Volume 222, Issue 10, 15 November 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has unveiled longstanding social and health disparities in the Hispanic/Latinx community in the United States. A multitiered approach will be critical to reduce the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the health and survival of the Hispanic/Latinx population.

COVID-19 spread rapidly throughout the US in early 2020. Epidemic doubling time increased significantly during mitigation efforts compared to the period prior to stay-at-home orders, and states that implemented stay-at-home orders experienced significantly increased doubling time compared to states without.

Individual behaviors to protect against exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus were nearly identical across white, African American, and Latino respondents in a probability-based survey representative of US households.

Deep throat saliva as a diagnostic specimen for COVID-19 has the advantage of being self-collected to minimize infectious exposure to healthcare workers. However, it is suboptimal in sensitivity. False-negative results may pose adverse impact on patient management and outbreak control.

We observed low neutralizing antibody (NAb) levels in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) convalescent plasma (CP), and CP administration did not affect NAb levels in recipients with SARS-CoV-2. CP NAb levels should be assessed before infusion in patients.

Rapid serologic assays are needed to detect antibodies in individuals infected with or recovering from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The assay described is advantageous in that it is highly accurate, requires only 2.5 hours, uses little antigen/test, and constitutes a high-throughput platform.

Investigation of a cluster of 108 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections linked to music clubs revealed that asymptomatically infected persons can transmit SARS-CoV-2 as soon as 2 days after infection. Asymptomatic transmission appeared to be efficient in crowded indoor settings.

Gonococci use host-derived sialic acid to evade immune defenses. Intravaginal administration of sialic acid analogs (nonulosonates) renders gonococci susceptible to host immunity and accelerates their clearance in mice. We show that cathelicidins are required for efficacy of nonulosonates in vivo.

Antiretroviral treatment may cause false-negative results in HIV diagnostic assays: false negativity was demonstrated for seroconverters with early treatment initiation in 12.0%–31.3%, and for patients on suppressive treatment for ≥ 9 years in 2.1%–4.9%.

Using designed sampling and high genotyping density, the study produced 6078 near full-length HIV-1C genome next-generation sequences and identified 984 phylogenetically distinct molecular clusters. The complex structure of the country-wide HIV-1C transmission network in Botswana was revealed, mapped, and characterized.

We explored the ability of different delayed fractional dose-regimens of RTS,S/AS01-formulations to increase vaccine efficacy using CHMI. The pediatric RTS,S/AS01E-formulation was comparably efficacious with an equivalent RTS,S/AS01B regimen in adults. The two-dose regimen evaluated was inferior to the three-dose regimens.

The majority of Plasmodium falciparum infections, constituting the reservoir in all ages, are asymptomatic in high-transmission settings in Africa. The role of this reservoir in the evolution and spread of drug resistance was investigated in northern Ghana.

Granule effector proteins of neutrophils play a crucial role in pneumococcal clearance. Uncontrolled neutrophil degranulation can result in tissue pathology. Pneumolysin is a major pneumococcal cytoplasmic trigger of neutrophil degranulation. Extracellular ATP binds pneumolysin and neutralizes excessive pneumolysin-mediated neutrophil activation.

In nonhuman primates, a group B streptococcal infection was associated with an miRNA profile in placental chorioamniotic membranes consistent with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). EMT is a novel mechanism for infection-associated chorioamniotic membrane weakening, which may lead to preterm birth.

Mothers of children who remained KSHV negative demonstrated higher antibody titers than mothers of KSHV-positive children; however, there was no difference in the prevalence of neutralizing antibodies. Low titers and seroreversion were also common.

105 peer-reviewed articles from the first 14 years of rotavirus vaccine implementation show substantial reductions in rotavirus and acute gastroenteritis hospitalizations, with the largest decreases in countries with low child mortality and higher coverage, and among younger age groups.

Our results demonstrated that Ebola virus can infect peripheral ganglia and results in ganglionopathy in rhesus macaques. Additionally, EBOV targets CD68⁺ macrophages, induces satellite cell and neuronal apoptosis, and activates microglial cells in sensory and autonomic ganglia.