2024
Overestimation of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Household Transmission in Settings of High Community Transmission: Insights From an Informal Settlement Community in Salvador, Brazil
Ticona J, Nery N, Hitchings M, Belitardo E, Fofana M, Dorión M, Victoriano R, Cruz J, Santana J, de Moraes L, Cardoso C, Ribeiro G, Reis M, Khouri R, Costa F, Ko A, Cummings D. Overestimation of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Household Transmission in Settings of High Community Transmission: Insights From an Informal Settlement Community in Salvador, Brazil. Open Forum Infectious Diseases 2024, 11: ofae065. PMID: 38516384, PMCID: PMC10957159, DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofae065.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSARS-CoV-2Household transmissionRT-PCR positive casesSecondary attack rateAttack rateSARS-CoV-2 infectionSARS-CoV-2 Omicron variantRisk of infectionCommunity acquisitionTherapeutic optionsCOVID-19-related symptomsCase-finding studyHousehold contactsAcquisition of SARS-CoV-2Increased riskSymptom onsetSecondary infectionBooster vaccinationSevere outcomesBiweekly visitsHighest attack rateRT-PCRInfectionCOVID-19 severe outcomesOmicron BA
2023
Evidence of leaky protection following COVID-19 vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection in an incarcerated population
Lind M, Dorion M, Houde A, Lansing M, Lapidus S, Thomas R, Yildirim I, Omer S, Schulz W, Andrews J, Hitchings M, Kennedy B, Richeson R, Cummings D, Ko A. Evidence of leaky protection following COVID-19 vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection in an incarcerated population. Nature Communications 2023, 14: 5055. PMID: 37598213, PMCID: PMC10439918, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40750-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSARS-CoV-2 infectionPrior infectionHybrid immunityInfection riskCOVID-19 vaccinationNon-pharmaceutical interventionsInfected residentsVaccinationInfectionDocumented exposureDelta periodCell exposureIncarcerated populationsExposureImmunityRiskAssociationPotential benefitsCorrectional facilitiesCrowded settingsResidentsPeriod
2022
Use of Whole-Genome Sequencing to Estimate the Contribution of Immune Evasion and Waning Immunity on Decreasing COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness
Lind M, Copin R, McCarthy S, Coppi A, Warner F, Ferguson D, Duckwall C, Borg R, Muenker M, Overton J, Hamon S, Zhou A, Cummings D, Ko A, Hamilton J, Schulz W, Hitchings M. Use of Whole-Genome Sequencing to Estimate the Contribution of Immune Evasion and Waning Immunity on Decreasing COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness. The Journal Of Infectious Diseases 2022, 227: 663-674. PMID: 36408616, DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac453.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsVaccine effectivenessImmune evasionDelta infectionVE estimatesSecond doseTest-negative case-control studySevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2Acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2Whole-genome sequencingCOVID-19 vaccine effectivenessRespiratory syndrome coronavirus 2Syndrome coronavirus 2Case-control studyCoronavirus 2Calendar periodDelta variantInfectionDoseEvasionDaysLow effectivenessImmunityVariantsLeptospira Infection in Rural Areas of Urabá Region, Colombia: A Prospective Study.
