Andreas Walker
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View article: Whole-Genome Sequencing of Hepatitis B Virus Genotypes E and A in Zambia Reveals Limited Viral Diversity in HIV Coinfection
Whole-Genome Sequencing of Hepatitis B Virus Genotypes E and A in Zambia Reveals Limited Viral Diversity in HIV Coinfection Open
Background The molecular characteristics of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Africa, including the impact of HIV coinfection, are poorly understood. Methods We performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on biospecimens collected before antiviral th…
View article: Prevalence of Resistance‐Associated Mutations in RSV F Protein Against Monoclonal Antibodies Prior to Widespread Implementation: Findings From a Prospective German Pediatric Cohort
Prevalence of Resistance‐Associated Mutations in RSV F Protein Against Monoclonal Antibodies Prior to Widespread Implementation: Findings From a Prospective German Pediatric Cohort Open
Background The emergence of resistance‐associated substitutions in RSV against novel monoclonal antibodies is a concern given widespread prophylactic use. Aim To assess the prevalence of resistance‐associated substitutions in the RSV F pro…
View article: Evolution of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on Potential Sick Leave in the Federal State of Tyrol
Evolution of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on Potential Sick Leave in the Federal State of Tyrol Open
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic strained healthcare systems, with Tyrol, Austria, as an early hotspot due to Alpine tourism. Variants like Alpha, Delta, and Omicron influenced infection and hospitalization trends. Objectives: To assess h…
View article: Evolutionary and epidemic dynamics of COVID-19 in Germany exemplified by three Bayesian phylodynamic case studies
Evolutionary and epidemic dynamics of COVID-19 in Germany exemplified by three Bayesian phylodynamic case studies Open
The importance of genomic surveillance strategies for pathogens has been particularly evident during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as genomic data from the causative agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus …
View article: Progress and challenges in the elimination of hepatitis C among people who inject drugs in Germany: results of a pilot study for a national monitoring system, 10 years after the first data collection
Progress and challenges in the elimination of hepatitis C among people who inject drugs in Germany: results of a pilot study for a national monitoring system, 10 years after the first data collection Open
View article: HBV shows different levels of adaptation to HLA class I-associated selection pressure correlating with markers of replication
HBV shows different levels of adaptation to HLA class I-associated selection pressure correlating with markers of replication Open
The immune response mediated by CD8 T cells plays a critical role in controlling HBV infection and shows promise for therapeutic strategies aimed at achieving a functional cure. This study demonstrates that mutational escape within CD8 T-c…
View article: Addressing pandemic-wide systematic errors in the SARS-CoV-2 phylogeny
Addressing pandemic-wide systematic errors in the SARS-CoV-2 phylogeny Open
The SARS-CoV-2 genome occupies a unique place in infection biology – it is the most highly sequenced genome on earth (making up over 20% of public sequencing datasets) with fine scale information on sampling date and geography, and has bee…
View article: Real-world performance of the NeuMoDx™ HCV Quant Test for quantification of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-RNA
Real-world performance of the NeuMoDx™ HCV Quant Test for quantification of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-RNA Open
Quantification of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-RNA in serum or plasma samples is an essential parameter in HCV diagnostics. Here, the NeuMoDx™Molecular System (Qiagen) was tested for the most common HCV genotypes and compared to the cobas c6800…
View article: Disease Course and Pulmonary Involvement of COVID-19 during the DeltaVariant Period in Germany: A Comparative Study of Vaccinated andUnvaccinated Patients at a Tertiary Hospital
Disease Course and Pulmonary Involvement of COVID-19 during the DeltaVariant Period in Germany: A Comparative Study of Vaccinated andUnvaccinated Patients at a Tertiary Hospital Open
Background:: Despite the availability of vaccines, there is an increasing number of SARS-CoV-2-breakthrough-infections. Objective:: The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a radiological difference in lung parenchymal invol…
View article: Dynamics of Virological and Clinical Response Parameters of Bulevirtide Treatment for Hepatitis D: Real-World Data
Dynamics of Virological and Clinical Response Parameters of Bulevirtide Treatment for Hepatitis D: Real-World Data Open
Bulevirtide is a safe treatment option for HDV, leading to a fast hepatological response. Of note, decrease in transaminases precedes virological response. Patients with high viral load and ALT levels respond slower, but nonresponders (as …
View article: Sequence diversity of hepatitis D virus in Mongolia
Sequence diversity of hepatitis D virus in Mongolia Open
Introduction The Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) is a defective, single-stranded RNA virusoid encoding for a single protein, the Hepatitis Delta Antigen (HDAg), which requires the hepatitis B virus (HBV) envelope protein (HBsAg) for its transm…
View article: Immune escape pathways from the HBV core18-27 CD8 T cell response are driven by individual HLA class I alleles
Immune escape pathways from the HBV core18-27 CD8 T cell response are driven by individual HLA class I alleles Open
Background and aims There is growing interest in T cell-based immune therapies for a functional cure of chronic HBV infection including check-point inhibition, T cell-targeted vaccines or TCR-grafted effector cells. All these approaches de…
View article: Adjusted COVID-19 booster schedules balance age-dependent differences in antibody titers benefitting risk populations
Adjusted COVID-19 booster schedules balance age-dependent differences in antibody titers benefitting risk populations Open
We provide follow-up data on the humoral immune response after COVID-19 vaccinations of two distinct cohorts aged below 60 and over 80 years to screen for age-related differences in the longevity and magnitude of the induction of the antib…
View article: Rapid Selection of Sotrovimab Escape Variants in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Omicron-Infected Immunocompromised Patients
Rapid Selection of Sotrovimab Escape Variants in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Omicron-Infected Immunocompromised Patients Open
Background Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that target severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are predominantly less effective against Omicron variants. Immunocompromised patients often experience prolonged viral sheddin…
View article: Quantitative analysis of different respiratory specimens on two automated test systems for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA
