Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome Patients Exhibit Increased Levels of Lipocalin-2, Endothelin-1 and NT-proBNP.

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is an acute zoonotic disease caused by viruses of the Orthohantavirus genus. This syndrome is characterized by renal and cardiopulmonary implications detectable with different biomarkers. Here, we explored the role of serum and urine levels of lipocalin-2, endothelin-1 and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in HFRS pathology. A total of twenty-eight patients hospitalized due to a Puumala orthohantavirus infection were included, with serum and urine samples collected on patient admission (acute phase) and discharge (convalescent phase). In comparison to healthy individuals, patients exhibited significantly higher acute-phase serum and urine levels of lipocalin-2, serum levels of endothelin-1 and serum and urine levels of NT-proBNP. Patients in the convalescent phase showed a significant decrease in urine lipocalin-2, serum endothelin-1 and serum and urine NT-proBNP levels. We recorded a strong correlation between serum levels of lipocalin-2 and endothelin-1 and urine levels of lipocalin-2 with several kidney injury markers, such as serum creatinine, urea, urine white blood cell count and proteinuria. We also demonstrated an independent correlation of serum and urine lipocalin-2 levels with acute kidney injury in HFRS. All in all, our results show an involvement of NT-proBNP, lipocalin-2 and endothelin-1 in the renal and cardiac pathology of HFRS.

Evaluation of the Neutralizing Antibody STE90-C11 against SARS-CoV-2 Delta Infection and Its Recognition of Other Variants of Concerns.

As of now, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread to over 770 million confirmed cases and caused approximately 7 million deaths. While several vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (mAb) have been developed and deployed, natural selection against immune recognition of viral antigens by antibodies has fueled the evolution of new emerging variants and limited the immune protection by vaccines and mAb. To optimize the efficiency of mAb, it is imperative to understand how they neutralize the variants of concern (VoCs) and to investigate the mutations responsible for immune escape. In this study, we show the in vitro neutralizing effects of a previously described monoclonal antibody (STE90-C11) against the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) and its in vivo effects in therapeutic and prophylactic settings. We also show that the Omicron variant avoids recognition by this mAb. To define which mutations are responsible for the escape in the Omicron variant, we used a library of pseudovirus mutants carrying each of the mutations present in the Omicron VoC individually. We show that either 501Y or 417K point mutations were sufficient for the escape of Omicron recognition by STE90-C11. To test how escape mutations act against a combination of antibodies, we tested the same library against bispecific antibodies, recognizing two discrete regions of the spike antigen. While Omicron escaped the control by the bispecific antibodies, the same antibodies controlled all mutants with individual mutations.

What can neutralizing antibodies tell us about the quality of immunity in COVID-19 convalescents and vaccinees?

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the lack of standardized measurements of the immune response after vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 resulted in incomparable results and hindered correlation establishment. Prioritizing reliable and standardized methods to monitor pathogen-specific immunity is crucial, not only during the COVID-19 pandemic but also for future outbreaks. During our study of the humoral immune response, we used a SARS-CoV-2 wild-type neutralization assay, ensuring the measurement of the immune response directed to all SARS-CoV-2 antigens in their proper conformation. A head-to-head comparison of the neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses elicited by four vaccines used in Europe during 2021 (BNT162b2, mRNA-1273, ChAdOx nCoV-19, and Ad26.COV2.S) and their comparison to NAb responses in convalescents showed that while the amount was comparable, NAbs induced by natural infection were of higher quality. Namely, NAbs produced by disease were better activators of the complement system than NAbs induced by vaccination. Furthermore, the contribution of spike protein-specific IgGs to the SARS-CoV-2 neutralization was lower in convalescents compared to vaccinees, indicating that those who recovered from COVID-19 were armed with antibodies of additional specificities and/or classes that contributed to virus neutralization. These findings suggest that a higher stringency of public policy measures targeting individuals who have recovered from COVID-19, in comparison to those who have been vaccinated, may not have been fully justified.

Slower Waning of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG Levels Six Months after the Booster Dose Compared to Primary Vaccination.

