Project description:Dabie bandavirus, also termed as severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), was first isolated in China in 2010. At this time, the virus was found to have spread to South Korea, Japan, and other countries. A high case fatality rate is reported for SFTS, ranging from 12–50% within various sources. Several omics for clinical studies among SFTS patients as well as studies of cultured SFTSV have attempted to characterize the relevant molecular biology and epidemiology of the disease. However, a global serum proteomics analysis among SFTS patients has not yet been reported to date. Thrombocytopenia and multiple organ failure are the major immediate causes of death among SFTS patients. In this study, serum proteomic changes related to thrombocytopenia, abnormal immune response, and inflammatory activation were documented in SFTS patients. These findings provide useful information forunderstanding the clinical manifestations of SFTS.
Project description:Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome phlebovirus (SFTSV), listed in the WHO most dangerous pathogens, has 12-30% fatality rates with a characteristic thrombocytopenia syndrome. With a majority of clinically diagnosed SFTSV patients older than ~50 years, age is a critical risk factor for SFTSV morbidity and mortality. Here, we report an age-dependent ferret model of SFTSV infection and pathogenesis that fully recapitulates the clinical manifestations of human infections. While young adult ferrets (≤2 years old) did not show any clinical symptoms and mortality, SFTSV-infected aged ferrets (≥4 years old) demonstrated severe thrombocytopenia, reduced white blood cells, and high fever with 93% mortality rate. Moreover, significantly higher viral load was observed in aged ferrets. Transcriptome analysis of SFTSV-infected young ferrets revealed strong interferon-mediated anti-viral signaling, whereas inflammatory immune responses were markedly upregulated and persisted in aged ferrets. Thus, this immunocompetent age-dependent ferret model should be useful for anti-SFTSV therapy and vaccine development.
Project description:In order to determine the microRNAs profile in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) from severe febrile with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus infection and investigate possible diagnostic value of these differential microRNAs.
Project description:Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is an emerging tick-borne virus causing a high fatality of 12-50% in infected patients. In-depth understanding of the SFTSV induced pathogenesis mechanism is critical for developing effective anti-SFTS therapeutics.
Project description:Typical symptoms of uncomplicated dengue fever (DF) include headache, muscle pains, rash, cough, and vomiting. A proportion of cases progress to severe dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), associated with vascular permeability, thrombocytopenia, and hemorrhages. Progression to severe dengue is difficult to diagnose at the onset of fever, which complicates patient triage, posing a socio-economic burden on health systems. To identify parameters associated with protection and susceptibility to DHF, we pursued a systems immunology approach integrating plasma chemokine profiling, high-dimensional mass cytometry and peripheral blood mononuclear cell transcriptomic analysis at the onset of fever in a prospective study conducted in Indonesia.
Project description:Rift Valley fever virus causes severe disease in humans and livestock and in some cases can be fatal. There is concern about the use of Rift Valley fever virus as a bioweapon since it can be transmitted through the air, and there are no vaccines or antiviral treatments. Airborne transmission of the virus causes severe inflammation of the brain, yet little is known about the immune response against the virus in this organ. Here, we investigated the immune response in the brain to Rift Valley fever virus following intranasal infection. We determined that microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, initiate a robust response to Rift Valley fever virus infection and identified a key immune pathway that is critical for the ability of microglia to respond to infection. When this immune pathway is rendered non-functional, mice have a dysregulated response to infection in the brain.
Project description:Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a new tick-borne infectious disease caused by a new SFTS virus (SFTSV). Due to its 12%-50% high fatality rate and the possibility of pandemic transmission, as well as no specific antiviral drugs for the treatment so far, SFTSV has been listed as one of the top 10 priority infectious diseases by the World Health Organization. Currently, there are rare studies of transcriptomic analysis for the patients infected with SFTSV, which makes it difficult to deeply understand the life cyle and pathogenicity of this virus. To explore the differences of transcripts after SFTSV infection, we performed a longitudinal sampling study to systematically investigate the chronological changes of viral load and transcriptomic and epigenetic characterization using white blood cells from SFTSV patients. The results showed significant changes in the expression of some genes from onset to recovery of SFTSV infection. Moreover, these differentially expressed genes showed good consistency in the three patients at different stages of treatment, which may contribute to the pathophysiology of SFTSV and thus lead to a breakthrough in SFTSV therapy. Moreover, by m6A-seq, we found some genes that might be regulated by m6A. This study in transcript changes and RNA modification may open a brand new direction to our understanding of SFTSV and play an important role in the drugs discovery for effective treatment.