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J Med Microbiol 2021 Jun;70(6)

Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (CSIR-IICB), 4, Raja S.C. Mullick Road, Kolkata-700032, West Bengal, India.

Co-endemicity of SARS-CoV-2 and dengue virus (DV) infection is becoming a matter of serious concern as it has been already reported that antibodies (Ab) elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection can produce false-positive results in dengue IgG and IgM rapid tests and . Here we communicate that five of thirteen DV antibody-positive serum samples from Kolkata, archived in 2017 (predating the COVID-19 outbreak), produced false-positive results in SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM lateral flow-based rapid tests. Our results emphasize the importance of implementing tests with higher specificity to conduct sero-surveillance for accurate estimation of SARS-CoV-2/DV prevalence in regions where both viruses now co-exist. Read More

N Engl J Med 2021 06;384(23):2252-2253

From the Department of Global Health, School of Public Health, and the Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Boston University, Boston.

Pan Afr Med J 2021 8;38:248. Epub 2021 Mar 8.

CHU de la Référence, N´Djamena, Tchad.

Yellow fever (YF) is a viral haemorrhagic fever caused by yellow fever virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. Since 2013, in Chad, four cases of yellow fever have been detected and confirmed as part of the national fever surveillance program. We here report the last clinical case confirmed in the health district of Lai. Read More

Infect Genet Evol 2021 Jun 2;93:104950. Epub 2021 Jun 2.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medical Instrument and Food Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.

The Hantaan virus belongs to Bunyaviridae family, an emerging virus that is responsible for hemorrhagic fevers. The virus is distributed worldwide and as of now there is no successful antiviral drug or vaccine developed to protect against the viral infections. Immunization or vaccination is an alternative approach for the protection against viral infections. Read More

Science 2021 06;372(6546):1041-1042

Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.

Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2021 28;116:e200547. Epub 2021 May 28.

Simon Fraser University, Department of Biological Sciences, C2D2 Research Group, Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Background: Forty percent of the world's population live in areas where they are at risk from dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever, and dengue shock syndrome. Dengue viruses are transmitted primarily by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. In Cali, Colombia, approximately 30% of field collected Ae. Read More

Nat Commun 2021 06 1;12(1):3266. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

The epidemic emergence of relatively rare and geographically isolated flaviviruses adds to the ongoing disease burden of viruses such as dengue. Structural analysis is key to understand and combat these pathogens. Here, we present a chimeric platform based on an insect-specific flavivirus for the safe and rapid structural analysis of pathogenic viruses. Read More

J Pak Med Assoc 2021 Mar;71(3):810-815

4th Year MBBS Student, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.

Objective: To determine whether C-reactive protein and liver function tests can serve as severity markers for dengue fever.

Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015-16 in Karachi and comprised patients with dengue fever visiting a tertiary care hospital. World Health Organisation classifications 1997 and 2009 were used to categorise patients according to clinical signs and symptoms. Read More

BMC Res Notes 2021 May 29;14(1):209. Epub 2021 May 29.

School of Medicine, Research and Innovation Center of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Lima, Peru.

Objective: This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of leptospirosis among febrile patients with a suspicious clinical diagnosis of dengue fever in northern Peru.

Results: A total of 276 serum samples from patients with acute febrile illness (AFI) and suspected diagnosis for dengue virus (DENV) were analyzed. We identified an etiological agent in 121 (47. Read More

J Infect Public Health 2021 Jun 14;14(6):803-810. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Special Infectious Agent Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address:

Background: Dengue virus causes the dengue fever as well as hemorrhagic fever in tropical and sub-tropical countries. It is now endemic in most parts of the South East Asia. Full-genome information of dengue virus 3 is not available from Yemen. Read More

Heliyon 2021 May 19;7(5):e07022. Epub 2021 May 19.

Faculty of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh.

Arenaviral infections often result lethal hemorrhagic fevers, affecting primarily in African and South American regions. To date, there is no FDA-approved licensed vaccine against arenaviruses and treatments have been limited to supportive therapy. Hence, the study was employed to design a highly immunogenic cross-reactive vaccine against Arenaviridae family using reverse vaccinology approach. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021 05 26;15(5):e0009441. Epub 2021 May 26.

