Phylogenetic analysis reveals a new introduction of Yellow Fever virus in São Paulo State, Brazil, 2023.

Yellow Fever (YF) is a viral arbovirosis of Public Health importance. In Brazil, surveillance is focused mainly on detecting epizootic events of Platyrrhini. Herein, we compared the detection and phylogenetic analysis of YF virus in two neotropical primates (NTP), a Callithrix detected in the previous epidemic period (2016-2020), and a Callicebus nigrifons, showing a new introduction of YF in 2023. This paper illustrates the importance of joint actions of laboratory and field teams to ensure quick response to Public Health emergencies, such as the intensification of vaccination of susceptible human populations.

Canine distemper virus and canine adenovirus type 1 co-infection in a free-living hoary fox (Lycalopex vetulus) from Brazil.

The present case is the first description of a co-infection with canine distemper virus (CDV) and canine adenovirus type 1 (CAdV-1) in a free-living hoary fox pup from Brazil. The animal was found and rescued with poor body condition, dehydration, incoordination, ataxia, excessive vocalization, and "blue eyes" phenomenon. Despite the efforts, euthanasia was elected due to worsening clinical signs and poor prognosis. Pathologic examination revealed a mild, acute, random, necrotizing hepatitis, acute bronchopneumonia, hydrocephalus, corneal edema with epithelium degeneration, and acidophilic intracytoplasmatic inclusion bodies in different epithelial cells types with rare syncytial. Through immunohistochemistry, CDV antigen was observed in the tongue, trachea, lungs, liver, spleen, stomach, intestine and urinary bladder. Adenovirus antigen was identified in the nucleus of scattered hepatocytes. Polymerase chain reaction and sequencing demonstrated high similarity with CAdV-1 and wild-type strain of CDV close related to Brazilian viral lineages isolated from domestic dogs. Disease surveillance in wildlife animals is essential to assess possible conservation threats and consider the implementation of mitigation or control measures.

Prognostic models for mortality after cardiac surgery in patients with infective endocarditis: a systematic review and aggregation of prediction models.

BACKGROUND: There are several prognostic models to estimate the risk of mortality after surgery for active infective endocarditis (IE). However, these models incorporate different predictors and their performance is uncertain. OBJECTIVE: We systematically reviewed and critically appraised all available prediction models of postoperative mortality in patients undergoing surgery for IE, and aggregated them into a meta-model. DATA SOURCES: We searched Medline and EMBASE databases from inception to June 2020. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: We included studies that developed or updated a prognostic model of postoperative mortality in patient with IE. METHODS: We assessed the risk of bias of the models using PROBAST (Prediction model Risk Of Bias ASsessment Tool) and we aggregated them into an aggregate meta-model based on stacked regressions and optimized it for a nationwide registry of IE patients. The meta-model performance was assessed using bootstrap validation methods and adjusted for optimism. RESULTS: We identified 11 prognostic models for postoperative mortality. Eight models had a high risk of bias. The meta-model included weighted predictors from the remaining three models (EndoSCORE, specific ES-I and specific ES-II), which were not rated as high risk of bias and provided full model equations. Additionally, two variables (age and infectious agent) that had been modelled differently across studies, were estimated based on the nationwide registry. The performance of the meta-model was better than the original three models, with the corresponding performance measures: C-statistics 0.79 (95% CI 0.76-0.82), calibration slope 0.98 (95% CI 0.86-1.13) and calibration-in-the-large -0.05 (95% CI -0.20 to 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: The meta-model outperformed published models and showed a robust predictive capacity for predicting the individualized risk of postoperative mortality in patients with IE. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (registration number CRD42020192602).

New susceptibility loci for severe COVID-19 by detailed GWAS analysis in European populations

Given the highly variable clinical phenotype of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a deeper analysis of the host genetic contribution to severe COVID-19 is important to improve our understanding of underlying disease mechanisms. Here, we describe an extended GWAS meta-analysis of a well-characterized cohort of 3,260 COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure and 12,483 population controls from Italy, Spain, Norway and Germany/Austria, including stratified analyses based on age, sex and disease severity, as well as targeted analyses of chromosome Y haplotypes, the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region and the SARS-CoV-2 peptidome. By inversion imputation, we traced a reported association at 17q21.31 to a highly pleiotropic [~]0.9-Mb inversion polymorphism and characterized the potential effects of the inversion in detail. Our data, together with the 5th release of summary statistics from the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative, also identified a new locus at 19q13.33, including NAPSA, a gene which is expressed primarily in alveolar cells responsible for gas exchange in the lung.

