scholarly journals Passive Immunity in Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases

2000 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 602-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret A. Keller ◽  
E. Richard Stiehm
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Parvovirus B19 ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Prevention And Treatment ◽  
Syncytial Virus ◽  
High Risk Infants

SUMMARY Antibodies have been used for over a century in the prevention and treatment of infectious disease. They are used most commonly for the prevention of measles, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus, varicella, rabies, and vaccinia. Although their use in the treatment of bacterial infection has largely been supplanted by antibiotics, antibodies remain a critical component of the treatment of diptheria, tetanus, and botulism. High-dose intravenous immunoglobulin can be used to treat certain viral infections in immunocompromised patients (e.g., cytomegalovirus, parvovirus B19, and enterovirus infections). Antibodies may also be of value in toxic shock syndrome, Ebola virus, and refractory staphylococcal infections. Palivizumab, the first monoclonal antibody licensed (in 1998) for an infectious disease, can prevent respiratory syncytial virus infection in high-risk infants. The development and use of additional monoclonal antibodies to key epitopes of microbial pathogens may further define protective humoral responses and lead to new approaches for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.

scholarly journals Etiology of fever in Ugandan children: identification of microbial pathogens using metagenomic next-generation sequencing and IDseq, a platform for unbiased metagenomic analysis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akshaya Ramesh ◽  
Sara Nakielny ◽  
Jennifer Hsu ◽  
Mary Kyohere ◽  
Oswald Byaruhanga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Next Generation Sequencing ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Parvovirus B19 ◽  
Human Herpesvirus ◽  
Febrile Illness ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Syncytial Virus ◽  
Generation Sequencing

AbstractBackgroundFebrile illness is a major burden in African children, and non-malarial causes of fever are uncertain. We built and employed IDseq, a cloud-based, open access, bioinformatics platform and service to identify microbes from metagenomic next-generation sequencing of tissue samples. In this pilot study, we evaluated blood, nasopharyngeal, and stool specimens from 94 children (aged 2-54 months) with febrile illness admitted to Tororo District Hospital, Uganda.ResultsThe most common pathogens identified were Plasmodium falciparum (51.1% of samples) and parvovirus B19 (4.4%) from blood; human rhinoviruses A and C (40%), respiratory syncytial virus (10%), and human herpesvirus 5 (10%) from nasopharyngeal swabs; and rotavirus A (50% of those with diarrhea) from stool. Among other potential pathogens, we identified one novel orthobunyavirus, tentatively named Nyangole virus, from the blood of a child diagnosed with malaria and pneumonia, and Bwamba orthobunyavirus in the nasopharynx of a child with rash and sepsis. We also identified two novel human rhinovirus C species.ConclusionsThis exploratory pilot study demonstrates the utility of mNGS and the IDseq platform for defining the molecular landscape of febrile infectious diseases in resource limited areas. These methods, supported by a robust data analysis and sharing platform, offer a new tool for the surveillance, diagnosis, and ultimately treatment and prevention of infectious diseases.

Treatment of ebola and other infectious diseases: melatonin “goes viral”

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russel J Reiter ◽  
Qiang Ma ◽  
Ramaswamy Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Hemorrhagic Shock ◽  
Safety Profile ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Attractive Potential ◽  
Potential Treatment

This review summarizes published reports on the utility of melatonin as a treatment for virus-mediated diseases. Of special note are the data related to the role of melatonin in influencing Ebola virus disease. This infection and deadly condition has no effective treatment and the published works documenting the ability of melatonin to attenuate the severity of viral infections generally and Ebola infection specifically are considered. The capacity of melatonin to prevent one of the major complications of an Ebola infection, i.e., the hemorrhagic shock syndrome, which often contributes to the high mortality rate, is noteworthy. Considering the high safety profile of melatonin, the fact that it is easily produced, inexpensive and can be self-administered makes it an attractive potential treatment for Ebola virus pathology.  

scholarly journals Is the oral microbiome a source to enhance mucosal immunity against infectious diseases?

npj Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille Zenobia ◽  
Karla-Luise Herpoldt ◽  
Marcelo Freire
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Oral Mucosa ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Humoral Response ◽  
Outer Membrane Vesicles ◽  
Oral Microbiome ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Cell Mediated Immunity ◽  
Th17 Response

