| 1. |
- Almazan, Nerea Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Influenza-A mediated pre-existing immunity levels to SARS-CoV-2 could predict early COVID-19 outbreak dynamics
- 2023
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Ingår i: iScience. - : CELL PRESS. - 2589-0042. ; 26:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Susceptibility to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections is highly variable and could be mediated by a cross-protective pre-immunity. We identified 14 cross-reactive peptides between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A H1N1, H3N2, and human herpesvirus (HHV)-6A/B with potential relevance. The H1N1 peptide NGVEGF was identical to a peptide in the most critical receptor binding motif in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that interacts with the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor. About 62%-73% of COVID-19-negative blood donors in Stockholm had antibodies to this peptide in the early pre-vaccination phase of the pandemic. Seasonal flu vaccination enhanced neutralizing capacity to SARS-CoV-2 and T cell immunity to this peptide. Mathematical modeling taking the estimated pre -immunity levels to flu into account could fully predict pre-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in Stockholm and India. This cross-immunity provides mechanistic explanations to the epidemiological observation that influenza vaccination protected people against early SARS-CoV-2 infections and implies that flu-mediated cross-protective immunity significantly dampened the first SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks.
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| 2. |
- Engman, Mona-Lisa, et al.
(författare)
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Prenatal acquired cytomegalovirus infection should be considered in children with autism
- 2015
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Ingår i: Acta Paediatrica. - : Wiley. - 0803-5253 .- 1651-2227. ; 104:8, s. 792-795
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of congenital cytomegalovirus infection (CMV) in a representative sample of children with autism spectrum disorder. Methods: In a representative group of 115 preschool children with autism spectrum disorder, of whom 33 also had intellectual disability, the dried blood spots from the newborn metabolic screening were analysed for CMV DNA using TaqMan polymerase chain reaction. Results: One of the 33 children with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability - 3% of that group - had congenital CMV infection. The corresponding prevalence in newborn infants in Sweden is 0.2%. None of the 82 children without intellectual disability had congenital CMV. Conclusion: The finding lends some further support for congenital CMV being one of the many aetiologies underlying autism spectrum disorder with intellectual disability. The rate of 3% of congenital CMV in children with autism spectrum disorder with intellectual disability has implications for the medical work-up. The finding of congenital CMV also indicates the need for repeated hearing assessments in the child. There is a need for similar studies with much larger samples.
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| 3. |
- Lewensohn-Fuchs, Ilona
(författare)
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Studies on infections with human papillomavirus (HPV) in immunosuppressed patients and patients with HPV related tumors
- 1996
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been detected in over 90% of all cervical cancers, in 35-70% of anal cancers and in about 10% of tumors of the head and neck. The immune system plays an important role in the manifestation of HPV infections and it is known that organ transplant patients have an increase in HPV associated lesions. Recently, interactions between the p53/Rb suppressor genes, different HPV types and cancer development have been reported. In this study, antibodies towards HPV were monitored before and after transplantation in renal transplant patients in order to see if the antibody response to HPV could be correlated to an increased risk of cervical carcinoma. In a majority of the renal transplant patients the IgG activity to the synthetic peptides L1 (p31) and L2 (p49) derived from the late region of HPV type 16 decreased after transplantation. The IgA activity against HPV type 16 peptide E2 (p245) increased 3-6 months after transplantation in about half of the patients, but declined one year after transplantation. No correlation was found between the antibody kinetics towards HPV and an increased risk of cervical carcinoma. To study HPV infection in long term surviving bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients, HPV serology was monitored before and after BMT. The IgG activity against HPV type 16 L1 (p31) andL2 (p49) peptides was found to decline one year after transplantation. The decline was most pronounced among allogeneic BMT patients which was similar to that obtained for non-latent viruses in the same patient groups. In contrast, it has been reported that antibodies to latent viruses are maintained in long-term surviving BMT patients. Our results suggest that infection with HPV may not always necessarily be latent or persistent. An attempt was made to correlate an ongoing cervical cancer or a history of it with the presence of HPV in peripheral blood cells (PBLs). No HPV DNA (assayed by polymerase chain reaction) was detected in the PBLs of the patients and it was not possible to correlate the presence of HPV in PBLs to disease. The involvement of HPV, EBV and aberrant p53 expression, in squamous cell carcinoma of the head, neck and esophagus, and possible association to prognosis was examined. HPV DNA was identified in approximately 10% of the head and neck tumors. The presence of EBV could not be confirmed in these tumors. Aberrant p53 was detected in approximately half of the tumors. In one HPV type 16 positive tumor, the sequencing of p53 showed that intron 7 was deleted in one of the p53 alleles. Also, overexpression of p53 was found in dysplastic tissue adjacent to HPV negative invasive cancers without aberrant p53 expression. The interpretation of the presence of HPV and aberrant p53 in the tumors could not be correlated to the prognosis of the patients.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Lidehäll, Anna Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Cytomegalovirus-Specific CD4 and CD8 T Cell Responses in Infants and Children
- 2013
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Immunology. - : Wiley. - 0300-9475 .- 1365-3083. ; 77:2, s. 135-143
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most common congenital infection causing childhood morbidity. The pathogenetic mechanisms behind long-term sequelae are unclear, but long-standing viremia as a consequence of the inability to convert the virus to a latent state has been suggested to be involved. Whereas primary CMV infection in adults is typically rapidly controlled by the immune system, children have been shown to excrete virus for years. Here, we compare T-cell responses in children with congenital CMV infection, children with postnatal CMV infection and adults with symptomatic primary CMV infection. The study groups included 24 children with congenital CMV infection, 19 children with postnatal CMV infection and 8 adults with primary CMV infection. Among the infants with congenital CMV infection, 13 were symptomatic. T-cell responses were determined by analysis of interferon gamma-production after stimulation with CMV antigen. Our results show that whereas adults display high CMV-specific CD4 T-cell responses in the initial phase of the infection, children younger than 2 years have low or undetectable responses that appear to increase with time. There were no differences between groups with regard to CD8 T-cell function. In conclusion, inadequate CD 4 T-cell function seem to be involved in the failure to get immune control of the CMV infection in children younger than 2 years of age with congenital as well as postnatal CMV infection.
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| 6. |
- Priftakis, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Human polyomavirus DNA is not detected in Guthrie cards (dried blood spots) from children who developed acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- 2003
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Ingår i: Medical and Pediatric Oncology. - : Wiley. - 0098-1532 .- 1096-911X. ; 40:4, s. 219-223
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Epidemiological evidence has suggested that some childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) may be initiated in utero and may have an infectious etiology. The human polyomavirus JC virus (JCV) has been discussed as a candidate virus, but its presence has not been demonstrated in leukemia cells from children with ALL. The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate if prenatal human polyomavirus infection could still indirectly be correlated to the development of childhood ALL. Procedure Fifty-four Guthrie cards (stored, dried blood spots filter papers, routinely collected from newborns for different screening analyses), collected at 3–5 days of age, from Swedish children who subsequently developed ALL, as well as from 37 healthy controls, were investigated by nested PCR for the presence of human polyomaviruses JCV and BK virus (BKV). Results JCV and BKV DNA were not detected in any of the Guthrie cards from ALL patients or from healthy controls, although all tested samples had amplifiable DNA as confirmed by an HLA DQ PCR. Conclusions JCV or BKV were not found in any of the dried blood spots of children who later developed ALL or in the healthy controls. These findings suggest that it is unlikely that childhood ALL is associated with an in utero infection with JCV or BKV, although it is not possible to exclude an association with an in utero infection that has become latent in the kidneys with very low levels of circulating virus at birth.
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