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Holmes AC, Lucas CJ, Brisse ME, Ware BC, Hickman HD, Morrison TE, Diamond MS. Ly6C + monocytes in the skin promote systemic alphavirus dissemination. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113876. [PMID: 38446669 PMCID: PMC11005330 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Alphaviruses are mosquito-transmitted pathogens that induce high levels of viremia, which facilitates dissemination and vector transmission. One prevailing paradigm is that, after skin inoculation, alphavirus-infected resident dendritic cells migrate to the draining lymph node (DLN), facilitating further rounds of infection and dissemination. Here, we assess the contribution of infiltrating myeloid cells to alphavirus spread. We observe two phases of virus transport to the DLN, one that occurs starting at 1 h post infection and precedes viral replication, and a second that requires replication in the skin, enabling transit to the bloodstream. Depletion of Ly6C+ monocytes reduces local chikungunya (CHIKV) or Ross River virus (RRV) infection in the skin, diminishes the second phase of virus transport to the DLN, and delays spread to distal sites. Our data suggest that infiltrating monocytes facilitate alphavirus infection at the initial infection site, which promotes more rapid spread into circulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Autumn C Holmes
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Cormac J Lucas
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Morgan E Brisse
- Viral Immunity and Pathogenesis Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Brian C Ware
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Heather D Hickman
- Viral Immunity and Pathogenesis Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Thomas E Morrison
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Michael S Diamond
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky the Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Center for Vaccines and Immunity to Microbial Pathogens, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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Zimmerman O, Zimmerman MI, Raju S, Nelson CA, Errico JM, Madden EA, Holmes AC, Hassan AO, VanBlargan LA, Kim AS, Adams LJ, Basore K, Whitener BM, Palakurty S, Davis-Adams HG, Sun C, Gilliland T, Earnest JT, Ma H, Ebel GD, Zmasek C, Scheuermann RH, Klimstra WB, Fremont DH, Diamond MS. Vertebrate-class-specific binding modes of the alphavirus receptor MXRA8. Cell 2023; 186:4818-4833.e25. [PMID: 37804831 PMCID: PMC10615782 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
MXRA8 is a receptor for chikungunya (CHIKV) and other arthritogenic alphaviruses with mammalian hosts. However, mammalian MXRA8 does not bind to alphaviruses that infect humans and have avian reservoirs. Here, we show that avian, but not mammalian, MXRA8 can act as a receptor for Sindbis, western equine encephalitis (WEEV), and related alphaviruses with avian reservoirs. Structural analysis of duck MXRA8 complexed with WEEV reveals an inverted binding mode compared with mammalian MXRA8 bound to CHIKV. Whereas both domains of mammalian MXRA8 bind CHIKV E1 and E2, only domain 1 of avian MXRA8 engages WEEV E1, and no appreciable contacts are made with WEEV E2. Using these results, we generated a chimeric avian-mammalian MXRA8 decoy-receptor that neutralizes infection of multiple alphaviruses from distinct antigenic groups in vitro and in vivo. Thus, different alphaviruses can bind MXRA8 encoded by different vertebrate classes with distinct engagement modes, which enables development of broad-spectrum inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ofer Zimmerman
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Maxwell I Zimmerman
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Saravanan Raju
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Christopher A Nelson
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - John M Errico
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Emily A Madden
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Autumn C Holmes
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Ahmed O Hassan
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Laura A VanBlargan
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Arthur S Kim
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Lucas J Adams
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Katherine Basore
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Bradley M Whitener
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Sathvik Palakurty
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Hannah G Davis-Adams
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Chengqun Sun
- Center for Vaccine Research, Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Theron Gilliland
- Center for Vaccine Research, Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - James T Earnest
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Hongming Ma
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Gregory D Ebel
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | | | - Richard H Scheuermann
- J. Craig Venter Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92161, USA; Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA; Global Virus Network, Baltimore, MD 92037, USA
| | - William B Klimstra
- Center for Vaccine Research, Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Daved H Fremont
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA.
