Hantavirus Infection in Humans and Rodents, Northwestern Argentina

We initiated a study to elucidate the ecology and epidemiology of hantavirus infections in northern Argentina. The northwestern hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS)–endemic area of Argentina comprises Salta and Jujuy Provinces. Between 1997 and 2000, 30 HPS cases were diagnosed in Jujuy Province (population 512,329). Most patients had a mild clinical course, and the death rate (13.3%) was low. We performed a serologic and epidemiologic survey in residents of the area, in conjunction with a serologic study in rodents. The prevalence of hantavirus antibodies in the general human population was 6.5%, one of the highest reported in the literature. No evidence of interhuman transmission was found, and the high prevalence of hantavirus antibody seemed to be associated with the high infestation of rodents detected in domestic and peridomestic habitats

Hantavirus infection in humans and rodents, northwestern Argentina

We initiated a study to elucidate the ecology and epidemiology of hantavirus infections in northern Argentina. The northwestern hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS)–endemic area of Argentina comprises Salta and Jujuy Provinces. Between 1997 and 2000, 30 HPS cases were diagnosed in Jujuy Province (population 512,329). Most patients had a mild clinical course, and the death rate (13.3%) was low. We performed a serologic and epidemiologic survey in residents of the area, in conjunction with a serologic study in rodents. The prevalence of hantavirus antibodies in the general human population was 6.5%, one of the highest reported in the literature. No evidence of interhuman transmission was found, and the high preva-lence of hantavirus antibody seemed to be associated with the high infestation of rodents detected in domestic and peridomestic habitats.Fil: Pini, Noemi. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas Dr. Julio Maiztegui; Argentina.Fil: Levis, Silvana. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas Dr. Julio Maiztegui; Argentina.Fil: Calderón, Gladys. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas Dr. Julio Maiztegui; Argentina.Fil: Ramirez, Josefina. Hospital San Miguel; Argentina.Fil: Bravo, Daniel. Hospital Oscar Orias; Argentina.Fil: Lozano, Elena. Hospital San Miguel; Argentina.Fil: Ripoll, Carlos. Dirección de Epidemiología; Argentina.Fil: St. Jeor, Stephen. University of Nevada; Estados Unidos.Fil: Ksiazek, Thomas G. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Estados Unidos.Fil: Barquez, Rubén. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; Argentina.Fil: Enria, Delia. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas Dr. Julio Maiztegui; Argentina

Hantavirus infection in humans and rodents, northwestern Argentina

We initiated a study to elucidate the ecology and epidemiology of hantavirus infections in northern Argentina. The northwestern hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS)–endemic area of Argentina comprises Salta and Jujuy Provinces. Between 1997 and 2000, 30 HPS cases were diagnosed in Jujuy Province (population 512,329). Most patients had a mild clinical course, and the death rate (13.3%) was low. We performed a serologic and epidemiologic survey in residents of the area, in conjunction with a serologic study in rodents. The prevalence of hantavirus antibodies in the general human population was 6.5%, one of the highest reported in the literature. No evidence of interhuman transmission was found, and the high preva-lence of hantavirus antibody seemed to be associated with the high infestation of rodents detected in domestic and peridomestic habitats.Fil: Pini, Noemi. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas Dr. Julio Maiztegui; Argentina.Fil: Levis, Silvana. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas Dr. Julio Maiztegui; Argentina.Fil: Calderón, Gladys. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas Dr. Julio Maiztegui; Argentina.Fil: Ramirez, Josefina. Hospital San Miguel; Argentina.Fil: Bravo, Daniel. Hospital Oscar Orias; Argentina.Fil: Lozano, Elena. Hospital San Miguel; Argentina.Fil: Ripoll, Carlos. Dirección de Epidemiología; Argentina.Fil: St. Jeor, Stephen. University of Nevada; Estados Unidos.Fil: Ksiazek, Thomas G. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Estados Unidos.Fil: Barquez, Rubén. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; Argentina.Fil: Enria, Delia. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas Dr. Julio Maiztegui; Argentina

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in northwestern Argentina : circulation of Laguna Negra virus associated with Calomys callosus

