scholarly journals The E484K mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reduces but does not abolish neutralizing activity of human convalescent and post-vaccination sera

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Jangra ◽  
Chengjin Ye ◽  
Raveen Rathnasinghe ◽  
Daniel Stadlbauer ◽  
Florian Krammer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Control ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Previous Infection ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Human Sera ◽  
The Usa ◽  
One Year ◽  
Study Participants

AbstractOne year in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the first vaccines are being rolled out under emergency use authorizations. It is of great concern that newly emerging variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can escape antibody-mediated protection induced by previous infection or vaccination through mutations in the spike protein. The glutamate (E) to Lysine (K) substitution at position 484 (E484K) in the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein is present in the rapidly spreading variants of concern belonging to the B.1.351 and P.1 lineages. We performed in vitro microneutralization assays with both the USA-WA1/2020 virus and a recombinant (r)SARS-CoV-2 virus that is identical to USA-WA1/2020 except for the E484K mutation introduced in the spike RBD. We selected 34 sera from study participants based on their SARS-CoV-2 spike ELISA antibody titer (negative [N=4] versus weak [N=8], moderate [N=11] or strong positive [N=11]). In addition, we included sera from five individuals who received two doses of the Pfizer SARS-CoV-2 vaccine BNT162b2. Serum neutralization efficiency was lower against the E484K rSARS-CoV-2 (vaccination samples: 3.4 fold; convalescent low IgG: 2.4 fold, moderate IgG: 4.2 fold and high IgG: 2.6 fold) compared to USA-WA1/2020. For some of the convalescent donor sera with low or moderate IgG against the SARS-CoV-2 spike, the drop in neutralization efficiency resulted in neutralization ID50 values similar to negative control samples, with low or even absence of neutralization of the E484K rSARS-CoV-2. However, human sera with high neutralization titers against the USA-WA1/2020 strain were still able to neutralize the E484K rSARS-CoV-2. Therefore, it is important to aim for the highest titers possible induced by vaccination to enhance protection against newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Two vaccine doses may be needed for induction of high antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2. Postponing the second vaccination is suggested by some public health authorities in order to provide more individuals with a primer vaccination. Our data suggests that this may leave vaccinees less protected against newly emerging variants.

scholarly journals Previous COVID-19 Infection and Antibody Levels After Vaccination

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamad Ali ◽  
Barrak Alahmad ◽  
Abdullah A. Al-Shammari ◽  
Abdulmohsen Alterki ◽  
Maha Hammad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Previous Infection ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Vaccine Shortages ◽  
Antibody Levels ◽  
Ig G

Background: The emergence of new COVID-19 variants of concern coupled with a global inequity in vaccine access and distribution has prompted many public health authorities to circumvent the vaccine shortages by altering vaccination protocols and prioritizing persons at high risk. Individuals with previous COVID-19 infection may not have been prioritized due to existing humoral immunity.Objective: We aimed to study the association between previous COVID-19 infection and antibody levels after COVID-19 vaccination.Methods: A serological analysis to measure SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgA, and neutralizing antibodies was performed on individuals who received one or two doses of either BNT162b2 or ChAdOx1 vaccines in Kuwait. A Student t-test was performed and followed by generalized linear regression models adjusted for individual characteristics and comorbidities were fitted to compare the average levels of IgG and neutralizing antibodies between vaccinated individuals with and without previous COVID-19 infection.Results: A total of 1,025 individuals were recruited. The mean levels of IgG, IgA, and neutralizing antibodies were higher in vaccinated subjects with previous COVID-19 infections than in those without previous infection. Regression analysis showed a steeper slope of decline for IgG and neutralizing antibodies in vaccinated individuals without previous COVID-19 infection compared to those with previous COVID-19 infection.Conclusion: Previous COVID-19 infection appeared to elicit robust and sustained levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in vaccinated individuals. Given the inconsistent supply of COVID-19 vaccines in many countries due to inequities in global distribution, our results suggest that even greater efforts should be made to vaccinate more people, especially individuals without previous COVID-19 infection.

