Prevalence of laboratory markers of human respiratory viruses in monkeys of Adler primate center

Introduction. The relevance of studying the circulation of human respiratory viruses among laboratory primates is associated with the need to test vaccines and antiviral drugs against these infections on monkeys.The aim of this work was to study the prevalence of serological and molecular markers of human respiratory viral infections in laboratory primates born at the Adler Primate Center and in imported monkeys.Material and methods. Blood serum samples (n = 1971) and lung autopsy material (n = 26) were obtained from different monkey species. These samples were tested for the presence of serological markers of measles, parainfluenza (PI) types 1, 2, 3, influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial (RS) and adenovirus infections using enzyme immunoassay (ELISA). Detection of RS virus, metapneumovirus, PI virus types 1–4, rhinovirus, coronavirus, and adenoviruses B, C, E and bocavirus nucleic acids in this material was performed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Results and discussion. The overall prevalence of antibodies (Abs) among all monkeys was low and amounted 11.3% (95% CI: 9.2–13.7%, n = 811) for measles virus, 8.9% (95% CI: 6.2–12.2%, n = 381) for PI type 3 virus, 2.5% (95% CI: 0.8–5.6%, n = 204) for PI type 1 virus, and 7.7% (95% CI: 3.8–13.7%, n = 130) for adenoviruses. When testing 26 autopsy lung samples from monkeys of different species that died from pneumonia, 2 samples from Anubis baboons (Papio аnubis) were positive for of parainfluenza virus type 3 RNA.Conclusion. Our data suggest the importance of the strict adherence to the terms of quarantine and mandatory testing of monkey sera for the presence of IgM antibodies to the measles virus that indicate the recent infection. The role of PI virus type 3 in the pathology of the respiratory tract in Anubis baboons has been established.

The Cases of COVID-19 and Measles Co-Infection in Children

Relevance. The rapid spread of new pathogens inevitably leads to the occurrence of joint circulation with already known infectious agents, leading to the development of mixed infections. The simultaneous circulation of the pandemic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 with a highly contagious measles virus leads to the development of mixed infections in people who have not been sick or vaccinated against measles. Aims. Review cases of co-infection with measles and COVID-19 in Moscow. Material and methods. A retrospective study of cases of measles and COVID-19 co-infection in three children with a description of the epidemiological and clinical picture of the disease. Results. In all observed children, the manifestation of the disease was typical for measles, the diagnosis of COVID-19 was established based on a laboratory study carried out in a hospital, which gave reason to count. That the infection with SARSCoV-2 occurred after the infection of children with measles. Conclusions. Different incubation periods can lead to several options for the development of co-infection. The similarity of clinical symptoms at the onset of the disease does not allow excluding a certain infection clinically, without laboratory verification.

Measles and rubella in the North-West of Russia in period of elimination

Aim: To evaluate the epidemic situation on measles and rubella and to carry out the laboratory diagnostics of these infections in the North-West of Russia in the period of elimination.Materials and Methods. In 2016-2019 a total of 534 blood serum samples from patients with measles diagnosis, 210 – from patients with rubella diagnosis and 1251 – from patients with exanthema were studied by ELISA using “VectoMeasles-IgM” and “EIA-Rubella-IgM” test-systems.Results. Measles incidence in NWR varied from 0 to 0.96 per 100,000 in 2016 and 2019, respectively. Among measles patients the proportion of children and adults changed in 2018-2019, adults constituted 65.9%. Patients not vaccinated against measles and those with the unknown vaccination status were mainly involved in epidemic process (85%). High level of patients with revaccination status was revealed in 2018 (18.4%). These patients demonstrated high levels of IgG (>3.0 IU/ml) as well as high percentage of IgG avidity (>94.3%) on 4-7th day of rash onset thus evidencing secondary immune response. Molecular studies of the samples from patients revealed the circulation of D8 and B3 genotypes of measles virus. Strains of D8 and B3 genotypes were represented by 3 and 4 variants, respectively. Rubella incidence did not exceed 0.13 per 100,000. Strains of rubella virus of genotype 1E were detected.Conclusion. The data of annual measles incidence and molecular studies of circulating wild type measles viruses prove the on-going measles elimination process in the NorthWest of Russia. For rubella, the persistent phase of elimination was demonstrated in the region.

