Contexte : Le virus Torque Teno (TTV) est un petit virus à ADN fortement prévalent dont la réplication est étroitement liée à l'état immunitaire. Un nombre croissant de publications soulignent le potentiel de la charge virale du TTV en tant qu'indicateur d'immunosuppression chez les patients transplantés. Des tests cliniques sont nécessaires pour caractériser davantage son potentiel en tant que marqueur d'immunosuppression.Objectifs : Présentation de la faisabilité/optimisation et démonstration des performances analytiques et cliniques du premier test standardisé utilisé pour détecter et quantifier l'ADN du TTV humain dans le sang total et le plasma de diverses populations. La charge virale du TTV a été analysée sur des échantillons de sang total prélevés chez 31 volontaires sains, chez 53 donneurs de reins décédés et cours du suivi de 42 receveurs d’une greffe de rein.Résultats : La limite de détection de la trousse développée était de 2,2 log10 copies/ml dans le sang total et le plasma, la linéarité et la précision ont été démontrées entre 1,61 et 10,61 log10 copies/ml dans le sang total. La prévalence de l'ADN du TTV dans le sang variait significativement entre les groupes : 45% chez les volontaires sains, 74% chez les donneurs et 83% chez les receveurs de rein. Chez les receveurs de rein, les cinétiques TTV précoces étaient comparables à celles précédemment présentées dans la littérature (dans d'autres contextes de transplantation) : la charge virale est passée d'une moyenne de 4,3 log10 à 7,9 log10 copies/mL dans les 75 premiers jours post transplantation. L’analyse des séquences de TTV par séquençage haut débit nous a permis de décrire la prévalence des génotypes de TTV chez 20 donneur et receveurs appariés.Conclusion : Ce test TTV a montré une sensibilité analytique, une spécificité, une linéarité et une précision élevée. Avec ce test, la cinétique précoce chez les receveurs de rein est proche de celle précédemment décrite chez les receveurs de greffe de poumon. C'est un outil standardisé utile pour évaluer davantage la charge de TTV en tant que biomarqueur de l'état immunitaire qui pourrait améliorer la stratégie de traitement individuel. / Background: Torque teno viruses (TTV) are small DNA viruses with high prevalence whose replication is closely linked to immune status. A growing number of publications underlined the potential of TTV viral load as an indicator of immunosuppression. Clinical assays are necessary to further characterize their potential as immunosuppression markers.Objectives: To demonstrate the performance of the first standardized Research Use Only assay to detect and quantify human TTV DNA in whole blood and plasma.Study design: We established analytical and clinical performances for TTV load measurement in various populations. The TTV kinetics were followed in kidney recipients. TTV viral load was analyzed on whole blood samples from 31 healthy volunteers, 53 kidney deceased donors and 42 kidney recipients follow-up.Results: Limit of detection was 2.2 log copies/mL in whole blood and plasma, linearity and precision were demonstrated over the range 1.61 to 10.61 log10 copies/mL in whole blood. Prevalence of TTV DNA in blood differed significantly among groups: 45% in healthy volunteers, 74% in donors and 86% in kidney recipients. In kidney recipients, early TTV kinetics were comparable to those previously observed with in-house assays in other transplant settings: viral load increased from an average of 4.3 log10 to 7.9 log10 copies/mL within the first 75 days post transplantation. Sequence analysis of TTV by high throughput sequencing allowed us to describe the prevalence of TTV genotypes in 20 matched donors and recipients.Conclusion: This TTV assay showed high analytical sensitivity, specificity, linearity and precision. With this assay, early kinetics in kidney recipients are close to that previously described in lung transplant recipients. It is a useful standardized tool to further evaluate TTV load as a biomarker of immune status that could improve individual treatment strategy.

