No abstract

SARS coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection in different clinical specimens has raised important insights about its pathogenesis, but some details remain to be understood. In that respect, disrupt viral control seen in solid organ transplant patients on chronic immunosuppression can help unveil pathogenic mechanisms and characterize new coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) immunological and clinical aspects, as well as secondary complications. We herein report a case of SARS-CoV-2 detection in ascitic fluid from a kidney transplant patient with decompensated cirrhosis and COVID-19 and then discuss about immune, cellular, and virological aspects of such clinical presentation of the disease, which also included a disseminated infection, demonstrated by viral detection in his blood sample. We subsequently discuss about the fatal outcome caused by a secondary bloodstream infection by Cryptococcus neoformans. This unprecedented case report presents ascitic fluid as a novel specimen in which SARS-CoV-2 can be detected. Immune dysregulation and cumulative risk factors may lead to secondary infections by opportunistic agents, including Cryptococcus neoformans.

We determined whether triple therapy comprising amantadine (AMA), ribavirin (RBV) and either peginterferon (PEG-IFN) alpha-2a or conventional IFN alpha-2a would improve sustained virological response (SVR) rates over dual therapy with IFN alpha-2a and RBV in patients with chronic HCV infection. A total of 362 treatment-naïve patients were randomized to 48 weeks of treatment with: PEG-IFN alpha-2a 180 microg/week (group A) or IFN alpha-2a 3 MU tiw (groups B and C). All patients received RBV 1000 or 1200 mg/day and those in groups A and B received AMA 200 mg/day. SVR was defined as an undetectable HCV RNA after 24 weeks of untreated follow-up. At the end of therapy, 74.4% (95% CI 0.66-0.82) of patients in group A were HCV RNA-negative compared with 42.5% (95% CI 0.33-0.50) of those in group B (P = 0.0001) and 48.8% (95% CI 0.40-0.56) of those in group C. SVR was achieved in a significantly greater proportion of patients in group A compared with groups B and C: 65.3% (95% CI 0.53-0.56), 33.3% (95% CI 0.25-0.41) and 44.6% (95% CI 0.36-0.53; P = 0.0001) respectively. In patients with genotype 1, SVR rates were 55.2, 22.8 and 28.8% with the three regimens respectively. Factors independently associated with SVR were HCV genotype 2 or 3, therapy with PEG-IFN, female gender and age. In treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis C, triple therapy with PEG-IFN alpha-2a, RBV and AMA produces higher SVR than dual or triple therapy with conventional IFN alpha-2a.

No abstract

The nucleotide sequence of the genes encoding the canine herpesvirus (CHV) gB, gC and gD homologues was determined. These genes are predicted to encode polypeptides of 879, 459 and 345 amino acids, respectively. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequences of CHV gB, gC and gD with the homologous sequences from other herpesviruses indicates that CHV is an alphaherpesvirus, a conclusion that is consistent with the previous classification of this virus according to biological properties. Alignment of the homologous gB, gC and gD amino acid sequences indicates that most of the cysteine residues are conserved, suggesting that these glycoproteins possess similar tertiary structures. The nucleotide sequence of the open reading frame downstream from the CHV gC gene was also determined. The predicted amino acid sequence of this putative polypeptide appears to be homologous to a family of proteins encoded downstream from the gC gene in most, although not all, alphaherpesviruses.

No abstract

No abstract

Highlights In one day, 4% (6 in 150) of hospital visitors had asymptomatic COVID-19. Potential of visitors’ viral shedding in healthcare facilities is underestimated. SARS-CoV-2 introduction into facilities is not fully blocked by universal masking.