Development and Validation of the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Immunoassay as a Highly Specific Tool for Determining Past Exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

The Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoassay (Roche Diagnostics) was developed to provide accurate, reliable detection of antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We evaluated sensitivity, specificity, cross-reactivity, and agreement with a vesicular stomatitis virus-based pseudoneutralization assay for the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoassay. Sensitivity and agreement between Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoassay and pseudoneutralization assay measurements were evaluated using samples from patients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, a majority of whom were hospitalized. Specificity was evaluated using samples from routine diagnostic testing/blood donors collected before December 2019 and thus deemed negative for SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. Cross-reactivity was evaluated using samples containing a wide range of potentially cross-reacting analytes, purchased from commercial vendors. For sensitivity and specificity, point estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Agreement between the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoassay and the pseudoneutralization assay was calculated. The sensitivity of the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoassay in patients with prior PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection was 99.5% (95% CI, 97.0 to 100.0%) at ≥14 days post-PCR confirmation. Overall specificity (n = 10,453) was 99.80% (95% CI, 99.69 to 99.88%). Only 4/792 samples containing potential cross-reacting analytes were reactive with the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoassay, resulting in an overall specificity in this cohort of 99.5% (95% CI, 98.6 to 99.9%). Positive, negative, and overall agreement (n = 46) between the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoassay and the pseudoneutralization assay were 86.4% (95% CI, 73.3 to 93.6%), 100% (95% CI, 34.2 to 100%), and 87.0% (95% CI, 74.3 to 93.9%), respectively. The Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoassay demonstrated high sensitivity (99.5% at ≥14 days post-PCR confirmation) and specificity (99.80%), supporting its use as a tool for identification of past SARS-CoV-2 infection, including use in populations with low disease prevalence.

Multiple transgressions of Wallace's Line explain diversity of flightless Trigonopterus weevils on Bali.

The fauna of Bali, situated immediately west of Wallace's Line, is supposedly of recent Javanese origin and characterized by low levels of endemicity. In flightless Trigonopterus weevils, however, we find 100% endemism for the eight species here reported for Bali. Phylogeographic analyses show extensive in situ differentiation, including a local radiation of five species. A comprehensive molecular phylogeny and ancestral area reconstruction of Indo-Malayan-Melanesian species reveals a complex colonization pattern, where the three Balinese lineages all arrived from the East, i.e. all of them transgressed Wallace's Line. Although East Java possesses a rich fauna of Trigonopterus, no exchange can be observed with Bali. We assert that the biogeographic picture of Bali has been dominated by the influx of mobile organisms from Java, but different relationships may be discovered when flightless invertebrates are studied. Our results highlight the importance of in-depth analyses of spatial patterns of biodiversity.

Drugs in dental biofilm and enamel - A pilot study.

Objective: Enamel and dental biofilm might serve as alternative matrices for determination of illicit and medical drugs. Thus, this study aims at evaluating possible correlations between detected drug concentrations in the matrices and simulated drug use in situ. Design: Eleven subjects wore intraoral splints with embedded demineralized bovine enamel samples. Drug use was simulated by mouth rinsing with a 1.0 µg/ml drug solution three times daily for 1 min (study A) or by incubation of the splints in a 10 µg/ml drug solution once a day for 30 min (study B). Amphetamines, opiates, cocaine and benzoylecgonine were used as drugs. After 11 days, biofilm and enamel samples of the intraoral splints were analyzed by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry after drying and extraction via ultrasonication with acetonitrile (biofilm) or methanol (enamel). Results: In study A, median and mean drug concentration ± standard deviation were 1.3 pg/mg and 6.4 ± 11 pg/mg in biofilm and 0.2 pg/mg and 0.5 ± 0.9 pg/mg in enamel. In study B, median and mean drug concentration ± standard deviation were 350 pg/mg and 1100 ± 1600 pg/mg in biofilm and 5.8 pg/mg and 9.9 ± 10 pg/mg in enamel. Conclusions: Overall, there were considerable interindividual concentration differences. Correlations between concentrations in the two sample materials were shown. The results of this pilot study revealed a dependence of concentrations on intensity and duration of drug contact. Thus, important information on past drug use might be provided in forensic cases by analysis of dental biofilm and enamel.