AbstractMucosal tissues act as a barrier throughout the oral, nasopharyngeal, lung, and intestinal systems, offering first-line protection against potential pathogens. Conventionally, vaccines are applied parenterally to induce serotype-dependent humoral response but fail to drive adequate mucosal immune protection for viral infections such as influenza, HIV, and coronaviruses. Oral mucosa, however, provides a vast immune repertoire against specific microbial pathogens and yet is shaped by an ever-present microbiome community that has co-evolved with the host over thousands of years. Adjuvants targeting mucosal T-cells abundant in oral tissues can promote soluble-IgA (sIgA)-specific protection to confer increased vaccine efficacy. Th17 cells, for example, are at the center of cell-mediated immunity and evidence demonstrates that protection against heterologous pathogen serotypes is achieved with components from the oral microbiome. At the point of entry where pathogens are first encountered, typically the oral or nasal cavity, the mucosal surfaces are layered with bacterial cohabitants that continually shape the host immune profile. Constituents of the oral microbiome including their lipids, outer membrane vesicles, and specific proteins, have been found to modulate the Th17 response in the oral mucosa, playing important roles in vaccine and adjuvant designs. Currently, there are no approved adjuvants for the induction of Th17 protection, and it is critical that this research is included in the preparedness for the current and future pandemics. Here, we discuss the potential of oral commensals, and molecules derived thereof, to induce Th17 activity and provide safer and more predictable options in adjuvant engineering to prevent emerging infectious diseases.

scholarly journals Vaccines and Antibodies: Weapons in the Fight Against Ebola Virus

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrice Debré ◽  
Marie Neunez ◽  
Michel Goldman
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
World Today ◽  
The World ◽  
Stimulation Of

Ebola virus disease is one of the deadliest infections in the world today. The microbe to blame is the Ebola virus. It has already caused numerous outbreaks in Africa, in the regions located south of the Sahara. This article describes the main characteristics of this infectious disease as well as the currently available treatments, namely vaccines and antibodies. Antibodies are produced by the human body when it is infected by a microbe. Antibodies can be collected from the blood of infected humans or animals and purified or manufactured in a laboratory to produce drugs. While vaccines have demonstrated their effectiveness in preventing infectious diseases, antibodies are effective in stopping the progression of several infectious diseases. In this article, you will discover that the stimulation of the immune system, either by the vaccine or by antibodies, is essential to tackle Ebola virus disease.

scholarly journals Using linked health data in international comparisons of infectious disease burden

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Reeves
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Burden ◽  
International Comparisons ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Health Data ◽  
Routinely Collected Data ◽  
Syncytial Virus ◽  
International Comparative

Linking population-level health databases – such as those on hospital admissions, GP consultations, prescriptions, maternal and perinatal data, and laboratory data – provides great opportunities to explore the epidemiology and burden of infectious diseases. Furthermore, comparing the epidemiology and burden of infectious diseases on an international scale is crucial in designing and implementing national and global prevention and control measures. However, substantial differences between countries in national health systems (including thresholds for hospital admission), as well as varying availability and quality of routinely collected data, can pose challenges when using linked population-level health databases to compare estimates of infectious disease burden between countries. This session aims to highlight and discuss the opportunities and challenges of international comparisons of infectious disease burden using linked population-level health data. This session will facilitate discussion of the methodological, ethical and resource challenges when using linked health data to produce internationally comparable estimates of the burden of infectious diseases. We will use as an example the ongoing work of the REspiratory Syncytial virus Consortium in Europe (RESCEU) – a large-scale collaborative project producing evidence to inform policymaking and regulatory decisions on novel respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines and therapeutics. The RESCEU project involves at least seven European countries each using linked routinely collected health data to produce national estimates of the health and economic burden of RSV, by age and risk group, for comparison. The results will highlight target populations for future vaccines and therapeutics, and provide a baseline estimate of the pre-vaccine era burden of disease that can be used to measure future vaccine impact. We will share the challenges faced in the RESCEU project with regards to using linked health data in international comparative work. We will then discuss, with relevance to other ongoing or future projects, how these challenges may be overcome. This session will generate ideas for procedures and tools for international comparative work using routinely collected data to investigate infectious diseases. This session will provide the opportunity to network with other researchers working in this area. We aim to facilitate the generation and dissemination of ideas for current and future projects, and therefore this session is likely to identify areas for potential future international collaborative work.

Clinical Signs, Prevention and Treatment of Viral Infections in Infants

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Majid Firouzi ◽  
Hamidreza Sherkatolabbasieh ◽  
Shiva Shafizadeh
Keyword(s):  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Molecular Methods ◽  
Maternal Immunity ◽  
Infancy And Childhood ◽  
Prevention And Treatment

: Certain infectious diseases are common in infants than any other age groups and are associated with morbidities in childhood and adulthood, and even mortality in severe cases. Environment, epidemic and maternal immunity are the main causes of these infections. Early diagnosis using molecular methods and treatment is therefore important to prevent future complications. Vaccines are recommended during infancy and childhood to prevent these infections. This review highlights some of the most commonly reported viral infections in children, their clinical signs, prevention and treatment.