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titer decreases rapidly after primovaccination, leading to a mandatory booster vaccination. We analysed anti-SARS-CoV-2 Spike RBD IgG levels (positive ≥ 50 AU/mL) in 405 healthcare workers (3010 sera) who received a booster dose (BD) 9 months after two-dose BNT162b2 primovaccination. Median antibody titer at the time of BD (582.6 AU/mL) was 1.7-fold and 16.4-fold lower than the peak titer after the first (961.5 AU/mL) and the second vaccine dose (SVD) (10,232.6 AU/mL), respectively. One month after vaccination, IgG titer increased 40.6-fold after BD compared with a 10.8-fold increase after primovaccination. Three months after vaccination, post-booster antibodies decreased significantly slower (2.2-fold) than after primovaccination (3.3-fold). At six months, antibodies decreased slower after BD (4.5-fold; median 5556.0 AU/mL) than after primovaccination (9.6-fold; median 1038.5 AU/mL). Antibody titers before and one month after BD correlated weakly (r = 0.30) compared with a strong correlation (r = 0.65) between the corresponding post-primovaccination titers. Pre-vaccination COVID-19 had no effect on IgG levels after BD compared with a positive effect after primovaccination. Despite high post-booster IgG levels, 22.5% of participants contracted mild COVID-19. The trend of IgG decline indicates the need for further revaccination, but the vaccine type should be defined according to viral mutations.

Differences in Immunoglobulin G Glycosylation Between Influenza and COVID-19 Patients.

The essential role of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in immune system regulation and combatting infectious diseases cannot be fully recognized without an understanding of the changes in its N-glycans attached to the asparagine 297 of the Fc domain that occur under such circumstances. These glycans impact the antibody stability, half-life, secretion, immunogenicity, and effector functions. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed and compared the total IgG glycome-at the level of individual glycan structures and derived glycosylation traits (sialylation, galactosylation, fucosylation, and bisecting N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc))-of 64 patients with influenza, 77 patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and 56 healthy controls. Our study revealed a significant decrease in IgG galactosylation, sialylation, and bisecting GlcNAc (where the latter shows the most significant decrease) in deceased COVID-19 patients, whereas IgG fucosylation was increased. On the other hand, IgG galactosylation remained stable in influenza patients and COVID-19 survivors. IgG glycosylation in influenza patients was more time-dependent: In the first seven days of the disease, sialylation increased and fucosylation and bisecting GlcNAc decreased; in the next 21 days, sialylation decreased and fucosylation increased (while bisecting GlcNAc remained stable). The similarity of IgG glycosylation changes in COVID-19 survivors and influenza patients may be the consequence of an adequate immune response to enveloped viruses, while the observed changes in deceased COVID-19 patients may indicate its deviation.

IgG N-glycome changes during the course of severe COVID-19: An observational study.

BACKGROUND: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes a respiratory illness named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is one of the main global health problems since 2019. Glycans attached to the Fc portion of immunoglobulin G (IgG) are important modulators of IgG effector functions. Fc region binds to different receptors on the surface of various immune cells, dictating the type of immune response. Here, we performed a large longitudinal study to determine whether the severity and duration of COVID-19 are associated with altered IgG glycosylation. METHODS: Using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of released glycans, we analysed the composition of the total IgG N-glycome longitudinally during COVID-19 from four independent cohorts. We analysed 77 severe COVID-19 cases from the HR1 cohort (74% males, median age 72, age IQR 25-80); 31 severe cases in the HR2 cohort (77% males, median age 64, age IQR 41-86), 18 mild COVID-19 cases from the UK cohort (17% males, median age 50, age IQR 26-71) and 28 mild cases from the BiH cohort (71% males, median age 60, age IQR 12-78). FINDINGS: Multiple statistically significant changes in IgG glycome composition were observed during severe COVID-19. The most statistically significant changes included increased agalactosylation of IgG (meta-analysis 95% CI [0.03, 0.07], adjusted meta-analysis P= <0.0001), which regulates proinflammatory actions of IgG via complement system activation and indirectly as a lack of sialylation and decreased presence of bisecting N-acetylglucosamine on IgG (meta-analysis 95% CI [-0.11, -0.08], adjusted meta-analysis P= <0.0001), which indirectly affects antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. On the contrary, no statistically significant changes in IgG glycome composition were observed in patients with mild COVID-19. INTERPRETATION: The IgG glycome in severe COVID-19 patients is statistically significantly altered in a way that it indicates decreased immunosuppressive action of circulating immunoglobulins. The magnitude of observed changes is associated with the severity of the disease, indicating that aberrant IgG glycome composition or changes in IgG glycosylation may be an important molecular mechanism in COVID-19. FUNDING: This work has been supported in part by Croatian Science Foundation under the project IP-CORONA-2020-04-2052 and Croatian National Centre of Competence in Molecular Diagnostics (The European Structural and Investment Funds grant #KK.01.2.2.03.0006), by the UKRI/MRC (Cov-0331 - MR/V027883/1) and by the National Institutes for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre and by Ministry Of Science, Higher Education and Youth Of Canton Sarajevo, grant number 27-02-11-4375-10/21.