Integrative taxonomy on the fast track - towards more sustainability in biodiversity research.

BACKGROUND: A so called "taxonomic impediment" has been recognized as a major obstacle to biodiversity research for the past two decades. Numerous remedies were then proposed. However, neither significant progress in terms of formal species descriptions, nor a minimum standard for descriptions have been achieved so far. Here, we analyze the problems of traditional taxonomy which often produces keys and descriptions of limited practical value. We suggest that phylogenetics and phenetics had a subtle and so far unnoticed effect on taxonomy leading to inflated species descriptions. DISCUSSION: The term "turbo-taxonomy" was recently coined for an approach combining cox1 sequences, concise morphological descriptions by an expert taxonomist, and high-resolution digital imaging to streamline the formal description of larger numbers of new species. We propose a further development of this approach which, together with open access web-publication and automated pushing of content from journal into a wiki, may create the most efficient and sustainable way to conduct taxonomy in the future. On demand, highly concise descriptions can be gradually updated or modified in the fully versioned wiki-framework we use. This means that the visibility of additional data is not compromised, while the original species description -the first version- remains preserved in the wiki, and of course in the journal version. A DNA sequence database with an identification engine replaces an identification key, helps to avoid synonyms and has the potential to detect grossly incorrect generic placements. We demonstrate the functionality of a species-description pipeline by naming 101 new species of hyperdiverse New Guinea Trigonopterus weevils in the open-access journal ZooKeys. SUMMARY: Fast track taxonomy will not only increase speed, but also sustainability of global species inventories. It will be of great practical value to all the other disciplines that depend on a usable taxonomy and will change our perception of global biodiversity. While this approach is certainly not suitable for all taxa alike, it is the tool that will help to tackle many hyperdiverse groups and pave the road for more sustainable comparative studies, e.g. in community ecology, phylogeography and large scale biogeographic studies.

Biodiversity into your hands - A call for a virtual global natural history 'metacollection'.

BACKGROUND: Many scientific disciplines rely on correct taxon delineations and identifications. So does a great part of the general public as well as decision makers. Researchers, students and enthusiastic amateurs often feel frustrated because information about species remains scattered, difficult to access, or difficult to decipher. Together, this affects almost anyone who wishes to identify species or verify identifications. Many remedies have been proposed, but we argue that the role of natural history collections remains insufficiently appreciated. We suggest using state-of-the-art mass imaging technology and to join forces to create a global natural history metacollection on the internet, providing access to the morphology of tens of millions of specimens and making them available for automated digital image analysis. DISCUSSION: Robotic high-resolution imaging technology and fast (high performance) computer-based image stitching make it now feasible to digitize entire collection drawers typically used for arthropod collections, or trays or containers used for other objects. Resolutions of 500 megapixels and much higher are already utilized to capture the contents of 40x50 cm collection drawers, providing amazing detail of specimens. Flanked by metadata entry, this helps to create access to tens of thousands of specimens in days. By setting priorities and combining the holdings of the most comprehensive collections for certain taxa, drawer digitizing offers the unique opportunity to create a global, virtual metacollection.The taxonomic and geographic coverage of such a collection could never be achieved by a single institution or individual. We argue that by joining forces, many new impulses will emerge for systematic biology, related fields and understanding of biodiversity in general.Digitizing drawers containing unidentified, little-curated specimens is a contribution towards the beginning of a new era of online curation. It also will help taxonomists and curators to discover and process the millions of "gems" of undescribed species hidden in museum accessions. SUMMARY: Our proposal suggests creating virtual, high-resolution image resources that will, for the first time in history, provide access for expert scientists as well as students and the general public to the enormous wealth of the world's natural history collections. We foresee that this will contribute to a better understanding, appreciation and increased use of biodiversity resources and the natural history collections serving this cause.

