Early and Long-Term Adverse Outcomes of In Utero Zika Exposure.

Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy can lead to congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) and may result in neurodevelopmental alterations in exposed children, with and without CZS. This study aimed to evaluate ZIKV infection during pregnancy as a risk factor for early and long-term adverse outcomes.

Methods: This retrospective-prospective, matched cohort study was conducted in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT) Accuracy in Evaluating Humoral Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2.

Massive vaccination positively impacted the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, being a strategy to increase the titers of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) in the population. Assessing NAb levels and understanding the kinetics of NAb responses is critical for evaluating immune protection. In this study, we optimized and validated a PRNT assay to assess 50% virus neutralization and evaluated its accuracy to measure NAbs to the original strain or variant of SARS-CoV-2.

Inactivated and Immunogenic SARS-CoV-2 for Safe Use in Immunoassays and as an Immunization Control for Non-Clinical Trials.

Successful SARS-CoV-2 inactivation allows its safe use in Biosafety Level 2 facilities, and the use of the whole viral particle helps in the development of analytical methods and a more reliable immune response, contributing to the development and improvement of in vitro and in vivo assays. In order to obtain a functional product, we evaluated several inactivation protocols and observed that 0.03% beta-propiolactone for 24 h was the best condition tested, as it promoted SARS-CoV-2 inactivation above 99.