Virome of Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus, and Haemaphysalis concinna Ticks from Croatia.

Tick-borne diseases are a serious threat to both public and veterinary health. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing to characterize the virome of three tick species implicated in the spread of vector-borne disease throughout Croatia. Ten viruses were identified, including seven potential novel species within the viral families Flaviviridae, Nyamiviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Peribunyaviridae, Phenuiviridae, and Nairoviridae.

Is Better Standardization of Therapeutic Antibody Quality in Emerging Diseases Epidemics Possible?

During the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic many efforts have gone into the investigation of the SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies as possible therapeutics. Currently, conclusions cannot be drawn due to the lack of standardization in antibody assessments. Here we describe an approach of establishing antibody characterisation in emergent times which would, if followed, enable comparison of results from different studies. The key component is a reliable and reproducible assay of wild-type SARS-CoV-2 neutralisation based on a banking system of its biological components - a challenge virus, cells and an anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody in-house standard, calibrated to the First WHO International Standard immediately upon its availability. Consequently, all collected serological data were retrospectively expressed in an internationally comparable way. The neutralising antibodies (NAbs) among convalescents ranged from 4 to 2869 IU mL-1 in a significant positive correlation to the disease severity. Their decline in convalescents was on average 1.4-fold in a one-month period. Heat-inactivation resulted in 2.3-fold decrease of NAb titres in comparison to the native sera, implying significant complement activating properties of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies. The monitoring of NAb titres in the sera of immunocompromised COVID-19 patients that lacked their own antibodies evidenced the successful transfusion of antibodies by the COVID-19 convalescent plasma units with NAb titres of 35 IU mL-1 or higher.

ChAdOx1-S adenoviral vector vaccine applied intranasally elicits superior mucosal immunity compared to the intramuscular route of vaccination.

COVID-19 vaccines prevent severe forms of the disease, but do not warrant complete protection against breakthrough infections. This could be due to suboptimal mucosal immunity at the site of virus entry, given that all currently approved vaccines are administered via the intramuscular route. In this study, we assessed humoral and cellular immune responses in BALB/c mice after intranasal and intramuscular immunization with adenoviral vector ChAdOx1-S expressing full-length Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. We showed that both routes of vaccination induced a potent IgG antibody response, as well as robust neutralizing capacity, but intranasal vaccination elicited a superior IgA antibody titer in the sera and in the respiratory mucosa. Bronchoalveolar lavage from intranasally immunized mice efficiently neutralized SARS-CoV-2, which has not been the case in intramuscularly immunized group. Moreover, substantially higher percentages of epitope-specific CD8 T cells exhibiting a tissue resident phenotype were found in the lungs of intranasally immunized animals. Finally, both intranasal and intramuscular vaccination with ChAdOx1-S efficiently protected the mice after the challenge with recombinant herpesvirus expressing the Spike protein. Our results demonstrate that intranasal application of adenoviral vector ChAdOx1-S induces superior mucosal immunity and therefore could be a promising strategy for putting the COVID-19 pandemic under control.

Decline of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibody Levels 6 Months after Complete BNT162b2 Vaccination in Healthcare Workers to Levels Observed Following the First Vaccine Dose.

