2024
Human antibodies in Mexico and Brazil neutralizing tick-borne flaviviruses
Cervantes Rincón T, Kapoor T, Keeffe J, Simonelli L, Hoffmann H, Agudelo M, Jurado A, Peace A, Lee Y, Gazumyan A, Guidetti F, Cantergiani J, Cena B, Bianchini F, Tamagnini E, Moro S, Svoboda P, Costa F, Reis M, Ko A, Fallon B, Avila-Rios S, Reyes-Téran G, Rice C, Nussenzweig M, Bjorkman P, Ruzek D, Varani L, MacDonald M, Robbiani D. Human antibodies in Mexico and Brazil neutralizing tick-borne flaviviruses. Cell Reports 2024, 43: 114298. PMID: 38819991, DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114298.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPowassan virusEnvelope domain IIIYellow fever virusZika virusFever virusSerological neutralizing activityTemperate regionsDengue virusTicksTropical areasInfect humansLineage IMosquito-borne flavivirusNeutralizing activityHuman antibodiesVirusNeurological illnessBrazilFlavivirusesP002P003Human diseasesFactors associated with differential seropositivity to Leptospira interrogans and Leptospira kirschneri in a high transmission urban setting for leptospirosis in Brazil
de Oliveira D, Khalil H, Palma F, Santana R, Nery N, Quintero-Vélez J, Zeppelini C, do Sacramento G, Cruz J, Lustosa R, Ferreira I, Carvalho-Pereira T, Diggle P, Wunder E, Ko A, Lopez Y, Begon M, Reis M, Costa F. Factors associated with differential seropositivity to Leptospira interrogans and Leptospira kirschneri in a high transmission urban setting for leptospirosis in Brazil. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2024, 18: e0011292. PMID: 38758957, PMCID: PMC11139309, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011292.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchYears of ageResidents of low-income areasMultinomial logistic regression modelWork-related exposureEpidemiological patternsLow-income areasLogistic regression modelsInformal urban communitiesFactors associated with seropositivityCity of SalvadorPathogenic species of bacteriaUrban settingsUrban communitiesOverestimation 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
Dynamics of chikungunya virus transmission in the first year after its introduction in Brazil: A cohort study in an urban community
Anjos R, Portilho M, Jacob-Nascimento L, Carvalho C, Moreira P, Sacramento G, Nery N, de Oliveira D, Cruz J, Cardoso C, Argibay H, Plante K, Plante J, Weaver S, Kitron U, Reis M, Ko A, Costa F, Ribeiro G. Dynamics of chikungunya virus transmission in the first year after its introduction in Brazil: A cohort study in an urban community. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2023, 17: e0011863. PMID: 38150470, PMCID: PMC10775974, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011863.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchExtensive transmission of SARS-CoV-2 BQ.1* variant in a population with high levels of hybrid immunity: A prevalence survey
Ticona J, Xiao M, Li D, Nery N, Hitchings M, Belitardo E, Fofana M, Victoriano R, Cruz J, de Moraes L, Strobel I, Silva J, do Aragão Filho A, Ribeiro G, Reis M, Costa F, Khouri R, Ko A, Cummings D. Extensive transmission of SARS-CoV-2 BQ.1* variant in a population with high levels of hybrid immunity: A prevalence survey. International Journal Of Infectious Diseases 2023, 139: 159-167. PMID: 38070701, PMCID: PMC10784150, DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.11.039.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPredictors of Neurodevelopment in Microcephaly Associated with Congenital Zika Syndrome: A Prospective Study
Mattos A, Rastely-Junior V, Pires M, Aguilar J, Lessa M, Regis C, Wanderley M, Leony J, Bouzon J, Ballalai V, Vieira C, Carvalho G, Almeida J, Nery N, Leal R, Costa F, Ko A, Reis M, Oliveira-Filho J. Predictors of Neurodevelopment in Microcephaly Associated with Congenital Zika Syndrome: A Prospective Study. Children 2023, 10: 1831. PMID: 38136033, PMCID: PMC10741834, DOI: 10.3390/children10121831.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCongenital Zika syndromeEvans indexZika syndromeHead circumferenceNeurodevelopmental delayMedian head circumferenceBayley-III scoresCT scan analysisMicrocephaly AssociatedNeurodevelopmental examinationProspective studyVentricle enlargementBrain abnormalitiesCongenital manifestationsMultiprofessional teamGross motorNeonate periodDevelopmental anomaliesDevelopmental delaySyndromeMicrocephalyBlinded expertsMonthsChildrenCircumferenceZika virus RNA persistence and recovery in water and wastewater: An approach for Zika virus surveillance in resource-constrained settings
