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Life
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HIV & SARS-CoV-2: RNA Viruses on the Lead
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HIV & SARS-CoV-2: RNA Viruses on the Lead

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 13280

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alessandra Ruggiero

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Verona, Strada le Grazie 8, 37134 Verona, Italy
Interests: virology; immunology; HIV-1; SARS-CoV2; HIV and SARS-CoV-2 immunology; T and B cellular response; humoral response; quantification of virus reservoir; HIV persistence; neurovirology; neutralization assay; vaccinology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Stefano Rinaldi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Affiliation: Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami-Dade County, FL 33146, USA
Interests: paediatric immunology; HIV; vaccinology; T cells; B cells
Dr. Jordan Thomas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences (IVES), University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
Interests: HIV-1; RNAseq; SARS-CoV-2; HCV

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues, 

SARS-CoV-2 is the RNA virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic that has been threatening global health since December 2019. HIV-1 is also an RNA virus which causes acquired immune deficiency (AIDS). It was first identified in 1983 and despite 38 years of research, eradication of HIV-1 remains elusive. With this background in mind: what are the consequences of the co-infection HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 and how can we explore them? Whilst SARS-CoV-2 research has been fast and it has benefited from having the latest technical advances, HIV-1 research has been gradually improving with the great scientific developments of the last decades.  We invite review and original papers describing advances in methodology and new knowledge concerning immunology, epidemiology, and pathogenesis of those two viruses. What can SARS-CoV-2 research learn from HIV-1 advances and vice versa? How can this newly acquired knowledge improve the life condition of SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1 mono and co-infected individuals?

Dr. Alessandra Ruggiero
Dr. Stefano Rinaldi
Dr. Jordan Thomas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • SARS-CoV-2
  • HIV-1
  • virus pathogenesis
  • methodology to study viruses’ infections

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3019 KiB  
Article
SARS-CoV-2 and HIV: Impact on Pulmonary Epithelial Cells
by Nicholas J. Evans, Alina C. Schneider, Isabel Castro-Piedras, Ava G. Oliver, Alexandria B. Mabry, Amanda K. Garcia, Maria del C. Velez-Colon, Jacob Nichols, Matthew B. Grisham, Kevin Pruitt, Edu B. Suarez-Martinez and Sharilyn Almodovar
Life 2022, 12(9), 1317; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12091317 - 26 Aug 2022
Viewed by 2233
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic provides a natural opportunity for the collision of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) with chronic infections, which place numerous individuals at high risk of severe COVID-19. Infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), a global epidemic, remains a major public health concern. Whether [...] Read more.
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic provides a natural opportunity for the collision of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) with chronic infections, which place numerous individuals at high risk of severe COVID-19. Infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), a global epidemic, remains a major public health concern. Whether prior HIV+ status exacerbates COVID-19 warrants investigation. Herein, we characterized the impact of SARS-CoV-2 in human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) previously exposed to HIV. We optimized the air-liquid interface (ALI) cell culture technique to allow for challenges with HIV at the basolateral cell surface and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein on the apical surface, followed by genetic analyses for cellular stress/toxicity and innate/adaptive immune responses. Our results suggest that the IL-10 pathway was consistently activated in HBECs treated with spike, HIV, or a combination. Recombinant spike protein elicited COVID-19 cytokine storms while HIV activated different signaling pathways. HIV-treated HBECs could no longer activate NF-kB, pro-inflammatory TRAF-6 ubiquitination nor RIP1 signaling. Combinations of HIV and SARS-CoV-2 spike increased gene expression for activation of endoplasmic reticulum-phagosome pathway and downregulated non-canonical NF-kB pathways that are key in functional regulatory T cells and RNA Polymerase II transcription. Our in vitro studies suggest that prior HIV infection may not exacerbate COVID-19. Further in vivo studies are warranted to advance this field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV & SARS-CoV-2: RNA Viruses on the Lead)
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15 pages, 2486 KiB  
Article
Quantitative Evaluation of Very Low Levels of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase by a Novel Highly Sensitive RT-qPCR Assay
by Francesca Marino-Merlo, Valeria Stefanizzi, Agnese Ragno, Lucia Piredda, Sandro Grelli, Beatrice Macchi and Antonio Mastino
Life 2022, 12(8), 1130; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12081130 - 27 Jul 2022
Viewed by 1915
Abstract
Based on previous experience in our laboratory, we developed a real-time reverse transcriptase (RT) quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assay for the assessment of very low levels of HIV-1 RT activity. The RNA, acting as a template for reverse transcription into cDNA by HIV-1 RT, [...] Read more.
Based on previous experience in our laboratory, we developed a real-time reverse transcriptase (RT) quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assay for the assessment of very low levels of HIV-1 RT activity. The RNA, acting as a template for reverse transcription into cDNA by HIV-1 RT, consisted of a synthetic RNA ad hoc generated by in vitro transcription and included a coding sequence for HSV-1 gD (gD-RNA-synt). Different conditions of variables involved in the RT-qPCR reaction, notably different amounts of gD-RNA-synt, different mixes of the reaction buffer, and different dNTP concentrations, were tested to optimize the assay. The results indicated that the gD-RNA-synt-based RT assay, in its optimized formulation, could detect a specific cDNA reverse transcription even in the presence of 1 × 10−9 U of HIV RT. This achievement greatly improved the sensitivity of the assay over previous versions. In summary, this constructed RT-qPCR assay may be considered a promising tool for providing accurate information on very low HIV-1 RT activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV & SARS-CoV-2: RNA Viruses on the Lead)
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Graphical abstract

