Genetic diversity and molecular analysis of human influenza virus among pilgrims during Hajj.

The risk of transmission of respiratory tract infections is considerably enhanced at mass gathering (MG) religious events. Hajj is an annual Islamic MG event with approximately 3 million Muslim pilgrims from over 180 countries concentrated in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of influenza viruses circulating among pilgrims during the Hajj pilgrimage. We performed a cross-sectional analytical study where nasopharyngeal swabs (NPs) from pilgrims with respiratory tract illnesses presenting to healthcare facilities during the 2019 Hajj were screened for influenza viruses. Influenza A subtypes and influenza B lineages were determined by multiplex RT-PCR for positive influenza samples. The phylogenetic analysis was carried out for the hemagglutination (HA) gene. Out of 185 nasopharyngeal samples, 54 were positive for the human influenza virus. Of these, 27 were influenza A H1N1 and 19 H3N2, 4 were untypable influenza A, and 4 were influenza B. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the H1N1 and H3N2 strains differentiated into different and independent genetic groups and formed close clusters with selected strains of influenza viruses from various locations. To conclude, this study demonstrates a high genetic diversity of circulating influenza A subtypes among pilgrims during the Hajj Season. There is a need for further larger studies to investigate in-depth the genetic characteristics of influenza viruses and other respiratory viruses during Hajj seasons.

Lack of Evidence on Association between Iron Deficiency and COVID-19 Vaccine-Induced Neutralizing Humoral Immunity.

Iron is a crucial micronutrient for immunity induction in response to infections and vaccinations. This study aimed to investigate the effect of iron deficiency on COVID-19-vaccine-induced humoral immunity. We investigated the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines (BNT162b2, mRNA-1273, and ChAdOx nCov-2019) in iron-deficient individuals (n = 63) and provide a side-by-side comparison to healthy controls (n = 67). The presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) and anti-nucleocapsid (NP) IgG were assessed using in-house S- and NP-based ELISA followed by serum neutralization test (SNT). High concordance between S-based ELISA and SNT results was observed. The prevalence of neutralizing antibodies was 95.24% (60/63) in the study group and 95.52% (64/67) in the controls with no significant difference. The presence/absence of past infection, period since vaccination, vaccine type, and being iron-deficient or having iron-deficiency anemia did not exert any significant effect on the prevalence or titer of anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. NP-based ELISA identified individuals unaware of exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, absence of anti-NP IgG was noted in participants who were previously diagnosed with COVID-19 suggesting the unpredictability of after-infection immunity. To sum up, this study demonstrated an initial lack of evidence on the association between iron deficiency and the effectiveness of COVID-19-vaccine-induced neutralizing humoral immunity. Similar studies with larger sample size remain necessary to obtain comprehensive conclusions about the effect or lack of effect of iron on COVID-19-vaccine effectiveness.

A potential association between obesity and reduced effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine-induced neutralizing humoral immunity.

Due to the adverse effects of obesity on host immunity, this study investigated the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines (BNT162b2, ChAdOx-nCov-2019, and mRNA-1273) in inducing anti-SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) neutralizing antibodies among individuals with various obesity classes (class I, II, III, and super obesity). Sera from vaccinated obese individuals (n = 73) and normal BMI controls (n = 46) were subjected to S-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and serum-neutralization test (SNT) to determine the prevalence and titer of anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. Nucleocapsid-ELISA was also utilized to distinguish between immunity acquired via vaccination only versus vaccination plus recovery from infection. Data were linked to participant demographics including age, gender, past COVID-19 diagnosis, and COVID-19 vaccination profile. S-based ELISA demonstrated high seroprevalence rates (>97%) in the study and control groups whether samples with evidence of past infection were included or excluded. Interestingly, however, SNT demonstrated a slightly significant reduction in both the rate and titer of anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies among vaccinated obese individuals (60/73; 82.19%) compared to controls (45/46; 97.83%). The observed reduction in COVID-19 vaccine-induced neutralizing humoral immunity among obese individuals occurs independently of gender, recovery from past infection, and period from last vaccination. Our data suggest that COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in inducing protective humoral immunity. This effectiveness, however, is potentially reduced among obese individuals which highlight the importance of booster doses to improve their neutralizing immunity. Further investigations on larger sample size remain necessary to comprehensively conclude about the effect of obesity on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness on humoral immunity induction.

