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Science Communication and Viruses
Published in Patricia G. Melloy, Viruses and Society, 2023
Twenty-five years after the original conference, a small group of scientists, some from the original Asilomar meeting, met to discuss the value of the “Asilomar process” in which scientists self-reflect on the implications of their work beyond science into society. Although the group deemed the process valuable, many wondered if the public needed to play a bigger role in the process (Barinaga 2000; Davatelis 2000). In addition, safety concerns have been raised regarding advanced applications using recombinant DNA technology such as gene therapy and gene editing. Modification of a human pathogen, the influenza virus, has raised concerns related to bioterrorism (Falkow 2012; Editorials 2015).
Order Articulavirales
Published in Paul Pumpens, Peter Pushko, Philippe Le Mercier, Virus-Like Particles, 2022
Paul Pumpens, Peter Pushko, Philippe Le Mercier
The order is of extremely high medical importance, because of the continuous healthcare concern associated with influenza infections. There are four types of influenza virus, namely types A, B, C, and D belonging to the genera Alphainfluenzavirus, Betainfluenzavirus, Gammainfluenzavirus, and Deltainfluenzavirus, respectively. The influenza A and B viruses are clinically relevant for humans. Influenza A viruses are responsible for annual epidemics and all known influenza pandemics. The influenza B virus is primarily a human pathogen, which is not associated with an animal reservoir. It causes similar symptoms and disease as the influenza A virus. However, the frequency of the severe cases of influenza B infections appears to be significantly lower than that of influenza A. As to the influenza C, well-defined outbreaks have rarely been detected in humans, and the virus is rarely associated with severe syndromes. Most people have antibody to the influenza C virus by early adulthood, and influenza C is not included in the current influenza vaccine formulations. For more information and references, reviews of Pushko et al. (2008), Pushko and Tumpey (2015), and Pushko and Tretyakova (2020) are recommended.
Disease Prediction and Drug Development
Published in Arvind Kumar Bansal, Javed Iqbal Khan, S. Kaisar Alam, Introduction to Computational Health Informatics, 2019
Arvind Kumar Bansal, Javed Iqbal Khan, S. Kaisar Alam
Pathogenesis (causing disease) is a complex phenomenon. A bacterium under different circumstances and environment can become pathogenic based upon host–pathogen interactions. A human-body is a carrier of pathogens that become dominant under a specific environmental condition, which varies from individual to individual depending upon their microbiome and immune system response. Microbiome is the set of environmental conditions within a human-body where a cell lives. Important portals for human–pathogen interactions are: 1) digestive tract, including mouth and gut; 2) nasal cavity and 3) wounds. In addition, once the pathogens are in the fluid system such as blood they can travel in any part of the body.
Presence of Streptococcus pyogenes in the throat in invasive Group A Streptococcal disease: a prospective two-year study in two health districts, Finland
Published in Infectious Diseases, 2023
Ville Kailankangas, Johanna Vilhonen, Kirsi Gröndahl-Yli-Hannuksela, Kaisu Rantakokko-Jalava, Tapio Seiskari, Kari Auranen, Emilia Lönnqvist, Mirva Virolainen, Hanne-Leena Hyyryläinen, Jarmo Oksi, Jaana Syrjänen, Jaana Vuopio
Streptococcus pyogenes, or Group A Streptococcus (GAS), is an important human pathogen and remains among the top 10 infectious causes of mortality [1]. It may colonize the throat, other mucous membranes or the skin asymptomatically but is also responsible for various infectious diseases. Most commonly these are mild to moderate infections of the throat and tonsillae, or of the skin, such as impetigo and cellulitis [2]. GAS also causes invasive infections, such as septicemia, necrotizing soft-tissue infection (NSTI) and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS), which are severe and life threatening even when properly treated and may result in adverse sequelae [3]. In high-income countries, the case fatality rate (CFR) of invasive GAS (iGAS) infections is 10–20%, while the most severe forms STSS and NSTI have a CFR as high as 30–50% [4–7].
Bioprospecting of aqueous phase from pyrolysis of plant waste residues to disrupt MRSA biofilms
Published in Biofouling, 2023
Srividhya Krishnan, Subramaniyasharma Sivaraman, Sowndarya Jothipandiyan, Ponnusami Venkatachalam, Saravanan Ramiah Shanmugam, Nithyanand Paramasivam
Staphylococcus aureus, is a well-known human pathogen, which causes infection upon colonization with varying degree of infectivity from mild skin irritation to pneumonia, mostly, spreading in healthcare and hospital environments. Hospital equipment and surfaces (which included door handles, floors, bed surfaces, stethoscopes, etc.) have been reported to be colonised with S. aureus isolates (Jabłońska-Trypuć et al. 2022). Studies also show that S. aureus can remain viable on dry surfaces over a time period of 1 week to 3 years (Chaibenjawong and Foster 2011). The major contact surfaces in hospitals are plastic (polyvinyl or polypropylene) surfaces, ceramic tiles and stainless-steel surfaces. These pathogens survive under hospital conditions depending on the porosity, free surface, hydrophobicity, adhesion and biofilm formation ability (Sinde and Carballo 2000; Donlan 2001, 2002). It is also reported that stainless steel promotes easy formation of biofilm and plastic surfaces can act as a source of disease transmission from inanimate surfaces (Lagha et al. 2015).
The ancestral stringent response potentiator, DksA has been adapted throughout Salmonella evolution to orchestrate the expression of metabolic, motility, and virulence pathways
Published in Gut Microbes, 2022
Helit Cohen, Boaz Adani, Emiliano Cohen, Bar Piscon, Shalhevet Azriel, Prerak Desai, Heike Bähre, Michael McClelland, Galia Rahav, Ohad Gal-Mor
The ubiquitous bacterial genus Salmonella is a facultative intracellular animal and human pathogen, belonging to the Proteobacteria phylum. The Salmonella genus comprises the two defined species Salmonella bongori (S. bongori) and Salmonella enterica (S. enterica). Salmonella diverged from a common ancestor with Escherichia coli about 100–160 million years ago.1,2 The two current species of Salmonella diverged from a common ancestor about 40 to 63 million years ago.1,3,4 One of these species, S. bongori, is frequently associated with infection of cold-blooded animals, like reptiles and amphibians. The other species, S. enterica, includes seven distinct subspecies. Among the S. enterica subspecies known, subspecies enterica (ssp. I) is associated with human and warm-blooded animal infections and responsible for 99% of all human salmonellosis infections.5