Nine new species of Trigonopterus Fauvel (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from Sundaland.

The DNA of Trigonopterus specimens from the Sundaland region stored between ten and 32 years in museums could be used for next-generation sequencing. The availability of their cox1 sequence allowed the description of the following nine new species: Trigonopterusgrimmi sp. nov., T.johorensis sp. nov., T.lambirensis sp. nov., T.linauensis sp. nov., T.microreticulatus Riedel, Trnka & Wahab sp. nov., T.mulensis sp. nov., T.sarawakensis sp. nov., T.siamensis sp. nov., and T.singaporensis sp. nov. The alternative original spelling of the name T.tounensis Narakusumo & Riedel is chosen to prevail over T.tounaensis Narakusumo & Riedel. The new species represent the first country records of Trigonopterus for Brunei, Singapore, and Thailand. Thus, the genus´ known area of distribution in the Sundaland region is significantly extended. A key and a catalogue are provided to the Trigonopterus species from Borneo, W-Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

Blood diffusion and Th1-suppressive effects of galectin-9-containing exosomes released by Epstein-Barr virus-infected nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the third most frequent virus-associated human malignancy. How this tumor escapes immune recognition despite the expression of several viral antigens has remained poorly understood. Our previous in vitro studies have shown that NPC cells release exosomes containing high amounts of galectin-9, a ligand of the membrane receptor Tim-3, which is able to induce apoptosis in mature Th1 lymphocytes. Here, we sought to determine whether galectin-9-carrying exosomes were produced in NPC patients and whether such exosomes might play a role in the immune evasion of NPC cells. We report that galectin-9-containing exosomes are selectively detected in plasma samples from NPC patients and mice xenografted with NPC tumors. The incorporation into exosomes protects galectin-9 against proteolytic cleavage but retains its Tim-3-binding capacity. Importantly, NPC exosomes induce massive apoptosis in EBV-specific CD4(+) cells used as a model of target T cells. This effect is inhibited by both anti-Tim-3 and antigalectin-9 blocking antibodies. These results indicate that blocking galectin-9/Tim-3 interaction in vivo might alleviate the Th1-suppressive effect of NPC exosomes and sustain antitumoral T-cell responses and thereby improve clinical efficacy of immunotherapeutic approaches against NPC.

Twenty-eight new species of Trigonopterus Fauvel (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from Central Sulawesi.

Here we present 28 new species of Trigonopterus from Central Sulawesi, mostly from Mt Dako and Mt Pompangeo: Trigonopterusacutus sp. nov., T.ancora sp. nov., T.arcanus sp. nov., T.corona sp. nov., T.dakoensis sp. nov., T.daun sp. nov., T.ewok sp. nov., T.gundala sp. nov., T.hoppla sp. nov., T.kakimerah sp. nov., T.katopasensis sp. nov., T.matakensis sp. nov., T.moduai sp. nov., T.mons sp. nov., T.paramoduai sp. nov. T.pomberimbensis sp. nov., T.pompangeensis sp. nov., T.puspoi sp. nov., T.rosichoni sp. nov., T.rubidus sp. nov., T.sarinoi sp. nov., T.sutrisnoi sp. nov., T.tanah sp. nov., T.tejokusumoi sp. nov., T.toboliensis sp. nov., T.tolitoliensis sp. nov., T.tounaensis sp. nov., T.unyil sp. nov. This fills important areas of distribution and brings the number of Trigonopterus species recorded from Sulawesi to 132.

Real-World Clinical Performance Evaluation of a Fourth-Generation HIV Antigen/Antibody Differentiation Test.

