A 6-Week-Old Boy With Irritability and Abdominal Distension.

A 6-week-old boy is brought to the hospital for fussiness and abdominal distension. He was febrile on presentation and was admitted to the hospital for further evaluation. On subsequent examinations, he continued to demonstrate abdominal distension and tenderness to palpation. Ultrasonography of the abdomen was performed and revealed a heterogeneous liver mass. With further diagnostics, a diagnosis was made and treatment initiated, with the infant experiencing resolution of his symptoms. Our panel of experts first discuss the management of an infant with abdominal distension, then discuss the evaluation of a liver mass in an infant, including oncologic, vascular, and infectious etiologies.

Case-control study on post-COVID-19 conditions reveals severe acute infection and chronic pulmonary disease as potential risk factors.

Post-COVID-19 conditions (long COVID) has impacted many individuals, yet risk factors for this condition are poorly understood. This retrospective analysis of 88,943 COVID-19 patients at a multi-state US health system compares phenotypes, laboratory tests, medication orders, and outcomes for 1,086 long-COVID patients and their matched controls. We found that history of chronic pulmonary disease (CPD) (odds ratio: 1.9, 95% CI: [1.5, 2.6]), migraine (OR: 2.2, [1.6, 3.1]), and fibromyalgia (OR: 2.3, [1.3, 3.8]) were more common for long-COVID patients. During the acute infection phase long COVID patients exhibited high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and a high neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio; and were more likely hospitalized (5% vs. 1%). Our findings suggest severity of acute infection and history of CPD, migraine, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), or fibromyalgia as risk factors for long COVID. These results suggest that suppressing acute disease severity proactively, especially in patients at high risk, can reduce incidence of long COVID.

Blockade of IL1ß and PD1 with Combination Chemotherapy Reduces Systemic Myeloid Suppression in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer with Heterogeneous Effects in the Tumor.

Innate inflammation promotes tumor development, although the role of innate inflammatory cytokines in established human tumors is unclear. Herein, we report clinical and translational results from a phase Ib trial testing whether IL1ß blockade in human pancreatic cancer would alleviate myeloid immunosuppression and reveal antitumor T-cell responses to PD1 blockade. Patients with treatment-naïve advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (n = 10) were treated with canakinumab, a high-affinity monoclonal human antiinterleukin-1ß (IL1ß), the PD1 blocking antibody spartalizumab, and gemcitabine/n(ab)paclitaxel. Analysis of paired peripheral blood from patients in the trial versus patients receiving multiagent chemotherapy showed a modest increase in HLA-DR+CD38+ activated CD8+ T cells and a decrease in circulating monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) by flow cytometry for patients in the trial but not in controls. Similarly, we used patient serum to differentiate monocytic MDSCs in vitro and showed that functional inhibition of T-cell proliferation was reduced when using on-treatment serum samples from patients in the trial but not when using serum from patients treated with chemotherapy alone. Within the tumor, we observed few changes in suppressive myeloid-cell populations or activated T cells as assessed by single-cell transcriptional profiling or multiplex immunofluorescence, although increases in CD8+ T cells suggest that improvements in the tumor immune microenvironment might be revealed by a larger study. Overall, the data indicate that exposure to PD1 and IL1ß blockade induced a modest reactivation of peripheral CD8+ T cells and decreased circulating monocytic MDSCs; however, these changes did not lead to similarly uniform alterations in the tumor microenvironment.

PD-1 Blockade Induces Reactivation of Nonproductive T-Cell Responses Characterized by NF-κB Signaling in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer.