| | - Michael S Diamond
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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3
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Reynoso GV, Gordon DN, Kalia A, Aguilar CC, Malo CS, Aleshnick M, Dowd KA, Cherry CR, Shannon JP, Vrba SM, Holmes AC, Alippe Y, Maciejewski S, Asano K, Diamond MS, Pierson TC, Hickman HD. Zika virus spreads through infection of lymph node-resident macrophages. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112126. [PMID: 36795561 PMCID: PMC10425566 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
To disseminate through the body, Zika virus (ZIKV) is thought to exploit the mobility of myeloid cells, in particular monocytes and dendritic cells. However, the timing and mechanisms underlying shuttling of the virus by immune cells remains unclear. To understand the early steps in ZIKV transit from the skin, at different time points, we spatially mapped ZIKV infection in lymph nodes (LNs), an intermediary site en route to the blood. Contrary to prevailing hypotheses, migratory immune cells are not required for the virus to reach the LNs or blood. Instead, ZIKV rapidly infects a subset of sessile CD169+ macrophages in the LNs, which release the virus to infect downstream LNs. Infection of CD169+ macrophages alone is sufficient to initiate viremia. Overall, our experiments indicate that macrophages that reside in the LNs contribute to initial ZIKV spread. These studies enhance our understanding of ZIKV dissemination and identify another anatomical site for potential antiviral intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glennys V Reynoso
- Viral Immunity and Pathogenesis Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - David N Gordon
- Viral Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Viral Diseases (LVD), NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Anurag Kalia
- Viral Immunity and Pathogenesis Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Cynthia C Aguilar
- Viral Immunity and Pathogenesis Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Courtney S Malo
- Viral Immunity and Pathogenesis Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Maya Aleshnick
- Viral Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Viral Diseases (LVD), NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kimberly A Dowd
- Viral Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Viral Diseases (LVD), NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Christian R Cherry
- Viral Immunity and Pathogenesis Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - John P Shannon
- Viral Immunity and Pathogenesis Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sophia M Vrba
- Viral Immunity and Pathogenesis Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Autumn C Holmes
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Yael Alippe
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sonia Maciejewski
- Viral Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Viral Diseases (LVD), NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kenichi Asano
- Laboratory of Immune Regulation, School of Life Science, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Tokyo 192-0392, Japan
| | - Michael S Diamond
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; The Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Theodore C Pierson
- Viral Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Viral Diseases (LVD), NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Heather D Hickman
- Viral Immunity and Pathogenesis Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA.
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Abstract
Alphaviruses are enveloped, insect-transmitted, positive-sense RNA viruses that infect humans and other animals and cause a range of clinical manifestations, including arthritis, musculoskeletal disease, meningitis, encephalitis, and death. Over the past four years, aided by CRISPR/Cas9-based genetic screening approaches, intensive research efforts have focused on identifying entry receptors for alphaviruses to better understand the basis for cellular and species tropism. Herein, we review approaches to alphavirus receptor identification and how these were used for discovery. The identification of new receptors advances our understanding of viral pathogenesis, tropism, and evolution and is expected to contribute to the development of novel strategies for prevention and treatment of alphavirus infection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Michael S. Diamond
- Department of Medicine
- Department of Pathology and Immunology
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, and
- The Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Earnest JT, Holmes AC, Basore K, Mack M, Fremont DH, Diamond MS. The mechanistic basis of protection by non-neutralizing anti-alphavirus antibodies. Cell Rep 2021; 35:108962. [PMID: 33826892 PMCID: PMC8055377 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Although neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against epitopes within the alphavirus E2 protein can protect against infection, the functional significance of non-neutralizing mAbs is poorly understood. Here, we evaluate the activity of 13 non-neutralizing mAbs against Mayaro virus (MAYV), an emerging arthritogenic alphavirus. These mAbs bind to the MAYV virion and surface of infected cells but fail to neutralize infection in cell culture. Mapping studies identify six mAb binding groups that localize to discrete epitopes within or adjacent to the A domain of the E2 glycoprotein. Remarkably, passive transfer of non-neutralizing mAbs protects against MAYV infection and disease in mice, and their efficacy requires Fc effector functions. Monocytes mediate the protection of non-neutralizing mAbs in vivo, as Fcγ-receptor-expressing myeloid cells facilitate the binding, uptake, and clearance of MAYV without antibody-dependent enhancement of infection. Humoral protection against alphaviruses likely reflects contributions from non-neutralizing antibodies through Fc-dependent mechanisms that accelerate viral clearance.