Quantitative analysis of different respiratory specimens on two automated test systems for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA Open
View article: Adjusted booster schedules disperse age-dependent differences in antibody titers benefitting risk populations
Adjusted booster schedules disperse age-dependent differences in antibody titers benefitting risk populations Open
We provide follow-up data on the humoral immune response after COVID-19 vaccinations of a cohort aged below 60 and over 80 years. While anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific IgG and neutralization capacity waned rapidly after initial vaccination,…
View article: Transcriptional Pattern Analysis of Virus-Specific CD8+ T Cells in Hepatitis C Infection: Increased Expression of TOX and Eomesodermin During and After Persistent Antigen Recognition
Transcriptional Pattern Analysis of Virus-Specific CD8+ T Cells in Hepatitis C Infection: Increased Expression of TOX and Eomesodermin During and After Persistent Antigen Recognition Open
Thymocyte selection-associated high mobility group box (TOX) has been described to be a key regulator in the formation of CD8+ T cell exhaustion. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with different lengths of antigen exposure in acute, chroni…
View article: Longitudinal Analysis of Escape Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variants after Sotrovimab Use in Immunodeficient Patients
Longitudinal Analysis of Escape Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variants after Sotrovimab Use in Immunodeficient Patients Open
View article: Quantitative Analysis of Different Respiratory Specimens on Two Automated Test Systems for Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA
Quantitative Analysis of Different Respiratory Specimens on Two Automated Test Systems for Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA Open
View article: SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Fully Vaccinated Individuals of Old Age Strongly Boosts the Humoral Immune Response
SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Fully Vaccinated Individuals of Old Age Strongly Boosts the Humoral Immune Response Open
Prophylactic vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is one of the most important measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, break-through infections following vaccination against this virus have been reported. Here, we describe the humor…
View article: Students in Dormitories Were Not Major Drivers of the Pandemic during Winter Term 2020/2021: A Cohort Study with RT-PCR and Antibody Surveillance in a German University City
Students in Dormitories Were Not Major Drivers of the Pandemic during Winter Term 2020/2021: A Cohort Study with RT-PCR and Antibody Surveillance in a German University City Open
The role of educational facilities, including schools and universities, in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is heavily debated. Specifically, the risk of infection in student dormitories has not been studied. This cohort study monitored students li…
View article: SARS-CoV-2 infection in fully vaccinated individuals of old age strongly boosters the humoral immune response
SARS-CoV-2 infection in fully vaccinated individuals of old age strongly boosters the humoral immune response Open
Introduction Prophylactic vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is one of the most important measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, break-through infections following vaccination against this virus have been reported. Here, we descr…
View article: HAMdetector: A Bayesian regression model that integrates information to detect HLA-associated mutations
HAMdetector: A Bayesian regression model that integrates information to detect HLA-associated mutations Open
Motivation A key process in anti-viral adaptive immunity is that the Human Leukocyte Antigen system (HLA) presents epitopes as Major Histocompatibility Complex I (MHC I) protein-peptide complexes on cell surfaces and in this way alerts CD8…
View article: Emergence of the E484K mutation in SARS-COV-2-infected immunocompromised patients treated with bamlanivimab in Germany
Emergence of the E484K mutation in SARS-COV-2-infected immunocompromised patients treated with bamlanivimab in Germany Open
View article: COVIDTrach: a prospective cohort study of mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 undergoing tracheostomy in the UK
COVIDTrach: a prospective cohort study of mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 undergoing tracheostomy in the UK Open
Objectives COVIDTrach is a UK multicentre prospective cohort study project that aims to evaluate the outcomes of tracheostomy in patients with COVID-19 receiving mechanical ventilation and record the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among…
View article: Case Report: Convalescent Plasma Achieves SARS-CoV-2 Viral Clearance in a Patient With Persistently High Viral Replication Over 8 Weeks Due to Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) and Graft Failure
Case Report: Convalescent Plasma Achieves SARS-CoV-2 Viral Clearance in a Patient With Persistently High Viral Replication Over 8 Weeks Due to Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) and Graft Failure Open
We describe the unique disease course and cure of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a patient with SCID and graft failure. In absence of a humoral immune response, viral clearance was only achieved after transfusion of convalescent plasma. This obse…
View article: Age-dependent Immune Response to the Biontech/Pfizer BNT162b2 Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination
Age-dependent Immune Response to the Biontech/Pfizer BNT162b2 Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination Open
Background The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has led to the development of various vaccines. Real-life data on immune responses elicited in the most vulnerable group of vaccinees older than age 80 ye…
View article: Age-dependent immune response to the Biontech/Pfizer BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccination
Age-dependent immune response to the Biontech/Pfizer BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccination Open
Background The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to the development of various vaccines. Real-life data on immune responses elicited in the most vulnerable group of vaccinees over 80 years old is still underrepresented despite the prioritization…
View article: Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 genetic structure and infection clusters in a large German city based on integrated genomic surveillance, outbreak analysis, and contact tracing
Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 genetic structure and infection clusters in a large German city based on integrated genomic surveillance, outbreak analysis, and contact tracing Open
Viral genome sequencing can address key questions about SARS-CoV-2 evolution and viral transmission. Here, we present an integrated system of genomic surveillance in the German city of Düsseldorf, combining a) viral surveillance sequencing…
View article: Torque Teno Virus plasma level as novel biomarker of retained immunocompetence in HIV-infected patients
Torque Teno Virus plasma level as novel biomarker of retained immunocompetence in HIV-infected patients Open