PURPOSE: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) trials have evaluated CTLA-4 and/or PD-(L)1 blockade in patients with advanced disease in which bulky tumor burden and limited time to develop antitumor T cells may have contributed to poor clinical efficacy. Here, we evaluated peripheral blood and tumor T cells from patients with PDAC receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiation plus anti-PD-1 (pembrolizumab) versus chemoradiation alone. We analyzed whether PD-1 blockade successfully reactivated T cells in the blood and/or tumor to determine whether lack of clinical benefit could be explained by lack of reactivated T cells versus other factors. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We used single-cell transcriptional profiling and TCR clonotype tracking to identify TCR clonotypes from blood that match clonotypes in the tumor. RESULTS: PD-1 blockade increases the flux of TCR clonotypes entering cell cycle and induces an IFNγ signature like that seen in patients with other GI malignancies who respond to PD-1 blockade. However, these reactivated T cells have a robust signature of NF-κB signaling not seen in cases of PD-1 antibody response. Among paired samples between blood and tumor, several of the newly cycling clonotypes matched activated T-cell clonotypes observed in the tumor. CONCLUSIONS: Cytotoxic T cells in the blood of patients with PDAC remain sensitive to reinvigoration by PD-1 blockade, and some have tumor-recognizing potential. Although these T cells proliferate and have a signature of IFN exposure, they also upregulate NF-κB signaling, which potentially counteracts the beneficial effects of anti-PD-1 reinvigoration and marks these T cells as non-productive contributors to antitumor immunity. See related commentary by Lander and DeNardo, p. 474.

cIAP1/2 Antagonism Induces Antigen-Specific T Cell-Dependent Immunity.

Checkpoint blockade immunotherapy has failed in pancreatic cancer and other poorly responsive tumor types in part due to inadequate T cell priming. Naive T cells can receive costimulation not only via CD28 but also through TNF superfamily receptors that signal via NF-κB. Antagonists of the ubiquitin ligases cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein (cIAP)1/2, also called second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (SMAC) mimetics, induce degradation of cIAP1/2 proteins, allowing for the accumulation of NIK and constitutive, ligand-independent activation of alternate NF-κB signaling that mimics costimulation in T cells. In tumor cells, cIAP1/2 antagonists can increase TNF production and TNF-mediated apoptosis; however, pancreatic cancer cells are resistant to cytokine-mediated apoptosis, even in the presence of cIAP1/2 antagonism. Dendritic cell activation is enhanced by cIAP1/2 antagonism in vitro, and intratumoral dendritic cells show higher expression of MHC class II in tumors from cIAP1/2 antagonism-treated mice. In this study, we use in vivo mouse models of syngeneic pancreatic cancer that generate endogenous T cell responses ranging from moderate to poor. Across multiple models, cIAP1/2 antagonism has pleiotropic beneficial effects on antitumor immunity, including direct effects on tumor-specific T cells leading to overall increased activation, increased control of tumor growth in vivo, synergy with multiple immunotherapy modalities, and immunologic memory. In contrast to checkpoint blockade, cIAP1/2 antagonism does not increase intratumoral T cell frequencies. Furthermore, we confirm our previous findings that even poorly immunogenic tumors with a paucity of T cells can experience T cell-dependent antitumor immunity, and we provide transcriptional clues into how these rare T cells coordinate downstream immune responses.

