RESUMO
Ebola virus (EBOV) causes epidemics with high mortality yet remains understudied due to the challenge of experimentation in high-containment and outbreak settings. Here, we used single-cell transcriptomics and CyTOF-based single-cell protein quantification to characterize peripheral immune cells during EBOV infection in rhesus monkeys. We obtained 100,000 transcriptomes and 15,000,000 protein profiles, finding that immature, proliferative monocyte-lineage cells with reduced antigen-presentation capacity replace conventional monocyte subsets, while lymphocytes upregulate apoptosis genes and decline in abundance. By quantifying intracellular viral RNA, we identify molecular determinants of tropism among circulating immune cells and examine temporal dynamics in viral and host gene expression. Within infected cells, EBOV downregulates STAT1 mRNA and interferon signaling, and it upregulates putative pro-viral genes (e.g., DYNLL1 and HSPA5), nominating pathways the virus manipulates for its replication. This study sheds light on EBOV tropism, replication dynamics, and elicited immune response and provides a framework for characterizing host-virus interactions under maximum containment.
Assuntos
Ebolavirus/fisiologia , Doença pelo Vírus Ebola/genética , Doença pelo Vírus Ebola/virologia , Interações Hospedeiro-Patógeno/genética , Análise de Célula Única , Animais , Antígenos CD/metabolismo , Biomarcadores/metabolismo , Efeito Espectador , Diferenciação Celular , Proliferação de Células , Citocinas/metabolismo , Ebolavirus/genética , Chaperona BiP do Retículo Endoplasmático , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Regulação Viral da Expressão Gênica , Doença pelo Vírus Ebola/imunologia , Doença pelo Vírus Ebola/patologia , Antígenos de Histocompatibilidade Classe II/metabolismo , Interferons/genética , Interferons/metabolismo , Macaca mulatta , Macrófagos/metabolismo , Monócitos/metabolismo , Mielopoese , RNA Mensageiro/genética , RNA Mensageiro/metabolismo , Fatores de Tempo , Transcriptoma/genéticaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Compared to the abundance of clinical and genomic information available on patients hospitalised with COVID-19 disease from high-income countries, there is a paucity of data from low-income countries. Our aim was to explore the relationship between viral lineage and patient outcome. METHODS: We enrolled a prospective observational cohort of adult patients hospitalised with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 disease between July 2020 and March 2022 from Blantyre, Malawi, covering four waves of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Clinical and diagnostic data were collected using an adapted ISARIC clinical characterization protocol for COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 isolates were sequenced using the MinION™ in Blantyre. RESULTS: We enrolled 314 patients, good quality sequencing data was available for 55 patients. The sequencing data showed that 8 of 11 participants recruited in wave one had B.1 infections, 6/6 in wave two had Beta, 25/26 in wave three had Delta and 11/12 in wave four had Omicron. Patients infected during the Delta and Omicron waves reported fewer underlying chronic conditions and a shorter time to presentation. Significantly fewer patients required oxygen (22.7% [17/75] vs. 58.6% [140/239], p < 0.001) and steroids (38.7% [29/75] vs. 70.3% [167/239], p < 0.001) in the Omicron wave compared with the other waves. Multivariable logistic-regression demonstrated a trend toward increased mortality in the Delta wave (OR 4.99 [95% CI 1.0-25.0 p = 0.05) compared to the first wave of infection. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that each wave of patients hospitalised with SARS-CoV-2 was infected with a distinct viral variant. The clinical data suggests that patients with severe COVID-19 disease were more likely to die during the Delta wave.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , Adulto , Humanos , SARS-CoV-2 , Malaui , Estudos de Coortes , Confiabilidade dos DadosRESUMO
Zika virus (ZIKV) is causing an unprecedented epidemic linked to severe congenital abnormalities. In July 2016, mosquito-borne ZIKV transmission was reported in the continental United States; since then, hundreds of locally acquired infections have been reported in Florida. To gain insights into the timing, source, and likely route(s) of ZIKV introduction, we tracked the virus from its first detection in Florida by sequencing ZIKV genomes from infected patients and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. We show that at least 4 introductions, but potentially as many as 40, contributed to the outbreak in Florida and that local transmission is likely to have started in the spring of 2016-several months before its initial detection. By analysing surveillance and genetic data, we show that ZIKV moved among transmission zones in Miami. Our analyses show that most introductions were linked to the Caribbean, a finding corroborated by the high incidence rates and traffic volumes from the region into the Miami area. Our study provides an understanding of how ZIKV initiates transmission in new regions.
