Advances in Virology

Background. WHO recommends HBV-negative babies in high-prevalence (8%) countries receive anti-HBV vaccination. Ghana initiated mass immunization in 2002, but concerns remain about vaccine effectiveness and long-term protection. We evaluated immune characteristics and factors following hepatitis B vaccination among Ghanaian adolescents who received HBV vaccines. Methods. In this longitudinal cross-sectional study, 74 participants were enrolled from the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana. Sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics of participants were obtained using a questionnaire. Blood samples were obtained before and after booster administration for anti-HBsAg, IL-6, and IL-10 estimations using ELISA kit (Shanghai Chemical Ltd., China). Anti-HBsAg titers ≥10 mIU/ml were considered protective. Statistical analyses were done using SPSS version 26.0 and R programming language, was considered statistically significant. Results. We found 100% seroconversion rate, with 25.7% seroprotection rate (anti-HBsAg >10 mIU/ml). Gender (), age (), and exercising () were significantly associated with seroprotection. Following booster administration, 59.4% were hyporesponders (10 ≤ anti-HBsAg titre ≤99 mIU/ml) whilst 40.6% were good responders (anti-HBsAg titre ≥100 mIU/ml). Exercise () was significantly associated with immune response after booster administration. Moreover, we reported significant positive correlation between cytokines [IL-6 (r = 0.817, ) and IL-10 (r = 0.928, )] and anti-HBsAg titre. Conclusion. Approximately two thirds of adolescents vaccinated at birth lack protective levels of antibodies against hepatitis B virus. Booster vaccines could aid in mounting protective levels of anti-HBsAg. Physical exercise was negatively associated with immune response to hepatitis B vaccinations.

Introduction. Currently, sequencing has been the only tool for the identification of circulating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants. However, it is known to be an expensive and laborious approach involving high technical expertise. Considering the reduced adherence to preventive measures postlockdown in Accra, this study presents an alternative method that leverages polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to identify circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants in the Accra Metropolis postlockdown. Methods. This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted between July and December 2022. Nasopharyngeal samples were collected from 268 consenting participants. Samples were subjected to nucleic acid extraction and followed by real-time polymerase chain reaction for the detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. SARS-CoV-2 positive samples were subsequently subjected to variant identification using rapid PCR. Findings. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 within the Accra Metropolis was 30.2%. The majority of the SARS-CoV-2 infection was diagnosed in females, participants aged 41–50 years, and symptomatic participants. Participants aged ≤10 years and females recorded the highest viral load while participants aged 41–50 years recorded the highest number of infections. The SARS-CoV-2 variants detected were Alpha (64.2%), Delta (22.2%), and Omicron (13.6%). Predictors of SARS-CoV-2 infection identified were chills, cough, headache, body weakness, sore throat, and dyspnoea in order of decreasing association with SARS-CoV-2 infection. There was a strong association between symptom status, gender, age, and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Conclusion. There was a high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 within the Accra Metropolis postlockdown within the sampling period. The Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 is the predominant circulating variant, and persons presenting with symptoms are most likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19. Children aged ≤10 years serve as a reservoir for infection transmission.

Hemagglutinin (HA) is the major envelope glycoprotein and antigen on the surface of influenza virions. The glycoprotein comprises a globular head and a stalk region. While immunodominant epitopes on influenza HA head are highly variable, the stalk domain is conserved. The variability of the HA head causes the antigenic drift that made the requirement of annual update of vaccine strains. Induction of antibody against the stalk domain has been proposed as an approach for a broadly protective influenza vaccine strategy. Sequential exposure to influenza strains with highly diverse HA heads but conserved stalks have been shown to induce antibody to the low immunogenic stalk domain. Here, we tested this approach by using old influenza vaccine strains that are decades apart in evolution. Inactivated whole virion vaccine of influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/1934, A/USSR/92/1977, and A/Thailand/102/2009 (H1N1) was sequentially immunized into BALB/c mice in comparison to immunization using single strain (A/Thailand/102/2009 (H1N1)). The sequentially immunized mice developed higher levels of binding antibody to the stalk domain. These suggested that using old vaccine strains in sequential vaccination may be a possible approach to induce antibody to the conserved stalk domain.

