Oliveros Virus: A Novel Arenavirus from Argentina

AbstractDuring the past few decades several newly recognized rodent-borne arenaviruses have been shown to be associated with severe hemorrhagic fever cases in South America. Changes in ecology and farming practices throughout the region have increased the concern over the potential public health threat posed by such emerging virus diseases. Oliveros (OLV) virus is a recently discovered arenavirus of the rodentBolomys obscurusin Argentina. Genetic analysis of the small genomic RNA segment, which encodes the nucleocapsid protein and the envelope glycoproteins, shows that Oliveros is a novel, phylogenetically distinct member of theArenaviridaefamily which differs in nucleotide sequence from the previously characterized members by approximately 35% or more. Despite this level of diversity, OLV virus possesses the same ambisense genome structure and many overall RNA and protein features in common with other arenaviruses. These data represent an important first step in the development of specific immunological and PCR diagnostic reagents to allow assessment of the prevalence and disease potential of this virus

Immunization with SARS Coronavirus Vaccines Leads to Pulmonary Immunopathology on Challenge with the SARS Virus

BACKGROUND:Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) emerged in China in 2002 and spread to other countries before brought under control. Because of a concern for reemergence or a deliberate release of the SARS coronavirus, vaccine development was initiated. Evaluations of an inactivated whole virus vaccine in ferrets and nonhuman primates and a virus-like-particle vaccine in mice induced protection against infection but challenged animals exhibited an immunopathologic-type lung disease. DESIGN:Four candidate vaccines for humans with or without alum adjuvant were evaluated in a mouse model of SARS, a VLP vaccine, the vaccine given to ferrets and NHP, another whole virus vaccine and an rDNA-produced S protein. Balb/c or C57BL/6 mice were vaccinated i.m. on day 0 and 28 and sacrificed for serum antibody measurements or challenged with live virus on day 56. On day 58, challenged mice were sacrificed and lungs obtained for virus and histopathology. RESULTS:All vaccines induced serum neutralizing antibody with increasing dosages and/or alum significantly increasing responses. Significant reductions of SARS-CoV two days after challenge was seen for all vaccines and prior live SARS-CoV. All mice exhibited histopathologic changes in lungs two days after challenge including all animals vaccinated (Balb/C and C57BL/6) or given live virus, influenza vaccine, or PBS suggesting infection occurred in all. Histopathology seen in animals given one of the SARS-CoV vaccines was uniformly a Th2-type immunopathology with prominent eosinophil infiltration, confirmed with special eosinophil stains. The pathologic changes seen in all control groups lacked the eosinophil prominence. CONCLUSIONS:These SARS-CoV vaccines all induced antibody and protection against infection with SARS-CoV. However, challenge of mice given any of the vaccines led to occurrence of Th2-type immunopathology suggesting hypersensitivity to SARS-CoV components was induced. Caution in proceeding to application of a SARS-CoV vaccine in humans is indicated

La reemergencia del Virus del ébola en África

Los miembros de la familia Filoviridae, que actualmente consiste en los virus del Ebola y Marburg, ocasionan severas y frecuentemente mortales fiebres hemorrágicas en humanos y primates no humanos. La identificación y aislamiento reciente de un nuevo virus del Ebola de un solo caso humano no fatal en Côte d’Ivoire y el brote más reciente de fiebre hemorrágica del Ebola en y alrededor de Kikwit, Zaire, ha elevado el interés sobre la amenaza en la salud pública de estos patógenos humanos. Los Filovirus se clasifican como agentes de nivel 4 de bioseguridad a causa de la extrema patogenicidad de ciertas cepas y la carencia de una vacuna protectora o de una efectiva droga antiviral. Además, los filovirus están entre los grupos de virus más misteriosos conocidos porque sus reservorios y la historia natural permanecen indefinidos y sus patogénesis es pobremente entendida.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Posibilidades para el control de la fiebre hemorrágica boliviana

