Specific Detection of Two Divergent Simian Arteriviruses Using RNAscope In Situ Hybridization

Simian hemorrhagic fever (SHF) is an often lethal disease of Asian macaques. Simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV) is one of at least three distinct simian arteriviruses that can cause SHF, but pathogenesis studies using modern methods have been scarce. Even seemingly straightforward studies, such as examining viral tissue and cell tropism in vivo, have been difficult to conduct due to the absence of standardized SHFV-specific reagents. Here we report the establishment of an in situ hybridization assay for the detection of SHFV and distantly related Kibale red colobus virus 1 (KRCV-1) RNA in cell culture. In addition, we detected SHFV RNA in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from an infected rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta). The assay is easily performed and can clearly distinguish between SHFV and KRCV-1. Thus, if further developed, this assay may be useful during future studies evaluating the mechanisms by which a simian arterivirus with a restricted cell tropism can cause a lethal nonhuman primate disease similar in clinical presentation to human viral hemorrhagic fevers.     

Historical Outbreaks of Simian Hemorrhagic Fever in Captive Macaques Were Caused by Distinct Arteriviruses

Simian hemorrhagic fever (SHF) is lethal for macaques. Based on clinical presentation and serological diagnosis, all reported SHF outbreaks were thought to be caused by different strains of the same virus, simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV; Arteriviridae). Here we show that the SHF outbreaks in Sukhumi in 1964 and in Alamogordo in 1989 were caused not by SHFV but by two novel divergent arteriviruses. Our results indicate that multiple divergent simian arteriviruses can cause SHF.     

Novel, divergent simian hemorrhagic fever viruses in a wild Ugandan red colobus monkey discovered using direct pyrosequencing

Background

Simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV) has caused lethal outbreaks of hemorrhagic disease in captive primates, but its distribution in wild primates has remained obscure. Here, we describe the discovery and genetic characterization by direct pyrosequencing of two novel, divergent SHFV variants co-infecting a single male red colobus monkey from Kibale National Park, Uganda.

Methodology/Principal Findings

The viruses were detected directly from blood plasma using pyrosequencing, without prior virus isolation and with minimal PCR amplification. The two new SHFV variants, SHFV-krc1 and SHFV-krc2 are highly divergent from each other (51.9% nucleotide sequence identity) and from the SHFV type strain LVR 42-0/M6941 (52.0% and 51.8% nucleotide sequence identity, respectively) and demonstrate greater phylogenetic diversity within SHFV than has been documented within any other arterivirus. Both new variants nevertheless have the same 3′ genomic architecture as the type strain, containing three open reading frames not present in the other arteriviruses.

Conclusions/Significance

These results represent the first documentation of SHFV in a wild primate and confirm the unusual 3′ genetic architecture of SHFV relative to the other arteriviruses. They also demonstrate a degree of evolutionary divergence within SHFV that is roughly equivalent to the degree of divergence between other arterivirus species. The presence of two such highly divergent SHFV variants co-infecting a single individual represents a degree of within-host viral diversity that exceeds what has previously been reported for any arterivirus. These results expand our knowledge of the natural history and diversity of the arteriviruses and underscore the importance of wild primates as reservoirs for novel pathogens.     

Exceptional Simian Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Diversity in a Wild African Primate Community

Simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV) is an arterivirus that causes severe disease in captive macaques. We describe two new SHFV variants subclinically infecting wild African red-tailed guenons (Cercopithecus ascanius). Both variants are highly divergent from the prototype virus and variants infecting sympatric red colobus (Procolobus rufomitratus). All known SHFV variants are monophyletic and share three open reading frames not present in other arteriviruses. Our data suggest a need to modify the current arterivirus classification.     

