Biology subjects

Kauter, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Kauter, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Label-free detection of individual virus-infected cells using deep learning

Numerous applications in research and medicine rely on reliable identification and quantification of virus-infected cells. Current methods either apply reporter viruses, that often differ from clinical isolates (e. g. cell tropism, immune evasion) or staining approaches, that prevent live-cell experiments and may introduce biases through manual counting. We present a deep learning model for the label-free identification of virus-infected cells on light microscopy images (VAIruScope). To overcome limitations, our pipeline enables an automated quantification of virus-infected cells based on the recognition of cytopathic effects. The method was applied to different cell models and four clinically relevant prototype viruses representing RNA- (influenza A virus), DNA- (human cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus-1) and retroviruses (human immunodeficiency virus-1). VAIruScope identified infected cells achieving classification accuracies of up to 96 %. As proof-of-concept, the method was validated using electron microscopy for a wild-type HSV-1. VAIruScope may be applicable to live-cell imaging to investigate infection dynamics.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2023

Antibiotic prophylaxis and hospitalization of horses subjected to median laparotomy: gut microbiota trajectories and abundance increase of Escherichia

Horse clinics are hotspots for the accumulation and spread of clinically relevant and zoonotic multidrug-resistant bacteria, including extended-spectrum {beta}-lactamase producing (ESBL) Enterobacterales. Although median laparotomy in cases of acute equine colic is a frequently performed surgical intervention, knowledge about the effects of peri-operative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) based on a combination of penicillin and gentamicin on the gut microbiota is limited. Therefore, we collected fecal samples of horses from a non-hospitalized control group (CG) and from horses receiving either a pre-surgical single-shot (SSG) or a peri-operative 5-day (5DG) course of PAP. To assess differences between the two PAP regimens and the CG, all samples obtained at hospital admission (t0), on days three (t1) and ten (t2) after surgery, were screened for ESBL-producing Enterobacterales and subjected to 16S rRNA V1- V2 gene sequencing. We included 48 samples in the SSG (n=16 horses), 45 in the 5DG (n=15) and 20 in the CG (n=10). Two samples (6.5%) were positive for ESBL-producing Enterobacterales at t0 while this rate increased to 67% at t1 and decreased only slightly at t2 (61%). Shannon diversity index (SDI) was used to evaluate alpha-diversity changes, revealing that horses suffering from acute colic seemed to have a compromised fecal microbiota composition (5DG, SDImean of 5.90; SSG, SDImean of 6.17) when compared to the CG (SDImean of 6.53) at t0, although the difference lacked significance. Alpha-diversity decreased significantly in both PAP groups at t1, while at t2 the onset of microbiome recovery was noticed. Although we did not identify a significant SDImean difference with respect to PAP duration, the community structure (beta-diversity) was considerably restricted in samples of the 5DG at t1, most likely due to the ongoing administration of antibiotics. An increased abundance of Enterobacteriaceae, especially Escherichia, was noted for both study groups at t1. Further studies are needed to reveal important factors promoting the increase and residency of ESBL-producing Enterobacterales among hospitalized horses.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Morphometry of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 particles in ultrathin sections of infected Vero cell cultures.

SARS-CoV-2 is the causative of the COVID-19 disease, which has spread pandemically around the globe within a few months. It is therefore necessary to collect fundamental information about the disease, its epidemiology and treatment, as well as about the virus itself. While the virus has been identified rapidly, detailed ultrastructural analysis of virus cell biology and architecture is still in its infancy. We therefore studied the virus morphology and morphometry of SARS-CoV-2 in comparison to SARS-CoV as it appears in Vero cell cultures by using conventional thin section electron microscopy and electron tomography. Both virus isolates, SARS-CoV Frankfurt 1 and SARS-CoV-2 Italy-INMI1, were virtually identical at the ultrastructural level and revealed a very similar particle size distribution with a median of about 100 nm without spikes. Maximal spike length of both viruses was 23 nm. The number of spikes per virus particle was about 30% higher in the SARS-CoV than in the SARS-CoV-2 isolate. This result complements a previous qualitative finding, which was related to a lower productivity of SARS-CoV-2 in cell culture in comparison to SARS-CoV.

microbiology↗