Can we eradicate viral pathogens?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Alizon ◽  
Paul E. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Viral Pathogens

The Diagnosis of Viral Disease by Electron Microscopy

1982 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 270-273
Author(s):  
William B. McCombs ◽  
Cameron E. McCoy
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Hospital Stay ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Bacterial Pathogens ◽  
Viral Disease ◽  
Viral Pathogens ◽  
Academic Interest ◽  
The Past

Recent years have brought a reversal in the attitude of the medical profession toward the diagnosis of viral infections. Identification of bacterial pathogens was formerly thought to be faster than identification of viral pathogens. Viral identification was dismissed as being of academic interest or for confirming the presence of an epidemic, because the patient would recover or die before this could be accomplished. In the past 10 years, the goal of virologists has been to present the clinician with a viral identification in a matter of hours. This fast diagnosis has the potential for shortening the patient's hospital stay and preventing the administering of toxic and/or expensive antibiotics of no benefit to the patient.

Respiratory viral testing and antibacterial treatment in patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Michael Klompas ◽  
Peter B. Imrey ◽  
Pei-Chun Yu ◽  
Chanu Rhee ◽  
Abhishek Deshpande ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Retrospective Cohort ◽  
Respiratory Virus ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽  
Blood Cultures ◽  
Antibacterial Treatment ◽  
Viral Pathogens ◽  
Antimicrobial Utilization ◽  
Viral Testing ◽  
Virus Testing

Abstract Objective: Viruses are more common than bacteria in patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia. Little is known, however, about the frequency of respiratory viral testing and its associations with antimicrobial utilization. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: The study included 179 US hospitals. Patients: Adults admitted with pneumonia between July 2010 and June 2015. Methods: We assessed the frequency of respiratory virus testing and compared antimicrobial utilization, mortality, length of stay, and costs between tested versus untested patients, and between virus-positive versus virus-negative patients. Results: Among 166,273 patients with pneumonia on admission, 40,787 patients (24.5%) were tested for respiratory viruses, 94.8% were tested for influenza, and 20.7% were tested for other viruses. Viral assays were positive in 5,133 of 40,787 tested patients (12.6%), typically for influenza and rhinovirus. Tested patients were younger and had fewer comorbidities than untested patients, but patients with positive viral assays were older and had more comorbidities than those with negative assays. Blood cultures were positive for bacterial pathogens in 2.7% of patients with positive viral assays versus 5.3% of patients with negative viral tests (P < .001). Antibacterial courses were shorter for virus-positive versus -negative patients overall (mean 5.5 vs 6.4 days; P < .001) but varied by bacterial testing: 8.1 versus 8.0 days (P = .60) if bacterial tests were positive; 5.3 versus 6.1 days (P < .001) if bacterial tests were negative; and 3.3 versus 5.2 days (P < .001) if bacterial tests were not obtained (interaction P < .001). Conclusions: A minority of patients hospitalized with pneumonia were tested for respiratory viruses; only a fraction of potential viral pathogens were assayed; and patients with positive viral tests often received long antibacterial courses.

scholarly journals Medicinal Plants, Phytochemicals, and Herbs to Combat Viral Pathogens Including SARS-CoV-2

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1775
Author(s):  
Arumugam Vijaya Anand ◽  
Balasubramanian Balamuralikrishnan ◽  
Mohandass Kaviya ◽  
Kathirvel Bharathi ◽  
Aluru Parithathvi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Viral Entry ◽  
Antiviral Agents ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Direct Inhibition ◽  
Viral Pathogens ◽  
Important Health ◽  
Antiviral Activities ◽  
Important Health Issue

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is the most important health issue, internationally. With no specific and effective antiviral therapy for COVID-19, new or repurposed antiviral are urgently needed. Phytochemicals pose a ray of hope for human health during this pandemic, and a great deal of research is concentrated on it. Phytochemicals have been used as antiviral agents against several viruses since they could inhibit several viruses via different mechanisms of direct inhibition either at the viral entry point or the replication stages and via immunomodulation potentials. Recent evidence also suggests that some plants and its components have shown promising antiviral properties against SARS-CoV-2. This review summarizes certain phytochemical agents along with their mode of actions and potential antiviral activities against important viral pathogens. A special focus has been given on medicinal plants and their extracts as well as herbs which have shown promising results to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection and can be useful in treating patients with COVID-19 as alternatives for treatment under phytotherapy approaches during this devastating pandemic situation.