Differential Responses of Disease-Resistant and Disease-Susceptible Primate Macrophages and Myeloid Dendritic Cells to Simian Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Infection

Simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV) causes a fatal hemorrhagic fever in macaques but an asymptomatic, persistent infection in baboons. To investigate factors contributing to this differential infection outcome, the targets of SHFV infection, macrophages (MΦs) and myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs), were differentiated from macaque and baboon peripheral blood monocytes and used to compare viral replication and cell responses. SHFV replicated in >90% of macaque MΦs but in only ∼10% of baboon MΦs. Although SHFV infected ∼50% of macaque and baboon mDCs, virus replication was efficient in macaque but not in baboon mDCs. Both types of macaque cultures produced higher virus yields than baboon cultures. A more efficient type I interferon response and the production of proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-12/23(p40), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α), in response to SHFV infection were observed in macaque but not baboon cultures, suggesting less efficient counteraction of these responses by viral proteins in macaque cells. Baboon cultures produced higher levels of IL-10 than macaque cultures both prior to and after SHFV infection. In baboon but not macaque cell cultures, SHFV infection upregulated IL-10R1, a subunit of the IL-10 receptor (IL-10R), and also SOCS3, a negative regulator of proinflammatory cytokine production. Incubation of macaque cultures with human IL-10 before and/or after SHFV infection decreased production of IL-6, IL-1β, and MIP-1α but not TNF-α, suggesting a role for IL-10 in suppressing SHFV-induced proinflammatory cytokine production in macaques.     

Molecular characterization of the 3' terminus of the simian hemorrhagic fever virus genome.

The 3' end of the simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV) single-stranded RNA genome was cloned and sequenced. Adjacent to the 3' poly(A) tract, we identified a 76-nucleotide noncoding region preceded by two overlapping reading frames (ORFs). The ultimate 3' ORF of the viral genome encodes the capsid protein, and the penultimate ORF encodes the smallest SHFV envelope protein. These two ORFs overlap each other by 26 nucleotides. Northern (RNA) blot hybridization analyses of cytoplasmic RNA extracts from SHFV-infected MA-104 cells with gene-specific probes revealed the presence of full-length genomic RNA as well as six subgenomic SHFV-specific mRNA species. The subgenomic mRNAs are 3' coterminal. In its virion morphology and size, genome structure and length, and replication strategy, SHFV is most similar to lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus, equine arteritis virus, and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus.     

肾综合征出血热早期诊断方法的比较

应用免疫-PCR方法和ELISA法对比检测96份肾综合征出血热(HFRS)患者血清标本中特异性IgM抗体,结果免疫-PCR方法的阳性检出率高于ELISA法,表明免疫-PCR方法是一种可用于HFRS早期诊断的高敏感性的血清学检测方法。     

A 68-Nucleotide Sequence within the 3′ Noncoding Region of Simian Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Negative-Strand RNA Binds to Four MA104 Cell Proteins

The 3′ noncoding region (NCR) of the negative-strand RNA [3′(−)NCR RNA] of the arterivirus simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV) is 209 nucleotides (nt) in length. Since this 3′ region, designated 3′(−)209, is the site of initiation of full-length positive-strand RNA and is the template for the synthesis of the 5′ leader sequence, which is found on both full-length and subgenomic mRNAs, it is likely to contain cis-acting signals for RNA synthesis and to interact with cellular and viral proteins to form replication complexes. Gel mobility shift assays showed that cellular proteins in MA104 S100 cytoplasmic extracts formed two complexes with the SHFV 3′(−)209 RNA, and results from competition gel mobility shift assays demonstrated that these interactions were specific. Four proteins with molecular masses of 103, 86, 55, and 36 kDa were detected in UV-induced cross-linking assays, and three of these proteins (103, 55, and 36 kDa) were also detected by Northwestern blotting assays. Identical gel mobility shift and UV-induced cross-linking patterns were obtained with uninfected and SHFV-infected extracts, indicating that the four proteins detected are cellular, not viral, proteins. The binding sites for the four cellular proteins were mapped to the region between nt 117 and 184 (68-nt sequence) from the 3′ end of the SHFV negative-strand RNA. This 68-nt sequence was predicted to form two stem-loops, SL4 and SL5. The 3′(−)NCR RNA of another arterivirus, lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus C (LDV-C), competed with the SHFV 3′(−)209 RNA in competition gel mobility shift assays. UV-induced cross-linking assays showed that four MA104 cellular proteins with the same molecular masses as those that bind to the SHFV 3′(−)209 RNA also bind to the LDV-C 3′(−)NCR RNA and equine arteritis virus 3′(−)NCR RNA. However, each of these viral RNAs also bound to an additional MA104 protein. The binding sites for the MA104 cellular proteins were shown to be located in similar positions in the LDV-C 3′(−)NCR and SHFV 3′(−)209 RNAs. These data suggest that the binding sites for a set of the cellular proteins are conserved in all arterivirus RNAs and that these cell proteins may be utilized as components of viral replication complexes.     

