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Lange B, Jaeger VK, Harries M, Rücker V, Streeck H, Blaschke S, Petersmann A, Toepfner N, Nauck M, Hassenstein MJ, Dreier M, von Holt I, Budde A, Bartz A, Ortmann J, Kurosinski MA, Berner R, Borsche M, Brandhorst G, Brinkmann M, Budde K, Deckena M, Engels G, Fenzlaff M, Härtel C, Hovardovska O, Katalinic A, Kehl K, Kohls M, Krüger S, Lieb W, Meyer-Schlinkmann KM, Pischon T, Rosenkranz D, Rübsamen N, Rupp J, Schäfer C, Schattschneider M, Schlegtendal A, Schlinkert S, Schmidbauer L, Schulze-Wundling K, Störk S, Tiemann C, Völzke H, Winter T, Klein C, Liese J, Brinkmann F, Ottensmeyer PF, Reese JP, Heuschmann P, Karch A. Estimates of protection levels against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 in Germany before the 2022/2023 winter season: the IMMUNEBRIDGE project. Infection 2024; 52:139-153. [PMID: 37530919 PMCID: PMC10811028 DOI: 10.1007/s15010-023-02071-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Despite the need to generate valid and reliable estimates of protection levels against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe course of COVID-19 for the German population in summer 2022, there was a lack of systematically collected population-based data allowing for the assessment of the protection level in real time. METHODS In the IMMUNEBRIDGE project, we harmonised data and biosamples for nine population-/hospital-based studies (total number of participants n = 33,637) to provide estimates for protection levels against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 between June and November 2022. Based on evidence synthesis, we formed a combined endpoint of protection levels based on the number of self-reported infections/vaccinations in combination with nucleocapsid/spike antibody responses ("confirmed exposures"). Four confirmed exposures represented the highest protection level, and no exposure represented the lowest. RESULTS Most participants were seropositive against the spike antigen; 37% of the participants ≥ 79 years had less than four confirmed exposures (highest level of protection) and 5% less than three. In the subgroup of participants with comorbidities, 46-56% had less than four confirmed exposures. We found major heterogeneity across federal states, with 4-28% of participants having less than three confirmed exposures. CONCLUSION Using serological analyses, literature synthesis and infection dynamics during the survey period, we observed moderate to high levels of protection against severe COVID-19, whereas the protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection was low across all age groups. We found relevant protection gaps in the oldest age group and amongst individuals with comorbidities, indicating a need for additional protective measures in these groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berit Lange
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Brunswick, Germany.
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), TI BBD, Brunswick, Germany.
| | - Veronika K Jaeger
- Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Manuela Harries
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Brunswick, Germany
| | - Viktoria Rücker
- Institute of Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Hendrik Streeck
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Sabine Blaschke
- Emergency Department, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Astrid Petersmann
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Nicole Toepfner
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Matthias Nauck
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Greifswald, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Max J Hassenstein
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Brunswick, Germany
| | - Maren Dreier
- Institute for Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Isabell von Holt
- Institute for Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Axel Budde
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Antonia Bartz
- Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Julia Ortmann
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Brunswick, Germany
| | - Marc-André Kurosinski
- Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Reinhard Berner
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Max Borsche
- Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Gunnar Brandhorst
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Melanie Brinkmann
- Institute for Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Kathrin Budde
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | | | - Geraldine Engels
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Marc Fenzlaff
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Christoph Härtel
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Olga Hovardovska
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Brunswick, Germany
| | - Alexander Katalinic
- Institute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Katja Kehl
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Mirjam Kohls
- Institute of Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Krüger
- Dimap, das Institut Für Markt- Und Politikforschung GmbH, Bonn, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Lieb
- Institute of Epidemiology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | | | - Tobias Pischon
- Molecular Epidemiology Research Group, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany
- Biobank Technology Platform, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Daniel Rosenkranz
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Nicole Rübsamen
- Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Jan Rupp
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Christian Schäfer
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Mario Schattschneider
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Anne Schlegtendal
- University Children's Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Simon Schlinkert
- Dimap, das Institut Für Markt- Und Politikforschung GmbH, Bonn, Germany
| | - Lena Schmidbauer
- Institute of Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Kai Schulze-Wundling
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Stefan Störk
- Department of Clinical Research and Epidemiology, Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC), and Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | | | - Henry Völzke
- Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Theresa Winter
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Christine Klein
- Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Johannes Liese
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Folke Brinkmann
- University Children's Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Patrick F Ottensmeyer
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Jens-Peter Reese
- Institute of Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Institute for Medical Data Science, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Peter Heuschmann
- Institute of Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Institute for Medical Data Science, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Clinical Trial Center, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - André Karch
- Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
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Rox K, Medina E. Aerosolized delivery of ESKAPE pathogens for murine pneumonia models. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2558. [PMID: 38297183 PMCID: PMC10830452 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52958-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Murine pneumonia models for ESKAPE pathogens serve to evaluate novel antibacterials or to investigate immunological responses. The majority of published models uses intranasal or to a limited extent the intratracheal instillation to challenge animals. In this study, we propose the aerosol delivery of pathogens using a nebulizer. Aerosol delivery typically results in homogeneous distribution of the inoculum in the lungs because of lower particle size. This is of particular importance when compounds are assessed for their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationships as it allows to conduct several analysis with the same sample material. Moreover, aerosol delivery has the advantage that it mimics the 'natural route' of respiratory infection. In this short and concise study, we show that aerosol delivery of pathogens resulted in a sustained bacterial burden in the neutropenic lung infection model for five pathogens tested, whereas it gave a similar result in immunocompetent mice for three out of five pathogens. Moreover, a substantial bacterial burden in the lungs was already achieved 2 h post inhalation. Hence, this study constitutes a viable alternative for intranasal administration and a refinement of murine pneumonia models for PK/PD assessments of novel antibacterial compounds allowing to study multiple readouts with the same sample material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Rox
- Department of Chemical Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany.
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany.
| | - Eva Medina
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
- Infection Immunology Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
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Yu Y, Gawlitt S, de Andrade E Sousa LB, Merdivan E, Piraud M, Beisel CL, Barquist L. Improved prediction of bacterial CRISPRi guide efficiency from depletion screens through mixed-effect machine learning and data integration. Genome Biol 2024; 25:13. [PMID: 38200565 PMCID: PMC10782694 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-03153-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) is the leading technique to silence gene expression in bacteria; however, design rules remain poorly defined. We develop a best-in-class prediction algorithm for guide silencing efficiency by systematically investigating factors influencing guide depletion in genome-wide essentiality screens, with the surprising discovery that gene-specific features substantially impact prediction. We develop a mixed-effect random forest regression model that provides better estimates of guide efficiency. We further apply methods from explainable AI to extract interpretable design rules from the model. This study provides a blueprint for predictive models for CRISPR technologies where only indirect measurements of guide activity are available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanying Yu
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-Based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, 97080, Germany
| | - Sandra Gawlitt
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-Based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, 97080, Germany
| | | | - Erinc Merdivan
- Helmholtz AI, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, 85764, Germany
| | - Marie Piraud
- Helmholtz AI, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, 85764, Germany
| | - Chase L Beisel
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-Based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, 97080, Germany
- Medical Faculty, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, 97080, Germany
| | - Lars Barquist
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-Based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, 97080, Germany.
- Medical Faculty, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, 97080, Germany.
