National Institute of Infectious Diseases

Temporal dissection of hepatitis C virus and orthoflavivirus infections by continuous luminescence monitoring

Virus infection is a dynamic process consisting of rapidly evolving viral and host events, yet conventional endpoint assays provide only fragmented snapshots of these processes. Here, we established a unified temporal framework for dissecting virus-host interactions by integratin...

Irrational health beliefs as barriers to health behaviors: development and validation of a brief scale in a Japanese population

Health communication and public health research has shown that providing accurate, evidence-based information does not necessarily lead to appropriate health decisions or behaviors. Cognitive biases and irrational health beliefs may contribute to this gap by shaping how individua...

Long-term immunoprophylaxis by TLR9 ligand mediates macrophage-ILC cross-talk against respiratory viral infection

Rapid development of host immunity is critical during the emergence of viral outbreaks when vaccines are not yet available. Here, we demonstrate that CpG oligodeoxynucleotide-schizophyllan complex (K3-SPG) induces antigen-independent, long-term protection against lethal respirato...

RBD-down stabilization of SARS-CoV-2 spike enhances cross-neutralizing antibody responses by redirecting immunodominance toward conserved epitopes

The continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has enabled partial escape from neutralizing antibodies, necessitating frequent updates of vaccine antigens. These observations motivate vaccine strategies that can redirect antibody responses toward conserved regions of the spike (...

Comparative genomics of Actinomyces identifies an MRONJ-associated lineage characterized by variation in mfd

Abstract Although many cases of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) have been reported, its pathophysiology remains unclear. Additionally, previous histological and metagenomic studies have implicated an association between MRONJ and Actinomyces ; however, verific...

Divergent proviral load trajectories and clonal dynamics of HTLV-1-infected cells during antirheumatic therapy in rheumatoid arthritis

The optimal management of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) carriers requiring long-term immunomodulatory therapy remains unclear. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) living with HTLV-1 frequently receive antirheumatic therapy, raising concerns regarding the potenti...

A divergent betacoronavirus with a functional furin cleavage site in South American bats

Abstract Bats are natural reservoirs for a wide range of RNA viruses. Members of the genus Betacoronavirus , including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus (MERS-CoV), have attracted particular attention due to their re...

Naturally Occurring ZCCHC3 Variants Modulate Antiretroviral Activity in Cynomolgus Macaques

ABSTRACT Many mammalian cells restrict viral replication by utilizing various host restriction factors. We recently demonstrated that CCHC‐type zinc‐finger‐containing protein 3 (ZCCHC3) suppresses human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) replication through multiple mechanisms...

Fecal filtrate transplantation as salvage therapy for fulminant Clostridioides difficile infection in adult hematological patients during chemotherapy-induced aplasia: a pilot experience

Background Fulminant Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in patients with hematologic malignancies during chemotherapy-induced aplasia carries high mortality and limited treatment options. Our objective was to evaluate fecal filtrate transplantation (FFT) as a salvage therap...

Characterisation of a human monoclonal antibody targeting a conserved epitope at the base of the HA head of influenza A(H3N2) virus

Background Numerous broadly reactive human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the haemagglutinin (HA) of influenza A viruses have recognised conserved epitopes across HA subtypes or within subtypes. Most heterosubtypic mAbs target the HA stem, the receptor-binding site (RBS), o...

Diagnostic performance of a field-deployable iiPCR platform and viral load dynamics of MPXV Clade IIb in a cohort with high prevalence of HIV

BACKGROUND: Since 2022, the global outbreak of Mpox caused by the Mpox virus (MPXV) Clade IIb has underscored the need for timely and decentralized molecular diagnostics. Although quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) remains the diagnostic gold standard, its infrastructure requireme...

Rheumatoid arthritis-associated peptidylarginine deiminase 4 haplotype citrullinates human immunodeficiency virus-pol and confers antiviral activity

Peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PADI4)-mediated citrullination modulates immune responses and drives autoantibody formation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Two common haplotypes, defined by four exonic SNPs ( PADI4_89 , 90 , 92 , and 104 ), have been described, with haplotype 2 (the...

Comparative in vivo evaluation of colistin resistance determinants in Escherichia coli clone ST131

Background Colistin is a last-resort antimicrobial for multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative infections. Health risks associated with colistin resistance are commonly inferred from resistance phenotypes, despite limited in vivo evidence linking resistance determinants to pathog...

Helicobacter pylori small RNA HPnc1470 represses HP0499/PldA/CGAT expression and modulates gastric epithelial morphology and inflammation

Helicobacter pylori persistently colonizes the stomach and contributes to gastric inflammation and carcinogenesis via sustained interactions with gastric epithelial cells. Although bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs) are crucial post-transcriptional regulators, their roles in regulating...