Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging mosquitoborne flavivirus circulating in Asia and Africa. In 2013, a large outbreak was reported on the archipelago of French Polynesia. In this study, we report the detection and molecular characterization of Zika virus for the first time in Chile from an outbreak among the inhabitants of Easter Island. A total of 89 samples from patients suspected of having ZIKV infection were collected between the period from January to May, 2014. Molecular diagnosis of the virus was performed by RT-PCR followed by the sequencing of the region containing the NS5 gene. A comparison of the viral nucleic acid sequence with those of other strains of ZIKA virus was performed using the MEGA software. Fifty-one samples were found positive for ZIKV by RT-PCR analysis. Further analysis of the NS5 gene revealed that the ZIKV strains identified in Easter Island were most closely related to those found in French Polynesia (99.8 to 99.9 % nt and 100 % aa sequence identity). These results strongly suggest that the transmission pathway leading to the introduction of Zika virus on Easter Island has its origin in French Polynesia.Keywords Zika virus Á Easter Island Á Outbreak Á South Pacific Á ZIKV Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus belonging to the family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus. The Flaviviruses also include yellow fever, dengue, St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile, and Japanese encephalitis viruses [6]. ZIKV was first isolated from the blood of a sentinel rhesus monkey inhabiting the Zika Forest in Uganda [6]. Later on, ZIKV was isolated from a mosquito of the species Aedes africanus, obtained from the same locality of the Zika Forest. ZIKV has been isolated from several species of Aedes mosquito, notably, A. aegypti and A. albopictus [10]. A. aegypti is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world [6,11,12].Clinically diagnosed ZIKV infections in human cases have been reported to include self-limiting acute febrile illnesses with fever, headache, myalgia, retro-orbital pain, arthralgia, conjunctivitis, and rash. These clinical presentations closely resemble those that are caused by dengue virus (DENV) and Chikungunya virus [6]. Serological studies and isolation of ZIKV strains have subsequently indicated that the virus has a wide geographical distribution, including regions in East and West Africa, South and South East Asia, and Micronesia [6], where an outbreak of Zika fever was reported on Yap Island [4]. In 2013, a Zika fever outbreak in French Polynesia was the largest ever reported for an arbovirus other than DENV at this location. Following this, there was a report of a Zika outbreak on the Cook Islands of New Caledonia [3,12].In Chile, at the end of 2000, the presence of A. aegypti on Easter Island was reported; the island is located on the east edge of the Polynesian Triangle, in the south Pacific Ocean, with a latitude of 27°9 0 10'' S, and a longitude of 109°27 0 17'' W [13]. The closest continental point from this island is the Chilean coast, l...

Background The development of effective vaccines against COVID-19 is a global priority. CoronaVac is an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine with promising safety and immunogenicity profiles. This article reports safety and immunogenicity results obtained for healthy Chilean adults aged ≥18 in a phase 3 clinical trial. Methods Volunteers randomly received two doses of CoronaVac or placebo, separated by two weeks. 434 volunteers were enrolled, 397 aged 18-59 years, and 37 aged ≥60 years. Solicited and unsolicited adverse reactions were registered from all volunteers. Blood samples were obtained from a subset of volunteers and analyzed for humoral and cellular measures of immunogenicity. Results The primary adverse reaction in the 434 volunteers was pain at the injection site, with a higher incidence in the vaccine than in the placebo arm. Adverse reactions observed were mostly mild and local. No severe adverse events were reported. The humoral evaluation was performed on 81 volunteers. Seroconversion rates for specific anti-S1-RBD IgG were 86.67% in the 18-59 age group and 70.37% in the ≥60 age group, two and four weeks after the second dose. A significant increase in circulating neutralizing antibodies was detected two and four weeks after the second dose. The cellular evaluation was performed on 47 volunteers. We detected a significant induction of T cell responses characterized by the secretion of IFN-γupon stimulation with Mega Pools of peptides from SARS-CoV-2. Conclusions Immunization with CoronaVac in a 0-14 schedule in Chilean adults aged ≥18 is safe, induces anti-S1-RBD IgG with neutralizing capacity, activates T cells, and promotes the secretion of IFN-γupon stimulation with SARS-CoV-2 antigens.

BackgroundSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the virus responsible of the current pandemic ongoing all around the world. Since its discovery in 2019, several circulating variants have emerged and some of them are associated with increased infections and death rate. Despite the genetic differences among these variants, vaccines approved for human use have shown a good immunogenic and protective response against them. In Chile, over 70% of the vaccinated population is immunized with CoronaVac, an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The immune response elicited by this vaccine has been described against the first SARS-CoV-2 strain isolated from Wuhan, China and the D614G strain (lineage B). To date, four SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern described have circulated worldwide. Here, we describe the neutralizing capacities of antibodies secreted by volunteers in the Chilean population immunized with CoronaVac against variants of concern Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351) Gamma (P.1) and Delta (B.617.2).MethodsVolunteers enrolled in a phase 3 clinical trial were vaccinated with two doses of CoronaVac in 0-14 or 0-28 immunization schedules. Sera samples were used to evaluate the capacity of antibodies induced by the vaccine to block the binding between Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) from variants of concern and the human ACE2 receptor by an in-house ELISA. Further, conventional microneutralization assays were used to test neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, interferon-γ-secreting T cells against Spike from variants of concern were evaluated in PBMCs from vaccinated subjects using ELISPOT.ResultsCoronaVac promotes the secretion of antibodies able to block the RBD of all the SARS-CoV-2 variants studied. Seropositivity rates of neutralizing antibodies in the population evaluated were over 97% for the lineage B strain, over 80% for Alpha and Gamma variants, over 75% for Delta variant and over 60% for the Beta variant. Geometric means titers of blocking antibodies were reduced when tested against SARS-CoV-2 variants as compared to ancestral strain. We also observed that antibodies from vaccinated subjects were able to neutralize the infection of variants D614G, Alpha, Gamma and Delta in a conventional microneutralization assay. Importantly, after SARS-CoV-2 infection, we observed that the blocking capacity of antibodies from vaccinated volunteers increased up to ten times for all the variants tested. We compared the number of interferon-γ-secreting T cells specific for SARS-CoV-2 Spike WT and variants of concern from vaccinated subjects and we did not detect significant differences.ConclusionImmunization with CoronaVac in either immunization schedule promotes the secretion of antibodies able to block SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and partially neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, it stimulates cellular responses against all variants of concern.

Background: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact worldwide, with an incommensurable social and economic burden. The rapid development of safe and protective vaccines against this disease is a global priority. CoronaVac is a vaccine prototype based on inactivated SARS-CoV-2, which has shown promising safety and immunogenicity profiles in pre-clinical studies and phase 1/2 trials in China. To this day, four phase 3 clinical trials are ongoing with CoronaVac in Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey, and Chile. This article reports the safety and immunogenicity results obtained in a subgroup of participants aged 18 years and older enrolled in the phase 3 Clinical Trial held in Chile. Methods: This is a multicenter phase 3 clinical trial. Healthcare workers aged 18 years and older were randomly assigned to receive two doses of CoronaVac or placebo separated by two weeks (0-14). We report preliminary safety results obtained for a subset of 434 participants, and antibody and cell-mediated immunity results obtained in a subset of participants assigned to the immunogenicity arm. The primary and secondary aims of the study include the evaluation of safety parameters and immunogenicity against SARS-CoV-2 after immunization, respectively. This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04651790). Findings: The recruitment of participants occurred between November 27th, 2020, until January 9th, 2021. 434 participants were enrolled, 397 were 18-59 years old, and 37 were over 60 years old. Of these, 270 were immunized with CoronaVac, and the remaining 164 participants were inoculated with the corresponding placebo. The primary adverse reaction was pain at the injection site, with a higher incidence in the vaccine arm (55.6%) than in the placebo arm (40.0%). Moreover, the incidence of pain at the injection site in the 18-59 years old group was 58.4% as compared to 32.0% in the over 60 years old group. The seroconversion rate for specific anti-S1-RBD IgG was 47.8% for the 18-59 years old group 14 days post immunization (p.i.) and 95.6% 28 and 42 days p.i. For the over 60 years old group, the seroconversion rate was 18.1%, 100%, and 87.5% at 14, 28, and 42 days p.i., respectively. Importantly, we observed a 95.7% seroconversion rate in neutralizing antibodies for the 18-59 years old group 28 and 42 days p.i. The over 60 years old group exhibited seroconversion rates of 90.0% and 100% at 28 and 42 days p.i. Interestingly, we did not observe a significant seroconversion rate of anti-N-SARS-CoV-2 IgG for the 18-59 years old group. For the participants over 60 years old, a modest rate of seroconversion at 42 days p.i. was observed (37.5%). We observed a significant induction of a T cell response characterized by the secretion of IFN-gamma; upon stimulation with Mega Pools of peptides derived from SARS-CoV-2 proteins. No significant differences between the two age groups were observed for cell-mediated immunity. Interpretation: Immunization with CoronaVac in a 0-14 schedule in adults of 18 years and older in the Chilean population is safe and induces specific IgG production against the S1-RBD with neutralizing capacity, as well as the activation of T cells secreting IFN-gamma upon recognition of SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Funding: Ministry of Health of the Chilean Government; Confederation of Production and Commerce, Chile; Consortium of Universities for Vaccines and Therapies against COVID-19, Chile; Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy.

We isolated Andes virus (formal name: Andes virus [ANDV], a species in the genus Hantavirus ) , from serum of an asymptomatic 10-year-old Chilean boy who died 6 days later of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). The serum was obtained 12 days after his grandmother died from HPS and 2 days before he became febrile. No hantavirus immunoglobulin (Ig) G or IgM antibodies were detected in the serum sample. After three blind passages, ANDV antigens were detected in Vero E6 cells by immunofluorescence assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and ANDV RNA was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. A fragment of the virus genome showed 96.2% nucleotide identity with that of prototype ANDV. To our knowledge, this is the first isolation of any agent of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome from a human and the first such isolation of hantavirus before symptoms of that syndrome or HPS began.