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Yurtseven A, Buyanova S, Agrawal AA, Bochkareva OO, Kalinina OV. Machine learning and phylogenetic analysis allow for predicting antibiotic resistance in M. tuberculosis. BMC Microbiol 2023; 23:404. [PMID: 38124060 PMCID: PMC10731705 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-023-03147-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant global health threat, and an accurate prediction of bacterial resistance patterns is critical for effective treatment and control strategies. In recent years, machine learning (ML) approaches have emerged as powerful tools for analyzing large-scale bacterial AMR data. However, ML methods often ignore evolutionary relationships among bacterial strains, which can greatly impact performance of the ML methods, especially if resistance-associated features are attempted to be detected. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) methods like linear mixed models accounts for the evolutionary relationships in bacteria, but they uncover only highly significant variants which have already been reported in literature. RESULTS In this work, we introduce a novel phylogeny-related parallelism score (PRPS), which measures whether a certain feature is correlated with the population structure of a set of samples. We demonstrate that PRPS can be used, in combination with SVM- and random forest-based models, to reduce the number of features in the analysis, while simultaneously increasing models' performance. We applied our pipeline to publicly available AMR data from PATRIC database for Mycobacterium tuberculosis against six common antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS Using our pipeline, we re-discovered known resistance-associated mutations as well as new candidate mutations which can be related to resistance and not previously reported in the literature. We demonstrated that taking into account phylogenetic relationships not only improves the model performance, but also yields more biologically relevant predicted most contributing resistance markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alper Yurtseven
- Department of Drug Bioinformatics, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Campus E8.1, Saarbrücken, 66123, Saarland, Germany.
- Graduate School of Computer Science, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, 66123, Saarland, Germany.
| | - Sofia Buyanova
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, Klosterneuburg, 3400, Austria
| | - Amay Ajaykumar Agrawal
- Department of Drug Bioinformatics, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Campus E8.1, Saarbrücken, 66123, Saarland, Germany
- Graduate School of Computer Science, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, 66123, Saarland, Germany
| | - Olga O Bochkareva
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, Klosterneuburg, 3400, Austria
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Computational System Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1 A, Wien, 1030, Austria
| | - Olga V Kalinina
- Department of Drug Bioinformatics, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Campus E8.1, Saarbrücken, 66123, Saarland, Germany
- Graduate School of Computer Science, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, 66123, Saarland, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Saarland University, Homburg, 66421, Saarland, Germany
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Deng ZL, Pieper DH, Stallmach A, Steube A, Vital M, Reck M, Wagner-Döbler I. Engraftment of essential functions through multiple fecal microbiota transplants in chronic antibiotic-resistant pouchitis-a case study using metatranscriptomics. Microbiome 2023; 11:269. [PMID: 38037086 PMCID: PMC10691019 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01713-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) is the standard of care after total proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis (UC). Around 50% of patients will experience pouchitis, an idiopathic inflammatory condition. Antibiotics are the backbone of treatment of pouchitis; however, antibiotic-resistant pouchitis develops in 5-10% of those patients. It has been shown that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an effective treatment for UC, but results for FMT antibiotic-resistant pouchitis are inconsistent. METHODS To uncover which metabolic activities were transferred to the recipients during FMT and helped the remission, we performed a longitudinal case study of the gut metatranscriptomes from three patients and their donors. The patients were treated by two to three FMTs, and stool samples were analyzed for up to 140 days. RESULTS Reduced expression in pouchitis patients compared to healthy donors was observed for genes involved in biosynthesis of amino acids, cofactors, and B vitamins. An independent metatranscriptome dataset of UC patients showed a similar result. Other functions including biosynthesis of butyrate, metabolism of bile acids, and tryptophan were also much lower expressed in pouchitis. After FMT, these activities transiently increased, and the overall metatranscriptome profiles closely mirrored those of the respective donors with notable fluctuations during the subsequent weeks. The levels of the clinical marker fecal calprotectin were concordant with the metatranscriptome data. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii represented the most active species contributing to butyrate synthesis via the acetyl-CoA pathway. Remission occurred after the last FMT in all patients and was characterized by a microbiota activity profile distinct from donors in two of the patients. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates the clear but short-lived activity engraftment of donor microbiota, particularly the butyrate biosynthesis after each FMT. The data suggest that FMT triggers shifts in the activity of patient microbiota towards health which need to be repeated to reach critical thresholds. As a case study, these insights warrant cautious interpretation, and validation in larger cohorts is necessary for generalized applications. In the long run, probiotics with high taxonomic diversity consisting of well characterized strains could replace FMT to avoid the costly screening of donors and the risk of transferring unwanted genetic material. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Luo Deng
- Group Computational Biology for Infection Research, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Brunswick, Germany.
| | - Dietmar H Pieper
- Group Microbial Interactions and Processes, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Andreas Stallmach
- Department of Internal Medicine IV (Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Infectious Diseases), Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Arndt Steube
- Department of Internal Medicine IV (Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Infectious Diseases), Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Marius Vital
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Michael Reck
- Group Microbial Communication, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Brunswick, Germany
- TÜV Rheinland, Cologne, Germany
| | - Irene Wagner-Döbler
- Institute of Microbiology, Technical University of Braunschweig, Brunswick, Germany
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Hassenstein MJ, Pischon T, Karch A, Peters A, Kerrinnes T, Teismann H, Schneider A, Thierry S, Moreno Velásquez I, Janke J, Kemmling Y, Castell S. Seropositivity of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in Germany-an analysis across four German National Cohort (NAKO) study sites. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21087. [PMID: 38036551 PMCID: PMC10689756 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47766-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme borreliosis (LB) is caused by the transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. from ticks to humans. Climate affects tick abundance, and climate change is projected to promote shifts in abundance in Europe, potentially increasing human exposure. We analyzed serum samples collected between the years 2014-2019 from German National Cohort (NAKO) participants at four study sites (Augsburg, Berlin, Hanover, Münster) for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and line blot immunoassay as confirmatory test for positive and equivocal ELISA samples. We reported crude and weighted seropositivity proportions for local estimates. We used mixed model analysis to investigate associated factors, such as age, sex, migration background, or animal contacts. We determined the serostatus of 14,207 participants. The weighted seropositivity proportions were 3.4% (IgG) and 0.4% (IgM) in Augsburg, 4.1% (IgG) and 0.6% (IgM) in northern Berlin, 3.0% (IgG) and 0.9% (IgM) in Hanover, and 2.7% (IgG) and 0.6% (IgM) in Münster. We found higher odds for IgG seropositivity with advancing age (p < 0.001), among males compared to females (p < 0.001) and reduced odds among participants with migration background compared to those without (p = 0.001). We did not find evidence for an association between serostatus and depression, children within the household, or animal contact, respectively. We found low seropositivity proportions and indications of differences across the study locations, although between-group comparisons did not yield significant results. Comparisons to earlier research are subject to important limitations; however, our results indicate no major increases in seropositivity over time. Nevertheless, monitoring of seropositivity remains critical in light of potential climate-related Borrelia exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max J Hassenstein
- Department for Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, Germany
- PhD Programme "Epidemiology", Braunschweig-Hannover, Germany
| | - Tobias Pischon
- Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Molecular Epidemiology Research Group, Berlin, Germany
- Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Biobank Technology Platform, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Core Facility Biobank, Berlin, Germany
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - André Karch
- Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Annette Peters
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München-German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
- Chair of Epidemiology, Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology, Medical Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Tobias Kerrinnes
- Department of RNA-Biology of Bacterial Infections, Helmholtz Institute for RNA-Based Infection Research, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Henning Teismann
- Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Alexandra Schneider
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München-German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Sigrid Thierry
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München-German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany
- NAKO Studienzentrum, Klinik für Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie und Neuroradiologie, Universitätsklinikum Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Ilais Moreno Velásquez
- Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Molecular Epidemiology Research Group, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jürgen Janke
- Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Molecular Epidemiology Research Group, Berlin, Germany
- Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Biobank Technology Platform, Berlin, Germany
| | - Yvonne Kemmling
- Department for Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Stefanie Castell
- Department for Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, Germany.
- TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a Joint Venture of the Hannover Medical School and Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
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Kettlitz R, Harries M, Ortmann J, Krause G, Aigner A, Lange B. Association of known SARS-CoV-2 serostatus and adherence to personal protection measures and the impact of personal protective measures on seropositivity in a population-based cross-sectional study (MuSPAD) in Germany. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:2281. [PMID: 37978484 PMCID: PMC10657116 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17121-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In 2020/2021 in Germany, several non-pharmacological interventions were introduced to lower the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We investigated to what extent knowledge of prior infection with SARS-CoV-2 or vaccination status influenced the use of personal protection measures (PPM). Further, we were interested in the effect of compliance with PPM on SARS-CoV-2 serostatus. METHODS Data was based on a sequential, multilocal seroprevalence study (MuSPAD), carried out in eight locations from July 2020 to August 2021. We estimated the association between a known SARS-CoV-2 serostatus (reported positive PCR test or vaccination) and self-reported PPM behavior (hand hygiene, physical distancing, wearing face mask), just as the association of PPM compliance with seropositivity against nucleocapsid (NC), receptor-binding domain (RBD), and spike protein (S) antigens. We identified relevant variables and deduced adjustment sets with directed acyclic graphs (DAG), and applied mixed logistic regression. RESULTS Out of the 22,297 participants (median age: 54 years, 43% male), 781 were classified as SARS-CoV-2-infected and 3,877 had a vaccinated immune response. Vaccinated individuals were less likely to keep 1.5 m distance [OR = 0.74 (95% CI: 0.57-0.97)] and only partly physically distanced [OR = 0.71 (95% CI: 0.58-0.87)]. Participants with self-reported positive PCR test had a lower chance of adhering partly to physical distancing [OR = 0.70 (95% CI: 0.50-0.99)] in comparison to the reference group. Higher odds of additionally wearing a face mask was observed in vaccinated [OR = 1.28 (95% CI: 1.08-1.51)] even if it was not obligatory. Overall, among unvaccinated participants, we found little evidence of lower odds of seropositivity given mask wearing [OR: 0.91 (95% CI: 0.71-1.16)], physical distancing [OR: 0.84 (95% CI: 0.59-1.20)] and no evidence for completely adhering to hand cleaning [OR: 0.97 (95% CI: 0.29-3.22)]. CONCLUSIONS A known confirmed prior infection and vaccination may have the potential to influence adherence to PPM.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Kettlitz
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Department Epidemiology, Brunswick, Lower Saxony, Germany.
| | - M Harries
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Department Epidemiology, Brunswick, Lower Saxony, Germany.
- Translational Infrastructure Epidemiology, German Centre for Infection Research, DZIF, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
| | - J Ortmann
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Department Epidemiology, Brunswick, Lower Saxony, Germany
| | - G Krause
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Department Epidemiology, Brunswick, Lower Saxony, Germany
- Translational Infrastructure Epidemiology, German Centre for Infection Research, DZIF, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
- Institute for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, TWINCORE, Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany
| | - A Aigner
- Institute of Biometry and Clinical Epidemiology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - B Lange
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Department Epidemiology, Brunswick, Lower Saxony, Germany
- Translational Infrastructure Epidemiology, German Centre for Infection Research, DZIF, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
- Institute for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, TWINCORE, Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany
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8
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Al-Mekhlafi A, Waqas FH, Krueger M, Klawonn F, Akmatov MK, Müller-Vahl K, Trebst C, Skripuletz T, Stangel M, Sühs KW, Pessler F. Elevated phospholipids and acylcarnitines C4 and C5 in cerebrospinal fluid distinguish viral CNS infections from autoimmune neuroinflammation. J Transl Med 2023; 21:776. [PMID: 37919735 PMCID: PMC10621113 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04637-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Viral and autoimmune encephalitis may present with similar symptoms, but require different treatments. Thus, there is a need for biomarkers to improve diagnosis and understanding of pathogenesis. We hypothesized that virus-host cell interactions lead to different changes in central nervous system (CNS) metabolism than autoimmune processes and searched for metabolite biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to distinguish between the two conditions. METHODS We applied a targeted metabolomic/lipidomic analysis to CSF samples from patients with viral CNS infections (n = 34; due to herpes simplex virus [n = 9], varicella zoster virus [n = 15], enteroviruses [n = 10]), autoimmune neuroinflammation (n = 25; autoimmune anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis [n = 8], multiple sclerosis [n = 17), and non-inflamed controls (n = 31; Gilles de la Tourette syndrome [n = 20], Bell's palsy with normal CSF cell count [n = 11]). 85 metabolites passed quality screening and were evaluated as biomarkers. Standard diagnostic CSF parameters were assessed for comparison. RESULTS Of the standard CSF parameters, the best biomarkers were: CSF cell count for viral infections vs. controls (area under the ROC curve, AUC = 0.93), Q-albumin for viral infections vs. autoimmune neuroinflammation (AUC = 0.86), and IgG index for autoimmune neuroinflammation vs. controls (AUC = 0.90). Concentrations of 2 metabolites differed significantly (p < 0.05) between autoimmune neuroinflammation and controls, with proline being the best biomarker (AUC = 0.77). In contrast, concentrations of 67 metabolites were significantly higher in viral infections than controls, with SM.C16.0 being the best biomarker (AUC = 0.94). Concentrations of 68 metabolites were significantly higher in viral infections than in autoimmune neuroinflammation, and the 10 most accurate metabolite biomarkers (AUC = 0.89-0.93) were substantially better than Q-albumin (AUC = 0.86). These biomarkers comprised six phosphatidylcholines (AUC = 0.89-0.92), two sphingomyelins (AUC = 0.89, 0.91), and acylcarnitines isobutyrylcarnitine (C4, AUC = 0.92) and isovalerylcarnitine (C5, AUC = 0.93). Elevated C4 and C5 concentrations suggested dysfunctional mitochondrial β-oxidation and correlated only moderately with CSF cell count (Spearman ρ = 0.41 and 0.44), indicating that their increase is not primarily driven by inflammation. CONCLUSIONS Changes in CNS metabolism differ substantially between viral CNS infections and autoimmune neuroinflammation and reveal CSF metabolites as pathophysiologically relevant diagnostic biomarkers for the differentiation between the two conditions. In viral CNS infections, the observed higher concentrations of free phospholipids are consistent with disruption of host cell membranes, whereas the elevated short-chain acylcarnitines likely reflect compromised mitochondrial homeostasis and energy generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amani Al-Mekhlafi
- Biostatistics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Fakhar H Waqas
- Research Group Biomarkers for Infectious Diseases, TWINCORE Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 7, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Maike Krueger
- Research Group Biomarkers for Infectious Diseases, TWINCORE Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 7, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Frank Klawonn
- Biostatistics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | | | - Kirsten Müller-Vahl
- Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Corinna Trebst
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Martin Stangel
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Translational Medicine, Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Frank Pessler
- Biostatistics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
- Research Group Biomarkers for Infectious Diseases, TWINCORE Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 7, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
- Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine, Hannover, Germany.
