Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 727: The Dynamic Relationship between Dengue Virus and the Human Cutaneous Innate Immune Response
oyes Dengue virus (DENV) is a continuing global threat that puts half of the world’s population at risk for infection. This mosquito-transmitted virus is endemic in over 100 countries. When a mosquito takes a bloodmeal, virus is deposited into the epidermal and dermal layers of human skin, infecting a variety of permissive cells, including keratinocytes, Langerhans cells, macrophages, dermal dendritic cells, fibroblasts, and mast cells. In response to infection, the skin deploys an array of defense mechanisms to inhibit viral replication and prevent dissemination. Antimicrobial peptides, pattern recogniti...
Source: Viruses - May 4, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Michelle M. Mart í Priscila M. S. Castanha Simon M. Barratt-Boyes Tags: Review Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 728: The Disassociation of A3G-Related HIV-1 cDNA G-to-A Hypermutation to Viral Infectivity
This study revealed a new insight into the mechanism of HIV-1 counteracting A3G antiviral function and might lay a foundation for new antiviral strategies. (Source: Viruses)
Source: Viruses - May 4, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Joanie Martin Xin Chen Xiangxu Jia Qiujia Shao Bindong Liu Tags: Article Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 729: Droplet Digital RT-PCR (dd RT-PCR) Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Honey Bees and Honey Collected in Apiaries across the Campania Region
edini Karen Power Coronaviruses (CoVs), a subfamily of Orthocoronavirinae, are viruses that sometimes present a zoonotic character. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the recent outbreak of COVID-19, which, since its outbreak in 2019, has caused about 774,593,066 confirmed cases and 7,028,881 deaths. Aereosols are the main route of transmission among people; however, viral droplets can contaminate surfaces and fomites as well as particulate matter (PM) in suspensions of natural and human origin. Honey bees are well known bioindicators of the presence of pollutants and PMs ...
Source: Viruses - May 4, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Andrea Mancusi Yolande Th érèse Rose Proroga Paola Maiolino Raffaele Marrone Claudia D ’Emilio Santa Girardi Marica Egidio Arianna Boni Teresa Vicenza Elisabetta Suffredini Karen Power Tags: Article Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 725: CRISPR Screen Reveals PACT as a Pro-Viral Factor for Dengue Viral Replication
eter Sarnow The dengue virus is a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA virus that infects ~400 million people worldwide. Currently, there are no approved antivirals available. CRISPR-based screening methods have greatly accelerated the discovery of host factors that are essential for DENV infection and that can be targeted in host-directed antiviral interventions. In the present study, we performed a focused CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats) library screen to discover the key host factors that are essential for DENV infection in human Huh7 cells and identified the Protein Activator of Interfer...
Source: Viruses - May 3, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Shwetha Shivaprasad Wenjie Qiao Kuo-Feng Weng Pavithra Umashankar Jan E. Carette Peter Sarnow Tags: Article Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 726: Exploring Viral Genome Profile in Mpox Patients during the 2022 Outbreak, in a North-Eastern Centre of Italy
bi Concetta Castilletti In 2022, an unprecedented outbreak of mpox raged in several nations. Sequences from the 2022 outbreak reveal a higher nucleotide substitution if compared with the estimated rate for orthopoxviruses. Recently, intra-lesion SNVs (single nucleotide variants) have been described, and these have been suggested as possible sources of genetic variation. Until now, it has not been clear if the presence of several SNVs could represents the result of local mutagenesis or a possible co-infection. We investigated the significance of SNVs through whole-genome sequencing analysis of four unrelated mpox case...
Source: Viruses - May 3, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Michela Deiana Denise Lavezzari Antonio Mori Silvia Accordini Elena Pomari Chiara Piubelli Simone Malag ò Maddalena Cordioli Niccol ò Ronzoni Andrea Angheben Evelina Tacconelli Maria Rosaria Capobianchi Federico Giovanni Gobbi Concetta Castilletti Tags: Brief Report Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 724: Hepatitis B Virus Infection: A Mini Review
Bonney Hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV) are the leading causes of end-stage liver disease worldwide. Although there is a potent vaccine against HBV, many new infections are recorded annually, especially in poorly resourced places which have lax vaccination policies. Again, as HBV has no cure and chronic infection is lifelong, vaccines cannot help those already infected. Studies to thoroughly understand the HBV biology and pathogenesis are limited, leaving much yet to be understood about the genomic features and their role in establishing and maintaining infection. The current knowledge of the impact on disease ...