Research on post-vaccination antibody dynamics has become pivotal in estimating COVID-19 vaccine efficacy. We studied anti-SARS-CoV-2 Spike RBD IgG levels in 587 healthcare workers (2038 sera) who completed BNT162b2 vaccination. Average antibody titer 3 weeks after the first dose in COVID-19-naïve participants (median 873.5 AU/mL) was 18-fold higher than the test threshold, with a significant increase 1 month (median 9927.2 AU/mL) and an exponential decrease 3 (median 2976.7 AU/mL) and 6 (median 966.0 AU/mL) months after complete vaccination. Participants with a history of COVID-19 prior to vaccination showed significantly higher antibody levels, particularly after the first dose (median 14,280.2 AU/mL), with a slight decline 1 month (median 12,700.0 AU/mL) and an exponential decline in antibody titers 3 (median 4831.0 AU/mL) and 6 (median 1465.2 AU/mL) months after vaccination. Antibody levels of COVID-19-naïve subjects after the first dose were moderately correlated with age (r = -0.4). Multivariate analysis showed a strong independent correlation between IgG levels 6 months after vaccination and both IgG titers after the first dose and 1 month after vaccination (R2 = 0.709). Regardless of pre-vaccination COVID-19 history, IgG levels 6 months after vaccination were comparable to antibody levels reached by COVID-19-naïve participants after the first vaccine dose.

Collection of Monoclonal Antibodies Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Proteins.

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a global crisis that continues to pose a serious threat to human health and the economy. Further advancement in research is necessary and requires the availability of quality molecular tools, including monoclonal antibodies. Here, we present the development and characterization of a collection of over 40 new monoclonal antibodies directed against different SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 proteins were expressed, purified, and used as immunogens. Upon development of specific hybridomas, the obtained monoclonal antibody (mAb) clones were tested for binding to recombinant proteins and infected cells. We generated mAbs against structural proteins, the Spike and Nucleocapsid protein, several non-structural proteins (nsp1, nsp7, nsp8, nsp9, nsp10, nsp16) and accessory factors (ORF3a, ORF9b) applicable in flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, or Western blot. Our collection of mAbs provides a set of novel, highly specific tools that will allow a comprehensive analysis of the viral proteome, which will allow further understanding of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and the design of therapeutic strategies.

Identification of cell lines CL-14, CL-40 and CAL-51 as suitable models for SARS-CoV-2 infection studies.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is a major global threat that sparked global research efforts. Pre-clinical and biochemical SARS-CoV-2 studies firstly rely on cell culture experiments where the importance of choosing an appropriate cell culture model is often underestimated. We here present a bottom-up approach to identify suitable permissive cancer cell lines for drug screening and virus research. Human cancer cell lines were screened for the SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry factors ACE2 and TMPRSS2 based on RNA-seq data of the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE). However, experimentally testing permissiveness towards SARS-CoV-2 infection, we found limited correlation between receptor expression and permissiveness. This underlines that permissiveness of cells towards viral infection is determined not only by the presence of entry receptors but is defined by the availability of cellular resources, intrinsic immunity, and apoptosis. Aside from established cell culture infection models CACO-2 and CALU-3, three highly permissive human cell lines, colon cancer cell lines CL-14 and CL-40 and the breast cancer cell line CAL-51 and several low permissive cell lines were identified. Cell lines were characterised in more detail offering a broader choice of non-overexpression in vitro infection models to the scientific community. For some cell lines a truncated ACE2 mRNA and missense variants in TMPRSS2 might hint at disturbed host susceptibility towards viral entry.

SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Seroprevalence in Industry Workers in Split-Dalmatia and Sibenik-Knin County, Croatia.

OBJECTIVES: To examine seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in industry workers population sample. METHODS: From 23 to April 28, 2020, we conducted serological testing for antibodies (Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and Immunoglobulin M (IgM)) on 1494 factory employees living in the Split-Dalmatia and Sibenik-Knin County (Croatia). RESULTS: We detected antibodies in 1.27% of participants (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77-1.98%). In Split facility 13/1316 (0.99%, 95% CI 0.53-1.68%) of participants were tested positive, of which 13/1079 (1.20%, 95% CI 0.64-2.05%) of those living outside the facility and 0/237 (0%, 95% CI 0-1.26%) of those living inside the facility. In Knin facility, 6/178 (3.37%, 95% CI 1.25-7.19%) participants were tested positive for antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed relatively small SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence in the DIV Group population sample.

Antibody response and the clinical presentation of patients with COVID-19 in Croatia: the importance of a two-step testing approach.

