African Swine Fever Re-Emerging in Estonia: The Role of Seropositive Wild Boar from an Epidemiological Perspective.

African swine fever (ASF) emerged in Estonia in 2014. From February 2019 to August 2020, no pigs or wild boar tested positive for ASF virus (ASFV), only ASFV-specific antibodies could be detected in shot wild boar. However, ASF recently re-emerged in wild boar. We tested three hypotheses that might explain the current situation: (i) ASFV may have been present throughout, but at a prevalence below the detection limit; (ii) seropositive wild boar may have remained infectious (i.e., virus-carriers) and kept the epidemic going; or (iii) ASF was gone for 1.5 years, but was recently re-introduced. Using Estonian surveillance data, the sensitivity of the surveillance system and the confidence in freedom from ASF were estimated. Furthermore, the detection probability was determined and cluster analyses were performed to investigate the role of serological positive wild boar. The results suggest that the surveillance system was not able to detect virus circulation at a design prevalence below 1%. With respect to the confidence in freedom from ASF, the results indicate that circulating virus should have been detected over time, if the prevalence was ≥2%. However, the decreasing wild boar population density and ongoing surveillance activities made ASFV circulation at a low prevalence unlikely. Cluster analyses provided no evidence for a significant accumulation of serologically positive wild boar in temporal connection to the re-emergence of ASFV. Further targeted research, such as long-term experimental studies and molecular epidemiology, is necessary to improve our knowledge on the epidemiology of ASF and to control the disease more effectively.

The Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 within the Dog Population in Croatia: Host Factors and Clinical Outcome.

Over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, there is growing evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infections among dogs are more common than previously thought. In this study, the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was investigated in two dog populations. The first group was comprised of 1069 dogs admitted to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital for any given reason. The second group included dogs that shared households with confirmed COVID-19 cases in humans. This study group numbered 78 dogs. In COVID-19 infected households, 43.9% tested ELISA positive, and neutralising antibodies were detected in 25.64% of dogs. Those data are comparable with the secondary attack rate in the human population. With 14.69% of dogs in the general population testing ELISA positive, there was a surge of SARS-CoV-2 infections within the dog population amid the second wave of the pandemic. Noticeably seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the dog and the human population did not differ at the end of the study period. Male sex, breed and age were identified as significant risk factors. This study gives strong evidence that while acute dog infections are mostly asymptomatic, they can pose a significant risk to dog health. Due to the retrospective nature of this study, samples for viral isolation and PCR were unavailable. Still, seropositive dogs had a 1.97 times greater risk for developing central nervous symptoms.

No Evidence of O'nyong-nyong Viremia among Children with Febrile Illness in Kenya (2015-2018).

O'nyong-nyong virus (ONNV) is a little-known arbovirus causing intermittent, yet explosive, outbreaks in Africa. It is closely related to chikungunya virus, an emerging infectious disease. O'nyong-nyong virus causes a self-limited illness characterized by bilateral polyarthritis, rash, low-grade fever, and lymphadenopathy. In 1959, an extensive outbreak of ONNV occurred in East Africa, and decades later, another large outbreak was documented in Uganda in 1996. Limited evidence for interepidemic transmission is available, although serologic studies indicate a high prevalence of exposure. 1,045 febrile child participants in western and coastal Kenya were tested for the presence of ONNV using a multiplexed real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR assay. More than half of the participants had malaria parasitemia, and there was no evidence of active ONNV viremia in these participants. Further work is required to better understand the interepidemic circulation of ONNV and to reconcile evidence of high serologic exposure to ONNV among individuals in East Africa.

Use of a rapid electronic survey methodology to estimate blood donors' potential exposure to emerging infectious diseases: Application of a statistically representative sampling methodology to assess risk in US blood centers.

