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One Health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Dec 2020As the threat of arboviral diseases continues to escalate worldwide, the question of, "What types of human communities are at the greatest risk of infection?" persists...
As the threat of arboviral diseases continues to escalate worldwide, the question of, "What types of human communities are at the greatest risk of infection?" persists as a key gap in the existing knowledge of arboviral diseases transmission dynamics. Here, we comprehensively review the existing literature on the socioeconomic drivers of the most common mosquito-borne diseases and mosquito presence/abundance. We reviewed a total of 182 studies on dengue viruses (DENV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV), yellow fever virus (YFVV), Zika virus (ZIKV), and presence of mosquito vectors. In general, associations between socioeconomic conditions and both -borne diseases and mosquitoes are highly variable and often location-specific. Although 50% to 60% of studies found greater presence or prevalence of disease or vectors in areas with lower socioeconomic status, approximately half of the remaining studies found either positive or null associations. We discuss the possible causes of this lack of conclusiveness as well as the implications it holds for future research and prevention efforts.
PubMed: 33392378
DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2020.100188 -
Revista Da Sociedade Brasileira de... 2021Cerebrospinal fluid analysis contributes to the diagnosis and neuropathogenesis of neuroinvasive arboviruses. Neurological complications caused by dengue, Zika, and...
INTRODUCTION
Cerebrospinal fluid analysis contributes to the diagnosis and neuropathogenesis of neuroinvasive arboviruses. Neurological complications caused by dengue, Zika, and chikungunya infections have high clinical relevance because of their high potential to cause death or neurological deficits. We aimed to evaluate the use of cerebrospinal fluid assays for diagnostic support in neurological disorders associated with dengue, chikungunya, and Zika infections.
METHODS
A systematic review was carried out by searching the electronic databases LILACS, PubMed, Scopus, and Embase for articles written in English, Portuguese, or Spanish in the last 19 years. Published studies were reviewed using the terms "dengue," "Zika", "chikungunya", alone or in combination with "cerebrospinal fluid" in the period from 2000 to 2019.
RESULTS
A total of 98,060 studies were identified; of these, 1.1% (1,041 studies, 58,478 cases) used cerebrospinal fluid assays for neurological investigations. The most frequent neurological disorders included encephalitis (41.4%), congenital syndromes (17%), and microcephaly associated with Zika virus infections (8.9%). Neuroinvasive disorders were confirmed in 8.03% of 58,478 cases by specific cerebrospinal fluid analyses. The main methods used were IgM-specific antibodies (66%) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (10%). The largest number of scientific papers (29%) originated from Brazil, followed by India (18.4%) and the United States (14.4%).
CONCLUSIONS
Although cerebrospinal fluid analysis is of great importance for increasing neurological diagnostic accuracy and contributes to the early diagnosis of neuroinvasive dengue, chikungunya, and Zika infections, it is underused in routine laboratory investigations worldwide.
Topics: Brazil; Chikungunya Fever; Chikungunya virus; Dengue; Dengue Virus; Humans; Zika Virus; Zika Virus Infection
PubMed: 33950132
DOI: 10.1590/0037-8682-0891-2020 -
Acta Tropica Jan 2023The risk of autochthonous transmission of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Europe greatly depends on the capacity of Aedes albopictus to transmit ZIKV. Experimental studies of the...
The risk of autochthonous transmission of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Europe greatly depends on the capacity of Aedes albopictus to transmit ZIKV. Experimental studies of the vector competence of European populations of this invasive mosquito species provided contrasting results, that may suggest differences between mosquito populations in ZIKV competence and/or differences in the methodological procedures used on the experimental studies. We systematically reviewed published studies of experimental mosquito infections and show that differences detected in the infection and transmission rates of Ae. albopictus are mostly due to differences between studies in the temperature, the viral load used to inoculate mosquitoes, and the number of days post-exposure (dpe) to the virus at which mosquitoes were analysed. In particular, the proportion of infected mosquitoes was affected by the viral load inoculated and the dpe, whereas the transmission rate was influenced by the viral load and temperature. Thus, the methodological differences used in these studies greatly affect the conclusions obtained regarding the role of Ae. albopictus in Europe as a competent vector for ZIKV and its epidemiological relevance.
Topics: Animals; Zika Virus; Aedes; Zika Virus Infection; Mosquito Vectors; Saliva
PubMed: 36270381
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106724 -
Viruses Feb 2024West Nile virus (WNV) infection is a seasonal arbovirosis with the potential to cause severe neurological disease. Outcomes of the infection from WNV depend on viral...
BACKGROUND
West Nile virus (WNV) infection is a seasonal arbovirosis with the potential to cause severe neurological disease. Outcomes of the infection from WNV depend on viral factors (e.g., lineage) and host-intrinsic factors (e.g., age, sex, immunocompromising conditions). Immunity is essential to control the infection but may also prove detrimental to the host. Indeed, the persistence of high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines is associated with the development of blood-brain barrier (BBB) damage. Due to the importance of the inflammatory processes in the development of West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND), we reviewed the available literature on the subject.
METHODS
According to the 2020 updated PRISMA guidelines, all peer-reviewed articles regarding the inflammatory response associated with WNND were included.
RESULTS
One hundred and thirty-six articles were included in the data analysis and sorted into three groups (in vitro on-cell cultures, in vivo in animals, and in humans). The main cytokines found to be increased during WNND were IL-6 and TNF-α. We highlighted the generally small quantity and heterogeneity of information about the inflammatory patterns associated with WNND.
CONCLUSIONS
Further studies are needed to understand the pathogenesis of WNND and to investigate the extent and the way the host inflammatory response either helps in controlling the infection or in worsening the outcomes. This might prove useful both for the development of target therapies and for the development of molecular markers allowing early identification of patients displaying an inflammatory response that puts them at a higher risk of developing neuroinvasive disease and who might thus benefit from early antiviral therapies.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Cytokines; Nervous System Diseases; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; West Nile Fever; West Nile virus
PubMed: 38543749
DOI: 10.3390/v16030383 -
Archives of Virology Aug 2020The novel human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, has quickly become a threat to the public health and economy worldwide. Despite the severity...
The novel human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, has quickly become a threat to the public health and economy worldwide. Despite the severity of some cases, there are no current pathogen-specific antivirals available to treat the disease. Therefore, many studies have focused on the evaluation of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of clinically available drugs. Here, we conducted a systematic review to describe the drug repositioning strategy against SARS-CoV-2 and to discuss the clinical impact of this approach in the current pandemic context. The systematic review was performed on March 23, 2020, using PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde (BVS). The data were summarized in tables and critically analyzed. After the database search, 12 relevant studies were identified as eligible for the review. Among the drugs reported in these studies, 57 showed some evidence of antiviral activity. Antivirals, especially antiretrovirals, are the main class of therapeutic agents evaluated against COVID-19. Moreover, studies have reported the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of antitumor (16%; 9/57), antimalarial (7%, 4/57), and antibacterial (5%; 3/57) agents. Additionally, seven pharmacological agents (chloroquine, tetrandrine, umifenovir (arbidol), carrimycin, damageprevir, lopinavir/ritonavir) are in phase IV of clinical trials. Due to the evidence of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of various clinically available agents, drug repositioning stands out as a promising strategy for a short-term response in the fight against the novel coronavirus.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Retroviral Agents; Antimalarials; Antineoplastic Agents; Antiviral Agents; Betacoronavirus; COVID-19; Coronavirus Infections; Drug Repositioning; Humans; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 Drug Treatment
PubMed: 32514689
DOI: 10.1007/s00705-020-04693-5