La fiebre hemorrágica Boliviana (BHF) fue primero identificada en 1959 como una enfermedad hemorrágica esporádica en áreas rurales del departamento de Beni, Bolivia. Los grupos de pacientes de BHF se notaron el mismo año, y por 1962 la BHF se reconoció como una enfermedad infecciosa epidémica nueva. En 1963, el virus Machupo (un miembro de la familia Arenaviridae) fue primero aislado de pacientes con fiebre hemorrágica aguda en San Joaquin, Bolivia. Las investigaciones ecológicas establecieron al roedor Calomys callosus, que es indígena a la región endémica de la enfermedad en el norte de Bolivia, como el reservorio del virus Machupo. Concurrentemente con la carencia de identificación de los pacientes con BHF durante la década de 1970 y 1980, el énfasis en los programas de control de roedores en las áreas endémicas de BHF también disminuyeron. Además, en años recientes, los funcionarios Bolivianos de salud han encarado otros numerosos problemas de salud pública, incluyendo enfermedades diarreicas, tuberculosis, enfermedad de Chagas, enfermedades de transmisión sexual, y el síndrome de inmunodeficiencia adquirida. Así, las autoridades locales de salud se enfrentan con el desafío de destinar limitados recursos de salud para el control de BHF con demanda de trabajo para otras importantes enfermedades en aumentos.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Posibilidades para el control de la fiebre hemorrágica boliviana

La fiebre hemorrágica Boliviana (BHF) fue primero identificada en 1959 como una enfermedad hemorrágica esporádica en áreas rurales del departamento de Beni, Bolivia. Los grupos de pacientes de BHF se notaron el mismo año, y por 1962 la BHF se reconoció como una enfermedad infecciosa epidémica nueva. En 1963, el virus Machupo (un miembro de la familia Arenaviridae) fue primero aislado de pacientes con fiebre hemorrágica aguda en San Joaquin, Bolivia. Las investigaciones ecológicas establecieron al roedor Calomys callosus, que es indígena a la región endémica de la enfermedad en el norte de Bolivia, como el reservorio del virus Machupo. Concurrentemente con la carencia de identificación de los pacientes con BHF durante la década de 1970 y 1980, el énfasis en los programas de control de roedores en las áreas endémicas de BHF también disminuyeron. Además, en años recientes, los funcionarios Bolivianos de salud han encarado otros numerosos problemas de salud pública, incluyendo enfermedades diarreicas, tuberculosis, enfermedad de Chagas, enfermedades de transmisión sexual, y el síndrome de inmunodeficiencia adquirida. Así, las autoridades locales de salud se enfrentan con el desafío de destinar limitados recursos de salud para el control de BHF con demanda de trabajo para otras importantes enfermedades en aumentos.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Posibilidades para el control de la fiebre hemorrágica boliviana

La fiebre hemorrágica Boliviana (BHF) fue primero identificada en 1959 como una enfermedad hemorrágica esporádica en áreas rurales del departamento de Beni, Bolivia. Los grupos de pacientes de BHF se notaron el mismo año, y por 1962 la BHF se reconoció como una enfermedad infecciosa epidémica nueva. En 1963, el virus Machupo (un miembro de la familia Arenaviridae) fue primero aislado de pacientes con fiebre hemorrágica aguda en San Joaquin, Bolivia. Las investigaciones ecológicas establecieron al roedor Calomys callosus, que es indígena a la región endémica de la enfermedad en el norte de Bolivia, como el reservorio del virus Machupo. Concurrentemente con la carencia de identificación de los pacientes con BHF durante la década de 1970 y 1980, el énfasis en los programas de control de roedores en las áreas endémicas de BHF también disminuyeron. Además, en años recientes, los funcionarios Bolivianos de salud han encarado otros numerosos problemas de salud pública, incluyendo enfermedades diarreicas, tuberculosis, enfermedad de Chagas, enfermedades de transmisión sexual, y el síndrome de inmunodeficiencia adquirida. Así, las autoridades locales de salud se enfrentan con el desafío de destinar limitados recursos de salud para el control de BHF con demanda de trabajo para otras importantes enfermedades en aumentos.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Theoretical Risk of Genetic Reassortment Should Not Impede Development of Live, Attenuated Rift Valley Fever (RVF) Vaccines Commentary on the Draft WHO RVF Target Product Profile

