1
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Sizikova TE, Lebedev VN, Borisevich SV. [Comparative analysis of the taxonomic classification criteria for a number of groups of pathogenic DNA and RNA viruses based on genomic data]. Vopr Virusol 2024; 69:203-218. [PMID: 38996370 DOI: 10.36233/0507-4088-238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
The basis for criteria of the taxonomic classification of DNA and RNA viruses based on data of the genomic sequencing are viewed in this review. The genomic sequences of viruses, which have genome represented by double-stranded DNA (orthopoxviruses as example), positive-sense single-stranded RNA (alphaviruses and flaviviruses as example), non-segmented negative-sense single-stranded RNA (filoviruses as example), segmented negative-sense single-stranded RNA (arenaviruses and phleboviruses as example) are analyzed. The levels of genetic variability that determine the assignment of compared viruses to taxa of various orders are established for each group of viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- T E Sizikova
- 48th Central Scientific Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
| | - V N Lebedev
- 48th Central Scientific Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
| | - S V Borisevich
- 48th Central Scientific Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
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2
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Blanco-Melo D, Campbell MA, Zhu H, Dennis TPW, Modha S, Lytras S, Hughes J, Gatseva A, Gifford RJ. A novel approach to exploring the dark genome and its application to mapping of the vertebrate virus fossil record. Genome Biol 2024; 25:120. [PMID: 38741126 PMCID: PMC11089739 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03258-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genomic regions that remain poorly understood, often referred to as the dark genome, contain a variety of functionally relevant and biologically informative features. These include endogenous viral elements (EVEs)-virus-derived sequences that can dramatically impact host biology and serve as a virus fossil record. In this study, we introduce a database-integrated genome screening (DIGS) approach to investigate the dark genome in silico, focusing on EVEs found within vertebrate genomes. RESULTS Using DIGS on 874 vertebrate genomes, we uncover approximately 1.1 million EVE sequences, with over 99% originating from endogenous retroviruses or transposable elements that contain EVE DNA. We show that the remaining 6038 sequences represent over a thousand distinct horizontal gene transfer events across 10 virus families, including some that have not previously been reported as EVEs. We explore the genomic and phylogenetic characteristics of non-retroviral EVEs and determine their rates of acquisition during vertebrate evolution. Our study uncovers novel virus diversity, broadens knowledge of virus distribution among vertebrate hosts, and provides new insights into the ecology and evolution of vertebrate viruses. CONCLUSIONS We comprehensively catalog and analyze EVEs within 874 vertebrate genomes, shedding light on the distribution, diversity, and long-term evolution of viruses and reveal their extensive impact on vertebrate genome evolution. Our results demonstrate the power of linking a relational database management system to a similarity search-based screening pipeline for in silico exploration of the dark genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Blanco-Melo
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
- Herbold Computational Biology Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | | | - Henan Zhu
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Rd, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Tristan P W Dennis
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Rd, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Sejal Modha
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Rd, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Spyros Lytras
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Rd, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Joseph Hughes
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Rd, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Anna Gatseva
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Rd, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Robert J Gifford
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, 464 Bearsden Rd, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK.
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
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3
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Cuomo-Dannenburg G, McCain K, McCabe R, Unwin HJT, Doohan P, Nash RK, Hicks JT, Charniga K, Geismar C, Lambert B, Nikitin D, Skarp J, Wardle J, Kont M, Bhatia S, Imai N, van Elsland S, Cori A, Morgenstern C. Marburg virus disease outbreaks, mathematical models, and disease parameters: a systematic review. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2024; 24:e307-e317. [PMID: 38040006 PMCID: PMC7615873 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(23)00515-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
The 2023 Marburg virus disease outbreaks in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania highlighted the importance of better understanding this lethal pathogen. We did a systematic review (PROSPERO CRD42023393345) of peer-reviewed articles reporting historical outbreaks, modelling studies, and epidemiological parameters focused on Marburg virus disease. We searched PubMed and Web of Science from database inception to March 31, 2023. Two reviewers evaluated all titles and abstracts with consensus-based decision making. To ensure agreement, 13 (31%) of 42 studies were double-extracted and a custom-designed quality assessment questionnaire was used for risk of bias assessment. We present detailed information on 478 reported cases and 385 deaths from Marburg virus disease. Analysis of historical outbreaks and seroprevalence estimates suggests the possibility of undetected Marburg virus disease outbreaks, asymptomatic transmission, or cross-reactivity with other pathogens, or a combination of these. Only one study presented a mathematical model of Marburg virus transmission. We estimate an unadjusted, pooled total random effect case fatality ratio of 61·9% (95% CI 38·8-80·6; I2=93%). We identify epidemiological parameters relating to transmission and natural history, for which there are few estimates. This systematic review and the accompanying database provide a comprehensive overview of Marburg virus disease epidemiology and identify key knowledge gaps, contributing crucial information for mathematical models to support future Marburg virus disease epidemic responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Cuomo-Dannenburg
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Kelly McCain
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Ruth McCabe
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK; Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - H Juliette T Unwin
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Patrick Doohan
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Rebecca K Nash
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Joseph T Hicks
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Kelly Charniga
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Cyril Geismar
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK; Health Protection Research Unit in Modelling and Health Economics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Ben Lambert
- College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Dariya Nikitin
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Janetta Skarp
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Jack Wardle
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Mara Kont
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Sangeeta Bhatia
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK; Health Protection Research Unit in Modelling and Health Economics, Imperial College London, London, UK; Modelling and Economics Unit, UK Health Security Agency, London, UK
| | - Natsuko Imai
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Sabine van Elsland
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Anne Cori
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK; Health Protection Research Unit in Modelling and Health Economics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Christian Morgenstern
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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4
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Carlson RJ, Patten JJ, Stefanakis G, Soong BY, Radhakrishnan A, Singh A, Thakur N, Amarasinghe GK, Hacohen N, Basler CF, Leung D, Uhler C, Davey RA, Blainey PC. Single-cell image-based genetic screens systematically identify regulators of Ebola virus subcellular infection dynamics. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.06.588168. [PMID: 38617272 PMCID: PMC11014611 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.06.588168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Ebola virus (EBOV) is a high-consequence filovirus that gives rise to frequent epidemics with high case fatality rates and few therapeutic options. Here, we applied image-based screening of a genome-wide CRISPR library to systematically identify host cell regulators of Ebola virus infection in 39,085,093 million single cells. Measuring viral RNA and protein levels together with their localization in cells identified over 998 related host factors and provided detailed information about the role of each gene across the virus replication cycle. We trained a deep learning model on single-cell images to associate each host factor with predicted replication steps, and confirmed the predicted relationship for select host factors. Among the findings, we showed that the mitochondrial complex III subunit UQCRB is a post-entry regulator of Ebola virus RNA replication, and demonstrated that UQCRB inhibition with a small molecule reduced overall Ebola virus infection with an IC50 of 5 μM. Using a random forest model, we also identified perturbations that reduced infection by disrupting the equilibrium between viral RNA and protein. One such protein, STRAP, is a spliceosome-associated factor that was found to be closely associated with VP35, a viral protein required for RNA processing. Loss of STRAP expression resulted in a reduction in full-length viral genome production and subsequent production of non-infectious virus particles. Overall, the data produced in this genome-wide high-content single-cell screen and secondary screens in additional cell lines and related filoviruses (MARV and SUDV) revealed new insights about the role of host factors in virus replication and potential new targets for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J Carlson
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - J J Patten
- Department of Virology, Immunology, and Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - George Stefanakis
- Laboratory for Information & Decision Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Brian Y Soong
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Adityanarayanan Radhakrishnan
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Avtar Singh
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Naveen Thakur
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gaya K Amarasinghe
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Nir Hacohen
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Cancer Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christopher F Basler
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daisy Leung
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Caroline Uhler
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Laboratory for Information & Decision Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Robert A Davey
- Department of Virology, Immunology, and Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paul C Blainey
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biological Engineering, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
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5
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Riesle-Sbarbaro SA, Wibbelt G, Düx A, Kouakou V, Bokelmann M, Hansen-Kant K, Kirchoff N, Laue M, Kromarek N, Lander A, Vogel U, Wahlbrink A, Wozniak DM, Scott DP, Prescott JB, Schaade L, Couacy-Hymann E, Kurth A. Selective replication and vertical transmission of Ebola virus in experimentally infected Angolan free-tailed bats. Nat Commun 2024; 15:925. [PMID: 38297087 PMCID: PMC10830451 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45231-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The natural reservoir of Ebola virus (EBOV), agent of a zoonosis burdening several African countries, remains unidentified, albeit evidence points towards bats. In contrast, the ecology of the related Marburg virus is much better understood; with experimental infections of bats being instrumental for understanding reservoir-pathogen interactions. Experiments have focused on elucidating reservoir competence, infection kinetics and specifically horizontal transmission, although, vertical transmission plays a key role in many viral enzootic cycles. Herein, we investigate the permissiveness of Angolan free-tailed bats (AFBs), known to harbour Bombali virus, to other filoviruses: Ebola, Marburg, Taï Forest and Reston viruses. We demonstrate that only the bats inoculated with EBOV show high and disseminated viral replication and infectious virus shedding, without clinical disease, while the other filoviruses fail to establish productive infections. Notably, we evidence placental-specific tissue tropism and a unique ability of EBOV to traverse the placenta, infect and persist in foetal tissues of AFBs, which results in distinct genetic signatures of adaptive evolution. These findings not only demonstrate plausible routes of horizontal and vertical transmission in these bats, which are expectant of reservoir hosts, but may also reveal an ancillary transmission mechanism, potentially required for the maintenance of EBOV in small reservoir populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Riesle-Sbarbaro
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - G Wibbelt
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - A Düx
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for One Health, Greifswald, Germany
| | - V Kouakou
- LANADA, Laboratoire National d'Appui au Développement Agricole, Bingerville, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - M Bokelmann
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - K Hansen-Kant
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - N Kirchoff
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - M Laue
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - N Kromarek
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - A Lander
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - U Vogel
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - A Wahlbrink
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - D M Wozniak
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
- Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - D P Scott
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - J B Prescott
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - L Schaade
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - E Couacy-Hymann
- LANADA, Laboratoire National d'Appui au Développement Agricole, Bingerville, Côte d'Ivoire
- Centre National de Recherches Agronomiques, LIRED, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - A Kurth
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
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6
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Guttieres D, Diepvens C, Decouttere C, Vandaele N. Modeling Supply and Demand Dynamics of Vaccines against Epidemic-Prone Pathogens: Case Study of Ebola Virus Disease. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 12:24. [PMID: 38250837 PMCID: PMC10819028 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12010024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Health emergencies caused by epidemic-prone pathogens (EPPs) have increased exponentially in recent decades. Although vaccines have proven beneficial, they are unavailable for many pathogens. Furthermore, achieving timely and equitable access to vaccines against EPPs is not trivial. It requires decision-makers to capture numerous interrelated factors across temporal and spatial scales, with significant uncertainties, variability, delays, and feedback loops that give rise to dynamic and unexpected behavior. Therefore, despite progress in filling R&D gaps, the path to licensure and the long-term viability of vaccines against EPPs continues to be unclear. This paper presents a quantitative system dynamics modeling framework to evaluate the long-term sustainability of vaccine supply under different vaccination strategies. Data from both literature and 50 expert interviews are used to model the supply and demand of a prototypical Ebolavirus Zaire (EBOV) vaccine. Specifically, the case study evaluates dynamics associated with proactive vaccination ahead of an outbreak of similar magnitude as the 2018-2020 epidemic in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The scenarios presented demonstrate how uncertainties (e.g., duration of vaccine-induced protection) and design criteria (e.g., priority geographies and groups, target coverage, frequency of boosters) lead to important tradeoffs across policy aims, public health outcomes, and feasibility (e.g., technical, operational, financial). With sufficient context and data, the framework provides a foundation to apply the model to a broad range of additional geographies and priority pathogens. Furthermore, the ability to identify leverage points for long-term preparedness offers directions for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donovan Guttieres
- Access-to-Medicines Research Centre, Faculty of Economics & Business, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (C.D.); (C.D.); (N.V.)