Epidemiology Department, Guangzhou Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Baiyunqu Qidelu 1, Guangdong, China.

The dengue fever epidemic in Guangzhou may have been affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The number of dengue cases dropped drastically in 2020, and there have been only 2 local cases, suggesting that dengue has not become endemic in Guangzhou. Read More

Nat Commun 2021 05 24;12(1):3054. Epub 2021 May 24.

Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.

About 20-25% of dengue virus (DENV) infections become symptomatic ranging from self-limiting fever to shock. Immune gene expression changes during progression to severe dengue have been documented in hospitalized patients; however, baseline or kinetic information is difficult to standardize in natural infection. Here we profile the host immunotranscriptome response in humans before, during, and after infection with a partially attenuated rDEN2Δ30 challenge virus (ClinicalTrials. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2021 May 24;14(5). Epub 2021 May 24.

Srimati Kanuri Santhamma Centre for Vitreoretinal Diseases, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Dengue haemorrhagic fever with consequent thrombocytopaenia can lead to intracranial haemorrhage and Terson's syndrome that can lead to visual problems. Simultaneously, the dengue virus can cause typical viral retinitis like picture in the eye. Early funduscopy and vision assessment is desirable in all dengue patients. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2021 May 24;21(1):470. Epub 2021 May 24.

Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases Department, Territorial Hospital Center (CHT), Dumbea, New Caledonia.

Background: In 2017, New Caledonia experienced an outbreak of severe dengue causing high hospital burden (4379 cases, 416 hospital admissions, 15 deaths). We decided to build a local operational model predictive of dengue severity, which was needed to ease the healthcare circuit.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical and biological parameters associated with severe dengue in the cohort of patients hospitalized at the Territorial Hospital between January and July 2017 with confirmed dengue, in order to elaborate a comprehensive patient's score. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2021 May 19;14(5). Epub 2021 May 19.

Instituto de Ciencias Médicas, Las Tablas, Los Santos, Panamá

Dengue and hantavirus are endemic in central Panama. We present a case report of a patient coinfected with dengue and hantavirus who presented overlapping clinical manifestations of both infections. The patient did not require intensive care-as it is commonplace during hantavirus pulmonary syndrome-and he had a good outcome. Read More

BMJ 2021 05 19;373:n1184. Epub 2021 May 19.

Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, Switzerland.

Nat Commun 2021 05 17;12(1):2855. Epub 2021 May 17.

Hammoud Laboratory, Center for Infectious Disease Imaging (CIDI), Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA.

Ebola virus (EBOV) causes neurological symptoms yet its effects on the central nervous system (CNS) are not well-described. Here, we longitudinally assess the acute effects of EBOV on the brain, using quantitative MR-relaxometry, 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose PET and immunohistochemistry in a monkey model. We report blood-brain barrier disruption, likely related to high cytokine levels and endothelial viral infection, with extravasation of fluid, Gadolinium-based contrast material and albumin into the extracellular space. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2021 May 17;21(1):445. Epub 2021 May 17.

Center for Infectious Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, 569 Xinsi Rd, Baqiao District, Xi'an, 710038, Shaanxi, China.

Background: Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by Hantaan virus is characterized by systemic immunopathological injury. Pentraxin-3 is an acute-phase reactant involved in the processes of inflammation and infection. This study aimed to investigate the levels of plasma pentraxin-3 and evaluate its predictive value on disease severity and mortality risk in patients with HFRS. Read More

BMC Genomics 2021 May 17;22(1):352. Epub 2021 May 17.

School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore.

Background: With more than 300 million potentially infected people every year, and with the expanded habitat of mosquitoes due to climate change, Dengue virus (DENV) cannot be considered anymore only a tropical disease. The RNA secondary structure is a functional characteristic of RNA viruses, and together with the accumulated high-throughput sequencing data could provide general insights towards understanding virus biology. Here, we profiled the RNA secondary structure of > 7000 complete viral genomes from 11 different species focusing on viral hemorrhagic fevers, including DENV serotypes, EBOV, and YFV. Read More

J Trop Pediatr 2021 05;67(2)

Department of Paediatrics, Bangalore Medical College & Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560002, India.

