TOWARDS PASSIVE IMMUNOTHERAPY OF PANDEMIC INFLUENZA

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

The p7 protein of the hepatitis C virus induces cell death differently from the influenza A virus viroporin M2

10.1016/j.virusres.2012.12.005Virus Research 1721-224-3

Serial intervals observed in SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 variant cases.

Rapid growth of the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.617.2 has been observed in many countries. The factors driving the recent rapid growth of COVID-19 cases could be attributed to shorten generation intervals or higher transmissibility (effective reproduction number, R), or both. Establishing the reasons for the observed rapid growth is key for outbreak control. In this study, we analysed the serial interval of household transmission pairs infected with SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 variant and compared with those who were infected prior to the occurrence of the major global SARS-CoV-2 variants. After controlling for confounding factors, our findings suggest no significant changes in the serial intervals for SARS-CoV-2 cases infected with the B.1.617.2 variant. This, in turn, lends support for the hypothesis of a higher R in B.1.617.2 cases

Serial intervals in SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 variant cases.

The SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.617.2, also known as the delta variant, was declared a variant of concern by WHO on the basis of preliminary evidence suggesting faster spread relative to other circulating variants. However, the epidemiological factors contributing to this difference remain unclear. In particular, an increase in observed growth rate of COVID-19 cases could be the result of a shorter generation interval (i.e., the delay from one infection to the next) or an increase in the effective reproduction number, R, of an infected individual (i.e., the average number of secondary cases generated by an infectious individual), or both. Whereas a shorter generation interval would increase the speed but not the number of individual-level transmissions, a larger value of R would require both faster and wider coverage of outbreak control measures such as vaccination or physical distancing to suppress transmission

Reducing spread of COVID-19 in closed environments: an outbreak investigation and modelling study in dormitory settings.

Starting with a handful of SARS-CoV-2 infections in dormitory residents in late March 2020, rapid tranmission in their dense living environments ensued and by October 2020, more than 50,000 acute infections were identified across various dormitories. Extensive epidemiological, serological and phylogentic investigations, supported by simulation models, helped to reveal the factors of transmission and impact of control measures in a dormitory. We find that asymptomatic cases and symptomatic cases who did not seek medical attention were major drivers of the outbreak. Furthermore, each resident has about 30 close contacts and each infected resident spread to 4.4 (IQR 3.5–5.3) others at the start of the outbreak. The final attack rate of the current outbreak was 76.2% (IQR 70.6%–98.0%) and could be reduced by further 10% under a modified dormitory housing condition. These findings are important when designing living environments in a post COVID-19 future to reduce disease spread and facilitate rapid implementation of outbreak control measures

Association of SARS-CoV-2 clades with clinical, inflammatory and virologic outcomes: An observational study

BACKGROUND: Host determinants of severe coronavirus disease 2019 include advanced age, comorbidities and male sex. Virologic factors may also be important in determining clinical outcome and transmission rates, but limited patient-level data is available. METHODS: We conducted an observational cohort study at seven public hospitals in Singapore. Clinical and laboratory data were collected and compared between individuals infected with different SARS-CoV-2 clades. Firth's logistic regression was used to examine the association between SARS-CoV-2 clade and development of hypoxia, and quasi-Poisson regression to compare transmission rates. Plasma samples were tested for immune mediator levels and the kinetics of viral replication in cell culture were compared. FINDINGS: 319 patients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection had clinical and virologic data available for analysis. 29 (9%) were infected with clade S, 90 (28%) with clade L/V, 96 (30%) with clade G (containing D614G variant), and 104 (33%) with other clades 'O' were assigned to lineage B.6. After adjusting for age and other covariates, infections with clade S (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0·030 (95% confidence intervals (CI): 0·0002-0·29)) or clade O (B·6) (aOR 0·26 (95% CI 0·064-0·93)) were associated with lower odds of developing hypoxia requiring supplemental oxygen compared with clade L/V. Patients infected with clade L/V had more pronounced systemic inflammation with higher concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and growth factors. No significant difference in the severity of clade G infections was observed (aOR 0·95 (95% CI: 0·35-2·52). Though viral loads were significantly higher, there was no evidence of increased transmissibility of clade G, and replicative fitness in cell culture was similar for all clades. INTERPRETATION: Infection with clades L/V was associated with increased severity and more systemic release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Infection with clade G was not associated with changes in severity, and despite higher viral loads there was no evidence of increased transmissibility

Exportation of Monkeypox Virus From the African Continent.

BACKGROUND: The largest West African monkeypox outbreak began September 2017, in Nigeria. Four individuals traveling from Nigeria to the United Kingdom (n = 2), Israel (n = 1), and Singapore (n = 1) became the first human monkeypox cases exported from Africa, and a related nosocomial transmission event in the United Kingdom became the first confirmed human-to-human monkeypox transmission event outside of Africa. METHODS: Epidemiological and molecular data for exported and Nigerian cases were analyzed jointly to better understand the exportations in the temporal and geographic context of the outbreak. RESULTS: Isolates from all travelers and a Bayelsa case shared a most recent common ancestor and traveled to Bayelsa, Delta, or Rivers states. Genetic variation for this cluster was lower than would be expected from a random sampling of genomes from this outbreak, but data did not support direct links between travelers. CONCLUSIONS: Monophyly of exportation cases and the Bayelsa sample, along with the intermediate levels of genetic variation, suggest a small pool of related isolates is the likely source for the exported infections. This may be the result of the level of genetic variation present in monkeypox isolates circulating within the contiguous region of Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers states, or another more restricted, yet unidentified source pool

Burden and cost of hospitalization for respiratory syncytial virus in young children, Singapore

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of pediatric acute lower respiratory tract infection worldwide. Detailed data on the health and economic burden of RSV disease are lacking from tropical settings with year-round RSV transmission. We developed a statistical and economic model to estimate the annual incidence and healthcare cost of medically attended RSV disease among young children in Singapore, using Monte Carlo simulation to account for uncertainty in model parameters. RSV accounted for 708 hospitalizations in children <6 months of age (33.5/1,000 child-years) and 1,096 in children 6-29 months of age (13.2/1,000 child-years). The cost of hospitalization was SGD 5.7 million (US $4.3 million) at 2014 prices; patients bore 60% of the cost. RSV-associated disease burden in tropical settings in Asia is high and comparable to other settings. Further work incorporating efficacy data from ongoing vaccine trials will help to determine the potential cost-effectiveness of different vaccination strategies.Published versio

A cross-clade H5N1 influenza A virus neutralizing monoclonal antibody binds to a novel epitope within the vestigial esterase domain of hemagglutinin

10.1016/j.antiviral.2017.06.012Antiviral Research144299-31

Early pathogenesis profiles across SARS-CoV-2 variants in K18-hACE2 mice revealed differential triggers of lung damages

10.3389/fimmu.2022.950666Frontiers in Immunology1