ABSTRACT
Lately pandemics have been related to viral infections instead of bacterial infections. Human immunodeficiency virus, HIN1influenza A virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have already afflicted humanity. The world is currently ravaged by a new coronavirus—the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND METHODS: To investigate virus diversity in hot zones of probable pathogen spillover, 54 oral-fecal swabs were processed from five bat species collected from three cave systems in Kenya, using metagenome sequencing. RESULTS: Viruses belonging to the Astroviridae, Circoviridae, Coronaviridae, Dicistroviridae, Herpesviridae and Retroviridae were detected, with unclassified viruses. Retroviral sequences were prevalent; 74.1% of all samples were positive, with distinct correlations between virus, site and host bat species. Detected retroviruses comprised Myotis myotis, Myotis ricketti, Myotis daubentonii and Galidia endogenous retroviruses, murine leukemia virus-related virus and Rhinolophus ferrumequinum retrovirus (RFRV). A near-complete genome of a local RFRV strain with identical genome organization and 2.8% nucleotide divergence from the prototype isolate was characterized. Bat coronavirus sequences were detected with a prevalence of 24.1%, where analyses on the ORF1ab region revealed a novel alphacoronavirus lineage. Astrovirus sequences were detected in 25.9%of all samples, with considerable diversity. In 9.2% of the samples, other viruses including Actinidia yellowing virus 2, bat betaherpesvirus, Bole tick virus 4, Cyclovirus and Rhopalosiphum padi virus were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Further monitoring of bats across Kenya is essential to facilitate early recognition of possibly emergent zoonotic viruses.
Subject(s)
Alphacoronavirus , Astroviridae , COVID-19 , Chiroptera , Herpesviridae , RNA Viruses , Animals , Astroviridae/genetics , Kenya/epidemiology , Phylogeny , Retroviridae , RNA Viruses/genetics , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
CD4+ T cells are central to long-term immunity against viruses through the functions of T helper 1 (TH1) and T follicular helper (TFH) cell subsets. To better understand the role of these subsets in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) immunity, we conducted a longitudinal study of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific CD4+ T cell and antibody responses in convalescent individuals who seroconverted during the first wave of the pandemic in Boston, MA, USA, across a range of COVID-19 disease severities. Analyses of spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) epitope-specific CD4+ T cells using peptide and major histocompatibility complex class II (pMHCII) tetramers demonstrated expanded populations of T cells recognizing the different SARS-CoV-2 epitopes in most individuals compared with prepandemic controls. Individuals who experienced a milder disease course not requiring hospitalization had a greater percentage of circulating TFH (cTFH) and TH1 cells among SARS-CoV-2-specific cells. Analysis of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T cells responses in a subset of individuals with sustained anti-S antibody responses after viral clearance also revealed an increased proportion of memory cTFH cells. Our findings indicate that efficient early disease control also predicts favorable long-term adaptive immunity.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes , Epitopes , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Memory T Cells , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
Cardiovascular disease is the number one worldwide killer of men and women. Atherosclerosis is characterized by deposition of lipids in arterial walls and is responsible for a wide spectrum of end organ damage. Inflammation of the blood vessel wall (vasculitis) can occur as a secondary process in association with another disease or exposure (including COVID-19), or as a primary idiopathic process. The primary vasculitides have individual patterns of vascular involvement and histopathological characteristics that influence their clinical features, severity, and management.