Hepatitis Delta Virus Reporting Requirements in the United States and Territories: A Systematic Review.

Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is a rare coinfection with hepatitis B virus. Currently, HDV is not a nationally notifiable disease in the United States. Only 55% of states and territories require HDV reporting, and most lack defined case definitions.

Growing Awareness: Limited Testing and Screening Bias for Hepatitis Delta Virus in Utah 2000-2021.

Background: This study assessed the epidemiology of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) within the University of Utah UHealth health care system (2000-2021).

Methods: Analysis of HDV/HBV testing, diagnostic codes, liver enzymes, and comorbidities was performed.

Results: Among the 1962 HBV patients, only 22.

Pathogenesis and outcome of VA1 astrovirus infection in the human brain are defined by disruption of neural functions and imbalanced host immune responses.

Astroviruses (AstVs) can cause of severe infection of the central nervous system (CNS) in immunocompromised individuals. Here, we identified a human AstV of the VA1 genotype, HAstV-NIH, as the cause of fatal encephalitis in an immunocompromised adult. We investigated the cells targeted by AstV, neurophysiological changes, and host responses by analyzing gene expression, protein expression, and cellular morphology in brain tissue from three cases of AstV neurologic disease (AstV-ND).

A changing landscape: Tracking and analysis of the international HDV epidemiology 1999-2020.

The international epidemiology of Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) is challenging to accurately estimate due to limited active surveillance for this rare infectious disease. Prior HDV epidemiological studies have relied on meta-analysis of aggregated and static datasets. These limitations restrict the capacity to actively detect low-level and/or geographically dispersed changes in the incidence of HDV diagnoses.

The use of BokaFlo™ instrument to measure salivary flow.

Background: Dry mouth currently affects roughly 20% of the population and is a condition characterized by chronic hyposalivation and/or subjective reports of xerostomia. Low saliva flow can be indicative of other undiagnosed diseases, such as primary Sjogren's syndrome, and may contribute to difficulty chewing, increased caries susceptibility and infection. The passive drool test (PDT) is the primary method used to evaluate patients for hyposalivation but it is time-consuming and inconvenient.

Hepatitis Delta Virus Detected in Salivary Glands of Sjögren's Syndrome Patients and Recapitulates a Sjögren's Syndrome-Like Phenotype .

Background: Low-level, chronic viral infections have been suspect in the development of select autoimmune diseases, including primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). Multiple studies have shown stimulation of antiviral response pathways in pSS tissues suggestive of a viral infection. Yet, with this data in hand, a causal link between a viral infection and development of pSS had not been identified.

Gene Expression Profiles from Disease Discordant Twins Suggest Shared Antiviral Pathways and Viral Exposures among Multiple Systemic Autoimmune Diseases.

Viral agents are of interest as possible autoimmune triggers due to prior reported associations and widely studied molecular mechanisms of antiviral immune responses in autoimmunity. Here we examined new viral candidates for the initiation and/or promotion of systemic autoimmune diseases (SAID), as well as possible related signaling pathways shared in the pathogenesis of those disorders. RNA isolated from peripheral blood samples from 33 twins discordant for SAID and 33 matched, unrelated healthy controls was analyzed using a custom viral-human gene microarray.

THY-1 Cell Surface Antigen (CD90) Has an Important Role in the Initial Stage of Human Cytomegalovirus Infection.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infects about 50% of the US population, is the leading infectious cause of birth defects, and is considered the most important infectious agent in transplant recipients. The virus infects many cell types in vivo and in vitro. While previous studies have identified several cellular proteins that may function at early steps of infection in a cell type dependent manner, the mechanism of virus entry is still poorly understood.

Association of bone morphogenetic protein 6 with exocrine gland dysfunction in patients with Sjögren's syndrome and in mice.

Objective: Primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is characterized by autoimmune activation and loss of function in secretory epithelia. The present study was undertaken to investigate and characterize changes in the epithelia associated with the loss of gland function in primary SS.

Methods: To identify changes in epithelial gene expression, custom microarrays were probed with complementary RNA (cRNA) isolated from minor salivary glands (MSGs) of female patients with primary SS who had low focus scores and low salivary flow rates, and the results were compared with those obtained using cRNA from the MSGs of sex-matched healthy volunteers.

T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 1 (TIM-1) is a receptor for Zaire Ebolavirus and Lake Victoria Marburgvirus.

The glycoproteins (GP) of enveloped viruses facilitate entry into the host cell by interacting with specific cellular receptors. Despite extensive study, a cellular receptor for the deadly filoviruses Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus has yet to be identified and characterized. Here, we show that T-cell Ig and mucin domain 1 (TIM-1) binds to the receptor binding domain of the Zaire Ebola virus (EBOV) glycoprotein, and ectopic TIM-1 expression in poorly permissive cells enhances EBOV infection by 10- to 30-fold.

Tyrosine kinase receptor Axl enhances entry of Zaire ebolavirus without direct interactions with the viral glycoprotein.

In a bioinformatics-based screen for cellular genes that enhance Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV) transduction, AXL mRNA expression strongly correlated with ZEBOV infection. A series of cell lines and primary cells were identified that require Axl for optimal ZEBOV entry. Using one of these cell lines, we identified ZEBOV entry events that are Axl-dependent.

Epidermal growth factor receptor is a co-receptor for adeno-associated virus serotype 6.

A key step in gene therapy is the efficient transfer of genes in a cell type- and tissue-specific manner. To better understand the mechanism of adeno-associated virus serotype 6 (AAV6) transduction, we used comparative gene analysis (CGA) combined with pathway visualization software to identify a positive correlation between AAV6 transduction and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression. Subsequent experiments suggested that EGFR is necessary for vector internalization and probably functions as a co-receptor for AAV6.

Rho GTPases modulate entry of Ebola virus and vesicular stomatitis virus pseudotyped vectors.

To explore mechanisms of entry for Ebola virus (EBOV) glycoprotein (GP) pseudotyped virions, we used comparative gene analysis to identify genes whose expression correlated with viral transduction. Candidate genes were identified by using EBOV GP pseudotyped virions to transduce human tumor cell lines that had previously been characterized by cDNA microarray. Transduction profiles for each of these cell lines were generated, and a significant positive correlation was observed between RhoC expression and permissivity for EBOV vector transduction.