scholarly journals The Delta Variant Had Negligible Impact on COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness in the USA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Blaiszik ◽  
Carlo Graziani ◽  
James L. Olds ◽  
Ian Foster
Keyword(s):  
Age Distribution ◽  
Vaccine Effectiveness ◽  
Vaccination Status ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
A Value ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Zero Baseline

The SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was initially identified in India in December 2020. Due to its high transmissibility, its prevalence in the U.S.A. grew from a near-zero baseline in early May 2021 to nearly 100% by late August 2021, according to CDC tracking. We accessed openly available data sources from the public health authorities of seven U.S. states, five U.S. counties, and the District of Columbia on RT-PCR COVID-19 tests split by the COVID-19 vaccination status of individuals tested during this period. Together, these time series enable estimation and tracking of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE∗) (against RT-PCR diagnosed infection) concurrently with the growth of Delta variant prevalence in those locations. Our analyses reveal that in each locality the VE∗ for the combined set of all three US vaccines remained relatively stable and quite well-performing, despite the dramatic concurrent rise of Delta variant prevalence. We conclude that the Delta variant does not significantly evade vaccine-induced immunity. The variations in our measured VE∗ appear to be driven by demographic factors affecting the composition of the vaccinated cohorts, particularly as pertains to age distribution. We report that the measured VE∗, aggregated across the collected sites, began at a value of about 0.9 in mid-May, declined to about 0.76 by mid-July, and recovered to about 0.9 by mid-September.SummaryWe estimated local COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness using RT-PCR COVID-19 test data broken out by vaccination status from select localities in the U.S.A. between 15 May and 15 September 2021 while the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was ascending from essentially zero prevalence to total dominance of the genome, and showed that the rise of the Delta variant had negligible effect on vaccine effectiveness.

scholarly journals Epidemiology of meningococcal disease in the Panamanian pediatric population, 1998-2008

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (05) ◽  
pp. 318-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Nieto-Guevara ◽  
Kathia Luciani ◽  
Abian Montesdeoca-Melían ◽  
Mercedes Mateos-Durán
Keyword(s):  
Meningococcal Disease ◽  
Pediatric Population ◽  
Circulation Pattern ◽  
Disease Diagnosis ◽  
Invasive Disease ◽  
Epidemiological Surveillance ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
The Mean ◽  
One Year

Introduction: Worldwide public health authorities report 500,000 cases of invasive meningococcal disease with 50,000 deaths per year and 10-15% of sequelae in people affected. This study describes the epidemiology, microbiology, and clinical presentation of this disease in the Panamanian pediatric population. Methodology:  The discharge of patients with a meningococcal invasive disease diagnosis was reviewed in the statistical database and archives of the Hospital del Niño. Results: A total of 32 discharges with a meningococcal disease diagnosis were reported during the study period (1998-2008).  Ninety-one percent (n/N = 29/32) were confirmed as meningitis. The mean age of patients was 4.1 ± 4.6 years. The incidence in the period of the study was 0.25/100,000. Infants younger than one year old presented the highest incidence rate and number of cases. Four deaths were reported, three of which occurred in the group of 10-14 years and one in the group of 1-4 years. The overall fatality rate was 12.5%. The serogroup of the causative agent, Neisseria meningitidis, was documented in 30 of the 32 cases, with serogroup B the most frequent (66.7%). Ninety-percent (18/20) of serogroup B were isolated in the first five years of study. Serogroup C was identified in 8 of the 12 cases during the period 2004-2008. Conclusions: The present study showed a change in the epidemiological circulation pattern from serogroup B to serogroup C during the study period. Such epidemiological surveillance data is important in the implementation of preventive measures such as vaccination.

scholarly journals Validation of a Methodology for the Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Saliva by Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase-PCR

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel F. Escobar ◽  
Pablo Díaz ◽  
Diego Díaz-Dinamarca ◽  
Rodrigo Puentes ◽  
Pedro Alarcón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Reverse Transcriptase ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Specific Alternative ◽  
Pcr Method ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity ◽  
Study Participants