Quintero-Vélez J, Rodas J, Rojas C, Ko A, Wunder E. Leptospira Infection in Rural Areas of Urabá Region, Colombia: A Prospective Study. American Journal Of Tropical Medicine And Hygiene 2022, 107: 1267-1277. PMID: 36375452, PMCID: PMC9768283, DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-1103.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsOutdoor occupationsLeptospira infectionProspective studyRisk factorsMultivariable modelLeptospira seroprevalenceLogistic regression modelsEco-epidemiological aspectsMultinomial logistic regression modelsMultivariable analysisSerologic testingPrimary exposureMale genderMicroscopic agglutinationPresence of ratsOlder ageRural areasLeptospira serogroupsInfectionSeroincidenceLeptospira speciesSeroprevalenceSerogroupsRegression modelsDirt floorsRickettsial Infections Causing Acute Febrile Illness in Urban Slums, Brazil - Volume 28, Number 10—October 2022 - Emerging Infectious Diseases journal - CDC
Fournier JB, Blanton LS, Nery N, Wunder EA, Costa F, Reis MG, Ribeiro GS, Walker DH, Ko AI. Rickettsial Infections Causing Acute Febrile Illness in Urban Slums, Brazil - Volume 28, Number 10—October 2022 - Emerging Infectious Diseases journal - CDC. Emerging Infectious Diseases 2022, 28: 2132-2134. PMID: 36148970, PMCID: PMC9514363, DOI: 10.3201/eid2810.220497.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBiannual and Quarterly Comparison Analysis of Agglutinating Antibody Kinetics on a Subcohort of Individuals Exposed to Leptospira interrogans in Salvador, Brazil
Cruz J, Nery N, Sacramento G, Victoriano R, Montenegro A, Santana J, Costa F, Ko A, Reis M, Wunder E. Biannual and Quarterly Comparison Analysis of Agglutinating Antibody Kinetics on a Subcohort of Individuals Exposed to Leptospira interrogans in Salvador, Brazil. Frontiers In Medicine 2022, 9: 862378. PMID: 35492362, PMCID: PMC9048256, DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.862378.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMicroscopic agglutination testAntibody kineticsEndemic areasReinfection eventsSubcohort of individualsBurden of leptospirosisLife-threatening diseaseProspective cohortClinical manifestationsAsymptomatic infectionHumoral responseRisk factorsImmune responseLeptospirosis infectionAgglutination testPaucity of informationSerological surveyLeptospirosisSample collection timeInfectionLeptospira interrogansSubcohortFurther studiesHigh rateDiseaseDe novo emergence of a remdesivir resistance mutation during treatment of persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection in an immunocompromised patient: a case report
Gandhi S, Klein J, Robertson AJ, Peña-Hernández MA, Lin MJ, Roychoudhury P, Lu P, Fournier J, Ferguson D, Mohamed Bakhash SAK, Catherine Muenker M, Srivathsan A, Wunder EA, Kerantzas N, Wang W, Lindenbach B, Pyle A, Wilen CB, Ogbuagu O, Greninger AL, Iwasaki A, Schulz WL, Ko AI. De novo emergence of a remdesivir resistance mutation during treatment of persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection in an immunocompromised patient: a case report. Nature Communications 2022, 13: 1547. PMID: 35301314, PMCID: PMC8930970, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29104-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSARS-CoV-2 infectionVirologic responsePersistent SARS-CoV-2 infectionResistance mutationsPre-treatment specimensB-cell deficiencyRemdesivir resistanceRemdesivir therapyViral sheddingCase reportAntiviral agentsPatientsCombinatorial therapyInfectionTherapyWhole-genome sequencingTreatmentImportance of monitoringDe novo emergenceFold increaseRNA-dependent RNA polymeraseNovo emergencePotential benefitsMutationsIndolentEVITA Dengue: a cluster-randomized controlled trial to EValuate the efficacy of Wolbachia-InfecTed Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in reducing the incidence of Arboviral infection in Brazil
