Thermoregulation of Escherichia coli hchA Transcript Stability▿

The conserved chaperone Hsp31 of Escherichia coli is transcribed at low temperatures by σS and repressed by H-NS, whereas at high temperature, transcription is by σ70 independently of both σS and H-NS. Here we present evidence for an additional, novel, temperature-dependent control of Hsp31 expression by increased transcript stability

Clinical and Laboratory Features in the Israeli Population with COVID-19 Infection after Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA Booster Vaccination

Background: Immune protection following either vaccination or infection with SARS-CoV-2 decreases over time. Objective: We aim to describe clinical and sociodemographic characteristics associated with COVID-19 infection at least 14 days after booster vaccination in the Israeli population. Methods: We conducted a population-based study among adult members of Leumit Health Services (LHS) in Israel. Nasopharyngeal swabs were examined for SARS-CoV-2 by real-time RT-PCR. The hematological and biochemical parameters in the peripheral blood before booster vaccination were evaluated. Results: Between 1 February 2021 and 30 November 2021, 136,683 individuals in LHS were vaccinated with a booster (third dose) of the BNT162b2 vaccine. Of these, 1171 (0.9%) were diagnosed with COVID-19 by testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR at least >14 days after the booster vaccination. The COVID-19-positive group was characterized by higher rates of chronic kidney disease than the matched COVID-19-negative group (43 (3.7%) vs. 3646 (2.7%); p = 0.039). Anemia, lower peripheral blood lymphocytes, monocytes, basophils, C3 Complement, cholesterol, and prothrombin time were also associated with COVID-19 after booster vaccination. Conclusion: People with chronic kidney disease and anemia should be included in possible future annual SARS-CoV-2 vaccination recommendations

Large-Scale Study of Antibody Titer Decay following BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine or SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Immune protection following either vaccination or infection with SARS-CoV-2 is thought to decrease over time. We designed a retrospective study, conducted at Leumit Health Services in Israel, to determine the kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies following administration of two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine, or SARS-CoV-2 infection in unvaccinated individuals. Antibody titers were measured between 31 January 2021, and 31 July 2021 in two mutually exclusive groups: (i) vaccinated individuals who received two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine and had no history of previous infection with COVID-19 and (ii) SARS-CoV-2 convalescents who had not received the vaccine. A total of 2653 individuals fully vaccinated by two doses of vaccine during the study period and 4361 convalescent patients were included. Higher SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody titers were observed in vaccinated individuals (median 1581 AU/mL IQR [533.8–5644.6]) after the second vaccination than in convalescent individuals (median 355.3 AU/mL IQR [141.2–998.7]; p < 0.001). In vaccinated subjects, antibody titers decreased by up to 38% each subsequent month while in convalescents they decreased by less than 5% per month. Six months after BNT162b2 vaccination 16.1% subjects had antibody levels below the seropositivity threshold of <50 AU/mL, while only 10.8% of convalescent patients were below <50 AU/mL threshold after 9 months from SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study demonstrates individuals who received the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine have different kinetics of antibody levels compared to patients who had been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with higher initial levels but a much faster exponential decrease in the first group