Background: Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection is prevalent and a significant public health problem. Understanding its epidemiology will help assess the current HSV-2 prevention efforts and inform future interventions in China. Methods: We followed Cochrane and PRISMA guidelines for a systematic review and included publications published in Chinese and English bibliographic systems until March 18 th, 2023. We synthesized seroprevalence, sero-incidence, and proportions of HSV-2 isolated in genital ulcer disease (GUD) and genital herpes data. We used random-effects models for meta-analyses and conducted meta-regression to assess the association between population characteristics and seroprevalence. Results: Overall, 21,849 articles were identified, and 457 publications (1,051,035 participants) were included. A total of 429 studies reported the overall seroprevalence rates (939 stratified measures), 5 reported seroincidence rates, 4 reported overall proportions of HSV-2 isolation in GUD (8 stratified proportions), and 24 reported overall proportions of HSV-2 isolation in genital herpes (59 stratified proportions). Pooled HSV-2 seroprevalence among overall populations was 14.9% (95% confidence interval (CI): 13.8-16.1%) and was 7.9% (95% CI: 6.9-8.8%) among the general population. Seroprevalence was highest among key populations (e.g., female sex workers and men who have sex with men) (32.1% (95% CI: 27.8-36.5%)). Among the general population, we found northeastern regions had a higher HSV-2 seroprevalence (12.4%, 95% CI: 7.8-17.9%). HSV-2 seroprevalence also increased with age. The pooled HSV-2 seroincidence rate was 4.3 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 1.0-7.6). Pooled HSV-2 seroprevalence among GUD and genital herpes were 45.2% (95% CI: 29.0-61.9%) and 52.8% (95% CI: 46.6-59.0%), respectively. We also found higher HSV-2 seroprevalence estimates in publications published in English bibliographic databases than those in Chinese databases (20.5% vs. 13.6%, risk ratio=1.10 (1.05-1.14)), indicating a potential existence of language bias in publication. Conclusion: Around 1 in 12 among the general population and 1 in 7 among all included populations were infected with HSV-2. The data revealed vulnerability to HSV-2 infection among higher-risk populations calling for expanding the intervention to prevent HSV-2 infection. It also revealed heterogeneities in synthesized HSV-2 prevalence results, suggesting the necessity to include Chinese bibliographic databases in conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of this topic.

Varicella is a highly prevalent infectious disease with a similar transmission pathway to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have been implemented to prevent the spread of the infection. This study aims to analyze varicella’s epidemiological characteristics and further investigate the effect of anti-COVID-19 NPIs on varicella in Xi’an, northwestern China. Based on the varicella surveillance data, search engine indices, meteorological factors from 2011 to 2021 in Xi’an, and different levels of emergency response to COVID-19 during the pandemic, we applied Bayesian Structural Time Series models and interrupted time series analysis to predict the counterfactual incidence of varicella and quantify the impact of varying NPIs intensities on varicella. From 2011 to 2021, varicella incidence increased, especially in 2019, with a high incidence of 111.69/100,000. However, there was a sharp decrease of 43.18% in 2020 compared with 2019, and the peak of varicella incidence in 2020 was lower than in previous years from the 21st to the 25th week. In 2021, the seasonality of varicella incidence gradually returned to a seasonal pattern in 2011-2019. The results suggest that anti-COVID-19 NPIs effectively reduce the incidence of varicella, and this reduction has spatiotemporal heterogeneity.

Membrane-Associated Ring-CH (MARCH) family proteins were recently reported to inhibit viral replication through multiple modes of action. Previous work proved that human MARCH8 blocked Ebola virus (EBOV) glycoprotein (GP) maturation. Our study here demonstrates that human MARCH1 and MARCH2 share a similar pattern to MARCH8 in restricting EBOV GP-mediated viral replication. Human MARCH1 and MARCH2 retain EBOV GP in the trans-Golgi network (TGN), reduce its surface display, and impair EBOV GP-pseudotyped virions infectivity. Furthermore, we uncover that the host proprotein convertase (PC) furin could interact with human MARCH1/2 and EBOV GP intracellularly. Importantly, the furin P domain is confirmed to be recognized by MARCH1/2/8, which is critical for their blocking activities. Besides, bovine MARCH2 and murine MARCH1 also impair EBOV GP proteolytic processing. Altogether, our findings confirm that MARCH1/2 proteins of different species showed a relatively conserved feature in blocking EBOV GP proteolytic processing, which could provide a reference for subsequent antiviral studies and may facilitate the development of novel strategies to antagonize enveloped virus infection.

The number of measles cases reported worldwide has increased in recent years, and in 2015, there was a measles outbreak in Xi’an, China. However, the epidemiology of measles and the seroepidemiology of healthy people after 2015 have not been fully understood. We collected fingertip blood samples from healthy people around each suspected measles case in Xi’an in 2016-2018 and tested IgG using ELISA. Eighty measles cases were reported in Xi’an in 2016–2018, with an average annual incidence of 0.29 per 100,000 persons. Children aged ≤ 5 years and adults aged 25-29 accounted for a large proportion of measles cases. More than half of the cases in the 0-year group were under 8 months. A total of 5476 blood samples from healthy people were collected. Apart from 1-4 years and over 40, other age groups’ seroprevalence was 93%. Our findings suggest that the first vaccine shot should be administered at 6 months or earlier, the second at 12 months, and the third at 10 years, and couples prepared for [pregnancy](javascript:showjdsw(’showlj_1’,’lj_1’)) should be vaccinated with another dose. The findings may provide novel insights into measles elimination.

Brucellosis is a common zoonotic disease caused by Brucella, which causes enormous economic loss and public burden to the epidemic areas. Earlier and precise diagnosis and timely culling of infected animals are crucial to prevent the infection of Brucella and the spread of the disease. In recent years, RNA-guided CRISPR/Cas12a nucleases have shown great promise in nucleic acid detection. This research aims to develop a CRISPR/CAST (CRISPR/Cas12a Test strip) package that can rapidly detect Brucella nucleic acid on-site screening, especially on the remote family pasture. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) and its associated protein 12a (Cas12a), the CRISPR/Cas12a system combined with recombinase polymerase amplification(RPA), and lateral flow read-out. The CRISPR/CAST package can complete the assay of Brucella nucleic acid within 30 min under isothermal temperature conditions, with a sensitivity of 10 copies/μl, and no antigen cross-reacting against Yersinia enterocolitica O:9 , Escherichia coli O157 , Salmonella enterica serovar Urbana O:30 , and Francisella tularensis. The serum samples of 398 sheep and 100 cattle were tested by CRISPR/CAST package, of which 31 sheep and 8 cattle were Brucella DNA positive. The detection rate was consistent with the qPCR and higher than the Rose Bengal Test (RBT, 19 sheep, and 5 cattle were serum positive). CRISPR/CAST package can accurately detect the infected livestock’s Brucella DNA and accomplish within 30 min, which has the advantages of simple, fast, high sensitivity, and strong specificity, with no window period. Besides, the package needs no expensive equipment, standard laboratory, or professional operators. It is an effective tool for field screening and earlier, rapid diagnosis of Brucella infection. A package is an efficient tool for epidemic prevention and control.