Collins MH, Potter GE, Hitchings MDT, Butler E, Wiles M, Kennedy JK, Pinto SB, Teixeira ABM, Casanovas-Massana A, Rouphael NG, Deye GA, Simmons CP, Moreira LA, Nogueira ML, Cummings DAT, Ko AI, Teixeira MM, Edupuganti S. EVITA Dengue: a cluster-randomized controlled trial to EValuate the efficacy of Wolbachia-InfecTed Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in reducing the incidence of Arboviral infection in Brazil. Trials 2022, 23: 185. PMID: 35236394, PMCID: PMC8889395, DOI: 10.1186/s13063-022-05997-4.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsArboviral infectionsMajor global health problemHigh-quality evidenceCluster-randomized trialGlobal health problemNational InstituteEfficacy of WolbachiaWorld Mosquito ProgramArbovirus transmissionOngoing trialsLicensed antiviralsAedes aegypti mosquitoesEffective vaccineTrial designMosquito ProgramSerologic surveillanceHealth problemsHuman infectionsAedes aegyptiInfectionEpidemiologic outcomesVector control activitiesTrialsAegypti mosquitoesAedes mosquitoesLack of association between pandemic chilblains and SARS-CoV-2 infection
Gehlhausen JR, Little AJ, Ko CJ, Emmenegger M, Lucas C, Wong P, Klein J, Lu P, Mao T, Jaycox J, Wang E, Ugwu N, Muenker C, Mekael D, Klein R, Patrignelli R, Antaya R, McNiff J, Damsky W, Kamath K, Shon J, Ring A, Yildirim I, Omer S, Ko A, Aguzzi A, Iwasaki A, Obaid A, Lu-Culligan A, Nelson A, Brito A, Nunez A, Martin A, Watkins A, Geng B, Kalinich C, Harden C, Todeasa C, Jensen C, Kim D, McDonald D, Shepard D, Courchaine E, White E, Song E, Silva E, Kudo E, DeIuliis G, Rahming H, Park H, Matos I, Nouws J, Valdez J, Fauver J, Lim J, Rose K, Anastasio K, Brower K, Glick L, Sharma L, Sewanan L, Knaggs L, Minasyan M, Batsu M, Petrone M, Kuang M, Nakahata M, Campbell M, Linehan M, Askenase M, Simonov M, Smolgovsky M, Sonnert N, Naushad N, Vijayakumar P, Martinello R, Datta R, Handoko R, Bermejo S, Prophet S, Bickerton S, Velazquez S, Alpert T, Rice T, Khoury-Hanold W, Peng X, Yang Y, Cao Y, Strong Y. Lack of association between pandemic chilblains and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2022, 119: e2122090119. PMID: 35217624, PMCID: PMC8892496, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2122090119.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSARS-CoV-2 infectionPrior SARS-CoV-2 infectionSARS-CoV-2PC biopsiesAcute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemicSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemicT-cell receptor sequencingCell receptor sequencingT cell responsesCoronavirus 2 pandemicEnzyme-linked immunosorbent assayLack of associationCOVID toesSkin eruptionAntibody responseImmunohistochemistry studiesBackground seroprevalenceTissue microarrayViral infectionStimulation assaysCell responsesInfectionChilblainsImmunosorbent assayAbortive infection
2021
Social determinants associated with Zika virus infection in pregnant women
Nery N, Ticona J, Gambrah C, Doss-Gollin S, Aromolaran A, Rastely-Júnior V, Lessa M, Sacramento GA, Cruz JS, de Oliveira D, dos Santos LL, da Silva CG, Botosso VF, Soares CP, Araujo DB, Oliveira DB, dos Santos Alves RP, Andreata-Santos R, Durigon EL, de Souza Ferreira LC, Wunder EA, Khouri R, Oliveira-Filho J, de Siqueira IC, Almeida ARP, Reis MG, Ko AI, Costa F. Social determinants associated with Zika virus infection in pregnant women. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2021, 15: e0009612. PMID: 34329305, PMCID: PMC8323902, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009612.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPregnant womenSocial determinantsZIKV exposureZIKV infectionZika virusPlaque reduction neutralization testReferral maternity hospitalZika virus infectionReduction neutralization testCross-sectional studyKey social determinantsZIKV resultsClinical characteristicsMaternity hospitalRisk factorsVirus infectionExposure statusSociodemographic determinantsNeutralization testMultivariate analysisInfection riskLogistic regressionLower educationFuture interventionsInfectionGenetic Evidence for a Potential Environmental Pathway to Spillover Infection of Rat-Borne Leptospirosis
