Publications by authors named "Veronica P Costantini"

Human norovirus causes more than 700 million illnesses annually. Extensive genetic diversity and a paucity of information on conserved neutralizing epitopes pose major obstacles to the design of broadly protective norovirus immunogens. Here, we used high-resolution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-driven proteomics to quantitatively characterize the circulating serum IgG repertoire before and after immunization with an experimental monovalent norovirus GII.

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Article Synopsis
  • mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, like Moderna's, are effective in reducing severe COVID-19 outcomes and have been studied for their immune responses, but less is known about antibody presence in saliva and mucosal fluids.
  • A study involving 203 CDC staff members was conducted to analyze the salivary immune response by collecting saliva samples before and after vaccination, focusing on specific antibodies (IgA and IgG) against SARS-CoV-2.
  • Results showed that salivary IgA levels peaked shortly after each vaccine dose, while IgG levels increased after the first dose, peaked after the second, and remained elevated for at least two months; however, more research is needed for long-term antibody tracking beyond this period.
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Article Synopsis
  • Fecal-orally transmitted gastroenteritis viruses, especially human noroviruses, are a major public health issue linked to contaminated water, but their infectivity has been hard to measure in lab settings.
  • This study tested the human intestinal enteroids (HIE) model to evaluate the infectivity of various gastroenteritis viruses in wastewater, finding that this method efficiently supported viral replication without needing complex sample handling.
  • Of the 28 wastewater samples tested, 57% showed viral replication, with multiple viral types coexisting in some samples, demonstrating the HIE model's effectiveness in identifying infectious gastroenteritis viruses in real-world wastewater.
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Genogroup II (GII) noroviruses are a major cause of diarrheal disease burden in children in both high- and low-income countries. GII.17 noroviruses are composed of distinct genetic clusters (I, II, IIIa, and IIIb) and have shown potential for replacing historically more prevalent GII.

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Rotaviruses (RVs) preferentially replicate in the small intestine and frequently cause severe diarrheal disease, and the following enteric infection generally induces variable levels of protective systemic and mucosal immune responses in humans and other animals. Rhesus rotavirus (RRV) is a simian RV that was previously used as a human RV vaccine and has been extensively studied in mice. Although RRV replicates poorly in the suckling mouse intestine, infection induces a robust and protective antibody response.

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Human norovirus (HuNoV) is an important cause of acute gastroenteritis and can be transmitted by water exposures, but its persistence in water is not well understood. Loss of HuNoV infectivity in surface water was compared with persistence of intact HuNoV capsids and genome segments. Surface water from a freshwater creek was filter-sterilized, inoculated with HuNoV (GII.

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Background: A head-to-head comparison of the most widely used oral rotavirus vaccines has not previously been done, particularly in a high child mortality setting. We therefore aimed to compare the immunogenicity of RotaTeq (Merck, Kenilworth, NJ, USA) and Rotarix (GlaxoSmithKline, Rixensart, Belgium) rotavirus vaccines in the same population and examined risk factors for low seroresponse.

Methods: We did a randomised, controlled, open-label, parallel, phase 4 trial in urban slums within Mirpur and Mohakahli (Dhaka, Bangladesh).

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Oral fluids offer a noninvasive sampling method for the detection of Abs. Quantification of IgA and IgG Abs in saliva allows studies of the mucosal and systemic immune response after natural infection or vaccination. We developed and validated an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect and quantify salivary IgA and IgG Abs against the prefusion-stabilized form of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein expressed in suspension-adapted HEK-293 cells.

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Oral fluids offer a non-invasive sampling method for the detection of antibodies. Quantification of IgA and IgG antibodies in saliva allows studies of the mucosal and systemic immune response after natural infection or vaccination. We developed and validated an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect and quantify salivary IgA and IgG antibodies against the prefusion-stabilized form of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

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Background: Most information on mucosal and systemic immune response to norovirus infection is derived from human challenge studies, birth cohort studies, or vaccine trials in healthy adults. However, few data are available on immune responses to norovirus in the elderly.

Methods: To study the mucosal and systemic immune response against norovirus, 43 long-term care facilities were enrolled prospectively in 2010-2014.

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Background: In the Unites States, long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are the most common setting for norovirus outbreaks. These outbreaks provide a unique opportunity to better characterize the viral and host characteristics of norovirus disease.

Methods: We enrolled 43 LTCFs prospectively to study the epidemiology, virology, and genetic host factors of naturally occurring norovirus outbreaks.

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Background: Noroviruses are important enteric pathogens in humans and animals. Recently, we reported a novel canine norovirus (CaNoV) in dogs with diarrhea belonging to a new genogroup (GVI). No data are available on exposure of humans to this virus.

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Background: Norovirus (NoV) is the leading cause of epidemic gastroenteritis worldwide. The lack of a cell culture has significantly hampered the development of effective therapies against human NoV. Clinically approved nucleoside and non-nucleoside analogues have been used successfully against RNA viruses.

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Enteric pathogens in animal waste that is not properly processed can contaminate the environment and food. The persistence of pathogens in animal waste depends upon the waste treatment technology, but little is known about persistence of porcine viruses. Our objectives were to characterize the porcine enteric viruses (porcine noroviruses [PoNoVs], porcine sapoviruses [PoSaVs], rotavirus A [RV-A], RV-B, and RV-C) in fresh feces or manure and to evaluate the effects of different candidate environmentally superior technologies (ESTs) for animal waste treatment on the detection of these viruses.

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