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9
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Goldmann O, Medina E. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells impair CD4+ T cell responses during chronic Staphylococcus aureus infection via lactate metabolism. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:221. [PMID: 37480485 PMCID: PMC10363054 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-04875-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is an important cause of chronic infections resulting from the failure of the host to eliminate the pathogen. Effective S. aureus clearance requires CD4+ T cell-mediated immunity. We previously showed that myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) expand during staphylococcal infections and support infection chronicity by inhibiting CD4+ T cell responses. The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the suppressive effect exerted by MDSC on CD4+ T cells during chronic S. aureus infection. It is well known that activated CD4+ T cells undergo metabolic reprogramming from oxidative metabolism to aerobic glycolysis to meet their increased bioenergetic requirements. In this process, pyruvate is largely transformed into lactate by lactate dehydrogenase with the concomitant regeneration of NAD+, which is necessary for continued glycolysis. The by-product lactate needs to be excreted to maintain the glycolytic flux. Using SCENITH (single-cell energetic metabolism by profiling translation inhibition), we demonstrated here that MDSC inhibit CD4+ T cell responses by interfering with their metabolic activity. MDSC are highly glycolytic and excrete large amount of lactate in the local environment that alters the transmembrane concentration gradient and prevent removal of lactate by activated CD4+ T. Accumulation of endogenous lactate impedes the regeneration of NAD+, inhibit NAD-dependent glycolytic enzymes and stop glycolysis. Together, the results of this study have uncovered a role for metabolism on MDSC suppression of CD4+ T cell responses. Thus, reestablishment of their metabolic activity may represent a mean to improve the functionality of CD4+ T cells during chronic S. aureus infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Goldmann
- Infection Immunology Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Eva Medina
- Infection Immunology Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany.
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10
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Cedeño-Sanchez M, Schiefelbein R, Stadler M, Voglmayr H, Bensch K, Lambert C. Redisposition of apiosporous genera Induratia and Muscodor in the Xylariales, following the discovery of an authentic strain of Induratia apiospora. Bot Stud 2023; 64:8. [PMID: 37052736 PMCID: PMC10102272 DOI: 10.1186/s40529-023-00372-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The genus Induratia is based on Induratia apiospora, a xylarialean pyrenomycete from New Zealand with clypeate uniperitheciate stromata, hyaline apiospores and a nodulisporium-like anamorph. However, because of the lack of DNA data from the generic type, its phylogenetic affinities have remained unresolved. Recently, two fungal species with teleomorphs strikingly similar to Induratia were discovered in Thailand. However, they did not produce an anamorph and were found to be phylogenetically close to the species classified within the hyphomycete genus Muscodor, which was described after Induratia. Therefore, in 2020 the species of Muscodor were transferred to Induratia, and a new family Induratiaceae was proposed. RESULTS We have encountered an unpublished ex-holotype strain of Induratia apiospora among the holdings of the ATCC collection, enabling detailed morphological and molecular phylogenetic investigations. We observed the characteristic nodulisporium-like anamorph described in the original publication. Phylogenetic analyses of multigene sequence data revealed a close relationship of Induratia apiospora to the Barrmaeliaceae, while a close relationship to the Induratia species formerly classified within Muscodor was rejected. CONCLUSIONS We here classify Induratia apiospora within the Barrmaeliaceae and consider Induratiaceae to be synonymous with the former. As the holotype specimen of Induratia apiospora is apparently lost, an isotype specimen from WSP is selected as lectotype. We also propose that the genus Muscodor is resurrected within the Xylariaceae, and formally transfer several Induratia species to Muscodor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie Cedeño-Sanchez
- Department Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research GmbH, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
- Institute of Microbiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstraße 7, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Rahel Schiefelbein
- Department Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research GmbH, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
- Institute of Microbiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstraße 7, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Marc Stadler
- Department Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research GmbH, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
- Institute of Microbiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstraße 7, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Hermann Voglmayr
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Forest Entomology, Forest Pathology and Forest Protection, BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Franz- Schwackhöfer-Haus, Peter-Jordan-Straße 82/I, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Konstanze Bensch
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Christopher Lambert
- Department Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research GmbH, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany.
- Institute of Microbiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstraße 7, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany.
- Department of Cell Biology, Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research GmbH, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany.
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11
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Joeres R, Bojar D, Kalinina OV. GlyLES: Grammar-based Parsing of Glycans from IUPAC-condensed to SMILES. J Cheminform 2023; 15:37. [PMID: 36959676 PMCID: PMC10035253 DOI: 10.1186/s13321-023-00704-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Glycans are important polysaccharides on cellular surfaces that are bound to glycoproteins and glycolipids. These are one of the most common post-translational modifications of proteins in eukaryotic cells. They play important roles in protein folding, cell-cell interactions, and other extracellular processes. Changes in glycan structures may influence the course of different diseases, such as infections or cancer. Glycans are commonly represented using the IUPAC-condensed notation. IUPAC-condensed is a textual representation of glycans operating on the same topological level as the Symbol Nomenclature for Glycans (SNFG) that assigns colored, geometrical shapes to the main monomers. These symbols are then connected in tree-like structures, visualizing the glycan structure on a topological level. Yet for a representation on the atomic level, notations such as SMILES should be used. To our knowledge, there is no easy-to-use, general, open-source, and offline tool to convert the IUPAC-condensed notation to SMILES. Here, we present the open-access Python package GlyLES for the generalizable generation of SMILES representations out of IUPAC-condensed representations. GlyLES uses a grammar to read in the monomer tree from the IUPAC-condensed notation. From this tree, the tool can compute the atomic structures of each monomer based on their IUPAC-condensed descriptions. In the last step, it merges all monomers into the atomic structure of a glycan in the SMILES notation. GlyLES is the first package that allows conversion from the IUPAC-condensed notation of glycans to SMILES strings. This may have multiple applications, including straightforward visualization, substructure search, molecular modeling and docking, and a new featurization strategy for machine-learning algorithms. GlyLES is available at https://github.com/kalininalab/GlyLES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Joeres
- grid.7490.a0000 0001 2238 295XHelmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Saarbruecken, Germany
- grid.11749.3a0000 0001 2167 7588Center for Bioinformatics, Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Daniel Bojar
- grid.8761.80000 0000 9919 9582Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- grid.8761.80000 0000 9919 9582Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Olga V. Kalinina
- grid.7490.a0000 0001 2238 295XHelmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Saarbruecken, Germany
- grid.11749.3a0000 0001 2167 7588Center for Bioinformatics, Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany
- grid.11749.3a0000 0001 2167 7588Faculty of Medicine, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
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12
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Jacobsen H, Strengert M, Maaß H, Ynga Durand MA, Katzmarzyk M, Kessel B, Harries M, Rand U, Abassi L, Kim Y, Lüddecke T, Metzdorf K, Hernandez P, Ortmann J, Heise JK, Castell S, Gornyk D, Glöckner S, Melhorn V, Kemmling Y, Lange B, Dulovic A, Marsall P, Häring J, Junker D, Schneiderhan-Marra N, Hoffmann M, Pöhlmann S, Krause G, Cicin-Sain L. Diminished neutralization responses towards SARS-CoV-2 Omicron VoC after mRNA or vector-based COVID-19 vaccinations. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19858. [PMID: 36400804 PMCID: PMC9673895 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22552-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 variants accumulating immune escape mutations provide a significant risk to vaccine-induced protection against infection. The novel variant of concern (VoC) Omicron BA.1 and its sub-lineages have the largest number of amino acid alterations in its Spike protein to date. Thus, they may efficiently escape recognition by neutralizing antibodies, allowing breakthrough infections in convalescent and vaccinated individuals in particular in those who have only received a primary immunization scheme. We analyzed neutralization activity of sera from individuals after vaccination with all mRNA-, vector- or heterologous immunization schemes currently available in Europe by in vitro neutralization assay at peak response towards SARS-CoV-2 B.1, Omicron sub-lineages BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.3, BA.4/5, Beta and Delta pseudotypes and also provide longitudinal follow-up data from BNT162b2 vaccinees. All vaccines apart from Ad26.CoV2.S showed high levels of responder rates (96-100%) towards the SARS-CoV-2 B.1 isolate, and minor to moderate reductions in neutralizing Beta and Delta VoC pseudotypes. The novel Omicron variant and its sub-lineages had the biggest impact, both in terms of response rates and neutralization titers. Only mRNA-1273 showed a 100% response rate to Omicron BA.1 and induced the highest level of neutralizing antibody titers, followed by heterologous prime-boost approaches. Homologous BNT162b2 vaccination, vector-based AZD1222 and Ad26.CoV2.S performed less well with peak responder rates of 48%, 56% and 9%, respectively. However, Omicron responder rates in BNT162b2 recipients were maintained in our six month longitudinal follow-up indicating that individuals with cross-protection against Omicron maintain it over time. Overall, our data strongly argue for booster doses in individuals who were previously vaccinated with BNT162b2, or a vector-based primary immunization scheme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henning Jacobsen