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7
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Balinandi S, Whitmer S, Mulei S, Nassuna C, Pimundu G, Muyigi T, Kainulainen M, Shedroff E, Krapiunaya I, Scholte F, Nyakarahuka L, Tumusiime A, Kyondo J, Baluku J, Kiconco J, Harris JR, Ario AR, Kagirita A, Bosa HK, Ssewanyana I, Nabadda S, Mwebesa HG, Aceng JR, Atwine D, Lutwama JJ, Shoemaker TR, Montgomery JM, Kaleebu P, Klena JD. Molecular characterization of the 2022 Sudan virus disease outbreak in Uganda. J Virol 2023; 97:e0059023. [PMID: 37750724 PMCID: PMC10617429 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00590-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Ebola disease (EBOD) is a public health threat with a high case fatality rate. Most EBOD outbreaks have occurred in remote locations, but the 2013-2016 Western Africa outbreak demonstrated how devastating EBOD can be when it reaches an urban population. Here, the 2022 Sudan virus disease (SVD) outbreak in Mubende District, Uganda, is summarized, and the genetic relatedness of the new variant is evaluated. The Mubende variant exhibited 96% amino acid similarity with historic SUDV sequences from the 1970s and a high degree of conservation throughout the outbreak, which was important for ongoing diagnostics and highly promising for future therapy development. Genetic differences between viruses identified during the Mubende SVD outbreak were linked with epidemiological data to better interpret viral spread and contact tracing chains. This methodology should be used to better integrate discrete epidemiological and sequence data for future viral outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shannon Whitmer
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Sophia Mulei
- Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda
| | | | - Godfrey Pimundu
- Uganda National Health Laboratory Services, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Tonny Muyigi
- Uganda National Health Laboratory Services, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Markus Kainulainen
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Elizabeth Shedroff
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Inna Krapiunaya
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Florine Scholte
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Luke Nyakarahuka
- Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | | | - Jimmy Baluku
- Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda
| | | | | | - Alex R. Ario
- Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | - Henry K. Bosa
- Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda
- Kellogg College, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Isaac Ssewanyana
- Uganda National Health Laboratory Services, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Susan Nabadda
- Uganda National Health Laboratory Services, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | | | | | | | - Trevor R. Shoemaker
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Joel M. Montgomery
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Pontiano Kaleebu
- Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda
- MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - John D. Klena
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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8
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Sinnott JT, Kim K, Somboonwit C, Cosnett C, Segal D, Shapshak P. Emergent Risk Group-4 (RG-4) Filoviruses: A paradox in progress. Bioinformation 2023; 19:829-832. [PMID: 37908613 PMCID: PMC10613816 DOI: 10.6026/97320630019829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Filoviruses, categorized as World Health Organization (WHO) Risk Group 4 (RG-4) pathogens, represent significant global health risks due to their extraordinary virulence. The Filoviridae family encompasses Ebola strains such as Sudan, Zaire, Bundibugyo, Tai Forest (formerly known as Ivory Coast), Reston, and Bombali, in addition to the closely related Marburg and Ravn virus strains. Filoviruses originated from a common ancestor about 10,000 years ago and displayed remarkable consistency in genetic heterogeneity until the 20th century. However, they overcame a genetic bottleneck by mid-century. Paradoxically, this resulted in the emergence of boosted virulent strains from the 1970's onward. Filovirus research is included in the NIAID Biodefense Program and utilizes the highest level specialized protective laboratories, Biosafety Laboratory (BSL)-4. The spread of Filoviruses as well as other RG-4 pathogens within Africa poses a significant health threat increasingly both in Africa and out of Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- John T Sinnott
- />Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida 33606. USA
| | - Kami Kim
- />Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida 33606. USA
| | - Charurut Somboonwit
- />Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida 33606. USA
| | - Conor Cosnett
- />Wolfram Research Inc., Champaigne, Illinois 61820 USA
| | - David Segal
- />College of Health Sciences and Public Policy, Walden University, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401 USA
| | - Paul Shapshak
- />Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida 33606. USA
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9
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Scarpa F, Bazzani L, Giovanetti M, Ciccozzi A, Benedetti F, Zella D, Sanna D, Casu M, Borsetti A, Cella E, Pascarella S, Maruotti A, Ciccozzi M. Update on the Phylodynamic and Genetic Variability of Marburg Virus. Viruses 2023; 15:1721. [PMID: 37632063 PMCID: PMC10458864 DOI: 10.3390/v15081721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has not only strained healthcare systems in Africa but has also intensified the impact of emerging and re-emerging diseases. Specifically in Equatorial Guinea, mirroring the situation in other African countries, unique zoonotic outbreaks have occurred during this challenging period. One notable resurgence is Marburg virus disease (MVD), which has further burdened the already fragile healthcare system. The re-emergence of the Marburg virus amid the COVID-19 pandemic is believed to stem from a probable zoonotic spill-over, although the precise transmission routes remain uncertain. Given the gravity of the situation, addressing the existing challenges is paramount. Though the genome sequences from the current outbreak were not available for this study, we analyzed all the available whole genome sequences of this re-emerging pathogen to advocate for a shift towards active surveillance. This is essential to ensure the successful containment of any potential Marburg virus outbreak in Equatorial Guinea and the wider African context. This study, which presents an update on the phylodynamics and the genetic variability of MARV, further confirmed the existence of at least two distinct patterns of viral spread. One pattern demonstrates a slower but continuous and recurring virus circulation, while the other exhibits a faster yet limited and episodic spread. These results highlight the critical need to strengthen genomic surveillance in the region to effectively curb the pathogen's dissemination. Moreover, the study emphasizes the importance of prompt alert management, comprehensive case investigation and analysis, contact tracing, and active case searching. These steps are vital to support the healthcare system's response to this emerging health crisis. By implementing these strategies, we can better arm ourselves against the challenges posed by the resurgence of the Marburg virus and other infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Scarpa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy;
| | - Liliana Bazzani
- Department of Science and Technology for Humans and the Environment, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy; (L.B.); (M.G.)
| | - Marta Giovanetti
- Department of Science and Technology for Humans and the Environment, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy; (L.B.); (M.G.)
- Instituto Rene Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte 30190-009, MG, Brazil
| | - Alessandra Ciccozzi
- Unit of Medical Statistics and Molecular Epidemiology, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy; (A.C.); (M.C.)
| | - Francesca Benedetti
- Institute of Human Virlogy and Global Virusn Network Center, Deparment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University for Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; (F.B.); (D.Z.)
| | - Davide Zella
- Institute of Human Virlogy and Global Virusn Network Center, Deparment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University for Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; (F.B.); (D.Z.)
| | - Daria Sanna
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy;
| | - Marco Casu
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy;
| | - Alessandra Borsetti
- National HIV/AIDS Research Center (CNAIDS), National Institute of Health, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Eleonora Cella
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA;
| | - Stefano Pascarella
- Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | | | - Massimo Ciccozzi
- Unit of Medical Statistics and Molecular Epidemiology, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy; (A.C.); (M.C.)
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10
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Khan H, Tripathi L, Kolehmainen P, Lundberg R, Altan E, Heroum J, Julkunen I, Kakkola L, Huttunen M. VP24 matrix proteins of eight filoviruses downregulate innate immune response by inhibiting the interferon-induced pathway. J Gen Virol 2023; 104. [PMID: 37647113 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Filoviruses encode viral protein 24 (VP24) which effectively inhibit the innate immune responses in infected cells. Here we systematically analysed the effects of nine mammalian filovirus VP24 proteins on interferon (IFN)-induced immune response. We transiently expressed Ebola, Bombali, Bundibugyo, Reston, Sudan and Taï Forest ebolavirus (EBOV, BOMV, BDBV, RESTV, SUDV, TAFV, respectively), Lloviu virus (LLOV), Mengla dianlovirus (MLAV) and Marburgvirus (MARV) VP24 proteins and analysed their ability to inhibit IFN-α-induced activation of myxovirus resistance protein 1 (MxA) and interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3) promoters. In addition, we analysed the expression of endogenous MxA protein in filovirus VP24-expressing cells. Eight filovirus VP24 proteins, including the VP24s of the recently discovered MLAV, BOMV and LLOV, inhibited IFN-induced MxA and IFITM3 promoter activation. MARV VP24 was the only protein with no inhibitory effect on the activation of either promoter. Endogenous MxA protein expression was impaired in cells transiently expressing VP24s with the exception of MARV VP24. We mutated nuclear localization signal (NLS) of two highly pathogenic filoviruses (EBOV and SUDV) and two putatively non-pathogenic filoviruses (BOMV and RESTV), and showed that the inhibitory effect on IFN-induced expression of MxA was dependent on functional cluster 3 of VP24 nuclear localization signal. Our findings suggest that filovirus VP24 proteins are both genetically and functionally conserved, and that VP24 proteins of most filovirus species are capable of inhibiting IFN-induced antiviral gene expression thereby efficiently downregulating the host innate immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hira Khan
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Lav Tripathi
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Pekka Kolehmainen
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Rickard Lundberg
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Eda Altan
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Jemna Heroum
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Ilkka Julkunen
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland
- Clinical Microbiology, Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Laura Kakkola
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Moona Huttunen
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland
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11
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Markin VA. Marburg virus and the disease it causes. JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY, EPIDEMIOLOGY AND IMMUNOBIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.36233/0372-9311-273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Over the 50 years since its discovery, many properties of the Marburg virus have been studied, but no reliable medical remedies of preventing and treating the infection it causes have been developed, although it can potentially cause large-scale epidemics.
Marburg fever is relevant due to the risk of importation to other countries. The source of infection in nature is bats (reservoir) and monkeys (intermediate host), and the routes of transmission are aerosol, contact and alimentary. The mortality rate in recent outbreaks has reached 90%. In convalescents the causative agent was identified in tears, semen, and liver biopsies weeks and months after recovery.
The lack of therapeutic and prophylactic antiviral drugs, high rates of mortality, infectivity, the ability of aerosol contamination, and a high epidemic potential all together define Marburg fever as a serious global threat to international health. The development of medical protection against this infection should be an urgent task of ensuring the biological safety of the population of the Russian Federation.
