scholarly journals Genetic Insights into Feline Parvovirus: Evaluation of Viral Evolutionary Patterns and Association between Phylogeny and Clinical Variables

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1033
Author(s):  
Claudia Maria Tucciarone ◽  
Giovanni Franzo ◽  
Matteo Legnardi ◽  
Elena Lazzaro ◽  
Andrea Zoia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Severe Disease ◽  
Viral Evolution ◽  
Clinical Aspects ◽  
Statistical Association ◽  
Viral Sequence ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Evolutionary Patterns ◽  
Clinical Variables ◽  
Feline Parvovirus ◽  
Points Of View

Feline panleukopenia is a severe disease of cats caused by feline parvovirus (FPV), and marginally canine parvovirus (CPV). Despite being less rapid than CPV, FPV evolution deserves attention, especially since outbreaks of particular severity are currently reported. This apparently different virulence needs monitoring from genetic and clinical points of view. This manuscript explored FPV molecular epidemiology at both Italian and international levels and the possible association between viral phylogeny and disease severity. Sequences from clinical cases of feline panleukopenia in Italy were obtained from 2011 to 2019, and the etiological agent was characterized, distinguishing FPV from CPV. Phylogenetic and phylodynamic analyses were conducted on Italian and international sequences. Moreover, the association between the viral sequence and clinical variables was evaluated on a group of highly characterized patients. After its origin in the 1920s, FPV showed a constant population size until a more recent expansion since 2000. Few long-distance introduction events characterized FPV spreading, however, most of its evolution occurred locally. Although without a strong statistical association, several clinical variables appeared influenced by viral phylogeny, suggesting a differential virulence potentially characterizing FPV strains. These results stress the importance of the continuous study of viral evolution and its repercussions on the disease clinical aspects.

scholarly journals Molecular detection and clinical aspects of porcine circovirus 3 infection in pigs from Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 1731-1736
Author(s):  
A.C.M. Cruz ◽  
I.L.F. Rodrigues ◽  
A.E. Souza ◽  
F.B. Knackfuss ◽  
R.L. Silveira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Detection ◽  
Porcine Circovirus ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Clinical Aspects ◽  
Statistical Association ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Clinical Presentations ◽  
Porcine Circovirus 3 ◽  
Clinical Conditions ◽  
Swine Serum

ABSTRACT Porcine circovirus 3 (PCV-3) DNA has been detected in serum samples from apparently healthy pigs as well as pigs with different clinical conditions. Molecular detection of PCV-3 was observed in swine serum samples from Southeastern - Brazil using a nested PCR designed specifically for this study. The epidemiology and clinical aspects of PCV-3 infection were evaluated. The samples originated from 154 pigs of both genders from different production phases and with different clinical presentations, sampled from 31 pig farms visited between 2013 and 2018. In this study, PCV-3 was detected in 26.7% of samples from all populations across varying ages. Statistical association (P=0.0285) was observed only between animals with respiratory signs and PCV-3; no PCV-3-positive animal had diarrhea. No statistical association was observed between PCV-3 and age, or gender of the pigs. Because PCV-3 is a newly discovered virus, there is very little information about its epidemiology. We hope that these data can help in future studies investigating PCV-3 epidemiology.

scholarly journals A Natural Reservoir and Transmission Vector of Grapevine Vein Clearing Virus

Plant Disease ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 571-577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia M. Petersen ◽  
Cory Keith ◽  
Kaylie Austin ◽  
Susanne Howard ◽  
Li Su ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Management ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Viral Evolution ◽  
Insect Vector ◽  
Natural Reservoir ◽  
Vein Clearing ◽  
Decline Disease ◽  
Vine Decline ◽  
Full Length Genome ◽  
Aphid Populations

