Comprehensive humoral and cellular immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination in adults with cancer.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted people with cancer. Initial vaccine studies excluded patients with malignancy. Immunocompromised individuals remain vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2, necessitating detailed understanding of vaccine response.

The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in Australian children: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Following reduction of public health and social measures concurrent with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron emergence in late 2021 in Australia, COVID-19 case notification rates rose rapidly. As rates of direct viral testing and reporting dropped, true infection rates were most likely to be underestimated.

Objective: To better understand infection rates and immunity in this population, we aimed to estimate SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Australians aged 0-19 years.

Improved efficiency using sequential automated immunoassays for syphilis screening in blood donors.

Unlabelled: Using sequential immunoassays for the screening of blood donors is well described for viral serology testing but not for the screening of syphilis. In this study, we report the evaluation results and 2-year sequential testing data using two highly sensitive automated serology assays, the Alinity s Syphilis chemiluminescent immunoassay for screening, with all repeatedly reactive samples then tested on the Elecsys Syphilis electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. We screened 1,767,782 blood donor samples between 7 July 2021 and 6 July 2023 and found the Alinity false-positive rate to be low at 0.

Cytomegalovirus cyclin-dependent kinase ortholog vCDK/pUL97 undergoes regulatory interaction with human cyclin H and CDK7 to codetermine viral replication efficiency.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is shaped by a tightly regulated interplay between viral and cellular proteins. Distinct kinase activities, such as the viral cyclin-dependent kinase ortholog (vCDK) pUL97 and cellular CDK7 are both crucial for efficient viral replication. Previously, we reported that both kinases, vCDK/pUL97 and CDK7, interact with cyclin H, thereby achieving an enhanced level of kinase activity and overall functionality in viral replication.

Respiratory viral co-infections among SARS-CoV-2 cases confirmed by virome capture sequencing.

Accumulating evidence supports the high prevalence of co-infections among Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) patients, and their potential to worsen the clinical outcome of COVID-19. However, there are few data on Southern Hemisphere populations, and most studies to date have investigated a narrow spectrum of viruses using targeted qRT-PCR. Here we assessed respiratory viral co-infections among SARS-CoV-2 patients in Australia, through respiratory virome characterization.

SARS Coronavirus-2 Microneutralisation and Commercial Serological Assays Correlated Closely for Some but Not All Enzyme Immunoassays.

Serological testing for SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies provides important research and diagnostic information relating to COVID-19 prevalence, incidence and host immune response. A greater understanding of the relationship between functionally neutralising antibodies detected using microneutralisation assays and binding antibodies detected using scalable enzyme immunoassays (EIA) is needed in order to address protective immunity post-infection or vaccination, and assess EIA suitability as a surrogate test for screening of convalescent plasma donors. We assessed whether neutralising antibody titres correlated with signal cut-off ratios in five commercially available EIAs, and one in-house assay based on expressed spike protein targets.

Analytical validity of nanopore sequencing for rapid SARS-CoV-2 genome analysis.

Viral whole-genome sequencing (WGS) provides critical insight into the transmission and evolution of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Long-read sequencing devices from Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) promise significant improvements in turnaround time, portability and cost, compared to established short-read sequencing platforms for viral WGS (e.g.

Virus isolation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) for diagnostic and research purposes.

Isolation of the new pandemic virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is essential for diagnostic and research purposes including assessment of novel therapeutics. Several primary and continuous cell lines are currently used, and new organoid and engineered cell lines are being developed for improved investigation and understanding of the human immune response to this virus. Here we review the growth of SARS-CoV-2 in reference standard cell lines, engineered cell lines and new developments in this field.

The Clinical Relevance of p16 and p53 Status in Patients with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Vulva.

Objective: To investigate the prognostic significance of HPV status in vulvar squamous cell carcinomas (VSCC) and to determine whether preoperative determination of p16 or p53 status would have clinical relevance.

Methods: Patients treated for VSCC at a tertiary hospital in Sydney, Australia, from 2002 to 2014, were retrospectively evaluated ( = 119). Histological specimens were stained for p53 and p16 expression, and HPV status was determined by PCR detection of HPV DNA.