The most promising ways to develop vaccines against Marburg fever are the construction of recombinants based on adenovirus, vesicular stomatitis virus or alphavirus replicon, DNA vaccines. A reliable protective effect of the chemotherapy drug remdesivir in combination with human antibodies, as well as an etiotropic drug with an antisense mechanism of action and an interferon inducer has been shown. In model experiments with pseudovirus, fundamentally new ways of developing pathogen inhibitors were found preventing its exit from cells, as well as the construction of anti-gene-binding Fab fragments that inhibit the synthesis of viral RNA.
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12
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Rai A, Hamiidah N, Abbass M, Masunga DS, Shoumar H, Kantawala BI, Wellington J, Uwishema O. Ebola Virus Disease in Uganda: A global emergency call. Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2022; 84:104825. [DOI: 10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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13
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Malherbe DC, Domi A, Hauser MJ, Atyeo C, Fischinger S, Hyde MA, Williams JM, Alter G, Guirakhoo F, Bukreyev A. A single immunization with a modified vaccinia Ankara vectored vaccine producing Sudan virus-like particles protects from lethal infection. NPJ Vaccines 2022; 7:83. [PMID: 35879311 PMCID: PMC9314403 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-022-00512-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A new vectored vaccine MVA-VLP-SUDV was generated against Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV) combining the advantages of the immunogenicity of a live attenuated vaccine vector (Modified Vaccinia Ankara, MVA) with the authentic conformation of virus-like particles (VLPs). The vaccine expresses minimal components to generate self-assembling VLPs in the vaccinee: the envelope glycoprotein GP and the matrix protein VP40. Guinea pigs vaccinated with one dose of MVA-VLP-SUDV generated SUDV-specific binding and neutralizing antibody responses as well as Fc-mediated protective effects. These responses were boosted by a second vaccine dose. All vaccinated animals which received either one or two vaccine doses were protected from death and disease symptoms following challenge with a lethal dose of SUDV. These data demonstrate single dose protection and potency of the MVA-VLP platform for use in emergency situations to contain outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delphine C Malherbe
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
- Galveston National Laboratory, Galveston, TX, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | | | | | - Caroline Atyeo
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Galit Alter
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Alexander Bukreyev
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
- Galveston National Laboratory, Galveston, TX, USA.
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
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14
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Abir MH, Rahman T, Das A, Etu SN, Nafiz IH, Rakib A, Mitra S, Emran TB, Dhama K, Islam A, Siyadatpanah A, Mahmud S, Kim B, Hassan MM. Pathogenicity and virulence of Marburg virus. Virulence 2022; 13:609-633. [PMID: 35363588 PMCID: PMC8986239 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2022.2054760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Marburg virus (MARV) has been a major concern since 1967, with two major outbreaks occurring in 1998 and 2004. Infection from MARV results in severe hemorrhagic fever, causing organ dysfunction and death. Exposure to fruit bats in caves and mines, and human-to-human transmission had major roles in the amplification of MARV outbreaks in African countries. The high fatality rate of up to 90% demands the broad study of MARV diseases (MVD) that correspond with MARV infection. Since large outbreaks are rare for MARV, clinical investigations are often inadequate for providing the substantial data necessary to determine the treatment of MARV disease. Therefore, an overall review may contribute to minimizing the limitations associated with future medical research and improve the clinical management of MVD. In this review, we sought to analyze and amalgamate significant information regarding MARV disease epidemics, pathophysiology, and management approaches to provide a better understanding of this deadly virus and the associated infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehedy Hasan Abir
- Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chittagong, Bangladesh
| | - Tanjilur Rahman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh
| | - Ayan Das
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh
| | - Silvia Naznin Etu
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh
| | - Iqbal Hossain Nafiz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh
| | - Ahmed Rakib
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh
| | - Saikat Mitra
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Talha Bin Emran
- Department of Pharmacy, BGC Trust University Bangladesh, Chittagong, Bangladesh
| | - Kuldeep Dhama
- Division of Pathology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, India
| | - Ariful Islam
- EcoHealth Alliance, New York, NY, USA.,Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Science, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Abolghasem Siyadatpanah
- Ferdows School of Paramedical and Health, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
| | - Shafi Mahmud
- Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
| | - Bonlgee Kim
- Department of Pathology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Mohammad Mahmudul Hassan
- Queensland Alliance for One Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia.,Department of Physiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chattogram, Bangladesh
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15
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Tiper I, Kourout M, Lanning B, Fisher C, Konduru K, Purkayastha A, Kaplan G, Duncan R. Tracking ebolavirus genomic drift with a resequencing microarray. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0263732. [PMID: 35143574 PMCID: PMC8830711 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Filoviruses are emerging pathogens that cause acute fever with high fatality rate and present a global public health threat. During the 2013–2016 Ebola virus outbreak, genome sequencing allowed the study of virus evolution, mutations affecting pathogenicity and infectivity, and tracing the viral spread. In 2018, early sequence identification of the Ebolavirus as EBOV in the Democratic Republic of the Congo supported the use of an Ebola virus vaccine. However, field-deployable sequencing methods are needed to enable a rapid public health response. Resequencing microarrays (RMA) are a targeted method to obtain genomic sequence on clinical specimens rapidly, and sensitively, overcoming the need for extensive bioinformatic analysis. This study presents the design and initial evaluation of an ebolavirus resequencing microarray (Ebolavirus-RMA) system for sequencing the major genomic regions of four Ebolaviruses that cause disease in humans. The design of the Ebolavirus-RMA system is described and evaluated by sequencing repository samples of three Ebolaviruses and two EBOV variants. The ability of the system to identify genetic drift in a replicating virus was achieved by sequencing the ebolavirus glycoprotein gene in a recombinant virus cultured under pressure from a neutralizing antibody. Comparison of the Ebolavirus-RMA results to the Genbank database sequence file with the accession number given for the source RNA and Ebolavirus-RMA results compared to Next Generation Sequence results of the same RNA samples showed up to 99% agreement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Tiper
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion-Transmitted Diseases, Office of Blood Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Moussa Kourout
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion-Transmitted Diseases, Office of Blood Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Bryan Lanning
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion-Transmitted Diseases, Office of Blood Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Carolyn Fisher
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion-Transmitted Diseases, Office of Blood Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Krishnamurthy Konduru
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion-Transmitted Diseases, Office of Blood Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | | | - Gerardo Kaplan
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion-Transmitted Diseases, Office of Blood Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Robert Duncan
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion-Transmitted Diseases, Office of Blood Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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16
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Hassanin AA, Haidar Abbas Raza S, Ahmed Ujjan J, Aysh ALrashidi A, Sitohy BM, AL-surhanee AA, Saad AM, Mohamed Al -Hazani T, Osman Atallah O, Al Syaad KM, Ezzat Ahmed A, Swelum AA, El-Saadony MT, Sitohy MZ. Emergence, evolution, and vaccine production approaches of SARS-CoV-2 virus: Benefits of getting vaccinated and common questions. Saudi J Biol Sci 2021; 29:1981-1997. [PMID: 34924802 PMCID: PMC8667566 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Wuhan city, China at the end of 2019 made it urgent to identify the origin of the causal pathogen and its molecular evolution, to appropriately design an effective vaccine. This study analyzes the evolutionary background of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or SARS-2) in accordance with its close relative SARS-CoV (SARS-1), which was emerged in 2002. A comparative genomic and proteomic study was conducted on SARS-2, SARS-1, and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), which was emerged in 2012. In silico analysis inferred the genetic variability among the tested viruses. The SARS-1 genome harbored 11 genes encoding 12 proteins, while SARS-2 genome contained only 10 genes encoding for 10 proteins. MERS genome contained 11 genes encoding 11 proteins. The analysis also revealed a slight variation in the whole genome size of SARS-2 comparing to its siblings resulting from sequential insertions and deletions (indels) throughout the viral genome particularly ORF1AB, spike, ORF10 and ORF8. The effective indels were observed in the gene encoding the spike protein that is responsible for viral attachment to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) cell receptor and initiating infection. These indels are responsible for the newly emerging COVID-19 variants αCoV, βCoV, γCoV and δCoV. Nowadays, few effective COVID-19 vaccines developed based on spike (S) glycoprotein were approved and become available worldwide. Currently available vaccines can relatively prevent the spread of COVID-19 and suppress the disease. The traditional (killed or attenuated virus vaccine and antibody-based vaccine) and innovated vaccine production technologies (RNA- and DNA-based vaccines and viral vectors) are summarized in this review. We finally highlight the most common questions related to COVID-19 disease and the benefits of getting vaccinated.
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17
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Wolfe DN, Sabourin CL, Merchlinsky MJ, Florence WC, Wolfraim LA, Taylor KL, Ward LA. Selection of Filovirus Isolates for Vaccine Development Programs. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9091045. [PMID: 34579282 PMCID: PMC8471873 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9091045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The continuing outbreaks of ebola virus disease highlight the ongoing threat posed by filoviruses. Fortunately, licensed vaccines and therapeutics are now available for Zaire ebolavirus. However, effective medical countermeasures, such as vaccines for other filoviruses such as Sudan ebolavirus and the Marburg virus, are presently in early stages of development and, in the absence of a large outbreak, would require regulatory approval via the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Animal Rule. The selection of an appropriate animal model and virus challenge isolates for nonclinical studies are critical aspects of the development program. Here, we have focused on the recommendation of challenge isolates for Sudan ebolavirus and Marburg virus. Based on analyses led by the Filovirus Animal and Nonclinical Group (FANG) and considerations for strain selection under the FDA Guidance for the Animal Rule, we propose prototype virus isolates for use in nonclinical challenge studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel N. Wolfe
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Washington, DC 20201, USA;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(202)-205-8968
| | - Carol L. Sabourin
- Tunnell Government Services, Inc., Supporting Biomedical Advanced Research & Development Authority (BARDA), Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Washington, DC 20201, USA;
| | - Michael J. Merchlinsky
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Washington, DC 20201, USA;
| | - William C. Florence
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Rockville, MD 20852, USA; (W.C.F.); (L.A.W.); (K.L.T.)
| | - Larry A. Wolfraim
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Rockville, MD 20852, USA; (W.C.F.); (L.A.W.); (K.L.T.)
| | - Kimberly L. Taylor
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Rockville, MD 20852, USA; (W.C.F.); (L.A.W.); (K.L.T.)
| | - Lucy A. Ward
- U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND), Joint Project Manager for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Medical (JPM CBRN Medical), Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA;
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18
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Changula K, Simulundu E, Lombe BP, Nakayama E, Miyamoto H, Takahashi Y, Sawa H, Simukonda C, Hang’ombe BM, Takada A. Serological Evidence of Filovirus Infection in Nonhuman Primates in Zambia. Viruses 2021; 13:v13071283. [PMID: 34209295 PMCID: PMC8309988 DOI: 10.3390/v13071283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Ebolaviruses and marburgviruses are filoviruses that are known to cause severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates (NHPs). While some bat species are suspected to be natural reservoirs of these filoviruses, wild NHPs often act as intermediate hosts for viral transmission to humans. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we screened two NHP species, wild baboons and vervet monkeys captured in Zambia, for their serum IgG antibodies specific to the envelope glycoproteins of filoviruses. From 243 samples tested, 39 NHPs (16%) were found to be seropositive either for ebolaviruses or marburgviruses with endpoint antibody titers ranging from 100 to 25,600. Interestingly, antibodies reactive to Reston virus, which is found only in Asia, were detected in both NHP species. There was a significant difference in the seropositivity for the marburgvirus antigen between the two NHP species, with baboons having a higher positive rate. These results suggest that wild NHPs in Zambia might be nonlethally exposed to these filoviruses, and this emphasizes the need for continuous monitoring of filovirus infection in wild animals to better understand the ecology of filoviruses and to assess potential risks of outbreaks in humans in previously nonendemic countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katendi Changula
- Department of Paraclinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka 10101, Zambia; (K.C.); (B.M.H.)
| | - Edgar Simulundu
- Department of Disease Control, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka 10101, Zambia; (E.S.); (H.S.)