Paediatric safety assessment of BNT162b2 vaccination in a multistate hospital-based electronic health record system in the USA: a retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: The emergency use authorisation of BNT162b2 (tozinameran; Comirnaty, Pfizer-BioNTech) for children aged 5-17 years has resulted in rapid vaccination in the paediatric population. However, there are few studies of adverse events associated with vaccination in children. The aim of this study was to systematically assess the adverse events of two-dose BNT162b2 vaccination in the paediatric population. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patient electronic health records (EHRs) of children aged 5-17 years who received the primary two-dose series of the BNT162b2 vaccine between Jan 5, 2021, and Aug 5, 2022, at the Mayo Clinic Health System (MN, FL, AZ, IA, and WI), USA. Using natural language processing, we automatically curated adverse events reported by physicians in EHR clinical notes before and after vaccination. To determine significant adverse events after BNT162b2 vaccination, we calculated risk differences, which was defined as the percentage difference between the rate of children with an adverse event after a vaccine dose and the baseline rate of children with an adverse event before vaccination. 95% CIs and p values were calculated using the Miettinen and Nurminen score method. FINDINGS: 56 436 individuals aged 5-17 years (20 227 aged 5-11 years and 36 209 aged 12-17 years) with EHRs in the Mayo Clinic Health Systems were included in the study. Overall, the reporting of adverse events remained low in passive surveillance. Serious adverse events were rare after the first and second doses of BNT162b2, with rates of anaphylaxis (six [0·01%] of 56 436), myocarditis (five [0·01%]), and pericarditis (three [0·01%]) consistent with previous studies. Among the 20 227 5-11-year-olds, there were increased risks of fatigue (58 after second dose vs 41 before first dose; risk difference [RD]dose2 0·08% [95% CI -0·01 to 0·18], p=0·044) and fever (104 after second dose vs 77 before first dose; RDdose2 0·13% [0·00 to 0·27], p=0·022) after the second dose. Among the 36 209 12-17-year-olds, there were increased risks of arthralgia (69 after second dose vs 48 before first dose; RDdose2 0·06% [-0·00 to 0·12], p=0·026), chills (58 after second dose vs 40 before first dose; RDdose2 0·05% [-0·00 to 0·11], p=0·034), and myalgia (96 after second dose vs 73 before first dose; RDdose2 0·06% [-0·01 to 0·14], p=0·038) after the second dose. Although the overall incidence was low, there was an increased risk of myocarditis in males aged 12-17 years after the second dose (five after second dose vs zero before first dose; RDdose2 0·03% [0·01 to 0·07], p=0·013), with median age being 15 years (IQR 14 to 16). INTERPRETATION: Overall, this data suggests that vaccination with BNT162b2 in the paediatric population is generally safe and well-tolerated. Further research is warranted to investigate the basis for the increased risk of myocarditis in adolescent males. Additionally, further studies are needed to confirm whether the findings in our study population apply to the whole vaccinated paediatric population. FUNDING: nference.

PD-1 blockade and CDK4/6 inhibition augment nonoverlapping features of T cell activation in cancer.

We performed single-cell RNA-sequencing and T cell receptor clonotype tracking of breast and ovarian cancer patients treated with the CDK4/6 inhibitor ribociclib and PD-1 blockade. We highlight evidence of two orthogonal treatment-associated phenomena: expansion of T cell effector populations and promotion of T cell memory formation. Augmentation of the antitumor memory pool by ribociclib boosts the efficacy of subsequent PD-1 blockade in mouse models of melanoma and breast cancer, pointing toward sequential therapy as a potentially safe and synergistic strategy in patients.

Expanding repertoire of SARS-CoV-2 deletion mutations contributes to evolution of highly transmissible variants.

The emergence of highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants and vaccine breakthrough infections globally mandated the characterization of the immuno-evasive features of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we systematically analyzed 2.13 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes from 188 countries/territories (up to June 2021) and performed whole-genome viral sequencing from 102 COVID-19 patients, including 43 vaccine breakthrough infections. We identified 92 Spike protein mutations that increased in prevalence during at least one surge in SARS-CoV-2 test positivity in any country over a 3-month window. Deletions in the Spike protein N-terminal domain were highly enriched for these 'surge-associated mutations' (Odds Ratio = 14.19, 95% CI 6.15-32.75, p value = 3.41 × 10-10). Based on a longitudinal analysis of mutational prevalence globally, we found an expanding repertoire of Spike protein deletions proximal to an antigenic supersite in the N-terminal domain that may be one of the key contributors to the evolution of highly transmissible variants. Finally, we generated clinically annotated SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequences from 102 patients and identified 107 unique mutations, including 78 substitutions and 29 deletions. In five patients, we identified distinct deletions between residues 85-90, which reside within a linear B cell epitope. Deletions in this region arose contemporaneously on a diverse background of variants across the globe since December 2020. Overall, our findings based on genomic-epidemiology and clinical surveillance suggest that the genomic deletion of dispensable antigenic regions in SARS-CoV-2 may contribute to the evasion of immune responses and the evolution of highly transmissible variants.