Risk assessments of transfusion-transmitted emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are complicated by the fact that blood donors' demographics and behaviors can be different from the general population. Therefore, when assessing potential blood donor exposure to EIDs, the use of general population characteristics, such as U.S. travel statistics, may invoke uncertainties that result in inaccurate estimates of blood donor exposure. This may, in turn, lead to the creation of donor deferral policies that do not match actual risk. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This article reports on the development of a system to rapidly assess EID risks for a nationally representative portion of the U.S. blood donor population. To assess the effectiveness of this system, a test survey was developed and deployed to a statistically representative sample frame of blood donors from five blood collecting organizations. Donors were directed to an online survey to ascertain their recent travel and potential exposure to Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). RESULTS: A total of 7128 responses were received from 54 256 invitations. The age-adjusted estimated total number of blood donors potentially exposed to MERS-CoV was approximately 15 640 blood donors compared to a lower U.S. general population-based estimate of 9610 blood donors. CONCLUSION: The structured donor demographic sample-based data provided an assessment of blood donors' potential exposure to an emerging pathogen that was 63% larger than the U.S. population-based estimate. This illustrates the need for tailored blood donor-based EID risk assessments that provide more specific demographic risk intelligence and can inform appropriate regulatory decision making.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiology, clinical signs, routine laboratory diagnosis, risk factors, and outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease with the high case-fatality rate, and lack of vaccines. We aimed to systematically analysed the epidemiological characteristics, clinical signs, routine laboratory diagnosis, risk factors, and outcomes. METHODS: Documents on SFTS were collected by searching the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan Fang Data, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases from 2011 to 2018. Meta-analysis was performed by using Review Manager and Stata software. RESULTS: Twenty-five articles involving 4143 cases were included. Diarrhea (odds ratio (OR) =1.60, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06 to 2.42, P = 0.02), and vomiting (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.01 to 2.39, P = 0.04) on admission were associated with the fatal outcomes of SFTS. Compared to patients with mild symptoms, patients with severe symptoms had significantly elevated levels of lactic acid dehydrogenase (standard mean difference (SMD) =1.27, 95% CI: 0.59 to 1.94), alanine aminotransferase (SMD = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.24 to 0.85), aspirate aminotransferase (SMD = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.69 to 1.32), and creatine kinase (SMD = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.74 to 1.33) but had reduced platelet counts (SMD = -0.87, 95% CI: - 1.16 to - 0.58) and albumin levels (SMD = -1.00, 95% CI: - 1.32 to - 0.68). The risk factors for poor prognosis included age (mean difference (MD) =6.88, 95% CI: 5.41 to 8.35) and farming (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.06 to 3.80). For the risk factors of contracting SFTS, the incidence of SFTS related to tick bites was 24% [95% CI: 0.18 to 0.31]. The pooled case-fatality rate of SFTS patients was 18% [95% CI: 0.16 to 0.21]. CONCLUSIONS: China is the country with the highest incidence of SFTS. May to July was the peak of the epidemic, and farmers were a high-risk group. The risk factor for SFTS included age (poor prognosis) and tick bites (contracting SFTS). Patients with severe diarrhea and vomiting symptoms on admission should be noted. Clinicians could use routine laboratory parameters and clinical symptoms as references for clinically suspected cases, classification of SFTS, and timely treatment, especially in basic hospitals.

Reconstructing Mayaro virus circulation in French Guiana shows frequent spillovers.

Characterizing the circulation of Mayaro virus (MAYV), an emerging arbovirus threat, is essential for risk assessment but challenging due to cross-reactivity with other alphaviruses such as chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Here, we develop an analytical framework to jointly assess MAYV epidemiology and the extent of cross-reactivity with CHIKV from serological data collected throughout French Guiana (N = 2697). We find strong evidence of an important sylvatic cycle for MAYV with most infections occurring near the natural reservoir in rural areas and in individuals more likely to go to the forest (i.e., adult males) and with seroprevalences of up to 18% in some areas. These findings highlight the need to strengthen MAYV surveillance in the region and showcase how modeling can improve interpretation of cross-reacting assays.

Prediction Rule for Scrub Typhus Meningoencephalitis in Children: Emerging Disease in North India.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the proportion of scrub typhus meningoencephalitis among children with acute encephalitis syndrome and to outline its differentiating features. To develop a prediction rule for scrub typhus meningoencephalitis. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary care public hospital in Northern India. Consecutive patients of acute encephalitis syndrome who met our inclusion criteria were enrolled over 2 years. Standardized workup including serum IgM against Orientia tsutsugamushi was performed. Clinical and laboratory features were compared between IgM-positive and IgM-negative patients. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the score derived from "independent predictors" was measured. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and positive and negative likelihood ratios were calculated at different cut-offs of the score. RESULTS: Scrub typhus IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was positive in 66/352 patients (18.8%). Longer duration of fever and prodromal stage along with eschar, hepatomegaly, lymphadenopathy, and pneumonia were significantly more prevalent in scrub typhus meningoencephalitis. However, petechiae were frequent in non-scrub typhus patients. Leucocytosis, lymphocytosis, thrombocytopenia, hypoalbuminemia, and elevated levels of serum bilirubin, serum transaminases, and cerebrospinal fluid protein were associated with scrub typhus meningoencephalitis. Logistic regression revealed fever for >8 days, pneumonia, absence of petechiae, cerebrospinal fluid protein >1000 mg/L, and serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase >100 IU/L as independent "predictors" of scrub typhus meningoencephalitis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (95% confidence interval) of the prediction score was 0.832 (0.78-0.89). Score at cutoff ≥1 had 91% sensitivity, 96.1% negative predictive value, and at cutoff ≥4 had 99.7% specificity, 88.9% positive predictive value, 83.1% negative predictive value, 40.3 positive likelihood ratio, 0.88 negative likelihood ratio for identifying scrub typhus meningoencephalitis. CONCLUSION: Prediction score may help physicians in peripheral areas to identify and treat scrub typhus meningoencephalitis, an emerging cause of acute encephalitis syndrome in India.

