Diagnostic Approach to Fulminant Hepatitis in the Critical Care Unit
Cheston B. Cunha, Burke A. Cunha in Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship in Critical Care Medicine, 2020
Paramyxoviridae is a family of RNA viruses that is associated with diseases such as measles, mumps, and respiratory tract infections (respiratory syncytial virus). Giant cell hepatitis, a relatively common pathological finding in neonates, is a cholestatic disorder caused by a virus in the Paramyxovirus family that is associated with symptoms of cholestatic jaundice, dark urine, light/acholic stools, and hepatomegaly. In adults, the viral course is typically rapid. Laboratory abnormalities resemble that of other viral hepatitides [43,44]. On liver biopsy, numerous enlarged multinucleated hepatocytes with abundant cytoplasm can be seen. Specific ELISA and RT-PCR testing can be performed, although the diagnosis is usually based on clinical findings [43]. Its occurrence has been reported in post-liver transplantation patients and is treated effectively with ribavirin [44].
Knowledge Flows in One Health
Kevin Bardosh in One Health, 2016
Nonetheless, significant amounts of research have been conducted on the virus since 1999 for several reasons. First, it is a virus of bats. Bats have been found to be wild reservoirs for many emerging pathogens, especially of Paramyxoviridae family viruses, which includes Nipah but also mumps, measles and rinderpest. Second, Hendra virus (belonging to the same genus as Nipah)12 has received much attention in Australia, where it has caused infections in humans and horses; research carried out on Nipah stimulates research on Hendra, and vice versa. Third, Nipah has recently been identified in bat blood samples in Ghana and Madagascar (Peel et al., 2012). This has stimulated an active search for the virus in other African countries, with the idea that Nipah’s geographic distribution may follow the natural distribution of Old World fruit bats and that the virus might even have originated from the African continent (Hayman et al., 2012). With a distinct and complex disease ecology, possible growing geographic scope and the potential for human-to-human transmission, the pandemic potential of Nipah virus clearly contributes to a relatively visible research portfolio in the world of zoonoses.
Aerosol Spread and Communicability of Respiratory Viruses
Sunit K. Singh in Human Respiratory Viral Infections, 2014
Viral aerosols may persist in the environment, given the appropriate size, based upon prevailing meteorological conditions, thus increasing the probability of aerosol transmission. Location largely affects transmission occurrence; outdoor venues promote rapid dispersion of aerosols whereas poorly ventilated indoor environments may increase airborne particle concentrations and subsequent exposure probability. The relative humidity from seasonal changes has also been shown to affect the survival of viral aerosols; humidity has been shown to have deleterious effects upon viruses with particular characteristics and morphologies. Viral species containing lipid envelopes, for example, will survive in aerosol at a much higher rate in lower humidity environments.6,10 This includes a variety of pathogenic viruses from a constellation of viral families including Paramyxoviridae (measles, mumps), Orthomyxoviridae (influenza), Herpesviridae (varicella), and Togaviridae (rubella).4 Incidence of these viral infections tends to increase in the winter months, when humidity is generally lower.
Prevention of viral infections in solid organ transplant recipients in the era of COVID-19: a narrative review
Published in Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 2022
Paraskevas Filippidis, Julien Vionnet, Oriol Manuel, Matteo Mombelli
RSV is a single-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family and is responsible for seasonal annual epidemics worldwide. While classically observed in healthy children aged 2 years or less, RSV infections may also occur in children or adult SOT recipients, with a lower incidence than influenza virus, but a similar clinical presentation [56]. In addition to avoidance measures, the RSV-specific humanized monoclonal antibody pavilizumab is the only effective preventive treatment currently approved [88]. Prophylaxis with pavilizumab is currently recommended for high-risk children aged 2 years or less [89]. Pavilizumab is commonly used among pediatric SOT recipients, especially for heart and lung transplants [90,91], although data in the SOT setting are lacking [63]. No approved vaccines for the prevention of RSV are currently available.
Inner ear gene delivery: vectors and routes
Published in Hearing, Balance and Communication, 2020
Chris Valentini, Betsy Szeto, Jeffrey W. Kysar, Anil K. Lalwani
Viral-mediated gene delivery into the inner ear has been applied to animal models using various viral vectors including adenovirus [3–6], adeno-associated virus [7–10], lentivirus [11–13], herpes simplex virus [14–16], vaccinia virus [16], and Sendai virus [17,18]. These viral vectors have previously been reviewed in detail [19]. While adenovirus (AdV) has high transfection efficiency and can accommodate large gene inserts, AdV-mediated gene therapy results in only transient expression of the transgene [20]. Lentivirus, a retrovirus, can achieve long term gene expression and can also accommodate large gene inserts, but may be immunogenic and ototoxic and carries the danger of random integration into the genome [12]. Herpes simplex virus (HSV), a neurotropic vector, has been used to transduce neurotropin-3 within mice to prevent cisplatin-induced damage [14]. Both HSV and vaccinia virus may elicit strong immune responses within the host. Sendai virus, of the paramyxoviridae family, is a promising vector because of its low pathogenicity, high transduction efficiency, and location exclusively within the cytoplasm [17,18]. However, this vector has been less thoroughly investigated for inner ear gene delivery compared to other viral vectors.
Post-exposure prophylactic vaccine candidates for the treatment of human Risk Group 4 pathogen infections
Published in Expert Review of Vaccines, 2020
James Logue, Ian Crozier, Peter B Jahrling, Jens H Kuhn
Nipah virus (NiV; Paramyxoviridae: Henipavirus), is responsible for encephalitis outbreaks in Southern and Southeast Asia (in particular, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and India) that have been increasing in regularity and severity. After an incubation period generally ranging from a few days to-14 days, human disease most often presents with fever, headache, and other nonspecific symptoms. Patients may present with respiratory symptoms and signs, but most prominently they will rapidly progress to encephalitis and coma within 5 to 7 days. Disease sequelae have been reported, including relapsing encephalitis developing months or years following recovery [117]. Transmission of NiV to humans has been linked to domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus Erxleben, 1777) that have come into contact with NiV natural reservoir hosts (pteropodid bats) [118]. As potential routes of infection are well documented for NiV, PEP vaccination may have the potential to minimize the spread of NiV among humans, especially if implemented following noticeable disease in domestic pigs. Though no currently licensed vaccine for the prevention of NiV infection is available, multiple candidate vaccines have been developed, including rVSIV-vectored and rabies virus-vectored vaccines, which have variable efficacy in animal studies if administered prior to infection [119,120]. These candidate vaccines should be evaluated for PEP efficacy as soon as possible. Likewise, similar candidate PEP vaccines ought to be developed for NiV’s closest relative, Hendra virus, which, thus far, has caused a handful of lethal encephalitis cases [121].
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