Clinical and functional assessment of SARS-CoV-2 sequelae among young marines - a panel study.

Background: Long-term SARS-CoV-2 adverse health outcomes are of significant concern, especially among young adults with the potential for the greatest long-term morbidity. We sought to assess and characterize these outcomes in a cohort of Marines.

Methods: We used a cohort of US Marines from a previous longitudinal, prospective observational study of acute SARS-CoV-2, most of whom were enrolled prior to infection.

Antibodies to S2 domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in Moderna mRNA vaccinated subjects sustain antibody-dependent NK cell-mediated cell cytotoxicity against Omicron BA.1.

Vaccination with the primary two-dose series of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA protects against infection with the ancestral strain, and limits the presentation of severe disease after re-infection by multiple variants of concern (VOC), including Omicron, despite the lack of a strong neutralizing response to these variants. We compared antibody responses in serum samples collected from mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccinated subjects to identify mechanisms of immune escape and cross-protection. Using pseudovirus constructs containing domain-specific amino acid changes representative of Omicron BA.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) from Wild Birds, Poultry, and Mammals, Peru.

We identified highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus clade 2.3.4.

Lessons Learned From a Prospective Observational Study of U.S. Marine Recruits During a Supervised Quarantine, Spring‒Fall 2020.

Introduction: Quarantining is commonly used to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2. However, questions remain regarding what specific interventions are most effective.

Methods: After a 2-week home quarantine, U.

Antibody Responses to the SARS-CoV-2 Ancestral Strain and Omicron Variants in Moderna mRNA-1273 Vaccinated Active-Duty US Navy Sailors and Marines.

Omicron and its subvariants have steadily gained greater capability of immune escape compared to other variants of concern, resulting in an increased incidence of reinfections even among vaccinated individuals. We evaluated the antibody response to Omicron BA.1, BA.

Performance Evaluation of Five Rapid At-Home COVID-19 Antigen Tests against the Omicron Variant.

Rapid coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) antigen tests can be used to aid in quickly identifying positive cases, which can help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 infection. Using previously characterized Omicron-positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), non-Omicron-positive SARS-CoV-2, and negative samples, we evaluated five brands of at-home rapid COVID-19 antigen tests (On/Go at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen self-test, iHealth COVID-19 antigen rapid test, QuickVue SARS antigen test, Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 card home test, and InBios SCoV-2 Ag detect rapid self-test). Our results showed that these rapid tests had similar levels of sensitivity to Omicron and non-Omicron variants (On/Go, 76.

Serum Fc-Mediated Monocyte Phagocytosis Activity Is Stable for Several Months after SARS-CoV-2 Asymptomatic and Mildly Symptomatic Infection.

We investigated the temporal profile of multiple components of the serological response after asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, in a cohort of 67 previously SARS-CoV-2 naive young adults, up to 8.5 months after infection. We found a significant decrease of spike IgG and neutralization antibody titers from early (11 to 56 days) to late (4 to 8.

Validation of SARS-CoV-2 pooled testing for surveillance using the Panther Fusion® system: Impact of pool size, automation, and assay chemistry.

Combining diagnostic specimens into pools has been considered as a strategy to augment throughput, decrease turnaround time, and leverage resources. This study utilized a multi-parametric approach to assess optimum pool size, impact of automation, and effect of nucleic acid amplification chemistries on the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in pooled samples for surveillance testing on the Hologic Panther Fusion® System. Dorfman pooled testing was conducted with previously tested SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal samples using Hologic's Aptima® and Panther Fusion® SARS-CoV-2 Emergency Use Authorization assays.

Pre-infection antiviral innate immunity contributes to sex differences in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Male sex is a major risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection severity. To understand the basis for this sex difference, we studied SARS-CoV-2 infection in a young adult cohort of United States Marine recruits. Among 2,641 male and 244 female unvaccinated and seronegative recruits studied longitudinally, SARS-CoV-2 infections occurred in 1,033 males and 137 females.

Asymptomatic or symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection plus vaccination confers increased adaptive immunity to variants of concern.

The ongoing evolution of SARS-CoV-2 requires monitoring the capability of immune responses to cross-recognize Variants of Concern (VOC). In this cross-sectional study, we examined serological and cell-mediated immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron, among a cohort of 18-21-year-old Marines with a history of either asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infection 6 to 14 months earlier. Among the 210 participants in the study, 169 were unvaccinated while 41 received 2 doses of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines.

SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak Dynamics in an Isolated US Military Recruit Training Center With Rigorous Prevention Measures.

Background: Marine recruits training at Parris Island experienced an unexpectedly high rate of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, despite preventive measures including a supervised, 2-week, pre-entry quarantine. We characterize SARS-CoV-2 transmission in this cohort.

Methods: Between May and November 2020, we monitored 2,469 unvaccinated, mostly male, Marine recruits prospectively during basic training.

Memory B-Cell Development After Asymptomatic or Mild Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Background: The development of memory B cells after asymptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is not well understood.

Methods: We compared spike antibody titers, pseudovirus neutralizing antibody titers, and memory B-cell responses among SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive Marine recruits who either reported asymptomatic or symptomatic infection.

Results: Thirty-six asymptomatic participants exhibited similar spike IgG titers, spike IgA titers, and pseudovirus neutralization titers compared to 30 symptomatic participants.

Enhanced Immunogenicity of Inactivated Dengue Vaccines by Novel Polysaccharide-Based Adjuvants in Mice.