The purpose of this study was to characterize the hantaviruses circulating in northwestern Argentina. Human and rodent studies were conducted in Yuto, where most cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) occur. Partial virus genome sequences were obtained from the blood of 12 cases of HPS, and from the lungs of 4 Calomys callosus and 1 Akodon simulator. Phylogenetic analysis showed that three genotypes associated with HPS circulate in Yuto. Laguna Negra (LN) virus, associated with C. laucha in Paraguay, was identified for the first time in Argentina; it was recovered from human cases and from C. callosus samples. The high sequence identity between human and rodent samples implicated C. callosus as the primary rodent reservoir for LN virus in Yuto. The genetic analysis showed that the Argentinian LN virus variant differed 16.8% at the nucleotide level and 2.9% at the protein level relative to the Paraguayan LN virus. The other two hantavirus lineages identified were the previously known Bermejo and Orán viruses.Fil: Levis, Silvana. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas Dr. Julio Maiztegui; Argentina.Fil: Garcia, Jorge. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas Dr. Julio Maiztegui; Argentina.Fil: Pini, Noemí. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas Dr. Julio Maiztegui; Argentina.Fil: Calderón, Gladys. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas Dr. Julio Maiztegui; Argentina.Fil: Ramírez, Josefina. Hospital San Miguel; Argentina.Fil: Bravo, Daniel. Hospital Oscar Orías; Argentina.Fil: St. Jeor, Stephen. University of Nevada. Department of Microbiology; Estados Unidos.Fil: Ripoll, Carlos. Dirección de Epidemiología. San Salvador de Jujuy, Jujuy; Argentina.Fil: Bego, Mariana. University of Nevada. Department of Microbiology; Estados Unidos.Fil: Lozano, Elena. Hospital San Miguel; Argentina.Fil: Barquez, Rubén. Fundación Miguel Lillo; Argentina.Fil: Ksiazek, Thomas G. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Special Pathogens Branch; Estados Unidos.Fil: Enria, Delia. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Virales Humanas Dr. Julio Maiztegui; Argentina

Serum Starvation Induced Cell Cycle Synchronization Facilitates Human Somatic Cells Reprogramming

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide a valuable model for regenerative medicine and human disease research. To date, however, the reprogramming efficiency of human adult cells is still low. Recent studies have revealed that cell cycle is a key parameter driving epigenetic reprogramming to pluripotency. As is well known, retroviruses such as the Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV) require cell division to integrate into the host genome and replicate, whereas the target primary cells for reprogramming are a mixture of several cell types with different cell cycle rhythms. Whether cell cycle synchronization has potential effect on retrovirus induced reprogramming has not been detailed. In this study, utilizing transient serum starvation induced synchronization, we demonstrated that starvation generated a reversible cell cycle arrest and synchronously progressed through G2/M phase after release, substantially improving retroviral infection efficiency. Interestingly, synchronized human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) and adipose stem cells (ASC) exhibited more homogenous epithelial morphology than normal FBS control after infection, and the expression of epithelial markers such as E-cadherin and Epcam were strongly activated. Futhermore, synchronization treatment ultimately improved Nanog positive clones, achieved a 15–20 fold increase. These results suggested that cell cycle synchronization promotes the mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET) and facilitates retrovirus mediated reprogramming. Our study, utilization of serum starvation rather than additional chemicals, provide a new insight into cell cycle regulation and induced reprogramming of human cells

Regulated Nuclear Trafficking of rpL10A Mediated by NIK1 Represents a Defense Strategy of Plant Cells against Virus

The NSP-interacting kinase (NIK) receptor-mediated defense pathway has been identified recently as a virulence target of the geminivirus nuclear shuttle protein (NSP). However, the NIK1–NSP interaction does not fit into the elicitor–receptor model of resistance, and hence the molecular mechanism that links this antiviral response to receptor activation remains obscure. Here, we identified a ribosomal protein, rpL10A, as a specific partner and substrate of NIK1 that functions as an immediate downstream effector of NIK1-mediated response. Phosphorylation of cytosolic rpL10A by NIK1 redirects the protein to the nucleus where it may act to modulate viral infection. While ectopic expression of normal NIK1 or a hyperactive NIK1 mutant promotes the accumulation of phosphorylated rpL10A within the nuclei, an inactive NIK1 mutant fails to redirect the protein to the nuclei of co-transfected cells. Likewise, a mutant rpL10A defective for NIK1 phosphorylation is not redirected to the nucleus. Furthermore, loss of rpL10A function enhances susceptibility to geminivirus infection, resembling the phenotype of nik1 null alleles. We also provide evidence that geminivirus infection directly interferes with NIK1-mediated nuclear relocalization of rpL10A as a counterdefensive measure. However, the NIK1-mediated defense signaling neither activates RNA silencing nor promotes a hypersensitive response but inhibits plant growth and development. Although the virulence function of the particular geminivirus NSP studied here overcomes this layer of defense in Arabidopsis, the NIK1-mediated signaling response may be involved in restricting the host range of other viruses

