Immunogenicity of tick-borne-encephalitis-virus-(TBEV)-vaccination and impact of age on humoral and cellular TBEV-specific immune responses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Inactivated vaccines, such as tick-borne-encephalitis-virus-(TBEV) vaccine, have been discussed as less immunogenic in elderly and in immunocompromised patients. In this controlled cross-sectional cohort study, the antibody and cellular responses after TBEV-vaccination were investigated in 36 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and 112 healthy controls (HC) by evaluating IgG-anti-TBEV concentration, neutralization and relative avidity index (RAI). Cellular reactivity was assessed by IFNgamma-producing spot-forming-units (SFU) by ELISPOT assay and flow cytometry.

Omicron (B.1.1.529) BA.1 or BA.2-related effects on immune responses in previously naïve versus imprinted individuals: immune imprinting as an advantage in the humoral immune response against novel variants.

Background: Immune imprinting is a phenomenon in which a person's immune system develops a specific immunological memory of the pathogen or vaccine due to a previous exposure. This memory basically leads to a faster and stronger immune response in a subsequent contact to the same pathogen or vaccine. However, what happens if the pathogen has changed considerably in the meantime due to mutations in the main target region of antibodies, as in the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 from the ancestral strain to B.

Immune Responses Against SARS-CoV-2 WT and Delta Variant in Elderly BNT162b2 Vaccinees.

Background: Residents of nursing homes are one of the most vulnerable groups during the severe acute syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. The aim of this study was to characterize cellular and humoral immune responses in >70-year-old participants before vaccination, after first and second vaccination with BNT162b2, in contrast to second-dose-vaccinated participants younger than 60 years.

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 45 elderly and 40 younger vaccinees were analyzed by IFNγ ELISpot, specific immunoglobulin G antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and neutralization abilities against SARS-CoV-2 wild-type (WT) and Delta variant (B.

Cumulative SARS-CoV-2 mutations and corresponding changes in immunity in an immunocompromised patient indicate viral evolution within the host.

Different scenarios explaining the emergence of novel variants of concern (VOC) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been reported, including their evolution in scarcely monitored populations, in animals as alternative hosts, or in immunocompromised individuals. Here we report SARS-CoV-2 immune escape mutations over a period of seven months in an immunocompromised patient with prolonged viral shedding. Signs of infection, viral shedding and mutation events are periodically analyzed using RT-PCR and next-generation sequencing based on naso-pharyngeal swabs, with the results complemented by immunological diagnostics to determine humoral and T cell immune responses.

The mutational dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in serial passages in vitro.

Since its outbreak in 2019, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) keeps surprising the medical community by evolving diverse immune escape mutations in a rapid and effective manner. To gain deeper insight into mutation frequency and dynamics, we isolated ten ancestral strains of SARS-CoV-2 and performed consecutive serial incubation in ten replications in a suitable and common cell line and subsequently analysed them using RT-qPCR and whole genome sequencing. Along those lines we hoped to gain fundamental insights into the evolutionary capacity of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro.

Adjunctive homeopathic treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients (COVIHOM): A retrospective case series.

Background: and purpose. COVID-19 is a novel viral disease causing worldwide pandemia. The aim of this study was to describe the effect of adjunctive individualized homeopathic treatment delivered to hospitalized patients with confirmed symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Maintenance of neutralizing antibodies over ten months in convalescent SARS-CoV-2 afflicted patients.

Knowledge of the level and duration of protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 after primary infection is of crucial importance for preventive approaches. Currently, there is a lack of evidence on the persistence of specific antibodies. We investigated the generation and maintenance of neutralizing antibodies of convalescent SARS-CoV-2-afflicted patients over a ten-month period post-primary infection using an immunofluorescence assay, a commercial chemiluminescent immunoassay and an in-house enzyme-linked neutralization assay.

An in vitro model for assessment of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity by defining the correlation between virus isolation and quantitative PCR value: isolation success of SARS-CoV-2 from oropharyngeal swabs correlates negatively with Cq value.

Background: At the beginning of the pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), little was known about its actual rate of infectivity and any COVID-19 patient positive in laboratory testing was supposed to be highly infective and a public health risk factor.

Methods: One hundred oropharyngeal samples were obtained during routine work flow of testing symptomatic persons by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and were inoculated onto cell culture of VeroB4 cells to study the degree of infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. Quantification by virus titration and an external standard using synthetic RNA gave the breaking point of infectivity in SARS-CoV-2 in vitro.

SARS-CoV-2 mutations in MHC-I-restricted epitopes evade CD8 T cell responses.

CD8 T cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 has been implicated in COVID-19 severity and virus control. Here, we identified nonsynonymous mutations in MHC-I-restricted CD8 T cell epitopes after deep sequencing of 747 SARS-CoV-2 virus isolates. Mutant peptides exhibited diminished or abrogated MHC-I binding in a cell-free in vitro assay.

Home quarantine in COVID-19: A study on 50 consecutive patients in Austria.

A cohort of the first 50 COVID-19 patients in East Tyrol, a region in the southwest of Austria, were monitored in home quarantine. Specific viral ribonucleic acid was detected in throat swabs and stool samples. Analysis indicated a median virus shedding duration of 13 days; however, statistical outliers highlight the importance of consequent testing.

Smell and Taste Disorders in COVID-19 Patients: Objective Testing and Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Five Cases.

Smell and taste disorders are acknowledged as characteristic symptoms for SARS-CoV-2 infection by now. These symptoms have been linked to a neuroinvasive course of disease. In this study, we investigated five consecutive COVID-19 patients with a prolonged course of dysosmia and dysgeusia.

Monitoring of alien mosquitoes in Western Austria (Tyrol, Austria, 2018).