Grapevine vein clearing virus (GVCV) is associated with a vein-clearing and vine-decline disease. In this study, we surveyed wild Ampelopsis cordata from the Vitaceae family and found that 31% (35 of 113) of native A. cordata plants are infected with GVCV. The full-length genome sequence of one GVCV isolate from A. cordata shared 99.8% identical nucleotides with an isolate from a nearby cultivated ‘Chardonel’ grapevine, suggesting the occurrence of an insect vector. To identify a vector, we collected Aphis illinoisensis (common name: grape aphids) from wild A. cordata plants and detected GVCV in the aphid populations. We found that A. illinoisensis is capable of transmitting GVCV from infected A. cordata to Chardonel grapevines in the greenhouse. Upon transmission, GVCV caused severe symptoms on the infected Chardonel 45 days post transmission. We conclude that wild GVCV isolates from A. cordata are capable of inducing a severe disease on cultivated grapevines once they spread from native A. cordata to vineyards via grape aphids. The discovery of a natural reservoir and an insect vector of GVCV provides timely knowledge for disease management in vineyards and critical clues on viral evolution and epidemiology.

scholarly journals ANTIBODY RESPONSE TO COVID-19 INFECTION- CLINICAL VARIABLES AT PLAY

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anuj Parkash ◽  
Parul Singla ◽  
Meenu Bhatia
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Initial Symptom ◽  
Igg Antibody ◽  
Duration Of Symptoms ◽  
Clinical Variables ◽  
Significant Difference

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe current COVID19 pandemic began in December 2019 and rapidly expanded to become a global pandemic. The COVID 19 presents multitude of clinical disorders, ranges from asymptomatic infection to severe disease, which can accompanied by multisystem failure leading to death. The immune response to SARS CoV 2 is understood to involve all the components of the system that together causes viral elimination and recovery from the infection. However, such immune responses implicated in the disease has varied presentation ranging from mild to a severe form, which appears to hinge on the loss of the immune regulation between protective and altered responses. In this study, we want to unravel this association of immune responses to various clinical variables, which might have a major role to play, while generating the immune response. The objective was to test this hypothesis in our settings and comparing the results of serologic tests from a group of COVID 19 patients and will analyzed the disease severity in comparison.MethodsTesting for SARS COV2 IgG Antibody was done with chemiluminescent assay on the Ortho Clinical Diagnostic’s (OCD) Vitros 5600 platform.ResultsA total of 106 COVID 19 patients were included in this study, of whom 61 were male and 45 were female. Their mean age was 43.7 years (range 17–83) and the median interval between initial symptom onset and sample collection was 12.33 days. Eighty patients (82%) had mild or moderate symptoms and twenty-six patients (18%) had severe symptoms. The antibody titers were positive in 99 patients (93%) and were found negative in 7 patients (7%). When comparing patients with mild/moderate symptoms and patients with severe/critical diseases, no statistically significant difference was observed between their gender ratios (P = 0.373) and age composition (P = 0.224).ConclusionsThe data presented in this research study did not find any statistical significance between SARS CoV 2 IgG antibody levels with COVID 19 disease severity, duration of symptoms, age, gender, and length of convalescence.

scholarly journals Clinical aspects of congenital microcephaly syndrome by Zika virus in a rehabilitation center for patients with microcephaly

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (10) ◽  
pp. 1249-1253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelson James Almeida ◽  
Augusto César Beserra Martins ◽  
Isadora Costa Coelho Gayoso e Almendra ◽  
Gabriel Medina Sobreira de Meneses ◽  
Thales Daniel de Oliveira Sampaio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zika Virus ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Clinical Aspects ◽  
Serological Tests ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Clinical Variables ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Congenital Microcephaly