Einleitung: Masern, Mumps und Röteln sind weltweit verbreitete Kinderkrankheiten. Laut Zielvorgaben der World Health Organization (WHO) sollten bis 2015 die Masernviren eradiziert und die Inzidenzen für Mumps und Röteln deutlich vermindert sein. Trotz der beträchtlichen Senkung der Erkrankungszahlen nach der Einführung der jeweiligen Impfungen in den 1970 Jahren kommt es bis heute, sowohl national als auch international zu lokalen Ausbrüchen der Krankheiten. Dabei sind immer häufiger junge Erwachsene betroffen, deren Komplikationsrate bei allen drei Viruserkrankungen im Vergleich zu Kindern deutlich höher liegt. Dies erhöht die Brisanz im Falle eines Ausbruches und führt dazu, dass es auch heute noch in Deutschland vereinzelt zu Todesfällen im Fall von Masern kommt und auch dass nicht wenige Menschen an den Spätfolgen dieser drei impfpräventablen Erkrankungen leiden. Ziele der Untersuchungen: Die Zielstellung der vorliegenden Arbeit war es, die Immunitätslage von 18 bis 29 jährigen Angestellten des Universitätsklinikums Leipzig gegen diese drei viralen Erreger zu bestimmen und im Kontext mit dem Impfstatus der Probanden zu stellen. Zudem sollte untersucht werden, ob auch heute noch die historischen Veränderungen der Impfregime durch die Wiedervereinigung und die Unterschiede bei den untersuchten sogenannten „Wendekindern“ nachgewiesen werden können. Des Weiteren sollten die Verlässlichkeit der diagnostischen Parameter über die Beurteilung des Immunstatus bewertet werden. Materialien und Methoden: Es standen insgesamt über 500 Serumproben zur näheren Auswertung zur Verfügung. Mittels ELISA-Test wurde die jeweils spezifische IgG-Konzentration gegen Masern, Mumps und Röteln ermittelt. Zudem wurden die virusspezifischen Aviditäten von IgG-Antikörpern bestimmt und durch die Anfertigung von Neutralisationstesten (NT) auch deren neutralisierende Wirkung untersucht. Von 326 Probanden wurde die Impfanamnese ermittelt und analysiert. Ergebnisse: Bei keiner der drei Viruserkrankungen wurde in der untersuchten Altersgruppe der 18-29 Jährigen die Seroprävalenz von 95% erreicht, welche notwendig ist, um nachhaltig eine Eindämmung der viralen Erreger in einer Population erreichen zu können. Der Immunstatus der untersuchten Probandengruppe fiel gegen Masern (90,5% IgG-positiv) am besten aus, gefolgt von dem Röteln- (87,1% IgG-positiv) und dem Mumps-Immunstatus (81,6% IgG-positiv). Eine Abnahme der Antikörperkonzentrationen in dem zeitlichen Verlauf nach einer Impfung konnte in der vorliegenden Arbeit gezeigt werden. Bei den vor mehr als 10 Jahren gegen das jeweilige Virus Geimpften sank der Anteil an Seropositiven um 7,4% (Masern und Röteln) bzw. 8,1% (Mumps) im Gegensatz zu den Probanden, die ihre letzte Impfung vor weniger als 10 Jahren erhalten hatten. Die unterschiedlich durchgeführten Impfregime vor und nach der Wiedervereinigung waren in der untersuchten Probandengruppe noch gut zu erkennen. Bei den Geburtsjahrgängen vor 1990 waren die Impfquoten um durchschnittlich 15% niedriger als bei den Jahrgängen ab 1990. Aufgrund der erhöhten Wildviruszirkulation vor 20 Jahren zeigten die älteren Jahrgänge dennoch einen ähnlich hohen Antikörperstatus, wie die Jüngeren. Auch die Auswertung der Aviditätsindices und der NT-Titer im zeitlichen Abstand zu der zuletzt erhaltenen Impfung ergab einen Hinweis auf die Boosterung der Immunität gegen den jeweiligen viralen Erreger durch den Kontakt der Probanden mit Wildvirus. Die Korrelation zwischen den diagnostischen Parametern IgG-Konzentration, Avidität und Neutralisationstiter ließen sich am besten