Rhinoviruses as critical agents in severe bronchiolitis in infants

Abstract Objectives: To detect RSV or other thirteen respiratory viruses as possible causer agent of bronchiolitis in infants. Method: This is an epidemiological analytical study, conducted using a nasopharyngeal aspirate of 173 hospitalized children younger than two years old with severe bronchiolitis in three hospitals in the Campinas Metropolitan Region (CMR) during 2013-14. The data was statically evaluated by Pearson's chi-squared test with statistical significance of 0.05 and 95% confidence level. Results: As expected, the most prevalent viruses detected were RSV A and B in 47% and 16% of the samples, respectively. However, almost a third of severe bronchiolitis cases there were no detection of RSV, and the viruses more commonly detected were rhinoviruses, which were identified in almost a quarter of all positive samples for at least a viral agent. Conclusions: Although nothing could be concluded from the disease severity and clinicalepidemiological data, the present study's results indicate that severe bronchiolitis is not always related to RSV infections in children younger than two years old, and the rhinoviruses were more prevalent in these cases. These findings reinforce the need to carry out a

In vitro antiviral activity of seeds from Guettarda angelica against avian viruses.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the inhibition of the aqueous extract of seeds (AEs) from Guettarda angelica on cell infection by two avian RNA viruses: avian reovirus (ARV) and metapneumovirus (AMPV). The cytotoxic and antiviral activities were evaluated by MTT assay to determine the 50% cytotoxic (CC50) and inhibitory concentrations (IC50). The selectivity index (SI=CC50/IC50) also carried out. AEs exhibited antiviral activity only against ARV presenting IC50 of 23.59μg/mL. This inhibition was not due to any cytotoxic effect of AEs since the CC50 on Vero cells was of 400.60μg/mL and its SI was of 17.00; this extract also showed a virucidal effect on ARV. Previous studies also demonstrated antiviral activity of AEs extract against three animal herpesviruses. Thus, the seeds from G. angelica showing antiviral activity against DNA and RNA viruses, enveloped and non-enveloped, could be promising source of new antiviral agents encouraging its fractionation to isolate the active compound.