In November 2019, The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a draft set of Target Product Profiles (TPPs) describing optimal and minimally acceptable targets for vaccines against Rift Valley fever (RVF), a Phlebovirus with a three segmented genome, in both humans and ruminants. The TPPs contained rigid requirements to protect against genomic reassortment of live, attenuated vaccines (LAVs) with wild-type RVF virus (RVFV), which place undue constraints on development and regulatory approval of LAVs. We review the current LAVs in use and in development, and conclude that there is no evidence that reassortment between LAVs and wild-type RVFV has occurred during field use, that such a reassortment event if it occurred would have no untoward consequence, and that the TPPs should be revised to provide a more balanced assessment of the benefits versus the theoretical risks of reassortment

Proposal for a revised taxonomy of the family Filoviridae: classification, names of taxa and viruses, and virus abbreviations

The taxonomy of the family Filoviridae (marburgviruses and ebolaviruses) has changed several times since the discovery of its members, resulting in a plethora of species and virus names and abbreviations. The current taxonomy has only been partially accepted by most laboratory virologists. Confusion likely arose for several reasons: species names that consist of several words or which (should) contain diacritical marks, the current orthographic identity of species and virus names, and the similar pronunciation of several virus abbreviations in the absence of guidance for the correct use of vernacular names. To rectify this problem, we suggest (1) to retain the current species names Reston ebolavirus, Sudan ebolavirus, and Zaire ebolavirus, but to replace the name Cote d'Ivoire ebolavirus [sic] with Taï Forest ebolavirus and Lake Victoria marburgvirus with Marburg marburgvirus; (2) to revert the virus names of the type marburgviruses and ebolaviruses to those used for decades in the field (Marburg virus instead of Lake Victoria marburgvirus and Ebola virus instead of Zaire ebolavirus); (3) to introduce names for the remaining viruses reminiscent of jargon used by laboratory virologists but nevertheless different from species names (Reston virus, Sudan virus, Taï Forest virus), and (4) to introduce distinct abbreviations for the individual viruses (RESTV for Reston virus, SUDV for Sudan virus, and TAFV for Taï Forest virus), while retaining that for Marburg virus (MARV) and reintroducing that used over decades for Ebola virus (EBOV). Paying tribute to developments in the field, we propose (a) to create a new ebolavirus species (Bundibugyo ebolavirus) for one member virus (Bundibugyo virus, BDBV); (b) to assign a second virus to the species Marburg marburgvirus (Ravn virus, RAVV) for better reflection of now available high-resolution phylogeny; and (c) to create a new tentative genus (Cuevavirus) with one tentative species (Lloviu cuevavirus) for the recently discovered Lloviu virus (LLOV). Furthermore, we explain the etymological derivation of individual names, their pronunciation, and their correct use, and we elaborate on demarcation criteria for each taxon and virus.S

Syndromic Surveillance and Bioterrorism-related Epidemics

To facilitate rapid detection of a future bioterrorist attack, an increasing number of public health departments are investing in new surveillance systems that target the early manifestations of bioterrorism-related disease. Whether this approach is likely to detect an epidemic sooner than reporting by alert clinicians remains unknown. The detection of a bioterrorism-related epidemic will depend on population characteristics, availability and use of health services, the nature of an attack, epidemiologic features of individual diseases, surveillance methods, and the capacity of health departments to respond to alerts. Predicting how these factors will combine in a bioterrorism attack may be impossible. Nevertheless, understanding their likely effect on epidemic detection should help define the usefulness of syndromic surveillance and identify approaches to increasing the likelihood that clinicians recognize and report an epidemic

An Outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Northeastern Kenya, 1997-98

In December 1997, 170 hemorrhagic fever-associated deaths were reported in Carissa District, Kenya. Laboratory testing identified evidence of acute Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV). Of the 171 persons enrolled in a cross-sectional study, 31(18%) were anti-RVFV immunoglobulin (Ig) M positive. An age-adjusted IgM antibody prevalence of 14% was estimated for the district. We estimate approximately 27,500 infections occurred in Garissa District, making this the largest recorded outbreak of RVFV in East Africa. In multivariate analysis, contact with sheep body fluids and sheltering livestock in one’s home were significantly associated with infection. Direct contact with animals, particularly contact with sheep body fluids, was the most important modifiable risk factor for RVFV infection. Public education during epizootics may reduce human illness and deaths associated with future outbreaks