Severe acute infection and chronic pulmonary disease are risk factors for developing post-COVID-19 conditions.

Post-COVID-19 conditions, also known as "long COVID", has significantly impacted the lives of many individuals, but the risk factors for this condition are poorly understood. In this study, we performed a retrospective EHR analysis of 89,843 individuals at a multi-state health system in the United States with PCR-confirmed COVID-19, including 1,086 patients diagnosed with long COVID and 1,086 matched controls not diagnosed with long COVID. For these two cohorts, we evaluated a wide range of clinical covariates, including laboratory tests, medication orders, phenotypes recorded in the clinical notes, and outcomes. We found that chronic pulmonary disease (CPD) was significantly more common as a pre-existing condition for the long COVID cohort than the control cohort (odds ratio: 1.9, 95% CI: [1.5, 2.6]). Additionally, long-COVID patients were more likely to have a history of migraine (odds ratio: 2.2, 95% CI: [1.6, 3.1]) and fibromyalgia (odds ratio: 2.3, 95% CI: [1.3, 3.8]). During the acute infection phase, the following lab measurements were abnormal in the long COVID cohort: high triglycerides (meanlongCOVID: 278.5 mg/dL vs. meancontrol: 141.4 mg/dL), low HDL cholesterol levels (meanlongCOVID: 38.4 mg/dL vs. meancontrol: 52.5 mg/dL), and high neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (meanlongCOVID: 10.7 vs. meancontrol: 7.2). The hospitalization rate during the acute infection phase was also higher in the long COVID cohort compared to the control cohort (ratelongCOVID: 5% vs. ratecontrol: 1%). Overall, this study suggests that the severity of acute infection and a history of CPD, migraine, CFS, or fibromyalgia may be risk factors for long COVID symptoms. Our findings motivate clinical studies to evaluate whether suppressing acute disease severity proactively, especially in patients at high risk, can reduce incidence of long COVID.

On the Origins of Omicron's Unique Spike Gene Insertion.

The emergence of a heavily mutated SARS-CoV-2 variant (Omicron; Pango lineage B.1.1.529 and BA sublineages) and its rapid spread to over 75 countries raised a global public health alarm. Characterizing the mutational profile of Omicron is necessary to interpret its clinical phenotypes which are shared with or distinctive from those of other SARS-CoV-2 variants. We compared the mutations of the initially circulating Omicron variant (now known as BA.1) with prior variants of concern (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta), variants of interest (Lambda, Mu, Eta, Iota, and Kappa), and ~1500 SARS-CoV-2 lineages constituting ~5.8 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes. Omicron's Spike protein harbors 26 amino acid mutations (23 substitutions, 2 deletions, and 1 insertion) that are distinct compared to other variants of concern. While the substitution and deletion mutations appeared in previous SARS-CoV-2 lineages, the insertion mutation (ins214EPE) was not previously observed in any other SARS-CoV-2 lineage. Here, we consider and discuss various mechanisms through which the nucleotide sequence encoding for ins214EPE could have been acquired, including local duplication, polymerase slippage, and template switching. Although we are not able to definitively determine the mechanism, we highlight the plausibility of template switching. Analysis of the homology of the inserted nucleotide sequence and flanking regions suggests that this template-switching event could have involved the genomes of SARS-CoV-2 variants (e.g., the B.1.1 strain), other human coronaviruses that infect the same host cells as SARS-CoV-2 (e.g., HCoV-OC43 or HCoV-229E), or a human transcript expressed in a host cell that was infected by the Omicron precursor.

SARS-CoV-2 and influenza coinfection throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: an assessment of coinfection rates, cohort characteristics, and clinical outcomes.

