Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic has resulted in thousands of infections and deaths worldwide. Several therapies are currently undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the development of new drugs and the repositioning of existing drugs can only be achieved after the identification of potential therapeutic targets

Aichi virus 1 (AiV-1) has been proposed as a causative agent of human gastroenteritis. In this study, raw, decanted, and treated wastewater samples from a wastewater treatment plant in an urban area of Dakar, Senegal, were collected. AiV-1 was detected in raw (70%, 14/20), decanted (68.4%, 13/19), and treated (59.3%, 16/27) samples, revealing a noticeable resistance of AiV-1 to chlorine-based treatment

Introduction: Epidemic Japanese encephalitis is one of the most important zoonotic diseases that cause central nervous system damage. The vaccination has become the most effective and economical measure for its control. Hence, real-time monitoring of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) proliferation is crucial to optimize virus inoculation, culturing conditions, and virus harvest time. Methods: The proliferation

Introduction: Bluetongue disease is an economically important viral disease of livestock caused by bluetongue virus (BTV) having multiple serotypes. It belongs to the genus Orbivirus of family Reoviridae and subfamily Sedoreovirinae. The genome of BTV is 10 segmented dsRNA that codes for 7 structural and 4 nonstructural proteins, of which VP2 was reported to be serotype-specific and a major antigenic

Introduction: Commercial methods for HCV genotyping is challenged by the increased prevalence of untypable genotypes in Pakistan. Objective: The aim of the current study was to perform nucleotide sequencing of 5′ UTR region for genotyping of viral isolates circulating in Peshawar, Pakistan. Methods: The total number of commercially untypable samples were 94 in which 18 samples were sequenced for the

Introduction: BK virus (BKV) infection in renal transplant (RT) recipients can cause hemorrhagic cystitis, transient renal dysfunction, and BKV nephropathy (BKVN). The prevalence and significance of BKV in RT recipients remain to be clarified in the Iranian population. The purpose of this review is to summarize the overall prevalence of BKV infection in RT recipients from previously published studies

Intervirology 2020;63:I–II

Background: Many efforts are currently focused on functional treatment of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). This can be done by suppressing the secretion of HBV surface antigen (HBsAg). Scientific communities are very interested in natural products in that respect. Objective: Use of root extract of Havachoobe (Onosma dichroanthum BoissI), a Northern Iranian native medical herb, for assessment of its anti-HBsAg

Chandipura virus (CHPV) is a tropical pathogen, suggesting its involvement in childhood encephalitis syndrome in India. No reports are available in adult human beings for its pathogenicity. Similarly, in adult mice, the virus does not develop pathogenesis by parenteral route except for intracranial route of infection. The virus is remarkably nonpathogenic to adult immunocompromised nude mice. In vitro

Intervirology

Introduction: Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection is causing mortality in considerable proportion of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients, however, evidence for the association of sex, age, and comorbidities on the risk of mortality is not well-aggregated yet. It was aimed to assess the association of sex, age, and comorbidities with mortality in COVID-2019 patients

Intervirology

Background: Transmission of many viruses occurs by direct transmission during a close contact between two hosts, or by an indirect transmission through the environment. Several and often interconnected factors, both abiotic and biotic, determine the persistence of these viruses released in the environment, which can last from a few seconds to several years. Moreover, viruses in the environment are

Background: Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of dengue virus (DENV) infection is identified as the main risk factor of severe dengue diseases. The underlying mechanisms leading to severe dengue fever remain unclear. Methods: THP-1 cells were treated with an autophagy inducer (rapamycin) or inhibitor (3-methyladenine [3-MA]) and infected with DENV and DENV-ADE. In order to investigate the expression

Background: The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its disease CO­VID-19 has strongly encouraged the search for antiviral compounds. Most of the evaluated drugs against SARS-CoV-2 derive from drug repurposing of Food and Drug Administration-approved molecules. These drugs have as target three major processes: (1) early stages of virus-cell interaction, (2)

Background: Dengue fever is one of the most common human arbovirus infections worldwide. In Pakistan, dengue initially became endemic in the big cities and then expanded to remote areas of the country. The current study reports the dengue epidemics, anti-DENV antibodies prevalence during the active and post-dengue infection, risk factors, disease symptoms, and spotting dengue infection densities in

