Background: Although polioviruses (PVs) replicate in lymphoid tissue of both the pharynx and ileum, research on polio vaccine-induced mucosal immunity has predominantly focused on intestinal neutralizing and binding antibody levels measured in stool.
Methods: To investigate the extent to which routine immunization with intramuscularly injected inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) may induce nasal and pharyngeal mucosal immunity, we measured PV type-specific neutralization and immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgA, and IgM levels in nasal secretions, adenoid cell supernatants, and sera collected from 12 children, aged 2-5 years, undergoing planned adenoidectomies. All participants were routinely immunized with IPV and had no known contact with live PVs.
Background: The public order and safety (POS) sector remains susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreaks, as workplace attendance is typically compulsory and close physical contact is often needed. Here, we report on a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak with an attack rate of 39% (9/23), which occurred between 19 and 29 June 2021 among a cohort of new POS recruits participating in a mandatory 18-week training programme in England.
Methods: The COVID-OUT (COVID-19 Outbreak investigation to Understand Transmission) study team undertook a multidisciplinary outbreak investigation, including viral surface sampling, workplace environmental assessment, participant viral and antibody testing, and questionnaires, at the two associated training facilities between 5 July and 24 August 2021.
An outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 (1 March to 10 May 2021) with an attack rate of 26.5% among approximately 1150 workers at a storage and distribution centre in England prompted a multidisciplinary outbreak investigation (5 May to 6 August 2021), with the aim of better understanding worker- and workplace-related risk factors for viral transmission in the warehousing sector. Overall, environmental factors (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo better understand the declining rates of routine childhood vaccination in Brazil, we investigated the association between measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) first dose vaccine coverage and deprivation at the municipality level. Using routinely collected data from 5565 Brazilian municipalities from 2006 to 2020, we investigated the association between municipality-level MMR vaccine first dose coverage (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
May 2022
Introduction: Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are of notable public health importance worldwide, owing to their potential to cause explosive outbreaks and induce debilitating and potentially life-threatening disease manifestations. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess the relationship between markers of socioeconomic position (SEP) and infection due to arboviruses with mosquito vectors.
Methods: We conducted a systematic search on PubMed, Embase, and LILACS databases to identify studies published between 1980 and 2020 that measured the association of SEP markers with arbovirus infection.
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a vectorborne infectious agent of global public health significance due to its potential to cause severe teratogenic outcomes. The question of whether health systems should consider adopting screening programmes for ZIKV infections during pregnancy warrants consideration. In this analysis, we apply the Wilson-Jungner framework to appraise the potential utility of a prenatal ZIKV screening programme, outline potential screening strategies within the case-finding pathway, and consider other epidemiological factors that may influence the planning of such a screening programme.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSevere malarial anaemia (SMA) is the most common life-threatening complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection in African children. SMA is characterised by haemolysis and inadequate erythropoiesis, and is associated with dysregulated inflammatory responses and reduced complement regulatory protein levels (including CD35). However, a deeper mechanistic understanding of the pathogenesis requires improved animal models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Blood stage malaria parasites attenuated with seco-cyclopropyl pyrrolo indole (CPI) analogues induce robust immunity in mice to homologous and heterologous malaria parasites and are being considered for the development of a human vaccine. However, it is not understood how attenuated parasites induce immunity. We showed that following vaccination, parasite DNA persisted in blood for several months, raising the possibility that ongoing immune stimulation may be critical.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMalaria vaccine development has been dominated by the subunit approach; however, many subunit vaccine candidates have had limited efficacy in settings of malaria endemicity. As our search for an efficacious malaria vaccine continues, the development of a whole-organism vaccine is now receiving much scrutiny. One strategy currently being explored in the development of a whole-organism vaccine involves chemical attenuation of the malaria parasite.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development of a vaccine is essential for the elimination of malaria. However, despite many years of effort, a successful vaccine has not been achieved. Most subunit vaccine candidates tested in clinical trials have provided limited efficacy, and thus attenuated whole-parasite vaccines are now receiving close scrutiny.
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