Dengue fever, caused by any of four dengue viruses (DENV1-4), is a major global burden. Currently, there is no effective vaccine that prevents infection in dengue naïve populations. We tested the ability of two novel adjuvants (Advax-PEI and Advax-2), using aluminum hydroxide (alum) as control, to enhance the immunogenicity of formalin- or psoralen-inactivated (PIV or PsIV) DENV2 vaccines in mice.

Immunological and Genetic Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection in an Otherwise Healthy, Young Marine Recruit.

We used epidemiologic and viral genetic information to identify a case of likely reinfection in an otherwise healthy, young Marine recruit enrolled in the prospective, longitudinal COVID-19 Health Action Response for Marines (CHARM) study, and we paired these findings with serological studies. This participant had a positive RT-PCR to SARS-CoV-2 upon routine sampling on study day 7, although he was asymptomatic at that time. He cleared the infection within seven days.

Exploring Changes in the Host Gut Microbiota During a Controlled Human Infection Model for .

infection is a leading cause of foodborne disease, common to children, adult travelers, and military populations in low- to middle-income countries. In the absence of a licensed vaccine, efforts to evaluate prophylactic agents are underway. The prophylactic efficacy of a twice-daily, 550 mg dose of the antibiotic rifaximin demonstrated no efficacy against campylobacteriosis in a controlled human infection model (CHIM); however, samples from the CHIM study were utilized to assess how the human gut microbiome responds to infection, and if a 'protective' microbiota exists in study participants not developing campylobacteriosis.

Identification of Bacillus anthracis, Brucella spp., and Coxiella burnetii DNA signatures from bushmeat.

Meat from wildlife species (bushmeat) represents a major source of dietary protein in low- and middle-income countries where humans and wildlife live in close proximity. Despite the occurrence of zoonotic pathogens in wildlife, their prevalence in bushmeat remains unknown. To assess the risk of exposure to major pathogens in bushmeat, a total of 3784 samples, both fresh and processed, were collected from three major regions in Tanzania during both rainy and dry seasons, and were screened by real-time PCR for the presence of DNA signatures of Bacillus anthracis (B.

Strain and host-cell dependent role of type-1 fimbriae in the adherence phenotype of super-shed Escherichia coli O157:H7.

Super-shed (SS) Escherichia coli O157 (E. coli O157) demonstrate a strong, aggregative, locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE)-independent adherence phenotype on bovine recto-anal junction squamous epithelial (RSE) cells, and harbor polymorphisms in non-LEE-adherence-related loci, including in the type 1 fimbriae operon. To elucidate the role of type 1 fimbriae in strain- and host-specific adherence, we evaluated the entire Fim operon (FimB-H) and its adhesion (FimH) deletion mutants in four E.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of Penner serotype prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni in low- and middle-income countries.

Introduction: While Campylobacter jejuni is a leading foodborne bacterial pathogen worldwide, it poses a particular risk to susceptible populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A capsule-conjugate vaccine approach has been proposed as a potential solution, but little information exists on circulating C. jejuni capsule types in LMICs.

SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and subsequent infection risk in healthy young adults: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Whether young adults who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at risk of subsequent infection is uncertain. We investigated the risk of subsequent SARS-CoV-2 infection among young adults seropositive for a previous infection.

Methods: This analysis was performed as part of the prospective COVID-19 Health Action Response for Marines study (CHARM).

Molecular species identification of bushmeat recovered from the Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania.

Bushmeat harvesting and consumption represents a potential risk for the spillover of endemic zoonotic pathogens, yet remains a common practice in many parts of the world. Given that the harvesting and selling of bushmeat is illegal in Tanzania and other parts of Africa, the supply chain is informal and may include hunters, whole-sellers, retailers, and individual resellers who typically sell bushmeat in small pieces. These pieces are often further processed, obscuring species-identifying morphological characteristics, contributing to incomplete or mistaken knowledge of species of origin and potentially confounding assessments of pathogen spillover risk and bushmeat offtake.

Reconsidering as a proxy for zoonotic tuberculosis: a molecular epidemiological surveillance study.

Background: Zoonotic tuberculosis is defined as human infection with . Although globally, India has the largest number of human tuberculosis cases and the largest cattle population, in which bovine tuberculosis is endemic, the burden of zoonotic tuberculosis is unknown. The aim of this study was to obtain estimates of the human prevalence of animal-associated members of the complex (MTBC) at a large referral hospital in India.

Microbial Diversity in Bushmeat Samples Recovered from the Serengeti Ecosystem in Tanzania.

Bushmeat, the meat and organs derived from wildlife species, is a common source of animal protein in the diets of those living in sub-Saharan Africa and is frequently associated with zoonotic spillover of dangerous pathogens. Given the frequent consumption of bushmeat in this region and the lack of knowledge about the microbial communities associated with this meat, the microbiome of 56 fresh and processed bushmeat samples ascertained from three districts in the Western Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania was characterized using 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing. The results show that the most abundant phyla present in bushmeat samples include Firmicutes (67.

Identification of Sero-Diagnostic Antigens for the Early Diagnosis of Johne's Disease using MAP Protein Microarrays.

Considerable effort has been directed toward controlling Johne's disease (JD), a chronic granulomatous intestinal inflammatory disease caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) in cattle and other ruminants. However, progress in controlling the spread of MAP infection has been impeded by the lack of reliable diagnostic tests that can identify animals early in the infection process and help break the transmission chain.