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), a major etiologic agent of enterically transmitted hepatitis worldwide, is known to cause outbreaks. Diagnosis of the causative agent is important for patient management, understanding epidemiology and outbreak mitigation. We attempted to develop an algorithm for molecular diagnosis and compared the diagnostic accuracy of 2 of HEV IgM ELISA tests during an outbreak. Eighty-four

Background: Arboviruses co-circulating within a population that are transmitted by the same vector have the potential to cause coinfections. Coinfections with dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV), and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) have been occurring in Brazil, but it is not well-understood how human responses vary during mono- or coinfections and whether they play different roles in pathogenesis. Methods:

Background: This study was planned to investigate the association betweenhuman cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection and gastrointestinal cancer (GIC) risk, by undertaking a meta-analysis and case-control cross-sectional study. Summary: A cross-sectional study analysis of 160 GIC patients and 100 control subjects indicated significantly higher HCMV prevalence in GIC patients based on the HCMV IgM test.

Intervirology 2019;62:I–IV

Viroids are minute unencapsidated non-coding circular RNAs known to be present and to cause diseases only in plants. Infections were associated with the occurrence of specific single-stranded RNAs similar in size to miRNAs and endogenous small interfering RNAs, and viroid pathogenicity is suspected to occur through RNA interference. We looked for sequence similarities between viroids and the seed region

Background: The John Cunningham virus (JCV) is the causative agent of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. Anti-JCV antibody seropositivity is an important consideration in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The reported prevalence of JCV in MS patients has been conflicting. Objective: We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the pooled prevalence of anti-JCV

Zophobas morio is a tropical darkling beetle which is widely exploited for commercial large-scale insect growing. Outbreaks of a disease may occur causing total devastation of cultures. In the present paper, samples of diseased Z. morio were obtained and used for establishment of a laboratory model as they were found infective to the larvae of the same insect species from another source. It took about

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of acute bronchiolitis in infants and young children. Children under the age of 2 years, hospitalized for bronchiolitis in the pediatric clinic of a tertiary hospital in northern Greece, were tested for RSV infection during two RSV seasons (2016–2017 and 2017–2018). RSV was detected in 37 of 71 (52.1%) patients, most of them younger than

Canine adenovirus (CAV) circulates as two distinct serotypes, CAV-1 and CAV-2, which are antigenically related but differ in their clinical manifestations. CAV is one of the important viral agents in the etiology of canine gastroenteritis. Here, we report the molecular surveillance and genetic characterization of CAV from clinical cases of canine gastroenteritis. A total of 302 fecal/rectal swabs were

Background: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection spreads easily by interpersonal contact. Objective: This study determined the prevalence of seropositivity of cytomegalovirus immunoglobulin G (IgG) in the Asir Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: The study evaluated the seropositivity for cytomegalovirus-specific IgG in 460 females. Collected samples were processed and tested using enzyme-linked

Background/Aims: High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is associated with different malignancies, but its role in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer remains inconclusive. Published studies demonstrated a wide variation (0–50%) in HPV prevalence in ovarian cancer. To evaluate the contribution of detection tests to controversial results in different populations, we determined the presence of

Objective: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a public health problem and a major cause of chronic hepatitis. This virus exhibits a great genetic variability, with 8 genotypes and numerous subtypes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the fluctuations of HCV subtypes during 2 decades in Venezuela. Methods: HCV genotypes were determined by direct sequencing of the 5ʹ-noncoding region in 392 isolates

Background: The role of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for Hepatitis C viral load (HCV-VL) and liver fibrosis is poorly understood. This study aimed at evaluating the influence of ART on HCV-VL and liver fibrosis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/HCV-coinfected patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of HIV/HCV-coinfected patients followed at a tertiary university hospital. Results:

INTRODUCTION To date, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has not been integrated into the national vaccination program of most countries of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO), except for the United Arab Emirates and Libya. The knowledge of HPV genotype distribution in cervical neoplasia is valuable to predict the impact of current HPV vaccines on cancer prevention and can help the health

BACKGROUND Cervical cancer is caused by a persistent infection of human papillomavirus (HPV). Therefore, tests which detect the carcinogenic virus can be used for cervical cancer screening. OBJECTIVE This is the first evaluation of the HPV DNA Array (AID Diagnostika, Strassberg, Germany), an E1-based genotyping polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for identification of 29 HPV types (6, 11, 16, 18,

Despite the significant medical advances which have taken place in the last decades, acute diarrhoea cases remain a public health issue of major significance, with gastroenteritis agents being associated with severe symptoms in adults and high morbidity in infants and children. Regarding rotaviruses, while children are the predominant victims of rotavirus infection, adults (often caretakers or parents