- Macha Research Trust, P.O. Box 630166, Choma 20100, Zambia
| | - Boniface Pongombo Lombe
- Division of Global Epidemiology, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan; (B.P.L.); (H.M.); (Y.T.)
- Central Veterinary Laboratory of Kinshasa, Kinshasa BP 8842, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, National Pedagogic University, Kinshasa BP 8815, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Eri Nakayama
- Department of Virology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 162-0052, Japan;
| | - Hiroko Miyamoto
- Division of Global Epidemiology, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan; (B.P.L.); (H.M.); (Y.T.)
| | - Yuji Takahashi
- Division of Global Epidemiology, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan; (B.P.L.); (H.M.); (Y.T.)
| | - Hirofumi Sawa
- Department of Disease Control, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka 10101, Zambia; (E.S.); (H.S.)
- Division of Molecular Pathobiology, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan
- International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan
| | - Chuma Simukonda
- Department of National Parks and Wildlife, Chilanga 10101, Zambia;
| | - Bernard M. Hang’ombe
- Department of Paraclinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka 10101, Zambia; (K.C.); (B.M.H.)
| | - Ayato Takada
- Department of Disease Control, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka 10101, Zambia; (E.S.); (H.S.)
- Division of Global Epidemiology, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan; (B.P.L.); (H.M.); (Y.T.)
- International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-11-706-9502
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Ebola virus antibody decay-stimulation in a high proportion of survivors. Nature 2021; 590:468-472. [PMID: 33505020 PMCID: PMC7839293 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-03146-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Neutralizing antibody function provides a foundation for the efficacy of vaccines and therapies1–3. Here, using a robust in vitro Ebola virus (EBOV) pseudo-particle infection assay and a well-defined set of solid-phase assays, we describe a wide spectrum of antibody responses in a cohort of healthy survivors of the Sierra Leone EBOV outbreak of 2013–2016. Pseudo-particle virus-neutralizing antibodies correlated with total anti-EBOV reactivity and neutralizing antibodies against live EBOV. Variant EBOV glycoproteins (1995 and 2014 strains) were similarly neutralized. During longitudinal follow-up, antibody responses fluctuated in a ‘decay–stimulation–decay’ pattern that suggests de novo restimulation by EBOV antigens after recovery. A pharmacodynamic model of antibody reactivity identified a decay half-life of 77–100 days and a doubling time of 46–86 days in a high proportion of survivors. The highest antibody reactivity was observed around 200 days after an individual had recovered. The model suggests that EBOV antibody reactivity declines over 0.5–2 years after recovery. In a high proportion of healthy survivors, antibody responses undergo rapid restimulation. Vigilant follow-up of survivors and possible elective de novo antigenic stimulation by vaccine immunization should be considered in order to prevent EBOV viral recrudescence in recovering individuals and thereby to mitigate the potential risk of reseeding an outbreak. In many survivors of Ebola virus infection, antibody responses show long-term patterns of decline followed by restimulation, possibly owing to recrudescence of persisting virus.
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Schiffman Z, Yan F, He S, Tierney K, Zhu W, Emeterio K, Zhang H, Banadyga L, Qiu X. Taï Forest Virus Does Not Cause Lethal Disease in Ferrets. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9020213. [PMID: 33494199 PMCID: PMC7909818 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9020213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Filoviruses are zoonotic, negative-sense RNA viruses, most of which are capable of causing severe disease in humans and nonhuman primates, often with high case fatality rates. Among these viruses, those belonging to the Ebolavirus genus—particularly Ebola virus, Sudan virus, and Bundibugyo virus—represent some of the most pathogenic to humans. Taï Forest virus (TAFV) is thought to be among the least pathogenic ebolaviruses; however, only a single non-fatal case has been documented in humans, in 1994. With the recent success of the ferret as a lethal model for a number of ebolaviruses, we set out to evaluate its suitability as a model for TAFV. Our results demonstrate that, unlike other ebolaviruses, TAFV infection in ferrets does not result in lethal disease. None of the intramuscularly inoculated animals demonstrated any overt signs of disease, whereas the intranasally inoculated animals exhibited mild to moderate weight loss during the early stage of infection but recovered quickly. Low levels of viral RNA were detected in the blood and tissues of several animals, particularly the intranasally inoculated animals, and all animals mounted a humoral immune response, with high titers of GP-specific IgG detectable as early as 14 days post-infection. These data provide additional insight into the pathogenesis of TAFV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Schiffman
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada; (Z.S.); (K.E.); (H.Z.)
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2, Canada; (S.H.); (K.T.); (W.Z.); (X.Q.)
| | - Feihu Yan
- Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130122, China;
| | - Shihua He
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2, Canada; (S.H.); (K.T.); (W.Z.); (X.Q.)
| | - Kevin Tierney
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2, Canada; (S.H.); (K.T.); (W.Z.); (X.Q.)
| | - Wenjun Zhu
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2, Canada; (S.H.); (K.T.); (W.Z.); (X.Q.)
| | - Karla Emeterio
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada; (Z.S.); (K.E.); (H.Z.)
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2, Canada; (S.H.); (K.T.); (W.Z.); (X.Q.)
| | - Huajun Zhang
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada; (Z.S.); (K.E.); (H.Z.)
| | - Logan Banadyga
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2, Canada; (S.H.); (K.T.); (W.Z.); (X.Q.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Xiangguo Qiu
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2, Canada; (S.H.); (K.T.); (W.Z.); (X.Q.)
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Gold AS, Feitosa-Suntheimer F, Asad S, Adeoye B, Connor JH, Colpitts TM. Examining the Role of Niemann-Pick C1 Protein in the Permissiveness of Aedes Mosquitoes to Filoviruses. ACS Infect Dis 2020; 6:2023-2028. [PMID: 32609483 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Aedes mosquitoes vector many viruses with divergent characteristics, yet the criteria needed for a virus to be vectored by an arthropod remain unknown. The intracellular cholesterol transporter protein Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1) has been identified as the necessary entry receptor for filoviruses such as Ebola and Marburg viruses. While homologues of NPC1 are observed in mosquitoes, currently no filovirus has been identified as circulating in mosquitoes. This work aimed at increasing the understanding of the mosquito vector by examining the capability of a virus to gain the ability to enter mosquito cells. We developed a model system of Aedes cells expressing human NPC1 (hNPC1) and attempted to infect these cells with recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus expressing the Ebola virus glycoprotein. As compared to the control cells, no significant increase in infection was observed in cells expressing hNPC1, demonstrating that the expression of human NPC1 alone is not sufficient to support filovirus infection, and that host factors other than NPC1 determine filovirus susceptibility of mosquito cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander S. Gold
- Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, 620 Albany Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, United States
| | - Fabiana Feitosa-Suntheimer
- Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, 620 Albany Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, United States
| | - Sultan Asad
- Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, 620 Albany Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, United States
| | - Bukola Adeoye
- Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, 620 Albany Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, United States
| | - John H. Connor
- Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, 620 Albany Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, United States
| | - Tonya M. Colpitts
- Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, 620 Albany Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, United States
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Identifying Suspect Bat Reservoirs of Emerging Infections. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8020228. [PMID: 32429501 PMCID: PMC7349958 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8020228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 05/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bats host a number of pathogens that cause severe disease and onward transmission in humans and domestic animals. Some of these pathogens, including henipaviruses and filoviruses, are considered a concern for future pandemics. There has been substantial effort to identify these viruses in bats. However, the reservoir hosts for Ebola virus are still unknown and henipaviruses are largely uncharacterized across their distribution. Identifying reservoir species is critical in understanding the viral ecology within these hosts and the conditions that lead to spillover. We collated surveillance data to identify taxonomic patterns in prevalence and seroprevalence and to assess sampling efforts across species. We systematically collected data on filovirus and henipavirus detections and used a machine-learning algorithm, phylofactorization, in order to search the bat phylogeny for cladistic patterns in filovirus and henipavirus infection, accounting for sampling efforts. Across sampled bat species, evidence for filovirus infection was widely dispersed across the sampled phylogeny. We found major gaps in filovirus sampling in bats, especially in Western Hemisphere species. Evidence for henipavirus infection was clustered within the Pteropodidae; however, no other clades have been as intensely sampled. The major predictor of filovirus and henipavirus exposure or infection was sampling effort. Based on these results, we recommend expanding surveillance for these pathogens across the bat phylogenetic tree.
