IntroductionClinical conditions that induce impaired cell-mediated immunity like AIDS, malignancy, and immunosuppressive therapy result in impaired MHC class II-mediated delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction (1, 2). Moreover, long-standing clinical observations have established that certain diseases that do not induce a generalized immunosuppressive state, also induce impaired DTH reaction to specific antigens, a state clinically defined as "anergy." Classical paradigms of these diseases include tuberculosis (TB), sarcoidosis, and Hodgkin's disease.TB is the leading cause of death from infectious diseases worldwide (3), accounting for eight million new cases and three million deaths annually (6). The lethality of TB is due to both the absence of an effective vaccine and to the poor understanding of how the mycobacteria escape immune surveillance. Anergy in the setting of TB refers to the paradoxical absence of dermal reactivity to intradermal injection with tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) in infected persons. It occurs in about 15% of patients with active pulmonary disease and is associated with absence of granuloma formation and all other manifestations of cellular hypersensitivity (3-5). We thus chose to examine the biochemical events that regulate the induction of TB anergy since this understanding may also provide insights into the pathophysiology of this disease.Anergy in vitro and its in vivo counterpart, tolerance, are immunologically defined as the inability of antigenspecific T cells to produce IL-2 and clonally expand on rechallenge with fully competent antigen-presenting cells (APC) (7,8). Induction of anergy is an active signaling process induced when T-cell receptor (TCR) is ligated by antigen without costimulation. Anergy can also be induced in the presence of costimulation if the TCR is ligated by superantigen or by altered peptide ligands that bear a single amino acid substitution in the sequence of the agonistic peptide (9). Although quite distinct, these three approaches to induce anergy appear to share common biochemical events characterized by hypophosphorylation of TCRζ and defective activation of ZAP-70 and Ras (10-15), indicating the generalized significance of these findings in the anergic state. Recently, IL-10 in The lethality of Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains the highest among infectious organisms and is linked to inadequate immune response of the host. Containment and cure of tuberculosis requires an effective cell-mediated immune response, and the absence, during active tuberculosis infection, of delayedtype hypersensitivity (DTH) responses to mycobacterial antigens, defined as anergy, is associated with poor clinical outcome. To investigate the biochemical events associated with this anergy, we screened 206 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and identified anergic patients by their lack of dermal reactivity to tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD). In vitro stimulation of T cells with PPD induced production of IL-10, IFN-γ, and proliferation in PPD +...

Among pregnant women with symptomatic, PCR-confirmed ZIKV infection, birth defects possibly associated with ZIKV infection were present in 7% of fetuses and infants. Defects occurred more frequently in fetuses and infants whose mothers had been infected early in pregnancy. Longer-term follow-up of infants is required to assess any manifestations not detected at birth. (Funded by the French Ministry of Health and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02916732 .).

ZIKV infection during pregnancy is associated with a significant risk of fetal CNS involvement and intrauterine fetal death, particularly when infection occurs during the first or second trimesters. Microcephaly was not present in every case of congenital ZIKV syndrome that we observed. Until more is known about this disease, it is paramount to evaluate suspected cases by detailed neurosonography on a monthly basis, paying particular attention to the corpus callosum and the presence of hyperechogenic foci. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Since its discovery in Nigeria in 1991, Aedes albopictus has invaded much of Central Africa, a region where Ae. aegypti also occurs. To assess the relationship between the invasion by Ae. albopictus and the recent emergence of dengue virus (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV), we undertook vector competence experiments on populations collected from Cameroon and conducted field investigations during concurrent epidemics of DENV and CHIKV in Gabon. Overall, infection and dissemination rates were not significantly different between Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti when exposed to titers of 10(8.1) mosquito infectious dose 50/mL and 10(7.5) plaque forming units/mL of DENV type 2 and CHIKV, respectively. Field investigations showed that Ae. albopictus readily bit man, was abundant, and outnumbered Ae. aegypti to a large extent in Gabon, particularly in suburban environments. Nevertheless, Ae. aegypti was predominant in the more urbanized central parts of Libreville. In this city, CHIKV and DENV were detected only in Ae. albopictus. These data strongly suggest that Ae. albopictus acted as the major vector of both viruses in Libreville in 2007, impacting on the epidemiology of DENV and CHIKV in this area.

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