In January 2021, the Chilean city of Concepción experienced a second wave of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) while in early April 2021, the entire country faced the same situation. This outbreak generated the need to modify and validate a method for detecting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in saliva, thereby expanding the capacity and versatility of testing for COVID-19. This study was conducted in February 2021 in the Chilean city of Concepción during which time, the town was under total quarantine. The study participants were mostly symptomatic (87.4%), not hospitalized, and attended care centers because of their health status rather than being asked by the researchers. People coming to the health center in Concepción to be tested for COVID-19 (via reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR]) from a specimen of nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) were then invited to participate in this study. A total of 131 participants agreed to sign an informed consent and to provide saliva and NPS specimens to validate a method in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and statistical analysis of the cycle threshold (Ct) values from the RT-PCR. Calculations pertaining to the 127 participants who were ultimately included in the analysis showed sensitivity and specificity at 94.34% (95% CI: 84.34–98.82%) and 98.65% (95% CI: 92.70–99.97%), respectively. The saliva specimen showed a performance comparable to NPS as demonstrated by the diagnostic parameters. This RT-PCR method from the saliva specimen is a highly sensitive and specific alternative compared to the reference methodology, which uses the NPS specimen. This modified and validated method is intended for use in the in vitro diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, which provides health authorities in Chile and local laboratories with a real testing alternative to RT-PCR from NPS.

Aetiology of acute febrile illness: a multicentre study from the province of Kerala in southern India

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 322-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mekkattukunnel A Andrews ◽  
Abraham M Ittyachen
Keyword(s):  
Tract Infection ◽  
Multicentre Study ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Febrile Illness ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Acute Febrile Illness ◽  
Prospective Multicentre Study ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
One Year

Acute febrile illness with varied aetiology but similar symptoms is common in tropical countries. This prospective, multicentre study was conducted in selected centres in the province of Kerala in India principally to analyse the aetiology of acute febrile illnesses in adult patients over the course of one year. Overall, 1324 patients were included in the study. The most common cause was dengue in 576 patients (43.5%). In 396 (29.9%), the exact aetiology could not be identified. Other causes, in order, were leptospirosis, enteric fever, malaria, respiratory tract infection, urinary tract infection and typhus. When such a wide variation with a significant number of ‘indeterminate’ cases exists, especially in such a small area and with limited resources, the onus is on public health authorities to draw up an ‘easy-to-use algorithm’ to tackle epidemics of febrile illness, particularly in the monsoon season.

scholarly journals Pathways Improving Compliance with Preventive Behaviors during the Remission Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 3512
Author(s):  
Jingjing Wang ◽  
Nanyue Rao ◽  
Buxin Han
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Political Trust ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mediation Model ◽  
Preventive Behaviors ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
The Government ◽  
One Year

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a significant threat to people’s lives. Compliance with preventive behaviors, recommended by public health authorities, is essential for infection control. In the remission stage, one year after the initial COVID-19 outbreak in China, we advanced a moderated parallel mediation model of the link between risk perception and compliance with preventive behaviors as well as a serial mediation model of the link between optimism and compliance with preventive behaviors, explaining the roles of various psychosocial factors in these associations. In January 2021, 200 participants under 50 years of age, located in 80 Chinese cities, participated in an online survey assessing risk perception, compliance with preventive behaviors, fear, anxiety, political trust, government dependency, and dispositional optimism. The results showed that the effect of risk perception on compliance with preventive behaviors was mediated by political trust and fear, and was moderated by government dependency. Anxiety and fear serially mediated the effect of optimism on compliance with preventive behaviors. Our study provided implications for future research to reduce negative emotions, strengthen confidence in the government, and sustain moderate government dependency accompanied by individual self-efficacy.

scholarly journals An Analysis of the Determinants of Vaccine Hesitancy. Can the World Learn from the US Experience?

