Lack of KIs virus DNA in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid in Italy.

Dear Sirs, Satoh et al. recently screened 516 Japanese blood donors with PCR using primers constructed from the consensus domain of the helicase of positive-stranded RNA viruses. They reported a novel enveloped virus with a circular double-stranded DNA genome (tentatively named KIs virus, KIs-V) (Satoh et al.

Liposomes as a potential ocular delivery system of distamycin A.

Liposomes containing Distamycin A (DA) may be clinically useful in the treatment of ocular HSV infections, especially in acyclovir-resistant HSV keratitis. This study evaluated the in vitro and in vivo performance of a topical controlled release liposomal formulation containing DA (DA-Lipo) aimed at reducing the toxicity of the encapsulated active agent and improving drug uptake by ocular tissues. The bioavailability of DA in the tear fluid and the DA uptake into the cornea were increased after instillation of DA-Lipo in rabbits, reaching the DA corneal concentration corresponding to IC50 values against HSV without any sign of transcorneal permeation of drug.

Evaluation of the COBAS(®) AmpliPrep/COBAS(®) TaqMan(®) HCV Test, v2.0 and comparison to assays used in routine clinical practice in an international multicenter clinical trial: The ExPECT study.

Background: The COBAS(®) AmpliPrep(®)/COBAS(®) TaqMan(®) HCV Test, v2.0 (CAP/CTM2) is used for HCV RNA viral load monitoring.

Objectives: The performance of the CAP/CTM2 was compared to other widely used tests, including a manual version of the assay (the COBAS(®) TaqMan(®) HCV Test, v2.

Cell therapies for treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection.

After the serendipitous discovery of HIV eradication in the "Berlin patient", interest has grown in curing HIV infection by replacing the patient's replication-competent blood cells with infection-resistant ones. At the same time, induced pluripotent stem cell technologies and genetic engineering have boosted cell therapy transfer into the clinic. Currently available cell therapy approaches to attempt to cure HIV infection include the following: (1) Transplantation of autologous or allogeneic cells spontaneously resistant or edited to resist HIV infection; (2) Transplantation of autologous T-lymphocytes spontaneously targeting or redirected against HIV; and (3) Transplantation of autologous cells engineered to work as anti-HIV antibody factories.

Lack of usutu virus RNA in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with encephalitis of unknown etiology, Tuscany, Italy.

Usutu virus (USUV) is an African mosquito-borne flavivirus associated with human neurological disorders in Europe. Recently, USUV introduction in Europe has been traced back to Eurasian blackbirds deaths in the Tuscany region of Italy in 1996. Ninety-six cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from patients with encephalitis of unknown etiology diagnosed in 2010-2013 were screened to determine whether USUV circulates in humans in Tuscany.

Short-term kinetics of torque teno virus viraemia after induction immunosuppression confirm T lymphocytes as the main replication-competent cells.

Torque teno virus (TTV) is increasingly considered a universal marker of global immune function. The virus is supposed to replicate in lymphocytes, but poor information is available about fluctuations of viraemia after administration of anti-lymphocyte agents. We studied TTV kinetics in a cohort of 70 kidney±pancreas recipients receiving one of two different anti-T-cell induction immunosuppressants.

Possible role of human herpesvirus 6 as a trigger of autoimmune disease.

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infection is common and has a worldwide distribution. Recently, HHV-6A and HHV-6B have been reclassified into two distinct species based on different biological features (genetic, antigenic, and cell tropism) and disease associations. A role for HHV-6A/B has been proposed in several autoimmune disorders (AD), including multiple sclerosis (MS), autoimmune connective tissue diseases, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Selective reactivation of human herpesvirus 6 in patients with autoimmune connective tissue diseases.

Viral infections have been associated with autoimmune connective tissue diseases. To evaluate whether active infection by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), human herpesvirus (HHV)-6, -7, -8, as well as parvovirus B19 (B19V) occur in patients with autoimmune connective tissue diseases, viral DNA loads were assessed in paired samples of serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 115 patients affected by different disorders, including systemic sclerosis, systemic, and discoid lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and dermatomyositis. Two additional groups, patients affected by inflammatory diseases (n=51) and healthy subjects (n=58) were studied as controls.

Viral vectors: a look back and ahead on gene transfer technology.

No matter what their origin, strain and family, viruses have evolved exquisite strategies to reach and penetrate specific target cells where they hijack the cellular machinery to express viral genes and produce progeny particles. The ability to deliver and express genetic information to cells is the basis for exploiting viruses as "Trojan horses" to genetically modify the natural cell target or, upon manipulation of the viral receptor to retarget the virus, to genetically engineer different cell types. This process, known as transduction, is accomplished using viral vectors derived from parental wild type viruses whose viral genes, essential for replication and virulence, have been replaced with the heterologous gene(s) required for cell manipulation.

Comparison of oncogenic HPV type-specific viral DNA load and E6/E7 mRNA detection in cervical samples: results from a multicenter study.

