Volume 222, Issue 8, 15 October 2020

This perspective details the challenges faced in starting a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) biobank as part of a collaborative effort to accelerate translational research. Barriers to COVID-19 translational research are surmountable and necessary in the effort to combat this pandemic.

In hypertensive patients with COVID-19, in-hospital continuation of ACE inhibitors or ARBs is associated with lower rates of mortality and intensive care admission in the absence of hypotension or acute kidney injury.

Hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 develop a strong anti–severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody response, including IgG and IgA, and with virus-neutralizing activity. Mild SARS-CoV-2 infections, which do not require hospitalization, induce a modest antibody response with little or no virus neutralizing activity.

Community-acquired respiratory viruses were dominant during the early severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic in winter 2020, but were rapidly replaced, suggesting competitive infection. Preexisting immune memory and innate immune interference may contribute to the different epidemiology among adults and children.

Performance characteristics for COVID-19 serological assays were generally lower than those reported by manufacturers. The optimal algorithm for implementing serological testing for COVID-19 remains to be determined, particularly in low-prevalence settings where positive predictive values are low.

Several oral rinses show significant severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) inactivating properties in vitro, supporting the idea that oral rinsing might reduce the viral load of saliva and could thus lower the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Most of the 46 infants with coronavirus disease 2019 in this study experienced moderate disease, and the most common clinical symptoms were fever and cough. Cardiac injury and liver dysfunction were prominent complications in infant patients, but none had lymphocytosis.

Respiratory syncytial virus infection in hospitalized elderly could lead to high rates of pneumonia, requirement for ventilatory support, and short- and long-term mortality. Increased recognition of the substantial burden is important in the evaluation and use of urgently needed interventions.

An investigation of Seoul virus infections in pet rats and people in the US found 31 infected facilities and 17 people with recent infections—all recovered with 3 hospitalized. Frequent trade of rats contributed to transmission of SEOV between facilities.

We identified a new Kaposi sarcoma–associated herpesvirus F variant in 5 Caucasian men who have sex with men. Careful screening may be required in this population, given the severe clinical presentation of associated diseases in the context of immunosuppression.

We detected influenza virus RNA on commonly touched surfaces in kindergartens and primary schools during the peak of a local influenza epidemic, indicating the potential role of fomites in influenza transmission among children in school settings.

During human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection heterogeneity in markers of immune activation is likely in part attributable to age, sex, cirrhosis, body mass index, and/or type of antiretroviral therapy. HCV treatment with direct-acting antiviral PrOD is highly effective and associated with variable decline in immune activation markers.

In a multicenter study of 77 hepatitis B surface antigen carriers with hematological cancer who received rituximab-containing chemotherapy, high risks of clinical relapse and hepatic decompensation were noted after cessation of prophylactic antiviral treatment. Pretreatment hepatitis B virus DNA level of 2000 IU/mL was effective to stratify the risks.

Neutrophils can modulate adaptive immunity, however their role in vaccine responses in vivo remains unclear. We found that neutrophils are required during immunization with the polysaccharide conjugate vaccine for optimal antibody responses and host protection against Streptococcus pneumoniae infection.

Mutations introduced by egg adaptation decreased vaccine efficacy and protection against circulating H3N2 viruses during the 2017–2018 influenza season in the United States, mitigating beneficial effects of vaccination, patient sex, or age.

In an analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial, we found comparable reactogenicity between MF59-adjuvanted, high-dose, recombinant hemagglutinin, and standard-dose influenza vaccines. An association between feverishness and immunogenicity was also observed but should be further investigated in a larger population.

We found increased rates of infection-related hospitalization and decreased cellular responses to the tetanus vaccine among HIV-exposed, uninfected compared with HIV-unexposed infants. Incomplete treatment of maternal HIV, but not early infant CMV infection, was associated with decreased vaccine responses.

This study shows that the ClpXP protease of Staphylococcus aureus is important for acute pneumonia. Mice display improved clearance and reduced inflammation, whereas S. aureus mutants are more susceptible to host cell killing.

Analysis of 2010–2016 Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) surveillance data found an association between higher age-adjusted incidence of laboratory-confirmed domestically acquired salmonellosis and higher census tract poverty levels, which was strongest for <5-year-olds but inconsistent across FoodNet sites.