BACKGROUND: HIV testing is still an important component of routine sexual health screening, assessment of at-risk individuals and as part of the care of pregnant women. To prevent further transmission of infection, it is important that HIV tests are highly sensitive and that positive cases are not missed. HIV serologic antigen/antibody tests are commonly used as they are capable of detecting recent and established infection. METHODS: In this study we assessed the performance of the Elecsys HIV Duo assay (Elecsys assay) against the Abbott Architect assay in 10 121 samples from US and non-US adult, pediatric, and pregnant populations including low-risk, high-risk, and known positive cohorts. Congruent repeatedly reactive and/or discrepant samples followed a confirmatory algorithm consisting of an antigen/antibody differentiation assay and a nucleic acid test, as per the study protocol. RESULTS: The overall sensitivity of the Elecsys assay was 100.00% (95% CI 99.81-100.00 [1977/1977]), and the specificity was 99.84% (95% CI 99.73-99.91 [8129/8142]). The Elecsys assay detected all positive samples within the study, including all 50 antigen-only positive samples and samples from different HIV subtypes, including group O, group M subtypes, HIV-2 positives, and HIV-1 and HIV-2 dual positives. CONCLUSIONS: The Elecsys HIV Duo assay was highly sensitive for diagnosis of HIV in a range of clinical samples from the United States and outside the United States and is suitable for routine use.

A beta-glucosidase of an insect herbivore determines both toxicity and deterrence of a dandelion defense metabolite.

Gut enzymes can metabolize plant defense compounds and thereby affect the growth and fitness of insect herbivores. Whether these enzymes also influence feeding preference is largely unknown. We studied the metabolization of taraxinic acid ß-D-glucopyranosyl ester (TA-G), a sesquiterpene lactone of the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) that deters its major root herbivore, the common cockchafer larva (Melolontha melolontha). We have demonstrated that TA-G is rapidly deglucosylated and conjugated to glutathione in the insect gut. A broad-spectrum M. melolontha ß-glucosidase, Mm_bGlc17, is sufficient and necessary for TA-G deglucosylation. Using cross-species RNA interference, we have shown that Mm_bGlc17 reduces TA-G toxicity. Furthermore, Mm_bGlc17 is required for the preference of M. melolontha larvae for TA-G-deficient plants. Thus, herbivore metabolism modulates both the toxicity and deterrence of a plant defense compound. Our work illustrates the multifaceted roles of insect digestive enzymes as mediators of plant-herbivore interactions.

Plants produce certain substances to fend off attackers like plant-feeding insects. To stop these compounds from damaging their own cells, plants often attach sugar molecules to them. When an insect tries to eat the plant, the plant removes the stabilizing sugar, 'activating' the compounds and making them toxic or foul-tasting. Curiously, some insects remove the sugar themselves, but it is unclear what consequences this has, especially for insect behavior. Dandelions, Taraxacum officinale, make high concentrations of a sugar-containing defense compound in their roots called taraxinic acid ß-D-glucopyranosyl ester, or TA-G for short. TA-G deters the larvae of the Maybug ­ a pest also known as the common cockchafer or the doodlebug ­ from eating dandelion roots. When Maybug larvae do eat TA-G, it is found in their systems without its sugar. However, it is unclear whether it is the plant or the larva that removes the sugar. A second open question is how the sugar removal process affects the behavior of the Maybug larvae. Using chemical analysis and genetic manipulation, Huber et al. investigated what happens when Maybug larvae eat TA-G. This revealed that the acidity levels in the larvae's digestive system deactivate the proteins from the dandelion that would normally remove the sugar from TA-G. However, rather than leaving the compound intact, larvae remove the sugar from TA-G themselves. They do this using a digestive enzyme, known as a beta-glucosidase, that cuts through sugar. Removing the sugar from TA-G made the compound less toxic, allowing the larvae to grow bigger, but it also increased TA-G's deterrent effects, making the larvae less likely to eat the roots. Any organism that eats plants, including humans, must deal with chemicals like TA-G in their food. Once inside the body, enzymes can change these chemicals, altering their effects. This happens with many medicines, too. In the future, it might be possible to design compounds that activate only in certain species, or under certain conditions. Further studies in different systems may aid the development of new methods of pest control, or new drug treatments.

Mitochondrial genomes of twelve species of hyperdiverse Trigonopterus weevils.