Background. Acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among children worldwide. The majority of acute respiratory infections in children are caused by viruses, with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) being the most frequently encountered. Other important viral pathogens include human metapneumovirus, human coronaviruses, adenovirus, and influenza. These infections can lead to complications such as bronchitis and pneumonia. So, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of influenza viruses A and B, adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in children with ARTI. Methods. The molecular diagnostic of polymerase chain reaction approach was used to detect influenza (A and B), metapneumovirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and adenovirus in respiratory samples of children with acute respiratory infection hospitalization in a teaching hospital of the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in January 2016–March 2017. Results. Of the 340 patients examined, 208 (61.20%) were male and the median age was 3.13 ± 2.38 years. Respiratory viruses were found in 179 (52.64%) patients. The male-to-female ratio was 1.63 : 1 in patients who were viral positive. Detection rates for influenza A, adenovirus, influenza B, RSV, and HMPV were 28.23%, 24.70%, 8.52%, 3.23%, and 2.64%, respectively, and coinfections were detected in 24.02%. The most common combination of two-virus coinfections was IFVA/AdV, followed by IFVB/AdV, AdV, IFVB/IFVA, RSV/IFVA, HMPV/AdV, RSV/AdV, and HMPV/IFVA. Conclusion. The high prevalence of respiratory viruses in children hospitalized with ARTI suggests that viral infection may play a role in disease pathogenesis. This should be confirmed through the conduct of case-control studies and may inform the role of vaccination to prevent respiratory viral infections.

The emergence of Omicron as the fifth variant of concern within the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in late 2021, characterized by its rapid transmission and distinct spike gene mutations, underscored the pressing need for cost-effective and efficient methods to detect viral variants, especially given their evolving nature. This study sought to address this need by assessing the effectiveness of two SARS-CoV-2 variant classification platforms based on RT-PCR and mass spectrometry. The primary aim was to differentiate between Delta, Omicron BA.1, and Omicron BA.2 variants using 618 COVID-19-positive samples collected from Bangkok patients between November 2011 and March 2022. The analysis revealed that both BA.1 and BA.2 variants exhibited significantly higher transmission rates, up to 2-3 times, when compared to the Delta variant. This research presents a cost-efficient approach to virus surveillance, enabling a quantitative evaluation of variant-specific public health implications, crucial for informing and adapting public health strategies.

Background. Cytokine storm syndrome (CSS) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in people suffering from hyperinflammatory status, which diverse etiological factors, including pathogens, therapeutic interventions, malignancies, and autoimmune disorders, can instigate. Since there is limited research on the antioxidant properties of fraxin and no studies have investigated its potential as an anticytokine storm agent, it is important to note that most studies have primarily focused on proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNFα during cytokine storm. However, little research discusses the role of chemokines, particularly IL-8, during cytokine storms. Therefore, further investigation is warranted into the role of fraxin as an anticytokine storm agent and the involvement of IL-8 in cytokine storms. The present study examines the preventive efficacy of fraxin and the combination of fraxin and dexamethasone (FD) in mitigating lipopolysaccharide-induced systemic inflammation in mice caused by Escherichia coli, 055: B5. Methods. Five groups of ten mice were randomly assigned: LPS only group (5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally i.p.), control (normal saline N.S. 1 ml/kg, i.p.), concentrations were selected based on previous literature, fraxin (120 mg/kg, i.p.), dexamethasone (5 mg/kg, i.p.), fraxin + dexamethasone (FD) (60 mg/kg + 2.5 mg/kg, i.p.), administered one hour before LPS injection (5 mg/kg,i.p.), animals were euthanized next day, and interleukin-8 (IL-8) was quantified in serum using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The liver and heart tissues underwent histopathological analysis to assess morphological changes. For data analysis using ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests, the Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U tests were employed to analyze the histological results. Results. A significant decline in IL-8 levels was recorded in the treatment groups almost to the same degree (), and the percentage of inhibition of IL-8 for fraxin, dexamethasone, and FD was 93%.92.4%, and 93%, respectively, compared to the LPS-only group. Histopathological scores were significantly reduced in liver and heart tissue (). Conclusions. All interventions used in this study significantly reduced interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels and reduced LPS-induced liver and cardiac damage. The combination (FD) did not result in an evident superiority of either agent. More research is required to identify the possible usefulness of these agents in treating hyperinflammatory diseases, such as cytokine storms, in future clinical practice.