ABSTRACT
We report SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers in sera of triple-vaccinated individuals who received a booster dose of an original monovalent or a bivalent BA.1- or BA.4/BA.5-adapted vaccine, or had a breakthrough infection with Omicron variants BA.1, BA.2 or BA.4/BA.5. A bivalent BA.4/BA.5 booster or Omicron-breakthrough infection induced increased Omicron-neutralization titers compared with the monovalent booster. The XBB.1.5 variant effectively evaded neutralizing-antibody responses elicited by current vaccines and/or infection with previous variants.
Subject(s)
Breakthrough Pain , COVID-19ABSTRACT
In 2022, Austria experienced a severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) epidemic with an earlier-than-usual start and increased numbers of paediatric patients in emergency departments. Nationwide multiyear genomic surveillance revealed that the surge was driven by RSV-B, however genotypes consisted of multiple lineages that were circulating prior to the pandemic.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Respiratory Syncytial Virus InfectionsABSTRACT
Since the worldwide spread of SARS-CoV-2, different European countries reacted with temporarily nationwide lockdowns with the aim to limit the virus transmission in the population. Also Austria started a lockdown of public life in March. In this study we investigated whether the circulation of different respiratory virus infections in Austria, as assessed by using the established respiratory virus surveillance system, is affected by these measures as well and may reflect the success of the lockdown in limiting respiratory virus transmission. Sentinel data obtained for influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus and rhinovirus cases were analyzed and compared between the season 2019/ 2020 and the five previous seasons. We observed a rapid and statistically significant reduction of cumulative cases for all these viruses within short time after the lockdown in March 2020, compared to previous seasons (each p<0.001). Also, sentinel screening for SARS-CoV-2 infections was performed and a decrease of SARS-CoV-2 was seen after the lockdown. While for the seasonally occurring viruses as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus or human metapneumovirus the lockdown led to the end of the annual epidemics, a re-increase of rhinovirus infections was observed after liberalization of numerous lockdown measures. Our data provide evidence that occurrence of different respiratory virus infections reflect not only the efficiency of lockdown measures taken against SARS-CoV-2 but also the effects of their release on respiratory transmission.
Subject(s)
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections , Respiratory Tract Infections , Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome , InfectionsABSTRACT
Superspreading events shape the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we provide a national-scale analysis of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in Austria, a country that played a major role for virus transmission across Europe and beyond. Capitalizing on a national epidemiological surveillance system, we performed deep whole-genome sequencing of virus isolates from 576 samples to cover major Austrian SARS-CoV-2 clusters. Our data chart a map of early viral spreading in Europe, including the path from low-frequency mutations to fixation. Detailed epidemiological surveys enabled us to calculate the effective SARS-CoV-2 population bottlenecks during transmission and unveil time-resolved intra-patient viral quasispecies dynamics. This study demonstrates the power of integrating deep viral genome sequencing and epidemiological data to better understand how SARS-CoV-2 spreads through populations. Graphical Abstract O_FIG_DISPLAY_L [Figure 1] M_FIG_DISPLAY C_FIG_DISPLAY