J Interferon Cytokine Res
November 2021
Genetic polymorphisms at the loci are known to influence the clinical outcome of several different infectious diseases. Best described is the association between the genotype and hepatitis C virus clearance. However, an influence of the genotype on the adaptive immune system was suggested by several studies but never investigated in humans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report a coronavirus disease 2019 case with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) persisting beyond 333 days in an immunocompromised patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, asymptomatically carrying infectious SARS-CoV-2 at day 197 postdiagnosis. In addition, viral sequencing indicates major changes in the spike protein over time, temporally associated with convalescent plasma treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, most individuals develop neutralizing antibodies and T-cell immunity. However, some individuals reportedly remain SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive by pharyngeal swabs weeks after recovery. Whether viral RNA in these persistent carriers is contagious and stimulates SARS-CoV-2-specific immune responses is unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHumanized mouse models are used extensively in research involving human pathogens and diseases. However, most of these models require preconditioning. Radio-active sources have been used routinely for this purpose but safety issues have motivated researchers to transition to chemical or X-ray based preconditioning.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHumanized mice provide a sophisticated platform to study human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) virology and to test antiviral drugs. This protocol describes the establishment of a human immune system in adult NOG mice. Here, we explain all the practical steps from isolation of umbilical cord blood derived human CD34+ cells and their subsequent intravenous transplantation into the mice, to the manipulation of the model through HIV infection, combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), and blood sampling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe present the high-quality draft genome sequence of SB-14, isolated from the Namibian social spider In accordance with its antimicrobial activity, both known and potentially novel antimicrobial biosynthetic gene clusters were identified in the genome of SB-14.
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