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Nanoparticles (NPs) have a wide range of applications in various areas. For health application, cytotoxicity tests are used to ensure its efficiency and safety. In this paper, ZnFe2O4, CoFe2O4, Zn0.5Co0.5Fe2O4 NPs were synthesized, characterized and their antibacterial properties were evaluated. The Sol-Gel method was used to synthesize the NPs. Their electronic and crystallographic structures were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Analysis (FTIR), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). To perform the antibacterial evaluation, ferrites were dispersed through nanoemulsion to prevent the crystals from accumulating together. Then the evaluation was performed through microdilution in a 96-well plate and diffusion in agar disc in contact with 3 different strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. It demonstrated that the Sol-Gel method was efficient to synthesize NPs with suitable sizes for health application. All synthesized NPs showed the inhibition of bacterias with different concentrations used.

The mosquito-borne disease caused by the Rocio virus is a neglected threat, and new immune inputs for serological testing are urgently required for diagnosis in low-resource settings and epidemiological surveillance. We used in silico approaches to identify a specific antigenic peptide (p_ROCV2) in the NS1 protein of the Rocio virus that was theoretically predicted to be stable and exposed on its surface, where it demonstrated key properties allowing it to interact with antibodies. These findings related to the molecular dynamics of this peptide provide important insights for advancing diagnostic platforms and investigating therapeutic alternatives.

At the beginning of the 21st century, a new deadly infectious disease known as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was recognized as a global public health threat. Subsequently, ten years after the initial SARS cases occurred in 2002, new cases of another atypical respiratory disease caused worldwide concern. This disease became known as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and was even more lethal than SARS. Currently, history has repeated itself with the emergence of a new Chinese epidemic at the end of 2019. For this respiratory disease, called COVID-19, a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was identified as the etiologic agent. In sum, SARS, MERS and COVID-19 are caused by recently discovered coronaviruses that cause flu-like illnesses, but with a clinical outcome that tends to be more severe. As a result of the current importance of coronaviruses in global public health, we conducted a review to summarize and update, above all, the epidemiological historical aspects of the three major diseases in humans caused by coronaviral infection.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:35:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-10-01 Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Center for Information Technology Center for Scientific Review National Institutes of Health Office of Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health Office of Research Infrastructure Programs, National Institutes of Health Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) The emergence of several SARS-CoV-2 lineages presenting adaptive mutations is a matter of concern worldwide due to their potential ability to increase transmission and/or evade the immune response. While performing epidemiological and genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in samples from Porto Ferreira—São Paulo—Brazil, we identified sequences classified by pangolin as B.1.1.28 harboring Spike L452R mutation, in the RBD region. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these sequences grouped into a monophyletic branch, with others from Brazil, mainly from the state of São Paulo. The sequences had a set of 15 clade defining amino acid mutations, of which six were in the Spike protein. A new lineage was proposed to Pango and it was accepted and designated P.4. In samples from the city of Porto Ferreira, P.4 lineage has been increasing in frequency since it was first detected in March 2021, corresponding to 34.7% of the samples sequenced in June, the second in prevalence after P.1. Also, it is circulating in 30 cities from the state of São Paulo, and it was also detected in one sample from the state of Sergipe and two from the state of Rio de Janeiro. Further studies are needed to understand whether P.4 should be considered a new threat. Laboratório de Estudos Genômicos Departamento de Biologia Instituto de Biociências Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE) Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) São José do Rio Preto Instituto de Biotecnologia Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Laboratório de Bioinformática Laboratório Nacional de Computação Científica (LNCC) Laboratório de Síntese e Estudos de Biomoléculas (LaSEBio) Departamento de Bioquímica e Química Orgânica Instituto de Química Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Laboratório de Química Medicinal Síntese Orgânica e Modelagem Molecular (LaQMedSOMM) Departamento de Bioquímica e Química Orgânica Instituto de Química Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Laboratório de Pesquisas em Virologia (LPV) Departamento de Doenças Dermatológicas Infecciosas e Parasitárias Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP) Laboratório de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva Aplicada Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA) Universidade de São Paulo (USP) Departamento de Análises Clínicas Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR) Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Laboratório de Microbiologia Molecular Instituto de Ciências da Saúde Universidade Feevale Novo Hamburgo Laboratório de Estudos Genômicos Departamento de Biologia Instituto de Biociências Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE) Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) São José do Rio Preto Instituto de Biotecnologia Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Laboratório de Síntese e Estudos de Biomoléculas (LaSEBio) Departamento de Bioquímica e Química Orgânica Instituto de Química Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Laboratório de Química Medicinal Síntese Orgânica e Modelagem Molecular (LaQMedSOMM) Departamento de Bioquímica e Química Orgânica Instituto de Química Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Departamento de Análises Clínicas Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR) Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos: 01.20.0029.000462/20 FAPESP: 20/04836-0 CNPq: 303170/2017-4 CNPq: 404096/2020-4 Center for Information Technology: CREATE-NEO 1 U01 AI151807-01 Center for Scientific Review: CREATE-NEO 1 U01 AI151807-01 National Institutes of Health: CREATE-NEO 1 U01 AI151807-01 Office of Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health: CREATE-NEO 1 U01 AI151807-01 Office of Research Infrastructure Programs, National Institutes of Health: CREATE-NEO 1 U01 AI151807-01 FAPERJ: E-26/202.903/20

