Colleen Jonsson | University of Tennessee Knoxville (original) (raw)

Papers by Colleen Jonsson

The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 2005

What is currently known about the ecology of North American hantaviruses has come largely from st... more What is currently known about the ecology of North American hantaviruses has come largely from studies on Sin Nombre virus (SNV). We conducted a longitudinal study of Bayou virus (BAYV), the second-leading agent of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the United States. Antibodies to hantavirus were detected from Oryzomys palustris (most commonly infected species), Sigmodon hispidus, Peromyscus leucopus, Reithrodontomys fulvescens, and Baiomys taylori. However, only O. palustris had viral RNA in tissues and excreta, suggesting that antibodies detected in other species may have resulted from spill-over infection. Seroprevalence rates averaged around 16% for O. palustris and varied seasonally. The heaviest males exhibited the highest levels of seroprevalence. Seroprevalence was higher in coastal prairie (20.0%) than old-fields (10.5%) and was associated with host abundance. These patterns are similar to those of SNV and can be used in identification of potentially at-risk areas.

Journal of Vector Ecology, 2009

In the United States, Bayou virus (BAYV) ranks second only to Sin Nombre virus (SNV) in terms of ... more In the United States, Bayou virus (BAYV) ranks second only to Sin Nombre virus (SNV) in terms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) incidents, having been confirmed in cases from Texas and Louisiana since its discovery in 1994. This study on BAYV infection among sympatric, non-oryzomyine rodents ("spillover") in Freeport, TX, is the first to link patterns of hantavirus interspecific spillover with the spatiotemporal ecology of the primary host (marsh rice rat, Oryzomys palustris). Mark-recapture and/or harvest methods were employed from March 2002 through May 2004 in two macrohabitat types. Rodent blood samples were screened for the presence of IgG antibody to BAYV antigen by IFA after which Ab-positive blood, saliva, and urine were analyzed for the presence of viral RNA by nested RT-PCR. From 727 non-oryzomyine captures, five seropositive (but not viral RNA positive) individuals were detected: one each of Baiomys taylori, Peromyscus leucopus, and Reithrodontomys fulvescens; and two Sigmodon hispidus. Spillover hosts were not associated with macrohabitat where O. palustris abundance, density, or seroprevalence was highest. Rather, spillover occurred in the macrohabitat indicative of greater overall disturbance (as indicated by grazing and exotic plant diversity) and overall biodiversity. Spillover occurred during periods of high seroprevalence detected elsewhere within the study region. Spillover locations differed significantly from all other capture locations in terms of percent water, shrub, and grass cover. Although greater habitat and mammal diversity of old-fields may serve to reduce seroprevalence levels by tempering intraspecific contacts between rice rats, greater diversity also may create an ecologically opportunistic setting for BAYV spillover. Impacts of varying levels of disturbance and biodiversity on transmission dynamics represent a vastly uncharacterized component of the evolutionary ecology of hantaviruses. Journal of Vector Ecology 34 (1): 9-21. 2009. Keyword Index: Bayou virus (BAYV) spillover, Oryzomys palustris, virus-host specificity, host switching, marsh rice rat.

The Journal of the Kentucky Medical Association

Manual of Security Sensitive Microbes and Toxins, 2014

Current topics in microbiology and immunology, 2001

Contemporary Mathematics, 2006

Emerging Health Threats Journal, 2011

... Title: Severe influenza Pneumonia surveillance: clinical and translational epidemiology. Auth... more ... Title: Severe influenza Pneumonia surveillance: clinical and translational epidemiology. Author: Timothy Wiemken ; Paula Peyrani ; Kristina Bryant ; Forest Arnold ; Raul Nakamatsu ; JenniferSimms ; Sheryl Stockton ; Rich Pinson ; Colleen Jonsson ; Julio Ramirez. Abstract: ...

Vaccine, 2014

The effectiveness of the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) to prevent hospita... more The effectiveness of the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) to prevent hospitalizations due to Streptococcus pneumoniae community-acquired pneumonia (SpCAP) is controversial. Recent literature suggests that vaccine effectiveness may be influenced by sex. In this study, we define the effectiveness of prior PPV23 vaccination for the prevention of hospitalizations due to SpCAP, and evaluate the impact of sex on this effectiveness. This was a nested case-control study from the CAPO international cohort study database. SpCAP was defined as CAP plus S. pneumoniae identified in blood, bronchoalveolar lavage, sputum, or urinary antigen. Vaccination with PPV23 prior to hospitalization was defined as documented in the medical record. A propensity score-weighted logistic regression model was used to calculate odds ratios. The adjusted vaccine effectiveness (aVE) was calculated as 1-adjusted odds ratio. From a total of 2688 elderly adult hospitalized patients with CAP, SpCAP was identified in 279 (10%). The overall aVE was 37% (95% CI: 10.1-55.4%, P=0.01). For males, the aVE was 34% (95% CI:-1.0% to 57.3%, P=0.06). For females the aVE was 68% (95% CI: 40.3-83.0%, P=0.001). PPV23 protects elderly patients from hospitalization due to SpCAP, but female sex drives the effectiveness. Future analysis of vaccine trials should consider the importance of sex as a stratification factor.

