Herpesvirus infections are neglected
In sub-Saharan African herpesvirus infections are widespread, yet outside of some specific disease presentations (Kaposi's Sarcoma, Burkett's Lymphoma and HSV-1/2 genital warts) they have been under-researched. We seek to network herpesvirus researchers to bring about collaborative research studies in patient populations in Africa, where there is a high burden of HIV, Tuberculosis, malnutrition, and other diseases of poverty. We promote basic science, observational and epidemiological studies, as well as diagnostic and therapeutic development and intervention.
Herpesvirus basics
There are nine herpesvirus species for which humans are the natural reservoir. They cause a diverse set of diseases affecting a broad range of tissues and organ systems. Primary infection results in life-long latent infection with periodic reactivations which are more common for some species than others. Disease presentation often differs between primary infection and reactivation, or re-infection with different strains. Herpesviruses are well established as causal pathogens in many well characterised diseases which result from direct pathology of the virus in a specific tissue or organ, but they are also associated with several neurological conditions and malignancies, where the exact causal mechanisms are less clear. There is a long and expanding list of conditions in which herpesviruses may play a causal role, and one of the greatest challenges to the herpesvirus researcher or practitioner, is to differentiate active infections causing pathology which might respond to treatment, from sub-clinical infections.
Up and coming herpesvirus conferences
Publications
Children infected by human herpesvirus 6B with febrile seizures are more likely to develop febrile status epilepticus: A case-control study in a referral hospital in Zambia. Tembo J, Chandwe K, Kabwe M, Chilufya M, Ciccone O, Mpabalwani E, Ablashi D, ZumlaA, Chen T, Bates M. J Med Virol. 2018 Nov;90(11):1757-1764.
Urgent need for multi-site controlled trials for CMV pneumonia treatment in African children. Tembo J, Moraleda C, Rojo P, Zumla A, Bates M. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2018 Apr 1;22(4):469-470.
- Burden of respiratory tract infections at post mortem in
Zambian children. Bates
M, Shibemba A, Mudenda V, Chimoga C, Tembo J, Kabwe M, Chilufya M, Hoelscher M,
Maeurer M, Sinyangwe S, Mwaba P, Kapata N, Zumla A. BMC Med. 2016
Jul 1;14:99.
- Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) in Africa: a neglected but important
pathogen. Bates
M, Brantsaeter AB. J Virus Erad.
2016 Jul 1;2(3):136-42.
- Increased Cytomegalovirus Secretion and Risks of Infant
Infection by Breastfeeding Duration From Maternal Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Positive Compared to Negative Mothers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Musonda KG, Nyonda M, Filteau S,
Kasonka L, Monze M, Gompels UA. J
Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2016 Jun;5(2):138-46.
- Burden of tuberculosis at post mortem in inpatients at a
tertiary referral centre in sub-Saharan Africa: a prospective descriptive autopsy study. Bates M, Mudenda V, Shibemba A,
Kaluwaji J, Tembo J, Kabwe M, Chimoga C, Chilukutu L, Chilufya M, Kapata N,
Hoelscher M, Maeurer M, Mwaba P, Zumla
A.
- Lancet Infect
Dis. 2015 May;15(5):544-51.
- Prevalence and risk factors for betaherpesvirus DNAemia
in children >3 weeks and <2 years of age admitted to a large referral
hospital in sub-Saharan Africa. Tembo J, Kabwe M, Chilukutu L,
Chilufya M, Mwaanza N, Chabala C, Zumla A, Bates M. Clin Infect Dis.
2015 Feb 1;60(3):423-31.
- Congenital cytomegalovirus infections in sub-Saharan Africa--a neglected and growing problem. Bates M, Tembo J, Zumla A. Trop Med Int Health. 2014 Aug;19(8):996-8.
- High rates of congenital cytomegalovirus infection linked with maternal HIV infection among
neonatal admissions at a large referral center in sub-Saharan Africa.