Recent seroprevalence studies in animals detected Rocio virus in regions of Brazil, indicating risk for re-emergence of this pathogen. We identified Rocio virus RNA in samples from 2 human patients for whom dengue fever was clinically suspected but ruled out by laboratory findings. Testing for infrequent flavivirus infections should expedite diagnoses.

The Mayaro virus is endemic to South America, and the possible involvement of Aedes spp. mosquitoes in its transmission is a risk factor for outbreaks of greater proportions. The virus causes a potentially disabling illness known as Mayaro fever, which is similar to that caused by the chikungunya virus. The cocirculation of both viruses, with their clinical and structural similarities, and the absence of prophylactic and therapeutic measures highlight the need for studies that seek to understand the Mayaro virus. Using approaches in silico, we identified an antigenic and specific epitope (p_MAYV4) in domain A of the E2 glycoprotein of the Mayaro virus. This epitope was theoretically predicted to be stable and exposed on the surface of the protein, where it showed key properties that enable its interaction with neutralizing antibodies. These characteristics make it an interesting target for the development of immunodiagnostic platforms. Molecular dynamics simulation-based structural analysis showed that the PHE95 residue in the E1 fusion loop region is conserved among Alphavirus family members. PHE95 interacts with the hydrophobic residues of the E2 glycoprotein to form a cage-shaped structure that is critical to assemble and stabilize the E1/E2 heterodimer. These results provide important insights useful for the advancement of diagnostic platforms and the study of therapeutic alternatives.

INTRODUCTION: In Brazil, Mato Grosso (MT) has the highest number of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome cases. Our study aimed to identify anti-hantavirus antibodies in the sera of patients from Sinop, MT, presenting with acute febrile illness. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of data for 198 sera samples assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted. RESULTS: Immunoglobulins G (IgGs) against the hantavirus nucleoprotein were found in 13.6% of the tested sera. No sample had immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies to hantavirus. Seropositivity occurred mainly in female residents in urban areas who worked around the household. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest circulation of hantavirus in Sinop.

Introduction: Emerging diseases are of great interest, especially those associated with high mortality rates such as hantaviruses. We aimed to conduct a seroepidemiological survey to determine the levels of hantavirus infection. Methods: In-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect specific antibodies. Results: Of the 429 samples collected, seropositivity of 3.9% to anti-hantavirus immunoglobulin G (IgG) was observed (CI 95%: 2.3-5.7). Moreover, in three cases, immunoglobulin M (IgM) was detected, of which two were diagnosed as hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). Conclusions: Our data indicate the considerable occurrence of previous hantavirus infections, highlighting occurrences from sub-clinical cases to HCPS. Keywords: Hantavirus. Zoonosis. Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome.Hantaviruses are an emerging zoonosis transmitted mainly by the inhalation of aerosols from the excreta of infected wild rodents. Following the inhalation, viral particles may invade endothelial cells and platelets through tropism by β-integrin receptors. Subsequently, a heightened immune response can lead to pulmonary edema and cardiogenic shock as observed in hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). The evolution to this clinical picture reflects in a high case fatality rate ranging from 35 to 50% in several American countries

Infection with hantavirus, from the family Bunyaviridae, causes hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) in the Americas. This highly lethal anthropozoonosis afflicts preferentially individuals in rural areas and is transmitted by aerosol of excreta from infected wild rodents. The aim of this study is to report the almost simultaneous occurrence of two cases of HCPS in the municipality of Jataí, state of Goiás, Brazil.