Casanovas-Massana A, de Oliveira D, Schneider AG, Begon M, Childs JE, Costa F, Reis MG, Ko AI, Wunder EA. Genetic Evidence for a Potential Environmental Pathway to Spillover Infection of Rat-Borne Leptospirosis. The Journal Of Infectious Diseases 2021, 225: 130-134. PMID: 34139761, PMCID: PMC8730487, DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab323.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPotential environmental pathwaysEnvironmental reservoirsSpillover infectionsEnvironmental pathwaysHuman leptospirosis casesSevere leptospirosisLeptospirosis infectionLeptospirosis casesMolecular epidemiologyGenetic evidencePathogenic LeptospiraLeptospira interrogansInfectionLeptospirosisUrban slumsSpillover pathwaysRat specimensReservoirPathwayUrban communitiesCommunityEpidemiologySpatial and Simultaneous Seroprevalence of Anti-Leptospira Antibodies in Owners and Their Domiciled Dogs in a Major City of Southern Brazil
do Nascimento Benitez A, Monica T, Miura A, Romanelli M, Giordano L, Freire R, Mitsuka-Breganó R, Martins C, Biondo A, Serrano I, Lopes T, Reis R, Gomes J, Costa F, Wunder E, Ko A, Navarro I. Spatial and Simultaneous Seroprevalence of Anti-Leptospira Antibodies in Owners and Their Domiciled Dogs in a Major City of Southern Brazil. Frontiers In Veterinary Science 2021, 7: 580400. PMID: 33490126, PMCID: PMC7820180, DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.580400.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchRisk factorsAnti-Leptospira antibodiesLogistic regression analysisRisk of infectionDog casesPositive dogsHigh titersSerogroup CanicolaInfectionSeropositivityHuman casesDogsFrequent serogroupsSame titerCanicolaTitersGreater likelihoodRegression analysisSeroprevalenceCase distributionSame householdDog ownersAntibodiesPresent studySerogroupsRisk of Sexually Transmitted Zika Virus in a Cohort of Economically Disadvantaged Urban Residents
Ticona J, Baig H, Nery N, Doss-Gollin S, Sacramento GA, Adhikarla H, Muenker MC, Wunder EA, Nascimento EJM, Marques ETA, Reis MG, Ko AI, Costa F. Risk of Sexually Transmitted Zika Virus in a Cohort of Economically Disadvantaged Urban Residents. The Journal Of Infectious Diseases 2021, 224: 860-864. PMID: 33395487, PMCID: PMC8522079, DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab001.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2020
Effects of Accounting for Interval-Censored Antibody Titer Decay on Seroincidence in a Longitudinal Cohort Study of Leptospirosis
Bonner K, Cruz JS, Sacramento GA, de Oliveira D, Nery N, Carvalho M, Costa F, Childs JE, Ko AI, Diggle PJ. Effects of Accounting for Interval-Censored Antibody Titer Decay on Seroincidence in a Longitudinal Cohort Study of Leptospirosis. American Journal Of Epidemiology 2020, 190: 893-899. PMID: 33274738, PMCID: PMC8096484, DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwaa253.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLongitudinal cohort studyCohort studyMicroscopic agglutination test titersAgglutination test titersHigh transmission settingsPoint-source exposureSeroincidence ratesEstimates of infectionRisk factorsTest titersReported casesEpidemiologic implicationsInfection rateMean infection rateSerological samplesSerological assaysLeptospirosis casesInfectionArboviral diseasesTiter dilutionsSeroincidenceSource exposureLeptospirosisSample size estimationIntervalSaliva or Nasopharyngeal Swab Specimens for Detection of SARS-CoV-2
Wyllie AL, Fournier J, Casanovas-Massana A, Campbell M, Tokuyama M, Vijayakumar P, Warren JL, Geng B, Muenker MC, Moore AJ, Vogels CBF, Petrone ME, Ott IM, Lu P, Venkataraman A, Lu-Culligan A, Klein J, Earnest R, Simonov M, Datta R, Handoko R, Naushad N, Sewanan LR, Valdez J, White EB, Lapidus S, Kalinich CC, Jiang X, Kim DJ, Kudo E, Linehan M, Mao T, Moriyama M, Oh JE, Park A, Silva J, Song E, Takahashi T, Taura M, Weizman OE, Wong P, Yang Y, Bermejo S, Odio CD, Omer SB, Dela Cruz CS, Farhadian S, Martinello RA, Iwasaki A, Grubaugh ND, Ko AI. Saliva or Nasopharyngeal Swab Specimens for Detection of SARS-CoV-2. New England Journal Of Medicine 2020, 383: 1283-1286. PMID: 32857487, PMCID: PMC7484747, DOI: 10.1056/nejmc2016359.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchEscape of TLR5 Recognition by Leptospira spp.: A Rationale for Atypical Endoflagella