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Affiliation(s)
- James T Earnest
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Autumn C Holmes
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Katherine Basore
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Matthias Mack
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Daved H Fremont
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Michael S Diamond
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; The Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine. St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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Holmes AC, Zagnoli-Vieira G, Caldecott KW, Semler BL. Effects of TDP2/VPg Unlinkase Activity on Picornavirus Infections Downstream of Virus Translation. Viruses 2020; 12:E166. [PMID: 32023921 PMCID: PMC7077319 DOI: 10.3390/v12020166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we characterized the role of host cell protein tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 2 (TDP2) activity, also known as VPg unlinkase, in picornavirus infections in a human cell model of infection. TDP2/VPg unlinkase is used by picornaviruses to remove the small polypeptide, VPg (Virus Protein genome-linked, the primer for viral RNA synthesis), from virus genomic RNA. We utilized a CRISPR/Cas-9-generated TDP2 knock out (KO) human retinal pigment epithelial-1 (hRPE-1) cell line, in addition to the wild type (WT) counterpart for our studies. We determined that in the absence of TDP2, virus growth kinetics for two enteroviruses (poliovirus and coxsackievirus B3) were delayed by about 2 h. Virus titers were reduced by ~2 log10 units for poliovirus and 0.5 log10 units for coxsackievirus at 4 hours post-infection (hpi), and by ~1 log10 unit at 6 hpi for poliovirus. However, virus titers were nearly indistinguishable from those of control cells by the end of the infectious cycle. We determined that this was not the result of an alternative source of VPg unlinkase activity being activated in the absence of TPD2 at late times of infection. Viral protein production in TDP2 KO cells was also substantially reduced at 4 hpi for poliovirus infection, consistent with the observed growth kinetics delay, but reached normal levels by 6 hpi. Interestingly, this result differs somewhat from what has been reported previously for the TDP2 KO mouse cell model, suggesting that either cell type or species-specific differences might be playing a role in the observed phenotype. We also determined that catalytically inactive TDP2 does not rescue the growth defect, confirming that TDP2 5' phosphodiesterase activity is required for efficient virus replication. Importantly, we show for the first time that polysomes can assemble efficiently on VPg-linked RNA after the initial round of translation in a cell culture model, but both positive and negative strand RNA production is impaired in the absence of TDP2 at mid-times of infection, indicating that the presence of VPg on the viral RNA affects a step in the replication cycle downstream of translation (e.g., RNA synthesis). In agreement with this conclusion, we found that double-stranded RNA production (a marker of viral RNA synthesis) is delayed in TDP2 KO RPE-1 cells. Moreover, we show that premature encapsidation of nascent, VPg-linked RNA is not responsible for the observed virus growth defect. Our studies provide the first lines of evidence to suggest that either negative- or positive-strand RNA synthesis (or both) is a likely candidate for the step that requires the removal of VPg from the RNA for an enterovirus infection to proceed efficiently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Autumn C. Holmes
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics and Center for Virus Research, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA;
| | - Guido Zagnoli-Vieira
- Genome Damage and Stability Centre, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RQ, UK; (G.Z.-V.); (K.W.C.)
| | - Keith W. Caldecott
- Genome Damage and Stability Centre, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RQ, UK; (G.Z.-V.); (K.W.C.)