Potential Benefits of Antiviral African Medicinal Plants in the Management of Viral Infections: Systematic Review

Background: Viruses cause various human diseases, some of which become pandemic outbreaks. This study synthesized evidence on antiviral medicinal plants in Africa which could potentially be further studied for viral infections including Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment.Methods: PUBMED, CINAHIL, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Google databases were searched through keywords; antiviral, plant, herb, and Africa were combined using “AND” and “OR”. In-vitro studies, in-vivo studies, or clinical trials on botanical medicine used for the treatment of viruses in Africa were included.Results: Thirty-six studies were included in the evidence synthesis. Three hundred and twenty-eight plants were screened for antiviral activities of which 127 showed noteworthy activities against 25 viral species. These, were Poliovirus (42 plants), HSV (34 plants), Coxsackievirus (16 plants), Rhinovirus (14plants), Influenza (12 plants), Astrovirus (11 plants), SARS-CoV-2 (10 plants), HIV (10 plants), Echovirus (8 plants), Parvovirus (6 plants), Semiliki forest virus (5 plants), Measles virus (5 plants), Hepatitis virus (3 plants), Canine distemper virus (3 plants), Zika virus (2 plants), Vesicular stomatitis virus T2 (2 plants). Feline herpesvirus (FHV-1), Enterovirus, Dengue virus, Ebola virus, Chikungunya virus, Yellow fever virus, Respiratory syncytial virus, Rift Valley fever virus, Human cytomegalovirus each showed sensitivities to one plant.Conclusion: The current study provided a list of African medicinal plants which demonstrated antiviral activities and could potentially be candidates for COVID-19 treatment. However, all studies were preliminary and in vitro screening. Further in vivo studies are required for plant-based management of viral diseases.

Results of isolation and genotyping of measles viruses that circulated in 2012–2017 in the Odesa region

Background. The circulation of different strains of the measles virus is closely related to the region and the incidence rate since circulating strains can change during epidemic outbreaks and in interepidemic periods. According to the WHO, the B3 strain is most common during outbreaks worldwide. Therefore, typing of circulating strains of measles virus, especially during an epidemic outbreak, is an important process, inclu­ding for predicting the development of an epidemic. The study was aimed to identify and determine the genotype of measles virus types that circulate in Ukraine during 2012–2019. Materials and methods. Materials of the reporting documentation of the State Institution “Odessa Regional Laboratory Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine” in the Odessa region during 2012–2019 were used and analyzed. Materials from patients with suspected measles were used for molecular biological, genetic, analytical, and statistical approaches investigation. Following the standard WHO protocol for sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, circulating measles virus strains were isolated from the patient in a special culture of Vero/SLAM cells. Measles virus RNA was isolated from the resulting virus-containing material after cultivation and RT-PCR was performed. The resulting cDNA was sent for genotyping, which was carried out at the WHO reference labo­ratory for the diagnosis of measles and rubella in Luxembourg (WHO RRL). Results. Twenty strains of measles virus from 45 samples (urine and nasopharyngeal swabs) from patients diagnosed with measles were isolated during 2012–2014. Virus isolation was not carried out in 2015–2016 due to isolated cases of the disease. Twenty-four virus strains from 164 samples were isolated in 2017. Conclusions. The results obtained at the State Institution “Odessa Regional Laboratory Center” demonstrated that during the interepidemic period of 2012–2014, the D4 geno­type circulated in the region. But since 2017, when there was an increas of cases associated with a new epidemic outbreak, B3, genetic line MVs/Kabul.AFG/20.2014/3 B3 mainly circulates in the region of southern Ukraine. As you can see, these data completely coin­cide with the data about circulating genotypes that were found at a certain time in the European Region, according to the data from the literature.

Comparative Study on Molecular Epidemiology of Measles H1a Outbreak and Sporadic Cases in Shandong Province, 2013-2019

