ETIDIOH - NEW

Abstract White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have high value for research, conservation, agriculture, and recreation and might be key SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs . In November 2023, we sampled 15 female deer in a captive facility in Texas, USA . All deer had neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 ; respiratory swab samples from 11 deer were SARS-CoV-2–positive by quantitative reverse transcription PCR, and 1 deer also had a positive rectal swab sample . Six of the 11 respiratory swab samples yielded infectious virus; replication kinetics of most samples displayed lower growth 24–48 hours postinfection in vitro than Omicron lineages isolated from humans in Texas in the same period. Virus growth was similar between groups by 72 hours, suggesting no strong attenuation of deer-derived virus. All deer viruses clustered in XBB Omicron clade and demonstrated more mutations than expected compared with contemporaneous viruses in humans, suggesting that crossing the species barrier was accompani...

Abstract Seasonal and pandemic influenzas are continuous threats to human health, requiring rapid development of vaccines to multiple evolving viral strains. New RNA vaccine technologies have the adaptability and manufacturability to facilitate pandemic preparedness but have limited flexibility in their route of administration, reducing the ability to establish local protective immune responses such as respiratory mucosal immunity. Here, we describe monovalent and bivalent self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) vaccines against A/Vietnam/1203/2004 H5N1 and A/Anhui/2013 H7N9. These saRNA vaccines express either H5 or H7 hemagglutinin and are formulated with a nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) that permits both intramuscular (IM) and intranasal (IN) dosing. In mice , IM vaccination established systemic humoral and cellular responses but no detectable mucosal response , while IN administration induced robust systemic and mucosal immunity . The saRNA-NLC vaccines provided complete protection against...

Abstract H5Nx viruses continue to wreak havoc in avian and mammalian species worldwide. The virus distinguishes itself by the ability to replicate to high titers and transmit efficiently in a wide variety of hosts in diverse climatic environments. Fortunately, transmission to and between humans is scarce . Yet, if such an event were to occur, it could spark a pandemic as humans are immunologically naive to H5 viruses. A significant determinant of transmission to and between humans is the ability of the influenza A virus hemagglutinin (HA) protein to shift from an avian-type to a human-type receptor specificity . Here, we demonstrate that a 2016 2.3.4.4e virus HA can convert to human-type receptor binding via a single Q226L mutation , in contrast to a cleavage-modified 2016 2.3.4.4b virus HA . Using glycan arrays, x-ray structural analyses, tissue- and direct glycan binding, we show that L133adelta and 227Q are vital for this phenotype. Thus, whereas the 2.3.4.4e virus HA only needs a s...

Waterford Township, Mich. – The Oakland County Health Division is monitoring a situation involving highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu, identified in animals at the farm at Hess-Hathaway Park in Waterford Township.  |--     Eleven individuals who had direct contact with the animals are being         monitored    for 10 days, beginning yesterday. --| Initially, it was reported that two of the 11 are experiencing flu-like symptoms . Since then, the Health Division has learned that only one individual has symptoms . That person’s influenza test has been collected and results from the state lab are pending . “The risk of contracting bird flu is very low for the general public , but it’s important to be aware of the disease in the community,” said Oakland County Director of Health and Human Services Leigh-Anne Stafford. “Protect yourself and prevent bird flu by avoiding direct contact with sick or dead bi...