scholarly journals Enhanced fitness of SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern B.1.1.7, but not B.1.351, in animal models

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenz Ulrich ◽  
Nico Joel Halwe ◽  
Adriano Taddeo ◽  
Nadine Ebert ◽  
Jacob Sch&oumln ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Models ◽  
Airway Epithelial ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Hamster Model ◽  
Enhanced Transmission ◽  
Fitness Advantage ◽  
Epithelial Cultures ◽  
Upper Respiratory

Emerging variants of concern (VOCs) drive the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We assessed VOC B.1.1.7, now prevalent in several countries, and VOC B.1.351, representing the greatest threat to populations with immunity to the early SARS-CoV-2 progenitors. B.1.1.7 showed a clear fitness advantage over the progenitor variant (wt-S614G) in ferrets and two mouse models, where the substitutions in the spike glycoprotein were major drivers for fitness advantage. In the superspreader hamster model, B.1.1.7 and wt-S614G had comparable fitness, whereas B.1.351 was outcompeted. The VOCs had similar replication kinetics as compared to wt-S614G in human airway epithelial cultures. Our study highlights the importance of using multiple models for complete fitness characterization of VOCs and demonstrates adaptation of B.1.1.7 towards increased upper respiratory tract replication and enhanced transmission in vivo.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 spike D614G variant confers enhanced replication and transmissibility

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Zhou ◽  
Tran Thi Nhu Thao ◽  
Donata Hoffmann ◽  
Adriano Taddeo ◽  
Nadine Ebert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Model ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Nasal Airway ◽  
Airway Epithelial ◽  
Founder Effects ◽  
Fitness Advantage ◽  
Epithelial Cultures ◽  
Bottle Neck

AbstractDuring the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in humans a D614G substitution in the spike (S) protein emerged and became the predominant circulating variant (S-614G) of the COVID-19 pandemic1. However, whether the increasing prevalence of the S-614G variant represents a fitness advantage that improves replication and/or transmission in humans or is merely due to founder effects remains elusive. Here, we generated isogenic SARS-CoV-2 variants and demonstrate that the S-614G variant has (i) enhanced binding to human ACE2, (ii) increased replication in primary human bronchial and nasal airway epithelial cultures as well as in a novel human ACE2 knock-in mouse model, and (iii) markedly increased replication and transmissibility in hamster and ferret models of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Collectively, our data show that while the S-614G substitution results in subtle increases in binding and replication in vitro, it provides a real competitive advantage in vivo, particularly during the transmission bottle neck, providing an explanation for the global predominance of S-614G variant among the SARS-CoV-2 viruses currently circulating.

Protection of human upper respiratory tract cell lines against sulphur mustard toxicity by hexamethylenetetramine (HMT)

1998 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 373-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
D J Andrew ◽  
C D Lindsay
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Chemical Warfare Agent ◽  
Chemical Warfare ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Sulphur Mustard ◽  
Human Lung Cells ◽  
Effective Prophylaxis ◽  
Upper Respiratory

1. Sulphur mustard (`mustard gas', HD) is a highly toxic chemical warfare agent which affects the skin and respiratory tract. The primary targets of inhaled HD are the epithelia of the upper respiratory tract. Hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) has been shown to protect human lung cells against HD toxicity and has also been shown to be effective in vivo against the chemical warfare agent phosgene. The ability of HMT to protect against the toxicity of HD was investigated in the human upper respiratory tract cell lines BEAS-2B and RPMI 2650. 2. HD was highly toxic to both cell lines, with LC50 values of 15 - 30 mM. HMT, at a concentration of 10 mM, was shown to protect the cell lines against the toxic effects of 20 mM and 40 mM HD. Results demonstrated that it was necessary for HMT to be in situ at the time of exposure to HD for effective cytoprotection. No protection was seen when cells were treated with HMT following exposure to HD, or where HMT was removed prior to HD exposure. 3. Results suggest that HMT may be effective prophylaxis for exposure to HD by inhalation.

scholarly journals Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus Viral Chemokine-Binding Protein Glycoprotein G Alters Transcription of Key Inflammatory Mediators In Vitro and In Vivo

2017 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio J. C. Coppo ◽  
Joanne M. Devlin ◽  
Alistair R. Legione ◽  
Paola K. Vaz ◽  
Sang-Won Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus ◽  
Glycoprotein G ◽  
Infectious Laryngotracheitis ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Laryngotracheitis Virus

ABSTRACTInfectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) is an alphaherpesvirus that infects chickens, causing upper respiratory tract disease and significant losses to poultry industries worldwide. Glycoprotein G (gG) is a broad-range viral chemokine-binding protein conserved among most alphaherpesviruses, including ILTV. A number of studies comparing the immunological parameters between infection with gG-expressing and gG-deficient ILTV strains have demonstrated that expression of gG is associated with increased virulence, modification of the amount and the composition of the inflammatory response, and modulation of the immune responses toward antibody production and away from cell-mediated immune responses. The aims of the current study were to examine the establishment of infection and inflammation by ILTV and determine how gG influences that response to infection.In vitroinfection studies using tracheal organ tissue specimen cultures and blood-derived monocytes andin vivoinfection studies in specific-pathogen-free chickens showed that leukocyte recruitment to the site of infection is an important component of the induced pathology and that this is influenced by the expression of ILTV gG and changes in the transcription of the chicken orthologues of mammalian CXC chemokine ligand 8 (CXCL8), chicken CXCLi1 and chicken CXCLi2, among other cytokines and chemokines. The results from this study demonstrate that ILTV gG interferes with chemokine and cytokine transcription at different steps of the inflammatory cascade, thus altering inflammation, virulence, and the balance of the immune response to infection.IMPORTANCEInfectious laryngotracheitis virus is an alphaherpesvirus that expresses gG, a conserved broad-range viral chemokine-binding protein known to interfere with host immune responses. However, little is known about how gG modifies virulence and influences the inflammatory signaling cascade associated with infection. Here, data fromin vitroandin vivoinfection studies are presented. These data show that gG has a direct impact on the transcription of cytokines and chemokine ligandsin vitro(such as chicken CXCL8 orthologues, among others), which explains the altered balance of the inflammatory response that is associated with gG during ILTV infection of the upper respiratory tract of chickens. This is the first report to associate gG with the dysregulation of cytokine transcription at different stages of the inflammatory cascade triggered by ILTV infection of the natural host.

scholarly journals Filamentous Bacteriophage Produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Alters the Inflammatory Response and Promotes Noninvasive Infection In Vivo

2016 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick R. Secor ◽  
Lia A. Michaels ◽  
Kate S. Smigiel ◽  
Maryam G. Rohani ◽  
Laura K. Jennings ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Inflammatory Response ◽  
Chronic Infection ◽  
Bacterial Invasion ◽  
Airway Epithelial ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Epithelial Cultures ◽  
Opportunistic Human Pathogen

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic human pathogen that lives in biofilm-like cell aggregates at sites of chronic infection, such as those that occur in the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis and nonhealing ulcers. During growth in a biofilm, P. aeruginosa dramatically increases the production of filamentous Pf bacteriophage (Pf phage). Previous work indicated that when in vivo Pf phage production was inhibited, P. aeruginosa was less virulent. However, it is not clear how the production of abundant quantities of Pf phage similar to those produced by biofilms under in vitro conditions affects pathogenesis. Here, using a murine pneumonia model, we show that the production of biofilm-relevant amounts of Pf phage prevents the dissemination of P. aeruginosa from the lung. Furthermore, filamentous phage promoted bacterial adhesion to mucin and inhibited bacterial invasion of airway epithelial cultures, suggesting that Pf phage traps P. aeruginosa within the lung. The in vivo production of Pf phage was also associated with reduced lung injury, reduced neutrophil recruitment, and lower cytokine levels. Additionally, when producing Pf phage, P. aeruginosa was less prone to phagocytosis by macrophages than bacteria not producing Pf phage. Collectively, these data suggest that filamentous Pf phage alters the progression of the inflammatory response and promotes phenotypes typically associated with chronic infection.

scholarly journals Effect of prophylactic use of intra-nasal oil formulations in the hamster model of Covid-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaigham Abbas Rizvi ◽  
Manas Ranjan Tripathy ◽  
Nishant Sharma ◽  
Sandeep Goswami ◽  
N Srikanth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Viral Entry ◽  
Body Weight Loss ◽  
Lung Pathology ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Hamster Model ◽  
Reduced Body ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Prophylactic Use

