scholarly journals From Poliomyelitis to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Reflections by a Virologist

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Erling Norrby
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Health Economics ◽  
Antiviral Drugs ◽  
Human Host ◽  
The Media

Never before have the media focused on a single infectious disease as they have in the case of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic that started to spread globally from China at the end of 2019. The consequences of the pandemic on health, economics, and the societal conditions of isolated individuals have been discussed from a range of different perspectives. Virologists are expected to be capable of providing immediate answers to many different kinds of questions—how and under what conditions is an individual infectious, what are the relative roles of the different arms of the immune system, do reinfections occur, when will a vaccine preventing infection with the virus become available, what are the possibilities of developing antiviral drugs capable of interfering with the disease, and so on. In many cases there are no immediate answers, since virologists globally are still in the middle of researching the particular problem in the focus of interest. The only proper answer to demanding questions of this kind should be “Welcome to the workshop of virologists.” However, what needs to be emphasized is that the tools available to understand the details of the interaction of a particular virus and the various organs in an infected human host have changed dramatically during the somewhat more than a hundred years of studies of viruses.

scholarly journals How Does a COVID mRNA vaccine really work?

Ubiquity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (July) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Walter Tichy
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Messenger Rna ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
Foreign Protein ◽  
The Real ◽  
Virus Rna ◽  
German Company ◽  
The Media ◽  
The U.S

The most potent weapon against COVID-19 is a vaccine based on messenger RNA (mRNA). The first of these vaccines authorized for use was developed by the German company BioNTech in cooperation with Pfizer, closely followed by the (U.S.-produced) Moderna vaccine. These vaccines send a piece of mRNA into cells of a host. The mRNA instructs the cells to produce masses of the same spike protein that also occurs on the shell of the real coronavirus. The immune system responds by learning to destroy anything showing that protein: if the real virus arrives, the immune system will attack it immediately. This much has been reported widely by the media. But important questions remain. How is mRNA actually synthesized as a transcription of the spike-producing segment of the virus' RNA? How is the selection and replication done? How does mRNA enter a host cell, and how long will it stay there? Will it produce the spike protein forever? Is it perhaps dangerous? And the biggest question of all: How does the immune system record the structure of the foreign protein, how does it recognize the invader, and how is the immune response cranked up? To answer these questions, we bring you a conversation between Ubiquity editor Walter Tichy and his daughter Dr. Evelyn Tichy, an infectious disease expert.

scholarly journals Insights into COVID-19 Chemotherapies: Potential and Challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Esam Yahya
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Immune Response ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Antiviral Agents ◽  
Antiviral Drugs ◽  
Therapeutic Options ◽  
Therapeutic Drugs ◽  
Effective Immune Response ◽  
Good State ◽  
The World

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a newly emerged infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus, has recently become pandemic. Although several therapeutic options are currently available for the treatment of COVID-19, no effective antiviral agents have been developed yet. Many countries follow the strategy of keeping the patient in good state and count on his own immune system to develop an effective immune response. Since the beginning of the pandemic, many previous therapeutic options have been used in COVID-19 treatment including antiviral, non-antiviral drugs and convalescent plasma-based therapies. This review delivers comprehensive illustration of the current therapeutic drugs that have been used for COVID-19 treatment all over the world since the pandemic starts.

scholarly journals On the diverse and opposing effects of nutrition on pathogen virulence

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1906) ◽  
pp. 20191220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria L. Pike ◽  
Katrina A. Lythgoe ◽  
Kayla C. King
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Pathogen Virulence ◽  
Disease Outcomes ◽  
Host Nutrition ◽  
Opposing Effects ◽  
The Impact

Climate change and anthropogenic activity are currently driving large changes in nutritional availability across ecosystems, with consequences for infectious disease. An increase in host nutrition could lead to more resources for hosts to expend on the immune system or for pathogens to exploit. In this paper, we report a meta-analysis of studies on host–pathogen systems across the tree of life, to examine the impact of host nutritional quality and quantity on pathogen virulence. We did not find broad support across studies for a one-way effect of nutrient availability on pathogen virulence. We thus discuss a hypothesis that there is a balance between the effect of host nutrition on the immune system and on pathogen resources, with the pivot point of the balance differing for vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Our results suggest that variation in nutrition, caused by natural or anthropogenic factors, can have diverse effects on infectious disease outcomes across species.

scholarly journals Psychoneuroimmunology: stress effects on pathogenesis and immunity during infection.