bei den Masern- und den Rötelnwerten erkennen. Die Zusammenhänge bei Mumps waren im Vergleich zu den anderen beiden viralen Erregern gering. Die Abhängigkeit von der Impfanamnese konnte bei allen drei viralen Erregern nur bei den IgG-Konzentrationen festgestellt werden. Ein Zusammenhang zwischen Impfstatus und Höhe der Aviditätsindices bzw. Neutralisationstiter lag nicht vor. Schlussfolgerungen: Sowohl der Immun- als auch der Impfstatus der untersuchten jungen Erwachsenen (18 29 Jahre) ist für eine nachhaltige Eindämmung des Masern-, Mumps- und des Rötelnvirus nicht ausreichend. Die Bestimmung der IgG-Konzentration als Routinediagnostikum für die Erhebung eines Immunstatus ist bei allen drei Viren nur mit Einschränkungen geeignet. Die Durchführung von Neutralisationstesten, insbesondere gegen Mumps, ist Goldstandard für die Bestimmung einer Immunitätslage.:1. Einleitung 1 2. Literaturübersicht 4 2.1 Erkrankungsbilder Masern, Mumps und Röteln 4 2.1.1 Masern 4 2.1.2 Mumps 5 2.1.3 Röteln 5 2.2 Historie der Impfregime 6 2.2.1 Impfregime in der DDR und in der BRD vor 1990 6 2.2.2 Impfungen nach der Wiedervereinigung bis heute 7 2.2.3 Konzept „Gesundheit für alle“ der WHO 8 2.2.4 Impfstrategien in anderen Ländern 9 2.2.5 Impfmüdigkeit und Impfgegner 10 2.3 Epidemiologische Situation in Deutschland 12 2.3.1 Meldepflicht 12 2.3.2 Erkrankungszahlen und Inzidenzen 13 2.4 Fragestellung 20 3. Material und Methoden 21 Material 21 Methoden 28 3.1 Probenmaterial 28 3.2 Zellkultur 28 3.2.1 Zellkultivierung 28 3.2.2 Zellzahlbestimmung 29 3.2.3 Einfrieren und Auftauen von Zellen 30 3.2.4 Mykoplasmentest mittels DNA-Färbung 30 3.2.5 Mykoplasmennachweis mittels PCR 32 3.2.6 Gelelektrophorese 33 3.3 Stockvirus 34 3.3.1 Herstellung von Stockvirus 34 3.3.2 Titerbestimmung mittels Plaqueassay 35 3.3.3 Titerbestimmung mittels Endpunkttitration 36 3.4 IgG-ELISA 36 3.5 Aviditäts-Bestimmung 37 3.6 Neutralisationsteste 38 3.6.1 Masern Mikroneutralisationstest 38 3.6.2 Mumps Mikroneutralisationstest 39 3.6.3 Mumps Focus Reduktions-Neutralisationstest 39 3.6.4 Röteln Plaque Reduktions-Neutralisationstest 41 3.7 Statistische Auswertung 42 3.7.1 Erfassung von Korrelationen 42 3.7.2 Erfassung von statistischer Signifikanz 42 4. Ergebnisse 43 4.1 Destriktive Auswertung der verwendeten Serumproben 43 4.2 Immunstatus der untersuchten Probanden 44 4.2.1 Spezifische Antikörper-Konzentrationen gegen Masern, Mumps und Röteln 44 4.2.2 Spezifische Aviditätsindices gegen Masern, Mumps und Röteln 49 4.2.3 Neutralisierende Antiköper gegen Masern 52 4.2.4 Neutralisierende Antiköper gegen Mumps 54 4.2.5 Neutralisierende Antiköper gegen Röteln 58 4.3 Zusammenhänge der diagnostischen Parameter 59 4.3.1 Korrelationen zwischen IgG und Avidität 59 4.3.2 Korrelationen zwischen IgG und NT 61 4.3.3 Korrelationen zwischen Avidität und NT 63 4.4 Impfstatus 63 4.5 Zusammenhang Immunstatus und Impfanamnese 67 5. Diskussion 73 5.1 Unzureichender Serostatus der Probanden 73 5.2 Geschlechterunterschiede in der Immunitätsausbildung 75 5.3 Grenzwert-Diskussion 76 5.4 Zusammenhänge zwischen den diagnostischen Parametern 77 5.5 Unzureichende Impfquoten der Probanden 79 5.6 Waning-Effekt der Antiköper-Konzentrationen 80 5.7 Unterschiede in der Effektivität der Impfstämme 83 5.8 Wildviruskontakt versus Impfimmunität 85 6. Zusammenfassung 87 7. Summary 89 Literaturverzeichnis 91 Abbildungsverzeichnis 103 Tabellenverzeichnis 107 Danksagung 108 / Introduction: Measles, mumps and rubella are worldwide occurring childhood diseases. World Health Organization (WHO) declared the goal of measles eradication