Assuntos
Infecção por Zika virus/epidemiologia , Infecção por Zika virus/virologia , Zika virus/genética , Aedes/virologia , Animais , Região do Caribe/epidemiologia , Surtos de Doenças/estatística & dados numéricos , Feminino , Florida/epidemiologia , Genoma Viral/genética , Humanos , Incidência , Epidemiologia Molecular , Mosquitos Vetores/virologia , Zika virus/isolamento & purificação , Infecção por Zika virus/transmissãoRESUMO
Although the recent Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic in the Americas and its link to birth defects have attracted a great deal of attention, much remains unknown about ZIKV disease epidemiology and ZIKV evolution, in part owing to a lack of genomic data. Here we address this gap in knowledge by using multiple sequencing approaches to generate 110 ZIKV genomes from clinical and mosquito samples from 10 countries and territories, greatly expanding the observed viral genetic diversity from this outbreak. We analysed the timing and patterns of introductions into distinct geographic regions; our phylogenetic evidence suggests rapid expansion of the outbreak in Brazil and multiple introductions of outbreak strains into Puerto Rico, Honduras, Colombia, other Caribbean islands, and the continental United States. We find that ZIKV circulated undetected in multiple regions for many months before the first locally transmitted cases were confirmed, highlighting the importance of surveillance of viral infections. We identify mutations with possible functional implications for ZIKV biology and pathogenesis, as well as those that might be relevant to the effectiveness of diagnostic tests.
Assuntos
Filogenia , Infecção por Zika virus/transmissão , Infecção por Zika virus/virologia , Zika virus/genética , Zika virus/isolamento & purificação , Animais , Brasil/epidemiologia , Colômbia/epidemiologia , Culicidae/virologia , Surtos de Doenças/estatística & dados numéricos , Genoma Viral/genética , Mapeamento Geográfico , Honduras/epidemiologia , Humanos , Metagenoma/genética , Epidemiologia Molecular , Mosquitos Vetores/virologia , Mutação , Vigilância em Saúde Pública , Porto Rico/epidemiologia , Estados Unidos/epidemiologia , Zika virus/classificação , Zika virus/patogenicidade , Infecção por Zika virus/diagnóstico , Infecção por Zika virus/epidemiologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Rotavirus vaccine (Rotarix [RV1]) has reduced diarrhea-associated hospitalizations and deaths in Malawi. We examined the trends in circulating rotavirus genotypes in Malawi over a 22-year period to assess the impact of RV1 introduction on strain distribution. METHODS: Data on rotavirus-positive stool specimens among children aged <5 years hospitalized with diarrhea in Blantyre, Malawi before (July 1997-October 2012, n = 1765) and after (November 2012-October 2019, n = 934) RV1 introduction were analyzed. Rotavirus G and P genotypes were assigned using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: A rich rotavirus strain diversity circulated throughout the 22-year period; Shannon (H') and Simpson diversity (D') indices did not differ between the pre- and postvaccine periods (H' P < .149; D' P < .287). Overall, G1 (n = 268/924 [28.7%]), G2 (n = 308/924 [33.0%]), G3 (n = 72/924 [7.7%]), and G12 (n = 109/924 [11.8%]) were the most prevalent genotypes identified following RV1 introduction. The prevalence of G1P[8] and G2P[4] genotypes declined each successive year following RV1 introduction, and were not detected after 2018. Genotype G3 reemerged and became the predominant genotype from 2017 onward. No evidence of genotype selection was observed 7 years post-RV1 introduction. CONCLUSIONS: Rotavirus strain diversity and genotype variation in Malawi are likely driven by natural mechanisms rather than vaccine pressure.
