Immunology of Infectious Disease News

Immunology of Infectious Disease News is an online resource dedicated to covering the latest research and developments in the field of infectious diseases.

Increased Household Transmission and Immune Escape of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Compared to Delta Variants

September 29, 2022

[Nature Communications] Researchers observed increased susceptibility to Omicron infection in household contacts compared to Delta, independent of contacts’ vaccination status.

The Human Host Response to Monkeypox Infection: A Proteomic Case Series Study

September 29, 2022

[EMBO Molecular Medicine] Scientists reported that monkeypox in this case series was associated with a strong plasma proteomic response among nutritional and acute phase response proteins. They reported a correlation between plasma proteins and disease severity.

Pathogenesis of Zika Virus Infection

September 28, 2022

[Annual Review of Pathology-Mechanisms of Disease] The authors discuss recent reports on the mechanisms used by Zika virus to replicate efficiently, and they highlight potential new areas of research for the development of therapeutic approaches.

Mucosal Plasma Cells Are Required To Protect the Upper Airway and Brain from Infection

September 27, 2022

[Immunity] Plasma cell depletions demonstrated that plasma cells must reside within olfactory tissue to achieve sterilizing immunity. Antibody blockade and genetically deficient models revealed that this local immunity required CD4+ T cells and CXCR3.

Omicron Neutralizing Antibody Response following Booster Vaccination Compared with Breakthrough Infection

September 27, 2022

[Med] 99 individuals were semi-randomly selected from a larger vaccination cohort following vaccination and in some cases breakthrough infection. They analyzed spike receptor-binding domain-specific IgG, IgA, and IgM by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, neutralizing antibody titers against live SARS-CoV-2 variants, and antibody-depended cell-mediated phagocytosis.

Design and Lyophilization of Lipid Nanoparticles for mRNA Vaccine and Its Robust Immune Response in Mice and Nonhuman Primates

September 27, 2022

[Molecular Therapy-Nucleic Acids] Buffer optimization allowed the determination of lyophilization conditions, where lipid nanoparticle-encapsulated mRNA encoding SARS-CoV-2 spike protein could induce robust immunogenicity in mice after one month of storage at 5°C and 25°C.

Asymptomatic or Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection Plus Vaccination Confers Increased Adaptive Immunity to Variants of Concern

September 27, 2022

[iScience] In this cross-sectional study, researchers examined serological and cell-mediated immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron, among a cohort of 18-21-year-old Marines with a history of either asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infection 6 to 14 months earlier.

Antigenic Cartography of SARS-CoV-2 Reveals That Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 Are Antigenically Distinct

September 27, 2022

[Science Immunology] Researchers used antigenic cartography to quantify and visualize antigenic differences between early SARS-CoV-2 variants using hamster antisera obtained after primary infection.

Memory B Cell Responses to Omicron Subvariants After SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Breakthrough Infection in Humans

September 27, 2022

[Journal of Experimental Medicine] Scientists examined the memory antibodies that develop after a third or fourth antigenic exposure by Delta or Omicron BA.1 infection, respectively.

Inactivated Rabies-Vectored SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Provides Long-Term Immune Response Unaffected by Vector Immunity

September 27, 2022

[NPJ Vaccines] Scientists screened adjuvants for the highest quality antibody titers, negated the concern of pre-existing rabies-vector immunity, and established its potential as a long-term COVID-19 vaccine.

Maternally Transferred mAbs Protect Neonatal Mice From HSV-Induced Mortality and Morbidity

September 27, 2022

[Journal of Experimental Medicine] Scientists tested the hypothesis that passive transfer of herpes simplex virus (HSV)-specific human mAbs can prevent mortality and morbidity associated with neonatal HSV.

A Multicenter, Double-Blind, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Placebo-Controlled Study To Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Camostat Mesilate in Patients with COVID-19 (CANDLE Study)

September 27, 2022

[BMC Medicine] Researchers investigated whether camostat mesilate is an effective treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection. This was a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study.

Immunology of Infectious Disease News was founded to keep the scientific community current with the latest developments in infectious disease research. We feature high-impact publications, news, jobs, and events focused on immune responses to and the development of treatments for infectious diseases such as COVID-19, HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, influenza, and malaria.