Prevalence of blood borne viruses in the dialysis unit, mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Kuwait

Transmission of hepatitis B virus [HBV] hepatitis C virus [HCV] and human immune deficiency virus [HIV] does take place in dialysis units worldwide at different rates. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence rates of HBV, HCV and HIV in the dialysis unit, Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital [MAKH], Kuwait. Design: Retrospective study Dialysis Unit and Virology Unit, MAKH, Kuwait Subjects: In 2012, a total of 1369 samples from adult patients on dialysis at MAKH were screened. HBV, HCV and HIV were screened for HBV surface antigen [HBsAg] [ARCHITECT HBsAg Qualitative II 2011, Abbott], HCV antibodies [Anti-HCV] [ARCHITECT Reagent Kit 2011, Abbott] and HIV antigen and antibody [HIV Ag/Ab] [ARCHITECT HIV Ag/Ab Combo Reagent Kit 2011, Abbott], respectively Prevalence rates of HBV, HCV and HIV in the dialysis unit, MAKH, Kuwait HBV, HCV and HIV prevalence among dialyzed patients in the MAKH dialysis unit was 1.2%, 6.3% and 0.1% respectively. This study, to our knowledge, is the only study providing recent data on blood borne viruses [BBVs] among patients in a dialysis unit in Kuwait. A multicenter study is recommended to determine the national prevalence of BBVs in all the dialysis unit of Kuwait

relatively high number of pregnant women in Kuwait remain susceptible to rubella: a need for an alternative vaccination policy

To measure the prevalence of anti-rubella IgG and hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] among pregnant women in Kuwait in order to assess the effectiveness of the current vaccination programs. This retrospective study involved 4,062 pregnant women evaluated in health centers in the Hawalli Province of Kuwait. They were screened for anti-rubella IgG and HBsAg using commercially available assays. The data were obtained from medical laboratory records. The mean age of the pregnant women was 29.2 +/- 5.26 years [range 17-49]. The rubella IgG prevalence among the pregnant women was 88.4% [n = 3,589]; 276 [6.8%] of the pregnant women had no antibody to rubella, and 197 [4.8%] had rubella antibody levels /= 40 years, respectively [p = 0.016]. The prevalence of HBsAg was 0.3%, and it did not vary with age. The prevalence of both anti-rubella IgG and HBsAg among pregnant women in Kuwait was relatively high. However, about 11.6% of pregnant women in Kuwait remain susceptible to rubella infection and hence congenital infection and fetal malformation

Detection and monitoring of cytomegalovirus infection in renal transplant patients by quantitative reAl time PCR

To establish a sensitive and specific real time PCR for quantitation of cytomegalovirus [CMV] DNA in clinical specimens. In a prospective study, CMV DNA was quantified in blood samples of 255 kidney recipients with and without CMV-related symptoms between the years 2000 and 2005 in Kuwait. In a selected group of patients, the effect of anti-CMV chemotherapy was monitored by quantitative real time PCR [qRT-PCR]. The established qRT-PCR assay had a sensitivity to detect 30 CMV DNA copies. CMV DNA was detected in 54/255 [24%] patients; of these, 17 [31.5%] were asymptomatic, and 37 patients [68.5%] had symptomatic CMV infection. Sequential blood specimens were collected from all CMV-positive patients and tested by CMV pp65 antigenemia and qRT-PCR assays. There was a moderate positive correlation between the two assays [Pearson's correlation=0.52]. The median CMV viral load measured by qRT-PCR was higher in symptomatic [6.5 +/- 10.4 copies/ml] than in asymptomatic [185 copies/ml] patients [p=0.001]. The estimated cut-off value of CMV DNA for CMV symptoms/disease was 6 800 copies/ml of blood. Testing of sequential samples from patients treated with symptomatic CMV infection showed that the viral load was significantly reduced after 3 weeks of anti-CMV chemotherapy [p=0.001]. The reported qRT-PCR is a sensitive method for quantitation of CMV DNA in the blood of kidney recipients and can be useful in monitoring the efficacy of anti-CMV therapy

rapid and sensitive method for the diagnosis of the "avian flu" H5 sub-type of influenza A virus

Avian influenza, an infectious disease of birds, is caused by type A strain of influenza virus. Within the first 3 months of 2006. 46 human cases of avian influenza in humans worldwide were found where of 31 have died with a mortality rate of about 67%. Therefore, the need for a rapid and sensitive method to diagnose the infection, subtype, and quantify the virus is of paramount importance in the management of this pandemic. Virology unit, Kuwait University, Mubarak hospital in Kuwait. 80 patients with lower respiratory tract infections. We have developed a sensitive and specific multiplex RT-PCR capable of detecting common nine respiratory viruses causing acute respiratory disease in Kuwait. Those found positive for influenza A virus, were then subjected to a quantitative Real-Time PCR to sub-type the virus as H5 and to measure the amount of virus in respiratory samples. A 189 bp fragment of the influenza virus A H5 gene was amplified with specific primers and quantitatively detected with probes supplied in the LightMix [TIB MOLBIOL, Berlin]. The supplied standard dilutions of influenza A H5 virus cDNA ranging from 101 to 106 copies/reaction allows the absolute quantification of the viral cDNA in the unknown samples. A standard curve using standard increasing dilutions of influenza A H5 ranging from 101 to 106 cDNA copies /ml was plotted to quantitate influenza A virus of the H5 subtype. The minimum detection limit was 10 copies/ml. Specificity of the primer/probe mixture was tested on samples containing rhino-, corona-, RSV, measles and mumps viruses. Out of the 10 of 80 [12.5%] patients with acute respiratory disease who were influenza virus A positive, none was found to be of the H5 sub-type of influenza A virus so far in Kuwait. The combination of the multiplex RT-PCR developed in our laboratory and the real time PCR provides a fast easy, specific, and accurate system for the detection of influenza A H 5 subtype