leaf Aqueous Extract on the Interaction between ACE2 Cell Surface Receptor and SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein D614 and Four Mutants." Pharmaceuticals 14, no. 10 (October 17, 2021): 1055. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ph14101055.
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To date, there have been rapidly spreading new SARS-CoV-2 “variants of concern”. They all contain multiple mutations in the ACE2 receptor recognition site of the spike protein, compared to the original Wuhan sequence, which is of great concern, because of their potential for immune escape. Here we report on the efficacy of common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) to block protein–protein interaction of SARS-COV-2 spike to the human ACE2 receptor. This could be shown for the wild type and mutant forms (D614G, N501Y, and a mix of K417N, E484K, and N501Y) in human HEK293-hACE2 kidney and A549-hACE2-TMPRSS2 lung cells. High-molecular-weight compounds in the water-based extract account for this effect. Infection of the lung cells using SARS-CoV-2 spike D614 and spike Delta (B.1.617.2) variant pseudotyped lentivirus particles was efficiently prevented by the extract and so was virus-triggered pro-inflammatory interleukin 6 secretion. Modern herbal monographs consider the usage of this medicinal plant as safe. Thus, the in vitro results reported here should encourage further research on the clinical relevance and applicability of the extract as prevention strategy for SARS-CoV-2 infection in terms of a non-invasive, oral post-exposure prophylaxis.
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Silva, Déborah Demarque Martins da, Jocelenne Cruz dos Santos, Lays Cordeiro de Jesus, Leandro da Conceição Luiz, Maria José Valenzuela Bell, Rafaela Tavares Batista, and Virgílio de Carvalho dos Anjos. "Use of antimicrobials in patients with COVID-19 without prior evaluation of an associated bacterial infection." Research, Society and Development 10, no. 12 (September 19, 2021): e264101220410. http://dx.doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i12.20410.
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This paper aims to clarify and present discussions about the COVID-19 disease, its variants and prevention measures, as well as clarifying the excessive use of antimicrobials in the protocols of patients infected with it, as this practice can intensify an already existing public health problem, which is antimicrobial resistance. The methodology used in this research was a literature review on bacterial resistance due to the indiscriminate use of antimicrobials and the possible impacts caused in the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the variants of worldwide concern, based on the Scientific Electronic Library Online databases - SCIELO, National Library of Medicine - PubMed, CAPES Journal Portal, Academic Google and National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA). Based on the literature presented here, it is concluded that COVID-19 is a disease caused by the acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) presenting a clinical spectrum ranging from asymptomatic infections to severe conditions. Several variants have emerged in several countries modifying the dynamics of transmissibility and potential immune flight from the disease, the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) being a greater threat to public health due to its high transmissibility. The misuse and excessive use of antimicrobials prescribed for the treatment of this disease can favor the emergence of superbugs and such resistance is a global problem. Therefore, the help of laboratory and clinical tests is essential to carry out a therapeutic intervention, observing the best options for each clinical case, since COVID-19 is a new disease and still under study.
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Barber, Bridget, Margaret Hellard, Rebecca Jenkinson, Tim Spelman, and Mark Stoove. "Sexual history taking and sexually transmissible infection screening practices among men who have sex with men: a survey of Victorian general practitioners." Sexual Health 8, no. 3 (2011): 349. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sh10079.
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Background HIV notifications among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Victoria, Australia, have increased recently. Early HIV diagnosis is a prevention strategy that requires general practitioners (GP) to recognise at-risk individuals and perform screening. Sexual history taking is part of this process. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 354 Victorian GP to investigate attitudes and practices regarding sexual history taking and screening for HIV in MSM. Results: In total, 185 (53%, 95% CI: 47–58%) GPs reported being ‘very likely’ to take a sexual history from MSM presenting for a routine check-up; however 161 (46%, 95% CI: 40–51%) would not do so during the initial consultation. Barriers to sexual history taking included time constraints (28%, 95% CI: 24–36%), feeling inadequately trained (25%, 95% CI: 21–30%), discomfort discussing sex (24%, 95% CI: 20–29%) and fear of patient embarrassment (24%, 95% CI: 20–29%). Factors associated with a reduced likelihood included being male, time constraints, fear of patient embarrassment, and moral or religious views. Most GP (63%, 95% CI: 58–68%) reported they would offer HIV screening 3–6 monthly for MSM with casual partners; 54 (16%, 95% CI: 12–20%) would offer screening only on request. Being unlikely to take a sexual history and fear of patient embarrassment were associated with a decreased likelihood of offering an HIV test. Conclusion: GP often fail to take a sexual history from MSM, limiting opportunities to offer HIV screening. Strategies are required to increase GPs’ awareness of sexual health as a priority for MSM.
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Romanenkova, N. I., L. N. Golitsyna, T. T. T. Nguyen, N. V. Ponomareva, A. V. Leonov, O. I. Kanaeva, V. V. Zverev, et al. "Epidemiological and etiological aspects of enterovirus infection in Russia and Vietnam." Russian Journal of Infection and Immunity 11, no. 5 (October 7, 2021): 905–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.15789/2220-7619-eae-1791.