- Department of Viral Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Monika Strengert
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Joint Venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
| | - Henrike Maaß
- Department of Viral Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | | | - Maeva Katzmarzyk
- Department of Viral Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Barbora Kessel
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Manuela Harries
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Ulfert Rand
- Department of Viral Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Leila Abassi
- Department of Viral Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Yeonsu Kim
- Department of Viral Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Tatjana Lüddecke
- Department of Viral Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Kristin Metzdorf
- Department of Viral Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Pilar Hernandez
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Julia Ortmann
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Jana-Kristin Heise
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Stefanie Castell
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Daniela Gornyk
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Stephan Glöckner
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Vanessa Melhorn
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Yvonne Kemmling
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Berit Lange
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Alex Dulovic
- NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany
| | - Patrick Marsall
- NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany
| | - Julia Häring
- NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany
| | - Daniel Junker
- NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany
| | | | - Markus Hoffmann
- Deutsches Primatenzentrum, Leibniz-Institut Für Primatenforschung, Göttingen, Germany
- Faculty of Biology and Psychology, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Pöhlmann
- Deutsches Primatenzentrum, Leibniz-Institut Für Primatenforschung, Göttingen, Germany
- Faculty of Biology and Psychology, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Gérard Krause
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
- TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Joint Venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Hannover, Germany.
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.
| | - Luka Cicin-Sain
- Department of Viral Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.
- Centre for Individualized Infection Medicine (CIIM), Joint Venture of Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and Medical School Hannover, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany.
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13
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Mapook A, Hyde KD, Hassan K, Kemkuignou BM, Čmoková A, Surup F, Kuhnert E, Paomephan P, Cheng T, de Hoog S, Song Y, Jayawardena RS, Al-Hatmi AMS, Mahmoudi T, Ponts N, Studt-Reinhold L, Richard-Forget F, Chethana KWT, Harishchandra DL, Mortimer PE, Li H, Lumyong S, Aiduang W, Kumla J, Suwannarach N, Bhunjun CS, Yu FM, Zhao Q, Schaefer D, Stadler M. Ten decadal advances in fungal biology leading towards human well-being. FUNGAL DIVERS 2022; 116:547-614. [PMID: 36123995 PMCID: PMC9476466 DOI: 10.1007/s13225-022-00510-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Fungi are an understudied resource possessing huge potential for developing products that can greatly improve human well-being. In the current paper, we highlight some important discoveries and developments in applied mycology and interdisciplinary Life Science research. These examples concern recently introduced drugs for the treatment of infections and neurological diseases; application of -OMICS techniques and genetic tools in medical mycology and the regulation of mycotoxin production; as well as some highlights of mushroom cultivaton in Asia. Examples for new diagnostic tools in medical mycology and the exploitation of new candidates for therapeutic drugs, are also given. In addition, two entries illustrating the latest developments in the use of fungi for biodegradation and fungal biomaterial production are provided. Some other areas where there have been and/or will be significant developments are also included. It is our hope that this paper will help realise the importance of fungi as a potential industrial resource and see the next two decades bring forward many new fungal and fungus-derived products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ausana Mapook
- Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand
| | - Kevin D. Hyde
- Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand
- School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201 Yunnan China
- Research Center of Microbial Diversity and Sustainable Utilization, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200 Thailand
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200 Thailand
- Innovative Institute of Plant Health, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Haizhu District, Guangzhou, 510225 China
| | - Khadija Hassan
- Department Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), and German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Inhoffenstrasse 7, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
| | - Blondelle Matio Kemkuignou
- Department Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), and German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Inhoffenstrasse 7, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
| | - Adéla Čmoková
- Laboratory of Fungal Genetics and Metabolism, Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Frank Surup
- Department Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), and German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Inhoffenstrasse 7, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
- Institute of Microbiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstraße 7, 38106 Brunswick, Germany
| | - Eric Kuhnert
- Centre of Biomolecular Drug Research (BMWZ), Institute for Organic Chemistry, Leibniz University Hannover, Schneiderberg 38, 30167 Hannover, Germany
| | - Pathompong Paomephan
- Department Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), and German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Inhoffenstrasse 7, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, 272 Rama VI Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400 Thailand
| | - Tian Cheng
- Department Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), and German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Inhoffenstrasse 7, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
- Laboratory of Fungal Genetics and Metabolism, Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Sybren de Hoog
- Center of Expertise in Mycology, Radboud University Medical Center / Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Microbiology, Parasitology and Pathology Graduate Program, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Yinggai Song
- Department of Dermatology, Peking University First Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ruvishika S. Jayawardena
- Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand
- School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand
| | - Abdullah M. S. Al-Hatmi
- Center of Expertise in Mycology, Radboud University Medical Center / Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Nizwa, Oman
| | - Tokameh Mahmoudi
- Department of Biochemistry, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Nadia Ponts
- INRAE, UR1264 Mycology and Food Safety (MycSA), 33882 Villenave d’Ornon, France
| | - Lena Studt-Reinhold
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Microbial Genetics, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Tulln an der Donau, Austria
| | | | - K. W. Thilini Chethana
- Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand
- School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand
| | - Dulanjalee L. Harishchandra
- Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand
- School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environment Friendly Management on Fruit Diseases and Pests in North China, Institute of Plant Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, 100097 China
| | - Peter E. Mortimer
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201 Yunnan China
- Centre for Mountain Futures (CMF), Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, 650201 Yunnan China
| | - Huili Li
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201 Yunnan China
- Centre for Mountain Futures (CMF), Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, 650201 Yunnan China
| | - Saisamorm Lumyong
- Research Center of Microbial Diversity and Sustainable Utilization, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200 Thailand
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200 Thailand
- Academy of Science, The Royal Society of Thailand, Bangkok, 10300 Thailand
| | - Worawoot Aiduang
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200 Thailand
| | - Jaturong Kumla
- Research Center of Microbial Diversity and Sustainable Utilization, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200 Thailand
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200 Thailand
| | - Nakarin Suwannarach
- Research Center of Microbial Diversity and Sustainable Utilization, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200 Thailand
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200 Thailand
| | - Chitrabhanu S. Bhunjun
- Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand
- School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand
| | - Feng-Ming Yu
- Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand
- School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201 Yunnan China
| | - Qi Zhao
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201 Yunnan China
| | - Doug Schaefer
- Centre for Mountain Futures (CMF), Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, 650201 Yunnan China
| | - Marc Stadler
- Department Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), and German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Inhoffenstrasse 7, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
- Institute of Microbiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Spielmannstraße 7, 38106 Brunswick, Germany
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14
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Pira H, Risdian C, Müsken M, Schupp PJ, Wink J. Photobacterium arenosum WH24, Isolated from the Gill of Pacific Oyster Crassostrea gigas from the North Sea of Germany: Co-cultivation and Prediction of Virulence. Curr Microbiol 2022; 79:219. [PMID: 35704100 PMCID: PMC9200695 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-022-02909-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Cream colored bacteria from marine agar, strain WH24, WH77, and WH80 were isolated from the gill of the Crassostrea gigas a Pacific oyster with a filter-feeding habit that compels accompanying bacteria to demonstrate a high metabolic capacity, has proven able to colonize locations with changing circumstances. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence, all strains had high similarity to Photobacterium arenosum CAU 1568T (99.72%). This study involved phenotypic traits, phylogenetic analysis, antimicrobial activity evaluation, genome mining, Co-cultivation experiments, and chemical studies of crude extracts using HPLC and LC-HRESIMS. Photobacterium arenosum WH24 and Zooshikella harenae WH53Twere co-cultivated for 3 days in a rotary shaker at 160 rpm at 30 °C, and LC-MS monitored the chemical profiles of the co-cultures on the third day. The UV chromatograms of the extracts of the co-cultivation experiments show that Zooshikella harenae WH53T could be inhibited by strain WH24. The high virulence of Photobacterium arenosum WH24 was confirmed by genome analysis. Gene groups with high virulence potential were detected: tssA (ImpA), tssB (ImpB/vipA), tssC (ImpC/vipB), tssE, tssF (ImpG/vasA), tssG (ImpH/vasB), tssM (IcmF/vasK), tssJ (vasD), tssK (ImpJ/vasE), tssL (ImpK/vasF), clpV (tssH), vasH, hcp, lapP, plpD, and tpsB family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hani Pira
- Microbial Strain Collection (MISG), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), 38124, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Chandra Risdian
- Microbial Strain Collection (MISG), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), 38124, Brunswick, Germany
- Research Unit for Clean Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Bandung, 40135, Indonesia
| | - Mathias Müsken
- Central Facility for Microscopy, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), 38124, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Peter J Schupp
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Joachim Wink
- Microbial Strain Collection (MISG), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), 38124, Brunswick, Germany.
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15
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Chaverra-Muñoz L, Briem T, Hüttel S. Optimization of the production process for the anticancer lead compound illudin M: improving titers in shake-flasks. Microb Cell Fact 2022; 21:98. [PMID: 35643529 PMCID: PMC9148526 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-022-01827-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The fungal sesquiterpenes Illudin M and S are important base molecules for the development of new anticancer agents due to their strong activity against some resistant tumor cell lines. Due to nonspecific toxicity of the natural compounds, improvement of the pharmacophore is required. A semisynthetic derivative of illudin S (Irofulven) entered phase II clinical trials for the treatment of castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer. Several semisynthetic illudin M derivatives showed increased in vitro selectivity and improved therapeutic index against certain tumor cell lines, encouraging further investigation. This requires a sustainable supply of the natural compound, which is produced by Basidiomycota of the genus Omphalotus. We aimed to develop a robust biotechnological process to deliver illudin M in quantities sufficient to support medicinal chemistry studies and future preclinical and clinical development. In this study, we report the initial steps towards this goal. RESULTS After establishing analytical workflows, different culture media and commercially available Omphalotus strains were screened for the production of illudin M.Omphalotus nidiformis cultivated in a medium containing corn steep solids reached ~ 38 mg L-1 setting the starting point for optimization. Improved seed preparation in combination with a simplified medium (glucose 13.5 g L-1; corn steep solids 7.0 g L- 1; Dox broth modified 35 mL), reduced cultivation time and enhanced titers significantly (~ 400 mg L-1). Based on a reproducible cultivation method, a feeding strategy was developed considering potential biosynthetic bottlenecks. Acetate and glucose were fed at 96 h (8.0 g L-1) and 120 h (6.0 g L-1) respectively, which resulted in final illudin M titer of ~ 940 mg L-1 after eight days. This is a 25 fold increase compared to the initial titer. CONCLUSION After strict standardization of seed-preparation and cultivation parameters, a combination of experimental design, empirical trials and additional supply of limiting biosynthetic precursors, led to a highly reproducible process in shake flasks with high titers of illudin M. These findings are the base for further work towards a scalable biotechnological process for a stable illudin M supply.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lillibeth Chaverra-Muñoz
- Department of Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Brunswick, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Theresa Briem
- Department of Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Stephan Hüttel
- Department of Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Brunswick, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Brunswick, Germany
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16
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Metz JK, Hittinger M, Lehr CM. In vitro tools for orally inhaled drug products-state of the art for their application in pharmaceutical research and industry and regulatory challenges. In Vitro Model 2021; 1:29-40. [PMID: 38624975 PMCID: PMC8688684 DOI: 10.1007/s44164-021-00003-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The drug development process is a lengthy and expensive challenge for all involved players. Experience with the COVID-19 pandemic underlines the need for a rapid and effective approval for treatment options. As essential prerequisites for successful drug approval, a combination of high-quality studies and reliable research must be included. To this day, mainly in vivo data are requested and collected for assessing safety and efficacy and are therefore decisive for the pre-clinical evaluation of the respective drug. This review aims to summarize the current state of the art for safety and efficacy studies in pharmaceutical research and industry to address the relevant regulatory challenges and to provide an outlook on implementing more in vitro methods as alternative to animal testing. While the public demand for alternative methods is becoming louder, first examples have meanwhile found acceptance in relevant guidelines, e.g. the OECD guidelines for skin sensitizer. Besides ethically driven developments, also the rather low throughput and relatively high costs of animal experiments are forcing the industry towards the implementation of alternative methods. In this context, the development of orally inhaled drug products is particularly challenging due to the complexity of the lung as biological barrier and route of administration. The replacement of animal experiments with focus on the lungs requires special designed tools to achieve predictive data. New in vitro test systems of increasing complexity are presented in this review. Limits and advantages are discussed to provide some perspective for a future in vitro testing strategy for orally inhaled drug products. Graphical abstract
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Katharina Metz
- Department of Drug Delivery, PharmBioTec Research & Development GmbH, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
- Department of Pharmacy, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Marius Hittinger
- Department of Drug Delivery, PharmBioTec Research & Development GmbH, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Claus-Michael Lehr
- Department of Pharmacy, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
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17
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Vanella P, Basellini U, Lange B. Assessing excess mortality in times of pandemics based on principal component analysis of weekly mortality data-the case of COVID-19. Genus 2021; 77:16. [PMID: 34393261 PMCID: PMC8350559 DOI: 10.1186/s41118-021-00123-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 outbreak has called for renewed attention to the need for sound statistical analyses to monitor mortality patterns and trends over time. Excess mortality has been suggested as the most appropriate indicator to measure the overall burden of the pandemic in terms of mortality. As such, excess mortality has received considerable interest since the outbreak of COVID-19 began. Previous approaches to estimate excess mortality are somewhat limited, as they do not include sufficiently long-term trends, correlations among different demographic and geographic groups, or autocorrelations in the mortality time series. This might lead to biased estimates of excess mortality, as random mortality fluctuations may be misinterpreted as excess mortality. We propose a novel approach that overcomes the named limitations and draws a more realistic picture of excess mortality. Our approach is based on an established forecasting model that is used in demography, namely, the Lee-Carter model. We illustrate our approach by using the weekly age- and sex-specific mortality data for 19 countries and the current COVID-19 pandemic as a case study. Our findings show evidence of considerable excess mortality during 2020 in Europe, which affects different countries, age, and sex groups heterogeneously. Our proposed model can be applied to future pandemics as well as to monitor excess mortality from specific causes of death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizio Vanella