1994 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
J F Sheridan ◽  
C Dobbs ◽  
D Brown ◽  
B Zwilling
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Disease Susceptibility ◽  
Stress Effects ◽  
Response To Stress ◽  
Specific Receptors ◽  
Sympathetic Nervous ◽  
Effects Of Stress ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Pituitary Adrenal Axis

The mammalian response to stress involves the release of soluble products from the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Cells of the immune system respond to many of the hormones, neurotransmitters, and neuropeptides through specific receptors. The function of the immune system is critical in the mammalian response to infectious disease. A growing body of evidence identifies stress as a cofactor in infectious disease susceptibility and outcomes. It has been suggested that effects of stress on the immune system may mediate the relationship between stress and infectious disease. This article reviews recent psychoneuroimmunology literature exploring the effects of stress on the pathogenesis of, and immune response to, infectious disease in mammals.

scholarly journals The thick waxy coat of mycobacteria, a protective layer against antibiotics and the host's immune system

2020 ◽  
Vol 477 (10) ◽  
pp. 1983-2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah M. Batt ◽  
David E. Minnikin ◽  
Gurdyal S. Besra
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Protective Layer ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Complex Lipids ◽  
And Function

Tuberculosis, caused by the pathogenic bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is the leading cause of death from an infectious disease, with a mortality rate of over a million people per year. This pathogen's remarkable resilience and infectivity is largely due to its unique waxy cell envelope, 40% of which comprises complex lipids. Therefore, an understanding of the structure and function of the cell wall lipids is of huge indirect clinical significance. This review provides a synopsis of the cell envelope and the major lipids contained within, including structure, biosynthesis and roles in pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Deskripsi Sanitasi Lingkungan, Perilaku Ibu, dan Kesehatan Anak

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 415
Author(s):  
Kasnodihardjo Kasnodihardjo ◽  
Elsa Elsi
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Digestive System ◽  
Bowel Movement ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Mosquito Nets ◽  
The Media ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Diarrhea Disease

Pada tahun 2009, dilakukan penelitian deskriptif di Kecamatan Jatibarang dan Kecamatan Kedokan Bunder untuk mengetahui faktor-faktor sanitasi lingkungan, dan perilaku ibu-ibu dan kejadian penyakit infeksi pada bayi dan anak. Data dikumpulkan menggunakan kuesioner dengan responden ibu rumah tangga yang mempunyai bayi/ anak balita berjumlah 401 orang. Penyakit diare pada bayi/anak disebabkan oleh media tercemar yang masuk ke sistem pencernaan melalui sumber air untuk minum maupun mandi, cuci, kakus (MCK) yang bukan berasal dari ledeng, keluarga yang tidak mempunyai jamban, ibu yang masih jarang mencuci tangan setelah membersihkan kotoran bayi ataupun setelah buang air besar, meminum dan memakan makanan yang tidak dimasak, dan sampah yang dibuang ke lingkungan. Penyakit Infeksi saluran pernapasan atas (ISPA), pneumonia, dan tuberkulosis paru pada bayi/anak kemungkinan disebabkan media tercemar masuk ke sistem pernapasan melalui sampah yang dibakar, membawa (menggendong) anak sewaktu memasak, merokok di dalam rumah berdekatan dengan bayi/anak, menggunakan obat nyamuk bakar, penderita tuberkulosis paru meludah dan membuang dahak di sembarang tempat dan penderita tidur bersama anggota keluarga yang lain. Penyakit tular vektor pada bayi/anak (malaria) kemungkinan disebabkan upaya pen-cegahan gigitan nyamuk dengan repellent kurang efektif dan penggunaan kelambu masih rendah.In 2009 a descriptive study conducted in the subdistrict Jatibarang and Kedokan Bunder to determine the factors of environmental sanitation, infectious disease in baby/child, and mother’s behavior. Data were collect-ed using questionnaires which respondents are 401 housewives who have a baby/child. Occurrence of diarrhea disease in baby/child because of the possibility of contaminated media through the digestive system by water for drinking and toilets which do not originate from the piping network, families who do not have own toilet, mothers who still seldom washing hands after cleaning the baby’s stool or after a bowel movement, drinking and eating food that is not cooked and throw trash to the environment. Occurrence of respiratory diseases, pneumonia and pulmonary tuberculosis in baby/child possibly because the media is polluted through the respiratory system by burning garbage, carrying baby/children while, smoking at home or adjacent with babies/children, the use of mosquito coils, pulmonary tuberkulosis patients spit and throw phlegm in random places and sleeping with other family members. The occurrence of vector borne diseases in baby/child (malaria) because of the possibility of preventing mosquito bites with repellent less effective, the use of mosquito nets still low.

