Molecular detection of human adenovirus in urban wastewater in Egypt and among children suffering from acute gastroenteritis.

Incidence of enteric viruses in sewage, the efficacy of wastewater treatment plants to remove these viruses, and health effects from their release into the surface water are very important environmental issues in the microbiology field. One of the most pathogenic enteric viruses is adenovirus which can cause a serious disease such as gastroenteritis with low grade fever and mild dehydration in humans. In this study we performed qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of HAdV on 60 stool samples from children with acute gastroenteritis admitted to Abu-Rish hospital and 96 environmental samples (32 raw sewage, 32 treated sewage, 32 sewage sludge) collected from Zenin wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). HAdV were detected in 17 (28.3%) of stool, 27 (84.4%) of raw sewage, 16 (50%) of treated sewage and 25 (78%) of sludge samples. The viral concentrations were in the range of 2.02 × 106-7.23 × 106, 8.7 × 105-4.3 × 106, 1.22 × 104-3.7 × 106 and 1.48 × 106-1.77 × 107 GC/mL in stool, raw sewage, treated sewage, and sludge, respectively. HAdV was detected throughout the whole year of sample collection. Moreover, our results suggested that males were more susceptible to adenovirus infections than females. The results indicate that the high incidence of HAdV in the treated sewage may cause adverse health effects.

Polyomavirus infections and its clinical relevance in cancer patients: A Prospective Study.

BK and JC polyomaviruses (PyV) have been demonstrated to be associated with the pathogenesis of various human cancers. We aimed to investigate the impact of BK and JC polyomavirus infections on several clinical parameters in different human cancers. A total of 150 cancer patients were included in the study (51 patients with solid tumors, 48 patients with lymphomas and 51 patients with leukemias). Amplification of PyV DNA was performed using a semi-nested version of Polymerase chain reaction targeting the T genomic region of PyV. The polyomavirus load was determined using real-time PCR assay. The clinical data were collected. Polyomavirus DNA could be detected in 84 (56%) of 150 of all cancerous patients. The solid tumors had the lowest proportion of JCV (6 (11.8%) of 51), whereas had the highest proportion of JCV (200copies/µl). JCV was more frequent among NHL patients (30%) and absent in HL patients (0%). During follow-up, PyV positivity decreased significantly (p=0.004) in lymphoma patients (n=28). Although PyV positivity decreased significantly from 39% to 7% in 28 of 48 lymphoma patients after treatment, it significantly persisted in leukemic patients after treatment (from 22% to 38%). JC was more frequent among leukemic patients with leukopenia. The presence of JC polyomavirus was more frequent among leukemic patients without any significant impact on their overall survival.

Evaluation of noninvasive versus invasive techniques for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common bacterial strains causing chronic infections, affecting over one half of the world's population. There is increasing interest in noninvasive methods for diagnosing H. pylori infection. The aim of the study was to evaluate 3 different noninvasive methods of diagnosis: the stool antigen test (HpSA), the serum antibody test, and the stool-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test as against invasive methods based on histopathologic diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Gastric biopsies were obtained during endoscopy. Sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Giemsa stain. Serum samples were tested for H. pylori antibody using an enzyme-linked immnunosorbent assay kit for the semiquantitative determination of IgG antibodies; stool samples were tested for H. pylori antigen using polyclonal enzyme-linked immnunosorbent assay kits. DNA samples from stool specimens were extracted, followed by PCR for the detection of H. pylori UreA. RESULTS: The results revealed that 18/19 (94.7%) patients were positive for H. pylori infection as detected by Giemsa stain, and 84.2% were positive on the basis of hematoxylin and eosin stain, with a sensitivity and specificity of 88.9% and 100%, respectively. Diagnosis by noninvasive methods, including the serum antibody test, revealed a sensitivity and positive predictive value of 88.9% and 94.2%, respectively, whereas the stool antigen test recorded a sensitivity and positive predictive value of 72.2% and 92.9%, respectively. The stool-PCR test recorded a sensitivity of 72.2% and specificity of 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Among the noninvasive methods for diagnosis of H. pylori infection, the 3 methods used in this study recorded promising results, including good sensitivity, which was the highest in the serum antibody test, whereas the stool-PCR test recorded excellent specificity.