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE In this study, we intend to identify the prevalence of clinical variables in children with microcephaly. METHODS This is a cross-sectional and observational study with data collected from medical records of patients admitted to the microcephaly outpatient clinic of a referral center in Teresina-PI. Demographic (gender and age) and clinical data (presence of epilepsy, dysphagia, irritability, and associated comorbidities) were collected. The frequency of Zika virus as a probable etiology was determined from computed tomography patterns and the exclusion of other etiologies by serological tests. RESULTS A total of 67 patient records were evaluated, of which 31 were male and 36 were female, with a mean age of 1 year and 10 months. The most prevalent clinical variables were epilepsy, present in 47 children (70.2%), and irritability in 37 (55.2%). Also with a high frequency, 22 had dysphagia (32.8%), and 13 had musculoskeletal comorbidities (19.4%). Only three patients in the sample had cardiac abnormalities (4.5%), and no endocrine comorbidity was found. A total of 38 children in the sample (56.7%) presented ZIKV as a probable etiology and, in these cases, there was a higher frequency of epilepsy and dysphagia compared to other etiologies, although not statistically significant. CONCLUSION Epilepsy, irritability, dysphagia, and musculoskeletal comorbidities were the most frequent clinical variables in children with microcephaly. There was a high prevalence of congenital ZIKV microcephaly syndrome in this sample.

scholarly journals A Preliminary Clinical Study on 100 Egyptian Psoriatic Patients

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Pustular Psoriasis ◽  
Clinical Aspects ◽  
Juvenile Onset ◽  
Immune Mediated ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Egyptian Patients ◽  
Pasi Score

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated, inflammatory condition frequently seen in the clinical practice with a reported prevalence of 0.6 to 4.8 percent in the general population. However, data on psoriasis in Egypt are scarce. So, our aim was to investigate the clinical characterization of psoriasis in 100 Egyptian patients. Method: One hundred Egyptian psoriasis patients were enrolled in this study. A detailed questionnaire was filled including demographic and clinical aspects of the disease. Some laboratory tests were done to search for associated diseases like diabetes, metabolic syndrome and hepatitis C virus (HCV) and to correlate them with the disease severity. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS version 17. Results: Thirty seven patients were diagnosed with juvenile-onset psoriasis. There was no significant difference between the mean PASI score for adult versus juvenile onset psoriasis. Pustular psoriasis affected 15% of the patients including children and infants. Metabolic syndrome was absent in juvenile onset psoriatic patients and wasn’t associated with a significantly higher PASI score in the adults affected. PASI score was significantly high in the HCV positive and the hypertensive patients. Conclusion: Although the study sample is quite small to reach definite judgments on psoriasis in Egypt, yet we noticed that early onset psoriasis is quite a common and challenging disease. Metabolic syndrome is not common in the studied children with psoriasis. Pustular psoriasis is a common entity even in children and infants. HCV is associated with a severe disease and might be an inducing factor for psoriasis.

scholarly journals COVID-19, COPD, and AECOPD: Immunological, Epidemiological, and Clinical Aspects

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Polverino ◽  
Farrah Kheradmand
Keyword(s):  
Cigarette Smoke ◽  
Clinical Features ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Clinical Aspects ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Ultimate Cause

The newly identified severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes several heterogeneous clinical conditions collectively known as Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Older patients with significant cardiovascular conditions and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are predisposed to a more severe disease complicated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is associated with high morbidity and mortality. COPD is associated with increased susceptibility to respiratory infections, and viruses are among the top causes of acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD). Thus, COVID-19 could represent the ultimate cause of AECOPD. This review will examine the pathobiological processes underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection, including the effects of cigarette smoke and COPD on the immune system and vascular endothelium, and the known effects of cigarette smoke on the onset and progression of COVID-19. We will also review the epidemiological data on COVID-19 prevalence and outcome in patients with COPD and analyze the pathobiological and clinical features of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the context of other known viral causes of AECOPD. Overall, SARS-CoV-2 shares common pathobiological and clinical features with other viral agents responsible for increased morbidity, thus representing a novel cause of AECOPD with the potential for a more long-term adverse impact. Longitudinal studies aimed at COPD patients surviving COVID-19 are needed to identify therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV2 and prevent the disease's burden in this vulnerable population.

