Epidemiology, Virology, and Prevention

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 14011

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Virology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Interests: emerging virus; vaccine; arbovirus; animal model; viral attenuation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to submit your manuscripts to this Special Issue, entitled "Epidemiology, Virology, and Prevention". Since the first vaccine was reported by Edward Jenner in the eighteenth century, many vaccines have been developed and used around the world. Many viral infectious diseases such as variola, yellow fever, measles, rubella, rotavirus disease, and polio, that once threatened humans, have been controlled by vaccines.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide readers with present knowledge about the epidemiology, virology, and preventive methods of vaccine-preventable and emerging viral diseases. Areas of research in this field include the following: (1) epidemiology of viral diseases including vaccine-preventable diseases; (2) immune responses to vaccines; (3) vaccine development and efficacy evaluation of non-clinical phase and clinical phase; (4) vaccine immunology; (5) vaccine development against emerging viral diseases. Basic viral vaccine research, such as the generation of attenuated viruses and analyses of vaccine efficacy in model animals, is also welcome. Both original research articles and reviews are welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Satoshi Taniguchi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • vaccine
  • epidemiology
  • viral immunity
  • prevention
  • immune response
  • emerging virus
  • animal model
  • vaccine trial

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 4931 KiB  
Article
Molecular Evolution of Dengue Virus 3 in Senegal between 2009 and 2022: Dispersal Patterns and Implications for Prevention and Therapeutic Countermeasures
by Idrissa Dieng, Diamilatou Balde, Cheikh Talla, Diogop Camara, Mamadou Aliou Barry, Samba Niang Sagne, Khadim Gueye, Cheikh Abdou Khadre Mbacké Dia, Babacar Souleymane Sambe, Gamou Fall, Amadou Alpha Sall, Ousmane Faye, Cheikh Loucoubar and Oumar Faye
Vaccines 2023, 11(10), 1537; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11101537 - 28 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2004
Abstract
Dengue fever is the most prevalent arboviral disease worldwide. Dengue virus (DENV), the etiological agent, is known to have been circulating in Senegal since 1970, though for a long time, virus epidemiology was restricted to the circulation of sylvatic DENV−2 in south-eastern Senegal [...] Read more.
Dengue fever is the most prevalent arboviral disease worldwide. Dengue virus (DENV), the etiological agent, is known to have been circulating in Senegal since 1970, though for a long time, virus epidemiology was restricted to the circulation of sylvatic DENV−2 in south-eastern Senegal (the Kedougou region). In 2009 a major shift was noticed with the first urban epidemic, which occurred in the Dakar region and was caused by DENV−3. Following the notification by Senegal, many other West African countries reported DENV−3 epidemics. Despite these notifications, there are scarce studies and data about the genetic diversity and molecular evolution of DENV−3 in West Africa. Using nanopore sequencing, phylogenetic, and phylogeographic approaches on historic strains and 36 newly sequenced strains, we studied the molecular evolution of DENV−3 in Senegal between 2009 and 2022. We then assessed the impact of the observed genetic diversity on the efficacy of preventive countermeasures and vaccination by mapping amino acid changes against vaccine strains. The results showed that the DENV−3 strains circulating in Senegal belong to genotype III, similarly to strains from other West African countries, while belonging to different clades. Phylogeographic analysis based on nearly complete genomes revealed three independent introduction events from Asia and Burkina Faso. Comparison of the amino acids in the CprM-E regions of genomes from the Senegalese strains against the vaccine strains revealed the presence of 22 substitutions (7 within the PrM and 15 within the E gene) when compared to CYD-3, while 23 changes were observed when compared to TV003 (6 within the PrM and 17 within the E gene). Within the E gene, most of the changes compared to the vaccine strains were located in the ED-III domain, which is known to be crucial in neutralizing antibody production. Altogether, these data give up-to-date insight into DENV−3 genomic evolution in Senegal which needs to be taken into account in future vaccination strategies. Additionally, they highlight the importance of the genomic epidemiology of emerging pathogens in Africa and call for the implementation of a pan-African network for genomic surveillance of dengue virus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology, Virology, and Prevention)
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Review

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18 pages, 1473 KiB  
Review
The Quest for a Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine for Older Adults: Thinking beyond the F Protein
by Victoria A. Jenkins, Bernard Hoet, Hubertus Hochrein and Laurence De Moerlooze
Vaccines 2023, 11(2), 382; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11020382 - 7 Feb 2023
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 7924
Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of paediatric respiratory tract infection and causes a significant health burden in older adults. Natural immunity to RSV is incomplete, permitting recurrent symptomatic infection over an individual’s lifespan. When combined with immunosenescence, this increases older [...] Read more.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of paediatric respiratory tract infection and causes a significant health burden in older adults. Natural immunity to RSV is incomplete, permitting recurrent symptomatic infection over an individual’s lifespan. When combined with immunosenescence, this increases older adults’ susceptibility to more severe disease symptoms. As RSV prophylaxis is currently limited to infants, older adults represent an important target population for RSV vaccine development. The relationship between RSV and our immune systems is complex, and these interactions require deeper understanding to tailor an effective vaccine candidate towards older adults. To date, vaccine candidates targeting RSV antigens, including pre-F, F, G (A), G (B), M2-1, and N, have shown efficacy against RSV infection in older adults in clinical trial settings. Although vaccine candidates have demonstrated robust neutralising IgG and cellular responses, it is important that research continues to investigate the RSV immune response in order to further understand how the choice of antigenic target site may impact vaccine effectiveness. In this article, we discuss the Phase 3 vaccine candidates being tested in older adults and review the hurdles that must be overcome to achieve effective protection against RSV. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology, Virology, and Prevention)
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11 pages, 665 KiB  
Review
Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs): Challenges and Measures Taken by the Radiology Department to Control Infection Transmission
by Ali Alamer, Fawaz Alharbi, Asim Aldhilan, Ziyad Almushayti, Khalefa Alghofaily, Ayman Elbehiry and Adil Abalkhail
Vaccines 2022, 10(12), 2060; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10122060 - 30 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3610
Abstract
Infections contracted during healthcare delivery in a hospital or ambulatory setting are collectively referred to as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Healthcare workers and patients alike are vulnerable to serious problems as a result of the risk of HAIs. In the healthcare system, HAIs are [...] Read more.
Infections contracted during healthcare delivery in a hospital or ambulatory setting are collectively referred to as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Healthcare workers and patients alike are vulnerable to serious problems as a result of the risk of HAIs. In the healthcare system, HAIs are considered among the most common and serious health problems. However, the occurrence of HAIs differs between different types of clinical departments within the hospital. Recently, the risk of HAIs has been increasing in radiology departments globally due to the central role of radiology in guiding clinical decisions for the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of different diseases from almost all medical specialties. The radiology department is particularly vulnerable to HAIs because it serves as a transit hub for infected patients, non-infected patients, and healthcare workers. Furthermore, as the number of patients referred to radiology and the length of patient contact time has increased, thanks to modern imaging techniques such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, the risk of HAIs has also increased significantly. With the increasing use of interventional radiological procedures, patients and healthcare workers face a potentially greater risk of contracting HAIs due to the invasive nature of such procedures. Although not exhaustive, we attempted through a literature search to provide a general overview of infection prevention and control practices, address HAIs in the radiology departments, and highlight the challenges and measures taken to control infection transmission in the radiology departments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology, Virology, and Prevention)
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