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The epidemic situation and etiological factors of enterovirus infection in Russia and Vietnam were analysed and compared. The identified strains of enteroviruses of 47 types, which circulated in Russia in 2018–2019, belonged to different species: Enterovirus species A (CV-A2, CV-A4, CV-A6, CV-A8, CV-A10, CV-A16, EV-A71), as well as Enterovirus species B and Enterovirus species C. The strains isolated from 87 children from southern Vietnam hospitalised in 2018–2019 into infectious hospitals while having enterovirus infection with exanthema were also studied. All identified strains were represented by Enterovirus species A: EV-A71 — 59 strains, CV-A10 — 20 strains, CV-A16 — 5 strains, CV-A6 — two strains and CV-A2 — one strain. Out of 59 viruses EV-A71, 53 strains belonged to genotype C4 and 6 strains belonged to genotype B5. The sequences of EV-A71 strains of genotype C4 from South Vietnam formed a monophyletic cluster with the sequences of EV-A71 viruses which circulated during 2016–2018 in different provinces of China, and they were very close to EV-A71 strains of the same genotype from the Yunnan Province. These strains were genetically different from Russian viruses and Vietnamese viruses identified in the years 2003–2005 and 2011– 2012. Most of the cases of enterovirus infection from southern Vietnam (78%) caused by EV-A71 virus of genotype C4 were reported in three provinces located in southern Vietnam in the Mekong Delta. The epidemic process and the etiology of enterovirus infection in Russia and Vietnam have common features. At the same time, the epidemic situation in these countries is not the same. The incidence of enterovirus infection is influenced by geographic, climatic, economic and demographic factors that differ in two countries. In the majority of territories of Russia, the climate is temperate or cold, seasonal rises in the incidence rates of enterovirus infection usually occur in the summer, when people go on vacation, spend a lot of time outdoors and swim in open reservoirs. In Vietnam, a constant high-level temperature, a high population density and a large proportion of children determine the higher incidence of enterovirus infection, especially in the southern provinces of Vietnam, compared to Russia. The fact that more than 20% of the Vietnamese population lives in the Mekong Delta, which is the largest river in Indochina, has a significant impact on the epidemic process of enterovirus infection in South Vietnam. The Mekong River which flows through China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, and carries huge streams of water, including rainstorm waters and sewages, from all of these countries into the southern provinces of Vietnam, which have the highest incidence rates of enterovirus infection in the country. The results of the research underline the importance of active epidemiological and virological surveillance of enterovirus infection, which plays the key role in informing the public health authorities about the changes in the epidemic situation in order to take appropriate measures and develop the prevention strategies. The goal of anti-epidemic and preventive measures is to reduce the incidence of enterovirus infection and the economic burden of this infection for Russia and Vietnam.
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Stufano, Angela, Hamid Reza Jahantigh, Francesco Cagnazzo, Francesca Centrone, Daniela Loconsole, Maria Chironna, and Piero Lovreglio. "Work-Related Human T-lymphotropic Virus 1 and 2 (HTLV-1/2) Infection: A Systematic Review." Viruses 13, no. 9 (September 2, 2021): 1753. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v13091753.
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Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 and 2 (HTLV-1/2) belong to the delta group of retroviruses which may cause a life-long infection in humans, HTLV-1 leading to adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and other diseases. Different transmission modes have been described, such as breastfeeding, and, as for other blood-borne pathogens, unsafe sexual activity, intravenous drug usage, and blood transfusion and transplantation. The present systematic review was conducted to identify all peer-reviewed studies concerning the work-related infection by HTLV-1/2. A literature search was conducted from January to May 2021, according to the PRISMA methodology, selecting 29 studies: seven related to health care workers (HCWs), five to non-HCWs, and 17 to sex workers (SWs). The findings showed no clear evidence as to the possibility of HTLV-1/2 occupational transmission in HCWs, according to the limited number and quality of the papers. Moreover, non-HCWs showed a higher prevalence in jobs consistent with a lower socioeconomic status or that could represent a familial cluster, and an increased risk of zoonotic transmission from STLV-1-infected non-human primates has been observed in African hunters. Finally, a general increase of HTLV-1 infection was observed in SWs, whereas only one paper described an increased prevalence for HTLV-2, supporting the urgent need for prevention and control measures, including screening, diagnosis, and treatment of HTLV-1/2, to be offered routinely as part of a comprehensive approach to decrease the impact of sexually transmitted diseases in SWs.
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Péricat, David, Stephen Adonai Leon-Icaza, Marina Sanchez Rico, Christiane Mühle, Iulia Zoicas, Fabian Schumacher, Rémi Planès, et al. "Antiviral and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Fluoxetine in a SARS-CoV-2 Infection Mouse Model." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23, no. 21 (November 7, 2022): 13623. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms232113623.
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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Since a large portion of the world’s population is currently unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated and has limited access to approved treatments against COVID-19, there is an urgent need to continue research on treatment options, especially those at low cost and which are immediately available to patients, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Prior in vitro and observational studies have shown that fluoxetine, possibly through its inhibitory effect on the acid sphingomyelinase/ceramide system, could be a promising antiviral and anti-inflammatory treatment against COVID-19. In this report, we evaluated the potential antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities of fluoxetine in a K18-hACE2 mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and against variants of concern in vitro, i.e., SARS-CoV-2 ancestral strain, Alpha B.1.1.7, Gamma P1, Delta B1.617 and Omicron BA.5. Fluoxetine, administrated after SARS-CoV-2 infection, significantly reduced lung tissue viral titres and expression of several inflammatory markers (i.e., IL-6, TNFα, CCL2 and CXCL10). It also inhibited the replication of all variants of concern in vitro. A modulation of the ceramide system in the lung tissues, as reflected by the increase in the ratio HexCer 16:0/Cer 16:0 in fluoxetine-treated mice, may contribute to explain these effects. Our findings demonstrate the antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties of fluoxetine in a K18-hACE2 mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and its in vitro antiviral activity against variants of concern, establishing fluoxetine as a very promising candidate for the prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease pathogenesis.