Assuntos
Gastroenterite , Infecções por Rotavirus , Vacinas contra Rotavirus , Rotavirus , Criança , Criança Hospitalizada , Diarreia , Fezes , Gastroenterite/epidemiologia , Gastroenterite/prevenção & controle , Genótipo , Humanos , Lactente , Malaui/epidemiologia , Rotavirus/genética , Infecções por Rotavirus/epidemiologia , Infecções por Rotavirus/prevenção & controleRESUMO
During 2018, an unusual increase in Lassa fever cases occurred in Nigeria, raising concern among national and international public health agencies. We analyzed 220 Lassa virus genomes from infected patients, including 129 from the 2017-2018 transmission season, to understand the viral populations underpinning the increase. A total of 14 initial genomes from 2018 samples were generated at Redeemer's University in Nigeria, and the findings were shared with the Nigerian Center for Disease Control in real time. We found that the increase in cases was not attributable to a particular Lassa virus strain or sustained by human-to-human transmission. Instead, the data were consistent with ongoing cross-species transmission from local rodent populations. Phylogenetic analysis also revealed extensive viral diversity that was structured according to geography, with major rivers appearing to act as barriers to migration of the rodent reservoir.
Assuntos
Genoma Viral , Febre Lassa/virologia , Vírus Lassa/genética , RNA Viral/análise , Adolescente , Adulto , Animais , Teorema de Bayes , Reservatórios de Doenças , Feminino , Variação Genética , Humanos , Febre Lassa/epidemiologia , Febre Lassa/transmissão , Masculino , Cadeias de Markov , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Nigéria/epidemiologia , Filogenia , Filogeografia , Roedores , Análise de Sequência de RNA , Zoonoses/transmissãoRESUMO
Resistance to pyrethroids, the sole insecticide class recommended for treating bed nets, threatens the control of major malaria vectors, including Anopheles funestus Effective management of resistance requires an understanding of the dynamics and mechanisms driving resistance. Here, using genome-wide transcription and genetic diversity analyses, we show that a shift in the molecular basis of pyrethroid resistance in southern African populations of this species is associated with a restricted gene flow. Across the most highly endemic and densely populated regions in Malawi, An. funestus is resistant to pyrethroids, carbamates, and organochlorides. Genome-wide microarray-based transcription analysis identified overexpression of cytochrome P450 genes as the main mechanism driving this resistance. The most up-regulated genes include cytochrome P450s (CYP) CYP6P9a, CYP6P9b and CYP6M7. However, a significant shift in the overexpression profile of these genes was detected across a south/north transect, with CYP6P9a and CYP6P9b more highly overexpressed in the southern resistance front and CYP6M7 predominant in the northern front. A genome-wide genetic structure analysis of southern African populations of An. funestus from Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique revealed a restriction of gene flow between populations, in line with the geographical variation observed in the transcriptomic analysis. Genetic polymorphism analysis of the three key resistance genes, CYP6P9a, CYP6P9b, and CYP6M7, support barriers to gene flow that are shaping the underlying molecular basis of pyrethroid resistance across southern Africa. This barrier to gene flow is likely to impact the design and implementation of resistance management strategies in the region.
Assuntos
Anopheles/efeitos dos fármacos , Anopheles/genética , Fluxo Gênico/genética , Insetos Vetores/genética , Resistência a Inseticidas/genética , Malária/parasitologia , Piretrinas/farmacologia , África Austral , Animais , Genoma/genética , Inseticidas/farmacologia , Malária/transmissão , Análise em Microsséries/métodos , Polimorfismo Genético/genéticaRESUMO
Insecticide resistance in mosquito populations threatens recent successes in malaria prevention. Elucidating patterns of genetic structure in malaria vectors to predict the speed and direction of the spread of resistance is essential to get ahead of the 'resistance curve' and to avert a public health catastrophe. Here, applying a combination of microsatellite analysis, whole genome sequencing and targeted sequencing of a resistance locus, we elucidated the continent-wide population structure of a major African malaria vector, Anopheles funestus. We identified a major selective sweep in a genomic region controlling cytochrome P450-based metabolic resistance conferring high resistance to pyrethroids. This selective sweep occurred since 2002, likely as a direct consequence of scaled up vector control as revealed by whole genome and fine-scale sequencing of pre- and post-intervention populations. Fine-scaled analysis of the pyrethroid resistance locus revealed that a resistance-associated allele of the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase CYP6P9a has swept through southern Africa to near fixation, in contrast to high polymorphism levels before interventions, conferring high levels of pyrethroid resistance linked to control failure. Population structure analysis revealed a barrier to gene flow between southern Africa and other areas, which may prevent or slow the spread of the southern mechanism of pyrethroid resistance to other regions. By identifying a genetic signature of pyrethroid-based interventions, we have demonstrated the intense selective pressure that control interventions exert on mosquito populations. If this level of selection and spread of resistance continues unabated, our ability to control malaria with current interventions will be compromised.