Zhu K, Hill C, Muirhead A, Basu M, Brown J, Brinton M, Hayat M, Venegas-Vargas C, Reis M, Casanovas-Massana A, Meschke J, Ko A, Costa F, Stauber C. Zika virus RNA persistence and recovery in water and wastewater: An approach for Zika virus surveillance in resource-constrained settings. Water Research 2023, 241: 120116. PMID: 37270953, PMCID: PMC10330535, DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120116.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsZIKV RNAZIKV outbreakZika virus surveillanceNucleic acid testingZika virus epidemicResource-constrained settingsWidespread diagnostic testingPublic health surveillanceReverse transcription droplet digital PCRTranscription droplet digital PCRAcid testingRNA persistenceDiagnostic testingHealth surveillanceDroplet digital PCRVirus epidemicVirus surveillanceIndividual testingSuch casesDigital PCRSurveillanceOutbreakRNAZIKVRecoveryBartonella in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from the urban slum environment in Brazil
Zeppelini C, Oliveira D, Kosoy M, Reis M, Ko A, Childs J, Costa F. Bartonella in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from the urban slum environment in Brazil. Anais Da Academia Brasileira De Ciências 2023, 95: e20220809. PMID: 37909607, DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202320220809.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2022
Plasmodium infection is associated with cross-reactive antibodies to carbohydrate epitopes on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein
Lapidus S, Liu F, Casanovas-Massana A, Dai Y, Huck J, Lucas C, Klein J, Filler R, Strine M, Sy M, Deme A, Badiane A, Dieye B, Ndiaye I, Diedhiou Y, Mbaye A, Diagne C, Vigan-Womas I, Mbengue A, Sadio B, Diagne M, Moore A, Mangou K, Diallo F, Sene S, Pouye M, Faye R, Diouf B, Nery N, Costa F, Reis M, Muenker M, Hodson D, Mbarga Y, Katz B, Andrews J, Campbell M, Srivathsan A, Kamath K, Baum-Jones E, Faye O, Sall A, Vélez J, Cappello M, Wilson M, Ben-Mamoun C, Tedder R, McClure M, Cherepanov P, Somé F, Dabiré R, Moukoko C, Ouédraogo J, Boum Y, Shon J, Ndiaye D, Wisnewski A, Parikh S, Iwasaki A, Wilen C, Ko A, Ring A, Bei A. Plasmodium infection is associated with cross-reactive antibodies to carbohydrate epitopes on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. Scientific Reports 2022, 12: 22175. PMID: 36550362, PMCID: PMC9778468, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26709-7.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCross-reactive antibodiesSARS-CoV-2Positive SARS-CoV-2 antibody resultsPositive SARS-CoV-2 antibodiesSARS-CoV-2 reactivitySARS-CoV-2 antibodiesAcute malaria infectionSpike proteinAntibody test resultsPre-pandemic samplesMalaria-endemic countriesPopulation-level immunityMalaria-endemic regionsSpike S1 subunitNon-endemic countriesSARS-CoV-2 spike proteinSARS-CoV-2 proteinsPopulation-level exposureCOVID-19 transmissionMalaria exposureFalse-positive resultsMalaria infectionDisease burdenPlasmodium infectionAntibody resultsWhy is leptospirosis hard to avoid for the impoverished? Deconstructing leptospirosis transmission risk and the drivers of knowledge, attitudes, and practices in a disadvantaged community in Salvador, Brazil