Source: Viruses - May 3, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Diana Asema Asandem Selorm Philip Segbefia Kwadwo Asamoah Kusi Joseph Humphrey Kofi Bonney Tags: Review Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 722: Gut Microbiome and Cytokine Profiles in Post-COVID Syndrome
ova Almagul Kushugulova Recent studies highlight the crucial role of the gut microbiome in post-infectious complications, especially in patients recovering from severe COVID-19. Our research aimed to explore the connection between gut microbiome changes and the cytokine profile of patients with post-COVID syndrome. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, we analyzed the composition of the gut microbiome in 60 COVID-19 patients over the course of one year. We also measured the levels of serum cytokines and chemokines using the Milliplex system. Our results showed that severe SARS-CoV-2 infection cases, especially those co...
Source: Viruses - May 2, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Karakoz Mussabay Samat Kozhakhmetov Marat Dusmagambetov Aitolkyn Mynzhanova Madiyar Nurgaziyev Zharkyn Jarmukhanov Elizaveta Vinogradova Aigul Dusmagambetova Aiganym Daulbaeva Laura Chulenbayeva Ainur Tauekelova Makhabbat Bekbossynova Almagul Kushugulova Tags: Article Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 723: Long-Read Nanopore-Based Sequencing of Anelloviruses
J. Kandathil Routinely used metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) techniques often fail to detect low-level viremia (<104 copies/mL) and appear biased towards viruses with linear genomes. These limitations hinder the capacity to comprehensively characterize viral infections, such as those attributed to the Anelloviridae family. These near ubiquitous non-pathogenic components of the human virome have circular single-stranded DNA genomes that vary in size from 2.0 to 3.9 kb and exhibit high genetic diversity. Hence, species identification using short reads can be challenging. Here, we introduce a roll...
Source: Viruses - May 2, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Raghavendran Anantharam Dylan Duchen Andrea L. Cox Winston Timp David L. Thomas Steven J. Clipman Abraham J. Kandathil Tags: Article Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 721: Epigenetic Modifications of White Blood Cell DNA Caused by Transient Fetal Infection with Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus
Thomas R. Hansen Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infections cause USD 1.5–2 billion in losses annually. Maternal BVDV after 150 days of gestation causes transient fetal infection (TI) in which the fetal immune response clears the virus. The impact of fetal TI BVDV infections on postnatal growth and white blood cell (WBC) methylome as an index of epigenetic modifications was examined by inoculating pregnant heifers with noncytopathic type 2 BVDV or media (sham-inoculated controls) on Day 175 of gestation to generate TI (n = 11) and control heifer calves (n = 12). Fetal infection in TI calves was confir...
Source: Viruses - May 1, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Hana Van Campen Jeanette V. Bishop Zella Brink Terry E. Engle Carolina L. Gonzalez-Berrios Hanah M. Georges Jessica N. Kincade Dilyara A. Murtazina Thomas R. Hansen Tags: Article Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 720: Low-Level Viremia among Adults Living with HIV on Dolutegravir-Based First-Line Antiretroviral Therapy Is a Predictor of Virological Failure in Botswana
y Chebani Penny Makuruetsa Joseph Makhema Roger Shapiro Shahin Lockman Simani Gaseitsiwe We evaluated subsequent virologic outcomes in individuals experiencing low-level virem ia (LLV) on dolutegravir (DTG)-based first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Botswana. We used a national dataset from 50,742 adults who initiated on DTG-based first-line ART from June 2016–December 2022. Individuals with at least two viral load (VL) measurements post three months on DTG-based first-line ART were evaluated for first and subsequent episodes of LLV (VL:51–999 copies/mL). LLV was sub-categori...
