Immune exhaustion in ME/CFS and long COVID.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and long COVID are debilitating multisystemic conditions sharing similarities in immune dysregulation and cellular signaling pathways contributing to the pathophysiology. In this study, immune exhaustion gene expression was investigated in participants with ME/CFS or long COVID concurrently. RNA was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from participants with ME/CFS (n = 14), participants with long COVID (n = 15), and healthy controls (n = 18).

Pathogenicity and virulence of chikungunya virus.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted, RNA virus that causes an often-severe musculoskeletal illness characterized by fever, joint pain, and a range of debilitating symptoms. The virus has re-emerged as a global health threat in recent decades, spreading from its origin in Africa across Asia and the Americas, leading to widespread outbreaks impacting millions of people. Despite more than 50 years of research into the pathogenesis of CHIKV, there is still no curative treatment available.

Synoviocytes assist in modulating the effect of Ross River virus infection in micromass-cultured primary human chondrocytes.

Ross River virus (RRV) is a mosquito-borne virus prevalent in Australia and the islands of the South Pacific, where it causes an arthritogenic illness with a hallmark feature of severe joint pain. The joint space is a unique microenvironment that contains cartilage and synovial fluid. Chondrocytes and synoviocytes are crucial components of the joint space and are known targets of RRV infection.

Pathways Activated by Infected and Bystander Chondrocytes in Response to Ross River Virus Infection.

Old world alphaviruses, such as Ross River virus (RRV), cause debilitating arthralgia during acute and chronic stages of the disease. RRV-induced cartilage degradation has been implicated as a cause of joint pain felt by RRV patients. Chondrocytes are a major cell type of cartilage and are involved in the production and maintenance of the cartilage matrix.

Detection of Leishmania (Mundinia) macropodum (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) and heterologous Leishmania species antibodies among blood donors in a region of Australia with marsupial Leishmania endemicity.

Objectives: The Australian Leishmania (Mundinia) macropodum parasite causes cutaneous leishmaniasis among marsupial species. Although cutaneous leishmaniasis is a major public health burden worldwide, it is not clear if humans are naturally exposed to the unique L. macropodum.

Identification of transient receptor potential melastatin 3 proteotypic peptides employing an efficient membrane protein extraction method for natural killer cells.

Mutations and misfolding of membrane proteins are associated with various disorders, hence they make suitable targets in proteomic studies. However, extraction of membrane proteins is challenging due to their low abundance, stability, and susceptibility to protease degradation. Given the limitations in existing protocols for membrane protein extraction, the aim of this investigation was to develop a protocol for a high yield of membrane proteins for isolated Natural Killer (NK) cells.

Human Seroprevalence for Dengue, Ross River, and Barmah Forest viruses in Australia and the Pacific: A systematic review spanning seven decades.

Background: Dengue (DENV), Ross River (RRV) and Barmah Forest viruses (BFV) are the most common human arboviral infections in Australia and the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) and are associated with debilitating symptoms. All are nationally notifiable in Australia, but routine surveillance is limited to a few locations in the PICTs. Understanding the level of human exposure to these viruses can inform disease management and mitigation strategies.

TIR-Domain-Containing Adapter-Inducing Interferon-β (TRIF)-Dependent Antiviral Responses Protect Mice against Ross River Virus Disease.

Ross River virus (RRV) is the major mosquito-borne virus in the South Pacific region. RRV infections are characterized by arthritic symptoms, which can last from several weeks to months. Type I interferon (IFN), the primary antiviral innate immune response, is able to modulate adaptive immune responses.

Pentosan polysulfate sodium prevents functional decline in chikungunya infected mice by modulating growth factor signalling and lymphocyte activation.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an arthropod-borne virus that causes large outbreaks world-wide leaving millions of people with severe and debilitating arthritis. Interestingly, clinical presentation of CHIKV arthritides have many overlapping features with rheumatoid arthritis including cellular and cytokine pathways that lead to disease development and progression. Currently, there are no specific treatments or vaccines available to treat CHIKV infections therefore advocating the need for the development of novel therapeutic strategies to treat CHIKV rheumatic disease.

Utilising a novel surveillance system to enhance field screening activities for the leishmaniases.

Over the last decade, an arbovirus surveillance system based on the preservation of nucleic acids (RNA/DNA) has been developed using Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) cards. Soaked in honey, FTA cards are applied in the field to detect arboviruses expectorated during mosquito sugar feeding. This technique has been shown to be inexpensive and efficient, and the implementation of this system for detecting parasites could be of international importance.