Case reports of patients infected with COVID-19 and influenza virus ("flurona") have raised questions around the prevalence and severity of coinfection. Using data from HHS Protect Public Data Hub, NCBI Virus, and CDC FluView, we analyzed trends in SARS-CoV-2 and influenza hospitalized coinfection cases and strain prevalences. We also characterized coinfection cases across the Mayo Clinic Enterprise from January 2020 to April 2022. We compared expected and observed coinfection case counts across different waves of the pandemic and assessed symptoms and outcomes of coinfection and COVID-19 monoinfection cases after propensity score matching on clinically relevant baseline characteristics. From both the Mayo Clinic and nationwide datasets, the observed coinfection rate for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza has been higher during the Omicron era (2021 December 14 to 2022 April 2) compared to previous waves, but no higher than expected assuming infection rates are independent. At the Mayo Clinic, only 120 coinfection cases were observed among 197,364 SARS-CoV-2 cases. Coinfected patients were relatively young (mean age: 26.7 years) and had fewer serious comorbidities compared to monoinfected patients. While there were no significant differences in 30-day hospitalization, ICU admission, or mortality rates between coinfected and matched COVID-19 monoinfection cases, coinfection cases reported higher rates of symptoms including congestion, cough, fever/chills, headache, myalgia/arthralgia, pharyngitis, and rhinitis. While most coinfection cases observed at the Mayo Clinic occurred among relatively healthy individuals, further observation is needed to assess outcomes among subpopulations with risk factors for severe COVID-19 such as older age, obesity, and immunocompromised status.

Quantifying the immunological distinctiveness of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants in the context of prior regional herd exposure.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen the persistent emergence of immune-evasive SARS-CoV-2 variants under the selection pressure of natural and vaccination-acquired immunity. However, it is currently challenging to quantify how immunologically distinct a new variant is compared to all the prior variants to which a population has been exposed. Here, we define "Distinctiveness" of SARS-CoV-2 sequences based on a proteome-wide comparison with all prior sequences from the same geographical region. We observe a correlation between Distinctiveness relative to contemporary sequences and future change in prevalence of a newly circulating lineage (Pearson r = 0.75), suggesting that the Distinctiveness of emergent SARS-CoV-2 lineages is associated with their epidemiological fitness. We further show that the average Distinctiveness of sequences belonging to a lineage, relative to the Distinctiveness of other sequences that occur at the same place and time (n = 944 location/time data points), is predictive of future increases in prevalence (Area Under the Curve, AUC = 0.88 [95% confidence interval 0.86 to 0.90]). By assessing the Delta variant in India versus Brazil, we show that the same lineage can have different Distinctiveness-contributing positions in different geographical regions depending on the other variants that previously circulated in those regions. Finally, we find that positions that constitute epitopes contribute disproportionately (20-fold higher than the average position) to Distinctiveness. Overall, this study suggests that real-time assessment of new SARS-CoV-2 variants in the context of prior regional herd exposure via Distinctiveness can augment genomic surveillance efforts.

Durability analysis of the highly effective BNT162b2 vaccine against COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccines are effective, but breakthrough infections have been increasingly reported. We conducted a test-negative case-control study to assess the durability of protection after full vaccination with BNT162b2 against polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, in a national medical practice from January 2021 through January 2022. We fit conditional logistic regression (CLR) models stratified on residential county and calendar time of testing to assess the association between time elapsed since vaccination and the odds of symptomatic infection or non-COVID-19 hospitalization (negative control), adjusted for several covariates. There were 5,985 symptomatic individuals with a positive test after full vaccination with BNT162b2 (cases) and 32,728 negative tests contributed by 27,753 symptomatic individuals after full vaccination (controls). The adjusted odds of symptomatic infection were higher 250 days after full vaccination versus at the date of full vaccination (Odds Ratio [OR]: 3.62, 95% CI: 2.52 to 5.20). The odds of infection were still lower 285 days after the first BNT162b2 dose as compared to 4 days after the first dose (OR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.67), when immune protection approximates the unvaccinated status. Low rates of COVID-19 associated hospitalization or death in this cohort precluded analyses of these severe outcomes. The odds of non-COVID-19 associated hospitalization (negative control) decreased with time since vaccination, suggesting a possible underestimation of waning protection by this approach due to confounding factors. In summary, BNT162b2 strongly protected against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection for at least 8 months after full vaccination, but the degree of protection waned significantly over this period.

