Volume 217, Issue 12, 15 June 2018

The rhesus macaque model of SIV and Mtb co-infection demonstrated that destruction of lung tissue macrophages promoted the transition from latent to reactivated Mtb. This was reflected by increased monocyte turnover that may be a predictive biomarker of Mtb reactivation.

An outbreak of HIV among people who inject drugs in Scotland follows similar recent outbreaks in Greece, Romania, Ireland, and the United States. Phylodynamic analysis demonstrates the infections are tightly linked genetically and the effective reproductive number remains above 1.

Total HIV-1 DNA was quantified in HIV-1/HCV coinfected patients receiving pIFN-α treatment. Total HIV-1 DNA remained stable before, during, and after pIFN-α treatment, which questions the benefit of pIFN-α as an immunotherapeutic agent for reducing the HIV-1 reservoir.

This study demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity of the Xpert HCV VL FS test compared to the Abbott RealTime HCV Viral Load assay. This assay can detect active infection from a finger-stick sample in 1 hour, allowing single-visit HCV diagnosis.

There is a paucity of data on extrahepatic manifestations of hepatitis E virus infection. This study describes the role of hepatitis E in patients with neuralgic amyotrophy and the associated pathological cerebrospinal fluid findings.

Hepatitis D viremia was present in 35.6% of injection drug users from San Francisco who had active hepatitis B virus infection. A novel hepatitis D virus quantitative microarray antibody assay demonstrated excellent performance characteristics in this population.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) glycoprotein B (gB) generates a prodigious polyclonal antibody response in vivo. Patients with antibodies that detect antigenic domain 2 display reduced viraemia post transplant - levels of which are boosted in recipients of a recombinant gB vaccine.

Cytomegalovirus (CMA) causes serious complications after transplantation. Genetic biomarkers are required for an improved individualized CMV-associated risk management. This study introduces HLA-E*01:03 allele carrier status, independent of CMV high-risk status, in transplant recipients as a prognostic factor for CMV infection after transplantation.

We found that healthy adults mount antibody responses targeting the full spectrum of the Epstein-Barr virus life cycle, that mucosal exposure to proteins can be influenced by smoking, and that a proportion of adults display antibody patterns that may predispose them to disease risk.

Here we provide qualitative measures of the magnitude and epitope specificity of the neutralizing antibody responses to live-attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine (TDV). This information will be useful for understanding the performance of TDV in clinical trials and for identifying correlates of protective immunity.

This study shows that Zika virus, an emerging flavivirus, triggers NLRP3 inflammasome–mediated interleukin 1β production via interaction with NLRP3 and generation of reactive oxygen species, through action of the virus-encoded nonstructural protein 5.

Deep-sequencing analysis of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) from a patient with autochthonous infection identified ribavirin-mediated antiviral mutagenic activity in the CCHFV population. These findings support the continued evaluation of ribavirin as an antiviral therapy for CCHFV-infected patients.

Lassa fever is a viral zoonosis with a high annual case number in West Africa. A vaccine candidate comprising particles that replicate only in the first cells encountered conferred complete protection in a small-animal model.

This study examined the potential benefits of malaria in pregnancy preventive strategies in infants and showed, that enhanced screening and treatment, in addition to standard intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, may provide additional protection against malaria and nonmalarial fevers in early infancy.

IL-17A is the key factor for clearing extracellular bacteria; thus, a Th17-based vaccine could induce a Th17 response, followed bacterial burden reduction. Δpep27 vaccination induced IL-17A via Wnt signaling and inhibited pulmonary colonization, providing a novel protection against respiratory infections.

The Bordetella pertussis gene expression profile during respiratory infection of mice differs significantly from transcriptional profiles of in vitro–cultured Bvg⁺ or Bvg^- bacteria. Our study suggest that virulence-repressed genes may be more important during infection than previously assumed.

IL-7 supports host immunity in lymphopenic and immunosuppressed patients and expands tumor-reactive T cells for adoptive immunotherapy. Here, we report that IL-7 also enables the accumulation of clinically relevant pathogen-reactive T cells from TB-, CMV-, and Candida albicans-infected individuals.