Mitochondrial genomes of twelve species of Trigonopterus weevils are presented, ten of them complete. We describe their gene order and molecular features and test their potential for reconstructing the phylogeny of this hyperdiverse genus comprising > 1,000 species. The complete mitochondrial genomes examined herein ranged from 16,501 bp to 21,007 bp in length, with an average AT content of 64.2% to 69.7%. Composition frequencies and skews were generally lower across species for atp6, cox1-3, and cob genes, while atp8 and genes coded on the minus strand showed much higher divergence at both nucleotide and amino acid levels. Most variation within genes was found at the codon level with high variation at third codon sites across species, and with lesser degree at the coding strand level. Two large non-coding regions were found, CR1 (between rrnS and trnI genes) and CR2 (between trnI and trnQ), but both with large variability in length; this peculiar structure of the non-coding region may be a derived character of Curculionoidea. The nad1 and cob genes exhibited an unusually high interspecific length variation of up to 24 bp near the 3' end. This pattern was probably caused by a single evolutionary event since both genes are only separated by trnS2 and length variation is extremely rare in mitochondrial protein coding genes. We inferred phylogenetic trees using protein coding gene sequences implementing both maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches, each for both nucleotide and amino acid sequences. While some clades could be retrieved from all reconstructions with high confidence, there were also a number of differences and relatively low support for some basal nodes. The best partition scheme of the 13 protein coding sequences obtained by IQTREE suggested that phylogenetic signal is more accurate by splitting sequence variation at the codon site level as well as coding strand, rather than at the gene level. This result corroborated the different patterns found in Trigonopterus regarding to A+T frequencies and AT and GC skews that also greatly diverge at the codon site and coding strand levels.

Performance of an Automated Zika IgG Immunoassay in the Detection of Zika IgG Specific Antibodies-A Validation Approach in Samples from Prevalence Areas and Non-Endemic Countries.

The diagnosis of Zika virus infection is complicated and includes testing for nucleic acids and IgM and IgG antibodies, depending on the stage of infection. Zika IgG is an important marker of infection after the acute stage; however, IgG assays can lack specificity due to the similarities between Zika and other flaviviruses. In this study, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the Elecsys® Zika IgG assay were assessed in 496 samples from Zika endemic regions, and specificity only was assessed in 1685 blood screening and diagnostic samples from Zika non-endemic regions. Cross-reactivity was also assessed against a panel of 202 potentially cross-reacting samples. The performance of the Elecsys® Zika IgG assay was compared with the anti-Zika virus ELISA IgG. In the samples from the Zika endemic regions, the Elecsys® Zika IgG assay had 92.88% (95% confidence interval 89.42-95.48) sensitivity and 100% specificity and in the samples from Europe the Elecsys® Zika IgG assay specificity was ≥99.62%. The Elecsys® Zika IgG assay was highly specific in samples from both prevalent and non-endemic regions.

Use of the TrichoScan to assess female pattern hair loss.

BACKGROUND: TrichoScan is a method of hair growth measurement that combines epiluminescence microscopy with automatic digital image analysis. Miniaturization is considered a cornerstone of androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and is requisite for establishing the diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: To examine miniaturization in women with AGA. METHODS AND PATIENTS: Twenty-eight women with Ludwig pattern (aged 21-68, mean 46) were included. Miniaturization was estimated using the TrichoScan method. RESULTS: Almost one-quarter (21.4%) of the women had miniaturized hair only on the top of the head (the crown), 28.6% had miniaturized hair throughout the scalp, and 50.0% showed no miniaturization but a preponderance of thinning in the crown area. In all patients, a comparative study of hair diameter revealed significant differences between the crown and the occipital region. CONCLUSIONS: Our results imply that, in female hair loss, miniaturization might be a relative and not an absolute measurement, and AGA in women could be diagnosed also in the presence of a difference in hair shaft diameter.

One hundred and three new species of Trigonopterus weevils from Sulawesi.

