The environmental deposition of influenza virus from patients infected with influenza A(H1N1)pdm09: implications for infection prevention and control

In a multi-center, prospective, observational study over two influenza seasons, we sought to quantify and correlate the amount of virus recovered from the nares of infected subjects with that recovered from their immediate environment in community and hospital settings. We recorded the symptoms of adults and children with A(H1N1)pdm09 infection, took nasal swabs, and sampled touched surfaces and room air. Forty-two infected subjects were followed up. The mean duration of virus shedding was 6.2 days by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) and 4.2 days by culture. Surface swabs were collected from 39 settings; 16 (41%) subject locations were contaminated with virus. Overall, 33 of the 671 (4.9%) surface swabs were PCR positive for influenza, of which two (0.3%) yielded viable virus. On illness Day 3, subjects yielding positive surface samples had significantly higher nasal viral loads (geometric mean ratio 25.7; 95% CI 1.75, 376.0, p=0.021) and a positive correlation (r=0.47, p=0.006) was observed between subject nasal viral loads and viral loads recovered from the surfaces around them. Room air was sampled in the vicinity of 12 subjects, and PCR positive samples were obtained for five (42%) samples. Influenza virus shed by infected subjects did not detectably contaminate the vast majority of surfaces sampled. We question the relative importance of the indirect contact transmission of influenza via surfaces, though our data support the existence of super-spreaders via this route. The air sampling results add to the accumulating evidence that supports the potential for droplet nuclei (aerosol) transmission of influenza

Survival of Influenza A(H1N1) on Materials Found in Households: Implications for Infection Control

The majority of influenza transmission occurs in homes, schools and workplaces, where many frequently touched communal items are situated. However the importance of transmission via fomites is unclear since few data exist on the survival of virus on commonly touched surfaces. We therefore measured the viability over time of two H1N1 influenza strains applied to a variety of materials commonly found in households and workplaces.Influenza A/PuertoRico/8/34 (PR8) or A/Cambridge/AHO4/2009 (pandemic H1N1) viruses were inoculated onto a wide range of surfaces used in home and work environments, then sampled at set times following incubation at stabilised temperature and humidity. Virus genome was measured by RT-PCR; plaque assay (for PR8) or fluorescent focus formation (for pandemic H1N1) was used to assess the survival of viable virus.The genome of either virus could be detected on most surfaces 24 h after application with relatively little drop in copy number, with the exception of unsealed wood surfaces. In contrast, virus viability dropped much more rapidly. Live virus was recovered from most surfaces tested four hours after application and from some non-porous materials after nine hours, but had fallen below the level of detection from all surfaces at 24 h. We conclude that influenza A transmission via fomites is possible but unlikely to occur for long periods after surface contamination (unless re-inoculation occurs). In situations involving a high probability of influenza transmission, our data suggest a hierarchy of priorities for surface decontamination in the multi-surface environments of home and hospitals

Immunosuppression during Acute Infection with Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus in Swine Is Mediated by IL-10

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is one of the most contagious animal viruses, causing a devastating disease in cloven-hoofed animals with enormous economic consequences. Identification of the different parameters involved in the immune response elicited against FMDV remains unclear, and it is fundamental the understanding of such parameters before effective control measures can be put in place. In the present study, we show that interleukin-10 (IL-10) production by dendritic cells (DCs) is drastically increased during acute infection with FMDV in swine. In vitro blockade of IL-10 with a neutralizing antibody against porcine IL-10 restores T cell activation by DCs. Additionally, we describe that FMDV infects DC precursors and interferes with DC maturation and antigen presentation capacity. Thus, we propose a new mechanism of virus immunity in which a non-persistent virus, FMDV, induces immunosuppression by an increment in the production of IL-10, which in turn, reduces T cell function. This reduction of T cell activity may result in a more potent induction of neutralizing antibody responses, clearing the viral infection

In situ monitored stretching induced α to β allotropic transformation of flexible poly(vinylidene fluoride)-CoFe2O4 hybrid films: The role of nanoparticles inclusion

The purpose of this work is to promote and optimize the formation of the β poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) phase, known to exhibit the maximum piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties, in free PVDF film as well as in hybrid one containing ferrimagnetic cobalt ferrite nanoparticles inclusions (CoFe2O4 NPs). In practice, uniaxial stretching was applied on both α-neat PVDF and α/β PVDF hybrid films, and the α to β transformation was followed by in situ near-field AFM observations and ex situ XRD, FTIR and DSC experiments. A strong influence of the nano-inclusions was observed on the mechanically induced allotropic transformation. They clearly promote the growth of the electroactive β phase in the PVDF matrix and favour the improvement of the whole film crystallinity. The proposed flexible material processing is easy-to-achieve and low cost. It is very promising for architecting original and smart magnetoelectric devices, in which the piezoelectric phases (β-PVDF) could be well interfaced with the magnetostrictive ones (CoFe2O4)

Glycopeptides as Targets for Dendritic Cells: Exploring MUC1 Glycopeptides Binding Profile toward Macrophage Galactose-Type Lectin (MGL) Orthologs

The macrophage galactose-type lectin (MGL) recognizes glycan moieties exposed by pathogens and malignant cells. Particularly, mucin-1 (MUC1) glycoprotein presents an altered glycosylation in several cancers. To estimate the ability of distinct MGL orthologs to recognize aberrant glycan cores in mucins, we applied evanescent-field detection to a versatile MUC1-like glycopeptide microarray platform. Here, as binding was sequence-dependent, we demonstrated that not only sugars but also peptide region impact the recognition of murine MGL1 (mMGL1). In addition, we observed for all three MGL orthologs that divalent glycan presentation increased the binding. To assess the utility of the glycopeptide binders of the MGL orthologs for MGL targeting, we performed uptake assays with fluorescein-MUC1 using murine dendritic cells. A diglycosylated MUC1 peptide was preferentially internalized in an MGL-dependent fashion, thus showing the utility for divalent MGL targeting. These findings may be relevant to a rational design of antitumor vaccines targeting dendritic cells via MGL

Correction: A straightforward approach to antibodies recognising cancer specific glycopeptidic neoepitopes (Chem. Sci. (2020) 11 (4999-5006) DOI: 10.1039/D0SC00317D)

Correction for ‘A straightforward approach to antibodies recognising cancer specific glycopeptidic neoepitopes’ by Hajime Wakui et al., Chem. Sci., 2020, 11, 4999–5006, DOI: 10.1039/D0SC00317D