Design and validation of a laboratory-developed diagnostic assay for monkeypox virus.

Mpox is a viral zoonosis with endemic circulation in animals and humans in some West and Central African countries. The disease was imported a few times in the past to countries outside the African continent through infected animals or travelers, one of which resulted in an unprecedented global outbreak sustained by human-to-human transmission in 2022. Although timely and reliable diagnosis is a cornerstone of any disease control, availability of accurate diagnostic assays and comparative performance studies of diagnostic assays remains limited despite of the long-known identification of monkeypox virus (MPXV) as a human pathogen since 1970.

The characterization of multiple novel paramyxoviruses highlights the diverse nature of the subfamily .

The subfamily is a group of single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses that contains many human, animal, and zoonotic pathogens. While there are currently only forty-two recognized species in this subfamily, recent research has revealed that much of its diversity remains to be characterized. Using a newly developed nested PCR-based screening assay, we report here the discovery of fifteen orthoparamyxoviruses in rodents and shrews from Belgium and Guinea, thirteen of which are believed to represent new species.

HIV protease inhibitors Nelfinavir and Lopinavir/Ritonavir markedly improve lung pathology in SARS-CoV-2-infected Syrian hamsters despite lack of an antiviral effect.

Nelfinavir is an HIV protease inhibitor that has been widely prescribed as a component of highly active antiretroviral therapy, and has been reported to exert in vitro antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. We here assessed the effect of Nelfinavir in a SARS-CoV-2 infection model in hamsters. Despite the fact that Nelfinavir, [50 mg/kg twice daily (BID) for four consecutive days], did not reduce viral RNA load and infectious virus titres in the lung of infected animals, treatment resulted in a substantial improvement of SARS-CoV-2-induced lung pathology.

The combined treatment of Molnupiravir and Favipiravir results in a potentiation of antiviral efficacy in a SARS-CoV-2 hamster infection model.

Background: Favipiravir and Molnupiravir, orally available antivirals, have been reported to exert antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. First efficacy data have been recently reported in COVID-19 patients.

Methods: We here report on the combined antiviral effect of both drugs in a SARS-CoV-2 Syrian hamster infection model.

Exploration of the virosphere unveils an extensive virus diversity including novel coltiviruses and other reoviruses.

Recent metagenomics studies have revealed several tick species to host a variety of previously undiscovered RNA viruses. , which is known to be a vector for many viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens, is the most prevalent tick species in Europe. For this study, we decided to investigate the virosphere of Belgian ticks.

Chloroquine, an Anti-Malaria Drug as Effective Prevention for Hantavirus Infections.

We investigated whether chloroquine can prevent hantavirus infection and disease and , using the Hantaan virus newborn C57BL/6 mice model and the Syrian hamster model for Andes virus. antiviral experiments were performed using Vero E6 cells, and Old World and New World hantavirus species. Hantavirus RNA was detected using quantitative RT-PCR.

A single-dose live-attenuated YF17D-vectored SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate.

The expanding pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) requires the development of safe, efficacious and fast-acting vaccines. Several vaccine platforms are being leveraged for a rapid emergency response. Here we describe the development of a candidate vaccine (YF-S0) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that uses live-attenuated yellow fever 17D (YF17D) vaccine as a vector to express a noncleavable prefusion form of the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen.

STAT2 signaling restricts viral dissemination but drives severe pneumonia in SARS-CoV-2 infected hamsters.

Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 causing COVID-19 has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. In search for key targets of effective therapeutics, robust animal models mimicking COVID-19 in humans are urgently needed. Here, we show that Syrian hamsters, in contrast to mice, are highly permissive to SARS-CoV-2 and develop bronchopneumonia and strong inflammatory responses in the lungs with neutrophil infiltration and edema, further confirmed as consolidations visualized by micro-CT alike in clinical practice.

Common occurrence of Belerina virus, a novel paramyxovirus found in Belgian hedgehogs.

Common or European hedgehogs can be found throughout Western Europe. They are known carriers of a variety of parasitic and bacterial pathogens, and have also been shown to carry several viruses, including morbilli-like paramyxoviruses, although the pathogenic and zoonotic potential of some of these viruses has yet to be determined. We report here the discovery of a novel paramyxovirus in Belgian hedgehogs, named Belerina virus.

Longitudinal antibody and T cell responses in Ebola virus disease survivors and contacts: an observational cohort study.

Background: The 2013-16 Ebola virus disease epidemic in west Africa caused international alarm due to its rapid and extensive spread resulting in a significant death toll and social unrest within the affected region. The large number of cases provided an opportunity to study the long-term kinetics of Zaire ebolavirus-specific immune response of survivors in addition to known contacts of those infected with the virus.

Methods: In this observational cohort study, we worked with leaders of Ebola virus disease survivor associations in two regions of Guinea, Guéckédou and Coyah, to recruit survivors of Ebola virus disease, contacts from households of individuals known to have had Ebola virus disease, and individuals who were not knowingly associated with infected individuals or had not had Ebola virus disease symptoms to serve as negative controls.

Favipiravir at high doses has potent antiviral activity in SARS-CoV-2-infected hamsters, whereas hydroxychloroquine lacks activity.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) rapidly spread around the globe after its emergence in Wuhan in December 2019. With no specific therapeutic and prophylactic options available, the virus has infected millions of people of which more than half a million succumbed to the viral disease, COVID-19. The urgent need for an effective treatment together with a lack of small animal infection models has led to clinical trials using repurposed drugs without preclinical evidence of their in vivo efficacy.