Differential Expression of PDGF Receptor-α in Human Placental Trophoblasts Leads to Different Entry Pathways by Human Cytomegalovirus Strains.

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading non-genetic cause of fetal malformation in developed countries. CMV placental infection is a pre-requisite for materno-fetal transmission of virus, and fetal infection. We investigated the roles of the viral pentameric complex gH/gL/pUL128-pUL131A, and cellular platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α (PDGFRα) for CMV infection in first trimester extravillous-derived (SGHPL-4) and villous-derived (HTR-8/SVneo) trophoblast cells.

Cervicitis: a prospective observational study of empiric azithromycin treatment in women with cervicitis and non-specific cervicitis.

Treatment with 1 G azithromycin was observed prospectively in 130 women with cervicitis (>30 polymorphonuclear leucocytes/high-powered field) enrolled in a cervicitis aetiology study of 558 women at three sexually transmitted infection clinics in Sydney, Australia. Two overlapping groups of women with cervicitis were considered: 'cervicitis group 1' (n = 116) excluded women with Trichomonas vaginalis and a subgroup of this, 'cervicitis group 2' (non-specific cervicitis) (n = 96) further excluded women with Neisseria gonorrhoea, Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma genitalium at enrolment. Testing for Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium and Trichomonas vaginalis was by PCR and Neisseria gonorrhoea by PCR and culture.

Cervicitis aetiology and case definition: a study in Australian women attending sexually transmitted infection clinics.

Objectives: Studies examining cervicitis aetiology and prevalence lack comparability due to varying criteria for cervicitis. We aimed to outline cervicitis associations and suggest a best case definition.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 558 women at three sexually transmitted infection clinics in Sydney, Australia, 2006-2010, examined pathogen and behavioural associations of cervicitis using three cervicitis definitions: 'microscopy' (>30 pmnl/hpf (polymorphonuclear leucocytes per high-powered field on cervical Gram stain)), 'cervical discharge' (yellow and/or mucopurulent cervical discharge) or 'micro+cervical discharge' (combined 'microscopy' and 'cervical discharge').

New insight into the phosphorylation-regulated intranuclear localization of human cytomegalovirus pUL69 mediated by cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and viral CDK orthologue pUL97.

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are multifaceted regulators involved in the replication of human cytomegalovirus. Recently, we demonstrated an interaction of CDK9-cyclin T1 as well as viral CDK orthologue pUL97 with the viral regulator pUL69, thereby leading to pUL69-activating phosphorylation. Here, we demonstrate that colocalization and direct pUL69-cyclin T1 interaction is independent of viral strains and host cell types.

Congenital cytomegalovirus infection in pregnancy: a review of prevalence, clinical features, diagnosis and prevention.

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is under-recognised, despite being the leading infectious cause of congenital malformation, affecting ~0.3% of Australian live births. Approximately 11% of infants born with congenital CMV infection are symptomatic, resulting in clinical manifestations, including jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, petechiae, microcephaly, intrauterine growth restriction and death.

Multiple Opportunistic Pathogens, but Not Pre-existing Inflammation, May Be Associated with Necrotizing Enterocolitis.

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) leads to significant morbidity and mortality in the neonatal intensive care unit. Although current evidence would suggest that bacteria contribute to the pathogenesis of NEC, no single bacterium has yet been identified.

Aims: The aims of this study were to investigate fecal S100A12 concentrations and the intestinal bacterial community in premature infants (24-32 weeks) and investigate any associations between the microbiota and the development of NEC.

Stimulatory effects of human cytomegalovirus tegument protein pp71 lead to increased expression of CCL2 (monocyte chemotactic protein-1) during infection.

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common infectious cause of congenital birth defects in developed countries. Studies of infected amniotic fluid and placentae show CMV infection leads to a pro-inflammatory shift in cytokine profiles with implications for pathogenesis of foetal disease. ELISA, immunofluorescence and real-time-PCR assays were used to investigate CCL2 (monocyte chemotactic protein-1) and TNF-α changes following CMV infection of human fibroblasts, as well as following transient expression of CMV gene products in HeLa cells.