Resumo OBJETIVO: descrever o perfil epidemiológico e clínico da hantavirose e analisar fatores associados à letalidade em Goiás, Brasil. MÉTODOS: foi conduzido um estudo transversal com dados do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (Sinan), referentes ao período de 2007 a 2013, no estado de Goiás. Regressão logística foi empregada para estimar razões de chances (OR) com intervalos de confiança de 95% (IC95%). RESULTADOS: foram notificados 1.171 casos suspeitos de hantavirose e 73 (6,2%) confirmados. Entre os confirmados, observou-se maior frequência entre homens (n=50), febre como sintoma mais frequente (n=70) e elevada proporção de hospitalizações (n=68). A taxa de letalidade foi de 57,5%. Foram fatores associados ao óbito: insuficiência respiratória aguda (IRpA) (OR=3,6; IC95%1,2;10,6), hemoconcentração (OR=3,3; IC95%1,1;7,9) e não uso do respirador mecânico (OR=3,4; IC95%1,3;9,1). Após ajuste, a IRpA permaneceu associada ao óbito (OR=3,4; IC95%1,0;11,6). CONCLUSÃO: foi identificada alta taxa de letalidade, associada principalmente com insuficiência respiratória. Resumen OBJETIVO: evaluar el perfil clínico y epidemiológico del hantavirus y los factores asociados con su letalidad en Goiás, Brasil. MÉTODOS: estudio transversal usando datos del Sistema de Información de Enfermedades de Declaración Obligatoria (Sinan), referentes al periodo 2007-2013, en el estado de Goias. Usamos regresión logística para calcular odds ratio (OR) con intervalos de confianza al 95%. RESULTADOS: fueron reportados 1.171 casos sospechosos de hantavirus 73 fueron confirmados (6,2%). Entre los confirmados la frecuencia fue mayor entre hombres (n=50), fiebre fue síntoma más común (n=70), 68 fueron hospitalizados, la tasa de letalidad fue 57,5%. Variables asociadas con letalidad: insuficiencia respiratoria aguda (IRpA) (OR=3,6 IC95% 1,2; 10,6), hemoconcentración (OR=3.3 IC95% 1,1; 7,9) y no usar respirador mecánico (OR=3,4 IC95% 1,3; 9,1). Sólo IRpA se mantuvo asociado en modelos multivariados (OR=3,4 IC95% 1,0; 11,6). CONCLUSIÓN: identificamos una alta tasa de letalidad asociada principalmente con insuficiencia respiratoria. Abstract OBJECTIVE: to describe the epidemiological and clinical profile of hantavirus infection and to analyze factors associated with case-fatality in Goiás, Brazil. METHODS: this was a cross-sectional study on case fatality due to hantavirus infection from 2007 to 2013 using data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) for Goiás State. Logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). RESULTS: 1,171 suspected cases were reported, of which 73 (6.2%) were confirmed. Among the confirmed cases, greater frequency was found among males (n=50), fever was the most common symptom (n=70), and there was a high proportion of hospitalization (n=68). The case-fatality rate was 57.5% . The following factors were associated with death: acute respiratory failure (ARF) (OR=3.6; 95%CI 1.2;10.6), hemoconcentration (OR=3.3; 95%CI 1.1;7.9) and not using a mechanical ventilator (OR=3.4; 95%CI 1.3;9.1). After adjustment, the ARF was still associated with death (OR=3.4; 95%CI 1.0;11.6). CONCLUSION: the case-fatality rate was high, primarily associated with respiratory failure.

Hantaviral diseases are infections caused by a group of viruses that belong to the genus hantavirus and the family Bunyaviridae. In Brazil, several cases of hantavirus have been detected with the use of serological methods including immunofluorescence and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). To date, 1.573 cases have been reported in several states across the country with a fatality rate of 41%. No seroepidemiologic study has ever been conducted in the city of, or region surrounding, Ilheus, where large remnants of the Atlantic Forest provide shelter for a variety of rodents. The authors used the N recombinant protein of Araraquara virus as antigen to test for the presence of hantavirus-specific IgG antibodies by ELISA in samples provided by blood donors in the city of Ilheus, State of Bahia. The authors collected blood samples from 500 donors. Among these, 93.6% of the donors came from an urban area and 6.4% were from a rural area. A total of 0.6% of the donors was seropositive for anti-hantavirus IgG antibodies. This positivity was detected only in males at a rate of 1.1%. However, there was no observed association for hantavirus seropositivity between the genders (p = 0.252). There was a higher frequency of seropositive individuals aged between 31 and 40 years (1.6%), although the difference observed was not statistically significant (p = 0.41). There was also a higher rate of seropositive individuals among donors from rural areas (6.6%); the association for seropositivity between participants in rural and urban areas was statistically significant (p = 0.011) by Fisher’s exact test (p

to describe the epidemiological and clinical profile of hantavirus infection and to analyze factors associated with case-fatality in Goiás, Brazil.this was a cross-sectional study on case fatality due to hantavirus infection from 2007 to 2013 using data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) for Goiás State. Logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI).1,171 suspected cases were reported, of which 73 (6.2%) were confirmed. Among the confirmed cases, greater frequency was found among males (n=50), fever was the most common symptom (n=70), and there was a high proportion of hospitalization (n=68). The case-fatality rate was 57.5% . The following factors were associated with death: acute respiratory failure (ARF) (OR=3.6; 95%CI 1.2;10.6), hemoconcentration (OR=3.3; 95%CI 1.1;7.9) and not using a mechanical ventilator (OR=3.4; 95%CI 1.3;9.1). After adjustment, the ARF was still associated with death (OR=3.4; 95%CI 1.0;11.6).the case-fatality rate was high, primarily associated with respiratory failure.

