Analysis of the initial lot of the CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) real-time RT-PCR diagnostic panel.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designed, manufactured, and distributed the CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel for SARS-CoV-2 detection. The diagnostic panel targeted three viral nucleocapsid gene loci (N1, N2, and N3 primers and probes) to maximize sensitivity and to provide redundancy for virus detection if mutations occurred. After the first distribution of the diagnostic panel, state public health laboratories reported fluorescent signal in the absence of viral template (false-positive reactivity) for the N3 component and to a lesser extent for N1.

Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy of a Potential Smallpox Therapeutic, Brincidofovir, in a Lethal Monkeypox Virus Animal Model.

Smallpox, caused by (VARV), was eradicated in 1980; however, VARV bioterrorist threats still exist, necessitating readily available therapeutics. Current preparedness activities recognize the importance of oral antivirals and recommend therapeutics with different mechanisms of action. (MPXV) is closely related to VARV, causing a highly similar clinical human disease, and can be used as a surrogate for smallpox antiviral testing.

IMVAMUNE and ACAM2000 Provide Different Protection against Disease When Administered Postexposure in an Intranasal Monkeypox Challenge Prairie Dog Model.

The protection provided by smallpox vaccines when used after exposure to Orthopoxviruses is poorly understood. Postexposu re administration of 1st generation smallpox vaccines was effective during eradication. However, historical epidemiological reports and animal studies on postexposure vaccination are difficult to extrapolate to today's populations, and 2nd and 3rd generation vaccines, developed after eradication, have not been widely tested in postexposure vaccination scenarios.

Magnitude and diversity of immune response to vaccinia virus is dependent on route of administration.

Historic observations suggest that survivors of smallpox maintained lifelong immunity and protection to subsequent infection compared to vaccinated individuals. Although protective immunity by vaccination using a related virus (vaccinia virus (VACV) strains) was the key for smallpox eradication, it does not uniformly provide long term, or lifelong protective immunity (Heiner et al., 1971).

Isolation and Characterization of Akhmeta Virus from Wild-Caught Rodents ( spp.) in Georgia.

In 2013, a novel orthopoxvirus was detected in skin lesions of two cattle herders from the Kakheti region of Georgia (country); this virus was named Akhmeta virus. Subsequent investigation of these cases revealed that small mammals in the area had serological evidence of orthopoxvirus infections, suggesting their involvement in the maintenance of these viruses in nature. In October 2015, we began a longitudinal study assessing the natural history of orthopoxviruses in Georgia.

Analgesia during Monkeypox Virus Experimental Challenge Studies in Prairie Dogs ().

Because human patients with monkeypox virus (MPXV) infection report painful symptoms, it is reasonable to assume that animals infected with MPXV experience some degree of pain. Understanding whether and how analgesics affect MPXV disease progression is crucial when planning in vivo challenge experiments. In the current study, we challenged prairie dogs with a low dose (4 ×10³ pfu) of MPXV and treated with meloxicam (NSAID) or buprenorphine (opioid); control animals did not receive analgesia or received analgesia without MPXV challenge.

Development of a relative potency test using ELISA for human rabies vaccines.

The NIH potency test for human rabies vaccines has disadvantages for use, especially in developing countries where rabies is endemic and prophylaxis needs ample, rapid, and reliable vaccine supplies. In China, 60-75 million doses of human rabies vaccines are administered each year. Vaccine quality control is of paramount importance, as is the release of potency-validated vaccines.

Genome Sequences of Akhmeta Virus, an Early Divergent Old World Orthopoxvirus.

Annotated whole genome sequences of three isolates of the Akhmeta virus (AKMV), a novel species of orthopoxvirus (OPXV), isolated from the Akhmeta and Vani regions of the country Georgia, are presented and discussed. The AKMV genome is similar in genomic content and structure to that of the cowpox virus (CPXV), but a lower sequence identity was found between AKMV and Old World OPXVs than between other known species of Old World OPXVs. Phylogenetic analysis showed that AKMV diverged prior to other Old World OPXV.

Retrospective Proteomic Analysis of Serum After Akhmeta Virus Infection: New Suspect Case Identification and Insights Into Poxvirus Humoral Immunity.

Serologic cross-reactivity, a hallmark of orthopoxvirus (OPXV) infection, makes species-specific diagnosis of infection difficult. In this study, we used a variola virus proteome microarray to characterize and differentiate antibody responses to nonvaccinia OPXV infections from smallpox vaccination. The profile of 2 case patients infected with newly discovered OPXV, Akhmeta virus, exhibited antibody responses of greater intensity and broader recognition of viral proteins and includes the B21/22 family glycoproteins not encoded by vaccinia virus strains used as vaccines.

