Thrombocytopenia is a common complication of influenza virus infection, and its severity predicts the clinical outcome of critically ill patients. The underlying cause(s) remain incompletely understood. In this study, in patients with an influenza A/H1N1 virus infection, viral load and platelet count correlated inversely during the acute infection phase. We confirmed this finding in a ferret model of influenza virus infection. In these animals, platelet count decreased with the degree of virus pathogenicity varying from 0% in animals infected with the influenza A/H3N2 virus, to 22% in those with the pandemic influenza A/H1N1 virus, up to 62% in animals with a highly pathogenic A/H5N1 virus infection. This thrombocytopenia is associated with virus-containing platelets that circulate in the blood. Uptake of influenza virus particles by platelets requires binding to sialoglycans and results in the removal of sialic acids by the virus neuraminidase, a trigger for hepatic clearance of platelets. We propose the clearance of influenza virus by platelets as a paradigm. These insights clarify the pathophysiology of influenza virus infection and show how severe respiratory infections, including COVID-19, may propagate thrombocytopenia and/or thromboembolic complications.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Southport Queensland, Australia; Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.
Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and accompanying public health measures disrupted the normal transmission of respiratory viral pathogens. Less is known about the effects on bacterial pathogens.
Aims: To assess the impact of public health restrictions on common respiratory pathogens (influenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the following bacterial pathogens: Streptococcus pneumoniae (S.
The development of effective antivirals is of great importance due to the threat associated with the rapid spread of viral infections. The accumulation of data in scientific publications and in databases of biologically active compounds provides an opportunity to extract specific information about interactions between chemicals and their viral and host targets. This information can be used for elucidation of knowledge about potential antiviral activity of chemical compounds, their side effects and toxicities.
Introduction: The late autumn epizootic of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) subtype H5N1 in Serbia in 2023 caused massive mortality in the migratory population of common cranes (). This is the first time HPAIV has been identified in the common crane in Serbia, leading to mass mortality of this bird species.
Methods: To understand the pathological impact of HPAIV in cranes, we evaluated the pathological changes in the tissues of common cranes.
The threat of influenza A virus (IAV) remains an annual health concern, as almost 500,000 people die each year due to the seasonal flu. Current flu vaccines are highly dependent on embryonated chicken eggs for production, which is time consuming and costly. These vaccines only confer moderate protections in elderly people, and they lack cross-protectivity; thereby requiring annual reformulation to ensure effectiveness against contemporary circulating strains.
Rapid and sensitive diagnostic measures are a pre-requisite for the control of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks. Dogs detect SARS-CoV-2-infected human individuals with high speed due to their extraordinary olfactory acuity. In the post-pandemic phase of SARS-CoV-2 it is difficult to obtain samples from infected humans for scent dog training.
