Publications by authors named "Heather Tatum"
Article Synopsis
- SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, was identified in 2019 and has led to a significant global health crisis.
- The study evaluated the effectiveness of various serological tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies, including in-house ELISA and commercial assays, using samples from confirmed COVID-19 patients and a control group.
- All tests showed high sensitivity (95.4-96.6%) and diagnostic accuracy, but the researchers emphasized the need for independent evaluations to enhance the interpretation of serological test results.
Article Synopsis
- - SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and the initial US cases emerged in January 2020.
- - Researchers tested 7,389 blood donation samples from the American Red Cross collected between December 2019 and January 2020 to look for SARS-CoV-2-reactive antibodies, utilizing various diagnostic assays.
- - Out of the tested samples, 106 showed reactivity for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, indicating that the virus might have been present in the US before the first confirmed case on January 19, 2020.
Background: Although ferret antisera used in influenza surveillance did not detect antigenic drift of A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses during the 2015-2016 season, low vaccine effectiveness was reported in adults. We investigated the immune basis of low responses to circulating A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses after vaccination.
Methods: Prevaccination and postvaccination serum samples collected from >300 adults (aged 18-49 years) in 6 seasons (2010-2011 to 2015-2016) were analyzed using hemagglutination inhibition assays to evaluate the antibody responses to 13 A(H1N1) viruses circulated from 1977 to 2016.
Article Synopsis
- Influenza vaccines are less effective for older adults, who were the focus of a study evaluating their immune responses to a seasonal vaccine from 2008-2009.
- The study found that while vaccination generally improved antibody responses, over 66% of older participants didn't achieve sufficient levels of antibodies for H1N1 compared to 22.5% for H3N2.
- Age slightly impacted immune response, but pre-vaccination antibody levels were the most accurate predictor of post-vaccination immunity, indicating older adults still had significant immune responses despite some declines in memory B cells.