by 2015 and significant reduction of the incidence of mumps and rubella. Despite the substantial decrease after implementation of vaccination, there are still yearly outbreaks of the three infections on national and international level. At the same time, more often young adults are affected by all three viral diseases and their rate of complications is significantly higher than children. The explosive nature of the diseases leads to the fact that, even in Germany people die of measles. Further, more than a few people suffer from long-term effects of these diseases which could be prevented by vaccination. Aim of the research: The aim of the present project was to determine the immune status against the three viral diseases. Serum samples of 18 to 29 years-old employees of the Leipzig University Hospital were analyzed and connected with vaccination status. It was also determined if the historic changes of the vaccination politics in children of German reunification can still be demonstrated. Furthermore, the reliability of the diagnostic parameters, which is routinely taken for the evaluation of the immune status of a person, was considered. Material and Methods: More than 500 serum samples were available. The IgG concentration of mumps, measles and rubella was determined using routine ELISA assay. Furthermore, the specific antiviral IgG antibody avidity as well as their ability to neutralize viral infectivity (neutralization test) the vaccination history was recorded and analyzed. Results: The results show, that in none of the three diseases seroprevalence of >95% could be achieved which would be necessary for the sustainably containment of the viral pathogens in a population. In the examined cohort immunity against measles (90,5% IgG positive) was somewhat higher than against rubella (87,1% IgG positive) and mumps (81,6% IgG positive). A decrease in the antibody concentration could be demonstrated in the present paper when comparing the immune response in person with vaccination history of less than 10 years and those with last vaccination more than 10 years back. The seropositive rates decreased 7,4% (measles and rubella) or 8,1% (mumps). The different vaccination regimes before and after German reunification were still apparent. The vaccination rates from the birth cohort before 1990, was by an average of 15% lower than the cohorts from 1990. Due to the higher circulation of wild virus before 20 years ago, the older age groups had a similar status of antibodies than the younger group. Also, the analysis of the avidity and neutralization titer in the relationship of the period of time between the collection of data and the last obtained vaccination indicated booster of immunity by contact occult immunization (“stille Feiung”). The correlation between the diagnostic parameters, i.e. IgG concentration, avidity and neutralization assay, was best for measles and rubella. The relationships of mumps were lower than both the other viral pathogens. Only the IgG concentration from all three viruses correlated with the vaccination history. A relationship between the vaccination and the level of avidity or neutralization titers did not exist. Conclusion: The immune status and also the vaccination status from the investigated young adults (18 29 years) is not sufficient for the containment of measles, mumps and rubella. The determination of IgG concentration for surveillance of immunity all three viruses is of limited value. Particularly in case of mumps a neutralization assay appear indispensable.:1. Einleitung 1 2. Literaturübersicht 