Surveillance of Safety of 3 Doses of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination Using Electronic Health Records.

Importance: Recent reports on waning of COVID-19 vaccine-induced immunity have led to the approval and rollout of additional doses and booster vaccinations. Individuals at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection are receiving additional vaccine doses in addition to the regimen that was tested in clinical trials. Risks and adverse event profiles associated with additional vaccine doses are currently not well understood. Objective: To evaluate the safety of third-dose vaccination with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study was conducted using electronic health record (EHR) data from December 2020 to October 2021 from the multistate Mayo Clinic Enterprise. Participants included all 47 999 individuals receiving 3-dose COVID-19 mRNA vaccines within the study setting who met study inclusion criteria. Participants were divided into 2 cohorts by vaccine brand administered and served as their own control groups, with no comparison made between cohorts. Data were analyzed from September through November 2021. Exposures: Three doses of an FDA-authorized COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273. Main Outcomes and Measures: Vaccine-associated adverse events were assessed via EHR report. Adverse event risk was quantified using the percentage of study participants who reported the adverse event within 14 days after each vaccine dose and during a 14-day control period, immediately preceding the first vaccine dose. Results: Among 47 999 individuals who received 3-dose COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, 38 094 individuals (21 835 [57.3%] women; median [IQR] age, 67.4 [52.5-76.5] years) received BNT162b2 (79.4%) and 9905 individuals (5099 [51.5%] women; median [IQR] age, 67.7 [59.5-73.9] years) received mRNA-1273 (20.6%). Reporting of severe adverse events remained low after the third vaccine dose, with rates of pericarditis (0.01%; 95% CI, 0%-0.02%), anaphylaxis (0%; 95% CI, 0%-0.01%), myocarditis (0%; 95% CI, 0%-0.01%), and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (no individuals) consistent with results from earlier studies. Significantly more individuals reported low-severity adverse events after the third dose compared with after the second dose, including fatigue (2360 individuals [4.92%] vs 1665 individuals [3.47%]; P < .001), lymphadenopathy (1387 individuals [2.89%] vs 995 individuals [2.07%]; P < .001), nausea (1259 individuals [2.62%] vs 979 individuals [2.04%]; P < .001), headache (1185 individuals [2.47%] vs 992 individuals [2.07%]; P < .001), arthralgia (1019 individuals [2.12%] vs 816 individuals [1.70%]; P < .001), myalgia (956 individuals [1.99%] vs 784 individuals [1.63%]; P < .001), diarrhea (817 individuals [1.70%] vs 595 individuals [1.24%]; P < .001), fever (533 individuals [1.11%] vs 391 individuals [0.81%]; P < .001), vomiting (528 individuals [1.10%] vs 385 individuals [0.80%]; P < .001), and chills (224 individuals [0.47%] vs 175 individuals [0.36%]; P = .01). Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that although third-dose vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with increased reporting of low-severity adverse events, risk of severe adverse events remained comparable with risk associated with the standard 2-dose regime. These findings suggest the safety of third vaccination doses in individuals who were eligible for booster vaccination at the time of this study.

Genetic alteration of human MYH6 is mimicked by SARS-CoV-2 polyprotein: mapping viral variants of cardiac interest.

