Science
21 August 2015 vol 349, issue 6250, pages 761-896
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

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Perspective – Medicine
Global control of hepatitis C virus
Andrea L. Cox
Author Affiliations
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Summary
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a blood-borne disease that infects ~185 million people (~3% of the world’s population) worldwide (1). It can result in severe liver disease and is the leading cause of liver cancer in many countries. Although directly acting antivirals (DAAs) that target the viral life cycle have created enormous optimism about controlling HCV infection, achieving that goal remains a substantial challenge. Both acute and chronic infections are largely asymptomatic, infection incidence is rising in the United States (2), and comprehensive screening programs are rare in the most highly endemic regions of the world. As a result, less than 5% of the world’s HCV-infected population, and only 50% of the United States’ HCV-infected population, are aware that they are infected (3, 4) (see the figure). Most of these individuals will not receive treatment and will remain at risk for transmitting the infection to others. Successful control of HCV infection will most likely require a combination of mass global screening to identify those with infection, treatment, and prevention. Prophylactic HCV vaccination would also go a long way to reducing harm for uninfected people who are at risk.

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14 August 2015 vol 349, issue 6249, pages 665-760
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/349/6249.toc
Vaccines
Ebola virus vaccines—preparing for the unexpected
Hans-Dieter Klenk and Stephan Becker
Science 14 August 2015: 693-694.
Many lives might have been saved if clinical studies of Ebola virus vaccines had been done earlier [Also see Report by Marzi et al.]
Summary
The still ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which began in 2013, and with more than 27,000 cases and 11,000 deaths so far, highlights the need for a vaccine against the disease (1). Hopes to have a vaccine have been nourished in recent years by studies with recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) expressing the Ebola virus glycoprotein (VSV-EBOV). VSV-EBOV efficiently protects rodents and nonhuman primates against EBOV from viral strains (Kikwit strain in 1995, for example) that caused past outbreaks, but it was not known if it is also efficacious against the Makona strain responsible for the West African outbreak. On page 739 of this issue, Marzi et al. (2) demonstrate that the recombinant vaccine provides protective immunity in macaques against the Makona strain. Complete protection was achieved within 7 days after vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine will provide an ideal countermeasure for protecting health care workers and other persons at risk in an outbreak situation.

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Research Articles
Diversion of HIV-1 vaccine–induced immunity by gp41-microbiota cross-reactive antibodies
Wilton B. Williams, Hua-Xin Liao, M. Anthony Moody, Thomas B. Kepler, S. Munir Alam, Feng Gao, Kevin Wiehe, Ashley M. Trama, Kathryn Jones, Ruijun Zhang, Hongshuo Song, Dawn J. Marshall, John F. Whitesides, Kaitlin Sawatzki, Axin Hua, Pinghuang Liu, Matthew Z. Tay,
Xiaoying Shen, Andrew Foulger, Krissey E. Lloyd, Robert Parks, Justin Pollara, Guido Ferrari,
Jae-Sung Yu, Nathan Vandergrift, David C. Montefiori, Magdalena E. Sobieszczyk, Scott Hammer, Shelly Karuna, Peter Gilbert, Doug Grove, Nicole Grunenberg, M. Juliana McElrath, John R. Mascola, Richard A. Koup, Lawrence Corey, Gary J. Nabel, Cecilia Morgan, Gavin Churchyard, Janine Maenza, Michael Keefer, Barney S. Graham, Lindsey R. Baden, Georgia D. Tomaras, and Barton F. Haynes
Science 14 August 2015: aab1253
Published online 30 July 2015 [DOI:10.1126/science.aab1253]
The antibody response to an HIV-1 vaccine is dominated by preexisting immunity to microbiota.
Abstract

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Report
VSV-EBOV rapidly protects macaques against infection with the 2014/15 Ebola virus outbreak strain
Andrea Marzi1, Shelly J. Robertson1, Elaine Haddock1, Friederike Feldmann2, Patrick W. Hanley2, Dana P. Scott2, James E. Strong3, Gary Kobinger3, Sonja M. Best1, Heinz Feldmann1,*
Author Affiliations
1Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA.
2Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA.
3Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Abstract
The latest Ebola virus (EBOV) epidemic spread rapidly through Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, creating a global public health crisis and accelerating the assessment of experimental therapeutics and vaccines in clinical trials. One of those vaccines is based on recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus expressing the EBOV glycoprotein (VSV-EBOV), a live-attenuated vector with marked preclinical efficacy. Here, we provide the preclinical proof that VSV-EBOV completely protects macaques against lethal challenge with the West African EBOV-Makona strain. Complete and partial protection was achieved with a single dose given as late as 7 and 3 days before challenge, respectively. This indicates that VSV-EBOV may protect humans against EBOV infections in West Africa with relatively short time to immunity, promoting its use for immediate public health responses.

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7 August 2015 vol 349, issue 6248, pages 557-664
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/349/6248.toc
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