scholarly journals Obesity Enhances Disease Severity in Female Mice Following West Nile Virus Infection

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Geerling ◽  
E. Taylor Stone ◽  
Tara L. Steffen ◽  
Mariah Hassert ◽  
James D. Brien ◽  
...  

A rise in adiposity in the United States has resulted in more than 70% of adults being overweight or obese, and global obesity rates have tripled since 1975. Following the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, obesity was characterized as a risk factor that could predict severe infection outcomes to viral infection. Amidst the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, obesity has remained a significant risk factor for severe viral disease as obese patients have a higher likelihood for developing severe symptoms and requiring hospitalization. However, the mechanism by which obesity enhances viral disease is unknown. In this study, we utilized a diet-induced obesity mouse model of West Nile virus (WNV) infection, a flavivirus that cycles between birds and mosquitoes and incidentally infects both humans and mice. Likelihood for severe WNV disease is associated with risk factors such as diabetes that are comorbidities also linked to obesity. Utilizing this model, we showed that obesity-associated chronic inflammation increased viral disease severity as obese female mice displayed higher mortality rates and elevated viral titers in the central nervous system. In addition, our studies highlighted that obesity also dysregulates host acute adaptive immune responses, as obese female mice displayed significant dysfunction in neutralizing antibody function. These studies highlight that obesity-induced immunological dysfunction begins at early time points post infection and is sustained through memory phase, thus illuminating a potential for obesity to alter the differentiation landscape of adaptive immune cells.

2014 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole P. Lindsey ◽  
J. Erin Staples ◽  
Mark J. Delorey ◽  
Marc Fischer

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S239-S239
Author(s):  
Arunmozhi S Aravagiri ◽  
Scott Kubomoto ◽  
Ayutyanont Napatkamon ◽  
Sarah Wilson ◽  
Sudhakar Mallela

Abstract Background Aseptic meningitis can be caused by an array of microorganisms, both bacterial and non-bacterial, as well as non-infectious conditions. Some etiologies of aseptic meningitis require treatment with antibiotics, antiviral, antifungals, anti-parasitic agents, immunosuppressants, and or chemotherapy. There are limited diagnostic tools for diagnosing certain types of aseptic meningitis, therefore knowing the differential causes of aseptic meningitis, and their relative percentages may assist in diagnosis. Review of the literature reveals that there are no recent studies of etiologies of aseptic meningitis in the United States (US). This is an epidemiologic study to delineate etiologies of aseptic meningitis in a large database of 185 HCA hospitals across the US. Methods Data was collected from January 2016 to December 2019 on all patients diagnosed with meningitis. CSF PCR studies, and CSF antibody tests were then selected for inclusion. Results Total number of encounters were 3,149 hospitalizations. Total number of individual labs analyzed was 10,613, and of these 262 etiologies were identified. 23.6% (62) of cases were due to enterovirus, 18.7% (49) due to HSV-2, 14.5% (38) due to West Nile virus, 13.7% (36) due to Varicella zoster (VZV), 10.5% (27) due to Cryptococcus. Additionally, we analyzed the rate of positive test results by region. Nationally, 9.7% of tests ordered for enterovirus were positive. In contrast, 0.5% of tests ordered for HSV 1 were positive. The southeastern United States had the highest rate of positive tests for HSV 2 (7% of tests ordered for HSV 2 were positive). The central United States had the highest rate of positive test for West Nile virus (11% of tests ordered for West Nile were positive). The northeastern region and the highest rate of positive tests for varicella zoster (18%). Table 1: Percentage of positive CSF tests (positive tests/tests ordered) Table 2: Lists the number of HIV patients and transplant patients that had positive CSF PCR/serologies Figure 1: Percentage of positive CSF tests in each region Conclusion Approximately 40% of aseptic meningitis population had treatable etiologies. A third of the Cryptococcus meningitis population had HIV. Furthermore, enteroviruses had the majority of cases within the US, which are similar to studies done in other parts of the world. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


2015 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
pp. 1013-1022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Micah B. Hahn ◽  
Roger S. Nasci ◽  
Mark J. Delorey ◽  
Rebecca J. Eisen ◽  
Andrew J. Monaghan ◽  
...  

Acta Tropica ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 185 ◽  
pp. 242-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin K. Davis ◽  
Geoffrey P. Vincent ◽  
Michael B. Hildreth ◽  
Lon Kightlinger ◽  
Christopher Carlson ◽  
...  

Hypertension ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Javad Habibi ◽  
Annayya R Aroor ◽  
Lixin Ma ◽  
Guanghong Jia ◽  
Adam Whaley-Connell ◽  
...  

