A5036605970- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
- Animal Virus Infections Studies
- Viral Infections and Immunology Research
- Virus-based gene therapy research
- Congenital Anomalies and Fetal Surgery
- Respiratory viral infections research
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Hepatitis Viruses Studies and Epidemiology
- COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
- Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
- Advanced Thermodynamic Systems and Engines
- Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research
- Cervical Cancer and HPV Research
- Microbial infections and disease research
- Molecular Biology Techniques and Applications
- Energy Harvesting in Wireless Networks
- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatment
- Electric Power System Optimization
- Infant Nutrition and Health
- Clinical Nutrition and Gastroenterology
- Smart Grid Energy Management
- Veterinary medicine and infectious diseases
Rega Institute for Medical Research
2014-2023
KU Leuven
2014-2023
Global Virus Network
2020
International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research
2010
Nagasaki University
2010
Osaka University
2010
Abstract How the innate and adaptive host immune system miscommunicate to worsen COVID-19 immunopathology has not been fully elucidated. Here, we perform single-cell deep-immune profiling of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples from 5 patients with mild 26 critical in comparison BALs non-COVID-19 pneumonia normal lung. We use pseudotime inference build T-cell monocyte-to-macrophage trajectories model gene expression changes along them. In COVID-19, CD8 + resident-memory (T RM ) CD4...
Abstract A major limitation for better understanding the role of human gut virome in health and disease is lack validated methods that allow high throughput analysis. To overcome this, we evaluated quantitative effect homogenisation, centrifugation, filtration, chloroform treatment random amplification on a mock-virome (containing nine highly diverse viruses) bacterial mock-community four faecal species) using PCR next-generation sequencing. This resulted an optimised protocol was able to...
Rotaviruses (RVs) are responsible for more than 600,000 child deaths each year. The worldwide introduction of two life oral vaccines RotaTeq and Rotarix is believed to reduce this number significantly. Before the licensing both vaccines, new genotypes, G9 G12, emerged in human population were able spread across entire globe a very short time span. To quantify VP7 mutation rates these G12 genotypes estimate their most recent common ancestors, we used Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo...
Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 causing COVID-19 has resulted in hundreds thousands deaths. In search for key targets effective therapeutics, robust animal models mimicking humans are urgently needed. Here, we show that Syrian hamsters, contrast to mice, highly permissive and develop bronchopneumonia strong inflammatory responses the lungs with neutrophil infiltration edema, further confirmed as consolidations visualized by micro-CT alike clinical practice. Moreover, identify an exuberant innate...
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) rapidly spread around the globe after its emergence in Wuhan December 2019. With no specific therapeutic and prophylactic options available, virus has infected millions of people which more than half a million succumbed to viral disease, COVID-19. The urgent need for an effective treatment together with lack small animal infection models led clinical trials using repurposed drugs without preclinical evidence their vivo efficacy. We...
The expanding pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) requires the development safe, efficacious and fast-acting vaccines. Several vaccine platforms are being leveraged for a rapid emergency response1. Here we describe candidate (YF-S0) severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that uses live-attenuated yellow fever 17D (YF17D) as vector to express noncleavable prefusion form SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen. We assess safety, immunogenicity efficacy in several animal models. YF-S0...
Favipiravir and Molnupiravir, orally available antivirals, have been reported to exert antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. First efficacy data recently in COVID-19 patients.We here report on the combined effect of both drugs a SARS-CoV-2 Syrian hamster infection model. The infected hamsters were treated twice daily with vehicle (the control group) or suboptimal dose each compound combination compounds.When animals doses Molnupiravir at time infection, marked potency endpoint is observed....
ABSTRACT Two live-attenuated rotavirus group A (RVA) vaccines, Rotarix (G1P[8]) and RotaTeq (G1-G4, P[8]), have been successfully introduced in many countries worldwide, including Belgium. The parental RVA strains used to generate the vaccines were isolated more than 20 years ago France (G4 strain RotaTeq) United States (all other strains). At present, little is known about relationship between currently circulating human RVAs vaccine strains. In this study, we determined sequences for VP7...
<b>Objective</b> To evaluate the effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination among young children in Belgium. <b>Design</b> Prospective case-control study. <b>Setting</b> Random sample 39 Belgian hospitals, February 2008 to June 2010. <b>Participants</b> 215 admitted hospital with gastroenteritis confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and 276 age matched controls. All were an eligible have received (that is, born after 1 October 2006 aged ≥14 weeks). <b>Main outcome measure</b> Vaccination status...
