Hantavirus Infections

Einstein-Led Research Consortium Awarded Five-Year Grant for $14 M per Year BRONX, N.Y., Sept. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Albert Einstein College of Medicine has received a five-year, $14 million per year grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to participate in a broad national effort to develop "plug-and-play" vaccines and antibody-based therapies against a wide range of emerging viruses. The grant is part of NIAID's new Research and Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies for Pandemic Preparedness (ReVAMPP) Network, which was announced earlier today. Continue Reading Kartik Chandran, Ph.D. "COVID-19 taught us a lot about pandemic preparedness, and we want to make sure we build on what worked well," said Kartik Chandran, Ph.D., the principal investigator on the grant and professor of microbiology & immunology, the Gertrude and David Feinson Chair in Medicine, and the Harold and Muriel Block Faculty Scholar in Virology at Einstein. "One of the key lessons from the COVID pandemic is that having existing research on a viral family allows scientists to develop vaccines and therapeutics for a particular virus much more quickly. In our project, we plan to create a base of critical knowledge about groups of similar viruses and then—should a related "virus X" pose a health threat—develop specific countermeasures as quickly as possible to save as many lives as possible." The Einstein-led consortium, called PROVIDENT (Prepositioning Optimized Strategies for Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics Against Diverse Emerging Infectious Threats), will link 13 teams in academia, government, and industry that will conduct four projects designed to: Discover and analyze virus-host interactions and the molecular mechanisms involved in viral disease; Design proteins to elicit antiviral immune responses and then evaluate and optimize those responses; Create "road maps" for quickly developing RNA vaccines against microbes with pandemic potential; and Map the antibody responses observed in people infected with viruses and use this knowledge to design vaccines and therapeutics. PROVIDENT builds on NIAID's 2021 Pandemic Preparedness Plan, a sweeping federal program designed to address the uncertainties inherent in safeguarding global health from communicable diseases. The two-part plan focuses on "priority pathogens" and "prototype pathogens"—basically, the knowns and unknowns of the viral world. Priority pathogens include viruses that are known to cause significant human illness or death, such as dengue virus and Ebola virus. Prototype pathogens—the focus of PROVIDENT—are representative viruses in families that have the potential to cause significant human disease. "We plan to select and study one or two prototype viruses from each family and then develop countermeasures that will work against as many viruses within that family as possible," said Dr. Chandran. "That strategy of quickly responding to an emerging virus with an approach and tools that have already been developed is what we mean by 'plug and play'." A part of PROVIDENT's strategy will be to carry out "sprints" in which countermeasures that are developed for the prototype pathogens will be tested against other viruses in the same family to see how well they work and to improve them. PROVIDENT will concentrate on three virus families: nairoviruses, transmitted by ticks (e.g., Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus), hantaviruses, borne by rodents and other small mammals (e.g., Sin Nombre virus and other agents causing hantavirus pulmonary syndrome), and paramyxoviruses, borne by bats and other mammals, including domesticated animals (e.g., Nipah virus). "This approach allowed researchers to move quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Dr. Chandran. "What we had learned from previous outbreaks caused by coronaviruses, including SARS [severe acute respiratory syndrome] in 2002 and MERS [Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome] a decade later, helped us create diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19." "Recent outbreaks of mpox, Nipah virus, and Eastern equine encephalitis, among other viral infections, underscore the need for an even broader preparedness program," said Eva Mittler, Ph.D., research assistant professor at Einstein and leader of one of the PROVIDENT components. "We don't know what virus will cause the next pandemic." "The overarching goal of PROVIDENT and the other centers in the ReVAMPP Network is to coordinate their efforts to increase our odds of mounting a timely and effective response," added Dr. Chandran. Projects and cores in PROVIDENT will be led by: Kartik Chandran, PhD., Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY Eva Mittler, Ph.D., Einstein Jason McLellan, Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin, TX Courtney Cohen, Ph.D., U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD (USAMRIID) John Cooke, M.D., Ph.D., Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX (HMRI) Eva Harris, Ph.D. University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA Stephanie Monticelli, Ph.D., USAMRIID Steven Bradfute, Ph.D., University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM Andrew Herbert, Ph.D., USAMRIID Jesse Erasmus, Ph.D., HDT Bio, Seattle, WA Jimmy