BACKGROUND Prototype foamy virus (PFV) is a complex and unique retrovirus with the longest genome among the retroviruses and is used as a vector for gene therapies. The viral Tas protein transactivates the viral long terminal repeat promoter and is required for viral replication. We have utilized RNA sequencing to identify and characterize the long-noncoding RNA NONHSAG000101 (lnc-NONH), which markedly

BACKGROUND Pseudorabies virus (PRV) infection induces apoptosis in swine cells both in vitro and in vivo; however, the mechanism associated with host-cell signaling has not been studied. This study investigated the role of free radicals caused by cellular oxidative stress after viral infection and examined whether the DNA damage response plays an important role in PRV-induced apoptosis. METHODS Several

BACKGROUND/AIMS In Zimbabwe, cervical cancer is screened through cytology and visual inspection with acetic acid and cervicography (VIAC). The effectiveness of these methods can be increased if complemented by a human papillomavirus DNA detection tool since most cervical cancer cases are caused by persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) genotypes. Moreover, the possibility

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive neuroendocrine cancer of the skin with high rates of metastasis and mortality. Besides well-established factors including genetic mutations and UV-induced DNA damage in Merkel cell carcinogenesis, the recent discovery of the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) has shed light on the viral etiology of MCC. In the current study, we provide novel evidence that

BACKGROUND The role of dengue virus in altering the functional properties of platelets remains poorly understood. Few studies have observed that changes in fatty acids are found to have an effect on platelet activation and aggregation. Also, platelet fatty acids have not been extensively studied in dengue so far. So, we aimed to study the fatty acids of platelet membranes in patients with dengue. METHODS

BACKGROUND In immunocompromised patients, human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins are very potent negative regulators of the janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathways. We hypothesized that HCMV exploits SOCS1 and/or SOCS3 to its advantage. METHODS All experiments were

BACKGROUND The therapeutic effect of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is adversely influenced by antiretroviral drug resistance, mainly due to mutations (DRMs) in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) genome. These mutations are commonly associated with HIV protease and reverse-transcriptase genes. We sought to determine the frequency of DRMs in a population of ART-experienced patients in the South of

BACKGROUND Differential diagnosis between acute-phase Zika and dengue is challenging because of a similar clinical presentation and the lack of available molecular diagnosis tools in most of endemic areas. OBJECTIVES Our study aimed to evaluate the use of simple laboratory parameters to differentiate these infections. METHODS We retrospectively compared simple hematology and biochemistry values in

BACKGROUND We aimed to analyze for the first time in Morocco the integrase (IN) sequence variability among highly experienced HIV-1-infected patients with no prior IN strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) exposure who failed on reverse transcriptase inhibitors and protease inhibitors. METHODS The HIV-1 IN region was sequenced from plasma samples of all 78 recruited patients. The amino acid IN sequences

BACKGROUND The incidence of mixed hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype infection is variable, and a few reports exist regarding the efficacy of direct-acting antivirals (DAA) therapy for mixed genotype. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of mixed genotype and its impact on the virologic response to DAA therapy. METHODS A total of 365 patients with chronic HCV infection who completed antiviral therapy

BACKGROUND/AIMS Cardiovirus is a genus of viruses belonging to the family Picornaviridae. Here, we used viral metagenomic techniques to detect the viral nucleic acid in the fecal samples from wild rats in Zhenjiang city in China. METHOD Fecal samples were collected from 20 wild rats and pooled into four sample pools and then subjected to libraries construction which were then sequenced on Illumina

BACKGROUND/AIMS Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses of bacteria. Escherichia coli phage (T4) can potentially interfere with adsorption of HAdV-5 to cellular integrins by its KGD motif, while staphylococcal A5/80 phage does not possess this structure. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of T4 and A5/80 phage preparations on type 5 human adenovirus (HAdV-5) DNA synthesis and the

BACKGROUND The arenavirus Junin virus (JUNV), causative agent of the argentine hemorrhagic fever, is able to modulate several signaling pathways involved in cell survival and multiplication. OBJECTIVES We aimed to characterize the infection of rat osteoblasts (OBCs) with JUNV and its consequence on the modulation of osteogenic genes expression, thus studying the ability of this virus to induce cell