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) infection initiates with viral entry in upper respiratory tract leading to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Severe Covid-19 is characterized by pulmonary pathologies associated with respiratory failure. Thus, therapeutics aimed at inhibiting entry of the virus or its internalization in the upper respiratory tract, are of interest. Herein, we report the prophylactic application of two intra-nasal formulations provided by the National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB), Anu oil and Til tailya in SARS-CoV2 infection hamster model. Prophylactic nasal instillation of these oil formulations exhibited reduced viral load in lungs, and resulted in reduced body weight loss and pneumonitis. In line with reduced viral load, histopathlogical analysis revealed a reduction in lung pathology in Anu oil group as compared to the control infected group. However, Til tailya group did not show a significant reduction in lung pathology. Furthermore, molecular analysis using mRNA expression profiling indicated reduced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines genes, including Th1 and Th17 cytokines for both the intra-nasal formulations as a result of decreased viral load. Together, the prophylactic intra-nasal application of Annu oil seems to be useful in limiting both the viral load and disease severity disease in SARS-CoV2 infection in hamster model.

scholarly journals Measurements of spontaneous CFTR-mediated ion transport without acute channel activation in airway epithelial cultures after modulator exposure

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi J. Nick ◽  
Pamela L. Zeitlin ◽  
Sangya Yadav ◽  
Preston E. Bratcher
Keyword(s):  
Ion Transport ◽  
Ussing Chamber ◽  
Treatment Method ◽  
Accurate Estimate ◽  
Airway Epithelial ◽  
Epithelial Cultures ◽  
Transepithelial Voltage ◽  
Induced Changes

AbstractQuantitation of CFTR function in vitro is commonly performed by acutely stimulating then inhibiting ion transport through CFTR and measuring the resulting changes in transepithelial voltage (Vte) and current (ISC). While this technique is suitable for measuring the maximum functional capacity of CFTR, it may not provide an accurate estimate of in vivo CFTR activity. To test if CFTR-mediated ion transport could be measured in the absence of acute CFTR stimulation, primary airway epithelia were analyzed in an Ussing chamber with treatment of amiloride followed by CFTR(inh)-172 without acute activation of CFTR. Non-CF epithelia demonstrated a decrease in Vte and ISC following exposure to CFTR(inh)-172 and in the absence of forskolin/IBMX (F/I); this decrease is interpreted as a measure of spontaneous CFTR activity present in these epithelia. In F508del/F508del CFTR epithelia, F/I-induced changes in Vte and ISC were ~ fourfold increased after treatment with VX-809/VX-770, while the magnitude of spontaneous CFTR activities were only ~ 1.6-fold increased after VX-809/VX-770 treatment. Method-dependent discrepancies in the responses of other CF epithelia to modulator treatments were observed. These results serve as a proof of concept for the analysis of CFTR modulator responses in vitro in the absence of acute CFTR activation. Future studies will determine the usefulness of this approach in the development of novel CFTR modulator therapies.

Predicción molecular de serotipos de Streptococcus suis aislados de granjas porcinas en México

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 681-693
Author(s):  
Arianna Romero Flores ◽  
Marcelo Gottschalk ◽  
Gabriela Bárcenas Morales ◽  
Víctor Quintero Ramírez ◽  
Rosario Esperanza Galván Pérez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Streptococcus Suis ◽  
Second Step ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Molecular Approaches ◽  
Pig Farming ◽  
Pig Farms ◽  
Upper Respiratory

Infections caused by Streptococcus suis (S. suis) pose a problem for the pig industry worldwide. Pigs often carry multiple serotypes of S. suis in the upper respiratory tract, where S. suis is frequently isolated from. The clinical diagnosis of the infection is presumptive and is generally based on clinical signs, the age of the animal and macroscopic lesions. In the laboratory, identification of S. suis is performed biochemically, and then, serotyping is performed with antisera to determine the serotype, but these tests can be inconclusive. To date, there are few studies that have documented the presence and diversity of S. suis serotypes in Mexico. In the present study, it was characterized S. suis strains from Mexican pig farms using molecular approaches; samples were first processed by PCR of the gdh gene to detect S. suis. Positive samples were then subjected to a two-step multiplex PCR (cps PCR) to detect and characterize each strain; the first step consisted of a grouping PCR and the second step consisted of a typing PCR. The serotypes detected in the pig farming areas of Mexico included 1/2, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 17, and 23. These findings are important for the characterization of serotypes present in Mexico and for outbreak prevention.

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