Assuntos
Anopheles/genética , Genômica , Insetos Vetores/efeitos dos fármacos , Resistência a Inseticidas/genética , Piretrinas/farmacologia , África , Animais , Anopheles/fisiologia , Sequência de Bases , Sistema Enzimático do Citocromo P-450/classificação , Sistema Enzimático do Citocromo P-450/genética , Variação Genética , Interações Hospedeiro-Parasita/efeitos dos fármacos , Humanos , Proteínas de Insetos/genética , Insetos Vetores/genética , Insetos Vetores/fisiologia , Inseticidas/farmacologia , Malária/parasitologia , Malária/prevenção & controle , Repetições de Microssatélites/genética , Modelos Genéticos , Filogenia , Locos de Características Quantitativas/genética , Seleção Genética , Homologia de Sequência do Ácido NucleicoRESUMO
In one patient over time, we found that concentration of Ebola virus RNA in semen during recovery is remarkably higher than blood at peak illness. Virus in semen is replication-competent with no change in viral genome over time. Presence of sense RNA suggests replication in cells present in semen.
Assuntos
Ebolavirus/genética , Doença pelo Vírus Ebola/virologia , Sêmen/virologia , Adulto , Ebolavirus/classificação , Genoma Viral/genética , Humanos , Masculino , RNA Viral/análise , RNA Viral/genética , Carga ViralRESUMO
Pyrethroid insecticides are critical for malaria control in Africa. However, resistance to this insecticide class in the malaria vector Anopheles funestus is spreading rapidly across Africa, threatening the success of ongoing and future malaria control programs. The underlying resistance mechanisms driving the spread of this resistance in wild populations remain largely unknown. Here, we show that increased expression of two tandemly duplicated P450 genes, CYP6P9a and CYP6P9b, is the main mechanism driving pyrethroid resistance in Malawi and Mozambique, two southern African countries where this insecticide class forms the mainstay of malaria control. Genome-wide transcription analysis using microarray and quantitative RT-PCR consistently revealed that CYP6P9a and CYP6P9b are the two genes most highly overexpressed (>50-fold; q < 0.01) in permethrin-resistant mosquitoes. Transgenic expression of CYP6P9a and CYP6P9b in Drosophila melanogaster demonstrated that elevated expression of either of these genes confers resistance to both type I (permethrin) and type II (deltamethrin) pyrethroids. Functional characterization of recombinant CYP6P9b confirmed that this protein metabolized both type I (permethrin and bifenthrin) and type II (deltamethrin and Lambda-cyhalothrin) pyrethroids but not DDT. Variability analysis identified that a single allele of each of these genes is predominantly associated with pyrethroid resistance in field populations from both countries, which is suggestive of a single origin of this resistance that has since spread across the region. Urgent resistance management strategies should be implemented in this region to limit a further spread of this resistance and minimize its impact on the success of ongoing malaria control programs.