The genus Trigonopterus Fauvel, 1862 is highly diverse in Melanesia, the Moluccas, and the Sunda Islands. Only one species, Trigonopterusfulvicornis (Pascoe, 1885) was so far recorded from Sulawesi. Based on focused field-work the fauna from Sulawesi and nearby islands is here revised. We redescribe T.allotopus Riedel newly recorded for Sulawesi and describe an additional 103 new species: T.abnormis sp. n., T.adspersus sp. n., T.ambangensis sp. n., T.ampanensis sp. n., T.analis sp. n., T.arachnobas sp. n., T.armipes sp. n., T.artemis sp. n., T.asterix sp. n., T.barbipes sp. n., T.bonthainensis sp. n., T.carinirostris sp. n., T.castaneipennis sp. n., T.celebensis sp. n., T.cirripes sp. n., T.collaris sp. n., T.costatulus sp. n., T.curvipes sp. n., T.crenulatus sp. n., T.cricki sp. n., T.darwini sp. n., T.ejaculatorius sp. n., T.fuscipes sp. n., T.gracilipes sp. n., T.heberti sp. n., T.hirsutus sp. n., T.humilis sp. n., T.hypocrita sp. n., T.idefix sp. n., T.impressicollis sp. n., T.incendium sp. n., T.incognitus sp. n., T.indigenus sp. n., T.inhonestus sp. n., T.invalidus sp. n., T.jasminae sp. n., T.klabatensis sp. n., T.kolakensis sp. n., T.kotamobagensis sp. n., T.laevigatus sp. n., T.lampros sp. n., T.latipennis sp. n., T.lompobattangensis sp. n., T.luwukensis sp. n., T.mahawuensis sp. n., T.manadensis sp. n., T.mangkutanensis sp. n., T.matalibaruensis sp. n., T.mesai sp. n., T.minahassae sp. n., T.moatensis sp. n., T.modoindingensis sp. n., T.nanus sp. n., T.nitidulus sp. n., T.obelix sp. n., T.ovalipunctatus sp. n., T.ovatulus sp. n., T.pagaranganensis sp. n., T.palopensis sp. n., T.paracollaris sp. n., T.pauper sp. n., T.pendolensis sp. n., T.posoensis sp. n., T.prismae sp. n., T.procurtus sp. n., T.pseudallotopus sp. n., T.pseudanalis, sp. n., T.pseudovatulus sp. n., T.pseudovalipunctatus sp. n., T.pseudofulvicornis sp. n., T.pseudomanadensis sp. n., T.pseudosimulans sp. n., T.pumilus sp. n., T.rantepao sp. n., T.reticulatus sp. n., T.rhombiformis sp. n., T.rotundatus sp. n., T.rotundulus sp. n., T.rudis sp. n., T.rufipes sp. n., T.sampunensis sp. n., T.sampuragensis sp. n., T.satyrus sp. n., T.scabripes sp. n., T.scaphiformis sp. n., T.scitulus sp. n., T.selayarensis sp. n., T.serripes sp. n., T.seticnemis sp. n., T.silvicola sp. n., T.squalidulus sp. n., T.sulawesiensis sp. n., T.suturatus sp. n., T.tatorensis sp. n., T.tenuipes sp. n., T.tomohonensis sp. n., T.toraja sp. n., T.vicinus sp. n., T.viduus sp. n., T.volcanorum sp. n., T.wangiwangiensis sp. n., T.watsoni sp. n., and T.yoda sp. n. All new species are authored by the taxonomist-in-charge, Alexander Riedel.

Seven new species of Trigonopterus Fauvel (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from the Tanimbar Archipelago.

Based on recent fieldwork, the hyperdiverse weevil genus Trigonopterus Fauvel is recorded for the first time from the Indonesian Tanimbar Archipelago, halfway between Australia and Western New Guinea. All seven species discovered on Tanimbar are new to science, and described here: Trigonopterus atuf sp. nov., T. kumbang sp. nov., T. laratensis sp. nov., T. porg sp. nov., T. selaruensis sp. nov., T. tanimbarensis sp. nov., and T. triradiatus sp. nov. The new species are authored by the taxonomists-in-charge, Raden Pramesa Narakusumo and Alexander Riedel. This fauna appears discordant and established by relatively recent dispersal from New Guinea and other Moluccan islands.

