ETIDIOH - NEW

Abstract Introduction :  Since the dawn of the new millennium, Candida species have been increasingly implicated as a cause of both healthcare-associated as well as opportunistic yeast infections , due to the widespread use of indwelling medical devices , total parenteral nutrition , systemic corticosteroids , cytotoxic chemotherapy , and broad-spectrum antibiotics. Candida tropicalis is a pathogenic Candida species associated with considerable morbidity, mortality , and drug resistance issues on a global scale. Methodology :  We report a case of a 43-year-old man who was admitted to our hospital for further management of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia . During his stay in the ward, he received systemic corticosteroids for a total duration of 32 days. A broad-spectrum antibiotic (piperacillin-tazobactam) was also given due to copious amounts of tracheostomy secretions . Results :  The patient’s fever recurred following an afebrile interval of 11 days...

  Public Domain. Source: WikiArt,  https://www.wikiart.org/en/tom-thomson/fire-swept-hills-1915 _____

Abstract H7N9 avian influenza virus (AIV) first emerged in February 2013 in China , and early isolates were all low pathogenic (LP). After circulation for a few years in live poultry markets of China , LP H7N9 AIVs evolved into a highly pathogenic (HP) form in late 2016. Deduced amino acid sequence analysis of hemagglutinin (HA) gene revealed that all HP H7N9 AIVs have obtained four-amino-acid insertion at position 339-342 (H7 numbering), making the cleavage site from a monobasic motif (LP AIVs) to a polybasic form (HP AIVs). Notably, the polybasic cleavage site motifs are diversified, of which PEVPKRKRTAR↓GLF motif is prevalent. To elucidate the reasons accounting for its dominance, recombinant H7N9 virus carrying PEVPKRKRTAR↓GLF (rJT157-2) motif was generated based on LP H7N9 virus A/chicken/Eastern China/JT157/2016 (JT157). Besides, another two viruses containing PEVPKGKRTAR↓GLF (rJT157-1) and PEIPKRKRTAR↓GLF (rJT157-3) cleavage site motifs were also constructed as comparisons. We f...

  Antiviral Res XU M, Zhang Z, Sun Y, Mai H, et al IgA class switching enhances neutralizing potency against SARS-CoV-2 by increased antibody hinge flexibility. Antiviral Res. 2025 Jan 17:106082. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2025.106082. PubMed           Abstract available CHUTIWITOONCHAI N, Akkarawongsapat R, Chantawarin S, Jiarpinitnun C, et al Antiviral effect of pinostrobin, a bioactive constituent of Boesenbergia rotunda, against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus. Antiviral Res. 2025;234:106073. PubMed           Abstract available BMJ AGIUS RM Healthcare workers should get covid-19 vaccinations. BMJ. 2025;388:r89. PubMed          Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol KIM W, Park CM, Choi YJ, Kim DH, et al Recent trends and outcomes in immediate and delayed sequential bilateral cataract surgeries: a nationwide cohort study in South Korea. Graefes Arch Clin Exp ...

  Ann Intern Med VALE CL, Godolphin PJ, Fisher DJ, Higgins JPT, et al Anticoagulation Among Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19 : A Systematic Review and Prospective Meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2024 Dec 24. doi: 10.7326/ANNALS-24-00800. PubMed           Abstract available Antiviral Res GAO M, Zhang Z, Yao G, Zhang L, et al Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel 2'-deoxy-2'-spirooxetane-7-deazapurine nucleoside analogs as anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. Antiviral Res. 2024 Dec 30:106060. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2024.106060. PubMed           Abstract available MERCURI FA, Anderson GP, Miller BE, Demaison C, et al Discovery and development of INNA-051, a TLR2/6 agonist for the prevention of complications resulting from viral respiratory infections. Antiviral Res. 2024 Dec 27:106063. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2024.106063. PubMed           Abstr...

