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#Influenza #H5N8 #vaccine induces humoral and cell-mediated #immunity against highly pathogenic avian influenza clade 2.3.4.4b #H5N1 viruses in at-risk individuals

By G.M.
  Abstract Finland faced an outbreak of highly pathogenic clade 2.3.4.4b A(H5N1) avian influenza in 2023, which spread from wild birds to fur farms . Vaccinations of at-risk individuals began in June 2024 using the MF59-adjuvanted inactivated A(H5N8) vaccine (Seqirus; A/Astrakhan/3212/2020, clade 2.3.4.4b). Here, in an observational study , we assessed vaccine-induced immune responses in occupational at-risk individuals participating in the phase IV trial , including virus-specific antibody (n = 39 individuals) and T-cell (n = 18 individuals) responses. Vaccination elicited functional antibodies against the vaccine virus and two heterologous clade 2.3.4.4b strains associated with outbreaks on Finnish fur farms and dairy cattle in the United States . Among previously unvaccinated individuals, seroprotection rates against the vaccine virus were 83% (95% CI 70–97%) by microneutralization assay (titre ≥20) and 97% (90–100%) by haemagglutination inhibition assay (titre ≥40). In those pr...
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History of Mass Transportation: The BB 67544 Diesel Locomotive (1981) in St. Malo

By G.M.
  By Anidaat - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=130774110 Source:  Link:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:SNCF_Class_BB_67400,_Livr%C3%A9e_Bleue_Diesel ____
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#Coronavirus Disease Research #References (by AMEDEO, Dec. 6 '25)

By G.M.
  Am J Respir Crit Care Med SARMA A, Christenson SA, Shoshana BZ, Oliveira AP, et al Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Molecular Phenotypes Have Distinct Lower Respiratory Tract Transcriptomes. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2025;211:2352-2362. PubMed           Abstract available Ann Intern Med SOUMARE A, Kapfer T, Botrel T, Adda L, et al Systemic Corticosteroids, Mortality, and Infections in Pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome : A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2025 Dec 2. doi: 10.7326/ANNALS-25-03055. PubMed           Abstract available BMJ LOGAN M FDA claims 10 child deaths caused by covid-19 vaccine, vows to tighten vaccine approvals. BMJ. 2025;391:r2546. PubMed          Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol NEO YN, Martinez-Alvarez L, Davagnanam I, Girafa G, et al Treatment of post-vaccination optic neuritis: implications from the glob...
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#Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses Research #References (by AMEDEO, Dec. 6 '25)

By G.M.
  Antiviral Res XIONG R, Wu Y, Wang Y, Qu Z, et al Rapid generation of a murine RSV infectious model by transducing a conditional knock-in mouse harboring human IGF1 receptor with adenoviral vector. Antiviral Res. 2025;244:106304. PubMed           Abstract available SUTTO-ORTIZ P, Selisko B, Ferron F, Sommadossi JP, et al Mapping the impact of 1'-, 2'- and 4'-nucleotide modifications on the Respiratory Syncytial Virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Antiviral Res. 2025;244:106298. PubMed           Abstract available Biochem Biophys Res Commun MOHAMMED A, Ibrahim NA, Basher NS Innovations and challenges in vaccine development: Lessons from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and prospects. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2025;792:152947. PubMed           Abstract available J Gen Virol METAXAKI M, Ram R, Perera M, Wills M, et al Robust antibody and T cell responses tracked longitudin...
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Broader #transmission of #mpox due to clade Ib #MPXV – #Global #situation (#WHO D.O.N., Dec. 5 '25, summary)

By G.M.
  Situation at a glance The purpose of this report is to raise awareness about the local transmission of clade Ib monkeypox virus (MPXV) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in countries previously unaffected or to date reporting only cases linked to travel.  This report summarizes recent epidemiological developments , response activities, and the associated global public health risk .  The second declaration of a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) for mpox was lifted on 5 September 2025.  As both MPXV clades I and II and their subclades continue to circulate globally, leading to substantial outbreaks in African countries , WHO continues to advise emergency preparedness and response activities .  Multiple modes of transmission underlie ongoing virus circulation , with sexual contact remaining the primary amplifier of transmission in most settings.  Since 5 September 2025, several countries across four of six WHO regions have confirmed...
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Avian #Influenza #H5N5 - #USA (#WHO D.O.N., Dec. 5 '25)

By G.M.
  5 December 2025 Situation at a glance On 15 November 2025, WHO was notified of the 71st confirmed human case with influenza A(H5) since early 2024 in the United States of America — the first human case reported in the United States of America since February 2025 .  On 20 November, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) laboratory sequencing verified the virus as influenza A(H5N5), representing the first globally reported human case caused by an influenza A(H5N5) virus.  The investigation by health authorities in the United States of America is ongoing.  Contact tracing identified no further cases amongst contacts, and there is currently no evidence of human-to-human transmission .  Due to the constantly evolving nature of influenza viruses , WHO continues to stress the importance of global surveillance to detect and monitor virological (including genomics), epidemiological and clinical changes associated with emerging or circulating influenza vi...
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Host switching #mutations in #H5N1 #influenza hemagglutinin suppress site-specific activation dynamics