检测流行性出血热病毒滴度和中和抗体效价的半微量空斑法

建立了检测流行性出血热病毒滴度和中和抗体效价的半微量空斑法。小牛血清与胎牛血清的培养效果无差异。7株不同来源的出血热病毒均能在E6细胞上形成空斑。接种的病毒浓度与形成的空斑数呈直线关系。用空斑法测得的病毒滴度稍低于荧光TCIE50滴定法。空斑减少中和试验的敏感性较荧光中和试验高30倍左右。同时还初步表明了本方法可用于流行性出血热病毒的抗原性分析。     

Serologic detection of adenoviral hemorrhagic disease in black-tailed deer in California

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a serum neutralization (SN) test were developed to measure serum antibodies against the adenovirus causing hemorrhagic disease in free-ranging and captive experimentally-infected black-tailed deer (Odocoilenus hemionus columbianus) in California (USA). There was a strong (rho = 0.874) and significant (P < 0.0001) correlation between ELISA and SN titers, although the SN assay was more sensitive than the ELISA.     

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for efficient detection of antibody to bluetongue virus in pronghorn (Antilocapra americana)

An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), using cell-associated viral antigen, was developed for detection of antibody to bluetongue virus (BTV) in field-collected pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) sera. To test the applicability of the ELISA to seroepizootiologic studies, pronghorn serum samples from three Wyoming counties (USA) were tested. Bluetongue virus ELISA results were compared to those of the bluetongue immunodiffusion assay. Discrepant serum samples were retested for reaction to either BTV or epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus. The pronghorn BTV ELISA gave rapid, quantitative, objective results and should facilitate testing large numbers of sera for BT diagnostic and seroepizootiologic studies.     

Presence of antibodies against Coxiella burnetii and risk of spontaneous abortion: a nested case-control study

Background and Aims

Q fever is a bacterial zoonosis caused by infection with Coxiella burnetii. It is well established that Q fever causes fetal loss in small ruminants. The suspicion has been raised that pregnant women may also experience adverse pregnancy outcome when the infection is acquired or reactivated during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential association between serologic markers of infection with C.burnetii and spontaneous abortion.

Methods

A nested case-control study within the Danish National Birth Cohort, a cohort of 100,418 pregnancies recruited from 1996–2002. Women were recruited in first trimester of pregnancy and followed prospectively. Median gestational age at enrolment was 8 weeks (25 and 75 percentiles: 7 weeks; 10 weeks). During pregnancy, a blood sample was collected at gestational week 6–12 and stored in a bio bank. For this study, a case sample of 218 pregnancies was drawn randomly among the pregnancies in the cohort which ended with a miscarriage before 22 gestational weeks, and a reference group of 482 pregnancies was selected in a random fashion among all pregnancies in the cohort. From these pregnancies, serum samples were screened for antibodies against C. burnetii in a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Samples that proved IgG or IgM antibody positive were subsequently confirmatory tested by an immunofluorescence (IFA) test.

Results

Among cases, 11 (5%) were C. burnetii positive in ELISA of which one was confirmed in the IFA assay compared to 29 (6%) ELISA positive and 3 IFA confirmed in the random sample.