Mosquitoes are of major importance to human and animal health due to their ability to transmit various pathogens. In Europe the role of mosquitoes in public health has increased with the introduction of alien Aedes mosquitoes such as the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus; the Asian bush mosquito, Ae. japonicus; and Ae.

Monitoring of alien mosquitoes of the genus Aedes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Austria.

Systematic, continuous mosquito surveillance is considered the most reliable tool to predict the spread and establishment of alien mosquito species such as the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), Japanese bush mosquito (Aedes japonicus), and the transmission risk of mosquito-borne arboviruses to humans. Only single individuals of Ae. albopictus have been found in Austria so far.

Guidelines for the Direct Detection of Anaplasma spp. in Diagnosis and Epidemiological Studies.

The genus Anaplasma (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) comprises obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacteria that are mainly transmitted by ticks, and currently includes six species: Anaplasma bovis, Anaplasma centrale, Anaplasma marginale, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Anaplasma platys, and Anaplasma ovis. These have long been known as etiological agents of veterinary diseases that affect domestic and wild animals worldwide. A zoonotic role has been recognized for A.

Practical Guidelines for Studies on Sandfly-Borne Phleboviruses: Part I: Important Points to Consider Ante Field Work.

The purpose of this review is to provide practical information to help researchers intending to perform "from field to laboratory" studies on phleboviruses transmitted by sandflies. This guideline addresses the different steps to be considered starting from the field collection of sandflies to the laboratory techniques aiming at the detection, isolation, and characterization of sandfly-borne phleboviruses. In this guideline article, we address the impact of various types of data for an optimal organization of the field work intending to collect wildlife sandflies for subsequent virology studies.

Guidelines for the Detection of Babesia and Theileria Parasites.

The genera Babesia and Theileria (phylum Apicomplexa, order Piroplasmida) are mainly transmitted by Ixodid ticks in which the sexual part of their life cycle followed by sporogony takes place. They include protozoan parasites that infect erythrocytes of a variety of vertebrate hosts, including domestic and wild animals, with some Babesia spp. also infecting humans.

Practical Guidelines for Studies on Sandfly-Borne Phleboviruses: Part II: Important Points to Consider for Fieldwork and Subsequent Virological Screening.

In this series of review articles entitled "Practical guidelines for studies on sandfly-borne phleboviruses," the important points to be considered at the prefieldwork stage were addressed in part I, including parameters to be taken into account to define the geographic area for sand fly trapping and how to organize field collections. Here in part II, the following points have been addressed: (1) factors influencing the efficacy of trapping and the different types of traps with their respective advantages and drawbacks, (2) how to process the trapped sand flies in the field, and (3) how to process the sand flies in the virology laboratory. These chapters provide the necessary information for adopting the most appropriate procedures depending on the requirements of the study.

Analysis of Humoral Immune Responses to Surface and Virulence-Associated Chlamydia abortus Proteins in Ovine and Human Abortions by Use of a Newly Developed Line Immunoassay.

The obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia abortus is the causative agent of enzootic abortion of ewes and poses a significant zoonotic risk for pregnant women. Using proteomic analysis and gene expression library screening in a previous project, we identified potential virulence factors and candidates for serodiagnosis, of which nine were scrutinized here with a strip immunoassay. We have shown that aborting sheep exhibited a strong antibody response to surface (MOMP, MIP, Pmp13G) and virulence-associated (CPAF, TARP, SINC) antigens.

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and Borrelia afzelii: Population structure and differential pathogenicity.

MultiLocus sequence typing (MLST) is considered a powerful method to unveil relationships within bacterial populations and it constitutes an economical and fast alternative to whole genome sequencing. We used this method to understand whether there are differences in human pathogenicity within and between different Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species. Therefore, 136 strains from human patients or ticks from Europe were included in MLST analyses.

Roe deer sera used for TBE surveillance in Austria.

A large majority of Austrian citizens are aware of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), consequently reflected by a high vaccination rate of 85%. In return, risk assessment and disease mapping on human cases might be hampered due to high and inhomogeneous vaccination rates and travel habitats of humans. The roe deer was used to obtain a starting point for the integral view on the actual risk of TBE in Austria.

Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis and its co-circulation with Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Ixodes ricinus ticks across ecologically different habitats of Central Europe.

Background: Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis is a newly emerging tick-borne bacterium from the family Anaplasmataceae. Its presence in Ixodes ricinus ticks was reported from various European countries, however, it's ecology and co-circulation with another member of the same family, Anaplasma phagocytophilum has not been rigorously studied yet.

Findings: Candidatus N.

Investigations on California serogroup orthobunyaviruses in the Tyrols: first description of Tahyna virus in the Alps.

Seroprevalence rates for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to Tahyna virus (TAHV) and Inkoo virus (INKV) were determined in sera of 1630 blood donors from North, East, and South Tyrol by immunofluorescence assays (IFAs) and confirmatory serum neutralization tests (SNTs). Ten sera (0.6%) reacted positive by TAHV IFA, five of which (0.

Risk assessment of transfusion-associated babesiosis in Tyrol: appraisal by seroepidemiology and polymerase chain reaction.

Background: After malaria, babesiosis is the second most common transfusion-transmitted parasitic disease in the United States. In Europe, one reported transfusion case, concerning Babesia microti, occurred in Germany.

Study Design And Methods: Due to the fact that Babesia spp.

Profiling antibody responses to infections by Chlamydia abortus enables identification of potential virulence factors and candidates for serodiagnosis.

Enzootic abortion of ewes (EAE) due to infection with the obligate intracellular pathogen Chlamydia (C.) abortus is an important zoonosis leading to considerable economic loss to agriculture worldwide. The pathogen can be transmitted to humans and may lead to serious infection in pregnant women.