Herpes simplex 1

OBJECTIVE: Microbial keratitis (MK) is a significant cause of blindness in sub-Saharan Africa. We investigated the feasibility of using a novel corneal impression membrane (CIM) for obtaining and processing samples by culture, PCR and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in patients presenting with suspected MK in Malawi. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Samples were collected from patients presenting with suspected MK using a 12 mm diameter polytetrafluoroethylene CIM disc. Samples were processed using culture and PCR for Acanthamoeba , herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and the bacterial 16S rRNA gene...

Optimal activation of stimulator of interferon genes (STING) protein is crucial for host defenses against pathogens and avoiding detrimental effects. Various post-translational modifications control STING activity. However, the function of interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene (ISG) 15 modification (ISGylation) in controlling STING stability and activation is unclear. Here, we show that the E3 ISGylation ligases HECT domain- and RCC1-like domain-containing proteins (HERCs; HERC5 in humans and HERC6 in mice) facilitate STING activation by mediating ISGylation of STING at K150, preventing its K48-linked ubiquitination and degradation...

DNA sensing is important for antiviral immunity. The DNA sensor cGAS synthesizes 2'3'-cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP), a second messenger that activates STING, which induces innate immunity. cGAMP not only activates STING in the cell where it is produced but cGAMP also transfers to other cells. Transporters, channels, and pores (including SLC19A1, SLC46A2, P2X7, ABCC1, and volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs)) release cGAMP into the extracellular space and/or import cGAMP. We report that infection with multiple human viruses depletes some of these cGAMP conduits...

Critical stages of lytic herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) replication are marked by the sequential expression of immediate early (IE) to early (E), then late (L) viral genes. HSV-1 can also persist in neuronal cells via a non-replicative, transcriptionally repressed infection called latency. The regulation of lytic and latent transcriptional profiles is critical to HSV-1 pathogenesis and persistence. We sought a fluorescence-based approach to observe the outcome of neuronal HSV-1 infection at the single-cell level...

OBJECTIVES: To assess the incidences of Herpes Simplex-1 and 2 (HSV-1, HSV-2), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) reactivations in critically ill COVID-19 patients. To determine the association between viral reactivation and in-hospital mortality, Intensive Care Unit Bloodstream infection (ICU-BSI), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). DESIGN: Observational retrospective cohort study. SETTING: COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit. PATIENTS: From November 2020 to May 2021, one hundred and twenty patients with COVID-19 severe pneumonia were enrolled and tested for HSV-1, HSV-2, CMV and EBV at the admission in ICU and weekly until discharge or death...

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) share similar pathological features, suggesting common genetic aetiologies between the two. Investigating gene associations between AD and AMD may provide useful insights into the underlying pathogenesis and inform integrated prevention and treatment for both diseases. METHODS: A stratified quantile-quantile (QQ) plot was constructed to detect the pleiotropy among AD and AMD based on genome-wide association studies data from 17 008 patients with AD and 30 178 patients with AMD...

BACKGROUND: About 10% of individuals undergoing in vitro fertilization encounter recurrent implantation failure (RIF), which represents a worldwide social and economic concern. Nevertheless, the critical genes and genetic mechanisms underlying RIF are largely unknown. METHODS: We first obtained three comprehensive microarray datasets "GSE58144, GSE103465 and GSE111974". The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) evaluation, enrichment analysis, as well as efficient weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), were employed for distinguishing RIF-linked hub genes, which were tested by RT-qPCR in our 30 independent samples...

Several antiviral agents lost their efficacy due to their severe side effects and virus mutations. This study aimed to identify and optimize the conditions for exopolysaccharide (EPS) production from a newly isolated cyanobacterium, Acaryochloris Al-Azhar MNE ON864448.1, besides exploring its antiviral activity. The cyanobacterial EPS was purified through DEAE-52 cellulose column with a final yield of 83.75%. Different analysis instruments were applied for EPS identification, including Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)...

BACKGROUND: The role of viral agents in the development of head and neck cancers has remained controversial. While markers of viral origin have been isolated from oral cancer tissues, a causative relationship has yet to be shown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between head and neck cancers and Herpes simplex virus, one of the most common viral infections of the oral orifice. METHODS: Here, we conducted a retrospective analysis of two age- and gender-matched cohorts extracted from the real-world database TriNetX on March 10th, 2023, each consisting of 249,272 patients with and without Herpes simplex infections (ICD-10: B00)...

Helicase-primase is an interesting target for the therapy of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections. Since amenamevir is already approved for varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and HSV in Japan and pritelivir has received breakthrough therapy status for the treatment of acyclovir-resistant HSV infections in immunocompromised patients, the target has sparked interest in me-too approaches. Here, we describe the attempt to improve nervous tissue penetration in Phaeno Therapeutics drug candidate HN0037 to target the latent reservoir of HSV by installing less polar moieties, mainly a difluorophenyl instead of a pyridyl group, and replacing the primary sulfonamide with a methyl sulfoximine moiety...