Palma F, Costa F, Lustosa R, Mogaji H, de Oliveira D, Souza F, Reis M, Ko A, Begon M, Khalil H. Why is leptospirosis hard to avoid for the impoverished? Deconstructing leptospirosis transmission risk and the drivers of knowledge, attitudes, and practices in a disadvantaged community in Salvador, Brazil. PLOS Global Public Health 2022, 2: e0000408. PMID: 36962720, PMCID: PMC10022107, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000408.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchLow socioeconomic statusLower riskLeptospirosis transmissionSocioeconomic statusIndividual infection riskEnvironmental risk factorsPublic health messagingUrban disadvantaged communitiesKAP variablesMale genderRisk factorsCross-sectional KAP surveyEpidemiological dataHigh-risk activitiesHealth messagingPrevention practicesGreater riskInfection riskInfectious diseasesKAP surveyTransmission riskResidents' knowledgeDisadvantaged communitiesRiskRisk activitiesRickettsial 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 ResearchLinking rattiness, geography and environmental degradation to spillover Leptospira infections in marginalised urban settings: An eco-epidemiological community-based cohort study in Brazil
Eyre MT, Souza FN, Carvalho-Pereira T, Nery N, de Oliveira D, Cruz JS, Sacramento GA, Khalil H, Wunder EA, Hacker KP, Hagan JE, Childs JE, Reis MG, Begon M, Diggle PJ, Ko AI, Giorgi E, Costa F. Linking rattiness, geography and environmental degradation to spillover Leptospira infections in marginalised urban settings: An eco-epidemiological community-based cohort study in Brazil. ELife 2022, 11: e73120. PMID: 36111781, PMCID: PMC9560157, DOI: 10.7554/elife.73120.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInfection riskSignificant global public health burdenCommunity-based cohort studyGlobal public health burdenPublic health burdenAgents of leptospirosisExposure of interestYears of agePublic health interventionsHigh-risk communitiesJoint spatial modellingZoonotic spilloverCohort studyHuman infection riskMale genderSerological evidenceHealth burdenLeptospira infectionLeptospiral infectionInfection rateHealth interventionsEco-epidemiological studiesHealth surveillanceFundação de Amparo à PesquisaOswaldo Cruz FoundationStructural factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection risk in an urban slum setting in Salvador, Brazil: A cross-sectional survey
Fofana MO, Nery N, Ticona J, de Andrade Belitardo EMM, Victoriano R, Anjos RO, Portilho MM, de Santana MC, dos Santos LL, de Oliveira D, Cruz JS, Muenker MC, Khouri R, Wunder EA, Hitchings MDT, Johnson O, Reis MG, Ribeiro GS, Cummings DAT, Costa F, Ko AI. Structural factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection risk in an urban slum setting in Salvador, Brazil: A cross-sectional survey. PLOS Medicine 2022, 19: e1004093. PMID: 36074784, PMCID: PMC9499230, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004093.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infectionAcute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infectionSARS-CoV-2 infection riskUrban slumsSyndrome coronavirus 2 infectionSARS-CoV-2 seroprevalenceSARS-CoV-2 incidenceCoronavirus 2 infectionCross-sectional serosurveyMain outcome measuresUrban slum populationPresence of IgGSARS-CoV-2 spike proteinUrban slum communityCross-sectional surveyUrban slum residentsCumulative incidenceMedian ageRisk factorsOutcome measuresStudy populationHigh seroprevalenceMedian dailyPandemic waveGender distributionReliable estimation of SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike protein IgG titers from single dilution optical density values in serologic surveys
Belitardo E, Nery N, Ticona J, Portilho MM, Mello IO, Ribeiro GS, Reis MG, Costa F, Cummings DAT, Ko AI, Fofana MO. Reliable estimation of SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike protein IgG titers from single dilution optical density values in serologic surveys. Diagnostic Microbiology And Infectious Disease 2022, 104: 115807. PMID: 36162285, PMCID: PMC9428330, DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2022.115807.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSARS-CoV-2 incidenceCommunity-based cohortPopulation-level immunitySARS-CoV-2Large-scale serosurveysELISA optical densityIgG titersIgG ELISAPandemic evolvesSerologic surveyTitersOptical density valuesPopulation-level changesSerosurveyImmunitySingle dilutionSerial dilutionsNODCohortIncidenceELISASerumEvaluation of the impact of chemical control on the ecology of Rattus norvegicus of an urban community in Salvador, Brazil