Abstract As new SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to emerge , it is important to evaluate the potency of antiviral drugs to support their continued use. Remdesivir (RDV; VEKLURY®) an approved antiviral treatment for COVID-19, and obeldesivir (ODV) are inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase Nsp12. Here we show these two compounds retain antiviral activity against the Omicron variants BA.2.86, BF.7, BQ.1, CH.1.1, EG.1.2, EG.5.1, EG.5.1.4, FL.22, HK.3, HV.1, JN.1, JN.1.7, JN.1.18, KP.2, KP.3, LB.1, XBB.1.5, XBB.1.5.72, XBB.1.16, XBB.2.3.2, XBC.1.6, and XBF when compared with reference strains. Genomic analysis identified 29 Nsp12 polymorphisms in these and previous Omicron variants. Phenotypic analysis of these polymorphisms confirmed no impact on the antiviral activity of RDV or ODV and suggests Omicron variants containing these Nsp12 polymorphisms remain susceptible to both compounds. These data support the continued use of RDV in the context of circulating SARS-CoV-2 vari...

Abstract The repeated spill-over of Influenza A virus H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b from cattle to humans highlights the risk of a human H5N1 pandemic . Given the impact of pre-existing immunity on the course and severity of viral infections , we assessed in detail the humoral immunity against the H5N1 A/Texas/37/2024 isolate in H5N1-naive individuals . To this end, we performed complementary binding and neutralization assays on 66 subjects and ranked activities among a panel of 76 influenza A virus isolates . We detected low but distinct cross-neutralizing titers against A/Texas/37/2024 with a 3.9 to 15.6-fold reduction compared to selected H1N1 or H3N2 strains. Moreover, by cloning and evaluating 136 monoclonal antibodies from single memory B cells , we identified potent A/Texas/37/2024-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies in five out of six investigated individuals. These antibodies predominantly utilize VH1-69 gene segments, cross-neutralize H1, and compete with antibodies targeting the HA ste...

Abstract Influenza A virus (IAV) continuously threatens animal and public health globally , with swine serving as a crucial reservoir for viral reassortment and evolution . In Chile , H1N2 and H3N2 subtypes were introduced in the swine population before the H1N1 2009 pandemic, and the H1N1 was introduced from the H1N1pdm09 by successive reverse zoonotic events . Here, we report two novel introductions of IAV H3N2 human-origin in Chilean swine during 2023. Our study reveals a closer relationship between recent human seasonal H3N2 and novel swine strains. Interestingly, one strain maintains all the genes from the original human virus , but the other strain is already a reassortment of human H3N2 and an H1N2 previously observed on the farm. Observing global IAV sequences, a similar pattern was identified in the USA confirming the reverse zoonotic potential of current seasonal human H3N2 strains. These results highlight the importance of ongoing surveillance and reinforcing biosecurity in ...

Abstract Wild birds and waterfowl serve as the natural reservoirs of avian influenza viruses (AIVs). When AIVs originating from wild birds cross species barriers to infect mammals or humans , they pose a significant threat to public health . The H12 subtype of AIVs primarily circulates in wild birds, with relatively few isolates reported worldwide , and the evolutionary and biological characteristics of H12 subtype AIVs remain largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution of H12 subtype AIVs worldwide and conducted a comprehensive investigation into the evolutionary and biological characteristics of an H12N2 virus isolated from a whooper swan in Central China . Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the H12N2 isolate belongs to the Eurasian lineage , with its HA gene likely originating from a duck-derived H12N5 virus and its NA gene potentially derived from an H9N2 virus , indicating that it is a complex reassorted virus. Animal experiments in domestic ducks ...

 {Excerpt} Time Period: January 12 - January 18, 2025 -- H5 Detection : 35 sites ( 10.4% ) -- No Detection : 301 sites ( 89.6% ) -- No samples in last week : 62 sites (...) Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,  https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/h5-monitoring/index.html _____

 Unspecified domestic birds in Leiria Region. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6214 _____

{Excerpt} The zoonotic Orthopoxvirus monkeypox virus includes two main clades (ie, 1 and 2) relevant to human transmission .1 Two major outbreaks of monkeypox virus have occurred since 2022,1–3 and were declared public health emergencies of international concern by WHO in July, 2022, and August, 2024. The first outbreak was caused by a clade 2b strain that quickly spread worldwide, resulting in approximately 100 000 cases and 200 deaths.3 In the second outbreak, the novel clade 1b emerged .4 As of December, 2024, this upsurge has resulted in more than 55 000 reported or suspected cases and approximately 1000 deaths in DR Congo and neighbouring countries, including Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda , and Angola .4 A few imported clade 1b cases have also been reported in the UK, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, France, the USA, Canada , and Thailand .5 Prevention measures include patient isolation and care as well as vaccines. (...) Source: Lancet Infectious Diseases,  https://www.thelancet.com/journ...

