Prevalence of Bourbon and Heartland viruses in field collected ticks at an environmental field station in St. Louis County, Missouri, USA

Heartland and Bourbon viruses are pathogenic tick-borne viruses putatively transmitted by Amblyomma americanum, an abundant tick species in Missouri. To assess the prevalence of these viruses in ticks, we collected 2778 ticks from eight sampling sites at Tyson Research Center, an environmental field station within St. Louis County and close to the City of St. Louis, from May - July in 2019 and 2021. Ticks were pooled according to life stage and sex, grouped by year and sampling site to create 355 pools and screened by RT-qPCR for Bourbon and Heartland viruses. Overall, 14 (3.9%) and 27 (7.6%) of the pools were positive for Bourbon virus and Heartland virus respectively. In 2019, 11 and 23 pools were positive for Bourbon and Heartland viruses respectively. These positives pools were of males, females and nymphs. In 2021, there were 4 virus positive pools out of which 3 were positive for both viruses and were comprised of females and nymphs. Five out of the 8 sampling sites were positive for at least one virus. This included a site that was positive for both viruses in both years. Detection of these viruses in an area close to a relatively large metropolis presents a greater public health threat than previously thought

6-Thioguanine blocks SARS-CoV-2 replication by inhibition of PLpro

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has led to a global health crisis that, in addition to vaccines and immunomodulatory therapies, calls for the identification of antiviral therapeutics. The papain-like protease (PLpro) activity of nsp3 is an attractive drug target as it is essential for viral polyprotein cleavage and for deconjugation of ISG15, an antiviral ubiquitin-like protein. We show here that 6-Thioguanine (6-TG), an orally available and widely available generic drug, inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in Vero-E6 cells with an EC50 of approximately 2 μM. 6-TG also inhibited PLpro-catalyzed polyprotein cleavage and de-ISGylation in cells and inhibited proteolytic activity of the purified PLpro domai

A simplified quantitative real-time PCR assay for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 growth in cell culture

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected millions within just a few months, causing severe respiratory disease and mortality. Assays to monitor SARS-CoV-2 growt

A single intranasal or intramuscular immunization with chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored SARS-CoV-2 vaccine protects against pneumonia in hamsters

The development of an effective vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiologic agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is a global priority. Here, we compare the protective capacity of intranasal and intramuscular delivery of a chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored vaccine encoding a prefusion stabilized spike protein (chimpanzee adenovirus [ChAd]-SARS-CoV-2-S) in Golden Syrian hamsters. Although immunization with ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S induces robust spike-protein-specific antibodies capable of neutralizing the virus, antibody levels in serum are higher in hamsters vaccinated by an intranasal compared to intramuscular route. Accordingly, against challenge with SARS-CoV-2, ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S-immunized hamsters are protected against less weight loss and have reduced viral infection in nasal swabs and lungs, and reduced pathology and inflammatory gene expression in the lungs, compared to ChAd-control immunized hamsters. Intranasal immunization with ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S provides superior protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection and inflammation in the upper respiratory tract. These findings support intranasal administration of the ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S candidate vaccine to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, disease, and possibly transmission

JIB-04 has broad-spectrum antiviral activity and inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication and coronavirus pathogenesis

Pathogenic coronaviruses are a major threat to global public health. Here, using a recombinant reporter virus-based compound screening approach, we identified small-molecule inhibitors that potently block the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Among them, JIB-04 inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication in Vero E6 cells with a 50% effective concentration of 695 nM, with a specificity index of greater than 1,000. JIB-04 showe

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex 80 type IV (CC80-MRSA-IV) isolated from the Middle East: a heterogeneous expanding clonal lineage.

The emergence of community-associated methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) has caused a change in MRSA epidemiology worldwide. In the Middle East, the persistent spread of CA-MRSA isolates that were associated with multilocus sequence type (MLST) clonal complex 80 and with staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IV (CC80-MRSA-IV), calls for novel approaches for infection control that would limit its spread.In this study, the epidemiology of CC80-MRSA-IV was investigated in Jordan and Lebanon retrospectively covering the period from 2000 to 2011. Ninety-four S. aureus isolates, 63 (67%) collected from Lebanon and 31 (33%) collected from Jordan were included in this study. More than half of the isolates (56%) were associated with skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs), and 73 (78%) were Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) positive. Majority of the isolates (84%) carried the gene for exofoliative toxin d (etd), 19% had the Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-1 gene (tst), and seven isolates from Jordan had a rare combination being positive for both tst and PVL genes. spa typing showed the prevalence of type t044 (85%) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) recognized 21 different patterns. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed the prevalence (36%) of a unique resistant profile, which included resistance to streptomycin, kanamycin, and fusidic acid (SKF profile).The genetic diversity among the CC80 isolates observed in this study poses an additional challenge to infection control of CA-MRSA epidemics. CA-MRSA related to ST80 in the Middle East was distinguished in this study from the ones described in other countries. Genetic diversity observed, which may be due to mutations and differences in the antibiotic regimens between countries may have led to the development of heterogeneous strains. Hence, it is difficult to maintain "the European CA-MRSA clone" as a uniform clone and it is better to designate as CC80-MRSA-IV isolates

Demographics and molecular characteristics of isolates collected from Lebanon.

1<p>W: weeks; M: months.</p>2<p>ND: non-determinant.</p>3<p><i>eta</i>: exofoliative toxin a gene; <i>etd</i>: exofoliative toxin d gene; PVL: Panton-Valentine Leukocidin gene.</p>4<p>STR: streptomycin; KAN: kanamycin; TET: tetracycline; GEN: gentamicin; FUS: fusidic acid; ERY: erythromycin; DA: clindamycin.</p

Demographics and molecular characteristics of isolates collected from Jordan.

1<p>D: days; W: weeks; M: months.</p>2<p>ND: non-determinant.</p>3<p><i>etd</i>: exofoliative toxin d gene; <i>tst</i>: toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 gene; PVL: Panton-Valentine Leukocidin gene.</p>4<p>STR: streptomycin; KAN: kanamycin; TET: tetracycline; FUS: fusidic acid; ERY: erythromycin; DA: clindamycin.</p

Percentage distribution of resistance patterns.

1<p>STR: streptomycin; KAN: kanamycin; TET: tetracycline; GEN: gentamicin; FUS: fusidic acid; ERY: erythromycin; DA: clindamycin.</p

Identification, Typing, Antifungal Resistance Profile, and Biofilm Formation of Candida albicans Isolates from Lebanese Hospital Patients

As leading opportunistic fungal pathogens identification and subtyping of Candida species are crucial in recognizing outbreaks of infection, recognizing particularly virulent strains, and detecting the emergence of drug resistant strains. In this study our objective was to compare identification of Candida albicans by the hospitals through the use of conventional versus identification based on the ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) and to assess biofilm forming capabilities, drug resistance patterns and correlate these with MLST typing. ITS typing revealed a 21.2% hospital misidentification rate. Multidrug resistance to three drugs out of four tested was detected within 25% of the isolates raising concerns about the followed treatment regimens. Drug resistant strains as well as biofilm formers were phylogenetically related, with some isolates with significant biofilm forming capabilities being correlated to those that were multidrug resistant. Such isolates were grouped closely together in a neighbor-joining tree generated by MLST typing indicating phylogenetic relatedness, microevolution, or recurrent infection. In conclusion, this pilot study gives much needed insight concerning C. albicans isolates circulating in Lebanese hospitals and is the first study of its kind correlating biofilm formation, antifungal resistance, and evolutionary relatedness