| | - Bert L. Semler
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics and Center for Virus Research, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA;
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Abstract
Due to the limiting coding capacity for members of the Picornaviridae family of positive-strand RNA viruses, their successful replication cycles require complex interactions with host cell functions. These interactions span from the down-modulation of many aspects of cellular metabolism to the hijacking of specific host functions used during viral translation, RNA replication, and other steps of infection by picornaviruses, such as human rhinovirus, coxsackievirus, poliovirus, foot-and-mouth disease virus, enterovirus D-68, and a wide range of other human and nonhuman viruses. Although picornaviruses replicate exclusively in the cytoplasm of infected cells, they have extensive interactions with host cell nuclei and the proteins and RNAs that normally reside in this compartment of the cell. This review will highlight some of the more recent studies that have revealed how picornavirus infections impact the RNA metabolism of the host cell posttranscriptionally and how they usurp and modify host RNA binding proteins as well as microRNAs to potentiate viral replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Autumn C Holmes
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
- Center for Virus Research, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Bert L Semler
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
- Center for Virus Research, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
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Holmes AC, Judd FK, Yeatman R, Lloyd JH, Dakis J, Cairns F, Kiang M, Kerr L, McKinnon J. A 12-month follow up of the implementation of clinical indicators in a consultation-liaison service. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2001; 35:236-9. [PMID: 11284907 DOI: 10.1046/j.1440-1614.2001.00878.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This paper reviews the use of clinical indicators in a consultation-liaison (C-L) service over a 12-month period at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. METHOD Clinical indicators and C-L data were collected during the 1999 calendar year. A review of the process was conducted during and after completion of the 12-month period. RESULTS The system was found to be practical and useful. The use of clinical indicators led to the identification of problems and stimulated effective interventions. The use of the clinical indicators was associated with improvement in communication between C-L staff, parent units and practitioners providing follow-up. CONCLUSIONS The implementation of a database and clinical indicators was a useful addition to the C-L service. The use of clinical indicators was effective in improving clinical performance. These benefits need to be balanced against increased administrative burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- A C Holmes
- Department of Psychiatry, Royal Melboourne Hospital, Universiity of Melbourne, C/- Post Office, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Mel-bourne, Victoria 3050, Australia.
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9
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper is to describe the development and implementation of clinical indicators in the consultation-liaison service at Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH). METHOD A working party lead by the University of Melbourne was established in 1998 to develop clinical indicators and a database for the RMH consultation-liaison service. Core parameters for measuring service functioning and six clinical indicators were developed. The system was implemented using a data collection form and computerised database operating within a system of regular clinical reviews. RESULTS The clinical indicators, database and review system were found to be a feasible, useful and efficient addition to a consultation-liaison service at a major general hospital. CONCLUSIONS Clinical indicators may be used within specialist psychiatry services to enhance clinical care and aid in service development and teaching.
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Affiliation(s)
- A C Holmes
- Department of Psychiatry, Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
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10
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Abstract
New Zealand restructured its health system in 1992 with the aim of achieving greater levels of assessment and accountability in the publicly funded health sector. A committee was established specifically to advise the minister of health on the kinds, and relative priorities, of health services that should be publicly funded. One of its projects has been to develop standardised sets of criteria to assess the extent of benefit expected from elective surgical procedures. These have been developed with the help of professional advisory groups using a modified Delphi technique to reach consensus. So far the committee has developed criteria for cataract surgery, coronary artery bypass grafting, hip and knee replacement, cholecystectomy, and tympanostomy tubes for otitis media with effusion. These criteria incorporate both clinical and social factors. Use of priority criteria to ensure consistency and transparency regarding patients' priority for surgery is required for access to a dedicated NZ$130m (pounds 57m; US$90m) pool of money, created to help eliminate surgical waiting lists and move to booking systems. The criteria will also be used in surgical outcome studies, currently in the planning phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- D C Hadorn
- Ministry of Health, Wellington, New Zealand
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11
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Abstract
Priority criteria developed during a national project were used to conduct an audit of all 662 patients on waiting lists for coronary artery bypass surgery in New Zealand during spring 1996. Based on the observed distribution of priority scores, the cost of providing surgery to all patients down to various levels of priority was estimated. Descriptions incorporating life expectancy and quality of life implications of surgery were developed of the kinds of patients who would or would not receive surgery at each of several possible funding levels. Cardiologists and cardiac surgeons agreed that a threshold of 25 points was a reasonable clinical goal but to work with a threshold of 35, which can be sustained with current levels of funding. All agree that the gap between these clinically preferred and currently afforded thresholds is a subject for wider societal dialogue and decision. The ability to measure the size of the gap between clinical desirability and financial sustainability provides a new transparency to the problem of healthcare resource allocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- D C Hadorn
- Ministry of Health, Wellington, New Zealand
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