COVID-19 pandemic is increasingly being recognized in infants and some develop cytokine storm mediated tissue damage. We report 5-month-old infant presenting with fever, refusal of feeds, developing altered sensorium and convulsions during the hospital course, tested positive for SARS-CoV2 RT-PCR in second week of illness. Her serology was also Dengue positive. Read More

Am J Case Rep 2021 May 17;22:e931519. Epub 2021 May 17.

Department of Internal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.

BACKGROUND Dengue virus is a common arbovirus with uncertain neurotropism. Dengue encephalitis is a rare but fatal manifestation of severe dengue. Diagnosis requires high clinical suspicion. Read More

Vopr Virusol 2021 05 15;66(2):112-122. Epub 2021 May 15.

FSBI «National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology named after honorary academician N.F. Gamaleya» of the Ministry of Health of Russia.

Emerging and reemerging infections pose a grave global health threat. The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the resulting COVID-19 pandemic have demonstrated the importance of studying of zoonotic viruses directly in natural foci. For SARS-like coronaviruses, as well as for many other zoonotic pathogens (including hemorrhagic fevers and rabies agents), the main reservoir are horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus spp. Read More

BMJ Open 2021 05 13;11(5):e042976. Epub 2021 May 13.

Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Objectives: To understand the barriers contributing to the more than threefold decline in the number of deaths (of all causes) reported to a national toll free telephone line (1-1-7) after the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak ended in Sierra Leone and explore opportunities for improving routine death reporting as part of a nationwide mortality surveillance system.

Design: An exploratory qualitative assessment comprising 32 in-depth interviews (16 in Kenema district and 16 in Western Area). All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using qualitative content analysis to identify themes. Read More

Clin Microbiol Rev 2021 06 12;34(3). Epub 2021 May 12.

New Jersey Department of Health Public Health and Environmental Laboratories, Ewing Township, New Jersey, USA.

Public health laboratories (PHLs) continue to face internal and external challenges to their abilities to provide successful, timely responses to public health crises and emerging threats. These laboratories are mandated to maintain the health of their communities by identifying, diagnosing, and warning constituents of potential and real health emergencies. Due to the changing characteristics of public health threats and their cross-jurisdictional nature, laboratories are facing increased pressure to ensure that they respond in a consistent and coordinated manner. Read More

Commun Biol 2021 05 11;4(1):557. Epub 2021 May 11.

Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD, Australia.

Dengue virus (DENV) is spread from human to human through the bite of the female Aedes aegypti mosquito and leads to about 100 million clinical infections yearly. Treatment options and vaccine availability for DENV are limited. Defective interfering particles (DIPs) are considered a promising antiviral approach but infectious virus contamination has limited their development. Read More

Nat Commun 2021 05 11;12(1):2619. Epub 2021 May 11.

Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.

After the Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic in the Americas in 2016, both Zika and dengue incidence declined to record lows in many countries in 2017-2018, but in 2019 dengue resurged in Brazil, causing ~2.1 million cases. In this study we use epidemiological, climatological and genomic data to investigate dengue dynamics in recent years in Brazil. Read More

Nat Commun 2021 05 11;12(1):2633. Epub 2021 May 11.

Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.

Ebola virus (EBOV) glycoprotein (GP) can be recognized by neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) and is the main target for vaccine design. Here, we first investigate the contribution of the stalk and heptad repeat 1-C (HR1) regions to GP metastability. Specific stalk and HR1 modifications in a mucin-deleted form (GPΔmuc) increase trimer yield, whereas alterations of HR1 exert a more complex effect on thermostability. Read More

JAMA 2021 May;325(18):1825

Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2021 Jun 30;261:205-210. Epub 2021 Apr 30.

Sidra Medicine, Education City, Al Luqta Street, Doha, Qatar.

Dengue is the most common viral mosquito- borne disease. It is a major public health problem, especially in tropical and sub-tropical areas worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 40% of the world's population (over 2. Read More