Sarcoma is derived from mesenchymal neoplasms and has numerous subtypes, accounting for 1% of all adult malignancies and 15% of childhood malignancies. The prognosis of metastatic or recurrent sarcoma remains poor. The current study presents two cases of sarcoma enrolled in a phase I dose escalation trial for solid tumor, who had previously failed all standard therapies. These patients were treated with VG161, an immune-stimulating herpes simplex virus type 1 oncolytic virus with payloads of IL-12, IL-15 and IL-15 receptor α unit, and a programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/PD-1 ligand 1 blocking peptide...

Erythema multiforme (EM) is an immune-mediated mucocutaneous condition characterized by hypersensitivity reactions to antigenic stimuli from infectious agents and certain drugs. The most commonly implicated infectious agents associated with EM include herpes simplex virus (HSV) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Other infectious diseases reported to trigger EM include human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and several opportunistic infections. However, studies focusing on EM and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are scarce...

BACKGROUND: We analyzed the prevalence of active infection with common curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including N. gonorrhea, C. trachomatis, T. vaginalis, and T. pallidum, as well as active infection with HPV, herpes simplex virus types I (HSV-1) and II (HSV-2), M. hominis, M. genitalium, C. albicans, and Ureaplasma in 351 Lebanese women. METHODS: A cross-sectional study, involving 351 sexually active women, 40 years or younger, who were recruited from outpatient Obstetrics and Gynecology clinic attendees between September 2016 and November 2017...

Serological screening for TORCH(Toxoplasma gondii [TOX], Rubella virus [RV], Cytomegalovirus [CMV], and Herpes simplex virus [HSV]) infections is an effective method for preventing congenital infections caused by TORCH pathogens.In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the characteristics of TORCH infections in 17,807 infertile women of childbearing age in northwest China.We conducted serological detection of TORCH-pathogen-specific IgM and IgG antibodies. The seroprevalence of TORCH infections was statistically analyzed by applying χ2 and Fisher exact-probability tests to evaluate the differences among ages and across quarters of the year...

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to investigate the overlapping epidemiologies of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis in sexual networks of men who have sex with men (MSM), and to explore to what extent the epidemiology of one sexually transmitted infection (STI) relates to or differs from that of another STI. METHODS: An individual-based Monte Carlo simulation model was employed to simulate the concurrent transmission of STIs within diverse sexual networks of MSM...

Human herpes virus is a family of DNA viruses that includes herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV). HSV-1 and HSV-2 are fairly common and result in oral and genital lesions. Recurrent infections of herpes include lesions on the lips resulting in pain and possibly societal stigma, making adequate treatment of these conditions crucial. VZV is the cause of chicken pox and shingles. Acyclovir and other nucleoside analogues have been the gold standard of treatment for HSV and VZV, but newer, more effective treatments are being developed, which is beneficial regarding the issue of resistance to standard antivirals...

Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKis) are the preferred treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Despite their therapeutic benefits, these targeted agents have been associated with an increased risk of invasive infections. We describe a 68-year-old male who developed multiple bacterial, fungal and viral infections while on treatment with acalabrutinib. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of concomitant CNS infections with Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus fumigatus, along with cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) pneumonia while on acalabrutinib...

Viruses target mitochondria to promote their replication, and infection-induced stress during the progression of infection leads to the regulation of antiviral defenses and mitochondrial metabolism which are opposed by counteracting viral factors. The precise structural and functional changes that underlie how mitochondria react to the infection remain largely unclear. Here we show extensive transcriptional remodeling of protein-encoding host genes involved in the respiratory chain, apoptosis, and structural organization of mitochondria as herpes simplex virus type 1 lytic infection proceeds from early to late stages of infection...

Ocular herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infections can lead to visual impairment. Long-term acyclovir (ACV) prophylaxis reduces the frequency of recurrences but is associated with drug resistance. Novel therapies are needed to treat drug-resistant HSV-1 infections. Here, we describe the effects of trifluridine (TFT) in combination with ACV or ganciclovir (GCV) on HSV-1 replication and drug-resistance emergence. Wild-type HSV-1 was grown under increasing doses of one antiviral (ACV, GCV, or TFT) or combinations thereof (ACV + TFT or GCV + TFT)...

BACKGROUND: Colorectal Cancer (CRC) represents a significant global health challenge, and its progression, resistance to therapy, and metastasis are strongly influenced by the tumor microenvironment, including factors like hypoxia. This study explores the impact of High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) overexpression on CRC cell migration, while identifying potential genes associated with this process. METHODS: To explore this, we developed oncolytic virotherapy, resulting in HSVHMGB1, an oncolytic Herpes simplex virus that expresses HMGB1...