Influenza A [H1N1] virus pandemic in Fars Province: a report from southern Iran, July-December 2009

Influenza type A [H1N1] virus is considered as a major concern for health care system all over the world and imposes a considerable burden on the community. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pattern of the disease in order to help health administrators in making decision for preventive measures. 297 definite cases of influenza A [H1N1] diagnosed from 15 July to 3 December 2009 in Fars province, south of Iran, were included in this study. Diagnosis was confirmed performing Real time-PCR. The patients' information including age, gender, occupation, nationality, education, residency area and history of overseas or domestic travel, history of contact with other influenza patients, and symptoms were collected and analyzed. The mean age at the time of diagnosis was 24.4 +/- 15.8 years. 76 [25.6%] patients were admitted in the hospitals, of whom, 11 cases died due to related influenza complications with Case Fatality Ratio [CFR] of 4.4%. The most common reported symptoms were fever, cough and sore throat. There were two waves in the disease incidence, one about 1 month after emergence of the disease and another around 1 month after school openings. The first peak was observed mainly among adults with a history of foreign travel while the second peak was mainly observed among school students. The magnitude of the epidemic was much higher when the disease was transmitted between students at the beginning of the school year. Considering the high incidence of H1N1 flu among the students [41%], vaccination programs and preventive measures should target this age group

Effects of sedium valproate on the replication of herpes simplex virus type 1: an in vitro study

Sodium valproate, an anticonvulsant drug, is reported to stimulate Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 and Human cytomegalovirus replication. Since epileptic patients undergoing sodium valproate therapy may suffer from various virus infections, the effect of this drug on replication of viruses especially those affecting neuronal tissues such as Herpes simplex virus type 1 is worthy of investigation. Viral replication was studied by quantal response method. Electron microscopy was also performed on cell monolayers treated with the drug and infected with the virus. Significant reduction in viral infectivity was observed in cell cultures exposed to 0.5-2 mM of sodium valproate either one hr before or after infection. The corresponding electron microscopic examination revealed a very few intracytoplasmic enveloped virions and a marked reduction in the number of intracytoplasmic nucleocapsids in drug-treated virus infected cells compared with those of infected control. However, significant stimulation of virus replication was found upon treatment of cells with 1 mM [p<0.01] and 2 mM [p<0.001] of the drug 24 hours prior to infection. No remarkable change was seen in corresponding electron micrographs. Although the ultimate outcome of this study awaits in vivo assessments, possible stimulation of Herpes simplex virus type 1 replication by sodium valproate should be considered by clinicians prescribing this drug

Sodium valproate-induced potentiation of antiherpetic effect of acyclovir

Sodium valproate [VPA], an anticonvalsant drug, has been reported to stimulate viral replication. A combination therapy with VPA and acyclovir [ACV] is used for the treatment of herpesvirus encephalitis, the commonest sporadic encephalitis of viral origin. To determine a possible interaction between VPA and ACV leading to a modification of antiviral activity of ACV. Cultured Hela cells were treated with 5 micro M of ACV and various concentrations of VPA followed by infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 [HSV-1]. Virus replication was monitored by quantal assay. Further investigations comprised electron microscopy, immunoperoxidase and immunoblot procedures. Possible chemical interaction between VPA and ACV was studied by nuclear magnetic resonance [NMR] spectrometer. Combined treatment of infected cells with ACV and VPA revealed 50- to 250-fold potentiation of antiviral activity of ACV by increasing VPA concentrations. Examination by NMR spectrometer showed a strong chemical interaction between amino groups of ACV and carboxyl part of VPA. The present in vitro studies should be paralleled by appropriate in vivo investigations, and if substantiated, a combination therapy with ACV and VPA may supersede single ACV therapy for herpesvirus encephalitis. Further studies are thus needed to establish which of VPA metabolites or newly-formed compounds is accountable for augmentation of antiviral effect of ACV

rubella immunosurveillance of Iranian females: an indication of the emergence of rubella outbreak in Shiraz, Iran

The present work describes the occurrence of rubella virus hemagglutination inhibition antibodies as measured in 593 females of various age groups in Shiraz, the capital of Fars Province in Southern Iran during 1986-91. As a rule a rising seroconversion rate was demonstrated with increasing age. Antibody titers between 4 and 32 prevailed in all seropositive age groups with maximum occurrence in individuals aged 20-29. About 46.5% of children aged < 10 remained free of detectable antibody, whereas the corresponding ratios in the other age groups averaged 15%. The results of the study also indicated an emergence of rubella outbreak during 1990-91. This was shown in children < 10 in whom a seropositivity of 94.45% was observed

Detection of antibody to toxoplasma gondii by immune adherence hemagglutination: an increased sensitivity by a lysate antigen

The antibody titers to Toxoplasma gondii in sera of 55 patients presumed to have toxoplasmosis were measured by immune adherence hemagglutination with both lysate antigen and whole organism. The results were compared with antibody tilers detected by immunofluorescent antibody tests performed with fluorescein-tagged anti-IgG and anti-IgM. The use of Toxoplasma lysate antigen significantly increased the sensitivity of the immune adherence hemagglutination test, particularly at higher serum dilutions, compared with the same test performed with whole organism. The immunofluorescent antibody test with anti-IgM demonstrated a greater number of seropositives, notably at antibody tilers of 512 to 1024 than a similar test with anti-IgG. Sera from 22 normal individuals were also tested by immune adherence hemagglutination with lysate and with whole Toxoplasma antigen. The latter showed no antibody liter, whereas the former detected low liters of antibody in 13 cases of which the majority ranged between two and eight The results obtained show that immune adherence hemagglutination with Toxoplasma gondii lysate antigen in microplate provides a simple and highly sensitive test for the serodiagnosis of toxoplasmosis

prevalence of toxoplasma gondii antibodies in pregnant women in Shiraz

A total of 320 serum samples of pregnant women from Shiraz was tested by indirect fluorescent antibody technique for Toxoplasma antibodies of which 77.2% were positive. The highest antibody liters were observed in women over 41 years of age. The sectors with the highest standards of living showed the lowest percentage of infection

immune adherence hemagglutination: a new microimmunoassay for the serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis

This report describes immune adherence hemagglutination as a new micro-immunoassay for the serodiagnosis of Leishmania donovani infection. Comparison of the results of immune adherence hemagglutination with those of indirect immunofluorescence assay, showed a close agreement between the two procedures. Sera from fifteen patients with confirmed parasitological evidence [positive splenic aspirate] of visceral leishmaniasis, as well as, fifteen sera from control children under 10 years of age and four normal adults were included in the study. Titers ranging from 128 to 2048 were obtained with immune adherence hemagglutination in patients and negative titers in the control children. The test appeared to be more discriminating with respect to the antigenic burden of the spleen and more sensitive than immunofluorescence assay. Compared with other conventional and sensitive laboratory tests for the serodiagnosis of leishmaniasis, the minimum requirement, rapidity, simplicity and local availability of reagents render the immune adherence hemagglutination a practical immunoassay for measuring specific antibody in those geographic locations where laboratory facilities are limited