Assuntos
Anopheles/genética , Sistema Enzimático do Citocromo P-450/genética , Resistência a Medicamentos/genética , Insetos Vetores/genética , Malária/prevenção & controle , Piretrinas , Seleção Genética , Alelos , Animais , Anopheles/enzimologia , Sequência de Bases , Drosophila melanogaster , Insetos Vetores/enzimologia , Malaui , Análise em Microsséries , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Moçambique , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase em Tempo Real , Análise de Sequência de DNARESUMO
BACKGROUND: Deciphering the dynamics and evolution of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors is crucial for successful vector control. This study reports an increase of resistance intensity and a rise of multiple insecticide resistance in Anopheles funestus in Malawi leading to reduced bed net efficacy. METHODS: Anopheles funestus group mosquitoes were collected in southern Malawi and the species composition, Plasmodium infection rate, susceptibility to insecticides and molecular bases of the resistance were analysed. RESULTS: Mosquito collection revealed a predominance of An. funestus group mosquitoes with a high hybrid rate (12.2 %) suggesting extensive species hybridization. An. funestus sensu stricto was the main Plasmodium vector (4.8 % infection). Consistently high levels of resistance to pyrethroid and carbamate insecticides were recorded and had increased between 2009 and 2014. Furthermore, the 2014 collection exhibited multiple insecticide resistance, notably to DDT, contrary to 2009. Increased pyrethroid resistance correlates with reduced efficacy of bed nets (<5 % mortality by Olyset(®) net), which can compromise control efforts. This change in resistance dynamics is mirrored by prevalent resistance mechanisms, firstly with increased over-expression of key pyrethroid resistance genes (CYP6Pa/b and CYP6M7) in 2014 and secondly, detection of the A296S-RDL dieldrin resistance mutation for the first time. However, the L119F-GSTe2 and kdr mutations were absent. CONCLUSIONS: Such increased resistance levels and rise of multiple resistance highlight the need to rapidly implement resistance management strategies to preserve the effectiveness of existing insecticide-based control interventions.
Assuntos
Anopheles/efeitos dos fármacos , Insetos Vetores/efeitos dos fármacos , Resistência a Inseticidas/genética , Inseticidas/farmacologia , Controle de Mosquitos/estatística & dados numéricos , Animais , Anopheles/genética , Feminino , Insetos Vetores/genética , Malária/transmissão , Malaui/epidemiologia , Masculino , MutaçãoRESUMO
The impact of insecticide resistance on insect-borne disease programs is difficult to quantify. The possibility of eliminating malaria in high-transmission settings is heavily dependent on effective vector control reducing disease transmission rates. Pyrethroids are the dominant insecticides used for malaria control, with few options for their replacement. Their failure will adversely affect our ability to control malaria. Pyrethroid resistance has been selected in Malawi over the last 3 y in the two major malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles funestus, with a higher frequency of resistance in the latter. The resistance in An. funestus is metabolically based and involves the up-regulation of two duplicated P450s. The same genes confer resistance in Mozambican An. funestus, although the levels of up-regulation differ. The selection of resistance over 3 y has not increased malaria transmission, as judged by annual point prevalence surveys in 1- to 4-y-old children. This is true in areas with long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) alone or LLINs plus pyrethroid-based insecticide residual spraying (IRS). However, in districts where IRS was scaled up, it did not produce the expected decrease in malaria prevalence. As resistance increases in frequency from this low initial level, there is the potential for vector population numbers to increase with a concomitant negative impact on control efficacy. This should be monitored carefully as part of the operational activities in country.