Systemic Infectious Diseases

2019 ◽  
pp. 189-211
Author(s):  
Leah Bauer ◽  
Carolyn Chooljian ◽  
Whitney Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Clinical Effects ◽  
Appropriate Treatment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Patient’S History

Generalized complaints such as fever, chills, malaise, and body aches are common presentations to the emergency department (ED). Some of these are due to viral infections, and some are due to systemic bacterial infections. Clues to the specific infection can be found in the geographic location of the patient or the patient’s exposure to wildlife (e.g., ticks) and animals. The patient’s history and the timing of the illness play an important part in helping to identify the possible source or cause of the infection. This chapter presents questions related to the diagnosis, clinical effects, and most appropriate treatment of a wide range of these systemic infectious disease emergencies.

scholarly journals Global biogeography of human infectious diseases

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (41) ◽  
pp. 12746-12751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris A. Murray ◽  
Nicholas Preston ◽  
Toph Allen ◽  
Carlos Zambrana-Torrelio ◽  
Parviez R. Hosseini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Ecological Barriers ◽  
Health Related Research ◽  
Vector Borne

The distributions of most infectious agents causing disease in humans are poorly resolved or unknown. However, poorly known and unknown agents contribute to the global burden of disease and will underlie many future disease risks. Existing patterns of infectious disease co-occurrence could thus play a critical role in resolving or anticipating current and future disease threats. We analyzed the global occurrence patterns of 187 human infectious diseases across 225 countries and seven epidemiological classes (human-specific, zoonotic, vector-borne, non–vector-borne, bacterial, viral, and parasitic) to show that human infectious diseases exhibit distinct spatial grouping patterns at a global scale. We demonstrate, using outbreaks of Ebola virus as a test case, that this spatial structuring provides an untapped source of prior information that could be used to tighten the focus of a range of health-related research and management activities at early stages or in data-poor settings, including disease surveillance, outbreak responses, or optimizing pathogen discovery. In examining the correlates of these spatial patterns, among a range of geographic, epidemiological, environmental, and social factors, mammalian biodiversity was the strongest predictor of infectious disease co-occurrence overall and for six of the seven disease classes examined, giving rise to a striking congruence between global pathogeographic and “Wallacean” zoogeographic patterns. This clear biogeographic signal suggests that infectious disease assemblages remain fundamentally constrained in their distributions by ecological barriers to dispersal or establishment, despite the homogenizing forces of globalization. Pathogeography thus provides an overarching context in which other factors promoting infectious disease emergence and spread are set.

scholarly journals Broad Impact of Exchange Protein Directly Activated by cAMP 2 (EPAC2) on Respiratory Viral Infections

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1179
Author(s):  
Eun-Jin Choi ◽  
Wenzhe Wu ◽  
Xiaoyan Cong ◽  
Ke Zhang ◽  
Jiaqi Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Therapeutic Target ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Specific Inhibitor ◽  
New Family ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections ◽  
Syncytial Virus ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Exchange Protein

The recently discovered exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (EPAC), compared with protein kinase A (PKA), is a fairly new family of cAMP effectors. Soon after the discovery, EPAC has shown its significance in many diseases including its emerging role in infectious diseases. In a recent study, we demonstrated that EPAC, but not PKA, is a promising therapeutic target to regulate respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) replication and its associated inflammation. In mammals, there are two isoforms of EPAC—EPAC1 and EPAC2. Unlike other viruses, including Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Ebola virus, which use EPAC1 to regulate viral replication, RSV uses EPAC2 to control its replication and associated cytokine/chemokine responses. To determine whether EPAC2 protein has a broad impact on other respiratory viral infections, we used an EPAC2-specific inhibitor, MAY0132, to examine the functions of EPAC2 in human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and adenovirus (AdV) infections. HMPV is a negative-sense single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family Pneumoviridae, which also includes RSV, while AdV is a double-stranded DNA virus. Treatment with an EPAC1-specific inhibitor was also included to investigate the impact of EPAC1 on these two viruses. We found that the replication of HMPV, AdV, and RSV and the viral-induced immune mediators are significantly impaired by MAY0132, while an EPAC1-specific inhibitor, CE3F4, does not impact or slightly impacts, demonstrating that EPAC2 could serve as a novel common therapeutic target to control these viruses, all of which do not have effective treatment and prevention strategies.

scholarly journals Food bioactives, micronutrients, immune function and COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus W. Lange ◽  
Yukiko Nakamura
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Immune Function ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
High Dose ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Targeted Therapeutics ◽  
Foreseeable Future ◽  
Target Populations ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

The development of targeted therapeutics against the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is highly desirable but may present a challenge in the foreseeable future. Adequate nutrition is a prerequisite of an optimally functioning immune system. Nutritional approaches, including the administration of food bioactives and micronutrients, may therefore have the potential to augment immune function and defend against COVID-19. The supplementation of micronutrients, including vitamins and trace elements, and food bioactives, such as carotenoids and polyphenols, has shown itself to be beneficial in enhancing immunity in viral infections. However, the purported significance of these compounds in naturally occurring infections derives primarily from studies using animal models. The findings of human studies are inconsistent. The efficacy of micronutrients and food bioactives in infectious diseases can be affected by a wide array of factors, including the type of pathogen, the dose, timing and duration of supplementation and the characteristics of target populations. High-dose supplementation over extended periods of time may be associated with serious adverse effects, including aggravation of infectious diseases. Evidence evaluating dietary supplementation in COVID-19 is lacking. A reliance on supplements to prevent or treat COVID-19 would therefore be premature.

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