Background: Measles caused by measles virus (MeV) is a highly contagious viral disease which has also been associated with complications including pneumonia, myocarditis, encephalitis, and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. The current study collected33 strains from 2013 to 2019 in 13 cities of Shandong province and separate them into 2 group, outbreak cases and sporadic cases. Comparative of genetic characterization between 15 outbreak strains and 18 sporadic strains was made using nucleotide sequencing of the C-terminal region of the N protein gene(N-450). Results: The results showed that all 33 stains belonged to genotype H1a. The outbreak strains and sporadic strains distribute crossly in phylogenetic tree. Sequences alignment revealed some interesting G and A transversion, which change the amino acids, on sites 1317, 1422, 1543. The nucleotide sequence and amino acid homologies of 15 Shandong outbreak isolates were 98%–100% (0–10 nucleotide variation) and 97.7%–100%, for sporadic isolations, they are 97.3%–100% and 96.6%–100% respectively. The mean evolution rate of 15 outbreak isolations and 18 sporadic isolations was 4.73× 10-3 and 2.068× 10-3 substitutions per site per year separately, which is higher than the study made before 2002. Conclusions: This report compared epidemic and genetic characteristics of outbreak strains and sporadic strains, and raise evolutionary study of sporadic cases may be helpful for discovery of the possibility of outbreak, especially in the stage of measles elimination.

Microfluidic Chip with Two-Stage Isothermal Amplification Method for Highly Sensitive Parallel Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and Measles Virus

A two-stage isothermal amplification method, which consists of a first-stage basic recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and a second-stage fluorescence loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), as well as a microfluidic-chip-based portable system, were developed in this study; these enabled parallel detection of multiplex targets in real time in around one hour, with high sensitivity and specificity, without cross-contamination. The consumption of the sample and the reagent was 2.1 μL and 10.6 μL per reaction for RPA and LAMP, respectively. The lowest detection limit (LOD) was about 10 copies. The clinical amplification of about 40 nasopharyngeal swab samples, containing 17 SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus) and 23 measles viruses (MV), were parallel tested by using the microfluidic chip. Both clinical specificity and sensitivity were 100% for MV, and the clinical specificity and sensitivity were 94.12% and 95.83% for SARS-CoV-2, respectively. This two-stage isothermal amplification method based on the microfluidic chip format offers a convenient, clinically parallel molecular diagnostic method, which can identify different nucleic acid samples simultaneously and in a timely manner, and with a low cost of the reaction reagent. It is especially suitable for resource-limited areas and point-of-care testing (POCT).

Measles Neutralization Antibodies and Some Related Factors in Women of Reproductive-age in Hanoi, Vietnam

Aims: Our study aimed to determine neutralization antibodies against measles virus and some related factors in women of childbearing-age from 18 to 30 years old, in Hanoi, Vietnam. Methodology: In 2018, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 1,235 childbearing-age women from 18-30 years old in Bavi district, Hanoi, Vietnam. The study participants were interviewed by using a structured questionnaire which included demographic information, and history of measles. The measles neutralization antibodies (MNA) of these participants were quantified by a plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). The data were analyzed using the Epidata 3.1 and Stata 14.2 software. Results: The results showed that only 58.5% had MNA at sufficient protective levels (≥120mIU/ml), up to 12.5% were negative for MNA, and 358 women (29%) had MNA at insufficient protective levels. In addition, we found that the participants’ working as public employees, having two children, and being ≥ 25 years of age were all positively associated with the sufficient protective antibody levels (P<0.05). A weak positive correlation between age and MNA titers was determined (r= 0.26). Conclusion: Approximately half (41.5%) of the women of childbearing age in this study did not have sufficient protective antibodies against measles virus. The study results suggest that it is necessary to boost measles vaccine to prevent the sporadic measles infection in women of childbearing age in Hanoi and to quantify the dynamics of maternal measles antibody levels in infants born from these women, so as to provide evidences to control measles incidence in children up to 9 months of age in the future.

Genetic Analysis of the Measles Virus From the Outbreaks in South Korea, 2019

Three genotypes (B3, D8, and H1) of the measles virus (MeV) have recently caused global outbreaks. In Korea, four measles outbreaks were reported during 2018–2019 and most patients were infants and health care workers in their 20s and 30s. To investigate the genetic characteristics and molecular epidemiology of the outbreaks, we analyzed the sequence of MeVs by targeting the N-450, MF-NCR, and/or H gene regions. Considering their phylogenetic relationships, besides the N-450 and MF-NCR sequences that are commonly used for genotyping MeVs, the MF-NCR-H sequence was related to the dynamics for identifying the transmission of MeVs. Phylogenetic clustering patterns reconstructed from the MF-NCR-H sequence set revealed that genotype D8 caused three of the four outbreaks, while B3 seemed to have induced the fourth outbreak. These results suggest that the MF-NCR-H sequence is useful for rapid confirmation of measles outbreaks and to identify the epidemiological routes of MeVs.