4 2.1 Erkrankungsbilder Masern, Mumps und Röteln 4 2.1.1 Masern 4 2.1.2 Mumps 5 2.1.3 Röteln 5 2.2 Historie der Impfregime 6 2.2.1 Impfregime in der DDR und in der BRD vor 1990 6 2.2.2 Impfungen nach der Wiedervereinigung bis heute 7 2.2.3 Konzept „Gesundheit für alle“ der WHO 8 2.2.4 Impfstrategien in anderen Ländern 9 2.2.5 Impfmüdigkeit und Impfgegner 10 2.3 Epidemiologische Situation in Deutschland 12 2.3.1 Meldepflicht 12 2.3.2 Erkrankungszahlen und Inzidenzen 13 2.4 Fragestellung 20 3. Material und Methoden 21 Material 21 Methoden 28 3.1 Probenmaterial 28 3.2 Zellkultur 28 3.2.1 Zellkultivierung 28 3.2.2 Zellzahlbestimmung 29 3.2.3 Einfrieren und Auftauen von Zellen 30 3.2.4 Mykoplasmentest mittels DNA-Färbung 30 3.2.5 Mykoplasmennachweis mittels PCR 32 3.2.6 Gelelektrophorese 33 3.3 Stockvirus 34 3.3.1 Herstellung von Stockvirus 34 3.3.2 Titerbestimmung mittels Plaqueassay 35 3.3.3 Titerbestimmung mittels Endpunkttitration 36 3.4 IgG-ELISA 36 3.5 Aviditäts-Bestimmung 37 3.6 Neutralisationsteste 38 3.6.1 Masern Mikroneutralisationstest 38 3.6.2 Mumps Mikroneutralisationstest 39 3.6.3 Mumps Focus Reduktions-Neutralisationstest 39 3.6.4 Röteln Plaque Reduktions-Neutralisationstest 41 3.7 Statistische Auswertung 42 3.7.1 Erfassung von Korrelationen 42 3.7.2 Erfassung von statistischer Signifikanz 42 4. Ergebnisse 43 4.1 Destriktive Auswertung der verwendeten Serumproben 43 4.2 Immunstatus der untersuchten Probanden 44 4.2.1 Spezifische Antikörper-Konzentrationen gegen Masern, Mumps und Röteln 44 4.2.2 Spezifische Aviditätsindices gegen Masern, Mumps und Röteln 49 4.2.3 Neutralisierende Antiköper gegen Masern 52 4.2.4 Neutralisierende Antiköper gegen Mumps 54 4.2.5 Neutralisierende Antiköper gegen Röteln 58 4.3 Zusammenhänge der diagnostischen Parameter 59 4.3.1 Korrelationen zwischen IgG und Avidität 59 4.3.2 Korrelationen zwischen IgG und NT 61 4.3.3 Korrelationen zwischen Avidität und NT 63 4.4 Impfstatus 63 4.5 Zusammenhang Immunstatus und Impfanamnese 67 5. Diskussion 73 5.1 Unzureichender Serostatus der Probanden 73 5.2 Geschlechterunterschiede in der Immunitätsausbildung 75 5.3 Grenzwert-Diskussion 76 5.4 Zusammenhänge zwischen den diagnostischen Parametern 77 5.5 Unzureichende Impfquoten der Probanden 79 5.6 Waning-Effekt der Antiköper-Konzentrationen 80 5.7 Unterschiede in der Effektivität der Impfstämme 83 5.8 Wildviruskontakt versus Impfimmunität 85 6. Zusammenfassung 87 7. Summary 89 Literaturverzeichnis 91 Abbildungsverzeichnis 103 Tabellenverzeichnis 107 Danksagung 108

The diploma thesis deals with droplet infections and finds out what knowledge, attitudes and behavior pupils of the lower secondary school have towards them. The theoretical part focuses on educational documents in the Czech Republic, including the occurrence of topics about droplet infections in RVP ZV, didactic game as a teaching method and a detail description of selected viral and bacterial droplet infections. In the practical part, the diploma thesis finds out what knowledge, attitudes and behavior students have about droplet infections. Subsequently, a didactic game is performed and the effectiveness of the didactic game is evaluated by comparing the pre-test and the post-test on the basis of changes in the knowledge, attitudes and declared behavior of the interviewed pupils. The results showed that due to the didactic game there was an improvement in the students knowledge and a desired change of attitudes. The declared behavior of students remained unchanged, as the entry level of students in this area was already at a high level.

