ETIDIOH - NEW

  Am J Respir Crit Care Med KERWIN E, Yang T, Su N, Guo J, et al Rademikibart Treatment for Moderate-to-Severe, Uncontrolled Asthma: A Phase 2B Randomized Trial. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2025 Feb 25. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202409-1708. PubMed           Abstract available Antiviral Res BRUN J, Arman BY, Hill ML, Kiappes JL, et al Assessment of repurposed compounds against coronaviruses highlights the antiviral broad-spectrum activity of host-targeting iminosugars and confirms the activity of potent directly acting antivirals. Antiviral Res. 2025 Feb 23:106123. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2025.106123. PubMed           Abstract available BMJ MACINTYRE CR, Chughtai AA, Kunasekaran M, Tawfiq E, et al The role of masks and respirators in preventing respiratory infections in healthcare and community settings. BMJ. 2025;388:e078573. PubMed           Abstract avai...

BMC Pediatr MEHDIZADEGAN N, Omidbakhsh S, Shorafa E, Hosseini H, et al Speckle-tracking and conventional echocardiography in MIS-C: tracking cardiac involvement and recovery. BMC Pediatr. 2025;25:137. PubMed           Abstract available BMJ MACINTYRE CR, Chughtai AA, Kunasekaran M, Tawfiq E, et al The role of masks and respirators in preventing respiratory infections in healthcare and community settings. BMJ. 2025;388:e078573. PubMed           Abstract available Epidemiol Infect LIN W, Kung KH, Chan CL, Chuang SK, et al Characteristics and risk factors associated with COVID-19 reinfection in Hong Kong: a retrospective cohort study. Epidemiol Infect. 2025;153:e30. PubMed           Abstract available HOEVE CE, Neppelenbroek N, Vos ERA, Huiberts AJ, et al Using SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein antibodies to detect (re)infection. Epidemiol Infect. 2025;153:e38. PubM...

Significance The dominance of the H9N2 subtype of avian influenza virus (AIV) within the influenza A virus family has raised questions regarding the factors influencing its epidemiological dominance . This study concentrates on the role of five major evolutionary patterns of the matrix protein M1 in the replication and transmission of H9N2 AIVs. The findings indicate a strong correlation between the epidemiological dominance of H9N2 AIVs and the specific M1 patterns , particularly M1P5. It highlights the significance of genetic patterns in M1 for understanding the adaptive differences and turnover of epidemiological dominant H9N2 AIVs. Abstract The H9N2 subtype of avian influenza virus (AIV) emerges as a significant member of the influenza A virus family. However, the varying degrees of epidemiological dominance among different lineages or clades of H9N2 AIVs have not been fully clarified. The matrix protein M1 , a key structural component of the virion , plays a crucial role in mainta...

Abstract Using a phylogenetic framework to characterize natural selection , we investigate the hypothesis that zoonotic viruses require adaptation prior to zoonosis to sustain human-to-human transmission . Examining the zoonotic emergence of Ebola virus, Marburg virus, influenza A virus, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 , we find no evidence of a change in the intensity of natural selection immediately prior to a host switch , compared with typical selection within reservoir hosts . We conclude that extensive pre-zoonotic adaptation is not necessary for human-to-human transmission of zoonotic viruses. In contrast, the reemergence of H1N1 influenza A virus in 1977 showed a change in selection, consistent with the hypothesis of passage in a laboratory setting prior to its reintroduction into the human population, purportedly during a vaccine trial. Holistic phylogenetic analysis of selection regimes can be used to detect evolutionary signals of host switching or laboratory passage, providing ins...

Abstract Recombination plays a central role in the evolution of the RNA virus genome , as it allows the exchange of genetic material between different viral lineages . Reassortment is a form of recombination specific to viruses with segmented genomes that involves the exchange of entire segments between lineages. This process has played a significant role in the adaptation and spread of influenza viruses, where novel combinations of genomic segments are produced from divergent lineages (i.e., antigenic shift). In this study, we investigated reassortment events in a representative sample of n = 11, 765 complete genomes of H5Nx influenza A viruses from avian hosts . Using tanglegrams and subtree-prune-regraft (SPR) methods to quantify discordance between segment trees, we found evidence of widespread reassortment among these genomes that is consistent with previous studies. However, we obtained the comparable numbers of reassortment events when applying the same methods to sequence data ...

Abstract Influenza virus neuraminidase (NA) is receiving increasing attention as a target for universal flu vaccines . Several broad NA inhibition monoclonal antibodies (BImAbs) targeting the highly conserved enzymatic pocket have been previously described. However, the molecular characteristics, clonal evolutionary trajectory, and B cell sources of BImAbs remain poorly understood. Here, using NA-mutant probes, we comprehensively profiled the immune signatures of NA-specific memory B cells (MBCs) from a healthy individual with NA cross-inhibition activity . From the NA-specific MBC repertoires, we identified a series of NA BImAbs with molecular features characterized by long HCDR3 regions with an xxxDRxxx motif, which exhibited broad inhibition against diverse influenza NAs. Clonal lineage tracing revealed that these BImAbs followed a clonal evolutionary trajectory encompassing classical MBC (cMBC) and atypical MBC (aMBC). Both cMBC- and aMBC-derived NA BImAbs displayed similar inhibit...

TRENTON, NJ - The first feline case of H5 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI or “bird flu”) in New Jersey has been confirmed in a feral cat from Hunterdon County .  The case was confirmed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory, and follows previous national reports of confirmed feline cases in other states.   The cat developed severe disease, including neurologic signs , and was humanely euthanized.  Other cats on the same property were also reported ill , and one additional indoor-outdoor cat was subsequently confirmed positive for H5 HPAI. Other tests are still pending, and the investigation is ongoing. The overall public health risk remains low at this time. While H5 HPAI has been detected in humans in the U.S. – primarily in individuals with close contact with infected poultry or dairy cattle – there have been no human cases reported in New Jersey, and none of the cases across the country are known to h...