Assuntos
Resistência a Inseticidas/efeitos dos fármacos , Malária/prevenção & controle , Malária/parasitologia , Piretrinas/toxicidade , Acetilcolinesterase/genética , Animais , Anopheles/efeitos dos fármacos , Anopheles/genética , Pré-Escolar , Cruzamentos Genéticos , Feminino , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Regulação da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Genes de Insetos/genética , Estudos de Associação Genética , Geografia , Haplótipos/genética , Humanos , Lactente , Malária/epidemiologia , Malaui/epidemiologia , Masculino , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Controle de Mosquitos , Mutação/genética , Polimorfismo Genético/efeitos dos fármacos , Análise de Sequência de DNA , Canais de Sódio/genética , Transcrição Gênica/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Pyrethroid resistance in the major malaria vector Anopheles funestus is rapidly expanding across Southern Africa. It remains unknown whether this resistance has a unique origin with the same molecular basis or is multifactorial. Knowledge of the origin, mechanisms and evolution of resistance are crucial to designing successful resistance management strategies. RESULTS: Here, we established the resistance profile of a Zambian An. funestus population at the northern range of the resistance front. Similar to other Southern African populations, Zambian An. funestus mosquitoes are resistant to pyrethroids and carbamate, but in contrast to populations in Mozambique and Malawi, these insects are also DDT resistant. Genome-wide microarray-based transcriptional profiling and qRT-PCR revealed that the cytochrome P450 gene CYP6M7 is responsible for extending pyrethroid resistance northwards. Indeed, CYP6M7 is more over-expressed in Zambia [fold-change (FC) 37.7; 13.2 for qRT-PCR] than CYP6P9a (FC15.6; 8.9 for qRT-PCR) and CYP6P9b (FC11.9; 6.5 for qRT-PCR), whereas CYP6P9a and CYP6P9b are more highly over-expressed in Malawi and Mozambique. Transgenic expression of CYP6M7 in Drosophila melanogaster coupled with in vitro assays using recombinant enzymes and assessments of kinetic properties demonstrated that CYP6M7 is as efficient as CYP6P9a and CYP6P9b in conferring pyrethroid resistance. Polymorphism patterns demonstrate that these genes are under contrasting selection forces: the exceptionally diverse CYP6M7 likely evolves neutrally, whereas CYP6P9a and CYP6P9b are directionally selected. The higher variability of CYP6P9a and CYP6P9b observed in Zambia supports their lesser role in resistance in this country. CONCLUSION: Pyrethroid resistance in Southern Africa probably has multiple origins under different evolutionary forces, which may necessitate the design of different resistance management strategies.
Assuntos
Anopheles/genética , Sistema Enzimático do Citocromo P-450/genética , Malária/parasitologia , Polimorfismo Genético , África , Animais , Animais Geneticamente Modificados/genética , Animais Geneticamente Modificados/metabolismo , Anopheles/efeitos dos fármacos , Anopheles/metabolismo , Sistema Enzimático do Citocromo P-450/química , Sistema Enzimático do Citocromo P-450/metabolismo , Drosophila melanogaster/genética , Drosophila melanogaster/metabolismo , Resistência a Medicamentos/efeitos dos fármacos , Resistência a Medicamentos/genética , Feminino , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Variação Genética , Genoma , Haplótipos , Inseticidas/toxicidade , Cinética , Piretrinas/toxicidade , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase em Tempo Real , Proteínas Recombinantes/biossíntese , Proteínas Recombinantes/química , Proteínas Recombinantes/genéticaAssuntos
Febre Lassa/epidemiologia , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/epidemiologia , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/virologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Gerenciamento Clínico , Feminino , Idade Gestacional , Humanos , Febre Lassa/diagnóstico , Febre Lassa/tratamento farmacológico , Vírus Lassa , Nigéria/epidemiologia , Gravidez , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/tratamento farmacológico , Resultado da Gravidez , Vigilância em Saúde Pública , Estudos Retrospectivos , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Avaliação de Sintomas , Adulto JovemRESUMO
The Plasmodium falciparum parasite's ability to adapt to environmental pressures, such as the human immune system and antimalarial drugs, makes malaria an enduring burden to public health. Understanding the genetic basis of these adaptations is critical to intervening successfully against malaria. To that end, we created a high-density genotyping array that assays over 17,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (â¼ 1 SNP/kb), and applied it to 57 culture-adapted parasites from three continents. We characterized genome-wide genetic diversity within and between populations and identified numerous loci with signals of natural selection, suggesting their role in recent adaptation. In addition, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS), searching for loci correlated with resistance to thirteen antimalarials; we detected both known and novel resistance loci, including a new halofantrine resistance locus, PF10_0355. Through functional testing we demonstrated that PF10_0355 overexpression decreases sensitivity to halofantrine, mefloquine, and lumefantrine, but not to structurally unrelated antimalarials, and that increased gene copy number mediates resistance. Our GWAS and follow-on functional validation demonstrate the potential of genome-wide studies to elucidate functionally important loci in the malaria parasite genome.