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Rugarabamu S, Mboera L, Rweyemamu M, Mwanyika G, Lutwama J, Paweska J, Misinzo G. Forty-two years of responding to Ebola virus outbreaks in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review. BMJ Glob Health 2020; 5:e001955. [PMID: 32201623 PMCID: PMC7061886 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2019-001955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Ebola virus disease (EVD) is one of the deadliest haemorrhagic fevers affecting humans and non-human primates. Thirty-four outbreaks have been reported in Africa since it was first recognised in 1976. This review analysed 42 years of EVD outbreaks and identified various challenges and opportunities for its control and prevention in Sub-Saharan Africa. Methods A literature search of relevant articles on EVD was done in PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar electronic databases. Articles published from 1976 to 2019 were reviewed to document reports of EVD outbreaks in Sub-Saharan Africa. Data extraction focused on the year of outbreak, geographical spread, virus strain involved, number of cases and deaths, case fatality, and outbreak management. Analyses of trends in case fatality were performed by calculating ORs between times. Results In the past four decades, a total of 34 EVD outbreaks affecting 34 356 cases and causing 14 823 deaths were reported in 11 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The overall case fatality rate (95% CI) was 66% (62 to 71) and did not change substantially over time (OR in 2019 vs 1976=1.6 (95% CI 1.5 to 1.8), p<0.001). The results of this review indicate that challenges to control EVD outbreaks are related to epidemiological, sociocultural and health system factors. Conclusions Sub-Saharan Africa continues to face considerable challenges in EVD control, whereby there are no significant changes in case fatality rates observed during the past four decades. Socioeconomic and cultural processes need to be critically considered to shape the community behaviours that lead to exposure to EVD outbreaks. Areas that need to be addressed to prevent future EVD outbreaks include a broad-based, one-health approach, effective communication, social mobilisation, and strengthening of the health systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sima Rugarabamu
- SACIDS Foundation for One Health – Africa Centre of Excellence for Infectious Diseases of Human and Animals, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Chuo Kikuu, Tanzania
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Leonard Mboera
- SACIDS Foundation for One Health – Africa Centre of Excellence for Infectious Diseases of Human and Animals, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Chuo Kikuu, Tanzania
| | - Mark Rweyemamu
- SACIDS Foundation for One Health – Africa Centre of Excellence for Infectious Diseases of Human and Animals, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Chuo Kikuu, Tanzania
| | - Gaspary Mwanyika
- SACIDS Foundation for One Health – Africa Centre of Excellence for Infectious Diseases of Human and Animals, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Chuo Kikuu, Tanzania
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Mbeya University of Science and Technology, Mbeya, Tanzania
| | - Julius Lutwama
- Department of Arbovirology, Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases, Uganda Virus research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Janusz Paweska
- National Institute of Communicable Diseases, National Laboratory Services, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Gerald Misinzo
- SACIDS Foundation for One Health – Africa Centre of Excellence for Infectious Diseases of Human and Animals, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Chuo Kikuu, Tanzania
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McMullan LK, Flint M, Chakrabarti A, Guerrero L, Lo MK, Porter D, Nichol ST, Spiropoulou CF, Albariño C. Characterisation of infectious Ebola virus from the ongoing outbreak to guide response activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a phylogenetic and in vitro analysis. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2019; 19:1023-1032. [PMID: 31300330 PMCID: PMC11144275 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(19)30291-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ongoing Ebola virus outbreak in the Ituri and North Kivu Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which began in July, 2018, is the second largest ever recorded. Despite civil unrest, outbreak control measures and the administration of experimental therapies and a vaccine have been initiated. The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of candidate therapies and diagnostic tests with the outbreak strain Ituri Ebola virus. Lacking a virus isolate from this outbreak, a recombinant Ituri Ebola virus was compared with a similarly engineered Makona virus from the 2013-16 outbreak. METHODS Using Ebola virus sequences provided by organisations in DR Congo and a reverse genetics system, we generated an authentic Ebola virus from the ongoing outbreak in Ituri and North Kivu provinces. To relate this virus to other Ebola viruses in DR Congo, we did a phylogenetic analysis of representative complete Ebola virus genome sequences from previous outbreaks. We evaluated experimental therapies being tested in clinical trials in DR Congo, including remdesivir and ZMapp monoclonal antibodies, for their ability to inhibit the growth of infectious Ituri Ebola virus in cell culture. We also tested diagnostic assays for detection of the Ituri Ebola virus sequence. FINDINGS The phylogenetic analysis of whole-genome sequences from each Ebola virus outbreak suggests there are at least two Ebola virus strains in DR Congo, which have independently crossed into the human population. The Ituri Ebola strain initially grew slower than the Makona strain, yet reached similar mean yields of 3 × 107 50% tissue culture infectious dose by 72 h infection in Huh-7 cells. Ituri Ebola virus was similar to Makona in its susceptibility to inhibition by remdesivir and to neutralisation by monoclonal antibodies from ZMapp and other monoclonal antibodies. Remdesivir inhibited Ituri Ebola virus at a 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 12nM (with a selectivity index of 303) and Makona Ebola virus at 13nM (with a selectivity index of 279). The Zmapp monoclonal antibodies 2G4 and 4G7 neutralised Ituri Ebola virus with a mean EC50 of 0·24 μg/mL and 0·48 μg/mL, and Makona Ebola virus with a mean EC50 of 0·45 μg/mL and 0·2 μg/mL. The Xpert Ebola and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention real-time RT-qPCR diagnostic assays detected Ituri and Makona Ebola virus sequences with similar sensitivities and efficiencies, despite primer site binding mismatches in the Ituri Ebola virus. INTERPRETATION Our findings provide a rationale for the continued testing of investigational therapies, confirm the effectiveness of the diagnostic assays used in the region, and establish a paradigm for the use of reverse genetics to inform response activities in an outbreak. FUNDING US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura K McMullan
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Mike Flint
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ayan Chakrabarti
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Lisa Guerrero
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Michael K Lo
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Stuart T Nichol
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Christina F Spiropoulou
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - César Albariño
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Abstract
Objective There have been five documented outbreaks of Ebola Reston virus (RESTV) in animals epidemiologically linked to the Philippines. This assessment was conducted to determine the risk of RESTV occurring in humans in the Philippines and its potential pathogenicity in humans. Methods The World Health Organization Rapid Risk Assessment of Acute Public Health Events Manual was used for the assessment. A literature review was done and a risk assessment matrix was used for the risk characterization of the outbreaks in the Philippines. The risk assessment was conducted by the Philippines Field Epidemiology Training Program. Results The risk of RESTV occurring in humans in the Philippines and its potential pathogenicity in humans were both assessed as moderate. Animals involved in RESTV outbreaks in the Philippines were non-human primates and domestic pigs. The presence of RESTV in pigs poses a possibility of genetic evolution of the virus. Although RESTV has been identified in humans, there was no death or illness attributed to the infection. The Philippines Inter-agency Committee on Zoonoses oversees collaboration between the animal and human health sectors for the prevention and control of zoonoses. However, there is no surveillance of risk animals or previously affected farms to monitor and facilitate early identification of cases. Discussion The moderate risk of RESTV recurring among humans in the Philippines and its potential pathogenicity in humans reinforces the need for early detection, surveillance and continued studies of RESTV pathogenesis and its health consequences. The One Health approach, with the involvement and coordination of public health, veterinary services and the community, is essential in the detection, control and management of zoonosis.
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Languon S, Quaye O. Filovirus Disease Outbreaks: A Chronological Overview. Virology (Auckl) 2019; 10:1178122X19849927. [PMID: 31258326 PMCID: PMC6589952 DOI: 10.1177/1178122x19849927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Filoviruses cause outbreaks which lead to high fatality in humans and non-human primates, thus tagging them as major threats to public health and species conservation. In this review, we give account of index cases responsible for filovirus disease outbreaks that have occurred over the past 52 years in a chronological fashion, by describing the circumstances that led to the outbreaks, and how each of the outbreaks broke out. Since the discovery of Marburg virus and Ebola virus in 1967 and 1976, respectively, more than 40 filovirus disease outbreaks have been reported; majority of which have occurred in Africa. The chronological presentation of this review is to provide a concise overview of filovirus disease outbreaks since the discovery of the viruses, and highlight the patterns in the occurrence of the outbreaks. This review will help researchers to better appreciate the need for surveillance, especially in areas where there have been no filovirus disease outbreaks. We conclude by summarizing some recommendations that have been proposed by health and policy decision makers over the years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvester Languon
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Osbourne Quaye
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- Stellenbosch Institute for Advance Study (STIAS), Stellenbosch, South Africa
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Abstract
Marburgviruses are closely related to ebolaviruses and cause a devastating disease in humans. In 2012, we published a comprehensive review of the first 45 years of research on marburgviruses and the disease they cause, ranging from molecular biology to ecology. Spurred in part by the deadly Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa in 2013-2016, research on all filoviruses has intensified. Not meant as an introduction to marburgviruses, this article instead provides a synopsis of recent progress in marburgvirus research with a particular focus on molecular biology, advances in animal modeling, and the use of Egyptian fruit bats in infection experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Olejnik
- Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, USA.,National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, USA
| | - Elke Mühlberger
- Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, USA.,National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, USA
| | - Adam J Hume
- Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, USA.,National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, USA
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Mbala-Kingebeni P, Pratt CB, Wiley MR, Diagne MM, Makiala-Mandanda S, Aziza A, Di Paola N, Chitty JA, Diop M, Ayouba A, Vidal N, Faye O, Faye O, Karhemere S, Aruna A, Nsio J, Mulangu F, Mukadi D, Mukadi P, Kombe J, Mulumba A, Duraffour S, Likofata J, Pukuta E, Caviness K, Bartlett ML, Gonzalez J, Minogue T, Sozhamannan S, Gross SM, Schroth GP, Kuhn JH, Donaldson EF, Delaporte E, Sanchez-Lockhart M, Peeters M, Muyembe-Tamfum JJ, Alpha Sall A, Palacios G, Ahuka-Mundeke S. 2018 Ebola virus disease outbreak in Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo: a retrospective genomic characterisation. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2019; 19:641-647. [PMID: 31000465 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(19)30124-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Revised: 02/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The 2018 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, began on May 8, and was declared over on July 24; it resulted in 54 documented cases and 33 deaths. We did a retrospective genomic characterisation of the outbreak and assessed potential therapeutic agents and vaccine (medical countermeasures). METHODS We used target-enrichment sequencing to produce Ebola virus genomes from samples obtained in the 2018 Équateur Province outbreak. Combining these genomes with genomes associated with known outbreaks from GenBank, we constructed a maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree. In-silico analyses were used to assess potential mismatches between the outbreak strain and the probes and primers of diagnostic assays and the antigenic sites of the experimental rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP vaccine and therapeutics. An in-vitro flow cytometry assay was used to assess the binding capability of the individual components of the monoclonal antibody cocktail ZMapp. FINDINGS A targeted sequencing approach produced 16 near-complete genomes. Phylogenetic analysis of these genomes and 1011 genomes from GenBank revealed a distinct cluster, confirming a new Ebola virus variant, for which we propose the name "Tumba". This new variant appears to have evolved at a slower rate than other Ebola virus variants (0·69 × 10-3 substitutions per site per year with "Tumba" vs 1·06 × 10-3 substitutions per site per year without "Tumba"). We found few sequence mismatches in the assessed assay target regions and antigenic sites. We identified nine amino acid changes in the Ebola virus surface glycoprotein, of which one resulted in reduced binding of the 13C6 antibody within the ZMapp cocktail. INTERPRETATION Retrospectively, we show the feasibility of using genomics to rapidly characterise a new Ebola virus variant within the timeframe of an outbreak. Phylogenetic analysis provides further indications that these variants are evolving at differing rates. Rapid in-silico analyses can direct in-vitro experiments to quickly assess medical countermeasures. FUNDING Defense Biological Product Assurance Office.