scholarly journals Respiratory Viral Pathogens Among U.S. Military Personnel at a Medical Treatment Facility in Hawaii From 2014 to 2019

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes S Montgomery ◽  
Michael B Lustik ◽  
Susan A Reichert-Scrivner ◽  
Ronald L Woodbury ◽  
Milissa U Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Military Personnel ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Military Operations ◽  
Military Population ◽  
Viral Pathogens ◽  
Viral Pathogen ◽  
Medical Treatment Facility

ABSTRACT Introduction Acute respiratory diseases account for a substantial number of outpatient visits and hospitalizations among U.S. military personnel, significantly affecting mission readiness and military operations. We conducted a retrospective analysis of respiratory viral pathogen (RVP) samples collected from U.S. military personnel stationed in Hawaii and tested at Tripler Army Medical Center from January 2014 to May 2019 in order to describe the etiology, distribution, and seasonality of RVP exposure in a military population. Materials and Methods Samples were analyzed by viral culture or multiplex PCR. Distribution of respiratory viruses over time was analyzed as well as subject demographic and encounter data. Presenting signs and symptoms were evaluated with each RVP. Results A total of 2,576 military personnel were tested, of which 726 (28.2%) were positive for one or more RVP. Among positive tests, the three most common viral pathogens detected were influenza A (43.0%), rhinovirus (24.5%), and parainfluenza (7.6%). Symptoms were generally mild and most frequently included cough, fever, and body aches. Conclusion Our study evaluated respiratory virus prevalence, seasonality, and association with clinical symptoms for military personnel in an urban tropical setting in Oahu, HI, over a 5-year period. We show that viral prevalence and seasonality in Hawaii are distinct from those of the CONUS. Results contribute to the broader understanding of seasonality, clinical manifestation, and demographics of RVP among active duty military personnel stationed in Hawaii.

scholarly journals Etiological, epidemiological, and clinical features of acute diarrhea in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-Ping Wang ◽  
◽  
Shi-Xia Zhou ◽  
Xin Wang ◽  
Qing-Bin Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Features ◽  
Acute Diarrhea ◽  
Vibrio Parahaemolyticus ◽  
Bacterial Pathogens ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Viral Pathogens ◽  
Rotavirus A ◽  
Positive Rate ◽  
Prevention And Control Measures ◽  
And Control

AbstractNational-based prospective surveillance of all-age patients with acute diarrhea was conducted in China between 2009‒2018. Here we report the etiological, epidemiological, and clinical features of the 152,792 eligible patients enrolled in this analysis. Rotavirus A and norovirus are the two leading viral pathogens detected in the patients, followed by adenovirus and astrovirus. Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli and nontyphoidal Salmonella are the two leading bacterial pathogens, followed by Shigella and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Patients aged <5 years had higher overall positive rate of viral pathogens, while bacterial pathogens were more common in patients aged 18‒45 years. A joinpoint analysis revealed the age-specific positivity rate and how this varied for individual pathogens. Our findings fill crucial gaps of how the distributions of enteropathogens change across China in patients with diarrhea. This allows enhanced identification of the predominant diarrheal pathogen candidates for diagnosis in clinical practice and more targeted application of prevention and control measures.

scholarly journals Organoids to Dissect Gastrointestinal Virus–Host Interactions: What Have We Learned?

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 999
Author(s):  
Sue E. Crawford ◽  
Sasirekha Ramani ◽  
Sarah E. Blutt ◽  
Mary K. Estes
Keyword(s):  
Cell Types ◽  
Human Infection ◽  
Viral Pathogens ◽  
Host Interactions ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Microbe Interactions ◽  
Host Microbe Interactions ◽  
Human Intestinal Epithelium ◽  
Human Viruses ◽  
Human Infections

Historically, knowledge of human host–enteric pathogen interactions has been elucidated from studies using cancer cells, animal models, clinical data, and occasionally, controlled human infection models. Although much has been learned from these studies, an understanding of the complex interactions between human viruses and the human intestinal epithelium was initially limited by the lack of nontransformed culture systems, which recapitulate the relevant heterogenous cell types that comprise the intestinal villus epithelium. New investigations using multicellular, physiologically active, organotypic cultures produced from intestinal stem cells isolated from biopsies or surgical specimens provide an exciting new avenue for understanding human specific pathogens and revealing previously unknown host–microbe interactions that affect replication and outcomes of human infections. Here, we summarize recent biologic discoveries using human intestinal organoids and human enteric viral pathogens.

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