Assuntos
Antimaláricos/farmacologia , Resistência a Medicamentos/genética , Loci Gênicos , Plasmodium falciparum/genética , Etanolaminas/farmacologia , Fluorenos/farmacologia , Dosagem de Genes , Expressão Gênica , Estudos de Associação Genética , Variação Genética , Genótipo , Haplótipos , Desequilíbrio de Ligação , Lumefantrina , Malária Falciparum/parasitologia , Malária Falciparum/prevenção & controle , Mefloquina/farmacologia , Fenantrenos/farmacologia , Plasmodium falciparum/efeitos dos fármacos , Polimorfismo de Nucleotídeo Único , Seleção GenéticaRESUMO
We used a high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism array to genotype 75 Plasmodium falciparum isolates recently collected from Senegal and The Gambia to search for signals of selection in this malaria endemic region. We found little geographic or temporal stratification of the genetic diversity among the sampled parasites. Through application of the iHS and REHH haplotype-based tests for positive selection, we found evidence of recent selective sweeps at a known drug resistance locus, at several known antigenic loci, and at several genomic regions not previously identified as sites of recent selection. We discuss the value of deep population-specific genomic analyses for identifying selection signals within sampled endemic populations of parasites, which may correspond to local selection pressures such as distinctive therapeutic regimes or mosquito vectors.
Assuntos
Técnicas de Genotipagem , Malária Falciparum/parasitologia , Parasitos/genética , Plasmodium falciparum/genética , Polimorfismo de Nucleotídeo Único/genética , Seleção Genética , Animais , Gâmbia , Genes de Protozoários/genética , Genótipo , Parasitos/isolamento & purificação , Plasmodium falciparum/isolamento & purificação , Análise de Componente Principal , SenegalRESUMO
Strong CD4+ T cell-mediated immune protection following rotavirus infection has been observed in animal models, but its relevance in humans remains unclear. Here, we characterized acute and convalescent CD4+ T cell responses in children who were hospitalized with rotavirus-positive and rotavirus-negative diarrhoea in Blantyre, Malawi. Children presenting with laboratory-confirmed rotavirus infection had higher proportions of effector and central memory T helper 2 cells during acute infection i.e., at disease presentation compared to convalescence, 28 days post-infection defined by a follow-up 28 days after acute infection. However, circulating cytokine-producing (IFN-γ and/or TNF-α) rotavirus-specific VP6-specific CD4+ T cells were rarely detectable in children with rotavirus infection at both acute and convalescent stages. Moreover, following whole blood mitogenic stimulation, the responding CD4+ T cells were predominantly non-cytokine producers of IFN-γ and/or TNF-α. Our findings demonstrate limited induction of anti-viral IFN-γ and/or TNF-α-producing CD4+ T cells in rotavirus-vaccinated Malawian children following the development of laboratory-confirmed rotavirus infection.
Assuntos
Infecções por Rotavirus , Rotavirus , Criança , Animais , Humanos , Infecções por Rotavirus/prevenção & controle , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa , Subpopulações de Linfócitos T , Citocinas , Linfócitos T CD4-PositivosRESUMO
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in numerous biological processes and are pivotal mediators of the immune response, yet little is known about their properties at the single-cell level. Here, we generate a multi-tissue bulk RNAseq dataset from Ebola virus (EBOV) infected and not-infected rhesus macaques and identified 3979 novel lncRNAs. To profile lncRNA expression dynamics in immune circulating single-cells during EBOV infection, we design a metric, Upsilon, to estimate cell-type specificity. Our analysis reveals that lncRNAs are expressed in fewer cells than protein-coding genes, but they are not expressed at lower levels nor are they more cell-type specific when expressed in the same number of cells. In addition, we observe that lncRNAs exhibit similar changes in expression patterns to those of protein-coding genes during EBOV infection, and are often co-expressed with known immune regulators. A few lncRNAs change expression specifically upon EBOV entry in the cell. This study sheds light on the differential features of lncRNAs and protein-coding genes and paves the way for future single-cell lncRNA studies.