G11 rotaviruses are believed to be of porcine origin. However, a limited number have been recently isolated from humans in combination with P[25], P[8], P[6], and P[4]. To investigate the evolutionary relationships these strains, we analyzed complete genomes 2 human G11P[25] G11P[8] 3 reference strains. Most 11 gene segments 7 strains belonged genotype 1 (Wa-like). phylogenetic clustering patterns suggested that an unknown strain new I12 VP6 was transmitted population, which it acquired...
Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a member of the family Coronaviridae and can cause severe outbreaks in piglets from different age groups. Here, we report complete genome sequence (28,028 nt) PEDV strain isolated during novel outbreak Belgium.
Abstract Animal host–microbe interactions are a relevant concern for wildlife conservation, particularly regarding generalist pathogens, where domestic host species can play role in the transmission of infectious agents, such as viruses, to wild animals. Knowledge on viral circulation is still scarce and be improved by recent advent modern molecular approaches. We aimed characterize fecal virome identify viruses potential conservation relevance diarrheic free‐ranging wolves sympatric dogs...
Introductory paragraph Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 causing COVID-19, world is being shaken to its core with numerous hospitalizations and hundreds thousands deaths. In search for key targets effective therapeutics, robust animal models mimicking COVID-19 in humans are urgently needed. Here, we show that productive infection lungs mice limited restricted by early type I interferon responses. contrast, Syrian hamsters highly permissive SARS- CoV-2 develop bronchopneumonia a strong...
Neutrophils are recognized as important circulating effector cells in the pathophysiology of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, their role within inflamed lungs is incompletely understood. Here, we collected bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids and parallel blood samples critically ill COVID-19 patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation compared BAL fluid parameters with those mechanically ventilated influenza, a non-COVID-19 viral pneumonia cohort. Compared...
In this study, the complete genome sequences of seven equine group A rotavirus (RVA) strains (RVA/Horse-tc/GBR/L338/1991/G13P[18], RVA/Horse-wt/IRL/03V04954/2003/G3P[12] and RVA/Horse-wt/IRL/04V2024/2004/G14P[12] from Europe; RVA/Horse-wt/ARG/E30/1993/G3P[12], RVA/Horse-wt/ARG/E403/2006/G14P[12] RVA/Horse-wt/ARG/E4040/2008/G14P[12] Argentina; RVA/Horse-wt/ZAF/EqRV-SA1/2006/G14P[12] South Africa) were determined. Multiple novel genotypes identified genotype numbers assigned by Rotavirus...
The order Picornavirales represents a diverse group of positive-stranded RNA viruses with small non-enveloped icosahedral virions. Recently, bats have been identified as an important reservoir several highly pathogenic human viruses. Since many members the Picornaviridae family cause wide range diseases in humans and animals, this study aimed to characterize fruit bat populations located Southwest region Cameroon. These are frequently close contact due hunting, selling eating practices,...
Sapoviruses (SaVs) belong to the Sapovirus genus, in family Caliciviridae. They have been associated with gastroenteritis humans and pigs but not other animals. In addition, some strains from pigs, chimpanzees rodents show close sequence identity human SaVs thereby suggesting possibility of interspecies transmissions. Bats are known be a major reservoir zoonotic viruses, however, very little is about genetic diversity bats. To explore bat SaVs, fecal samples Eidolon helvum Epomophorus...
ABSTRACT Group A rotaviruses (RVAs) are an important cause of diarrhea in young pigs and children. An evolutionary relationship has been suggested to exist between pig human RVAs. This hypothesis was further investigated by phylogenetic analysis the complete genomes six recent (G2P[27], G3P[6], G4P[7], G5P[7], G9P[13], G9P[23]) one historic (G1P[7]) Belgian RVA strains all completely characterized RVAs from around globe. In contrast large diversity genotypes found for outer capsid proteins...
Group A rotavirus (RVA) infections form a major public health problem, especially in low-income countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (COD). However, limited data on RVA diversity is available from sub-Saharan Africa general and COD particular. Therefore, first aim this study was to determine genetic 99 RVAs detected during 2007–2010 Kisangani, COD. The predominant G-type G1 (39%) most P-type P[6] (53%). total eight different G/P-combinations were found: G1P[8] (28%), G8P[6] (26%),...
Bats are an important reservoir for zoonotic viruses. To date, only three RVA strains have been reported in bats Kenya and China. In the current study we investigated genetic diversity of RVAs fecal samples from 87 straw-colored fruit living close contact with humans Cameroon using viral metagenomics. Five (near) complete genomes were obtained. A single strain showed a partial relationship Kenyan bat strain, whereas other completely novel. Only VP7 VP4 genes significant variability,...