Paediatric pneumonia: deriving a model to identify severe disease

2021 ◽  
pp. archdischild-2021-322665
Author(s):  
Stuart Haggie ◽  
Elizabeth H Barnes ◽  
Hiran Selvadurai ◽  
Hasantha Gunasekera ◽  
Dominic A Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Work Of Breathing ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Intensive Care Treatment ◽  
Clinical Tool ◽  
Clinical Variables ◽  
Roc Area

BackgroundCommunity-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of childhood hospitalisation. Limited data exist on factors predicting severe disease with no paediatric-specific predictive tools.MethodsRetrospective cohort (2011–2016) of hospitalised CAP cases. We analysed clinical variables collected at hospital presentation against outcomes. Stratified outcomes were mild (hospitalised), moderate (invasive drainage procedure, intensive care) or severe (mechanical ventilation, vasopressors, death).ResultsWe report 3330 CAP cases, median age 2.0 years (IQR 1–5 years), with 2950 (88.5%) mild, 305 (9.2%) moderate and 75 (2.3%) severe outcomes. Moderate-severe outcomes were associated with hypoxia (SaO2 <90%; OR 6.6, 95% CI 5.1 to 8.5), increased work of breathing (severe vs normal OR 5.8, 95% CI 4.2 to 8.0), comorbidities (4+ comorbidities vs nil; OR 8.8, 95% CI 5.5 to 14) and being indigenous (OR 4.7, 95% CI 2.6 to 8.4). Febrile children were less likely than afebrile children to have moderate-severe outcomes (OR 0.57 95% CI 0.44 to 0.74). The full model receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) was 0.78. Sensitivity analyses showed similar results with clinical or radiological CAP definitions. We derived a clinical tool to stratify low, intermediate or high likelihood of severe disease (AUC 0.72). High scores (≥5) had nearly eight times higher odds of moderate-severe disease than those with a low (≤1) score (OR 7.7 95% CI 5.6 to 10.5).ConclusionsA clinical risk prediction tool is needed for child CAP. We have identified risk factors and derived a simple clinical tool using clinical variables at hospital presentation to determine a child’s risk of invasive or intensive care treatment with an ROC AUC comparable with adult pneumonia tools.

scholarly journals The Genomics and Metagenomics of Asthma Severity (GEMAS) Study: Rationale and Design

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Javier Perez-Garcia ◽  
José M. Hernández-Pérez ◽  
Ruperto González-Pérez ◽  
Olaia Sardón ◽  
Elena Martin-Gonzalez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Severe Asthma ◽  
Basque Country ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Asthma Severity ◽  
Pulmonary Medicine ◽  
Clinical Variables ◽  
Phenotype Definition ◽  
Asthma Exacerbations ◽  
Asthma Patients

Asthma exacerbations are a major contributor to the global disease burden, but no significant predictive biomarkers are known. The Genomics and Metagenomics of Asthma Severity (GEMAS) study aims to assess the role of genomics and the microbiome in severe asthma exacerbations. Here, we present the design of GEMAS and the characteristics of patients recruited from March 2018 to March 2020. Different biological samples and demographic and clinical variables were collected from asthma patients recruited by allergy and pulmonary medicine units in several hospitals from Spain. Cases and controls were defined by the presence/absence of severe asthma exacerbations in the past year (oral corticosteroid use, emergency room visits, and/or asthma-related hospitalizations). A total of 137 cases and 120 controls were recruited. After stratifying by recruitment location (i.e., Canary Islands and Basque Country), cases and controls did not differ for most demographic and clinical variables (p > 0.05). However, cases showed a higher proportion of characteristics inherent to asthma exacerbations (impaired lung function, severe disease, uncontrolled asthma, gastroesophageal reflux, and use of asthma medications) compared to controls (p < 0.05). Similar results were found after stratification by recruitment unit. Thereby, asthma patients enrolled in GEMAS are balanced for potential confounders and have clinical characteristics that support the phenotype definition. GEMAS will improve the knowledge of potential biomarkers of asthma exacerbations.