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Affiliation(s)
- Placide Mbala-Kingebeni
- Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; TransVIHMI, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France; Service de Microbiologie, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Catherine B Pratt
- Center for Genome Sciences, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD, USA; College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Michael R Wiley
- Center for Genome Sciences, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD, USA; College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | | | - Sheila Makiala-Mandanda
- Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Service de Microbiologie, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Amuri Aziza
- Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Nicholas Di Paola
- Center for Genome Sciences, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Joseph A Chitty
- Center for Genome Sciences, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD, USA
| | | | - Ahidjo Ayouba
- TransVIHMI, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Nicole Vidal
- TransVIHMI, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Oumar Faye
- Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Stormy Karhemere
- Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Aaron Aruna
- Direction Générale de Lutte contre la Maladie, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Justus Nsio
- Direction Générale de Lutte contre la Maladie, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Felix Mulangu
- Direction Générale de Lutte contre la Maladie, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Daniel Mukadi
- Service de Microbiologie, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Patrick Mukadi
- Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - John Kombe
- Direction Générale de Lutte contre la Maladie, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Anastasie Mulumba
- Monsieur le Représentant de l'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Sophie Duraffour
- Monsieur le Représentant de l'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Bernhard-Nocht-Institut für Tropenmedizin, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jacques Likofata
- Laboratoire Provinciale, Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Elisabeth Pukuta
- Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Katie Caviness
- Center for Genome Sciences, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Maggie L Bartlett
- Center for Genome Sciences, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD, USA; Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Jeanette Gonzalez
- Center for Genome Sciences, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Timothy Minogue
- Diagnostics Services Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Shanmuga Sozhamannan
- Defense Biological Product Assurance Office, Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense-Joint Project Management Office for Guardian, Frederick, MD, USA; Logistics Management Institute, Tysons, VA, USA
| | | | | | - Jens H Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Eric F Donaldson
- Division of Antiviral Products, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Eric Delaporte
- TransVIHMI, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Mariano Sanchez-Lockhart
- Center for Genome Sciences, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD, USA; Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Martine Peeters
- TransVIHMI, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum
- Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Service de Microbiologie, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | | | - Gustavo Palacios
- Center for Genome Sciences, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD, USA.
| | - Steve Ahuka-Mundeke
- Service de Microbiologie, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Strong AE, Schwartz DA. Effects of the West African Ebola Epidemic on Health Care of Pregnant Women: Stigmatization With and Without Infection. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [PMCID: PMC7123537 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-97637-2_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/29/2022]
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Tracking virus outbreaks in the twenty-first century. Nat Microbiol 2018; 4:10-19. [PMID: 30546099 PMCID: PMC6345516 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-018-0296-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 228] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2018] [Accepted: 10/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Emerging viruses have the potential to impose substantial mortality, morbidity and economic burdens on human populations. Tracking the spread of infectious diseases to assist in their control has traditionally relied on the analysis of case data gathered as the outbreak proceeds. Here, we describe how many of the key questions in infectious disease epidemiology, from the initial detection and characterization of outbreak viruses, to transmission chain tracking and outbreak mapping, can now be much more accurately addressed using recent advances in virus sequencing and phylogenetics. We highlight the utility of this approach with the hypothetical outbreak of an unknown pathogen, ‘Disease X’, suggested by the World Health Organization to be a potential cause of a future major epidemic. We also outline the requirements and challenges, including the need for flexible platforms that generate sequence data in real-time, and for these data to be shared as widely and openly as possible. This Review Article describes how recent advances in viral genome sequencing and phylogenetics have enabled key issues associated with outbreak epidemiology to be more accurately addressed, and highlights the requirements and challenges for generating, sharing and using such data when tackling a viral outbreak.
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Hilton SK, Bloom JD. Modeling site-specific amino-acid preferences deepens phylogenetic estimates of viral sequence divergence. Virus Evol 2018; 4:vey033. [PMID: 30425841 PMCID: PMC6220371 DOI: 10.1093/ve/vey033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular phylogenetics is often used to estimate the time since the divergence of modern gene sequences. For highly diverged sequences, such phylogenetic techniques sometimes estimate surprisingly recent divergence times. In the case of viruses, independent evidence indicates that the estimates of deep divergence times from molecular phylogenetics are sometimes too recent. This discrepancy is caused in part by inadequate models of purifying selection leading to branch-length underestimation. Here we examine the effect on branch-length estimation of using models that incorporate experimental measurements of purifying selection. We find that models informed by experimentally measured site-specific amino-acid preferences estimate longer deep branches on phylogenies of influenza virus hemagglutinin. This lengthening of branches is due to more realistic stationary states of the models, and is mostly independent of the branch-length extension from modeling site-to-site variation in amino-acid substitution rate. The branch-length extension from experimentally informed site-specific models is similar to that achieved by other approaches that allow the stationary state to vary across sites. However, the improvements from all of these site-specific but time homogeneous and site independent models are limited by the fact that a protein’s amino-acid preferences gradually shift as it evolves. Overall, our work underscores the importance of modeling site-specific amino-acid preferences when estimating deep divergence times—but also shows the inherent limitations of approaches that fail to account for how these preferences shift over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K Hilton
- Basic Sciences and Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.,Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, USA
| | - Jesse D Bloom
- Basic Sciences and Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.,Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
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Ahn S, Ke Z, Vikalo H. Viral quasispecies reconstruction via tensor factorization with successive read removal. Bioinformatics 2018; 34:i23-i31. [PMID: 29949976 PMCID: PMC6022648 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/bty291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Motivation As RNA viruses mutate and adapt to environmental changes, often developing resistance to anti-viral vaccines and drugs, they form an ensemble of viral strains--a viral quasispecies. While high-throughput sequencing (HTS) has enabled in-depth studies of viral quasispecies, sequencing errors and limited read lengths render the problem of reconstructing the strains and estimating their spectrum challenging. Inference of viral quasispecies is difficult due to generally non-uniform frequencies of the strains, and is further exacerbated when the genetic distances between the strains are small. Results This paper presents TenSQR, an algorithm that utilizes tensor factorization framework to analyze HTS data and reconstruct viral quasispecies characterized by highly uneven frequencies of its components. Fundamentally, TenSQR performs clustering with successive data removal to infer strains in a quasispecies in order from the most to the least abundant one; every time a strain is inferred, sequencing reads generated from that strain are removed from the dataset. The proposed successive strain reconstruction and data removal enables discovery of rare strains in a population and facilitates detection of deletions in such strains. Results on simulated datasets demonstrate that TenSQR can reconstruct full-length strains having widely different abundances, generally outperforming state-of-the-art methods at diversities 1-10% and detecting long deletions even in rare strains. A study on a real HIV-1 dataset demonstrates that TenSQR outperforms competing methods in experimental settings as well. Finally, we apply TenSQR to analyze a Zika virus sample and reconstruct the full-length strains it contains. Availability and implementation TenSQR is available at https://github.com/SoYeonA/TenSQR. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soyeon Ahn
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Ziqi Ke
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Haris Vikalo
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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Filovirus – Auslöser von hämorrhagischem Fieber. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2018; 61:894-907. [DOI: 10.1007/s00103-018-2757-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Telles GP, Araújo GS, Walter MEMT, Brigido MM, Almeida NF. Live neighbor-joining. BMC Bioinformatics 2018; 19:172. [PMID: 29769032 PMCID: PMC5956842 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-018-2162-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In phylogenetic reconstruction the result is a tree where all taxa are leaves and internal nodes are hypothetical ancestors. In a live phylogeny, both ancestral and living taxa may coexist, leading to a tree where internal nodes may be living taxa. The well-known Neighbor-Joining heuristic is largely used for phylogenetic reconstruction. RESULTS We present Live Neighbor-Joining, a heuristic for building a live phylogeny. We have investigated Live Neighbor-Joining on datasets of viral genomes, a plausible scenario for its application, which allowed the construction of alternative hypothesis for the relationships among virus that embrace both ancestral and descending taxa. We also applied Live Neighbor-Joining on a set of bacterial genomes and to sets of images and texts. Non-biological data may be better explored visually when their relationship in terms of content similarity is represented by means of a phylogeny. CONCLUSION Our experiments have shown interesting alternative phylogenetic hypothesis for RNA virus genomes, bacterial genomes and alternative relationships among images and texts, illustrating a wide range of scenarios where Live Neighbor-Joining may be used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme P Telles
- Instituto de Computação, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Cidade Universitária, Campinas, 13083-852, Brazil
| | - Graziela S Araújo
- Faculdade de Computação, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Av. Costa e Silva, s/n, Campo Grande, 79070-900, Brazil
| | - Maria E M T Walter
- Departamento de Ciência da Computação, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Brasília, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Marcelo M Brigido
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Brasília, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Nalvo F Almeida
- Faculdade de Computação, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Av. Costa e Silva, s/n, Campo Grande, 79070-900, Brazil.
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James AS, Todd S, Pollak NM, Marsh GA, Macdonald J. Ebolavirus diagnosis made simple, comparable and faster than molecular detection methods: preparing for the future. Virol J 2018; 15:75. [PMID: 29685158 PMCID: PMC5914028 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-018-0985-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The 2014/2015 Ebolavirus outbreak resulted in more than 28,000 cases and 11,323 reported deaths, as of March 2016. Domestic transmission of the Guinea strain associated with the outbreak occurred mainly in six African countries, and international transmission was reported in four countries. Outbreak management was limited by the inability to rapidly diagnose infected cases. A further fifteen countries in Africa are predicted to be at risk of Ebolavirus outbreaks in the future as a consequence of climate change and urbanization. Early detection of cases and reduction of transmission rates is critical to prevent and manage future severe outbreaks. We designed a rapid assay for detection of Ebolavirus using recombinase polymerase amplification, a rapid isothermal amplification technology that can be combined with portable lateral flow detection technology. The developed rapid assay operates in 30 min and was comparable with real-time TaqMan™ PCR. Methods Designed, screened, selected and optimized oligonucleotides using the NP coding region from Ebola Zaire virus (Guinea strain). We determined the analytical sensitivity of our Ebola rapid molecular test by testing selected primers and probe with tenfold serial dilutions (1.34 × 1010− 1.34 × 101 copies/μL) of cloned NP gene from Mayinga strain of Zaire ebolavirus in pCAGGS vector, and serially diluted cultured Ebolavirus as established by real-time TaqMan™ PCR that was performed using ABI7500 in Fast Mode. We tested extracted and reverse transcribed RNA from cultured Zaire ebolavirus strains – Mayinga, Gueckedou C05, Gueckedou C07, Makona, Kissidougou and Kiwit. We determined the analytical specificity of our assay with related viruses: Marburg, Ebola Reston and Ebola Sudan. We further tested for Dengue virus 1–4, Plasmodium falciparum and West Nile Virus (Kunjin strain). Results The assay had a detection limit of 134 copies per μL of plasmid containing the NP gene of Ebolavirus Mayinga, and cultured Ebolavirus and was highly specific for the Zaire ebolavirus species, including the Guinea strain responsible for the 2014/2015 outbreak. The assay did not detect related viruses like Marburg, Reston, or Sudan viruses, and other pathogens likely to be isolated from clinical samples. Conclusions Our assay could be suitable for implementation in district and primary health laboratories, as only a heating block and centrifuge is required for operation. The technique could provide a pathway for rapid screening of patients and animals for improved management of outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ameh S James
- Genecology Research Centre, School of Science and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia. .,Inflammation and Healing Research Cluster, School of Science and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia.
| | - Shawn Todd
- CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Australia
| | - Nina M Pollak
- Genecology Research Centre, School of Science and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
| | - Glenn A Marsh
- CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Australia
| | - Joanne Macdonald
- Genecology Research Centre, School of Science and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia. .,Inflammation and Healing Research Cluster, School of Science and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia. .,Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, USA.