Emerging tick-borne diseases and blood safety: summary of a public workshop.

Tick-borne agents of disease continue to emerge and subsequently expand their geographic distribution. The threat to blood safety by tick-borne agents is ever increasing and requires constant surveillance concomitant with implementation of appropriate intervention methods. In April 2017, the Food and Drug Administration organized a public workshop on emerging tick-borne pathogens (excluding Babesia microti and Lyme disease) designed to provide updates on the current understanding of emerging tick-borne diseases, thereby allowing for extended discussions to determine if decisions regarding mitigation strategies need to be made proactively. Subject matter experts and other stakeholders participated in this workshop to discuss issues of biology, epidemiology, and clinical burden of tick-borne agents, risk of transfusion-transmission, surveillance, and considerations for decision making in implementing safety interventions. Herein, we summarize the scientific presentations, panel discussions, and considerations going forward.

Genomic and Phylogenetic Analysis of Zika Virus Isolates from Asymptomatic Blood Donors in the United States and Puerto Rico, 2016.

Zika virus (ZIKV) caused a public health threat in the United States in 2016, leading to rapid development and implementation of blood screening assays for ZIKV RNA. Several ZIKV sequences from clinical cases have been reported, but none from asymptomatic/pre-symptomatic infections. We isolated and sequenced ZIKV from asymptomatic/pre-symptomatic blood donor (ABD-ZIKV) samples and compared with reported clinical sequences. Twelve ABD-ZIKV isolates were produced from 67 cultivated samples, and isolates were genetically similar among themselves. Most isolates shared mutations with the clinical isolate PRVABC59 2015, whereas two ABD-ZIKV isolates shared specific mutations with U.S. clinical isolates from 2016. The ABD-ZIKV strains clustered into two distinct subclades: one comprised mostly ABD-ZIKV from Puerto Rico, and another one comprised ABD-ZIKV from Florida and QTX-02 isolate (Puerto Rico). In this study, we showed the circulation of two slightly distinct virus strains among Puerto Rico blood donors, one of which was also reported in Florida.

Rapid Evolution of H7N9 Highly Pathogenic Viruses that Emerged in China in 2017.

H7N9 low pathogenic influenza viruses emerged in China in 2013 and mutated to highly pathogenic strains in 2017, resulting in human infections and disease in chickens. To control spread, a bivalent H5/H7 inactivated vaccine was introduced in poultry in September 2017. To monitor virus evolution and vaccine efficacy, we collected 53,884 poultry samples across China from February 2017 to January 2018. We isolated 252 H7N9 low pathogenic viruses, 69 H7N9 highly pathogenic viruses, and one H7N2 highly pathogenic virus, of which two low pathogenic and 14 highly pathogenic strains were collected after vaccine introduction. Genetic analysis of highly pathogenic strains revealed nine genotypes, one of which is predominant and widespread and contains strains exhibiting high virulence in mice. Additionally, some H7N9 and H7N2 viruses carrying duck virus genes are lethal in ducks. Thus, although vaccination reduced H7N9 infections, the increased virulence and expanded host range to ducks pose new challenges.

