Virol J
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Proventricular dilatation disease (PDD) is a fatal disorder of psittacine birds worldwide. The disease is characterized by lymphoplasmacytic infiltration of the central and peripheral nervous systems, leading to gastrointestinal motility and/or central nervous system dysfunction. Recently, we detected a significant association between avian bornavirus (ABV) infection and clinical signs of PDD in psittacines. However, it remains unclear whether ABV infection actually causes PDD. To address this question, we examined the impact of ABV inoculation on the cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus). ⋯ In this study, the clinical and pathological manifestations of PDD were induced by inoculation of cockatiels with brain homogenates containing avian bornavirus 4. By using high throughput pyrosequencing an in-depth view of the viral content of the inoculum was achieved, revealing that of 3 candidate virus families detected, only the presence of ABV RNA correlated with the development of PDD. This study provides evidence of a causal association between ABV4 infection and PDD in cockatiels.
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Acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRI) are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in young children worldwide. Information on viral etiology in ALRI from India is limited. The aim of the present study was to develop a simple, sensitive, specific and cost effective multiplex PCR (mPCR) assay without post PCR hybridization or nested PCR steps for the detection of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza viruses, parainfluenza viruses (PIV1-3) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV). Nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) were collected from children with ALRI < or = 5 years of age. The sensitivity and specificity of mPCR was compared to virus isolation by centrifugation enhanced culture (CEC) followed by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF). ⋯ Multiplex PCR offers a rapid, sensitive and reasonably priced diagnostic method for common respiratory viruses.
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Currently licensed human vaccines are subtype-specific and do not protect against pandemic H5N1 viruses. Previously, our group has reported on the construction of an influenza virus-like particle (VLP) as a new generation candidate vaccine. A mixture of influenza H5N1 VLPs representing clade 1 and 2 viruses were examined for the ability to elicit protective immunity against isolates from various clades and subclades of H5N1. ⋯ These results demonstrate that a multivalent influenza VLP vaccine representing different genetic clades is a promising strategy to elicit protective immunity against isolates from emerging clades and subclades of H5N1.
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The enormous genetic variability reported in HIV-1 has posed problems in the treatment of infected individuals. This is evident in the form of HIV-1 resistant to antiviral agents, neutralizing antibodies and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) involving multiple viral gene products. Based on this, it has been suggested that a comprehensive analysis of the polymorphisms in HIV proteins is of value for understanding the virus transmission and pathogenesis as well as for the efforts towards developing anti-viral therapeutics and vaccines. ⋯ Based on this, we have also extended our analysis of the amino acid polymorphisms to the experimentally defined and predicted CTL epitopes. The results suggest that amino acid polymorphisms may contribute to the immune escape of the virus. The available data on naturally occurring polymorphisms will be useful to assess their potential effect on the structural and functional constraints of Vpr and also on the fitness of HIV-1 for replication.
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Clinical Trial
Effect of influenza and pneumococcal vaccines in elderly persons in years of low influenza activity.
The present prospective study was conducted from 2003-2005, among all individuals 65 years and older in Uppsala County, a region with 300 000 inhabitants situated close to the Stockholm urban area.The objective of this study was to assess the preventive effect of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination in reducing hospitalisation and length of hospital stay (LOHS) even during periods of low influenza activity. The specificity of the apparent vaccine associations were evaluated in relation to the influenza seasons. ⋯ The present study confirmed the additive effect of the two vaccines in the elderly, which was associated with a reduced risk in hospitalisation and a reduction in mean LOHS in seasons with low influenza activity.