{Excerpt} Dear Editor, The highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) are important epizootic and zoonotic pathogens that cause significant economic losses to the poultry industry and pose a serious risk to veterinary and public health . Wild birds have been recognized as the primary reservoirs for influenza A virus, and some species show little sign of clinical disease or even can be asymptomatic during long distance carriers of the virus (Lycett et al., 2019). Since it was first discovered in 1959, the H5Nx HPAIVs have spread globally and cause outbreaks in wild birds, poultry and sporadic human and other mammalian infections (Lycett et al., 2019). Due to the reassortant events of diverse strains facilitated by migratory waterfowl, the clade 2.3.4.4 of H5Nx viruses acquiring neuraminidase (NA) gene from other low pathogenicity avian influenza viruses (LPAIVs) emerged in 2014 and gradually became the dominant sub-clade (Lee et al., 2017). The genetic diversity of clade 2.3.4.4...

Summary The ongoing circulation of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A (H5N1) viruses , particularly clade 2.3.4.4b strains , poses a significant threat to animal and public health . Recent outbreaks in cattle highlight concerns about cross-species transmission and zoonotic spillover . Here, we found that the hemagglutinin (HA) protein from a cattle-infecting H5N1 virus has acquired slight binding to human-like α2-6-linked receptors while still exhibiting a strong preference for avian-like α2-3-linked sialic acid receptors. Immunohistochemical staining revealed HA binding to bovine pulmonary and mammary tissues , aligning with clinical observations. HA also binds effectively to human conjunctival, tracheal, and mammary tissues , indicating a risk for human transmission , notably in cases of conjunctivitis . High-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of this H5 HA in complex with either α2-3 or α2-6 receptors elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying its re...

Summary H5Nx viruses remain a threat to human health . Over the past few years, the H5Nx clade 2.3.4.4b has rapidly spread to 6 continents, leading to massive avian and mammalian host deaths . In late March 2024, H5N1 was first identified in lactating dairy cows in the United States and has spread to 16 states, affected hundreds of herds , and caused over 50 known human infections . In this review, we discuss the origins of 2.3.4.4b H5N1 viruses and how they are evolving to better infect mammals, with an emphasis on receptor-binding characteristics . Understanding changes in receptor binding and mutations in the viral genome that allow for sustained spread in mammals can inform public health measures and prevent future influenza virus epidemics and pandemics. (...) Source: PLoS Pathogens,  https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1012847 _____

Abstract Influenza is a major infectious disease challenge affecting animal and human health globally, and wild birds are historically the primary reservoirs of all the known Influenza A virus subtypes. Here, we detected the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus in exotic and aquatic birds in three different locations in Nigeria. On the 8th of February 2021, exotic birds: Yellow Golden Pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus), Sultan chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), Lakenvelder chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), and Common pheasant (Phasianus calchicus), imported from Libya and transported across the Niger Republic border to Nigeria, were presented to the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, for screening. Also, a family in Lagos State bought some exotic aquatic birds from a live bird market in Sokoto State , Nigeria, where sudden death was recorded with the birds showing few clinical signs. Similarly, the sudden death of some aquatic birds was reported in Mandela Parks and ...

A 1.4 million egg laying and rearing flock . Increased mortality and other clinical signs were reported. Samples taken tested positive for HPAI H5N1. England, Shropshire Region. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6209 _____

A 13,316 commercial turkey fattening unit . Increased mortality and other clinical signs were reported. Samples taken and tested positive for HPAI H5N1. England, East Riding of Yorkshire Region. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6206 _____

A 240 free-range layer unit . Increased mortality and other clinical signs were reported. Samples taken and tested positive for HPAI H5N1. England, East Sussex Region. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6207 _____

Abstract In a patient on immunosuppressant treatment , SARS-CoV-2 RNA was documented in different extra-respiratory samples over several months in the absence of positive determinations in upper respiratory samples . Whole -genome sequencing of these samples showed the acquisition of different single-nucleotide polymorphisms over time, suggesting viral evolution and thus viral viability. Source: Viruses,  https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17/2/147 _____