Mental Status after West Nile Virus Infection

Mental status after acute West Nile virus infection has not been examined objectively. We compared Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status scores of 116 patients with West Nile fever or West Nile neuroinvasive disease. Mental status was poorer and cognitive complaints more frequent with West Nile neuroinvasive disease (p = 0.005)

Case of Human Orthohantavirus Infection, Michigan, USA, 2021

Orthohantaviruses cause hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome; most cases occur in the southwest region of the United States. We discuss a clinical case of orthohantavirus infection in a 65-year-old woman in Michigan and the phylogeographic link of partial viral fragments from the patient and rodents captured near the presumed site of infection

Use of a Novel Detection Tool to Survey Orthohantaviruses in Wild-Caught Rodent Populations

Orthohantaviruses are negative-stranded RNA viruses with trisegmented genomes that can cause severe disease in humans and are carried by several host reservoirs throughout the world. Old World orthohantaviruses are primarily located throughout Europe and Asia, causing hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, and New World orthohantaviruses are found in North, Central, and South America, causing hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). In the United States, Sin Nombre orthohantavirus (SNV) is the primary cause of HCPS with a fatality rate of ~36%. The primary SNV host reservoir is thought to be the North American deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus. However, it has been shown that other species of Peromyscus can carry different orthohantaviruses. Few studies have systemically surveyed which orthohantaviruses may exist in wild-caught rodents or monitored spillover events into additional rodent reservoirs. A method for the rapid detection of orthohantaviruses is needed to screen large collections of rodent samples. Here, we report a pan-orthohantavirus, two-step reverse-transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) tool designed to detect both Old and New World pathogenic orthohantavirus sequences of the S segment of the genome and validated them using plasmids and authentic viruses. We then performed a screening of wild-caught rodents and identified orthohantaviruses in lung tissue, and we confirmed the findings by Sanger sequencing. Furthermore, we identified new rodent reservoirs that have not been previously reported as orthohantavirus carriers. This novel tool can be used for the efficient and rapid detection of various orthohantaviruses, while uncovering potential new orthohantaviruses and host reservoirs that may otherwise go undetected

Use of a Novel Detection Tool to Survey Orthohantaviruses in Wild-Caught Rodent Populations

Orthohantaviruses are negative-stranded RNA viruses with trisegmented genomes that can cause severe disease in humans and are carried by several host reservoirs throughout the world. Old World orthohantaviruses are primarily located throughout Europe and Asia, causing hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, and New World orthohantaviruses are found in North, Central, and South America, causing hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). In the United States, Sin Nombre orthohantavirus (SNV) is the primary cause of HCPS with a fatality rate of ~36%. The primary SNV host reservoir is thought to be the North American deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus. However, it has been shown that other species of Peromyscus can carry different orthohantaviruses. Few studies have systemically surveyed which orthohantaviruses may exist in wild-caught rodents or monitored spillover events into additional rodent reservoirs. A method for the rapid detection of orthohantaviruses is needed to screen large collections of rodent samples. Here, we report a pan-orthohantavirus, two-step reverse-transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) tool designed to detect both Old and New World pathogenic orthohantavirus sequences of the S segment of the genome and validated them using plasmids and authentic viruses. We then performed a screening of wild-caught rodents and identified orthohantaviruses in lung tissue, and we confirmed the findings by Sanger sequencing. Furthermore, we identified new rodent reservoirs that have not been previously reported as orthohantavirus carriers. This novel tool can be used for the efficient and rapid detection of various orthohantaviruses, while uncovering potential new orthohantaviruses and host reservoirs that may otherwise go undetected

Distribution and prevalence of Sin Nombre hantavirus in rodent species in eastern New Mexico.