According to anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroresponse in patients with COVID-19 from Croatia, we emphasised the issue of different serological tests and need for combining diagnostic methods for COVID-19 diagnosis. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgG ELISA and IgM/IgG immunochromatographic assay (ICA) were used for testing 60 sera from 21 patients (6 with severe, 10 moderate, and 5 with mild disease). The main clinical, demographic, and haemato-biochemical data were analysed. The most common symptoms were cough (95.2%), fever (90.5%), and fatigue and shortness of breath (42.9%). Pulmonary opacities showed 76.2% of patients. Within the first 7 days of illness, seropositivity for ELISA IgA and IgG was 42.9% and 7.1%, and for ICA IgM and IgG 25% and 10.7%, respectively. From day 8 after onset, ELISA IgA and IgG seropositivity was 90.6% and 68.8%, and for ICA IgM and IgG 84.4% and 75%, respectively. In general, sensitivity for ELISA IgA and IgG was 68.3% and 40%, and for ICA IgM and IgG 56.7% and 45.0%, respectively. The anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody distributions by each method were statistically different (ICA IgM vs. IgG, p = 0.016; ELISA IgG vs. IgA, p < 0.001). Antibody response in COVID-19 varies and depends on the time the serum is taken, on the severity of disease, and on the type of test used. IgM and IgA antibodies as early-stage disease markers are comparable, although they cannot replace each other. Simultaneous IgM/IgG/IgA anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing followed by the confirmation of positive findings with another test in a two-tier testing is recommended.

Composition of the immunoglobulin G glycome associates with the severity of COVID-19.

A large variation in the severity of disease symptoms is one of the key open questions in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemics. The fact that only a small subset of people infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 develops severe disease suggests that there have to be some predisposing factors, but biomarkers that reliably predict disease severity have not been found so far. Since overactivation of the immune system is implicated in a severe form of COVID-19 and the immunoglobulin G (IgG) glycosylation is known to be involved in the regulation of different immune processes, we evaluated the association of interindividual variation in IgG N-glycome composition with the severity of COVID-19. The analysis of 166 severe and 167 mild cases from hospitals in Spain, Italy and Portugal revealed statistically significant differences in the composition of the IgG N-glycome. The most notable difference was the decrease in bisecting N-acetylglucosamine in severe patients from all three cohorts. IgG galactosylation was also lower in severe cases in all cohorts, but the difference in galactosylation was not statistically significant after correction for multiple testing.

A novel flavivirus strain detected in phlebotomine sandflies in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Aim Phlebotominae sandflies are primary vectors of phleboviruses, causing the sandfly fever disease. The aim of this study was to detect and report the presence of flaviviruses in Phlebotominae sandflies captured in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methods After a microscopic and morphometric analysis, the final identification of collected Phlebotomus specimens was confirmed by PCR, using a hemi-nested polymerase chain reaction on extracted and reversely transcribed RNA. Results We obtained a 155 nt long fragment of the viral non-structural protein 5 (NS5) gene (GenBank accession no. MN090154). The acquired nucleotide sequence, provisionally named as Dreznica, showed a maximum of 70-80% identity in 70-88% (110-137 nucleotides) of the query coverage with several Anopheles, Sabethes, Calbertado and Culex flaviviruses. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis showed that the new flavivirus Dreznica clusters together with the flavivirus isolated from Culiseta annulata mosquitos. Conclusion We report the presence of flavivirus in Phlebotominae sandflies, captured in Dreznica, Herzegovina for the first time. The next phase of research will be directed towards virus cultivation, obtaining a longer or complete virus sequence and clarifying the medical and epidemiological importance of the Dreznica virus.

Bioengineering horizon scan 2020.

Horizon scanning is intended to identify the opportunities and threats associated with technological, regulatory and social change. In 2017 some of the present authors conducted a horizon scan for bioengineering (Wintle et al., 2017). Here we report the results of a new horizon scan that is based on inputs from a larger and more international group of 38 participants. The final list of 20 issues includes topics spanning from the political (the regulation of genomic data, increased philanthropic funding and malicious uses of neurochemicals) to the environmental (crops for changing climates and agricultural gene drives). The early identification of such issues is relevant to researchers, policy-makers and the wider public.