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Showing posts from November 20, 2025

Rebalancing viral and immune #damage versus repair prevents #death from lethal #influenza #infection

  Abstract Maintaining tissue function while eliminating infected cells is fundamental, and inflammatory damage plays a major contribution to lethality after lung infection . We tested 50 immunomodulatory regimes to determine their ability to protect mice from lethal infection . Only neutrophil depletion soon after infection prevented death from influenza. This result suggests that the infected host passed an early tipping point after which limiting innate damage alone could not rescue lung function. We investigated treatments that could have efficacy when administered later in infection. We found that partial limitation of viral spread together with enhancement of epithelial repair, by interferon blockade or limiting CD8+ T cell–mediated killing of epithelial cells , reduced lethality . This finding highlights the importance of rebalancing repair and damage processes in the survival of pulmonary infections. Source:  Link:  https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adr4...

#Pathogenesis and Transmissibility of #MERS #Coronaviruses of African Origin in #Alpacas

  Abstract The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) remains a highly significant threat to global public health . Dromedary camels are the zoonotic source of human infection. All cases of zoonotic Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) have occurred in Middle Eastern countries despite MERS-CoV infection of camels being widespread in Africa . This disparity in the geographic burden of the disease may be due to genomic differences between MERS-CoV circulating in Middle Eastern countries (clades A and B) versus those infecting camels in Africa ( clade C ), although the precise genetic determinants of virulence remain to be elucidated. The objective of the studies reported here was to evaluate differences in the magnitude of virus shedding and in transmissibility of clades A/B and C viruses using alpacas as a surrogate for dromedary camels. We found that two of three African-origin, clade C strains of MERS-CoV induced very reduced levels of virus shedding and were t...

#Austria - High pathogenicity avian #influenza #H5N1 viruses (#poultry) (Inf. with) - Immediate notification

  A poultry farm in Oberösterreich Region. Source:  Link:  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/7024 ____

#Korea (Rep. of) - #Influenza A #H5N9 viruses of high pathogenicity (Inf. with) (non-poultry including wild birds) (2017-) - Immediate notification

A wild Common Teal in Jeollabuk-do Region. Source:  Link:  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6983 ____

Post #COVID19 #resurgence of #Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in French #children (ORIGAMI): a retrospective and prospective multicentre cohort study

  Summary Background Following a decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections resurged in several countries . We aimed to characterise the clinical presentation of paediatric patients admitted to hospital for M pneumoniae during 2023 and 2024 in France. Methods We conducted a nationwide, multicentre, retrospective, and prospective observational study across 37 French paediatric hospitals (September, 2023–September, 2024). Children younger than 18 years who were hospitalised with laboratory-confirmed M pneumoniae infection (PCR or serology) were included. Demographics (excluding race), clinical features, laboratory and radiological findings, management, and outcomes data were described and analysed. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06260371) and is complete. Findings We included 969 children and adolescents with M pneumoniae in...

Efficacy, Immunogenicity, and Safety of Modified #mRNA #Influenza #Vaccine

Abstract Background Influenza remains a major health burden despite the use of licensed vaccines. Nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA) influenza vaccines have shown promising immunogenicity against influenza and an acceptable safety profile in a phase 1–2 trial. Methods In this phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 64 years to receive either a quadrivalent modRNA influenza vaccine (modRNA group) or a licensed inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine (control group) during the 2022–2023 influenza season in the United States, South Africa, and the Philippines. The primary end point was relative efficacy, defined by the reduction in the percentage of participants with laboratory-confirmed influenza associated with influenza-like illness at least 14 days after vaccination with the modRNA vaccine, as compared with the control vaccine, and analyzed for noninferiority and superiority. Immunogenicity was evaluated by means of a hemagglutination i...