Virology articles from across Nature Portfolio

SARS-CoV-2 infections are typically more severe with increased age. Vaccination can reduce morbidity and mortality, but the age-associated decline in immune function could limit vaccine efficacy in older adults. Dallan, Proietto and colleagues demonstrate robust immunological humoral and cellular memory in older adults who received primary vaccinations using the adenoviral platforms and received subsequent boosting with mRNA vaccine platforms.

Proteins that are involved in immunity rapidly evolve to adapt to pathogens. However, some eukaryotic immune proteins have been shown to originate from bacterial antiphage systems, which suggests the existence of highly conserved immune proteins. Our investigation now reveals how viperins — a conserved family of immune proteins — evolved across domains of life.

Many aspects of the biology and pathogenesis of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection remain underexplored. In this Review, Steinmann and colleagues summarize the role of the innate and adaptive immune systems in HEV infection.

JNJ-A07 is a highly potent pan-serotype dengue virus inhibitor but the mechanism is not fully understood. Here, the authors show that JNJ-A07 blocks interaction between the viral protease/helicase complex NS2B/NS3 and the viral NS4A-2K-NS4B precursor, which then prevents formation of membranous replication organelles.

Digital contact tracing was widely adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic to enable identification of incidental ‘cospace-time’ interactions with people who were not close contacts. Here the authors evaluate the effectiveness of digital contact tracing using data from Beijing, China.

The authors present MARVE, a paper-based, preamplification-free diagnostic tool for fast but accurate colorimetric detection of viral variants at single-nucleotide resolution.

Inhibiting a protein associated with chronic inflammation improves lung health in mice with COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 infections are typically more severe with increased age. Vaccination can reduce morbidity and mortality, but the age-associated decline in immune function could limit vaccine efficacy in older adults. Dallan, Proietto and colleagues demonstrate robust immunological humoral and cellular memory in older adults who received primary vaccinations using the adenoviral platforms and received subsequent boosting with mRNA vaccine platforms.

Strategies for public engagement need to be rigorously tested around the world to maximize the potential of immunization.

Older populations might be more protected than younger ones because of exposure to ‘matched’ strains during childhood, but an H5N1 pandemic is likely to take a major toll all the same.

Proteins that are involved in immunity rapidly evolve to adapt to pathogens. However, some eukaryotic immune proteins have been shown to originate from bacterial antiphage systems, which suggests the existence of highly conserved immune proteins. Our investigation now reveals how viperins — a conserved family of immune proteins — evolved across domains of life.

A WHO report suggests the terms ‘airborne transmission/inhalation’, ‘direct deposition’ and ‘infectious respiratory particles’ for describing transmission modes, highlighting the continuum of particle size with greatest exposure near the source. The report did not update infection control guidelines.