scholarly journals Taxonomic patterns in the zoonotic potential of mammalian viruses

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5979 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex D. Washburne ◽  
Daniel E. Crowley ◽  
Daniel J. Becker ◽  
Kevin J. Olival ◽  
Matthew Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Coarse Graining ◽  
International Committee ◽  
Zoonotic Potential ◽  
Human Host ◽  
Disease Biology ◽  
Taxonomic Patterns

Predicting and simplifying which pathogens may spill over from animals to humans is a major priority in infectious disease biology. Many efforts to determine which viruses are at risk of spillover use a subset of viral traits to find trait-based associations with spillover. We adapt a new method—phylofactorization—to identify not traits but lineages of viruses at risk of spilling over. Phylofactorization is used to partition the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses viral taxonomy based on non-human host range of viruses and whether there exists evidence the viruses have infected humans. We identify clades on a range of taxonomic levels with high or low propensities to spillover, thereby simplifying the classification of zoonotic potential of mammalian viruses. Phylofactorization by whether a virus is zoonotic yields many disjoint clades of viruses containing few to no representatives that have spilled over to humans. Phylofactorization by non-human host breadth yields several clades with significantly higher host breadth. We connect the phylogenetic factors above with life-histories of clades, revisit trait-based analyses, and illustrate how cladistic coarse-graining of zoonotic potential can refine trait-based analyses by illuminating clade-specific determinants of spillover risk.

scholarly journals PSYCHOTHERAPY DURING COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
А.Ф. Ермошин
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Beneficial Effect ◽  
Viral Infection ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Induced Stress ◽  
Active Life ◽  
The Media

Психотерапевтическая помощь человеку важна на всех этапах его жизни в условиях пандемии. Впечатленность человека пугающей информацией, поступившей от СМИ, ведёт, в ряде случаев, к формированию ковидофобии. Недооценка опасности заболевания может вести к отрицанию существования вируса и отказу от вакцинации. Если встреча организма человека с вирусом все же состоялась, важна настройка психики на содействие работе иммунитета. После перенесенной инфекции актуальна отработка последствий болезни как в части полученных страшных впечатлений, связанных с болезнью, с пребыванием в ковидном госпитале и др., так и поддержка в возвращении человека к активной жизни. Отдельно стоит помощь людям, потерявшим близких. Разбираем некоторые аспекты этой комплексной работы, прописываем конкретные алгоритмы помощи в перечисленных ситуациях методом психокатализа. Один выводов работы: индуцированное психотерапией снижение уровня стресса, формирование благого ожидания, связанного с работой иммунитета, благотворно действует на здоровье пациентов. В случае вирусного заражения способствует более быстрому и с меньшими осложнениями преодолению болезни и может рекомендоваться как важное вспомогательное средство профилактики и лечения коронавирусной и других видов инфекции. Psychotherapeutic assistance to a person is important at all stages of his life in a pandemic. A person's impression of frightening information from the media leads, in some cases, to the formation of covidophobia. Underestimating the danger of the disease can lead to denial of the existence of the virus and refusal to vaccinate. If the meeting of the human body with the virus did take place, it is important to tune the psyche to promote the work of immunity. After infection, it is important to work out the consequences of the disease, both in terms of the received terrible impressions associated with the disease, with a stay in a covid hospital, etc., as well as support in returning a person to an active life. The help to people who have lost loved ones could be very important as well. We analyze some aspects of this complex work, prescribe specific algorithms for helping in the listed situations using the method of psychocatalysis. One of the conclusions of the work: psychotherapy-induced stress reduction, the formation of a good expectation associated with the work of the immune system, has a beneficial effect on the health of patients. In the case of viral infection, it helps to overcome the disease more quickly and with less complications and can be recommended as an important auxiliary means of preventing and treating coronavirus and other types of infection.

INTERLEUKIN MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF AN IMMUNE SYSTEM

1995 ◽  
Vol 03 (03) ◽  
pp. 889-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
URSULA FORYS
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
Basic Properties

Some generalizations of Marchuk's model of an infectious disease with respect to the role of interleukins are presented in this paper. Basic properties of the models are studied. Results of numerical simulations with different coefficients corresponding to the different forms of the disease are shown.

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