Accounting for population structure reveals ambiguity in the Zaire Ebolavirus reservoir dynamics.

Ebolaviruses pose a substantial threat to wildlife populations and to public health in Africa. Evolutionary analyses of virus genome sequences can contribute significantly to elucidate the origin of new outbreaks, which can help guide surveillance efforts. The reconstructed between-outbreak evolutionary history of Zaire ebolavirus so far has been highly consistent.

Molecular epidemiology, phylogenetic analysis and genotype distribution of hepatitis B virus in Saudi Arabia: Predominance of genotype D1.

Despite the implementation of various vaccination programs, hepatitis B virus (HBV) poses a considerable health problem in Saudi Arabia. Insight on HBV evolutionary history in the region is limited. We performed a comprehensive epidemiological and phylogenetic reconstruction based on a large cohort of HBV infected patients.

: Current Classification and Future Perspectives.

In recent years, negative-sense RNA virus classification and taxon nomenclature have undergone considerable transformation. In 2016, the new order was established, elevating the previous genus to family rank, thereby creating . Here we summarize affirmed taxonomic modifications of this family from 2016 to 2019.

Complete Genome Sequence of a New Ebola Virus Strain Isolated during the 2017 Likati Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Genomic sequencing for early identification of Ebola virus remains a big challenge in low-income countries. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of an Ebola virus strain obtained during the 2017 Likati outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by using the Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) MinION sequencer.

Identifying the patterns and drivers of enzootic dynamics using reservoir sampling.

Hantaviruses are zoonotic hemorrhagic fever viruses for which prevention of human spillover remains the first priority in disease management. Tailored intervention measures require an understanding of the drivers of enzootic dynamics, commonly inferred from distorted human incidence data. Here, we use longitudinal sampling of approximately three decades of (PUUV) evolution in isolated reservoir populations to estimate PUUV evolutionary rates, and apply these to study the impact of environmental factors on viral spread.

Discovery and genome characterization of three new Jeilongviruses, a lineage of paramyxoviruses characterized by their unique membrane proteins.

Background: In the past decade, many new paramyxoviruses that do not belong to any of the seven established genera in the family Paramyxoviridae have been discovered. Amongst them are J-virus (JPV), Beilong virus (BeiPV) and Tailam virus (TlmPV), three paramyxovirus species found in rodents. Based on their similarities, it has been suggested that these viruses should compose a new genus, tentatively called 'Jeilongvirus'.

Expanding the Arterivirus Host Spectrum: Olivier's Shrew Virus 1, A Novel Arterivirus Discovered in African Giant Shrews.

The family Arteriviridae harbors a rapidly expanding group of viruses known to infect a divergent group of mammals, including horses, pigs, possums, primates, and rodents. Hosts infected with arteriviruses present with a wide variety of (sub) clinical symptoms, depending on the virus causing the infection and the host being infected. In this study, we determined the complete genome sequences of three variants of a previously unknown virus found in Olivier's shrews (Crocidura olivieri guineensis) sampled in Guinea.

A Novel Hantavirus of the European Mole, Bruges Virus, Is Involved in Frequent Nova Virus Coinfections.

Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses with a complex evolutionary history of virus-host coevolution and cross-species transmission. Although hantaviruses have a broad reservoir host range, virus-host relationships were previously thought to be strict, with a single virus species infecting a single host species. Here, we describe Bruges virus, a novel hantavirus harbored by the European mole (Talpa europaea), which is the well-known host of Nova virus.

A lethal disease model for New World hantaviruses using immunosuppressed Syrian hamsters.

Background: Hantavirus, the hemorrhagic causative agent of two clinical diseases, is found worldwide with variation in severity, incidence and mortality. The most lethal hantaviruses are found on the American continent where the most prevalent viruses like Andes virus and Sin Nombre virus are known to cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. New World hantavirus infection of immunocompetent hamsters results in an asymptomatic infection except for Andes virus and Maporal virus; the only hantaviruses causing a lethal disease in immunocompetent Syrian hamsters mimicking hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in humans.

Grotenhout Virus, a Novel Nairovirus Found in in Belgium.

We report here the draft genome of a novel nairovirus, Grotenhout virus, isolated from deer ticks () in Belgium. The genome consists of two segments, L and S, and is most similar to the tick-borne South Bay virus, with amino acid identities ranging from 60 to 64%.

Identification of a novel species of papillomavirus in giraffe lesions using nanopore sequencing.

Papillomaviridae form a large family of viruses that are known to infect a variety of vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, birds and fish. Infections usually give rise to minor skin lesions but can in some cases lead to the development of malignant neoplasia. In this study, we identified a novel species of papillomavirus (PV), isolated from warts of four giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis).

Spatio-temporal analysis of Nova virus, a divergent hantavirus circulating in the European mole in Belgium.

Over the last decade, the recognized host range of hantaviruses has expanded considerably with the discovery of distinct hantaviruses in shrews, moles and bats. Unfortunately, in-depth studies of these viruses have been limited. Here we describe a comprehensive analysis of the spatial distribution, genetic diversity and evolution of Nova virus, a hantavirus that has the European mole as its natural host.