Holzapfel M, Bonhomme D, Cagliero J, Vernel-Pauillac F, d’Andon M, Bortolussi S, Fiette L, Goarant C, Wunder EA, Picardeau M, Ko AI, Werling D, Matsui M, Boneca IG, Werts C. Escape of TLR5 Recognition by Leptospira spp.: A Rationale for Atypical Endoflagella. Frontiers In Immunology 2020, 11: 2007. PMID: 32849665, PMCID: PMC7431986, DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.02007.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTLR5 recognitionHuman Toll-like receptorsTLR5-deficient miceToll-like receptorsInnate immune recognitionNOD-like receptorsBacterial cell wall componentsHeat-killed bacteriaInflammatory roleDeficient miceTLR5 activationImmune responseLive leptospiresTLR5Immune recognitionLive strainsStealth pathogenWorldwide zoonosisHost defenseBovine TLR5TLR5 activityLeptospira sppInfectionLeptospiresCentral localization
2019
Coinfection modifies carriage of enzootic and zoonotic parasites in Norway rats from an urban slum
Carvalho‐Pereira T, Souza F, do Nascimento Santos L, Pedra G, Minter A, Bahiense T, Reis M, Ko A, Childs J, da Silva E, Costa F, Begon M. Coinfection modifies carriage of enzootic and zoonotic parasites in Norway rats from an urban slum. Ecosphere 2019, 10 DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2887.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchUrban slumsLoad of parasitesZoonotic parasitesUrban ratsStrongyloides spBrazilian urban slumsIntensity of infectionReduced prevalenceNippostrongylus brasiliensisCoinfectionSignificant associationInfection riskRatsNematode Angiostrongylus cantonensisAngiostrongylus cantonensisInfectionNorway ratsEggs/larvaeCantonensisZoonotic pathogensCorrelation testInterrogansParasitesPopulationZika Virus Infection — After the Pandemic
Musso D, Ko AI, Baud D. Zika Virus Infection — After the Pandemic. New England Journal Of Medicine 2019, 381: 1444-1457. PMID: 31597021, DOI: 10.1056/nejmra1808246.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchRisk of Zika microcephaly correlates with features of maternal antibodies
Robbiani DF, Olsen PC, Costa F, Wang Q, Oliveira TY, Nery N, Aromolaran A, do Rosário MS, Sacramento GA, Cruz JS, Khouri R, Wunder EA, Mattos A, de Paula Freitas B, Sarno M, Archanjo G, Daltro D, Carvalho GBS, Pimentel K, de Siqueira IC, de Almeida JRM, Henriques DF, Lima JA, Vasconcelos PFC, Schaefer-Babajew D, Azzopardi SA, Bozzacco L, Gazumyan A, Belfort R, Alcântara AP, Carvalho G, Moreira L, Araujo K, Reis MG, Keesler RI, Coffey LL, Tisoncik-Go J, Gale M, Rajagopal L, Waldorf K, Dudley DM, Simmons HA, Mejia A, O’Connor D, Steinbach RJ, Haese N, Smith J, Lewis A, Colgin L, Roberts V, Frias A, Kelleher M, Hirsch A, Streblow DN, Rice CM, MacDonald MR, de Almeida ARP, Van Rompay KKA, Ko AI, Nussenzweig MC. Risk of Zika microcephaly correlates with features of maternal antibodies. Journal Of Experimental Medicine 2019, 216: 2302-2315. PMID: 31413072, PMCID: PMC6781003, DOI: 10.1084/jem.20191061.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMaternal antibodiesFetal brain damageSerum antibody responseZika virus infectionInfected pregnanciesMicrocephalic infantsAntibody responsePregnant macaquesRisk factorsBrain damageVirus infectionCongenital abnormalitiesLow titersBrazilian womenMicrocephalyTitersPregnancyZIKVAntibodiesBirthRiskInfantsInfectionAbnormalitiesFlavivirusesSeroprevalence, Risk Factors, and Rodent Reservoirs of Leptospirosis in an Urban Community of Puerto Rico, 2015
Briskin EA, Casanovas-Massana A, Ryff KR, Morales-Estrada S, Hamond C, Perez-Rodriguez NM, Benavidez KM, Weinberger DM, Castro-Arellano I, Wunder EA, Sharp TM, Rivera-Garcia B, Ko AI. Seroprevalence, Risk Factors, and Rodent Reservoirs of Leptospirosis in an Urban Community of Puerto Rico, 2015. The Journal Of Infectious Diseases 2019, 220: 1489-1497. PMID: 31342075, PMCID: PMC6761939, DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiz339.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRisk factorsAnti-Leptospira antibodiesBurden of leptospirosisRisk of infectionMicroscopic agglutination testCross-sectional surveyQuantitative polymerase chain reactionSeropositive individualsPrevious infectionPolymerase chain reactionLeptospira infectionLeptospira carriageSerogroup IcterohaemorrhagiaeHigh titersStudy participantsAgglutination testLeptospira exposurePathogenic LeptospiraInfectionRodent reservoirsChain reactionAntibodiesRodent trappingSeroprevalenceCommunity sites