London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

4 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Medicine

An Improved and High Throughput Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Micro-neutralization Assay

Lien Anh Ha Do^1,2, Reuben Tse¹, Jordan Nathanielsz¹, Jeremy Anderson¹, Darren Suryawijaya Ong¹, Keith Chappell³, Kim Mulholland^1,2,4, Paul V. Licciardi^1,2

¹Murdoch Children's Research Institute, ²Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, ³School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, ⁴London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

This study describes a high throughput, imaging-based micro-neutralization assay to determine the titer of neutralizing antibodies specific for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This assay format has been tested on different sample types.

Immunology and Infection

Monitoring Influenza Virus Survival Outside the Host Using Real-Time Cell Analysis

Thomas Labadie¹, Quentin Grassin², Christophe Batéjat², Jean-Claude Manuguerra², India Leclercq^2,3

¹Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, ²Institut Pasteur, Unité Environnement et Risques Infectieux, Cellule d'Intervention Biologique d'Urgence (CIBU), ³Cellule Pasteur, Université de Paris

Reported here is a protocol for the quantification of infectious viral particles using real-time monitoring of electrical impedance of infected cells. A practical application of this method is presented by quantifying influenza A virus decay under different physicochemical parameters mimicking environmental conditions.

Immunology and Infection

Constructing Mutants in Serotype 1 Streptococcus pneumoniae strain 519/43

Vanessa S. Terra¹, Charles D. Plumptre², Emma C. Wall³, Jeremy S. Brown², Brendan W. Wren¹

¹Faculty of Infections and Tropical Diseases, Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, ²Division of Medicine, University College London, ³Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London UCL

Here, we describe a S. pneumoniae serotype 1 strain 519/43 that can be genetically modified by using its ability to naturally acquire DNA and a suicide-plasmid. As proof of principle, an isogenic mutant in the pneumolysin (ply) gene was made.

Environment

Visualizing Field Data Collection Procedures of Exposure and Biomarker Assessments for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial in India

Karthikeyan D. Rajamani¹, Sankar Sambandam¹, Krishnendu Mukhopadhyay¹, Naveen Puttaswamy¹, Gurusamy Thangavel¹, Durairaj Natesan¹, Rengaraj Ramasamy¹, Saritha Sendhil¹, Amudha Natarajan¹, Vigneswari Aravindalochan¹, Ajay Pillarisetti², Michael Johnson³, Joshua Rosenthal^*4, Kyle Steenland⁵, Ricardo Piedhrahita³, Jennifer Peel⁶, Maggie L. Clark⁶, Dana Boyd Barr⁵, Sarah Rajkumar⁶, Bonnie Young⁶, Shirin Jabbarzadeh⁷, Ghislaine Rosa⁸, Miles Kirby⁹, Lindsay J. Underhill¹⁰, Anaite Diaz-Artiga¹¹, Amy Lovvorn⁵, William Checkley¹², Thomas Clasen⁵, Kalpana Balakrishnan¹

¹Department of Environmental Health Engineering, ICMR Center for Advanced Research on Air Quality, Climate and Health, Faculty of Public Health, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (Deemed University), ²Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, ³Berkeley Air Monitoring Group, ⁴Division of International Epidemiology and Population Studies, National Institutes of Health, ⁵Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, ⁶Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, ⁷Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, ⁸Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, ⁹Department of Global Health & Population, Harvard, T.H. Chan School of Public Health, ¹⁰Cardiovascular Division, Washington University School of Medicine, Washington University, ¹¹Centro de Estudios en Salud, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, ¹²Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University

We detail the consistent, high-quality procedures used throughout air and biological sampling processes at Indian field sites during a large randomized controlled trial. Insights gathered from the oversight of applications of innovative technologies, adapted for exposure assessment in rural regions, enable better field data collection practices with more reliable outcomes.