L’allogreffe de cellules souches hématopoïétiques (CSH) est un traitement efficace des Hémopathies malignes. Cependant, les complications des allogreffes parmi lesquelles les infections virales sont associées parfois à une morbidité et une mortalité importantes. Ces infections surviennent en l’absence de reconstitution immunitaire. Un monitoring régulier de la charge virale des principaux agents infectieux impliqués est réalisé mais amène parfois à la mise en oeuvre abusive de traitements anti-viraux qui ne sont pas dénués de toxicité.Dans ce travail, nous proposons d’associer à ce monitoring un suivi régulier de la reconstitution immunitaire spécifique afin de cibler parmi les patients présentant une réactivation ceux qui nécessitent un traitement curatif de ceux qui pourront maîtriser l’infection par leur système immunitaire. Nous illustrons ce propos avec le virus d’Epstein Barr (EBV) et avons en cours une étude sur l’Adénovirus (ADV).Dans certains cas parfaitement ciblés, les traitements anti-viraux s’avèrent inefficaces. C’est pourquoi dans ce travail, nous présentons la mise au point d’une technique de grade clinique de production de lymphocytes T cytotoxiques anti-ADV (CTL anti-ADV) en condition GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), grâce au système CliniMACS et au Cytokine Capture System de Miltenyi, afin de proposer une immunothérapie adoptive.Nous décrivons par la suite trois expériences cliniques de traitement compassionnel d’une infection ADV post-allogreffe de CSH. Enfin, nous présentons les résultats préliminaires de la production de CTL bispécifique anti-ADV et CMV / Hematopoietic stem cells Transplantation (HSCT) is a well recognized strategy for treatment of haematological malignancies. However, HSCT complications among which the viral infections a reassociated with high morbidity and mortality. These infections arise in the absence of immune reconstitution. Monitoring of viral reactivations after allogeneic HSCT is necessary, to identify patients at risk of viral infections, but not sufficient, as patients may be abusively treated. In this work we propose to combine viral DNA load assessment with specific immune monitoring to target patients who need to be treated. We report a retrospective study investigating EBV infection and EBV-specific immune recovery using the functional IFN Elispot assay in 40 allogeneic HSCT patients. We initiated a similar study with ADV which is pending. However, although patients are correctly targeted, anti-viral treatment is sometimes not effective. We present a study on the development of a complete clinical grade generation of Human anti-Adenovirus cytotoxic T cells in GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) conditions, thanks to the system CliniMACS and the Cytokine Capture System, to propose an adoptive immunotherapy to the recipient.We describe afterwards three clinical experiments of treatment of an ADV infection after HSCT.Finally, we present the preliminary results of the anti-ADV and -CMV bi-specific CTL production.

Submitted by Johnny Rodrigues (johnnyrodrigues@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-09-05T23:15:15Z No. of bitstreams: 1 MARIA LUANA CRISTINY RODRIGUES SILVA - TESE PPGMV 2012..pdf: 1371315 bytes, checksum: 08a377eebdf25947c07fbd829c5e814e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-05T23:15:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MARIA LUANA CRISTINY RODRIGUES SILVA - TESE PPGMV 2012..pdf: 1371315 bytes, checksum: 08a377eebdf25947c07fbd829c5e814e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Capes / O objetivo do presente trabalho foi determinar indicadores epidemiológicos para infecções virais em caprinos leiteiros no semiárido da Paraíba. Foram determinadas as prevalências de propriedades positivas (focos) e de animais soropositivos, bem como foram identificados fatores de risco associados às infecções por Herpesvírus caprino 1 (CpHV-1), Pestivírus, vírus da Língua Azul (LA) e lentivírus de pequenos ruminantes (LVPR). No total, foram amostradas de 1.034 a 1.092 fêmeas caprinas adultas procedentes de 110 propriedades leiteiras localizadas no Munícipio de Monteiro, microrregião do Cariri Ocidental, Estado da Paraíba, no período de novembro de 2009 a agosto de 2011. Para cada doença, foi realizado o diagnóstico sorológico com técnicas consolidadas internacionalmente. Para LVPR, foi procedida a detecção direta do agente por PCR em tempo real de sangue e leite. Uma propriedade foi considerada foco quando apresentou pelo menos um animal soropositivo. As prevalências de propriedades positivas foram de 89,1%, 6,36%, 59,1% e 44,6% para as infecções por CpHV-1, Pestivírus, vírus da LA e LVPR, respectivamente. As prevalências de animais soropositivos foram de 36,6%, 0,82%, 12,1% e 8,1%, respectivamente. A utilização da monta natural foi identificada como fator de risco associado à prevalência de rebanhos positivos para CpHV-1; para Pestivírus, não realizar vermifugação e realizar corte e desinfecção de umbigo foram identificados como fatores de risco; produção diária de leite superior a 19 litros foi identificada como fator de risco para LA; para LVPR, realizar corte e desinfecção de umbigo e existência de cercas de boa qualidade foram identificados como fatores de risco, e a PCR em tempo real da série branca do sangue apresentou boa performance, com sensibilidade de 100%, especificidade de 92,86%, concordância de 93,75% e indicador Kappa de 0,765. Com base na análise de fatores de risco, foi possível a recomendação de medidas e intervenções com vistas à minimização de perdas econômicas. / The aim of this survey was to determine epidemiological indicators to viral infections in dairy goats in the semiarid region of the Paraíba State. It was determined the prevalence of positive flocks (foci) and seropositive animals, as well as risk factors associated with the infections due to caprine herpersvirus 1 (CpHV-1), Pestivirus, bluetobgue