Microbes and infection
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Microbes and infection · Jul 2013
ReviewMiddle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV): challenges in identifying its source and controlling its spread.
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), a novel human coronavirus that caused outbreaks of a SARS-like illness in the Middle East, is now considered a threat to global public health. This review discusses the challenges in identifying the source of this fatal virus and developing effective and safe anti-MERS-CoV vaccines and therapeutics in order to control its spread and to combat any future pandemic.
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Microbes and infection · Jun 2013
Dectin-1 plays a redundant role in the immunomodulatory activities of β-glucan-rich ligands in vivo.
β-Glucans are known for their ability to trigger both protective and damaging immune responses. Here we have explored the role of the beta-glucan receptor Dectin-1 in archetypical models of protective and non-protective immunomodulation induced by beta-glucan rich ligands. ⋯ In the second model, we explored the role of Dectin-1 in zymosan induced multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. In both cases, these β-glucan rich compounds had marked effects in vivo which were unaltered by Dectin-1 deficiency, suggesting that this receptor has a redundant role in these murine models.
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Microbes and infection · Jun 2013
EditorialBirds of ill omen--is H7N9 the harbinger of the next pandemic?
In February 2013, a novel avian virus appeared in Humans in China and caused several fatalities since. The rapidity and efficiency of the organizations in charge led to the quick identification of H7N9 and the triggering of preventive measures. However, the sequencing of the viral genome holds good and bad news and it is not clear yet if we face an emerging pandemic.
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Microbes and infection · Apr 2013
Comparative StudyAnti-influenza A virus characteristics of a fucoidan from sporophyll of Undaria pinnatifida in mice with normal and compromised immunity.
Undaria pinnatifida, an edible brown alga, contains fucoidan (FuC), a sulfated polysaccharide, that inhibited the in vitro replication of influenza A virus, and stimulated both innate and adaptive immune defense functions in virus-infected mice. In the present study, the effects of oral administration of FuC were evaluated on influenza virus infection in immunocompetent and immunocompromised mice, where the efficacy of FuC was demonstrated in reducing viral replication, decreasing weight loss and mortality, and prolonging survival. ⋯ In immunocompromised mice, drug-resistant viruses frequently recovered after oseltamivir treatment; no resistant viruses were isolated from FuC-treated mice. FuC could be a candidate for the development of new therapeutic options including its combination with neuraminidase inhibitors such as oseltamivir.
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Microbes and infection · Mar 2012
ReviewA battle for iron: host sequestration and Staphylococcus aureus acquisition.
The use of iron as an enzymatic cofactor is pervasive in biological systems. Consequently most living organisms, including pathogenic bacteria, require iron to survive and replicate. To combat infection vertebrates have evolved sophisticated iron sequestration systems against which, pathogenic bacteria have concomitantly evolved equally elaborate iron acquisition mechanisms.