Serological and clinical evaluation of the Yugoslavian RM65 sheep pox strain vaccine use in cattle against lumpy skin disease.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an emerging infectious disease of cattle. Since 2012, it has been seen throughout the Middle East region. The aim of this study was to compare the humoral response of three different dosages of the RM65 sheep pox (SPP) vaccine to assess the use of ten times sheep dose of the RM65 vaccine against lumpy skin disease, and to explore the possible causes of, and characterize the side effects caused by the RM65 vaccine. A blinded randomized collected study comprised 57 clinically normal, Holstein Friesian cattle which were randomly assigned into three experimental groups of 17 cattle according to the vaccine dose used (one, five and ten times the dose used for sheep in the field, and a control group of six cattle that did not receive the vaccine. Experimental animals were monitored closely for the development of any abnormality or side effects. Serum samples were collected for 6 weeks and were tested using serum neutralization assay. Decrease in total milk production was observed a week after vaccination and by the fifth week of the experiment, it had returned to prevaccination levels. Clinical side effects were seen in five animals that belong only to the group that received ten times of the SPP vaccine dose. Observed side effects included fever, decreased feed intake and milk production, as well as skin lesions. Skin nodules appeared between 7 and 17 days postvaccination, and remained for 11-17 days. Systemic reactions were likely to be associated with higher dosage and all affected cattle recovered uneventfully. Animals that received the highest dose (ten times the sheep dose) showed the best humoral response. The actual efficacy of the different concentration of the SPP RM65 should be evaluated based on a challenge experiment in a controlled environment.

Reliable Serological Testing for the Diagnosis of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Climate change, increased urbanization and international travel have facilitated the spread of mosquito vectors and the viral species they carry. Zika virus (ZIKV) is currently spreading in the Americas, while dengue virus (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) have already become firmly established in most tropical and also many non-tropical regions. ZIKV, DENV and CHIKV overlap in their endemic areas and cause similar clinical symptoms, especially in the initial stages of infection. Infections with each of these viruses can lead to severe complications, and co-infections have been reported. Therefore, laboratory analyses play an important role in differential diagnostics. A timely and accurate diagnosis is crucial for patient management, prevention of unnecessary therapies, rapid adoption of vector control measures, and collection of epidemiological data.There are two pillars to diagnosis: direct pathogen detection and the determination of specific antibodies. Serological tests provide a longer diagnostic window than direct methods, and are suitable for diagnosing acute and past infections, for disease surveillance and for vaccination monitoring. ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence test (IIFT) systems based on optimized antigens enable sensitive and specific detection of antibodies against ZIKV, DENV and CHIKV in patient serum or plasma. In recent years, Euroimmun (Lübeck, Germany) has developed numerous test systems for the serological diagnosis of (re-)emerging diseases, including a very sensitive and specific anti-ZIKV ELISA.

Metagenomics in pooled plasma, with identification of potential emerging infectious pathogens.

BACKGROUND: Many emerging infectious pathogens are well known for existing in healthy blood donors and could be transmitted via blood transfusion or plasma derivatives usage. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover the pathogens in qualified blood donation to avoid potential threats to blood safety. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The objective of this study was to investigate the microbiome that existed in pooled plasma from different manufacturers in Chengdu and Guiyang. Random polymerase chain reaction, large-scale clone sequencing, and bioinformatics were used to investigate the metagenomics and microbiome structure of pooled plasma. Among detected microbiomes, potential pathogens were subsequently identified. RESULT: After host DNA cleaning, 551 clones were classified as bacteria; 88 clones were classified as viruses, and four clones were considered to be parasites, respectively. Thirteen kinds of bacteria and two kinds of parasites that might potentially threaten blood safety were identified along with six kinds of nonpathogenic viruses. The infection status of one identified pathogen Coxiella burnetii was evaluated in 1638 plasma samples. The reactive rate of immunoglobulin (Ig)G1 was 1.10% (18/1638), the reactive rate of IgG2 was 0.85% (14/1638), and the reactive rate of IgM was 0.98% (16/1638). CONCLUSION: Some pathogens that were already considered as threats to blood safety were discovered in those pooled plasma such as C. burnetii, Orientia tsutsugamushi, and Plasmodium sp. As a result, we should initiate some specific tests in the endemic area on plasma donors to enhance the blood safety in China.

Dynamic changes of laboratory parameters and peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome patients.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to dynamically investigate laboratory parameters and peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) patients at different stages, to evaluate the significance of these changes in the infection process and its influence on prognosis. METHODS: Case-control study was used in the research. Sixty-nine confirmed thrombocytopenia syndrome virus(SFTSV) infected patients were enrolled. They were divided into two groups, recovery group and poor prognosis group, according to the clinical prognosis of the diseases. The laboratory parameters were measured by matched fully-automatic detector. The dynamic lymphocyte subsets of each group were tested by flow cytometry. Independent-group Student's t-test, Bonferroni test and Nemenyi test were used to compare the mean value of every group. RESULTS: The clinical manifestations typically became worse on about the 7th day. Most of them had multi organ dysfunction, and part of them had hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis histiocytosis (HLH). The characteristic laboratory findings in the early stage were the drop of platelets (PLT), while the increase of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), creatine kinase (CK), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). SFTSV viral loads reached the highest on Days 7-10 after onset of fever in SFTS patients. CD3+, CD3+CD4+ T cell counts were significantly reduced in poor prognosis group, more so on Days 7-10 after onset of fever. CD3-CD19+ (B cell) counts in SFTS patients were significantly higher than that of healthy controls. 11 days after illness onset, symptoms were improved, accompanied by resolution of laboratory abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that SFTS had an acute onset and self-limited course. It was a systemic infection. The host immune response caused tissues and organs injury. The improvement of symptoms and laboratory tests was consistent with the elimination of the virus and recover of immune response. Further investigation should be done in order to reveal the mechanisms of SFTSV pathogenesis and guide the clinical treatment.