12 pages, 1078 KiB  
Article
SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination Coverage among Fragile Populations in a Local Health Area of Northern Italy
by Giovanni Maifredi, Ilaria Izzo, Cinzia Gasparotti, Claudio Vito Sileo, HIV-CoV Group, Francesco Castelli and Eugenia Quiros-Roldan
Life 2022, 12(7), 1009; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12071009 - 7 Jul 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1635
Abstract
Italy was dramatically hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the province of Brescia was one of the epicenters of the outbreak. Furthermore, Brescia has one of the highest incidences of people living with HIV (PLWH) and a substantial presence of migrants. We conducted [...] Read more.
Italy was dramatically hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the province of Brescia was one of the epicenters of the outbreak. Furthermore, Brescia has one of the highest incidences of people living with HIV (PLWH) and a substantial presence of migrants. We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving all citizens connected to the Brescia Health Protection Agency, assessing the SARS-CoV-2 burden, COVID-19 prevalence, and vaccination coverage. A total of 1,004,210 persons were included, 3817 PLWH and 134,492 foreigners. SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalizations and death were more frequent among Italians than foreigners. SARS-CoV-2 infections and deaths were more frequent in HIV-uninfected people than in PLWH. PLWH and foreigners were less likely to have a SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis compared to HIV-negative patients. Migrants were more likely to be hospitalized but had a lower risk of death compared to HIV-negative patients. Regarding vaccination, 89.1% of the population received at least one dose of vaccine, while 70.4% of the Italian citizens and 36.3% of the foreigner subjects received three doses of vaccine. Foreigners showed a lower risk of being diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 but a higher risk of complications. HIV infection was not associated with a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 severe manifestations compared to the general population. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was not different between PLWH and HIV uninfected people, but foreigners were more hesitant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV & SARS-CoV-2: RNA Viruses on the Lead)
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13 pages, 2635 KiB  
Article
Direct RNA Nanopore Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 Extracted from Critical Material from Swabs
by Davide Vacca, Antonino Fiannaca, Fabio Tramuto, Valeria Cancila, Laura La Paglia, Walter Mazzucco, Alessandro Gulino, Massimo La Rosa, Carmelo Massimo Maida, Gaia Morello, Beatrice Belmonte, Alessandra Casuccio, Rosario Maugeri, Gerardo Iacopino, Carmela Rita Balistreri, Francesco Vitale, Claudio Tripodo and Alfonso Urso
Life 2022, 12(1), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12010069 - 4 Jan 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4789
Abstract
In consideration of the increasing prevalence of COVID-19 cases in several countries and the resulting demand for unbiased sequencing approaches, we performed a direct RNA sequencing (direct RNA seq.) experiment using critical oropharyngeal swab samples collected from Italian patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 from [...] Read more.
In consideration of the increasing prevalence of COVID-19 cases in several countries and the resulting demand for unbiased sequencing approaches, we performed a direct RNA sequencing (direct RNA seq.) experiment using critical oropharyngeal swab samples collected from Italian patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 from the Palermo region in Sicily. Here, we identified the sequences SARS-CoV-2 directly in RNA extracted from critical samples using the Oxford Nanopore MinION technology without prior cDNA retrotranscription. Using an appropriate bioinformatics pipeline, we could identify mutations in the nucleocapsid (N) gene, which have been reported previously in studies conducted in other countries. In conclusion, to the best of our knowledge, the technique used in this study has not been used for SARS-CoV-2 detection previously owing to the difficulties in the extraction of RNA of sufficient quantity and quality from routine oropharyngeal swabs. Despite these limitations, this approach provides the advantages of true native RNA sequencing and does not include amplification steps that could introduce systematic errors. This study can provide novel information relevant to the current strategies adopted in SARS-CoV-2 next-generation sequencing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV & SARS-CoV-2: RNA Viruses on the Lead)
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Review

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11 pages, 271 KiB  
Review
HIV and SARS-CoV-2 Co-Infection: From Population Study Evidence to In Vitro Studies
by Chiara Stefani, Tobia Fantoni, Michele Bissoli, Jordan Thomas and Alessandra Ruggiero
Life 2022, 12(12), 2089; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12122089 - 13 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1630
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have caused two major viral outbreaks during the last century. Two major aspects of HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 co-infection have been extensively investigated and deserve attention. First, the impact of [...] Read more.
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have caused two major viral outbreaks during the last century. Two major aspects of HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 co-infection have been extensively investigated and deserve attention. First, the impact of the co-infection on the progression of disease caused by HIV-1 or SARS-CoV-2. Second, the impact of the HIV-1 anti-retroviral treatment on SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this review, we aim to summarize and discuss the works produced since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic ranging from clinical studies to in vitro experiments in the context of co-infection and drug development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV & SARS-CoV-2: RNA Viruses on the Lead)
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