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Inhoffenstr. 7, DE-38124 Brunswick, Germany
- Chair of Empirical Methods in Social Science and Demography, University of Rostock, Ulmenstr. 69, DE-18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Ugofilippo Basellini
- Laboratory of Digital and Computational Demography, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), Konrad-Zuse-Str. 1, DE-18057 Rostock, Germany
- Institut National d’Etudes Démographiques (INED), 9 cours des Humanités, FR-93322 Aubervilliers, Cedex, France
| | - Berit Lange
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Inhoffenstr. 7, DE-38124 Brunswick, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Inhoffenstr. 7, DE-38124 Brunswick, Germany
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18
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Fritz A, Bremges A, Deng ZL, Lesker TR, Götting J, Ganzenmueller T, Sczyrba A, Dilthey A, Klawonn F, McHardy AC. Haploflow: strain-resolved de novo assembly of viral genomes. Genome Biol 2021; 22:212. [PMID: 34281604 PMCID: PMC8287296 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-021-02426-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
AbstractWith viral infections, multiple related viral strains are often present due to coinfection or within-host evolution. We describe Haploflow, a deBruijn graph-based assembler for de novo genome assembly of viral strains from mixed sequence samples using a novel flow algorithm. We assess Haploflow across multiple benchmark data sets of increasing complexity, showing that Haploflow is faster and more accurate than viral haplotype assemblers and generic metagenome assemblers not aiming to reconstruct strains. We show Haploflow reconstructs viral strain genomes from patient HCMV samples and SARS-CoV-2 wastewater samples identical to clinical isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Fritz
- Department of Computational Biology of Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Andreas Bremges
- Department of Computational Biology of Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Zhi-Luo Deng
- Department of Computational Biology of Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Till Robin Lesker
- Department of Computational Biology of Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Jasper Götting
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
- Institute of Virology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Tina Ganzenmueller
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
- Institute of Virology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Institute for Medical Virology, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Alexander Sczyrba
- Department of Computational Biology of Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- Faculty of Technology and Center for Biotechnology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Alexander Dilthey
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Genome Informatics Section, Computational and Statistical Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Frank Klawonn
- Department of Computer Science, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, Wolfenbuettel, Germany
- Biostatistics Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Alice Carolyn McHardy
- Department of Computational Biology of Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.
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19
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Chu X, Jaeger M, Beumer J, Bakker OB, Aguirre-Gamboa R, Oosting M, Smeekens SP, Moorlag S, Mourits VP, Koeken VACM, de Bree C, Jansen T, Mathews IT, Dao K, Najhawan M, Watrous JD, Joosten I, Sharma S, Koenen HJPM, Withoff S, Jonkers IH, Netea-Maier RT, Xavier RJ, Franke L, Xu CJ, Joosten LAB, Sanna S, Jain M, Kumar V, Clevers H, Wijmenga C, Netea MG, Li Y. Integration of metabolomics, genomics, and immune phenotypes reveals the causal roles of metabolites in disease. Genome Biol 2021; 22:198. [PMID: 34229738 PMCID: PMC8259168 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-021-02413-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent studies highlight the role of metabolites in immune diseases, but it remains unknown how much of this effect is driven by genetic and non-genetic host factors. RESULT We systematically investigate circulating metabolites in a cohort of 500 healthy subjects (500FG) in whom immune function and activity are deeply measured and whose genetics are profiled. Our data reveal that several major metabolic pathways, including the alanine/glutamate pathway and the arachidonic acid pathway, have a strong impact on cytokine production in response to ex vivo stimulation. We also examine the genetic regulation of metabolites associated with immune phenotypes through genome-wide association analysis and identify 29 significant loci, including eight novel independent loci. Of these, one locus (rs174584-FADS2) associated with arachidonic acid metabolism is causally associated with Crohn's disease, suggesting it is a potential therapeutic target. CONCLUSION This study provides a comprehensive map of the integration between the blood metabolome and immune phenotypes, reveals novel genetic factors that regulate blood metabolite concentrations, and proposes an integrative approach for identifying new disease treatment targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojing Chu
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700, RB, Groningen, the Netherlands
- Department of Computational Biology for Individualised Medicine, Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine, CiiM, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
- TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
| | - Martin Jaeger
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, HP, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Joep Beumer
- Oncode Institute, Hubrecht Institute-KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) and University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584, CT, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Olivier B Bakker
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700, RB, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Raul Aguirre-Gamboa
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700, RB, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Marije Oosting
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, HP, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Sanne P Smeekens
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, HP, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Simone Moorlag
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, HP, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Vera P Mourits
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, HP, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Valerie A C M Koeken
- Department of Computational Biology for Individualised Medicine, Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine, CiiM, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
- TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, HP, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Charlotte de Bree
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, HP, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Trees Jansen
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, HP, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Ian T Mathews
- Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
- La Jolla Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Khoi Dao
- Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Mahan Najhawan
- Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jeramie D Watrous
- Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Irma Joosten
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory for Medical Immunology, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, GA, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Hans J P M Koenen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory for Medical Immunology, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, GA, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Sebo Withoff
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700, RB, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Iris H Jonkers
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700, RB, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Romana T Netea-Maier
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, HP, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Ramnik J Xavier
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Center for Computational and Integrative Biology and Gastrointestinal Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Lude Franke
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700, RB, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Cheng-Jian Xu
- Department of Computational Biology for Individualised Medicine, Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine, CiiM, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
- TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, HP, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Leo A B Joosten
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, HP, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Serena Sanna
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700, RB, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Mohit Jain
- Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Vinod Kumar
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700, RB, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Hans Clevers
- Oncode Institute, Hubrecht Institute-KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) and University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584, CT, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Oncode Institute, Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Heidelberglaan 25, 3584, CS, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Cisca Wijmenga
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700, RB, Groningen, the Netherlands.
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, 0372, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Mihai G Netea
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, HP, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
- Department for Genomics & Immunoregulation, Life and Medical Sciences Institute (LIMES), University of Bonn, 53115, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Yang Li
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700, RB, Groningen, the Netherlands.
- Department of Computational Biology for Individualised Medicine, Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine, CiiM, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Hannover, Germany.
- TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Hannover, Germany.
- Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525, HP, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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20
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Fernández Villalobos NV, Ott JJ, Klett-Tammen CJ, Bockey A, Vanella P, Krause G, Lange B. Effect modification of the association between comorbidities and severe course of COVID-19 disease by age of study participants: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Syst Rev 2021; 10:194. [PMID: 34193261 PMCID: PMC8244460 DOI: 10.1186/s13643-021-01732-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Comprehensive evidence synthesis on the associations between comorbidities and behavioural factors with hospitalisation, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death due to COVID-19 is required for deriving national and international recommendations on primary targets for non-pharmacological interventions (NPI) and vaccination strategies. METHODS We performed a rapid systematic review and meta-analysis on studies and publicly accessible data to quantify associations between predisposing health conditions, demographics, behavioural factors on the one hand and hospitalisation, ICU admission, and death from COVID-19 on the other hand. We provide ranges of reported and calculated effect estimates and pooled relative risks derived from a meta-analysis and meta-regression. RESULTS Seventy-five studies were included in qualitative and 74 in quantitative synthesis, with study populations ranging from 19 to 44,672 COVID-19 cases. The risk of dying from COVID-19 was significantly associated with cerebrovascular [pooled relative risk (RR) 2.7 (95% CI 1.7-4.1)] and cardiovascular [RR 3.2 (CI 2.3-4.5)] diseases, hypertension [RR 2.6 (CI 2.0-3.4)], and renal disease [RR 2.5 (CI 1.8-3.4)], with high heterogeneity in pooled estimates, partly but not solely explained by age of study participants. For some comorbidities, our meta-regression showed a decrease in effect on the severity of disease with a higher median age of the study population. Compared to death, associations between several comorbidities and hospitalisation and ICU admission were less pronounced. CONCLUSIONS We obtained robust estimates on the magnitude of risk for COVID-19 hospitalisation, ICU admission, and death associated with comorbidities, demographic, and behavioural risk factors and show that these estimates are modified by age of study participants. This interaction is an important finding to be kept in mind for current vaccination strategies and for the protection of individuals with high risk for a severe COVID-19 course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Verónica Fernández Villalobos
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
- PhD Programme Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig-Hannover, Germany
| | - Jördis Jennifer Ott
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
- Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Carolina Judith Klett-Tammen
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Annabelle Bockey
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
- PhD Programme Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig-Hannover, Germany
- Department of Medicine II, Division of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Patrizio Vanella
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
- Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Chair of Empirical Methods in Social Science and Demography, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Gérard Krause
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
- Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Braunschweig, Germany
- TWINCORE GmbH, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
| | - Berit Lange
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany.
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Braunschweig, Germany.
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21
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Herwanto V, Tang B, Wang Y, Shojaei M, Nalos M, Shetty A, Lai K, McLean AS, Schughart K. Blood transcriptome analysis of patients with uncomplicated bacterial infection and sepsis. BMC Res Notes 2021; 14:76. [PMID: 33640018 PMCID: PMC7913415 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-021-05488-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Hospitalized patients who presented within the last 24 h with a bacterial infection were recruited. Participants were assigned into sepsis and uncomplicated infection groups. In addition, healthy volunteers were recruited as controls. RNA was prepared from whole blood, depleted from beta-globin mRNA and sequenced. This dataset represents a highly valuable resource to better understand the biology of sepsis and to identify biomarkers for severe sepsis in humans. DATA DESCRIPTION The data presented here consists of raw and processed transcriptome data obtained by next generation RNA sequencing from 105 peripheral blood samples from patients with uncomplicated infections, patients who developed sepsis, septic shock patients, and healthy controls. It is provided as raw sequenced reads and as normalized log2 transformed relative expression levels. This data will allow performing detailed analyses of gene expression changes between uncomplicated infections and sepsis patients, such as identification of differentially expressed genes, co-regulated modules as well as pathway activation studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Velma Herwanto
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Nepean Hospital, Sydney, Australia
- Centre for Immunology and Allergy Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tarumanagara, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Benjamin Tang
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Nepean Hospital, Sydney, Australia
- Centre for Immunology and Allergy Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ya Wang
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Nepean Hospital, Sydney, Australia
- Centre for Immunology and Allergy Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, Australia
| | - Maryam Shojaei
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Nepean Hospital, Sydney, Australia
- Centre for Immunology and Allergy Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, Australia
| | - Marek Nalos
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Nepean Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Amith Shetty
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, Australia
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Kevin Lai
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Anthony S. McLean
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Nepean Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Klaus Schughart
- Department of Infection Genetics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN USA
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22
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Khailaie S, Mitra T, Bandyopadhyay A, Schips M, Mascheroni P, Vanella P, Lange B, Binder SC, Meyer-Hermann M. Development of the reproduction number from coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 case data in Germany and implications for political measures. BMC Med 2021; 19:32. [PMID: 33504336 PMCID: PMC7840427 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-020-01884-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND SARS-CoV-2 has induced a worldwide pandemic and subsequent non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to control the spread of the virus. As in many countries, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Germany has led to a consecutive roll-out of different NPIs. As these NPIs have (largely unknown) adverse effects, targeting them precisely and monitoring their effectiveness are essential. We developed a compartmental infection dynamics model with specific features of SARS-CoV-2 that allows daily estimation of a time-varying reproduction number and published this information openly since the beginning of April 2020. Here, we present the transmission dynamics in Germany over time to understand the effect of NPIs and allow adaptive forecasts of the epidemic progression. METHODS We used a data-driven estimation of the evolution of the reproduction number for viral spreading in Germany as well as in all its federal states using our model. Using parameter estimates from literature and, alternatively, with parameters derived from a fit to the initial phase of COVID-19 spread in different regions of Italy, the model was optimized to fit data from the Robert Koch Institute. RESULTS The time-varying reproduction number (Rt) in Germany decreased to <1 in early April 2020, 2-3 weeks after the implementation of NPIs. Partial release of NPIs both nationally and on federal state level correlated with moderate increases in Rt until August 2020. Implications of state-specific Rt on other states and on national level are characterized. Retrospective evaluation of the model shows excellent agreement with the data and usage of inpatient facilities well within the healthcare limit. While short-term predictions may work for a few weeks, long-term projections are complicated by unpredictable structural changes. CONCLUSIONS The estimated fraction of immunized population by August 2020 warns of a renewed outbreak upon release of measures. A low detection rate prolongs the delay reaching a low case incidence number upon release, showing the importance of an effective testing-quarantine strategy. We show that real-time monitoring of transmission dynamics is important to evaluate the extent of the outbreak, short-term projections for the burden on the healthcare system, and their response to policy changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahamoddin Khailaie
- Department of Systems Immunology and Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Rebenring 56, Braunschweig, 38106 Germany
| | - Tanmay Mitra
- Department of Systems Immunology and Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Rebenring 56, Braunschweig, 38106 Germany
| | - Arnab Bandyopadhyay
- Department of Systems Immunology and Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Rebenring 56, Braunschweig, 38106 Germany
| | - Marta Schips
- Department of Systems Immunology and Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Rebenring 56, Braunschweig, 38106 Germany
| | - Pietro Mascheroni
- Department of Systems Immunology and Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Rebenring 56, Braunschweig, 38106 Germany
| | - Patrizio Vanella
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Inhoffenstr. 7, Braunschweig, 38124 Germany
- Hannover Biomedical Research School (HBRS), Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, Hannover, 30625 Germany
- Chair of Empirical Methods in Social Science and Demography, University of Rostock, Ulmenstr. 69, Rostock, 18057 Germany
| | - Berit Lange
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Inhoffenstr. 7, Braunschweig, 38124 Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Inhoffenstraße 7, Braunschweig, 38124 Germany
| | - Sebastian C. Binder
- Department of Systems Immunology and Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Rebenring 56, Braunschweig, 38106 Germany
| | - Michael Meyer-Hermann
- Department of Systems Immunology and Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Rebenring 56, Braunschweig, 38106 Germany
- Institute for Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence RESIST (EXC 2155), Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, Hannover, 30625 Germany
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