Orthohantaviruses are diverse zoonotic RNA viruses. Small mammals, such as mice and rats are common chronic, asymptomatic hosts that transmit the virus through their feces and urine. In North America, hantavirus infection primarily causes hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), which has a mortality rate of nearly 36%. In the United States of America, New Mexico (NM) is leading the nation in the number of HCPS-reported cases (N = 129). However, no reported cases of HCPS have occurred within eastern NM. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of Sin Nombre virus (SNV) in rodent assemblages across eastern NM, using RT-qPCR. We screened for potential rodent hosts in the region, as well as identified areas that may pose significant infection risk to humans. We captured and collected blood and lung tissues from 738 rodents belonging to 23 species. 167 individuals from 16 different species were positive for SNV RNA by RT-qPCR, including 6 species unreported in the literature: Onychomys leucogaster (Northern grasshopper mouse), Dipodomys merriami (Merriam's kangaroo rat), Dipodomys ordii (Ord's kangaroo rat), Dipodomys spectabilis (Banner-tailed kangaroo rat), Perognathus flavus (Silky pocket mouse), and Chaetodipus hispidus (Hispid pocket mouse). The infection rates did not differ between sexes or rodent families (i.e., Cricetidae vs. Heteromyidae). Generalized linear model showed that disturbed habitat types positively influenced the prevalence of SNV at sites of survey. Overall, the results of this study indicate that many rodent species in east New Mexico have the potential to maintain SNV in the environment, but further research is needed to assess species specific infectivity mechanisms and potential risk to humans

CD74 is highly expressed in human gastric and colon tumors and on isolated epithelial cells.

<p>CD74 mRNA levels measured by qRT PCR are increased in A) human gastric tumor samples and at higher levels in tissues from patients with nodal involvement, B) human colon tumor samples and at higher levels in tissues from patients with nodal involvement, and on epithelial cells isolated from human gastric and colon tumors in C) a representative flow cytometry plot and D) in compiled flow cytometry data from all samples. N = 8 for D and the mean ± standard error are shown as the results of duplicated in multiple experiments. *<i>p</i><0.05.</p

MIF induces proliferation of gastric and colon carcinoma cells.

<p>Tumor-derived gastric and colon supernatants induced proliferation of N87 and Caco-2 cells, which was decreased upon adding A) anti-MIF neutralizing antibodies or anti-CD74 blocking antibodies. B) Chronic exposure of HS738 or N87 cells with recombinant MIF increased proliferation that was sustained after returning cells to regular media for 8 weeks. N = 8 and the mean ± standard error are shown as the results of duplicated in multiple experiments. *<i>p</i><0.05.</p

MIF is highly expressed in gastric and colon tumors and human tissue-derived fibroblasts.

<p>MIF mRNA levels measured by qRT PCR are increased in A) human gastric tumor samples and at higher levels in tissues from patients with nodal involvement, B) human colon tumor samples and at higher levels in tissues from patients with nodal involvement, and C) in the supernatants tumor derived gastric and colon fibroblasts compared to matched normal as measured by Luminex singleplex assay. N = 8 for C and the mean ± standard error are shown as the results of duplicated in multiple experiments. *<i>p</i><0.05.</p

Chronic MIF exposure induces mesenchymal epithelial transition.

<p>HS738 cells have A) a fibroblast morphology, which changes B) upon chronic exposure to recombinant MIF. MIF exposure also decreases expression of fibroblast markers by C) mRNA levels by qRT PCR compared to untreated cells and by D) flow cytometry, while increasing expression of epithelial markers EpCam and E-cadherin by E) mRNA levels by qRT PCR compared to untreated cells and by D) flow cytometry. N = 8 and the mean ± standard error are shown as the results of duplicated in multiple experiments. *<i>p</i><0.05.</p

Powassan Virus in Mammals, Alaska and New Mexico, USA, and Russia, 2004–2007

Powassan virus is endemic to the United States, Canada, and the Russian Far East. We report serologic evidence of circulation of this virus in Alaska, New Mexico, and Siberia. These data support further studies of viral ecology in rapidly changing Arctic environments