virus (BTV) and small ruminants lentivirus (SRLV) were identified. From 1,034 to 1,092 dairy goats were sampled in 110 dairy flocks in the county of Monteiro, Cariri Ocidental microregion, Paraíba State, during November 2009 to August 2011. To each disease the serological diagnosis was carried-out using internationally consolidated techniques. For SRLV the direct detection of the agent was performed by real-time PCR in blood and milk. A flock was considered positive when presented at least one seropositive animal. Prevalences of positive flocks were 89.1%, 6.36%, 59.1% and 44.6% for the infections by CpHV-1, Pestivirus, BTV and SRLV, respectively. Prevalences of seropositive animals were 36.6%, 0.82%, 12.1% and 8.1%, respectively. The use of natural mating was identified as a risk factor associated with CpHV-1 flock-level prevalence; for Pestivirus, not perform vermifugation and to perform umbilical cord cutting and disinfection were identified as risk factors; daily milk production upper to 19 liters was identified as risk factor to LA; for SRLV, umbilical cord cutting and disinfection and existence of good quality fences were identified as risk factors, and real-time PCR using white blood cells had a good performance, with sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 92.86%, concordance of 93.75% and Kappa index of 0.765. Based on the risk factor analysis it was possible to recommend measures and interventions aiming the minimization of economic losses.

Viruses cause human diseases by entering in to human cells. Many drugs have been developed that act at various stages of viral infection, but they fail due to their toxic side effects and high mutation rates of viruses. Recently, a new class of drugs called entry inhibitors has been developed which acts on the early stages of viral infection. These drugs have been developed by studying the entry process of viruses in to host cells. The success of these drugs, however, is still limited and research is being done to quantify the optimum dosage of these drugs and find new drugs targets. We developed a mathematical model based on chemical reaction kinetics to estimate the threshold number of complexes between viral and target cell surface proteins necessary for HIV-1 entry into target cells. Our model quantitatively describes data of HIV entry in the presence of several entry inhibitors and presents an avenue for identifying optimal drug levels for restricting HIV entry. Majority of viruses enter into host cells by either endocytosis of fusion. But when virus enters through endocytosis and when through fusion is still not clear. We developed a theory that predicts the virus entry pathway based on the underlying biophysical properties like membrane bending modulus, viral and cellular receptor concentration and the energy released by the formation of protein complexes. Through this theory of viruses we presented the entry of viruses through fusion or endocytosis on a phase diagram. We validated the phase diagram by comparing it with known pathways of existing viruses. This study may aid in unraveling the entry pathways of new viruses and may also help in identifying new drug targets.

The current treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection – combination therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin – elicits sustained responses in only ~50% of the patients treated. Greater cumulative exposure to ribavirin increases response to interferon-ribavirin combination therapy. A key limitation, however, is the toxic sideeffect of ribavirin, hemolytic anemia, which often necessitates a reduction of ribavirin dosage and compromises treatment response. Maximizing treatment response thus requires striking a balance between the antiviral and hemolytic activities of ribavirin. Current models of viral kinetics describe the enhancement of treatment response due to ribavirin. Ribavirin-induced anemia, however, remains poorly understood and precludes rational optimization of combination therapy. Here, we develop a new mathematical model of the population dynamics of erythrocytes that quantitatively describes ribavirin-induced anemia in HCV patients. Based on the assumption that ribavirin accumulation decreases erythrocyte lifespan in a dose-dependent manner, model predictions capture several independent experimental observations of the accumulation of ribavirin in erythrocytes and the resulting decline of hemoglobin in HCV patients undergoing combination therapy, estimate the reduced erythrocyte lifespan in patients and describe inter-patient variations in the severity of ribavirin-induced anemia. Further, model predictions estimate the threshold ribavirin exposure beyond which anemia becomes intolerable and suggest guidelines for the usage of growth hormones. A small fraction of the population (~30%) with polymorphisms in the ITPA gene shows protection from ribavirin-induced anemia. The optimum dosage of ribavirin that can be tolerated is then dependent on the ITPA polymorphisms. Coupled with a previous population pharmacokinetic study, our model yields a facile formula for estimating the optimum dosage given a patient’s weight, creatinine clearance, pretreatment hemoglobin levels, and ITPA polymorphism. The reduced lifespan we predict is in agreement with independent measurements from breath tests as well as estimates derived from in vitro studies of ATP depletion. The latter estimates also agree with the extent of ATP depletion due to ribavirin that we predict from a detailed analysis of the nucleoside metabolism in erythrocytes. Our model thus facilitates in conjunction with models of viral kinetics the rational identification of treatment protocols. Our formula for optimum dose presents an avenue for personalizing ribavirin dosage. By keeping anemia tolerable, the predicted optimal dosage may improve adherence, reduce the need for drug monitoring, and increase response rates.

The prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in the US is estimated at 3.5 million with 18,153 deaths in 2016. It is the most common bloodborne infection, with a higher age-adjusted mortality rate than Hepatitis B Virus or Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Without treatment, nearly 1.1 million people will die from HCV by 2060. About 41,200 new cases of HCV were reported in 41 states in the US in 2016. The reported cases of acute HCV in 2016 is 2.3 per 100,000 in Tennessee, which is more than twice the national goal set by Healthy People 2020. This is a descriptive study to ascertain the HCV prevalence and usefulness of screening in medical outreach settings (MO) compared to indigent healthcare clinics (IHC) in northeast Tennessee. This study period was from April 2017 – February 2019. Participants (n=250), were adults, who engaged in routine, opt-out HCV testing at 4 IHC and 3 MO sites in the Tri-Cities, TN region. During the screening, demographic information- age, gender, race- were collected and the de-identified data were analyzed using Statistical Analysis System (SAS 9.3) to perform a descriptive analysis. Also, several discrete Chi-Square tests of independence between the demographic variables, screening locations, and HCV antibody prevalence was conducted. A total of 250 clients were screened for HCV. The majority of clients screened were non-Hispanic whites 228 (91.20%); females 136 (54.40%); young adults 131 (52.40%) and at IHC clinics 187 (74.80%). Screening showed HCV antibody prevalence of 14.8%. The majority of positive cases were non-Hispanic whites 36 (97.30%; P=0.1561); females 19 (51.35%; P=0.6867) and young adults 23 (62.16%; P=0.286). The prevalence at the IHC clinics and MO settings were 36 (97.30%; P=0.0006) and 1(2.70%) respectively. This analysis shows the higher yield of targeted HCV screening at IHC clinics. Focused HCV screening is critical in the era of opioid epidemic, particularly when direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) which offer a Sustained Virologic Response (SVR) rate of more than 90% are available. The use of case control or cohort study designs to establish causality is recommended for improving focused HCV screening.

<p><strong>Background</strong>: Human rhinovirus/enterovirus (HRV/ENT) infections are commonly identified in children with acute respiratory infections (ARIs), but data on their clinical severity remains limited. We compared the clinical severity of HRV/ENT to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza A/B (FLU) and other common respiratory virus in children.</p> <p><strong>Methods</strong>: Retrospective study of children with ARIs and confirmed single positive viral infections on mid-turbinate swabs by molecular assays. Outcome measures included hospital admission and, for inpatients, a composite end-point consisting of intensive care admission, hospitalization greater than 5 days, oxygen requirements or death.</p> <p><strong>Results</strong>: A total of 116 HRV/ENT, 102 RSV, 99 FLU and 64 other common respiratory viruses were identified. Children with single HRV/ENT infections presented with significantly higher rates of underlying immunosuppressive conditions compared to those with RSV (37.9% vs 13.6%; p</p> <p><strong>Conclusions</strong>: Children with HRV/ENT had a more severe clinical course than those with RSV and FLUA/B infections and often had significant comorbidities. These findings emphasize the importance of considering HRV/ENT infection in children presenting with severe acute respiratory tract infections.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)