Zika Virus and the Blood Supply: What Do We Know?

Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne Flavivirus and emerging infectious disease, is the focus of an international public health emergency after its rapid spread through the Americas and the Caribbean. Although most ZIKV infections are subclinical or characterized by mild febrile illness, ZIKV has been implicated in severe complications, most notably microcephaly in babies born to incident infected mothers during pregnancy. As yet, the extent to which ZIKV is transfusion transmissible remains undefined. Nonetheless, a high prevalence of asymptomatic infection during outbreaks, the demonstration of ZIKV in blood donors, and 4 possible cases of transfusion-transmitted ZIKV in Brazil have raised concern for risk to the blood supply. Consequently, a proactive response is underway by blood collection agencies, regulatory bodies, national funding agencies, and industry alike. Mitigation strategies differ between endemic and nonendemic areas. In the continental United States, the American Association of Blood Banks and Food and Drug Administration guidelines recommend travel-based deferral for those returning from affected areas, and nucleic acid testing is being initiated under an investigational new drug application in Puerto Rico and selected areas of the United States. Options are less clear for countries where autochthonous vector-borne transmission is active. The burden of Zika falls in low-resource countries where high cost and technical barriers associated with testing and pathogen reduction pose barriers to implementation. Additional strategies include maintaining selective inventory for high-risk recipients (eg, pregnant women). We review the available data as of July 2016 on ZIKV in relation to the blood supply including risk, mitigation strategies, and barriers to implementation in addition to the research that is needed to address current uncertainty.

Zika Virus and Patient Blood Management.

Sporadic Zika virus infections had only occurred in Africa and Asia until an outbreak in Micronesia (Oceania) in 2007. In 2013 to 2014, several outer Pacific Islands reported local outbreaks. Soon thereafter, the virus was likely introduced in Brazil from competing athletes from French Polynesia and other countries that participated in a competition there. Transmission is thought to have occurred through mosquito bites and spread to the immunologically naive population. Being also a flavivirus, the Zika virus is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito that is endemic in South and Central America that is also the vector of West Nile virus, dengue, and chikungunya. In less than a year, physicians in Brazil reported a many-fold increase in the number of babies born with microcephaly. Despite initial skepticism regarding the causal association of the Zika virus epidemic and birth defects, extensive basic and clinical research evidence has now confirmed this relationship. In the United States, more than 4000 travel-associated infections have been reported by the middle of 2016 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Furthermore, many local mosquito-borne infections have occurred in Puerto Rico and Florida. Considering that the virus causes a viremia in which 80% of infected individuals have no symptoms, the potential for transfusion transmission from an asymptomatic blood donor is high if utilizing donor screening alone without testing. Platelet units have been shown to infect 2 patients via transfusion in Brazil. Although there was an investigational nucleic acid test available for testing donors, not all blood centers were initially required to participate. Subsequently, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a guidance in August 2016 that recommended universal nucleic acid testing for the Zika virus on blood donors.In this report, we review the potentially devastating effects of Zika virus infection during pregnancy and its implication in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. Furthermore, we urge hospital-based clinicians and transfusion medicine specialists to implement perisurgical patient blood management strategies to avoid blood component transfusions with their potential risks of emerging pathogens, illustrated here by the Zika virus. Ultimately, this current global threat, as described by the World Health Organization, will inevitably be followed by future outbreaks of other bloodborne pathogens; the principles and practices of perioperative patient blood management will reduce the risks from not only known, but also unknown risks of blood transfusion for our patients.

Laboratory Diagnosis of Zika Virus Infection.