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Abstract
The Filoviridae are a family of negative-strand RNA viruses that include several important human pathogens. Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus are well-known filoviruses which cause life-threatening viral hemorrhagic fever in human and nonhuman primates. In addition to severe pathogenesis, filoviruses also exhibit a propensity for human-to-human transmission by close contact, posing challenges to containment and crisis management. Past outbreaks, in particular the recent West African EBOV epidemic, have been responsible for thousands of deaths and vaulted the filoviruses into public consciousness. Both national and international health agencies continue to regard potential filovirus outbreaks as critical threats to global public health. To develop effective countermeasures, a basic understanding of filovirus biology is needed. This review encompasses the epidemiology, ecology, molecular biology, and evolution of the filoviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jackson Emanuel
- Laboratory of Virology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, United States
| | - Andrea Marzi
- Laboratory of Virology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, United States
| | - Heinz Feldmann
- Laboratory of Virology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, United States.
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Abstract
Under a traditional paradigm, only those with the expected background knowledge consume academic literature. The lay press, as well as government and non-government agencies, play a complementary role of extracting findings of high interest or importance and translating them for general viewing. The need for accurate reporting and public advising is paramount when attempting to tackle epidemic outbreaks through behavior change. Yet, public trust in media outlets is at a historic low. The Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) model for media reporting on public health emergencies was established in 2005 and has subsequently been used to analyze media reporting on outbreaks of influenza and measles as well as smoking habits and medication compliance. However, no media analysis had yet been performed on the 2013–2016 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak. This study compared the EVD information relayed by lay press sources with general review articles in the academic literature through a mixed-methods analysis. These findings suggest that comprehensive review articles could not serve as a source to clarify and contextualize the uncertainties around the EVD outbreak, perhaps due to adherence to technical accuracy at the expense of clarity within the context of outbreak conditions. This finding does not imply inferiority of the academic literature, nor does it draw direct causation between confusion in review articles and public misunderstanding. Given the erosion of the barriers siloing academia, combined with the demands of today’s fast-paced media environment, contemporary researchers should realize that no study is outside the public forum and to therefore consider shifting the paradigm to take personal responsibility in the process of accurately translating their scientific words into public policy actions to best serve as a source of clarity.
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Brody T, Yavatkar AS, Park DS, Kuzin A, Ross J, Odenwald WF. Flavivirus and Filovirus EvoPrinters: New alignment tools for the comparative analysis of viral evolution. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017. [PMID: 28622346 PMCID: PMC5489223 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Flavivirus and Filovirus infections are serious epidemic threats to human populations. Multi-genome comparative analysis of these evolving pathogens affords a view of their essential, conserved sequence elements as well as progressive evolutionary changes. While phylogenetic analysis has yielded important insights, the growing number of available genomic sequences makes comparisons between hundreds of viral strains challenging. We report here a new approach for the comparative analysis of these hemorrhagic fever viruses that can superimpose an unlimited number of one-on-one alignments to identify important features within genomes of interest. Methodology/Principal finding We have adapted EvoPrinter alignment algorithms for the rapid comparative analysis of Flavivirus or Filovirus sequences including Zika and Ebola strains. The user can input a full genome or partial viral sequence and then view either individual comparisons or generate color-coded readouts that superimpose hundreds of one-on-one alignments to identify unique or shared identity SNPs that reveal ancestral relationships between strains. The user can also opt to select a database genome in order to access a library of pre-aligned genomes of either 1,094 Flaviviruses or 460 Filoviruses for rapid comparative analysis with all database entries or a select subset. Using EvoPrinter search and alignment programs, we show the following: 1) superimposing alignment data from many related strains identifies lineage identity SNPs, which enable the assessment of sublineage complexity within viral outbreaks; 2) whole-genome SNP profile screens uncover novel Dengue2 and Zika recombinant strains and their parental lineages; 3) differential SNP profiling identifies host cell A-to-I hyper-editing within Ebola and Marburg viruses, and 4) hundreds of superimposed one-on-one Ebola genome alignments highlight ultra-conserved regulatory sequences, invariant amino acid codons and evolutionarily variable protein-encoding domains within a single genome. Conclusions/Significance EvoPrinter allows for the assessment of lineage complexity within Flavivirus or Filovirus outbreaks, identification of recombinant strains, highlights sequences that have undergone host cell A-to-I editing, and identifies unique input and database SNPs within highly conserved sequences. EvoPrinter’s ability to superimpose alignment data from hundreds of strains onto a single genome has allowed us to identify unique Zika virus sublineages that are currently spreading in South, Central and North America, the Caribbean, and in China. This new set of integrated alignment programs should serve as a useful addition to existing tools for the comparative analysis of these viruses. Flaviviruses, including Zika and Dengue viruses, and Filoviruses, including Ebola and Marburg viruses, are significant global public health threats. Genetic surveillance of viral isolates provides important insights into the origin of outbreaks, reveals lineage heterogeneity and diversification, and facilitates identification of novel recombinant strains and host cell modified viral genomes. We report the development of EvoPrinter, a web-accessed alignment tool for the rapid comparative analysis of viral genomes. EvoPrinter superimposes alignment data from multiple pairwise comparisons onto a single reference sequence of interest, to reveal both similarities and differences detected in hundreds of selected viral isolates. Evoprinter databases provide easy access to hundreds of non-redundant Flavivirus and Filovirus genomes. allowing the user to distinguish between sublineage identity SNPs and unique strain-specific SNPs, thus facilitating analysis of the history of viral diversification during an epidemic. EvoPrinter also proves useful in identifying recombinant strains and their parental lineages and detecting host-cell genomic editing. EvoPrinter should serve as a useful addition to existing tools for the comparative analysis of these viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Brody
- Neural Cell-Fate Determinants Section, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (TB); (WFO)
| | - Amarendra S. Yavatkar
- Division of Intramural Research Information Technology Program, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Dong Sun Park
- Division of Intramural Research Information Technology Program, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Alexander Kuzin
- Neural Cell-Fate Determinants Section, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jermaine Ross
- Neural Cell-Fate Determinants Section, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Ward F. Odenwald
- Neural Cell-Fate Determinants Section, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (TB); (WFO)
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Albariño CG, Wiggleton Guerrero L, Jenks HM, Chakrabarti AK, Ksiazek TG, Rollin PE, Nichol ST. Insights into Reston virus spillovers and adaption from virus whole genome sequences. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0178224. [PMID: 28542463 PMCID: PMC5444788 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Reston virus (family Filoviridae) is unique among the viruses of the Ebolavirus genus in that it is considered non-pathogenic in humans, in contrast to the other members which are highly virulent. The virus has however, been associated with several outbreaks of highly lethal hemorrhagic fever in non-human primates (NHPs), specifically cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) originating in the Philippines. In addition, Reston virus has been isolated from domestic pigs in the Philippines. To better understand virus spillover events and potential adaption to new hosts, the whole genome sequences of representative Reston virus isolates were obtained using a next generation sequencing (NGS) approach and comparative genomic analysis and virus fitness analyses were performed. Nine virus genome sequences were completed for novel and previously described isolates obtained from a variety of hosts including a human case, non-human primates and pigs. Results of phylogenetic analysis of the sequence differences are consistent with multiple independent introductions of RESTV from a still unknown natural reservoir into non-human primates and swine farming operations. No consistent virus genetic markers were found specific for viruses associated with primate or pig infections, but similar to what had been seen with some Ebola viruses detected in the large Western Africa outbreak in 2014–2016, a truncated version of VP30 was identified in a subgroup of Reston viruses obtained from an outbreak in pigs 2008–2009. Finally, the genetic comparison of two closely related viruses, one isolated from a human case and one from an NHP, showed amino acid differences in the viral polymerase and detectable differences were found in competitive growth assays on human and NHP cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- César G. Albariño
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Harley M. Jenks
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Ayan K. Chakrabarti
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Thomas G. Ksiazek
- University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States of America
| | - Pierre E. Rollin
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Stuart T. Nichol
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
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Papamichail D, Huang A, Kennedy E, Ott JL, Miller A, Papamichail G. Live phylogeny with polytomies: Finding the most compact parsimonious trees. Comput Biol Chem 2017; 69:171-177. [PMID: 28391977 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2017.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Construction of phylogenetic trees has traditionally focused on binary trees where all species appear on leaves, a problem for which numerous efficient solutions have been developed. Certain application domains though, such as viral evolution and transmission, paleontology, linguistics, and phylogenetic stemmatics, often require phylogeny inference that involves placing input species on ancestral tree nodes (live phylogeny), and polytomies. These requirements, despite their prevalence, lead to computationally harder algorithmic solutions and have been sparsely examined in the literature to date. In this article we prove some unique properties of most parsimonious live phylogenetic trees with polytomies, and their mapping to traditional binary phylogenetic trees. We show that our problem reduces to finding the most compact parsimonious tree for n species, and describe a novel efficient algorithm to find such trees without resorting to exhaustive enumeration of all possible tree topologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Papamichail
- Department of Computer Science, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ 08628, United States
| | - A Huang
- Department of Computer Science, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ 08628, United States
| | - E Kennedy
- Department of Computer Science, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ 08628, United States
| | - J-L Ott
- Department of Computer Science, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ 08628, United States
| | - A Miller
- Department of Computer Science, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ 08628, United States
| | - G Papamichail
- Department of Computer Science, New York College, Athens, Greece
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González-González E, Alvarez MM, Márquez-Ipiña AR, Santiago GTD, Rodríguez-Martínez LM, Annabi N, Khademhosseini A. Anti-Ebola therapies based on monoclonal antibodies: current state and challenges ahead. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2017; 37:53-68. [PMID: 26611830 PMCID: PMC5568563 DOI: 10.3109/07388551.2015.1114465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The 2014 Ebola outbreak, the largest recorded, took us largely unprepared, with no available vaccine or specific treatment. In this context, the World Health Organization declared that the humanitarian use of experimental therapies against Ebola Virus (EBOV) is ethical. In particular, an experimental treatment consisting of a cocktail of three monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) produced in tobacco plants and specifically directed to the EBOV glycoprotein (GP) was tested in humans, apparently with good results. Several mAbs with high affinity to the GP have been described. This review discusses our current knowledge on this topic. Particular emphasis is devoted to those mAbs that have been assayed in animal models or humans as possible therapies against Ebola. Engineering aspects and challenges for the production of anti-Ebola mAbs are also briefly discussed; current platforms for the design and production of full-length mAbs are cumbersome and costly.