Acute cardiac injury has been observed in a subset of COVID-19 patients, but the molecular basis for this clinical phenotype is unknown. It has been hypothesized that molecular mimicry may play a role in triggering an autoimmune inflammatory reaction in some individuals after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here we investigate if linear peptides contained in proteins that are primarily expressed in the heart also occur in the SARS-CoV-2 proteome. Specifically, we compared the library of 136,704 8-mer peptides from 144 human proteins (including splicing variants) to 9926 8-mers from all the viral proteins in the reference SARS-CoV-2 proteome. No 8-mers were exactly identical between the reference human proteome and the reference SARS-CoV-2 proteome. However, there were 45 8-mers that differed by only one amino acid when compared to the reference SARS-CoV-2 proteome. Interestingly, analysis of protein-coding mutations from 141,456 individuals showed that one of these 8-mers from the SARS-CoV-2 Replicase polyprotein 1a/1ab (KIALKGGK) is identical to an MYH6 peptide encoded by the c.5410 C > A (Q1804K) genetic variation, which has been observed at low prevalence in Africans/African Americans (0.08%), East Asians (0.3%), South Asians (0.06%), and Latino/Admixed Americans (0.003%). Furthermore, analysis of 4.85 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes from over 200 countries shows that viral evolution has already resulted in 20 additional 8-mer peptides that are identical to human heart-enriched proteins encoded by reference sequences or genetic variants. Whether such mimicry contributes to cardiac inflammation during or after COVID-19 illness warrants further experimental evaluation. We suggest that SARS-CoV-2 variants harboring peptides identical to human cardiac proteins should be investigated as "viral variants of cardiac interest".

Comparative effectiveness of mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.

BACKGROUND: mRNA coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are safe and effective, but increasing reports of breakthrough infections highlight the need to vigilantly monitor and compare the effectiveness of these vaccines. METHODS: We retrospectively compared protection against symptomatic infection conferred by mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 at Mayo Clinic sites from December 2020 to September 2021. We used a test-negative case-control design to estimate vaccine effectiveness (VE) and to compare the odds of symptomatic infection after full vaccination with mRNA-1273 versus BNT162b2, while adjusting for age, sex, race, ethnicity, geography, comorbidities, and calendar time of vaccination and testing. FINDINGS: Both vaccines were highly effective over the study duration (VEmRNA-1273: 84.1%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 81.6%-86.2%; VEBNT162b2: 75.6%, 95% CI: 72.2%-78.7%), but their effectiveness was reduced during July-September (VEmRNA-1273: 75.6%, 95% CI: 70.1%-80%; VEBNT162b2: 63.5%, 95% CI: 55.8%-69.9%) as compared to December-May (VEmRNA-1273: 93.7%, 95% CI: 90.4%-95.9%; VEBNT162b2: 85.7%, 95% CI: 81.4%-88.9%). Adjusted for demographic characteristics, clinical comorbidities, time of vaccination, and time of testing, the odds of experiencing a symptomatic breakthrough infection were lower after full vaccination with mRNA-1273 than with BNT162b2 (odds ratio: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.55-0.67). CONCLUSIONS: Both mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 strongly protect against symptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. It is imperative to continue monitoring and comparing available vaccines over time and with respect to emerging variants to inform public and global health decisions. FUNDING: This study was funded by nference.

Durability analysis of the highly effective mRNA-1273 vaccine against COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccines are effective, but breakthrough infections have been increasingly reported. We conducted a test-negative case-control study to assess the durability of protection against symptomatic infection after vaccination with mRNA-1273. We fit conditional logistic regression (CLR) models stratified on residential county and calendar date of SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing to assess the association between the time elapsed since vaccination and the odds of symptomatic infection, adjusted for several covariates. There were 2,364 symptomatic individuals who had a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test after full vaccination with mRNA-1273 ("cases") and 12,949 symptomatic individuals who contributed 15,087 negative tests after full vaccination ("controls"). The odds of symptomatic infection were significantly higher 250 days after full vaccination compared to the date of full vaccination (Odds Ratio [OR]: 2.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19-5.13). The odds of non-COVID-19 associated hospitalization and non-COVID-19 pneumonia (negative control outcomes) remained relatively stable over the same time interval (Day 250 ORNon-COVID Hospitalization: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.47-1.0; Day 250 ORNon-COVID Pneumonia: 1.11, 95% CI: 0.24-5.2). The odds of symptomatic infection remained significantly lower almost 300 days after the first mRNA-1273 dose as compared to 4 days after the first dose, when immune protection approximates the unvaccinated state (OR: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.17-0.39). Low rates of COVID-19 associated hospitalization or death in this cohort precluded analyses of these severe outcomes. In summary, mRNA-1273 robustly protected against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection at least 8 months after full vaccination, but the degree of protection waned over this time period.