Gollihar, Ph.D., HMRI The following scientists and institutions will also play critical roles in PROVIDENT: Zachary Bornholdt, PhD., Eitr Biologics, Inc., San Diego, CA Daniel Boutz, Ph.D., HMRI Giorgi Chakhunashvili, Ph.D., National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Tbilisi, Georgia Catalina Florez, Ph.D., USAMRIID Bronwyn Gunn, Ph.D., Washington State University, Pullman, WA Andrew Horton, Ph.D., HMRI Amit Khandhar, Ph.D., HDT Bio Taishi Kimura, PhD., HDT Bio Jonathan Lai, Ph.D., Einstein Jodi McGill, Ph.D., Iowa State University, Ames, IA Crystal Moyer, Ph.D., Eitr Biologics Thomas Segall-Shapiro, Ph.D., HMRI Simone Sidoli, Ph.D., Einstein E. Taylor Stone, PhD., HDT Bio Francesca Taraballi, Ph.D., HMRI Cecilia Vial, Ph.D., Universidad del Desarollo, Santiago, Chile Pablo Vial, M.D., Universidad del Desarollo Zhongde Wang, Ph.D., Utah State University, Logan, UT Details of the PROVIDENT grant (1U19AI181977-01) issued by NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health, can be found here. About Albert Einstein College of Medicine Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2023-24 academic year, Einstein is home to 737 M.D. students, 209 Ph.D. students, 124 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and approximately 239 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 2,000 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2023, Einstein received more than $192 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health. This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in cancer, aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. For more information, please visit einsteinmed.edu, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and view us on YouTube. SOURCE Albert Einstein College of Medicine WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2024 -- Arizona health officials are reporting an increase in hantavirus infections, which are spread by rodents and can cause severe respiratory illness. In a recent health alert , the Arizona Department of Health Services announced there have been seven confirmed cases and three deaths in that state in the past six months. While most hantavirus cases are reported in the Western and Southwestern United States, Arizona has one of highest numbers of reported infections in the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From 2016-2022, there have been 11 hantavirus cases in Arizona , according to state health officials. “Hantavirus is a rare but important cause of serious, even fatal respiratory infection,” Dr. Aaron Glatt , chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in New York, told NBC News . “It is transmitted by various rodents, especially the deer mouse, and can cause mild disease, but it does cause fatal illness in a significant percentage of people who acquire this illness," he noted. Between 1993 and 2021, the CDC has reported a total of 850 hantavirus cases, or roughly 30 cases a year. Trish Lees, public information officer at Coconino County Health and Human Services in Arizona, told NBC News that the increase in hantavirus cases may be due to shifts in rodent populations. However, cases do tend to occur more in the summer because of increased rodent activity and people coming into contact with rodents more often, Lees explained. Climate change, such as the extreme heat waves that have been sweeping across the county this summer, may also be partly to blame, experts theorized. Dr. Camilo Mora , a professor in the department of geography and environment at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, noted that people aren’t the only ones who seek shelter when it gets really wet or hot outside. “Many carrying-disease species get on the move with climate change -- so while for any specific case it is difficult to conclude the role of climate change, climate change has all the attributes to cause outbreaks of vector-borne diseases,” he told NBC News . The hot weather may have also worsened the illnesses after people were infected because of dehydration or other factors, Glatt added. Exactly how does hantavirus spread? Particles containing the virus get into the air when urine, saliva or poop from deer mice are stirred up. Once a person is infected, the virus can trigger hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) . The syndrome was first recognized in 1993 after a mysterious illness infected members of a Navajo tribe who lived on the border of New Mexico and Arizona. Approximately 80% of people who were infected died at the time. Symptoms can appear one to eight weeks after exposure and include: Left untreated, the illness can infect the lungs and cause fluid to “leak” through blood vessels and fill up the respiratory tract. That, in turn, causes shortness of breath, chest tightness and cough, according to the American Lung Association . Approximately 38% of people who develop lung symptoms may die from the disease. What can be done to guard against infection? “The best way to prevent infection with this illness is by carefully disinfecting and cleaning up any waste products from the rodents and by not coming into contact with them,” Glatt said. When entering a place that’s been closed up for a long time, take care to air out the space for 30 minutes, the Wyoming Department of Health warns. If the space is very dirty or full of mice, take extra care by wearing gloves, shoe covers, coveralls and N95 masks before cleaning. Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

