Andes virus (ANDV) is the leading cause of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) in South America, a severe zoonosis with high mortality. Advances in critical care and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) have significantly improved survival rates; however, data on recovery beyond survival remain limited. This multicenter cohort study enrolled laboratory-confirmed HCPS survivors in Chile between 2021 and 2024, with follow-up at 3–6 months post-symptom onset to assess physical and neuropsychological sequelae. Participants were stratified by ECMO requirement and the clinical severity of HCPS, and evaluated using self-reported recovery, standardized symptom questionnaires, and EQ-5D quality-of-life instruments. Among 21 survivors (11 ECMO, 10 non-ECMO), 61.9% reported incomplete recovery. While 60–70% of patients received general medical follow-up, only 30% of non-ECMO patients—compared to all ECMO patients—had contact with a rehabilitation provider. Motor dysfunction and palpitations were more frequent in ECMO survivors; however, Jaccard index analysis revealed clustering of physical and neuropsychological symptoms across both groups. EQ-5D assessments showed comparable quality-of-life impairment, though non-ECMO survivors more often reported pain/discomfort (90.0% vs. 63.6%) and higher rates of analgesic self-medication. These findings highlight the burden of persistent symptoms after HCPS and the need for multidisciplinary post-discharge care in endemic regions.
17 September 2025 in Current Research in Microbial Sciences
• ANDV can be isolated in cell culture only in the absence of neutralizing antibodies. • The monitoring of close contacts of ANDV cases allows to identify prospective cases. • We isolated a new ANDV human strain from an early blood sample of a secondary case. • CHI-Hu13724 is a different haplotype from the previous ANDV reference strains. • Isolation of currently zoonotic ANDV strains helps the study of viral pathogenicity.
Cancer patients on chemotherapy have a lower immune response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Therefore, through a prospective cohort study of patients with solid tumors receiving chemotherapy, we aimed to determine the immunogenicity of an mRNA vaccine booster (BNT162b2) among patients previously immunized with an inactivated (CoronaVac) or homologous (BNT162b2) SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody (NAb) seropositivity at 8–12 weeks post-booster. The secondary end points included IgG antibody (TAb) seropositivity and specific T-cell responses. A total of 109 patients were included. Eighty-four (77%) had heterologous vaccine schedules (two doses of CoronaVac followed by the BNT162b2 booster) and twenty-five had (23%) homologous vaccine schedules (three doses of BNT162b2). IgG antibody positivity for the homologous and heterologous regimen were 100% and 96% (p = 0.338), whereas NAb positivity reached 100% and 92% (p = 0.13), respectively. Absolute NAb positivity and Tab levels were associated with the homologous schedule (with a beta coefficient of 0.26 with p = 0.027 and a geometric mean ratio 1.41 with p = 0.044, respectively). Both the homologous and heterologous vaccine regimens elicited a strong humoral and cellular response after the BNT162b2 booster. The homologous regimen was associated with higher NAb positivity and Tab levels after adjusting for relevant covariates.
15 July 2025 in Current Research in Microbial Sciences
• Convalescent plasma is an alternative COVID-19 therapy when no other is available. • We evaluated the long-term immune response in treated and untreated individuals. • A higher seroconversion rate early post infusion is observed compared to untreated. • However, long-term humoral and cellular immune responses are similar between groups.