CONTEXT: -The rapid and accurate diagnosis of Zika virus infection is an international priority. OBJECTIVE: -To review current recommendations, methods, limitations, and priorities for Zika virus testing. DATA SOURCES: -Sources include published literature, public health recommendations, laboratory procedures, and testing experience. CONCLUSIONS: -Until recently, the laboratory diagnosis of Zika infection was confined to public health or research laboratories that prepared their own reagents, and test capacity has been limited. Furthermore, Zika cross-reacts serologically with other flaviviruses, such as dengue, West Nile, and yellow fever. Current or past infection, or even vaccination with another flavivirus, will often cause false-positive or uninterpretable Zika serology results. Detection of viral RNA during acute infection using nucleic acid amplification tests provides more specific results, and a number of commercial nucleic acid amplification tests have received emergency use authorization. In addition to serum, testing of whole blood and urine is recommended because of the higher vial loads and longer duration of shedding. However, nucleic acid amplification testing has limited utility because many patients are asymptomatic or present for testing after the brief period of Zika shedding has passed. Thus, the greatest need and most difficult challenge is development of accurate antibody tests for the diagnosis of recent Zika infection. Research is urgently needed to identify Zika virus epitopes that do not cross-react with other flavivirus antigens. New information is emerging at a rapid pace and, with ongoing public-private and international collaborations and government support, it is hoped that rapid progress will be made in developing robust and widely applicable diagnostic tools.

Zika and the Blood Supply: A Work in Progress.

Zika virus can be transmitted by transfusion, but the harm caused to recipients is not clear in most cases. It is very likely that the virus could also be transmitted by transplanted organs. Sensitivity to the risk from transfusion is elevated by consideration of possible severe neurologic damage in fetuses. Strategies for dealing with transfusion risk vary with the presence of Zika in the region. In nonendemic areas, risks can be reduced by excluding donors who have exposure through travel or sexual contact with someone at risk. In both endemic and nonendemic areas, the risk can be further reduced by nucleic acid testing of donors, or pathogen reduction of platelet and plasma products. The real risk to the population depends on the frequency of infection as well as the efficacy of these interventions. The interventions chosen will depend on the risk assessment for any situation; in the United States at this time, a combination of travel deferrals, testing, and, to a lesser extent, pathogen reduction is being used, but universal testing of US blood donors under investigational use has been mandated by the US Food and Drug Administration, beginning with states most at risk of local transmission. Canada is largely using travel deferrals. A precautionary approach may be taken; however, a formal decision-making framework has been suggested. The situation globally is clearly very fluid, as the epidemic continues to spread and we continue to learn how to best protect recipients of blood and transplants.

Association of the Serum Angiotensin II Level with Disease Severity in Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Patients.

OBJECTIVE: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease caused by a novel Bunyavirus. Recent data suggest that the physiological balance of multiple proinflammatory cytokines is substantially changed in cases of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) infection, and the inflammatory response probably plays an important role in disease progression. Angiotensin II is an important active substance of the renin-angiotensin system, and studies have demonstrated that angiotensin II is involved in key events in the inflammatory process and can regulate inflammatory cell responses. METHODS: In order to elucidate the role of angiotensin II in the pathogenesis of SFTS, we collected serum samples from SFTS patients in the acute or convalescent phase and tested the angiotensin II levels using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as well as SFTSV viral RNA with real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Furthermore, we explored possible correlations between the angiotensin II levels and clinical parameters in SFTS patients. RESULTS: Our data showed that the serum level of angiotensin II was significantly increased in the acute phase compared with that seen in the convalescent phase and the healthy controls, while there were no significant differences between the convalescent cases and healthy controls (p>0.05). A correlation analysis demonstrated that the level of angiotensin II positively correlated with the SFTS viral RNA load. The angiotensin II levels were also found to be correlated with clinical parameters indicating impairments in organ functions. Moreover, we also found that the angiotensin II levels were significantly increased in the severe cases versus the non-severe cases (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The serum angiotensin II levels in SFTS patients may be used to stratify the disease severity and are possibly predictive of disease outcomes.

Maintaining a Safe Blood Supply in an Era of Emerging Pathogens.

Coming shortly after outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya virus in related locations, the recent outbreak of Zika virus in the southern part of the western hemisphere is yet another reminder that infectious pathogens continue to emerge rapidly and can adversely affect public health, including the safety of the blood supply. In response to Zika virus, public health measures that rely largely on donor deferral and sourcing of blood from non-outbreak areas until a blood donor screening test becomes available have been implemented to address the safety of the blood supply in the United States. However, a more universal approach to ensuring blood safety in the setting of rapidly emerging infectious diseases is needed.