Infectious diseases specialists call the medical field to be ready to deal with the impact of climate change on spreading diseases, such as malaria, Valley fever, E. coli and Lyme disease. A team of infectious diseases experts called for more awareness and preparedness in the medical field to deal with the impact of climate change on the spread of diseases. Their article, published today in JAMA raises the alarm about the emergence and spread of harmful pathogens. The authors also urge the medical community to update their education and training and take steps to combat global warming. "Clinicians need to be ready to deal with the changes in the infectious disease landscape," said lead author George R. Thompson. Thompson is a professor at the UC Davis School of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, and the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. "Learning about the connection between climate change and disease behavior can help guide diagnoses, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases." Thompson encouraged physicians and practitioners to maintain "a high index of suspicion of diseases on the move." "I think with improvements in our understanding of the disease, there will be more testing and we'll miss fewer cases that way," he said. Changing infectious diseases landscape Infectious diseases can be caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites. Many of these diseases are transmitted from animal to human or from human to human. One type of infectious disease is vector-borne diseases. They are caused by pathogens carried by vectors like mosquitoes, fleas and ticks. Some diseases caused by vectors aredengue, malaria and Zika. Changing rain patterns are expanding vectors' range and their active periods. Shorter, warmer winters and longer summers are also linked to more vector-borne diseases. For example, diseases caused by ticks (like babesiosis and Lyme disease) are now occurring in the winter too. They're also being found in regions farther west and north than in the past. "We're seeing cases of tick-borne diseases in January and February," said first author of the study Matthew Phillips. Phillips is an infectious diseases fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. "The tick season is starting earlier and with more active ticks in a wider range. This means that the number of tick bites is going up and with it, the tick-borne diseases." Another concern is malaria. The mosquitos that transmit the disease are expanding northward, a climate-induced change. Changing rain patterns have led to more mosquitos and a higher disease transmission rate. "As an infectious disease clinician, one of the scariest things that happened last summer was the locally acquired cases of malaria. We saw cases in Texas and Florida and then all the way north in Maryland, which was really surprising. They happened to people who didn't travel outside the U.S.," Phillips said. Zoonotic diseases, such as plague and hantavirus (carried by rodents), are also showing changes in incidence and location. The experts noted changes in animal migration patterns and natural ranges. Due to their habitat loss, wild animals are coming closer to humans. With that comes a higher risk of animal diseases spilling over to humans and for new pathogens to develop. The study also pointed to the emergence of new fungal infections, such as Candida auris (C. auris), and changes in the location of some fungal pathogens. For example, the fungal infection Coccidioides (also known as Valley fever) was endemic to hot, dry areas in California and Arizona. But Valley fever was recently diagnosed as far north as Washington State. Changes in rain patterns and coastal water temperature can also affect the spread of waterborne diseases, such as E. coli and Vibrio. According to the team, the sea level is rising, and storm surges and coastal flooding that used to be rare or extreme events are happening more frequently. Call for medical community to take steps Over the last few years, infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, impacted the world enormously. "They can spring up and cause absolute chaos for the whole world and then we kind of forget about them for a while. Yet, the epidemic and pandemic potential of infections really mandates that we stay involved with federal funding agencies and advisory groups to make sure that infectious diseases don't slip back too far on the public's radar," Thomspon explained. The team called for stronger measures for infectious disease surveillance and urged medical educators to train clinicians to anticipate the changes in infectious disease patterns. "It's not a hopeless situation. There are distinct steps that we can take to prepare for and help deal with these changes. Clinicians see first-hand the impact of climate change on people's health. As such, they have a role in advocating for policies that can slow climate change," Phillips said. Regina C. LaRocque, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and infectious diseases physician at Harvard Medical School, is a coauthor of this study. This study was partially supported by National Institutes of Health grants T32AI007061 and 5U19AI166798.