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Affiliation(s)
- E González-González
- Centro de Biotecnología-FEMSA, Tecnológico de Monterrey at Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur Col. Tecnológico, CP 64849, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México
| | - MM Alvarez
- Centro de Biotecnología-FEMSA, Tecnológico de Monterrey at Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur Col. Tecnológico, CP 64849, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México
- Biomaterials Innovation Research Center, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02139, MA, USA
- Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139, MA, USA
| | - AR Márquez-Ipiña
- Centro de Biotecnología-FEMSA, Tecnológico de Monterrey at Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur Col. Tecnológico, CP 64849, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México
| | - G Trujillo-de Santiago
- Centro de Biotecnología-FEMSA, Tecnológico de Monterrey at Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur Col. Tecnológico, CP 64849, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México
- Biomaterials Innovation Research Center, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02139, MA, USA
- Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139, MA, USA
| | - LM Rodríguez-Martínez
- Centro de Biotecnología-FEMSA, Tecnológico de Monterrey at Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur Col. Tecnológico, CP 64849, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México
| | - N Annabi
- Biomaterials Innovation Research Center, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02139, MA, USA
- Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139, MA, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
| | - A Khademhosseini
- Biomaterials Innovation Research Center, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02139, MA, USA
- Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139, MA, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston 02115, MA, USA
- Department of Physics, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21569, Saudi Arabia
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43
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Guterres A, de Oliveira RC, Fernandes J, de Lemos ERS, Schrago CG. New bunya-like viruses: Highlighting their relations. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2017; 49:164-173. [PMID: 28111322 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2017.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2016] [Revised: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The standard virus classification scheme for arenaviruses and bunyaviruses shifted dramatically when several groups reported the detection and isolation of divergent groups of viruses in a variety of insect collections. Although these viral families can differ in terms of morphology, structure and genetics, recent findings indicate these viruses may have a shared evolutionary origin. To determine the phylogenetic relations among these families, we inferred phylogenetic trees using three methods. The Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian trees were rooted as suggested by the (molecular clock-rooted) BEAST tree. Our results highlight a noteworthy relation among these viral supergroups of different genome organizations. Our study suggests that the best scenario is the existence of at least three monophyletic supergroups, all of them well supported. The recent data indicate that these viruses are evolutionarily and genetically interconnected. While these supergroups appear to be closely related in our phylogenetic analysis, other viruses should be investigated in future research. In sum, our results also provide insights into the classification scheme, thereby providing a new perspective about the fundamental questions of family origins, diversity and genome evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandro Guterres
- Laboratório de Hantaviroses e Rickettsioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Renata Carvalho de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Hantaviroses e Rickettsioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Jorlan Fernandes
- Laboratório de Hantaviroses e Rickettsioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Elba Regina Sampaio de Lemos
- Laboratório de Hantaviroses e Rickettsioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Carlos Guerra Schrago
- Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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44
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Abstract
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) currently recognizes three genera and seven species as part of the mononegaviral family Filoviridae. Eight distinct filoviruses (Bundibugyo virus, Ebola virus, Lloviu virus, Marburg virus, Ravn virus, Reston virus, Sudan virus, and Taï Forest virus) have been assigned to these seven species. This chapter briefly summarizes the status quo of filovirus classification and focuses on the importance of differentiating between filoviral species and filoviruses and the correct use of taxonomic and vernacular filovirus names and abbreviations in written and oral discourse.
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45
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Hoenen T, Brandt J, Caì Y, Kuhn JH, Finch C. Reverse Genetics of Filoviruses. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2017; 411:421-445. [PMID: 28918537 DOI: 10.1007/82_2017_55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Reverse genetics systems are used for the generation of recombinant viruses. For filoviruses, this technology has been available for more than 15 years and has been used to investigate questions regarding the molecular biology, pathogenicity, and host adaptation determinants of these viruses. Further, reporter-expressing, recombinant viruses are increasingly used as tools for screening for and characterization of candidate medical countermeasures. Thus, reverse genetics systems represent powerful research tools. Here we provide an overview of available reverse genetics systems for the generation of recombinant filoviruses, potential applications, and the achievements that have been made using these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Hoenen
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
| | - Janine Brandt
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Yíngyún Caì
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick (IRF-Frederick), Division of Clinical Research (DCR), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), B-8200 Research Plaza, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Jens H Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick (IRF-Frederick), Division of Clinical Research (DCR), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), B-8200 Research Plaza, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA.
| | - Courtney Finch
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick (IRF-Frederick), Division of Clinical Research (DCR), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), B-8200 Research Plaza, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
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46
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Abstract
Out of the five members of the Ebolavirus family, four cause life-threatening disease, whereas the fifth, Reston virus (RESTV), is nonpathogenic in humans. Out of the five members of the Ebolavirus family, four cause life-threatening disease, whereas the fifth, Reston virus (RESTV), is nonpathogenic in humans. The reasons for this discrepancy remain unclear. In this review, we analyze the currently available information to provide a state-of-the-art summary of the factors that determine the human pathogenicity of Ebolaviruses. RESTV causes sporadic infections in cynomolgus monkeys and is found in domestic pigs throughout the Philippines and China. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that RESTV is most closely related to the Sudan virus, which causes a high mortality rate in humans. Amino acid sequence differences between RESTV and the other Ebolaviruses are found in all nine Ebolavirus proteins, though no one residue appears sufficient to confer pathogenicity. Changes in the glycoprotein contribute to differences in Ebolavirus pathogenicity but are not sufficient to confer pathogenicity on their own. Similarly, differences in VP24 and VP35 affect viral immune evasion and are associated with changes in human pathogenicity. A recent in silico analysis systematically determined the functional consequences of sequence variations between RESTV and human-pathogenic Ebolaviruses. Multiple positions in VP24 were differently conserved between RESTV and the other Ebolaviruses and may alter human pathogenicity. In conclusion, the factors that determine the pathogenicity of Ebolaviruses in humans remain insufficiently understood. An improved understanding of these pathogenicity-determining factors is of crucial importance for disease prevention and for the early detection of emergent and potentially human-pathogenic RESTVs.
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47
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Guito JC, Albariño CG, Chakrabarti AK, Towner JS. Novel activities by ebolavirus and marburgvirus interferon antagonists revealed using a standardized in vitro reporter system. Virology 2016; 501:147-165. [PMID: 27930961 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2016.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Filoviruses are highly lethal in humans and nonhuman primates, likely due to potent antagonism of host interferon (IFN) responses early in infection. Filoviral protein VP35 is implicated as the major IFN induction antagonist, while Ebola virus (EBOV) VP24 or Marburg virus (MARV) VP40 are known to block downstream IFN signaling. Despite progress elucidating EBOV and MARV antagonist function, those for most other filoviruses, including Reston (RESTV), Sudan (SUDV), Taï Forest (TAFV), Bundibugyo (BDBV) and Ravn (RAVV) viruses, remain largely neglected. Thus, using standardized vectors and reporter assays, we characterized activities by each IFN antagonist from all known ebolavirus and marburgvirus species side-by-side. We uncover noncanonical suppression of IFN induction by ebolavirus VP24, differing potencies by MARV and RAVV proteins, and intriguingly, weaker antagonism by VP24 of RESTV. These underlying molecular explanations for differential virulence in humans could guide future investigations of more-neglected filoviruses as well as treatment and vaccine studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan C Guito
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - César G Albariño
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Ayan K Chakrabarti
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jonathan S Towner
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States.
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48
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Holmes EC, Dudas G, Rambaut A, Andersen KG. The evolution of Ebola virus: Insights from the 2013-2016 epidemic. Nature 2016; 538:193-200. [PMID: 27734858 PMCID: PMC5580494 DOI: 10.1038/nature19790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 201] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The 2013-2016 epidemic of Ebola virus disease in West Africa was of unprecedented magnitude and changed our perspective on this lethal but sporadically emerging virus. This outbreak also marked the beginning of large-scale real-time molecular epidemiology. Here, we show how evolutionary analyses of Ebola virus genome sequences provided key insights into virus origins, evolution and spread during the epidemic. We provide basic scientists, epidemiologists, medical practitioners and other outbreak responders with an enhanced understanding of the utility and limitations of pathogen genomic sequencing. This will be crucially important in our attempts to track and control future infectious disease outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward C. Holmes
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, School of Biological Sciences and Sydney Medical School, Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Gytis Dudas
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Ashworth Laboratories, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Andrew Rambaut
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Ashworth Laboratories, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
- Centre for Immunology, Infection and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
- Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, MSC 2220 Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kristian G. Andersen
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Scripps Translational Science Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
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49
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Theiler J, Yoon H, Yusim K, Picker LJ, Fruh K, Korber B. Epigraph: A Vaccine Design Tool Applied to an HIV Therapeutic Vaccine and a Pan-Filovirus Vaccine. Sci Rep 2016; 6:33987. [PMID: 27703185 PMCID: PMC5050445 DOI: 10.1038/srep33987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigraph is an efficient graph-based algorithm for designing vaccine antigens to optimize potential T-cell epitope (PTE) coverage. Epigraph vaccine antigens are functionally similar to Mosaic vaccines, which have demonstrated effectiveness in preliminary HIV non-human primate studies. In contrast to the Mosaic algorithm, Epigraph is substantially faster, and in restricted cases, provides a mathematically optimal solution. Epigraph furthermore has new features that enable enhanced vaccine design flexibility. These features include the ability to exclude rare epitopes from a design, to optimize population coverage based on inexact epitope matches, and to apply the code to both aligned and unaligned input sequences. Epigraph was developed to provide practical design solutions for two outstanding vaccine problems. The first of these is a personalized approach to a therapeutic T-cell HIV vaccine that would provide antigens with an excellent match to an individual’s infecting strain, intended to contain or clear a chronic infection. The second is a pan-filovirus vaccine, with the potential to protect against all known viruses in the Filoviradae family, including ebolaviruses. A web-based interface to run the Epigraph tool suite is available (http://www.hiv.lanl.gov/content/sequence/EPIGRAPH/epigraph.html).
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Affiliation(s)
- James Theiler
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.,New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM 87544, USA
| | - Hyejin Yoon
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - Karina Yusim
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.,New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM 87544, USA
| | - Louis J Picker
- Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Klaus Fruh
- Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Bette Korber
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.,New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM 87544, USA
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50
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Shorten RJ, Brown CS, Jacobs M, Rattenbury S, Simpson AJ, Mepham S. Diagnostics in Ebola Virus Disease in Resource-Rich and Resource-Limited Settings. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004948. [PMID: 27788135 PMCID: PMC5082928 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa was unprecedented in scale and location. Limited access to both diagnostic and supportive pathology assays in both resource-rich and resource-limited settings had a detrimental effect on the identification and isolation of cases as well as individual patient management. Limited access to such assays in resource-rich settings resulted in delays in differentiating EVD from other illnesses in returning travellers, in turn utilising valuable resources until a diagnosis could be made. This had a much greater impact in West Africa, where it contributed to the initial failure to contain the outbreak. This review explores diagnostic assays of use in EVD in both resource-rich and resource-limited settings, including their respective limitations, and some novel assays and approaches that may be of use in future outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Shorten
- Public Health Laboratory Manchester, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, United Kingdom
- University College London, Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Department of Infection, London United Kingdom
| | - Colin S Brown
- Hospital for Tropical Diseases, University College London Hospital, London, United Kingdom
- King’s Sierra Leone Partnership, King’s Centre for Global Health, King’s College London, and King’s Health Partners, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Jacobs
- Department of Infection, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Rattenbury
- Department of Infection, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J. Simpson
- University College London, Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Department of Infection, London United Kingdom
- Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory, Public Health England, Salisbury, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen Mepham
- Department of Infection, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
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