Inflammation, 2014

The objective of this study was to compare systemic and local cytokine profiles and neutrophil re... more The objective of this study was to compare systemic and local cytokine profiles and neutrophil responses in patients with severe versus non-severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Hospitalized patients with CAP were grouped according to the pneumonia severity index (PSI), as non-severe (PSI<91 points) or severe (PSI≥91 points). Blood and sputum samples were collected upon admission. Compared to non-severe CAP patients, the severe CAP group showed higher plasma levels of pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines but in contrast, lower sputum concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Blood neutrophil functional responses were elevated in CAP patients compared to healthy controls. However, neutrophils from severe CAP patients showed reduced respiratory burst activity compared to the non-severe group. Results indicate that patients with severe CAP fail to mount a robust local pro-inflammatory response but exhibit instead a more substantial systemic inflammatory response, suggesting that a key driver of CAP severity may be the ability of the patient to generate an optimal local inflammatory response.

Viruses in the genus Hantavirus can cause one of two serious illnesses when transmitted from rode... more Viruses in the genus Hantavirus can cause one of two serious illnesses when transmitted from rodents to humans: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) or hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Of the two diseases, HPS is more severe with an approximate 40% mortality across the Americas. The high rate of mortality could be reduced if effective therapeutics could be discovered for treatment of this illness. Herein we review approaches being explored for the discovery of therapeutics for HPS and how they could be employed in treatment and prevention of disease.

Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, Feb 1, 2001

Aids Research and Human Retroviruses, Nov 1, 2000

Sequencing integration sites from &amp;gt;/=200 proviruses isolated from infected individ... more Sequencing integration sites from &amp;gt;/=200 proviruses isolated from infected individuals revealed that HTLV-1 integration is not random at the level of the nucleotide sequence. The virus was found to integrate in A/T-rich regions with a weak consensus sequence at positions within and without the hexameric repeat generated during integration. These features were not associated with a preference for integration near active regions or repeat elements of the host chromosomes. However, about 6% of HTLV-1 proviruses were found to be integrated into transcription units, suggesting that in some cells, HTLV-1 integration may alter gene expression in vivo. Therefore, the target choice in vivo seems to be determined by local features rather than by the accessibility of specific regions. This led us subsequently to analyze the role of the DNA structure in HTLV-1 integration in vitro. Double-strand HTLV-1 or HIV-1 3&amp;#39; LTR extremities were used as substrates for in vitro strand transfer reactions using highly purified HTLV-1 and HIV-1 integrases (INs) expressed in Escherichia coli, and two synthetic naked 50-bp double-strand DNA molecules harboring different structures were used as targets. A fluorometric quantitative analysis of integration products was designed to assess the reaction efficiency for both target sequences. As suggested for HTLV-1 in vivo (present results), and, as previously described for other retroviruses in vitro, the structure of the target was found to greatly influence the site and the efficiency of integration. Both HIV-1 and HTLV-1 INs underwent the same target structural constraint, i.e., a strong preference for curved DNA. Altogether these results indicate that if most or all the regions of the genome appear to be accessible to HTLV-1 integration, local DNA curvature seems to confer a kinetic advantage for both in vitro and in vivo HTLV-1 integration.

In the battlefield of the future, more and more information will be available for making decision... more In the battlefield of the future, more and more information will be available for making decisions on a tactical level, provided that this information can be dispersed rapidly and accurately. As a consequence, advanced tactical decision support that now is limited to advanced platforms (e.g. combat aircrafts) will become available at a much lower level, ranging from different kind of

The major goals of this project are to purify hantavirus proteins (Jonsson) for X-ray structure d... more The major goals of this project are to purify hantavirus proteins (Jonsson) for X-ray structure determination (Arnold). By defining the three-dimensional structures of the N and RDRP proteins of hantaviruses, our studies will afford a means to model drugs that specifically interfere with important stages of viral replication. Particularly, disrupting one or more functions of the RDRP is expected to result in effective disease treatment with little toxicity to host cells. In addition, our research will yield a high through-put in vitro assay for identification of new antiviral drugs. Together, these studies should lead toward effective therapeutic measures for controlling and treating hantaviral infections.

The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, Jan 15, 2015

Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses harbored by rodents, bats, and shrews. At present, only rodent-... more Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses harbored by rodents, bats, and shrews. At present, only rodent-borne hantaviruses are associated with severe illness in humans. New species of hantaviruses have been recently identified in bats and shrews greatly expanding the potential reservoirs and ranges of these viruses. Brazil has one of the highest incidences of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome in South America, hence it is critical to know what is the prevalence of hantaviruses in Brazil. Although much is known about rodent reservoirs, little is known regarding bats. We captured 270 bats from February 2012 to April 2014. Serum was screened for the presence of antibodies against a recombinant nucleoprotein (rN) of Araraquara virus (ARAQV). The prevalence of antibody to hantavirus was 9/53 with an overall seroprevalence of 17%. Previous studies have shown only insectivorous bats to harbor hantavirus; however, in our study, of the nine seropositive bats, five were frugivorous, one was carniv...

Cell, Jan 4, 2015

Small-molecule probes can illuminate biological processes and aid in the assessment of emerging t... more Small-molecule probes can illuminate biological processes and aid in the assessment of emerging therapeutic targets by perturbing biological systems in a manner distinct from other experimental approaches. Despite the tremendous promise of chemical tools for investigating biology and disease, small-molecule probes were unavailable for most targets and pathways as recently as a decade ago. In 2005, the NIH launched the decade-long Molecular Libraries Program with the intent of innovating in and broadening access to small-molecule science. This Perspective describes how novel small-molecule probes identified through the program are enabling the exploration of biological pathways and therapeutic hypotheses not otherwise testable. These experiences illustrate how small-molecule probes can help bridge the chasm between biological research and the development of medicines but also highlight the need to innovate the science of therapeutic discovery.

Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and Human Retrovirology, 1999