Assessing Monkeypox Virus Prevalence in Small Mammals at the Human-Animal Interface in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

During 2012, 2013 and 2015, we collected small mammals within 25 km of the town of Boende in Tshuapa Province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The prevalence of monkeypox virus (MPXV) in this area is unknown; however, cases of human infection were previously confirmed near these collection sites. Samples were collected from 353 mammals (rodents, shrews, pangolins, elephant shrews, a potamogale, and a hyrax).

Characterization of Monkeypox virus infection in African rope squirrels (Funisciurus sp.).

Monkeypox (MPX) is a zoonotic disease endemic in Central and West Africa and is caused by Monkeypox virus (MPXV), the most virulent Orthopoxvirus affecting humans since the eradication of Variola virus (VARV). Many aspects of the MPXV transmission cycle, including the natural host of the virus, remain unknown. African rope squirrels (Funisciurus spp.

Update: Interim Guidance for Health Care Providers Caring for Pregnant Women with Possible Zika Virus Exposure - United States (Including U.S. Territories), July 2017.

CDC has updated the interim guidance for U.S. health care providers caring for pregnant women with possible Zika virus exposure in response to 1) declining prevalence of Zika virus disease in the World Health Organization's Region of the Americas (Americas) and 2) emerging evidence indicating prolonged detection of Zika virus immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies.

Characterization of Eptesipoxvirus, a novel poxvirus from a microchiropteran bat.

The genome of Eptesipoxvirus (EPTV) is the first poxvirus genome isolated from a microbat. The 176,688 nt sequence, which is believed to encompass the complete coding region of the virus, is 67% A+T and is predicted to encode 191 genes. 11 of these genes have no counterpart in GenBank and are therefore unique to EPTV.

Cowpox virus: What's in a Name?

Traditionally, virus taxonomy relied on phenotypic properties; however, a sequence-based virus taxonomy has become essential since the recent requirement of a species to exhibit monophyly. The species has failed to meet this requirement, necessitating a reexamination of this species. Here, we report the genomic sequences of nine and, by combining them with the available data of 37 additional genomes, confirm polyphyly of and find statistical support based on genetic data for more than a dozen species.

Presumptive risk factors for monkeypox in rural communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Monkeypox virus (MPXV), a close relative of Variola virus, is a zoonotic virus with an unknown reservoir. Interaction with infected wildlife, bites from peri-domestic animals, and bushmeat hunting are hypothesized routes of infection from wildlife to humans. Using a Risk Questionnaire, performed in monkeypox-affected areas of rural Democratic Republic of the Congo, we describe the lifestyles and demographics associated with presumptive risk factors for MPXV infection.

Exposure to Lyssaviruses in Bats of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Lyssavirus infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo are poorly documented. We examined 218 bats. No lyssavirus antigens were detected but Lagos bat virus (LBV) neutralizing antibodies (VNA) were detected in Eidolon helvum and Myonycteris torquata .

Impact of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Native and Invasive Trypanosomes of Rodents in Forested Uganda.

Habitat disturbance and anthropogenic change are globally associated with extinctions and invasive species introductions. Less understood is the impact of environmental change on the parasites harbored by endangered, extinct, and introduced species. To improve our understanding of the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on such host-parasite interactions, we investigated an invasive trypanosome (Trypanosoma lewisi).

The genomes of three North American orthopoxviruses.

The complete genomes of a skunkpox, volepox, and raccoonpox virus were sequenced and annotated. Phylogenetic analysis of these genomes indicates that although these viruses are all orthopoxviruses, they form a distinct clade to the other known species. This supports the ancient divergence of the North American orthopoxviruses from other members of the orthopoxviruses.

ENDEMIC ORTHOPOXVIRUS CIRCULATING IN PROCYONIDS IN MEXICO.

Limited serosurveillance studies suggested that orthopoxviruses (OPXV) are widespread in the US (e.g., Raccoonpox virus, Skunkpox virus, Volepox virus) and Brazil (Vaccinia virus); however, their animal reservoir(s) remain unconfirmed.

The Importance of Mammalogy, Infectious Disease Research, and Biosafety in the Field.

Large amounts of data and multitudes of publications have been independently generated by researchers in mammalogy and infectious diseases. The frequent confluence of these fields in epidemiological research as well as the facility of the data generated to be used in applied methods (e.g.

Rabies in a Dog Imported from Egypt with a Falsified Rabies Vaccination Certificate--Virginia, 2015.

Canine rabies virus variant has been eliminated in the United States and multiple other countries. Globally, however, dogs remain the principal source for human rabies infections. The World Health Organization recommends that when dogs cross international borders, national importing authorities should require an international veterinary certificate attesting that the animal did not show signs of rabies at the time of shipment, was permanently identified, vaccinated, or revaccinated, and had been subjected to a serologic test for rabies before shipment.