Assuntos
Ebolavirus , Doença pelo Vírus Ebola , RNA Longo não Codificante , Animais , Doença pelo Vírus Ebola/genética , RNA Longo não Codificante/genética , Macaca mulatta , Ebolavirus/genética , Internalização do VírusRESUMO
The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has resulted in a high number of cases, but a relatively low incidence of severe disease and deaths, compared to the pre-Omicron variants. Therefore, we assessed the differences in symptom prevalence between Omicron and pre-Omicron infections in a sub-Saharan African population. We collected data from outpatients presenting at two primary healthcare facilities in Blantyre, Malawi, from November 2020 to March 2022. Eligible participants were aged >1month old, with signs suggestive of COVID-19, and those not suspected of COVID-19, from whom we collected nasopharyngeal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing, and sequenced positive samples to identify infecting-variants. In addition, we calculated the risk of presenting with a given symptom in individuals testing SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive before and during the Omicron variant-dominated period. Among 5176 participants, 6.4% were under 5, and 77% were aged 18 to 50 years. SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence peaked in January 2021 (Beta), July 2021 (Delta), and December 2021 (Omicron). We found that cough (risk ratio (RR), 1.50; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.00 to 2.30), fatigue (RR 2.27; 95% CI, 1.29 to 3.86) and headache (RR 1.64; 95% CI, 1.15 to 2.34) were associated with a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection during the pre-Omicron period. In comparison, only headache (RR 1.41; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.86) did associate with a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection during the Omicron-dominated period. In conclusion, clinical symptoms associated with Omicron infection differed from prior variants and were harder to identify clinically with current symptom guidelines. Our findings encourage regular review of case definitions and testing policies to ensure case ascertainment.
RESUMO
G3 rotaviruses rank among the most common rotavirus strains worldwide in humans and animals. However, despite a robust long-term rotavirus surveillance system from 1997 at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, these strains were only detected from 1997 to 1999 and then disappeared and re-emerged in 2017, 5 years after the introduction of the Rotarix rotavirus vaccine. Here, we analysed representative twenty-seven whole genome sequences (G3P[4], n = 20; G3P[6], n = 1; and G3P[8], n = 6) randomly selected each month between November 2017 and August 2019 to understand how G3 strains re-emerged in Malawi. We found four genotype constellations that were associated with the emergent G3 strains and co-circulated in Malawi post-Rotarix vaccine introduction: G3P[4] and G3P[6] strains with the DS-1-like genetic backbone genes (G3-P[4]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A2-N2-T2-E2-H2 and G3-P[6]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A2-N2-T2-E2-H2), G3P[8] strains with the Wa-like genetic backbone genes (G3-P[8]-I1-R1-C1-M1-A1-N1-T1-E1-H1), and reassortant G3P[4] strains consisting of the DS-1-like genetic backbone genes and a Wa-like NSP2 (N1) gene (G3-P[4]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A2-N1-T2-E2-H2). Time-resolved phylogenetic trees demonstrated that the most recent common ancestor for each ribonucleic acid (RNA) segment of the emergent G3 strains was between 1996 and 2012, possibly through introductions from outside the country due to the limited genetic similarity with G3 strains which circulated before their disappearance in the late 1990s. Further genomic analysis revealed that the reassortant DS-1-like G3P[4] strains acquired a Wa-like NSP2 genome segment (N1 genotype) through intergenogroup reassortment; an artiodactyl-like VP3 through intergenogroup interspecies reassortment; and VP6, NSP1, and NSP4 segments through intragenogroup reassortment likely before importation into Malawi. Additionally, the emergent G3 strains contain amino acid substitutions within the antigenic regions of the VP4 proteins which could potentially impact the binding of rotavirus vaccine-induced antibodies. Altogether, our findings show that multiple strains with either Wa-like or DS-1-like genotype constellations have driven the re-emergence of G3 strains. The findings also highlight the role of human mobility and genome reassortment events in the cross-border dissemination and evolution of rotavirus strains in Malawi necessitating the need for long-term genomic surveillance of rotavirus in high disease-burden settings to inform disease prevention and control.