The ABO blood group locus and a chromosome 3 gene cluster associate with SARS-CoV-2 respiratory failure in an Italian-Spanish genome-wide association analysis

BackgroundRespiratory failure is a key feature of severe Covid-19 and a critical driver of mortality, but for reasons poorly defined affects less than 10% of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. MethodsWe included 1,980 patients with Covid-19 respiratory failure at seven centers in the Italian and Spanish epicenters of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Europe (Milan, Monza, Madrid, San Sebastian and Barcelona) for a genome-wide association analysis. After quality control and exclusion of population outliers, 835 patients and 1,255 population-derived controls from Italy, and 775 patients and 950 controls from Spain were included in the final analysis. In total we analyzed 8,582,968 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and conducted a meta-analysis of both case-control panels. ResultsWe detected cross-replicating associations with rs11385942 at chromosome 3p21.31 and rs657152 at 9q34, which were genome-wide significant (P<5x10-8) in the meta-analysis of both study panels, odds ratio [OR], 1.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48 to 2.11; P=1.14x10-10 and OR 1.32 (95% CI, 1.20 to 1.47; P=4.95x10-8), respectively. Among six genes at 3p21.31, SLC6A20 encodes a known interaction partner with angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The association signal at 9q34 was located at the ABO blood group locus and a blood-group-specific analysis showed higher risk for A-positive individuals (OR=1.45, 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.75, P=1.48x10-4) and a protective effect for blood group O (OR=0.65, 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.79, P=1.06x10-5). ConclusionsWe herein report the first robust genetic susceptibility loci for the development of respiratory failure in Covid-19. Identified variants may help guide targeted exploration of severe Covid-19 pathophysiology.

Tuberculosis in special populations

La susceptibilidad a la infección, patogenia y manifestaciones clínicas de la tuberculosis (TB) dependen dela situación inmunológica del hospedador, lo cual, a su vez, está determinado en gran medida por la edad ylas comorbilidades, pero también por otros factores no bien conocidos. La mayor parte de casos nuevos deTB en España tiene su origen en la reactivación de una infección remota latente, y es favorecida por el envejecimientoy las terapias inmunosupresoras agresivas. A menudo, el diagnóstico y tratamiento de la TB eneste contexto representan un reto. Las presentaciones atípicas, con afectación extrapulmonar, pueden retrasarel diagnóstico, pero además la toxicidad y las interacciones de los fármacos antituberculosos, a menudo,dificultan el tratamiento. La inmigración de países en vías de desarrollo y alta incidencia de TB, frecuentementecon condiciones sociales y económicas desfavorables, añade un nuevo reto al control de laenfermedad en España. En este capítulo se resume el conocimiento actual acerca de los aspectos epidemiológicos,clínicos y terapéuticos de la TB en poblaciones especialmente susceptibles (AU)

The susceptibility to infection, the pathogenesis and the clinical manifestations of tuberculosis (TB) depend on the immunological status of the host. Immunological status is largely determined by age and comorbidities, but is also affected by other less well known factors. In Spain, most incidental cases of TB arise from the reactivation of remotely acquired latent infections and are favored by the aging of the population and the use of aggressive immunosuppressive therapies. The diagnosis and management of TB in these circumstances is often challenging. On the one hand, the atypical presentation with extrapulmonary involvement may delay diagnosis, and on the other, the toxicity and interactions of the antituberculous drugs frequently make treatment difficult. Immigration from resource-poor, high incidence TB countries, where the social and economic conditions are often suboptimal, adds a new challenge to the control of the disease in Spain. This chapter summarizes our current knowledge of epidemiological, clinical and treatment aspects of TB in particularly susceptible populations (AU)