On 31 December 2019 the Wuhan Health Commission reported a cluster of atypical pneumonia cases that was linked to a wet market in the city of Wuhan, China. The first patients began experiencing symptoms of illness in mid-December 2019. Clinical isolates were found to contain a novel coronavirus with similarity to bat coronaviruses. As of 28 January 2020, there are in excess of 4,500 laboratory-confirmed cases, with > 100 known deaths. As with the SARS-CoV, infections in children appear to be rare. Travel-related cases have been confirmed in multiple countries and regions outside mainland China including Germany, France, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Canada, and the United States, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan. Domestically in China, the virus has also been noted in several cities and provinces with cases in all but one provinence. While zoonotic transmission appears to be the original source of infections, the most alarming development is that human-to-human transmission is now prevelant. Of particular concern is that many healthcare workers have been infected in the current epidemic. There are several critical clinical questions that need to be resolved, including how efficient is human-to-human transmission? What is the animal reservoir? Is there an intermediate animal reservoir? Do the vaccines generated to the SARS-CoV or MERS-CoV or their proteins offer protection against 2019-nCoV? We offer a research perspective on the next steps for the generation of vaccines. We also present data on the use of in silico docking in gaining insight into 2019-nCoV Spike-receptor binding to aid in therapeutic development. Diagnostic PCR protocols can be found at https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus/laboratory-diagnostics-for-novel-coronavirus.

Middle east respiratory syndrome corona virus spike glycoprotein suppresses macrophage responses via DPP4-mediated induction of IRAK-M and PPARγ

The fungal community of six sand samples from Saudi Arabia and Jordan deserts was characterized by culture‐independent analysis via next generation sequencing of the 18S rRNA genes and by culture‐dependent methods followed by sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. By 18S sequencing were identified from 163 to 507 OTUs per sample, with a percentage of fungi ranging from 3.5% to 82.7%. The identified fungal Phyla were Ascomycota, Basal fungi, and Basidiomycota and the most abundant detected classes were Dothideomycetes, Pezizomycetes, and Sordariomycetes. A total of 11 colonies of filamentous fungi were isolated and cultured from six samples, and the ITS sequencing pointed toward five different species of the class Sordariomycetes, belonging to genera Fusarium (F. redolens, F. solani, F. equiseti), Chaetomium (C. madrasense), and Albifimbria (A. terrestris). The results of this study show an unexpectedly large fungal biodiversity in the Middle East desert sand and their possible role and implications on human health.

Leishmaniasis is a zoonotic and vector-borne infectious disease that is caused by the genus Leishmania belonging to the trypanosomatid family. The protozoan parasite has a digenetic life cycle involving a mammalian host and an insect vector. Leishmaniasisis is a worldwide public health problem falling under the neglected tropical disease category, with over 90 endemic countries, and approximately 1 million new cases and 20,000 deaths annually. Leishmania infection can progress toward the development of species–specific pathologic disorders, ranging in severity from self-healing cutaneous lesions to disseminating muco-cutaneous and fatal visceral manifestations. The severity and the outcome of leishmaniasis is determined by the parasite’s antigenic epitope characteristics, the vector physiology, and most importantly, the immune response and immune status of the host. This review examines the nature of host–pathogen interaction in leishmaniasis, innate and adaptive immune responses, and various strategies that have been employed for vaccine development.

The effect of human activities on water resources has expanded dramatically during the past few decades, leading to the spread of waterborne microbial pathogens. The total global health impact of human infectious diseases associated with pathogenic microorganisms from land-based wastewater pollution was estimated to be approximately three million disability-adjusted life years (DALY), with an estimated economic loss of nearly 12 billion US dollars per year. Although clean water is essential for healthy living, it is not equally granted to all humans. Indeed, people who live in developing countries are challenged every day by an inadequate supply of clean water. Polluted water can lead to health crises that in turn spread waterborne pathogens. Taking measures to assess the water quality can prevent these potential risks. Thus, a pressing need has emerged in developing countries for comprehensive and accurate assessments of water quality. This review presents current and emerging advanced techniques for assessing water quality that can be adopted by authorities in developing countries.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging arbovirus of the Flaviviridae family and is related to dengue, Chikungunya, West Nile, yellow fever, and Japanese encephalitis viruses. ZIKV was first discovered in Uganda in 1947. Different species of mosquito from the Aedes genus, mainly A. aegypti and A. albopictus are the vectors responsible for ZIKV infection in humans. It is also reported that ZIKV is transmitted congenitally, sexually, and through blood donation. Until recently, ZIKV outbreaks were sporadic and self-limiting. The first large epidemic was reported from Yap Island in 2007 followed by an outbreak of Zika fever in French Polynesia in 2013. Brazil is the epicenter of the current ZIKV epidemic which is rapidly spreading across the Americas. ZIKV infection remained relatively less studied in view of its low case numbers, and low clinical impact relative to other arboviruses. However, all this is set to change with its rapid spread in the Western hemisphere and suspected complications particularly microcephaly in newborn babies with ZIKV infected mothers. ZIKV is expected to substantially add to both short-term and long-term economic burden of the effected countries. Due to the large number of people travelling across the borders and some reported cases of transmission of ZIKV via contaminated blood, screening and identification of asymptomatic infected individuals are important.