Mwaanza N, Chilukutu L, Tembo J, Kabwe M, Musonda K, Kapasa M, Chabala C,
Sinyangwe S, Mwaba P, Zumla A, Bates
M. Clin Infect Dis. 2014
Mar;58(5):728-35.
- Reduced Poliovirus vaccine neutralising-antibody titres in infants with maternal HIV-exposure. Sanz-Ramos M, Manno D, Kapambwe M, Ndumba I, Musonda KG, Bates M, Chibumbya J, Siame J, Monze M, Filteau S, Gompels UA; CIGNIS study team. Vaccine. 2013 Apr 12;31(16):2042-9.
- Deaths due to respiratory tract infections in Africa: a review of autopsy studies. Bates M, Mudenda V, Mwaba P, Zumla A. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2013 May;19(3):229-37.
- Human cytomegalovirus
infant infection adversely affects growth and development in maternally
HIV-exposed and unexposed infants in Zambia. Gompels UA, Larke N,
Sanz-Ramos M, Bates M, Musonda
K, Manno D, Siame J, Monze M, Filteau S; CIGNIS Study Group. Clin Infect Dis. 2012 Feb
1;54(3):434-42.
- Predominant human
herpesvirus 6 variant A infant infections in an HIV-1 endemic region of
Sub-Saharan Africa. Bates
M, Monze M, Bima H, Kapambwe M, Clark D, Kasolo FC, Gompels UA. J Med Virol. 2009 May;81(5):779-89.
- High human cytomegalovirus
loads and diverse linked variable genotypes in both HIV-1 infected and exposed,
but uninfected, children in Africa. Bates M, Monze M, Bima H, Kapambwe M, Kasolo FC, Gompels UA;
CIGNIS study group. Virology. 2008
Dec 5;382(1):28-36.
- Diverse genotypes of Kaposi's sarcoma associated
herpesvirus (KSHV) identified in
infant blood infections in African childhood-KS and HIV/AIDS endemic region.
Kasolo FC, Spinks J, Bima H, Bates
M, Gompels UA. J Med Virol. 2007
Oct;79(10):1555-61.
Useful Links
- TWIV - This Week In Virology - Check out Prof Vincent Racaniello's fantastic weekly podcast from Columbia University
- Vincent Racaniello's Virology Lecturer Series 2015 on Youtube.
- ViralZone - excellent entry ports into the magical world of viruses from ExPASy and the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB)
- All the Virology on the WWW - another expansive entry portal.
News & Publications
- See our new study on HHV-6B in Zambian children with febrile seizures and association with febrile status epileptics. Tembo et al... 2018.
- CMV-based vaccines could issue in a new dawn for vaccine development, with promising preliminary trials for Ebola using a mouse model. Tsuda et al...2015.
- Tembo et al... publish in CID on the prevalence of betaherpesvirus DNAemia in over 300 hospitalised Zambian infants, showing that HCMV DNAemia is strongly associated with HIV infection and being underweight, and also with meningitis. These findings add to previous data suggesting HCMV is an important determinant of the health of African children. PDF
- HerpeZ collaborators present work on anti-herpesvirus activity of a novel quaternary ammonium salt at the 3rd Antivirals Congress in Amsterdam (12-14th Oct 2014). From left: Bhupesh Prusty, Dharam Ablashi, Kirk Kimmerling and Gehard Krueger
- John Tembo has won a Chinese Government PhD Scholarship to study betaherpesvirus infections in Zambia
- Bates et al... publish editorial in the Tropical Medicine & International Health journal on congenital CMV infections in sub-Saharan Africa PDF
- Mwaanza et al... publish in CID the first evidence that congenital CMV infection is extremely prevalent in Zambian neonates born to HIV-infected mothers, with broad-reaching implications for child development across the region. PDF
- Matthew Bates (UNZA-UCLMS), Kunda Musonda (LSHTM) and Alimuddin Zumla, (UCL) collaborate to publish book chapter on 'HCMV infections in sub-Saharan Africa'