scholarly journals Molecular Dynamics and Mode of Transmission of Koala Retrovirus as It Invades and Spreads through a Wild Queensland Koala Population

2017 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonnie L. Quigley ◽  
Vanissa A. Ong ◽  
Jonathan Hanger ◽  
Peter Timms
Keyword(s):  
Envelope Protein ◽  
Protein Sequence ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Viral Evolution ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Infection Level ◽  
Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mode Of Transmission

ABSTRACT The recent acquisition of a novel retrovirus (KoRV) by koalas ( Phascolarctos cinereus ) has created new opportunities for retroviral research and new challenges for koala conservation. There are currently two major subtypes of KoRV: KoRV-A, which is believed to be endogenous only in koalas from the northern part of Australia, and KoRV-B, which appears to be exogenous. Understanding and management of these subtypes require population level studies of their prevalence and diversity, especially when coinfected in the same population, and investigations of their modes of transmission in the wild. Toward this end, we studied a wild Queensland koala population of 290 animals over a 5-year period and investigated the prevalence, diversity and mode of transmission of KoRV-A and KoRV-B. We found KoRV-A to have an infection level of 100% in the population, with all animals sharing the same dominant envelope protein sequence. In contrast, the KoRV-B infection prevalence was only 24%, with 21 different envelope protein sequence variants found in the 83 KoRV-B-positive animals. Linked to severe disease outcomes, a significant association between KoRV-B positivity and both chlamydial disease and neoplasia was found in the population. Transmission of KoRV-B was found at a rate of 3% via adult-to-adult contact per year, while there was a 100% rate of KoRV-B-positive mothers transmitting the virus to their joeys. Collectively, these findings demonstrate KoRV-B as the pathogenic subtype in this wild koala population and inform future intervention strategies with subtype variation and transmission data. IMPORTANCE KoRV represents a unique opportunity to study a relatively young retrovirus as it goes through its molecular evolution in both an endogenous form and a more recently evolved exogenous form. The endogenous form, KoRV-A, now appears to have stably and completely established itself in Northern Australian koala populations and is progressing south. Conversely, the exogenous form, KoRV-B, is undergoing continuous mutation and spread in the north and, as yet, has not reached all southern koala populations. We can now link KoRV-B to neoplasia and chlamydial disease in both wild and captive koalas, making it an imminent threat to this already vulnerable species. This work represents the largest study of koalas in a wild population with respect to KoRV-A/KoRV-B-infected/coinfected animals and the linkage of this infection to chlamydial disease, neoplasia, viral evolution, and spread.

scholarly journals Deaths among the elderly with ICU infections

2017 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 733-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Álvaro Francisco Lopes de Sousa ◽  
Artur Acelino Francisco Luz Nunes Queiroz ◽  
Layze Braz de Oliveira ◽  
Luana Kelle Batista Moura ◽  
Denise de Andrade ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Clinical Outcome ◽  
Elderly Patients ◽  
Survival Curve ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Main Diagnosis ◽  
Statistical Association ◽  
Clinical Variables ◽  
Descriptive Research ◽  
Tract Infections

ABSTRACT Objective: to evaluate the clinical outcome of elderly patients admitted to intensive care units who had nosocomial infection, correlating the findings with sociodemographic and clinical variables. Method: descriptive research, performed with 308 elderly patients. The collection was made from medical records and covers the years 2012 to 2015. Uni-/bivariate analyses were performed. Results: a statistical association was found between the clinical outcome types and the variables age, length of stay, presence of previous comorbidities, main diagnosis, respiratory and urinary tract infections, use of central venous and indwelling urinary catheters, mechanical ventilation, and tracheostomy. The survival curve showed higher mortality among the elderly from the age of 80 on. Conclusion: the clinical outcome of the elderly who acquire infection in the intensive care unit is influenced by sociodemographic and clinical variables that increase mortality rates.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document