Conclusions

We found no evidence of a higher prevalence of C.burnetii antibodies in serum samples from women who later miscarried and the present study does not indicate a major association between Q fever infection and spontaneous abortion in humans. Very early first trimester abortions were, however, not included in the study.     

抗EHFV的独特型抗体在小鼠体内诱导免疫应答的研究

本文介绍用流行性出血热（EHF）病毒J10株制备单克隆抗体（McAb）,以及用7个McAb免疫家兔,使其产生抗EHF病毒McAb的抗体即抗独特型 抗体（Ab2).Ab2能在体外同出血热病人恢复期血清和EHF病毒免疫的兔血清发生特异性结合。再经EHF－McAb亲和层析法分离提纯Ab2,免疫BALb/c小鼠,将所获得的免疫血清（Ab3）用荧光和ELISA分别加以测定。结果表明,抗－抗独特型抗体可在体外识别EHF病毒,而不能同病病人恢复期血清发生结合,从而支持免疫网络学说,可能为我们提供一种新型的抗原来源途径。     

用间接免疫荧光法检测流行性出血热病人尿中特异性抗体的研究

用间接免疫荧光法检测110例不同病程、病期及病型的流行性出血热病人尿中及血清中特异性抗体。尿中IgM型抗体阳性率为62.7％。尿中IgG型抗体阳性率91.8％与血清IgG型者90.9％相似,而总阳性率(IgG或IgM有一项以上阳性者的总检出率)99.1％则高于血清IgG者。20例其它疾病及10例正常人尿抗体均为阴性。结果表明尿抗体检查法是特异且可靠的,它比血清学方法简便、灵敏、为临床诊断可早期快速得出结果,不用采血有利于病人。IgM型抗体阳性率受病程、病期、病型及尿蛋白量的影响较明显。     

Indices of anti‐dengue immunoglobulin G subclasses in adult Mexican patients with febrile and hemorrhagic dengue in the acute phase

Heterologous secondary infections are at increased risk of developing dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) because of antibody‐dependent enhancement (ADE). IgG subclasses can fix and activate complement and bind to Fc? receptors. These factors may also play an important role in the development of ADE and thus in the pathogenesis of DHF. The aim of this study was to analyze the indices of anti‐dengue IgG subclasses in adult patients with febrile and hemorrhagic dengue in the acute phase. In 2013, 129 patients with dengue fever (DF) and 57 with DHF in Veracruz, Mexico were recruited for this study and anti‐dengue IgM and IgG determined by capture ELISA. Anti‐dengue IgG subclasses were detected by indirect ELISA. Anti‐dengue IgG2 and IgG3 subclasses were detected in patients with dengue. IgG1 increased significantly in the sera of patients with both primary and secondary infections and DHF, but was higher in patients with secondary infections. The IgG4 subclass index was significantly higher in the sera of patients with DHF than in that of those with DF, who were in the early and late acute phase of both primary and secondary infection. In conclusion, indices of subclasses IgG1 and IgG4 were higher in patients with DHF.

     

一种联合检测乙型肝炎病毒前S1抗原与核心抗原方法的建立及其与病毒核酸检测结果的一致性

本研究以与血清中HBV DNA含量高度相关的两种HBV抗原(前S1抗原与核心抗原)为靶标,建立了联合检测这两种HBV核酸相关抗原(NRAg)的双抗体夹心法ELISA试剂.对系列稀释血清的检测表明,该试剂的平均分析灵敏度为103.2基因组拷贝/mL(95%可信限102.2-4.2基因组拷贝/mL),显著高于前S1抗原或核心抗原的单独检测.对994份HBsAg阴性血清的检测结果表明NRAg ELISA的特异性为99.7%(95%可信限:99.1%～99.9%).对271份临床慢性肝炎血清进行检测,结果NRAg ELISA与HBV DNA结果的总符合率达96.3%(95%可信限:93.3%～98.2%),NRAg ELISA的读值/临界值比(S/CO)与HBV基因组拷贝数呈正相关.利用NRAg试剂,发现了1例HBsAg"a"抗原表位突变的变异株.这些结果显示HBV NRAg ELISA与HBV DNA具有高度相关性,并能够检测出HBsAg抗原变异株,有望成为HBsAg变异株筛选的有力工具,并为广大基层医疗单位提供一种便捷的替代HBV DNA定性检测的手段.     