Probiotic supplementation influences the diversity of the intestinal microbiota during early stages of farmed Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis, Kaup, 1858)

Ingestion of bacteria at early stages results in establishment of a primary intestinal microbiota which likely undergoes several stages along fish life. The role of this intestinal microbiota regulating body functions is crucial for larval development. Probiotics have been proved to modulate this microbiota and exert antagonistic effects against fish pathogens. In the present study, we aimed to determine bacterial diversity along different developmental stages of farmed Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) after feeding probiotic (Shewanella putrefaciens Pdp11) supplemented diet for a short period (10–30 days after hatching, DAH). Intestinal lumen contents of sole larvae fed control and probiotic diets were collected at 23, 56, 87, and 119 DAH and DNA was amplified using 16S rDNA bacterial domain-specific primers. Amplicons obtained were separated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), cloned, and resulting sequences compared to sequences in GenBank. Results suggest that Shewanella putrefaciens Pdp11 induces a modulation of the dominant bacterial taxa of the intestinal microbiota from 23 DAH. DGGE patterns of larvae fed the probiotic diet showed a core of bands related to Lactobacillus helveticus, Pseudomonas acephalitica, Vibrio parahaemolyticus,and Shewanella genus, together with increased Vibri o genus presence. In addition, decreased number of clones related to Photobacterium damselae subsp piscicida at 23 and 56 DAH was observed in probiotic-fed larvae. A band corresponding to Shewanella putrefaciens Pdp11 was sequenced as predominant from 23 to 119 DAH samples, confirming the colonization by the probiotics. Microbiota modulation obtained via probiotics addition emerges as an effective tool to improve Solea senegalensis larviculture.En prens

Sequential Bottlenecks Drive Viral Evolution in Early Acute Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Hepatitis C is a pandemic human RNA virus, which commonly causes chronic infection and liver disease. The characterization of viral populations that successfully initiate infection, and also those that drive progression to chronicity is instrumental for understanding pathogenesis and vaccine design. A comprehensive and longitudinal analysis of the viral population was conducted in four subjects followed from very early acute infection to resolution of disease outcome. By means of next generation sequencing (NGS) and standard cloning/Sanger sequencing, genetic diversity and viral variants were quantified over the course of the infection at frequencies as low as 0.1%. Phylogenetic analysis of reassembled viral variants revealed acute infection was dominated by two sequential bottleneck events, irrespective of subsequent chronicity or clearance. The first bottleneck was associated with transmission, with one to two viral variants successfully establishing infection. The second occurred approximately 100 days post-infection, and was characterized by a decline in viral diversity. In the two subjects who developed chronic infection, this second bottleneck was followed by the emergence of a new viral population, which evolved from the founder variants via a selective sweep with fixation in a small number of mutated sites. The diversity at sites with non-synonymous mutation was higher in predicted cytotoxic T cell epitopes, suggesting immune-driven evolution. These results provide the first detailed analysis of early within-host evolution of HCV, indicating strong selective forces limit viral evolution in the acute phase of infection

Genetic correlation between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and schizophrenia

A. Palotie on työryhmän Schizophrenia Working Grp Psychiat jäsen.We have previously shown higher-than-expected rates of schizophrenia in relatives of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), suggesting an aetiological relationship between the diseases. Here, we investigate the genetic relationship between ALS and schizophrenia using genome-wide association study data from over 100,000 unique individuals. Using linkage disequilibrium score regression, we estimate the genetic correlation between ALS and schizophrenia to be 14.3% (7.05-21.6; P = 1 x 10(-4)) with schizophrenia polygenic risk scores explaining up to 0.12% of the variance in ALS (P = 8.4 x 10(-7)). A modest increase in comorbidity of ALS and schizophrenia is expected given these findings (odds ratio 1.08-1.26) but this would require very large studies to observe epidemiologically. We identify five potential novel ALS-associated loci using conditional false discovery rate analysis. It is likely that shared neurobiological mechanisms between these two disorders will engender novel hypotheses in future preclinical and clinical studies.Peer reviewe