Cardiac diastolic dysfunction (DD) and diastolic heart failure is increasing in concert with obesity and aging population in the United States. In obese and diabetic women, DD is more common than in their male counterparts. This disproportionate increase in DD in obese females may partly explain their loss of sex-related cardiovascular (CV) disease protection. Recent studies have suggested a role for endothelial sodium channel (ENaC) activation in promotion of endothelial stiffness and suppression of flow- (nitric oxide) mediated vasodilation. Moreover, increased mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation mediated endothelial stiffness is promoted, in part, by ENaC activation. In this regard, we have recently reported increased plasma aldosterone levels, aortic and cardiac stiffness, and cardiac and vascular MR expression in female mice fed a high fat and high fructose diet (western diet [WD]). This increase in CV stiffness was prevented by very low dose MR antagonism. Accordingly, we hypothesized that inhibition of MR-mediated ENaC activation by using a very low dose of the ENaC inhibitor, amiloride would prevent cardiac stiffening (DD) in WD-fed female mice. Four week old C57BL6/J mice were fed a WD containing high fat (46%), sucrose (17.5%), and high fructose corn syrup (17.5%) with or without a very low dose of amiloride (1mg/kg/day) for 16 weeks. Amiloride significantly attenuated WD-induced impairment of cardiac relaxation in vivo as measured by high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as well as cardiac interstitial fibrosis as measured by immunohistochemistry by picrosirius red staining. Moreover, amiloride prevented the development of DD in obese female mice without having effects on blood pressure. These observations support a role for ENaC activation in diet-induced cardiac stiffening (DD) in obese females.


2013 ◽  
pp. 1170-1182
Author(s):  
Kevin P. McKnight ◽  
Joseph P. Messina ◽  
Ashton M. Shortridge ◽  
Meghan D. Burns ◽  
Bruce W. Pigozzi

West Nile Virus is a vector-borne flavivirus that affects mainly birds, horses, and humans. The disease emerged in the United States in 1999 and by 2001 had reached Michigan. In clinical human cases, the most common symptoms are fever, weakness, nausea, headache, and changes in mental state. The crow is the most common wildlife host in the life cycle of the virus. The state of Michigan, through the Michigan Department of Community Health, collected the spatial locations of over 8,000 dead birds (Corvidae), statewide, during 2002. The large number of samples made spatial and temporal hotspot detection possible. However, the volunteer reporting method produced a dataset with a direct correlation between the numbers and locations of the dead birds and human population density and accurately identifying hotspots remains a challenge. Geographic variation in dead bird intensity was modeled using both global and local spatial clustering algorithms. Statistical models identified overall spatial structure and local clustering. Identification of hotspots was confounded by limited information about the collection procedures, data availability and quality, and the limitations of each method.


Author(s):  
Erica Azevedo Costa ◽  
José Joffre Martins Bayeux ◽  
Aila Solimar Gonçalves Silva ◽  
Guilherme Alves De Queiroz ◽  
Beatriz Senra Álvares da Silva Santos ◽  
...  

West Nile virus (WNV) is a neurovirulent mosquito-borne Flavivirus that is maintained in nature by a zoonotic transmissioncycle between avian hosts and ornithophilic mosquito vectors, mostly from the Culex genus. Until the 1990s, WNV wasconsidered to be an old-world arbovirus, but in 1999, WNV emerged in the United States (US) and spread rapidly, becoming amajor threat to public health. WNV adapted to the transmission cycle involving American mosquitoes and birds and reachedCentral and South America in subsequent years. In 2003, the National West Nile Fever Surveillance System was created in Brazilbased on serological screening of animals and sentinel vectors, as recommended by the Pan American Health Organization(PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Since 2008, serological evidence of WNV infection in Brazilian horseshas been reported, and the circulation of WNV has been monitored through the regular serological screening of sentinel horsesand reporting of encephalomyelitis cases. Horses are highly susceptible to WNV infection, and outbreaks of neurologicaldisease among horses often precede human cases. In this regard, equine surveillance has been essential in providing earlywarning to public and animal health authorities in several countries, including Brazil. This demonstrates the need for animaland public health intervention programs to allocate resources to make veterinarians aware of the role they can play in thehuman surveillance processes by monitoring horses. This review discusses the importance of equine surveillance and the gapthat veterinarians can fill on the front line in human surveillance, in Brazil and worldwide, in the context of “One Health”


Author(s):  
Johnny A. Uelmen ◽  
Charles Brokopp ◽  
Jonathan Patz

West Nile virus (WNV) is the most important and widespread mosquito-borne virus in the United States (U.S.). WNV has the ability to spread rapidly and effectively, infecting more than 320 bird and mammalian species. An examination of environmental conditions and the health of keystone species may help predict the susceptibility of various habitats to WNV and reveal key risk factors, annual trends, and vulnerable regions. Since 2002, WNV outbreaks in Wisconsin varied by species, place, and time, significantly affected by unique climatic, environmental, and geographical factors. During a 15 year period, WNV was detected in 71 of 72 counties, resulting in 239 human and 1397 wildlife cases. Controlling for population and sampling efforts in Wisconsin, rates of WNV are highest in the western and northwestern rural regions of the state. WNV incidence rates were highest in counties with low human population densities, predominantly wetland, and at elevations greater than 1000 feet. Resources for surveillance, prevention, and detection of WNV were lowest in rural counties, likely resulting in underestimation of cases. Overall, increasing mean temperature and decreasing precipitation showed positive influence on WNV transmission in Wisconsin. This study incorporates the first statewide assessment of WNV in Wisconsin.


2014 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 677-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C. Wimberly ◽  
Aashis Lamsal ◽  
Paolla Giacomo ◽  
Ting-Wu Chuang

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