By G.M.
  Abstract Increase in human H5N1 spillover infections resulting from dissemination of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus into bird and mammal populations raises concerns about HPAI gaining human transmissibility . Studies identified hemagglutinin (HA) acid stability and receptor preference as essential traits that shape host tropism. Mutations that increase HA stability and affinity for α−2,6-linked sialic acids have been shown to confer airborne transmissibility in a ferret model , however mechanisms of activation of H5 subtype HA are poorly understood and the effect of adaptive mutations on HA function has been largely inferred from static structures. Here, we use hydrogen/deuterium-exchange mass spectrometry to dissect activation dynamics for two ancestral H5 HPAI HA , their transmission-adapted HA , and a contemporary HA . We identify variation in receptor binding site flexibility and demonstrate that adaptive mutations result in suppression of fusion peptide dynam...
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Resistance of #endothelial cells to #SARS-CoV-2 #infection in vitro

By G.M.
  ABSTRACT The secondary thrombotic/vascular clinical syndrome of COVID-19 suggests that SARS-CoV-2 infects the endothelium ; however, robust in vitro infection of endothelial cells by various strains of SARS-CoV-2 remains to be demonstrated and continues to be debated. Here, we revisit the question of endothelial cell permissiveness to SARS-CoV-2 using isolated endothelial cells ( from the lung, aorta, and endothelial cell progenitors ), and additionally, to overcome limitations associated with cultured cells , using native endothelial cells within living precision cut human lung slices and single-cell RNA sequencing to track viral presence. Cellular infection in endothelial monocultures was determined using fluorescence imaging. Mediator release was measured by ELISA, and gene expression was assessed by RT-qPCR. Infection in lung slices was determined using single-cell RNA sequencing, capturing molecular identifiers that aligned to the SARS-CoV-2 viral genome (for lung slices). E...
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#USA, #Wastewater Data for Avian #Influenza #H5 (#CDC, Dec. 5 '25)

By G.M.
  {Summary} Time Period: November 23, 2025 - November 29, 2025 -- H5 Detection :  2 site(s) ( 0.6% ) -- No Detection :  352 site(s) ( 99.4% ) -- No samples in last week :  102 site(s) (...) Source:   Link:  https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/wwd-h5.html ____
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#Cayman Islands - High pathogenicity avian #influenza #H5N1 viruses (#poultry) (Inf. with) - Immediate notification

By G.M.
  A backyard, multi-species, farming operation was tested and confirmed positive for HPAI H5N1. Source:  Link:  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/7072 ____
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Inactivation of avian #influenza virus in #yogurt made from raw #milk

By G.M.
  Highlights •  Fermentation of raw milk for 7 h at 42 °C to pH 4.4 reduced AIV levelsAIV by ≤ 4.1 log10 EID50. •  Incubation of raw milk for 7 h at 42 °C to pH 6.6 reduced levels by ≤ 4.3 log10 EID50. •  PH, temperature and/or bacterial degradation appreciably reduced AIV levels in raw milk. Abstract In March 2024, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAIV) H5N1 was first detected in U.S. dairy cattle and has since spread to herds across at least 17 states. Infected cows typically present with mastitis, decreased milk production, and poor milk quality with high viral loads in milk . While commercial pasteurization of milk effectively inactivates avian influenza virus (AIV), growing consumer interest in raw milk and derived products raises public health concerns due to the risk of zoonotic transmission . Standard yogurt production includes an initial heating step at 82 °C for 30 min to denature milk proteins which also inactivates AIV . However, some home yogurt recip...
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Local and introduced #lineages drive #MERS-CoV #recombination in Egyptian #camels

By G.M.
  ABSTRACT Dromedary camels are the primary reservoir for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), a zoonotic coronavirus responsible for sporadic human infections . While clade B predominates in the Arabian Peninsula and is frequently linked to zoonotic outbreaks and household secondary transmission , clade C circulates primarily in African camels , with limited evidence of human infections . The extent of MERS-CoV transmission, genetic diversity, and cross-species potential in North Africa remains poorly characterized. Here, we investigate MERS-CoV incidence, seroprevalence, and genomic recombination in dromedary camels and sympatric livestock across slaughterhouses and farms in Egypt . MERS-CoV was detected in 12% of camels sampled at slaughterhouses , with no evidence of infection in cattle, buffalo, sheep, or goats . Seroprevalence was higher in slaughtered camels (79%) than camels on farms (12%). Phylogenetic analyses of MERS-CoV genomes obtained from dromedar...
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Quantitative #risk #assessment of #human #H5N1 #infection from consumption of fluid cow's #milk

By G.M.
  Abstract The spillover of H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b into dairy cattle has raised concerns over the safety of fluid milk . While no foodborne infection has been reported in humans, this strain has infected at least 70 people and milk from infected cows is known to be infectious by ingestion in multiple other species. Investigation into the public health threat of this outbreak is warranted. This farm-to-table quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) uses stochastic models to assess the risk of human infection from consumption of raw and pasteurized fluid cow's milk from the United States supply chains. These models were parameterized with literature emerging from this outbreak, then employed to estimate the H5N1 infection risk and evaluate multiple potential interventions aimed at reducing this risk. The median (5th, 95th percentiles) probabilities of infection per 240-mL serving of pasteurized, farmstore-purchased raw, or retail-purchased raw milk were 7.66E-19 (2.39E-20, 4.02E-17...
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#Spain - #Influenza A #H5 viruses of high pathogenicity (Inf. with) (non-poultry including wild birds) (2017-) - Immediate notification

By G.M.
  {By Pierre Dalous - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29066936 } This event will collect the detections made by sampling carried out in 2025. Report (LNR): 2025/005921 B. A vulture (Gyps fulvus) collected at Quintanas de Valdelucio. Source:  Link:  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/7077 ____
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