Search results for "Viruses"
showing 10 items of 1182 documents
Extremely high mutation rate of a hammerhead viroid
2009
Supporting information (Materials and methods, figs. S1-S3, suppl. references) available at: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/data/323/5919/1308/DC1/1
The external domains of the HIV-1 envelope are a mutational cold spot
2015
In RNA viruses, mutations occur fast and have large fitness effects. While this affords remarkable adaptability, it can also endanger viral survival due to the accumulation of deleterious mutations. How RNA viruses reconcile these two opposed facets of mutation is still unknown. Here we show that, in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1), spontaneous mutations are not randomly located along the viral genome. We find that the viral mutation rate experiences a threefold reduction in the region encoding the most external domains of the viral envelope, which are strongly targeted by neutralizing antibodies. This contrasts with the hypermutation mechanisms deployed by other, more slowly mutating …
Effect of Ribavirin on the Mutation Rate and Spectrum of Hepatitis C Virus In Vivo
2009
ABSTRACTTheir extremely error-prone replication makes RNA viruses targets for lethal mutagenesis. In the case of hepatitis C virus (HCV), the standard treatment includes ribavirin, a base analog with an in vitro mutagenic effect, but the in vivo mode of action of ribavirin remains poorly understood. Here, we test the mutagenic effects of ribavirin plus interferon treatment in vivo using a new method to estimate mutation rates based on the analysis of nonsense mutations. We apply this methodology to a large HCV sequence database containing over 15,000 reverse transcription-PCR molecular clone sequences from 74 patients infected with HCV. We obtained an estimate of the spontaneous mutation ra…
Variation in RNA virus mutation rates across host cells.
2014
It is well established that RNA viruses exhibit higher rates of spontaneous mutation than DNA viruses and microorganisms. However, their mutation rates vary amply, from 10−6 to 10−4 substitutions per nucleotide per round of copying (s/n/r) and the causes of this variability remain poorly understood. In addition to differences in intrinsic fidelity or error correction capability, viral mutation rates may be dependent on host factors. Here, we assessed the effect of the cellular environment on the rate of spontaneous mutation of the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), which has a broad host range and cell tropism. Luria-Delbrück fluctuation tests and sequencing showed that VSV mutated similarly…
Genetic lesions associated with Muller's ratchet in an RNA virus
1996
The molecular basis of Muller's ratchet has been investigated using the important animal pathogen foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). Clones from two FMDV populations were subjected to serial plaque transfers (repeated bottleneck events) on host BHK-21 cells. Relative fitness losses were documented in 11 out of 19 clones tested. Small fitness gains were observed in three clones. One viral clone attained an extremely low plating efficiency, suggesting that accumulation of deleterious mutations had driven the virus near extinction. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed unique genetic lesions in multiply transferred clones that had never been seen in FMDVs isolated in nature or subjected to m…
Pandemic H1N1 influenza-associated myocarditis in a patient with Castleman's disease.
2013
We report on a patient with longstanding multicentric Castleman’s disease, hyaline-vascular type, who presented with nearly-fatal myocarditis associated with a 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus infection. This is the first case of such an association described in the literature.
Human parvovirus B19 infection and antiphospholipid antibodies
2007
Erythema infectiosum is the main manifestation of human parvovirus B19 infections. Further B19-related diseases commonly associated with the acute infection are flue-like symptoms, transient aplastic crisis, transient arthralgias, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia, spontaneous abortion and hydrops fetalis in pregnant women. Hepatitis, myocarditis, meningitis, encephalitis as well as pure red cell anemia may occur occasionally. In addition parvovirus B19 infections have been frequently described as cause or trigger of various forms of autoimmune diseases affecting all blood cell lines, joints, connective tissue, uvea, large and small vessels. Molecular mimicry may be one major contribution to …
Persistence of Human Bocavirus 1 in Tonsillar Germinal Centers and Antibody-Dependent Enhancement of Infection
2021
Human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1), a common pediatric respiratory pathogen, can persist in airway secretions for months hampering diagnosis. It also persists in tonsils, providing potential reservoirs for airway shedding, with the exact location, host cell types, and virus activity unknown.
Listeria phage and phage tail induction triggered by components of bacterial-growth media (phosphate, LiCl, nalidixic acid and acriflavine)
2015
ABSTRACT The detection of Listeria monocytogenes from food is currently carried out using a double enrichment. For the ISO methodology, this double enrichment is performed using half-Fraser and Fraser broths, in which the overgrowth of L. innocua can occur in samples where both species are present. In this study, we analyzed the induction of phages and phage tails of Listeria spp. in these media and in two brain heart infusion (BHI) broths (BHIM [bioMérieux] and BHIK [Biokar]) to identify putative effectors. It appears that Na 2 HPO 4 at concentrations ranging from 1 to 40 g/liter with an initial pH of 7.5 can induce phage or phage tail production of Listeria spp., especially with 10 g/lite…
Risk factors and interventional strategies for BK polyomavirus infection after renal transplantation.
2012
BK virus (BKV)-induced viraemia after renal transplantation can be associated with severe impairment of graft function. This study evaluated possible risk factors for BKV replication and examined the outcomes following various currently used treatment approaches.Fifty-seven renal transplant recipients with BKV viraemia were retrospectively compared with 71 BKV-negative recipients to identify risk factors for BKV viraemia. Furthermore, outcome and graft function in 14 patients with BKV replication, in whom mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was discontinued with a dose reduction of the remaining immunosuppressants, were compared with 32 patients in whom both MMF and the additional immunosuppressant…