Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), a rodent-borne arenavirus first identified in 1933, remains a neglected zoonotic pathogen of growing recognition in urban, non-endemic regions. Although typically associated with rural rodent exposure, recent epidemiological data indicate substantial circulation in cities, particularly affecting pregnant women and leading to severe congenital infections. This comprehensive review examines the evolving epidemiology, clinical spectrum, diagnostic challenges, and public health implications of LCMV, with special emphasis on congenital disease. Recent seroprevalence studies, most notably the 2026 Philadelphia study, reported immunoglobulin G (IgG) seropositivity rates of 2.4–2.7
Cervical cancer is a leading cause of female cancer mortality globally, with a rising burden in China. Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection is the established driver of cervical carcinogenesis, but regional epidemiological data and associations between HPV and vaginal microecological disorders remain poorly characterized in Northwest China. We conducted a retrospective study of 57,035 female outpatients at a tertiary hospital in Shaanxi Province from 2016 to 2021. HPV genotyping was performed to assess persistent infection patterns, 9-valent vaccine coverage across three cervical lesion risk strata, and correlations with bacterial vaginosis (BV), aerobic vaginitis (AV), trichomonal vaginitis (TV), and vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). In this study of 57,035 female outpatients undergoing HPV genotyping, the overall HPV positivity rate was 28.77
Conventional multiplex PCR diagnostics for influenza-like illness (ILI) frequently yield negative results, leaving the etiology of respiratory infections undetermined. Virome Capture Sequencing for Vertebrate Viruses (VCS) offers a comprehensive agnostic approach for detecting known and unexpected vertebrate viruses in clinical samples. We retrospectively analyzed 440 nasal swab samples from adults enrolled in the ILI002 cohort in Mexico (2010–2014) who tested negative for respiratory pathogens by Respifinder multiplex PCR. Total nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) were extracted and sequenced using VCS. Bioinformatic analysis was conducted using the Rapid Identification of Microbes (RIM) pipeline. Detected viruses were classified by pathogenicity and disease association. Of 440 samples, 208 (48
Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectively suppresses HIV replication, the virus persists in latent reservoirs, which remain the principal barrier to achieving a cure. In infants who initiate ART within the first months of life, viral suppression coincides with a critical period of immune system development. Nevertheless, complete and sustained elimination of the virus is still elusive. Pediatric HIV reservoirs display distinct immunological features, including increased thymic output, a higher proportion of naive and central memory CD4⁺ T cells, and reduced immune exhaustion compared to adults. Early initiation of ART restricts initial reservoir seeding and is followed by continued decay during sustained suppression. The evidence for restricted seeding is quantitatively stronger, whereas decay data in children remain longitudinal and observational rather than randomised. As a result, children who receive early ART develop smaller reservoirs, present reduced viral diversity, and retain better-preserved immune function. These features, specifically a smaller and less diverse reservoir, a higher proportion of less differentiated infected cells and lower expression of exhaustion markers, may constrain clonal expansion and immune-driven viral evolution. This literature review consolidates current evidence regarding the establishment, maintenance, and dynamics of the HIV reservoir among pediatric populations. It highlights cellular and tissue compartmentalization, key immunological determinants, and the impact of assay selection on interpretations of reservoir persistence. The review further examines the consequences of these unique features for the development of cure-oriented strategies. Improving understanding of pediatric reservoir biology is essential for designing age-appropriate latency-reversing, immunotherapeutic, and gene-based interventions intended to achieve sustained ART-free remission or long-term post-treatment control.
Human herpesvirus infections span a wide variety of pathogenic outcomes, with individual representatives comprising a huge clinical relevance on human health. Translational research efforts are directed towards the improvement of broadly applicable preventive measures and detailed understanding of viral pathogenesis. Here, we studied rate-limiting steps in viral replication that show high mechanistic conservation among the Herpesviridae family members, in particular concerning the viral nucleocytoplasmic capsid egress. As characterized for several herpesviruses, viral nuclear egress is facilitated by the virus-induced local nuclear lamina rearrangements of infected cells. Hereby, the virus-mediated site-specific phosphorylation at lamin A/C Ser22, followed by cis/trans isomerization of the structural conformation, leads to the induction of lamina-depleted areas (LDAs). We have generated an LDA reporter system in primary human fibroblasts (HFFs), which conditionally express the autofluorescent lamin A/C-RFP fusion construct, for quantifying viral nuclear egress activity. This system was successfully applied for human and animal cytomegaloviruses as well as a selection of α-, β-, and γ-herpesviruses shown here. Our results illustrate that (i) the reporter system was effective in a quantitative way for all viruses analyzed; (ii) the process of LDA formation showed consistency among herpesviruses; (iii) the impairment of viral kinase activity, responsible for lamin A/C Ser22 phosphorylation, significantly reduced LDA formation; and (iv) inhibitory small molecules, directed either to the viral nuclear egress complex or the cellular isomerase activity, likewise provide an LDA-blocking effect leading to strong antiviral efficacy. Thus, the autofluorescent reporter cell model provides manifold options to study herpesviral productive replication, nuclear host interaction, and the pathogenesis-related impact of regulatory factors.