Pertile A, Lustosa R, Carvalho-Pereira T, Pedra G, Panti-May J, Oliveira U, Zeppelini C, Souza F, Oliveira D, Khalil H, Reis M, Childs J, Ko A, Begon M, Costa F. Evaluation of the impact of chemical control on the ecology of Rattus norvegicus of an urban community in Salvador, Brazil. PLOS ONE 2022, 17: e0270568. PMID: 35857771, PMCID: PMC9299319, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270568.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRodent control programsDemographic variablesSpirochete Leptospira interrogansControl interventionsCommunity settingsR. norvegicusChi-squareControl of zoonosesLeptospira interrogansChemical interventionDemographic characteristicsInterventionIntervention campaignsRodentsSynanthropic rodentsMonthsBody massControl programsControl practicesRattus norvegicusControl campaignsUrban poor communitiesPopulationEnvironmental transmissionAnalysis of variancePopulation dynamics of synanthropic rodents after a chemical and infrastructural intervention in an urban low-income community
Awoniyi A, Venegas-Vargas C, Souza F, Zeppelini C, Hacker K, Carvalho-Pereira T, Marins C, de Santana M, Pertile A, Begon M, Ko A, Diggle P, Reis M, Childs J, da Silva E, Costa F, Khalil H. Population dynamics of synanthropic rodents after a chemical and infrastructural intervention in an urban low-income community. Scientific Reports 2022, 12: 10109. PMID: 35710879, PMCID: PMC9203450, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14474-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsUrban low-income communityLow-income communitiesEffects of interventionsPre-intervention levelsSynanthropic rodentsLong-term effectsRodent infestationInterventionRodent control programsLongitudinal studyCity of SalvadorControl programsActivity/abundanceRodentsPopulationHousehold/Pose risksYearsStudyUnequal burden of Zika-associated microcephaly among populations with public and private healthcare in Salvador, Brazil
Aromolaran A, Araujo K, Ladines-Lim JB, Nery N, do Rosário MS, Rastely VN, Archanjo G, Daltro D, da Silveira Carvalho G, Pimentel K, de Almeida JRM, de Siqueira IC, Ribeiro HC, Oliveira-Filho J, de Oliveira D, Henriques DF, Rodrigues SG, da Costa Vasconcelos P, de Almeida ARP, Sacramento GA, Cruz JS, Sarno M, de Paula Freitas B, Mattos A, Khouri R, Reis MG, Ko AI, Costa F. Unequal burden of Zika-associated microcephaly among populations with public and private healthcare in Salvador, Brazil. International Journal Of Infectious Diseases 2022, 120: 201-204. PMID: 35470025, PMCID: PMC9119857, DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.04.030.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsZIKV exposurePregnant womenSocioeconomic statusRelative disease burdenCongenital Zika syndromeZika virus epidemicLow socioeconomic statusZika syndromeClinical presentationDisease burdenSimilar prevalenceSerologic dataDifferent socioeconomic statusS HospitalHospitalLarge hospitalsMicrocephalyStudy centersVirus epidemicWomenPositive associationInfantsUnequal burdenHigh rateExposure rateBiannual 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 rateDiseaseRainfall and other meteorological factors as drivers of urban transmission of leptospirosis
Cunha M, Costa F, Ribeiro GS, Carvalho MS, Reis RB, Nery N, Pischel L, Gouveia EL, Santos AC, Queiroz A, Wunder EA, Reis MG, Diggle PJ, Ko AI. Rainfall and other meteorological factors as drivers of urban transmission of leptospirosis. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2022, 16: e0007507. PMID: 35404948, PMCID: PMC9022820, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007507.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2021
Angiostrongylus cantonensis in urban populations of terrestrial gastropods and rats in an impoverished region of Brazil.
Souza F, Aguiar Santos M, Almeida Alves D, Cecília Vieira de Melo L, Jessé Gonçalves da Mota D, Cristina Pertile A, Gava R, Luiz Silva Pinto P, Eyre M, Graco Zeppelini C, Reis M, Ko A, Begon M, Bahiense T, Costa F, Carvalho-Pereira T. Angiostrongylus cantonensis in urban populations of terrestrial gastropods and rats in an impoverished region of Brazil. Parasitology 2021, 148: 994-1002. PMID: 33843507, PMCID: PMC11010192, DOI: 10.1017/s0031182021000597.Peer-Reviewed Original Research