The Victorian influenza season in 2006 remained within normal seasonal activity thresholds and wa... more The Victorian influenza season in 2006 remained within normal seasonal activity thresholds and was relatively mild compared with recent years. The season peaked in mid-August, with influenza-like illness (ILI) rates from general practitioner sentinel surveillance and the Melbourne Medical Locum Service (MMLS), and cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza notified to the Department of Human Services, reaching their zeniths within one week of each other. A total of 74 general practitioners (GPs) participated in the sentinel surveillance in 2006, reporting a total of 136,732 consultations during the surveillance period from May to September inclusive. Participating GPs reported a total of 765 patients with an ILI; an average ILI rate of 5.6 cases per 1,000 consultations. The average ILI rate from the MMLS in the same period was 8.5 cases per 1,000 call-outs. Eighty-two per cent of laboratory-confirmed influenza notifications during the surveillance period were type A; the remainder were...
To clarify the role of core protein phosphorylation in pregenomic-RNA encapsidation of human and ... more To clarify the role of core protein phosphorylation in pregenomic-RNA encapsidation of human and duck hepatitis B viruses (HBV and DHBV, respectively), we have examined the phosphorylation states of different forms of intracellular HBV core protein and the phenotypic effects of mutations in the phosphorylation sites of HBV and DHBV core proteins. We show that HBV core protein is phosphorylated to similar extents in the form of protein dimers and after further assembly in pregenomic RNA-containing capsids. Individual and multiple substitutions of alanine and aspartic acid for serine in the phosphorylation sites of HBV core protein resulted in site-specific and synergistic effects on RNA encapsidation, ranging from 2-fold enhancement to more than 10-fold inhibition. Core protein variants with mutations in all phosphorylation sites exhibited dominant-negative effects on RNA encapsidation by wild-type protein. The results suggest that the presence of phosphoserine at position 162 of HBV core protein is required for pregenomic-RNA encapsidation, whereas phosphoserine at position 170 optimizes the process and serine might be preferable in position 155. Examination of the pregenomic-RNA-encapsidating capacities of DHBV core protein variants, in which four phosphorylation sites were jointly mutated to alanine or aspartic acid, suggests that phosphorylation of DHBV core protein at these sites may optimize pregenomic-RNA encapsidation but that its impact is much less profound than in the case of HBV. The possible mechanisms by which RNA encapsidation may be modulated by core protein phosphorylation are discussed in the context of the observed differences between the two viruses.
Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin, 2017
In 2017, influenza seasonal activity was high in the southern hemisphere. We present interim infl... more In 2017, influenza seasonal activity was high in the southern hemisphere. We present interim influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimates from Australia. Adjusted VE was low overall at 33% (95% confidence interval (CI): 17 to 46), 50% (95% CI: 8 to 74) for A(H1)pdm09, 10% (95% CI: -16 to 31) for A(H3) and 57% (95% CI: 41 to 69) for influenza B. For A(H3), VE was poorer for those vaccinated in the current and prior seasons.
The Victorian influenza season in 2006 remained within normal seasonal activity thresholds and wa... more The Victorian influenza season in 2006 remained within normal seasonal activity thresholds and was relatively mild compared with recent years. The season peaked in mid-August, with influenza-like illness (ILI) rates from general practitioner sentinel surveillance and the Melbourne Medical Locum Service (MMLS), and cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza notified to the Department of Human Services, reaching their zeniths within one week of each other. A total of 74 general practitioners (GPs) participated in the sentinel surveillance in 2006, reporting a total of 136,732 consultations during the surveillance period from May to September inclusive. Participating GPs reported a total of 765 patients with an ILI; an average ILI rate of 5.6 cases per 1,000 consultations. The average ILI rate from the MMLS in the same period was 8.5 cases per 1,000 call-outs. Eighty-two per cent of laboratory-confirmed influenza notifications during the surveillance period were type A; the remainder were...
To clarify the role of core protein phosphorylation in pregenomic-RNA encapsidation of human and ... more To clarify the role of core protein phosphorylation in pregenomic-RNA encapsidation of human and duck hepatitis B viruses (HBV and DHBV, respectively), we have examined the phosphorylation states of different forms of intracellular HBV core protein and the phenotypic effects of mutations in the phosphorylation sites of HBV and DHBV core proteins. We show that HBV core protein is phosphorylated to similar extents in the form of protein dimers and after further assembly in pregenomic RNA-containing capsids. Individual and multiple substitutions of alanine and aspartic acid for serine in the phosphorylation sites of HBV core protein resulted in site-specific and synergistic effects on RNA encapsidation, ranging from 2-fold enhancement to more than 10-fold inhibition. Core protein variants with mutations in all phosphorylation sites exhibited dominant-negative effects on RNA encapsidation by wild-type protein. The results suggest that the presence of phosphoserine at position 162 of HBV core protein is required for pregenomic-RNA encapsidation, whereas phosphoserine at position 170 optimizes the process and serine might be preferable in position 155. Examination of the pregenomic-RNA-encapsidating capacities of DHBV core protein variants, in which four phosphorylation sites were jointly mutated to alanine or aspartic acid, suggests that phosphorylation of DHBV core protein at these sites may optimize pregenomic-RNA encapsidation but that its impact is much less profound than in the case of HBV. The possible mechanisms by which RNA encapsidation may be modulated by core protein phosphorylation are discussed in the context of the observed differences between the two viruses.
Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin, 2017
In 2017, influenza seasonal activity was high in the southern hemisphere. We present interim infl... more In 2017, influenza seasonal activity was high in the southern hemisphere. We present interim influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimates from Australia. Adjusted VE was low overall at 33% (95% confidence interval (CI): 17 to 46), 50% (95% CI: 8 to 74) for A(H1)pdm09, 10% (95% CI: -16 to 31) for A(H3) and 57% (95% CI: 41 to 69) for influenza B. For A(H3), VE was poorer for those vaccinated in the current and prior seasons.
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Papers by James Fielding