Third dose vaccination with mRNA-1273 or BNT162b2 vaccines improves protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

As of 2021 November 29, booster vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection has been recommended for all individuals aged 18 years and older in the United States. A key reason for this recommendation is the expectation that a booster vaccine dose can alleviate observed waning of vaccine effectiveness (VE). Although initial reports of booster effectiveness have been positive, the level of protection from booster vaccination is unclear. We conducted two studies to assess the impact of booster vaccination, with BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273, on the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection between August and December 2021. We first compared SARS-CoV-2 infection incidence in cohorts of 3-dose vaccine recipients to incidence in matched cohorts of 2-dose vaccine recipients (cohort size = 24,539 for BNT162b2 and 14,004 for mRNA-1273). Additionally, we applied a test-negative study design to compare the level of protection against symptomatic infection in 3-dose recipients to that observed in recent 2-dose primary vaccine series recipients. The 3-dose recipients experienced a significantly lower incidence rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection than the matched 2-dose cohorts (BNT162b2 Incidence Rate Ratio: 0.11, 95% CI: 0.09 to 0.13 and mRNA-1273 IRR: 0.11, 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.15). Results from the test-negative study showed the third vaccine dose mitigated waning of VE, with the risk of symptomatic infection in 3-dose recipients being comparable to that observed 7 to 73 days after the primary vaccine series. These results show that 3-dose vaccine regimens with BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 are effective at reducing SARS-CoV-2 infection and support the widespread administration of booster vaccine doses.

Continuous genomic diversification of long polynucleotide fragments drives the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.

Highly transmissible or immuno-evasive SARS-CoV-2 variants have intermittently emerged, resulting in repeated COVID-19 surges. With over 6 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes sequenced, there is unprecedented data to decipher the evolution of fitter SARS-CoV-2 variants. Much attention has been directed to studying the functional importance of specific mutations in the Spike protein, but there is limited knowledge of genomic signatures shared by dominant variants. Here, we introduce a method to quantify the genome-wide distinctiveness of polynucleotide fragments (3- to 240-mers) that constitute SARS-CoV-2 sequences. Compared to standard phylogenetic metrics and mutational load, the new metric provides improved separation between Variants of Concern (VOCs; Reference = 89, IQR: 65-108; Alpha = 166, IQR: 149-181; Beta 131, IQR: 114-149; Gamma = 164, IQR: 150-178; Delta = 235, IQR: 217-255; and Omicron = 459, IQR: 395-521). Omicron's high genomic distinctiveness may confer an advantage over prior VOCs and the recently emerged and highly mutated B.1.640.2 (IHU) lineage. Evaluation of 883 lineages highlights that genomic distinctiveness has increased over time (R 2 = 0.37) and that VOCs score significantly higher than contemporary non-VOC lineages, with Omicron among the most distinctive lineages observed. This study demonstrates the value of characterizing SARS-CoV-2 variants by genome-wide polynucleotide distinctiveness and emphasizes the need to go beyond a narrow set of mutations at known sites on the Spike protein. The consistently higher distinctiveness of each emerging VOC compared to prior VOCs suggests that monitoring of genomic distinctiveness would facilitate rapid assessment of viral fitness.