The World Health Organization has stipulated a target: reduce the mortality rate caused by dengue disease by 50% until 2020. Most likely, this goal can be achieved by means of a dengue vaccine. Accordingly, the recombinant and tetravalent dengue vaccine (CYD-TDV), developed by the Sanofi Pasteur Group, is in an advanced stage of human testing. Although there are multiple randomized, placebo-controlled trials evaluating the CYD-TDV, individual results may have little power to identify differences between the populations studied. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine a more precise estimate of the overall parameters of safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of CYD-TDV. A data search was conducted in the PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and SciELO databases with defined selection criteria. We included for meta-analysis seven randomized and placebo-controlled studies that included 6678 patients randomized to receive the CYD-TDV (4586) or placebo (2092). Regarding vaccine safety, it was found that there was no significant difference between treated and placebo groups, as only approximately 5.5% of patients were withdrawn from the study. Regarding immunogenicity, the levels of neutralizing antibodies were measured by weighted mean differences (WMD), which were always higher in the vaccinated group (WMD/DENV1=59.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 57-61; WMD/DENV2=99, 95% CI 95-102; WMD/DENV3=138, 95% CI 133-142; WMD/DENV4=123, 95% CI 119-126). The clinical efficacy of the vaccine was 59% (95% CI 15-80; RR=0.41, 95% CI 0.2-0.85, I(2)=30.9%). In conclusion, safety and a balanced immune response to the CYD-TDV were found. However, to fully establish the clinical effectiveness and robustness of immunogenicity, it is necessary to perform further studies to assess the long-term effects of the vaccine.

Background Dengue virus (DENV) NS1 antigen detection is regarded as an early diagnostic marker. Accordingly, several studies have evaluated the performance of tests that utilize NS1 capture, but the results of individual studies may be limited due to the restricted sample size of the patients recruited. Therefore, our objective was to perform a meta-analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of two commercial NS1 ELISAs (Panbio and Platelia). Methods and Results Studies of interest were found in PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar databases using defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. A total of 30 studies containing 12,105 total enrolled patients were included. The results were as follows: 1) Panbio assays showed low overall performance, sensitivity 66% (95% confidence interval (CI) 61–71), specificity 99% (95% CI 96–100), positive likelihood ratio (LR+) 98 (95% CI 20–464), negative likelihood ratio (LR-) 0.3 (95% CI 0.2–0.4), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) 289 (95% CI 59–1412); 2) Platelia assays showed high overall performance, sensitivity 74% (95% CI 63–82), specificity 99% (95% CI 97–100), LR+ 175 (95% CI 28–1099), LR- 0.3 (95% CI 0.2–0.4), DOR 663 (95% CI 98–4478). The lowest sensitivity values were for secondary infections (57% [95% CI 47–67] and 66% [95% CI 53–77] for Panbio and Platelia, respectively) and for the detection of DENV4. Regarding clinical manifestations, the sensitivity of Platelia was 69% (95% CI 43–86) and 60% (95% CI 48–70) for fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever, respectively. In addition, the sensitivity of both tests was slightly lower for samples from Southeast Asia and Oceania. Conclusion DENV1 samples gave higher sensitivity results for both tests. We observed that factors negatively influencing the tests, such as the type of infection, geographical origins of samples and viral serotypes, require further investigation to optimize the diagnostic accuracy.

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) are transmitted to humans through infection with the old- and new-world hantaviruses, respectively. Together these diseases affect tens of thousands of people every year, and no specific treatment is available. To investigate whether ribavirin treatment for hantaviruses infections decreases disease severity, we conducted a meta-analysis involving human and animal studies. After defining the research protocol and criteria for inclusion/exclusion, we identified seven studies. We found that in groups with HPS who were treated with ribavirin, there was no significant reduction in mortality (RR 0.99, 95 % CI 0.60-1.61, I(2) = 0 %). On the other hand, for animal group with HPS-like disease, there was significant increase in survival (RR 0.05, 95 % CI 0.01-0.34, I(2) = 0 %). For animal group infected with the old-world hantaviruses, treated with ribavirin, there was a statistically significant increase in survival (RR 0.56, 95 % CI 0.42-0.76, I(2) = 64 %). Similarly, for humans with HFRS treated, there was increase in survival (RR 0.28, 95 % CI 0.08-1), although only a study exist. Our meta-analysis provides data that should be interpreted with caution, partly due to the limited number of studies available. Additionally, the results of the application of ribavirin in the population with HPS could not be determined, particularly in patients in the end stage of this disease.

Arboviruses (Arthropod-borne viruses) compose a large group of zoonotic viruses that have complex cycles and often cause diseases in humans. This study was aimed at performing a systematic review of molecular diagnostic methods