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. p1
Author(s):  
Dr. Simran Kahai ◽  
Dr. Gayle Herrington ◽  
Domenico Folino
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Median Income ◽  
Positive Direction ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Global Issue ◽  
The Us ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
The Usa

While efforts to vaccinate the general public have been trending in a positive direction, Vaccine Hesitancy is a global issue. Many infectious disease physicians, epidemiologists, and Public Health Authorities fear that Vaccine Hesitancy will indefinitely prolong the pandemic, as the Delta Variant currently ravages through the unvaccinated population. In an attempt to understand this global phenomenon, we looked at the United States’ vaccine rollout. In particular, we examined the determinants of vaccine hesitancy in the USA. Our empirical model reveals that Vaccine Hesitancy is significantly impacted by factors such as Median Income, Political Affiliation, Percentage of population that is White/Caucasian, Total Cases, Individuals without Health Insurance, and Education level. We use data from all 50 states in the US. Policy makers in other countries can greatly benefit from the findings of our empirical results. Some incentive structures should be introduced as quickly as possible to achieve a high vaccination rate in the country. Our goal is to use the United State’s experience of Vaccine Hesitancy as a baseline of sorts for the greater global community to understand, and reduce hesitancy in their vaccine rollouts.

scholarly journals The danger of denialism: lessons from the Brazilian pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heslley Machado Silva
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
The Usa

Abstract Background Scientific denialism has always had harmful consequences for humanity, but with the advent of the pandemic these effects seem to have been accentuated. Main body Unwillingness to accept the facts about the COVID-19 pandemic ascertained by scientists and public health authorities has led to widespread scientific denialism, including the emergence of conspiracy theories of all sorts. Examples are diverse, reaching both developed and developing countries, arriving through populist leaders and the spread of conspiracy theories through social media. Short conclusion It is important to pay attention to the risk of the extremes of this denialism and the possible repercussions, especially in countries that have leaders who agree with these conceptions, such as Brazil and the USA.

scholarly journals Impact of Globulins Derived from Genetically Modified and Conventional Soybean on Swine Lymphocyte Proliferation in in vitro Cultures

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 497-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariola Galbas ◽  
Kamila Borys ◽  
Anna Woźniak ◽  
Marek Selwet
Keyword(s):  
Lymphocyte Proliferation ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Negative Control ◽  
In Vitro Cultures ◽  
Transgenic Soybean ◽  
Soybean Proteins ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Monsanto Company

Impact of Globulins Derived from Genetically Modified and Conventional Soybean on Swine Lymphocyte Proliferation in in vitro CulturesThe majority of the global feed market is dominated by the Roundup Ready 40-3-2 transgenic soybean varieties developed and marketed by Monsanto Company, which are characterized by tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient of the Roundup herbicide. It should be remembered, however, that soybean is one of the major allergens which may affect animal health. The aim of the study was to compare allergenic properties of globulins derived from genetically modified (GM) soybean imported from the USA and conventional soybean developed in Poland. Analyses were performed by measuring porcine lymphocyte proliferation in in vitro cultures. It turned out that both genetically modified and conventional soybean proteins caused immune response at the level of negative control. A slight increase in relation to the negative control was observed in the case of 7S and 11S fractions derived from the GM meal and 7S fraction isolated from Nawiko meal.

scholarly journals Crisis Learning and Flattening the Curve: South Korea’s Rapid and Massive Diagnosis of the COVID-19 Infection

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 606-613
Author(s):  
Joon-Young Hur ◽  
KyungWoo Kim
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Outbreak Response ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Public Health Authorities

Crisis learning is critical for ensuring that better actions are taken for an impending or a future crisis. Learning from past epidemics enables public health authorities to assess aspects of the overall response system to improve the system. Moreover, learning during a crisis makes it possible to develop an approach to address unique and rapidly evolving epidemic situations. In this study, the literature was reviewed, and interviews were conducted with a director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a regulatory manager of a multinational medical equipment company. On the basis of that research, this article examines how crisis learning has facilitated a South Korean disease control agency’s surveillance of infectious diseases and its development of in vitro diagnosis kits. Those kits enabled qualified private health providers to diagnose COVID-19 infections in cooperation with multiple partners in the early period of the outbreak response. The agency’s learning from a past epidemic crisis, shared sense-making, and proactive efforts helped the nation to flatten the curve of the numbers of the confirmed cases in a short period of time. This study provides insights for national public health authorities tackling infectious disease outbreaks.

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