Binding Evolution of the Dengue Virus Envelope Against DC-SIGN: A Combined Approach of Phylogenetics and Molecular Dynamics Analyses Over 30 Years of Dengue Virus in Brazil.

The Red Queen Hypothesis (RQH), derived from Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking-Glass", postulates that organisms must continually adapt in response to each other to maintain relative fitness. Within the context of host-pathogen interactions, the RQH implies an evolutionary arms race, wherein viruses evolve to exploit hosts and hosts evolve to resist viral invasion. This study delves into the dynamics of the RQH in the context of virus-cell interactions, specifically focusing on virus receptors and cell receptors.

Genetic variability of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum causing human visceral leishmaniasis in the Southeastern Brazil.

Leishmania infantum is a protozoan that causes visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Americas and some regions of Europe. The disease is mainly characterized by hepatosplenomegaly and fever, and can be fatal. Factors related to the host and parasite can contribute to the transmission of Leishmania and the clinical outcome.

Is Hepatitis Delta infections important in Brazil?

Background: The Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) can increase the incidence of fulminant hepatitis. For this infection occurs, the host must also be infected with Hepatitis B Virus. Previous studies demonstrated the endemicity and near exclusivity of this infection in the Amazon region, and as a consequence of the difficulty in accessing this area we used dried blood spots (DBS) in sample collection.

Correction: Epidemiological, Clinical and Antiretroviral Susceptibility Characterization of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Subtypes B and Non-B in Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Epidemiological, Clinical and Antiretroviral Susceptibility Characterization of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Subtypes B and Non-B in Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil.

Background: HIV-1 diversity causes important differences in the virus' biological properties and their interactions with hosts, such as cell tropism, responses to antiretroviral therapy, drug-resistance, and disease progression.

Objectives: We evaluated the interrelationship of phylogenetic inference with epidemiological and laboratory data for HIV-1 isolates circulating in Pernambuco, Northeast Region-Brazil.

Study Design: A total of 168 HIV-1 pol sequences were analysed, 64 were obtained from 2002-2003, and 104, from 2007-2009.

HIV-1 incidence among people seeking voluntary counseling and testing centers, including pregnant women, in Pernambuco State, Northeast Brazil.

The HIV-1 epidemic in Brazil has displayed new characteristics over time, with an increase in heterosexual transmission and a decline in the male-to-female ratio in AIDS cases. HIV screening was offered to patients attending the Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center in Paulista, Greater Metropolitan Recife, Pernambuco State, in Northeast Brazil, to determine HIV-1 incidence. BED capture enzyme immunoassay (BED-CEIA) was used to measure HIV-1 incidence, comparing it to the AxSYM avidity index method (Ax-AI).

Identification and characterization of a baculovirus from Lonomia obliqua (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae).

A baculovirus has been isolated from larvae of Lonomia obliqua, a Saturniidae of medical importance due to a potent toxin found in their spines. Electron Microscopy analysis of the occlusion body obtained from diseased larvae showed polyhedra of approximately 1 microm in diameter containing multiple nucleocapsids per envelope. This baculovirus was thus named Lonomia obliqua multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (LoobMNPV).