High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) genotype viral load and E6/E7 mRNA detection are proposed as surrogate markers of malignant cervical lesion progression. Currently, the use of commercially available DNA-based or mRNA-based tests is under investigation. In this study, the viral DNA load and E6/E7 mRNA detection of the five most common HR-HPV types detected in cervical cancer worldwide were compared in 308 cervical samples by using in-house type-specific quantitative real-time PCR assays and PreTect HPV-Proofer test, respectively.

Development and validation of a dedicated microarray for the evaluation of bovine mammary gland health status and milk quality.

The purpose of this study was the output and set up of the milk array, a dedicated array designed to investigate the expression levels of many genes involved in cow mammary gland inflammation and milk production regulation. First, a new targeted genes panel was selected. Successively, the microarray reliability was examined by yellow and dye swap experiments using the normal and mastitic mammary gland samples from the same cow.

A lentiviral vector-based, herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) glycoprotein B vaccine affords cross-protection against HSV-1 and HSV-2 genital infections.

Genital herpes is caused by herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2, and its incidence is constantly increasing in the human population. Regardless of the clinical manifestation, HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections are highly transmissible to sexual partners and enhance susceptibility to other sexually transmitted infections. An effective vaccine is not yet available.

In vivo and in vitro evidence for an association between the route-specific transmission of HHV-8 and the virus genotype.

The study was performed to determine if there is an association between the genotype and transmission of HHV-8 types A and C. These HHV-8 subtypes are prevalent in the area of North of Sardinia, which is an island off west Italy's mainland that has a high HHV-8 seroprevalence (35%). Blood and saliva samples from 30 patients with classic Kaposi's sarcoma who were lifetime residents of North Sardinia were analyzed to identify the HHV-8 genotype and quantitate the viral load.

Intracellular detection of interleukin 17 and other cytokines in human bronchoalveolar lavage fluid: a first assessment.

Increasing evidence links pulmonary pathology to cytokines determining an inflammatory environment in the lung. Detection of cells secreting specific cytokines in BALF could be helpful as a diagnostic tool but which cytokines to choose among their great variety may be the first question to solve. The aim of this study was to investigate the Th1, Th2 and Th17 cytokine profile in whole cells within the human bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) by flow cytometry, with a focus on interleukin (IL)-17-producing cells, in order to assess which cytokines might lend themselves as markers of disease in future studies.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy: what's new?

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a severe demyelinating disease that is caused by human JC polyomavirus, was first described as a complication of immune suppression 50 years ago and emerged as a major complication of HIV infection in the 1980s. The prognosis has remained dismal since then, with discouraging results from clinical trials of various therapeutic approaches, including immunomodulation and/or inhibition of viral replication. PML is caused by reactivation of latent JC virus, and serotonergic 5-HT(2a) receptors have been identified as being critical for viral infection of glial cells.

Role of hematopoietic cells in the maintenance of chronic human torquetenovirus plasma viremia.

Many aspects of the life cycle of torquetenoviruses (TTVs) are essentially unexplored. In particular, it is still a matter of speculation which cell type(s) replicates the viruses and maintains the generally high viral loads found in the blood of infected hosts. In this study, we sequentially measured the TTV loads in the plasma of four TTV-positive leukemia patients who were strongly myelosuppressed and then transplanted with haploidentical hematopoietic stem cells.

Torquetenovirus viremia kinetics after autologous stem cell transplantation are predictable and may serve as a surrogate marker of functional immune reconstitution.

Background: It is common experience that retreating patients too early after a course of intensive chemotherapy predisposes to opportunistic infections despite apparently normal lymphocyte levels.

Objectives: The extent of replication of persistent viruses that cause no obvious disease (and hence need no treatment) might better define when a patient has recovered from functional immune deficiency.

Study Design: We used real-time polymerase chain reaction to monitor the kinetics of plasma torquetenovirus (TTV) viremia in hematological patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as support to high-dose chemotherapy (HSCT).

Torquetenovirus DNA drives proinflammatory cytokines production and secretion by immune cells via toll-like receptor 9.

Active infection with torquetenovirus (TTV) has been associated with an increased severity of diseases in which inflammation plays a particularly important pathogenetic role. Here, we report that cloned DNA of a genogroup 4 TTV (ViPiSAL) is an activator of proinflammatory cytokine production by murine spleen cells and that the effect is mediated via toll-like receptor (TLR)9. The same DNA also increased the levels of proinflammatory cytokines induced by two well-characterized TLR9 stimulants.

Reactivation of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infection in patients with connective tissue diseases.

Background: Little is known about the involvement of human herpesviruses 6 and 7 (HHV-6 and HHV-7) in autoimmune connective tissue diseases (ACTD).

Objective: To determine the prevalence of active infection with HHV-6 and HHV-7 in patients with ACTD.

Study Design: The presence and quantity of HHV-6 DNA was determined by quantitative real-time PCR in a cross-sectional study of serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and tissues obtained from 58 ACTD patients and 38 healthy subjects (HS).