BACKGROUND Human adenoviruses (HAdV) are a common cause of viral conjunctivitis, making surveillance of them from sporadic cases of conjunctivitis important. METHODS To acquire a better understanding of the epidemic genotypes of HAdV in outpatient children with adenoviral conjunctivitis in Jiangxi Province, China (2011-2012), 179 samples from cases with a high suspicion of HAdV were analyzed by PCR

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a common herpesvirus that may cause asymptomatic infection or various diseases, such as mononucleosis, lymphoproliferative disorders and several cancers. Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of EBV among patients hospitalized in "Luigi Vanvitelli" University Hospital in the last 10 years. Our results showed that EBV seroprevalence in our geographical area was 65%

OBJECTIVE The human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are endogenous retroviruses that were inserted into the germ cell DNA of humans over 30 million years ago. Insertion of HERVs into the chromosomal DNA can influence a number of host genes in various modes during human evolution and their proviral long terminal repeats can participate in the transcriptional regulation of various cellular genes. Our

Mosquitoes are considered the most important vectors for the transmission of pathogens to humans. Aedes aegypti is a unique species, not only by its highly anthropophilic and peridomestic habits but also because it can transmit an important variety of pathogenic viruses. Examples are dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, Zika, and Mayaro viruses. After ingesting viremic blood, a wide range of mechanisms

OBJECTIVE Infants with a weak immune system are prone to infection with Bacillus cereus, which is commonly found in natural environments. With the aim of achieving better control of this pathogenic bacterium, in the present study we characterized a new bacteriophage, ΦBC01. METHODS Bacteriophage particles were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. Factors influencing adsorption were identified

BACKGROUND On May 2017, a case of dengue serotype 1 was detected and confirmed through routine surveillance in a traveler returning from Kribi, a seaside town of Southern Cameroon. This study aimed at confirming the circulation of dengue virus (DENV) in Southern Cameroon. METHODS A cross sectional study was carried out in Londji near Kribi from June 21-25, 2017, by a joint team of Centre Pasteur of

OBJECTIVES The epidemiological evidence is inconsistent about whether HIV-positive injection drug users (IDUs) are at higher risk of developing antiretroviral resistance than any other HIV-positive populations. This study aims to investigate and compare transmitted drug resistance (TDR) between IDUs and non-IDUs in Lingshan County, an HIV-hit region in Guangxi, China, where IDU and heterosexual transmission

The human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is an important viral agent associated with severe infections of the upper and lower airways, especially in young children and immunosuppressed subjects. Nevertheless, in vitro studies of hMPV are very difficult due to the little knowledge we have on its laboratory manipulation. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to isolate and propagate hMPV from patients, and to

OBJECTIVE Anogenital warts are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Globally, HPV genotypes 6 and 11 are most often associated with anogenital warts. However, the diversity of HPV genotypes found in patients with genital warts in Thailand is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate HPV-associated anogenital warts in the Thai population and to assess whether genotypes found are represented

OBJECTIVE Porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERV) involved in pig to human xenotransplantation have raised great concerns because of their ubiquitous nature in pigs and their ability of infecting human cells in vitro. Although no significant cytopathic effect attributed to PERV was evident on PERV-infected human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells, we did proteomic analysis to investigate the differences

AIMS The aim of this study was to evaluate drug resistance patterns among Iranian people living with HIV who have taken antiretroviral therapy for 9-15 months. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2015 and May 2016. Two hundred fifty-two blood samples were collected from all eligible HIV-infected patients at fourteen healthcare settings, located in major provinces in Iran

BACKGROUND Human cosaviruses (HCoSVs) are newly discovered enteric viruses in the Picornaviridae family. They have been described in non-polio acute flaccid paralysis, diarrheal patients, and healthy individuals. They remain rarely documented in immunodeficient patients. OBJECTIVES This study reports iterative excretion of HCoSVs in a patient with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II combined

BACKGROUND/AIMS Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) is now in the clinic, yet production of rAAV remains problematic. We previously determined that human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) E1 protein boosts rAAV yields and E1 enhances AAV Rep78's replication-related biochemistries. Here, we deletion-mapped the helper domain within E1 to help glean its mechanism of action. METHODS Rep78-E1 interaction

BACKGROUND/AIMS New antivirals are needed to supplement or replace currently used drugs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiviral activity of synthetic peptides derived from physiological proteins. METHODS Vero cell monolayers were infected with herpes simplex virus 1, vesicular stomatitis virus, adenovirus, and coxsackievirus B5 strains in the presence of different concentrations of the