Source: Viruses - May 1, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Ontlametse T. Bareng Sikhulile Moyo Mbatshi Mudanga Kagiso Sebina Catherine K. Koofhethile Wonderful T. Choga Natasha O. Moraka Dorcas Maruapula Irene Gobe Modisa S. Motswaledi Rosemary Musonda Bornapate Nkomo Dinah Ramaabya Tony Chebani Penny Makuruetsa Tags: Article Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 718: Nirmatrelvir Resistance in an Immunocompromised Patient with Persistent Coronavirus Disease 2019
We present a patient who independently acquired a T21I mutation in the 3CL protease after nirmatrelvir exposure. The T21I mutation in the 3CL protease is one of the most frequent mutations responsible for nirmatrelvir resistance. However, limited reports exist on actual cases of SARS-CoV-2 with T21I and other mutations in the 3CL protease. The patient, a 55 year-old male, had COVID-19 during chemotherapy for multiple myeloma. He was treated with nirmatrelvir early in the course of the disease but relapsed, and SARS-CoV-2 with a T21I mutation in the 3CL protease was detected in nasopharyngeal swab fluid. The patient had tem...
Source: Viruses - April 30, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Chie Yamamoto Masashi Taniguchi Keitaro Furukawa Toru Inaba Yui Niiyama Daisuke Ide Shinsuke Mizutani Junya Kuroda Yoko Tanino Keisuke Nishioka Yohei Watanabe Koichi Takayama Takaaki Nakaya Yoko Nukui Tags: Brief Report Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 719: Seroprevalence of West Nile Virus in Tampa Bay Florida Patients Admitted to Hospital during 2020 & ndash;2021 for Respiratory Symptoms
This study utilized enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect WNV IgG antibodies in 250 patient serum and plasma samples collected at Tampa General Hospital during 2020 and 2021. Plaque reduction neutralization tests were used to confirm ELISA results. Out of the 250 patients included in this study, 18.8% of them were IgG positive, consistent with previous WNV exposure. There was no relationship between WNV exposure and age or sex. (Source: Viruses)
Source: Viruses - April 30, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Emma C. Underwood Iset M. Vera Dylan Allen Joshua Alvior Marci O ’Driscoll Suzane Silbert Kami Kim Kelli L. Barr Tags: Brief Report Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 712: Research Progress on Spike-Dependent SARS-CoV-2 Fusion Inhibitors and Small Molecules Targeting the S2 Subunit of Spike
men Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, extensive drug repurposing efforts have sought to identify small-molecule antivirals with various mechanisms of action. Here, we aim to review research progress on small-molecule viral entry and fusion inhibitors that directly bind to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. Early in the pandemic, numerous small molecules were identified in drug repurposing screens and reported to be effective in in vitro SARS-CoV-2 viral entry or fusion inhibitors. However, given minimal experimental information regarding the exact location of small-molecule binding sites on Spike, it was unclear...
Source: Viruses - April 30, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Matthew R. Freidel Roger S. Armen Tags: Review Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 711: The Significance of the 98th Amino Acid in GP2a for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Adaptation in Marc-145 Cells
In conclusion, our study firmly establishes the 98th amino acid in GP2a as a key determinant of PRRSV-2 tropism for Marc-145 cells. (Source: Viruses)
Source: Viruses - April 30, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Yao Chen Zhantang Huo Qi Jiang Zhiheng Qiu Zheng Shao Chunquan Ma Guihong Zhang Qi Li Tags: Article Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 714: piRNA-Guided Transposon Silencing and Response to Stress in Drosophila Germline
Rice Transposons are integral genome constituents that can be domesticated for host functions, but they also represent a significant threat to genome stability. Transposon silencing is especially critical in the germline, which is dedicated to transmitting inherited genetic material. The small Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) have a deeply conserved function in transposon silencing in the germline. piRNA biogenesis and function are particularly well understood in Drosophila melanogaster, but some fundamental mechanisms remain elusive and there is growing evidence that the pathway is regulated in response to genotoxic an...
Source: Viruses - April 30, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Samantha Ho William Theurkauf Nicholas Rice Tags: Review Source Type: research