Last data update: May 06, 2024. (Total: 46732 publications since 2009)
Records 1-3 (of 3 Records) |
Query Trace: Stinnett RC[original query] |
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Effectiveness of self-collected, ambient temperature-preserved nasal swabs compared to samples collected by trained staff for genotyping of respiratory viruses by shotgun RNA sequencing: Comparative study
Soto R , Paul L , Porucznik CA , Xie H , Stinnett RC , Briggs B , Biggerstaff M , Stanford J , Schlaberg R . JMIR Form Res 2023 7 e32848 BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has underscored the need for field specimen collection and transport to diagnostic and public health laboratories. Self-collected nasal swabs transported without dependency on a cold chain have the potential to remove critical barriers to testing, expand testing capacity, and reduce opportunities for exposure of health professionals in the context of a pandemic. OBJECTIVE: We compared nasal swab collection by study participants from themselves and their children at home to collection by trained research staff. METHODS: Each adult participant collected 1 nasal swab, sampling both nares with the single swab, after which they collected 1 nasal swab from 1 child. After all the participant samples were collected for the household, the research staff member collected a separate single duplicate sample from each individual. Immediately after the sample collection, the adult participants completed a questionnaire about the acceptability of the sampling procedures. Swabs were placed in temperature-stable preservative and respiratory viruses were detected by shotgun RNA sequencing, enabling viral genome analysis. RESULTS: In total, 21 households participated in the study, each with 1 adult and 1 child, yielding 42 individuals with paired samples. Study participants reported that self-collection was acceptable. Agreement between identified respiratory viruses in both swabs by RNA sequencing demonstrated that adequate collection technique was achieved by brief instructions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the feasibility of a scalable and convenient means for the identification of respiratory viruses and implementation in pandemic preparedness for novel respiratory pathogens. |
Functional Characterization of Circulating Mumps Viruses with Stop Codon Mutations in the Small Hydrophobic Protein.
Stinnett RC , Beck AS , Lopareva EN , McNall RJ , Latner DR , Hickman CJ , Rota PA , Bankamp B . mSphere 2020 5 (6) Between 2015 and 2017, routine molecular surveillance in the United States detected multiple mumps viruses (MuVs) with mutations in the small hydrophobic (SH) gene compared to a reference virus of the same genotype. These mutations include an unusual pattern of uracil-to-cytosine hypermutations and other mutations resulting in the generation of premature stop codons or disruption of the canonical stop codon. The mumps virus SH protein may serve as a virulence factor, based on evidence that it inhibits apoptosis and innate immune signaling in vitro and that recombinant viruses that do not express the SH protein are attenuated in an animal model. In this study, mumps viruses bearing variant SH sequences were isolated from contemporary outbreak samples to evaluate the impact of the observed mutations on SH protein function. All isolates with variant SH sequences replicated in interferon-competent cells with no evidence of attenuation. Furthermore, all SH-variant viruses retained the ability to abrogate induction of NF-κB-mediated innate immune signaling in infected cells. Ectopic expression of variant mumps SH genes is consistent with findings from infection experiments, indicating that the observed abrogation of signaling was not mediated by other viral factors that may modulate innate immune signaling. Molecular surveillance is an important public health tool for monitoring the diversity of circulating mumps viruses and can provide insights into determinants of disease. These findings, in turn, will inform studies employing reverse genetics to elucidate the specific mechanisms of MuV pathogenesis and potential impacts of observed sequence variants on infectivity, fitness, and virulence.IMPORTANCE Mumps virus (MuV) outbreaks occur in the United States despite high coverage with measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. Routine genotyping of laboratory-confirmed mumps cases has been practiced in the United States since 2006 to enhance mumps surveillance. This study reports the detection of unusual mutations in the small hydrophobic (SH) protein of contemporary laboratory-confirmed mumps cases and is the first to describe the impact of such mutations on SH protein function. These mutations are predicted to profoundly alter the amino acid sequence of the SH protein, which has been shown to antagonize host innate immune responses; however, they were neither associated with defects in virus replication nor attenuated protein function in vitro, consistent with detection in clinical specimens. A better understanding of the forces governing mumps virus sequence diversity and of the functional consequences of mutations in viral proteins is important for maintaining robust capacity for mumps detection and disease control. |
Lessons from the reestablishment of Public Health Laboratory activities in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria
Hardy MC , Stinnett RC , Kines KJ , Rivera-Nazario DM , Lowe DE , Mercante AM , Gonzalez Jimenez N , Cuevas Ruiz RI , Rivera Arbolay HI , Gonzalez Pena RL , Toro M , Trujillo AA , Pappas CL , Llewellyn AC , Candal F , Burgos Garay M , Gomez GA , Concepcion Acevedo J , Ansbro M , Moura H , Shaw MW , Muehlenbachs A , Romanoff LC , Sunshine BJ , Rose DA , Patel A , Shapiro CN , Luna-Pinto SC , Pillai SK , O'Neill E . Nat Commun 2019 10 (1) 2720 Public Health Laboratories (PHLs) in Puerto Rico did not escape the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria. We implemented a quality management system (QMS) approach to systematically reestablish laboratory testing, after evaluating structural and functional damage. PHLs were inoperable immediately after the storm. Our QMS-based approach began in October 2017, ended in May 2018, and resulted in the reestablishment of 92% of baseline laboratory testing capacity. Here, we share lessons learned from the historic recovery of the largest United States' jurisdiction to lose its PHL capacity, and provide broadly applicable tools for other jurisdictions to enhance preparedness for public health emergencies. |
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