During the last two years, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has led to millions of deaths worldwide, with a devastating socio-economic impact on a global scale. The scientific community’s focus has recently shifted towards the association of the T cell immunological repertoire with COVID-19 progression and severity, by utilising T cell receptor sequencing (TCR-Seq) assays. The Multiplexed Identification of T cell Receptor Antigen (MIRA) dataset, which is a subset of the immunoACCESS study, provides thousands of TCRs that can specifically recognise SARS-CoV-2 epitopes. Our study proposes a novel Machine Learning (ML)-assisted approach for analysing TCR-Seq data from the antigens’ point of view, with the ability to unveil key antigens that can accurately distinguish between MIRA COVID-19-convalescent and healthy individuals based on differences in the triggered immune response. Some SARS-CoV-2 antigens were found to exhibit equal levels of recognition by MIRA TCRs in both convalescent and healthy cohorts, leading to the assumption of putative cross-reactivity between SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious agents. This hypothesis was tested by combining MIRA with other public TCR profiling repositories that host assays and sequencing data concerning a plethora of pathogens. Our study provides evidence regarding putative cross-reactivity between SARS-CoV-2 and a wide spectrum of pathogens and diseases, with M. tuberculosis and Influenza virus exhibiting the highest levels of cross-reactivity. These results can potentially shift the emphasis of immunological studies towards an increased application of TCR profiling assays that have the potential to uncover key mechanisms of cell-mediated immune response against pathogens and diseases.

The association of cases of Legionnaires’ disease and ships has been well documented. Results from potable water samples collected for microbiological analysis during SSC inspections conducted from 2010 to 2018 at Belgian ports were analyzed in order to evaluate the level of colonization on non-passenger ships. Results indicate a high degree of colonization (77.2% of the ships were found to be colonized with Legionella spp. at least once) and further analysis is recommended to examine possible factors associated with colonization. Inspections for issuance of SSC should focus on water safety and prevention of Legionnaires’ disease.

Waterborne disease due to the microbial contamination of potable water onboard ships is a potential threat for seafarers. The results from the samples collected at Belgian ports from 2010 to 2018 during inspections of non-passenger ships are used to evaluate the microbiological and chemical quality of potable water. A small proportion of the samples was found positive for indicator organisms (7.5%), indicating the lack of proper disinfection and possible contamination. Further analyses and risk assessments are recommended for examining possible contributing factors. Inspections for the issuance of SSC should focus on water safety and the prevention of waterborne diseases.