Analytical and Clinical Performance Evaluation of the Elecsys HIV combi PT Assay on the cobas e 602 Analyzer for the Diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the performance of the Elecsys HIV combi PT assay on the cobas e 602 analyzer for diagnosing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; part of the US Food and Drug Administration [FDA] submission). METHODS: The HIV combi PT and reference (ARCHITECT HIV Ag/Ab Combo) assays were assessed at four independent clinical laboratories/one reference laboratory (United States; July 2014 to November 2015). Clinical performance was evaluated using four reagent lots. Analytical performance was evaluated per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute EP05-A3 guidelines. Serum/plasma samples from 18 clinical sites/vendors (United States and outside the United States) were tested. RESULTS: Sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI]) in HIV-1 antibody-positive individuals (United States and outside the United States; n = 1,460) was 100.00% (99.75%-100.00%). Specificity was 99.94% (95% CI, 99.85%-99.98%) in low-risk individuals (United States; n = 6,843), 98.19% (95% CI, 96.93%-99.04%) in high-risk individuals (United States and outside the United States; n = 758), and 97.43% (95% CI, 95.32%-98.76%) in pregnant women (United States and outside the United States; n = 440). Analytical performance was acceptable. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate the robustness of the FDA-approved Elecsys HIV combi PT assay on the cobas e 602 analyzer for HIV testing in the United States.

Correction: Ultraconserved elements (UCEs) resolve the phylogeny of Australasian smurf-weevils.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188044.].

The weevil genera Nyphaeba Pascoe and Pantiala Pascoe and the problems of an unstable nomenclature in orphaned taxa.

The genera Nyphaeba Pascoe and Pantiala Pascoe of Cryptorhynchinae are redescribed and revised. Lectotypes are designated for the names Nyphaeba monommoides Pascoe and Pantiala illusa Pascoe. This facilitates the description of Nyphaeba mimica sp. n. represented by two paralectotypes of Pantiala illusa. Both genera are excluded from the subtribe Tylodina Lacordaire based on their possession of wings and a distinct metanepisternum. The following new combination for a species originally described in Pantiala is proposed: Nyphaeba germari (Faust). A femora-abdominal stridulatory mechanism is observed for Nyphaeba. This case illustrates how nomenclatural problems evident from type material can persist in an understudied taxon for more than a century. Such problems severely affect modern research and databasing.

A new species of Eupholus Boisduval from West New Guinea (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

Eupholus Boisduval is outstanding among weevils for its large body size and splendid coloration. Nevertheless, some species have eluded discovery until recently. Here we describe E. marielaurae sp. n. from the Arfak Mountains of West New Guinea. We provide morphological and molecular characters to differentiate it from E. cuvierii (Guérin-Méneville).

Revision of the subgenus Niphetoscapha Heller of Gymnopholus Heller (Coleoptera, Curculionoidea, Entiminae, Eupholini) and a new species with epizoic symbiosis from West New Guinea.

The subgenus Niphetoscapha Heller 1914 of Gymnopholus Heller 1901 is revised. It is characterized by the morphology of the elytral apex and the asymmetrical tip of the penis. Vestigial wings and a fused elytral suture indicate flightlessness. Gymnopholus (Niphetoscapha) inexspectatus sp. n. is described as new, exhibiting a distinct epizoic symbiosis with algae otherwise known from the subgenus Symbiopholus Gressitt 1966. The four species of Niphetoscapha inhabit the central mountain range of West New Guinea: Gymnopholus audax Gressitt 1966, G. inexspectatus sp. n., G. nitidus Gressitt & Sedlacek 1967, and G. wichmanni (Heller, 1914). A lectotype is designated for the type-species, G. wichmanni. All species are described, a key is provided, and their distribution is mapped. A large gap separating the areas with records of Niphetoscapha and Symbiopholus is noted for Central New Guinea. The phylogenetic concept of Gymnopholus and its subgenera is briefly discussed.