Species Traits and Hotspots Associated with Ross River Virus Infection in Nonhuman Vertebrates in South East Queensland.

Ross River virus (RRV) is a mosquito-borne zoonotic arbovirus associated with high public health and economic burdens across Australia, but particularly in South East Queensland (SEQ). Despite this high burden, humans are considered incidental hosts. Transmission of RRV is maintained among mosquitoes and many nonhuman vertebrate reservoir hosts, although the relative contributions of each of these hosts are unclear.

Integrating statistical and mechanistic approaches with biotic and environmental variables improves model predictions of the impact of climate and land-use changes on future mosquito-vector abundance, diversity and distributions in Australia.

Changes to Australia's climate and land-use patterns could result in expanded spatial and temporal distributions of endemic mosquito vectors including Aedes and Culex species that transmit medically important arboviruses. Climate and land-use changes greatly influence the suitability of habitats for mosquitoes and their behaviors such as mating, feeding and oviposition. Changes in these behaviors in turn determine future species-specific mosquito diversity, distribution and abundance.

Utilising a novel surveillance system to investigate species of () (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) as the suspected vectors of (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in the Darwin region of Australia.

Up until recently, Australia was considered free of due to the absence of phlebotomine sandfly species (Diptera: Phlebotominae) known to transmit parasites in other parts of the world. The discovery of () (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in Northern Australia sparked questions as to the existence of alternative vectors of . This has added to the complexity of fully understanding the parasite's interaction with its vector, which is known to be very specific.

Modulation of Monocyte-Driven Myositis in Alphavirus Infection Reveals a Role for CXCR1 Macrophages in Tissue Repair.

Arthritogenic alphaviruses such as Ross River and Chikungunya viruses cause debilitating muscle and joint pain and pose significant challenges in the light of recent outbreaks. How host immune responses are orchestrated after alphaviral infections and lead to musculoskeletal inflammation remains poorly understood. Here, we show that myositis induced by Ross River virus (RRV) infection is driven by CD11b Ly6C inflammatory monocytes and followed by the establishment of a CD11b Ly6C CXCR1 macrophage population in the muscle upon recovery.

Identification of Natural Molecular Determinants of Ross River Virus Type I Interferon Modulation.

Ross River virus (RRV) belongs to the genus and is prevalent in Australia. RRV infection can cause arthritic symptoms in patients and may include rash, fever, arthralgia, and myalgia. Type I interferons (IFN) are the primary antiviral cytokines and trigger activation of the host innate immune system to suppress the replication of invading viruses.

PG545 treatment reduces RRV-induced elevations of AST, ALT with secondary lymphoid organ alterations in C57BL/6 mice.

Recently the anti-viral effects of prophylactic treatment with the low-molecular-weight heparan sulfate mimetic PG545 in Ross River virus (RRV) infected mice were reported. We further investigated the related, transient pathophysiology of PG545 drug treatment in RRV-infected and mock-infected PG545-treated mice. PG545 treatment resulted in mild lethargy and piloerection, on days after the drug administration.

Mosquito antiviral defense mechanisms: a delicate balance between innate immunity and persistent viral infection.

Mosquito-borne diseases are associated with major global health burdens. Aedes spp. and Culex spp.

Inhibition of Interleukin-1β Signaling by Anakinra Demonstrates a Critical Role of Bone Loss in Experimental Arthritogenic Alphavirus Infections.

Objective: Arthritogenic alphaviruses, such as Ross River virus (RRV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV), particularly affect joints of the extremities and can lead to debilitating and potentially chronic polyarthritis/polyarthralgia. The innate immune response of the host plays a crucial role in inducing proinflammatory host factors, leading to tissue destruction and bone loss in the joints. This study was performed to assess how the inhibition of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) signaling using the clinical rheumatoid arthritis drug anakinra influences bone loss in mice with arthritogenic alphavirus infections.

Decreased Virulence of Ross River Virus Harboring a Mutation in the First Cleavage Site of Nonstructural Polyprotein Is Caused by a Novel Mechanism Leading to Increased Production of Interferon-Inducing RNAs.

Infection with Ross River virus (RRV) causes debilitating polyarthritis and arthralgia in individuals. Alphaviruses are highly sensitive to type I interferon (IFN). Mutations at the conserved P3 position of the cleavage site between nonstructural protein 1 (nsP1) and nsP2 (1/2 site) modulate type I IFN induction for both RRV and Sindbis virus (SINV).