流行性出血热病毒的蚀斑形成技术

国外已有报道,流行性出血热病毒(EHFV)能在Vero-E6细胞上形成蚀斑。由于蚀斑试验和蚀斑减少试验用于测定病毒滴度及中和抗体效价较其它方法准确,且特异性高,适用于测定出血热病毒间抗原性差异,感染或免疫后中和抗体水平。但由于EHFV在细胞内繁殖培养时间较长,蚀斑形成的细胞培养条件要求较高,目前国内尚未见成功的报道。我们基本     

Selection for virulent dengue viruses occurs in humans and mosquitoes

Dengue is the most common mosquito-borne viral disease in humans. The spread of both mosquito vectors and viruses has led to the resurgence of epidemic dengue fever (a self-limited flu-like syndrome) and the emergence of dengue hemorrhagic fever (severe dengue with bleeding abnormalities) in urban centers of the tropics. There are no animal or laboratory models of dengue disease; indirect evidence suggests that dengue viruses differ in virulence, including their pathogenicities for humans and epidemic potential. We developed two assay systems (using human dendritic cells and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes) for measuring differences in virus replication that correlate with the potential to cause hemorrhagic dengue and increased virus transmission. Infection and growth experiments showed that dengue serotype 2 viruses causing dengue hemorrhagic fever epidemics (Southeast Asian genotype) can outcompete viruses that cause dengue fever only (American genotype). This fact implies that Southeast Asian genotype viruses will continue to displace other viruses, causing more hemorrhagic dengue epidemics.     

应用逆转录酶链反应对我国流行性出血热病毒分型

针对我国流行性出血热病毒的S片段核蛋白 (NP)编码基因保守核苷酸序列 ,合成了一对引物 ,扩增出编码核蛋白的 5 90bp碱基。扩增的II型产物存在限制性内切酶PstI的酶切位点 ,而I型产物不存在。因此 ,用酶切扩增产物的方法达到病毒分型的目的。试验提取 8份鼠脑传代毒种 ,1份细胞培养物和 2 5份病人血清中的出血热病毒RNA ,同时做 6份正常人血清对照 ,经逆转录PCR酶切分型。试验结果同间接免疫荧光技术 (IFA)分型结果相一致 ,可特异地对我国流行性出血热病毒进行分型。     

Human MxA protein inhibits the replication of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) belongs to the genus Nairovirus within the family Bunyaviridae and is the causative agent of severe hemorrhagic fever. Despite increasing knowledge about hemorrhagic fever viruses, the factors determining their pathogenicity are still poorly understood. The interferon-induced MxA protein has been shown to have an inhibitory effect on several members of the Bunyaviridae family, but the effect of MxA against CCHFV has not previously been studied. Here, we report that human MxA has antiviral activity against CCHFV. The yield of progeny virus in cells constitutively expressing MxA was reduced up to 1,000-fold compared with control cells, and accumulation of viral genomes was blocked. Confocal microscopy revealed that MxA colocalizes with the nucleocapsid protein (NP) of CCHFV in the perinuclear regions of infected cells. Furthermore, we found that MxA interacted with NP by using a coimmunoprecipitation assay. We also found that an amino acid substitution (E645R) within the C-terminal domain of MxA resulted in a loss of MxA antiviral activity and, concomitantly, in the capacity to interact with CCHFV NP. These results suggest that MxA, by interacting with a component of the nucleocapsid, prevents replication of CCHFV viral RNA and thereby inhibits the production of new infectious virus particles.