Genomic profiling and network-level understanding uncover the potential genes and the pathways in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Data integration with phenotypes such as gene expression, pathways or function, and protein-protein interactions data has proven to be a highly promising technique for improving human complex diseases, particularly cancer patient outcome prediction. Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most prevalent cancers, and the most common cause is chronic HBV and HCV infection, which is linked to the majority of cases, and HBV and HCV play a role in multistep carcinogenesis progression. We examined the list of known hepatocellular carcinoma biomarkers with the publicly available expression profile dataset of hepatocellular carcinoma infected with HCV from day 1 to day 10 in this study. The study covers an overexpression pattern for the selected biomarkers in clinical hepatocellular carcinoma patients, a combined investigation of these biomarkers with the gathered temporal dataset, temporal expression profiling changes, and temporal pathway enrichment following HCV infection. Following a temporal analysis, it was discovered that the early stages of HCV infection tend to be more harmful in terms of expression shifting patterns, and that there is no significant change after that, followed by a set of genes that are consistently altered. PI3K, cAMP, TGF, TNF, Rap1, NF-kB, Apoptosis, Longevity regulating pathway, signaling pathways regulating pluripotency of stem cells, Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, p53 signaling, Wnt signaling, Toll-like receptor signaling, and Hippo signaling pathways are just a few of the most commonly enriched pathways. The majority of these pathways are well-known for their roles in the immune system, infection and inflammation, and human illnesses like cancer. We also find that ADCY8, MYC, PTK2, CTNNB1, TP53, RB1, PRKCA, TCF7L2, PAK1, ITPR2, CYP3A4, UGT1A6, GCK, and FGFR2/3 appear to be among the prominent genes based on the networks of genes and pathways based on the copy number alterations, mutations, and structural variants study.

Repositioning of anti-dengue compounds against SARS-CoV-2 as viral polyprotein processing inhibitor.

A therapy for COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains elusive due to the lack of an effective antiviral therapeutic molecule. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), which plays a vital role in the viral life cycle, is one of the most studied and validated drug targets. In Several prior studies, numerous possible chemical entities were proposed as potential Mpro inhibitors; however, most failed at various stages of drug discovery. Repositioning of existing antiviral compounds accelerates the discovery and development of potent therapeutic molecules. Hence, this study examines the applicability of anti-dengue compounds against the substrate binding site of Mpro for disrupting its polyprotein processing mechanism. An in-silico structure-based virtual screening approach is applied to screen 330 experimentally validated anti-dengue compounds to determine their affinity to the substrate binding site of Mpro. This study identified the top five compounds (CHEMBL1940602, CHEMBL2036486, CHEMBL3628485, CHEMBL200972, CHEMBL2036488) that showed a high affinity to Mpro with a docking score > -10.0 kcal/mol. The best-docked pose of these compounds with Mpro was subjected to 100 ns molecular dynamic (MD) simulation followed by MM/GBSA binding energy. This showed the maximum stability and comparable ΔG binding energy against the reference compound (X77 inhibitor). Overall, we repurposed the reported anti-dengue compounds against SARS-CoV-2-Mpro to impede its polyprotein processing for inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Pharmacophore-Model-Based Drug Repurposing for the Identification of the Potential Inhibitors Targeting the Allosteric Site in Dengue Virus NS5 RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase.

Dengue virus (DENV) is the causative agent of DENV infection. To tackle DENV infection, the development of therapeutic molecules as direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) has been demonstrated as a truly effective approach. Among various DENV drug targets, non-structural protein 5 (NS5)-a highly conserved protein among the family Flaviviridae-carries the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (DENVRdRp) domain at the C-terminal, and its "N-pocket" allosteric site is widely considered for anti-DENV drug development. Therefore, in this study, we developed a pharmacophore model by utilising 41 known inhibitors of the DENVRdRp domain, and performed model screening against the FDA's approved drug database for drug repurposing against DENVRdRp. Herein, drugs complying with the pharmacophore hypothesis were further processed through standard-precision (SP) and extra-precision (XP) docking scores (DSs) and binding pose refinement based on MM/GBSA binding energy (BE) calculations. This resulted in the identification of four potential potent drugs: (i) desmopressin (DS: -10.52, BE: -69.77 kcal/mol), (ii) rutin (DS: -13.43, BE: -67.06 kcal/mol), (iii) lypressin (DS: -9.84, BE: -67.65 kcal/mol), and (iv) lanreotide (DS: -8.72, BE: -64.7 kcal/mol). The selected drugs exhibited relevant interactions with the allosteric N-pocket of DENVRdRp, including priming-loop and entry-point residues (i.e., R729, R737, K800, and E802). Furthermore, 100 ns explicit-solvent molecular dynamics simulations and end-point binding free energy assessments support the considerable stability and free energy of the selected drugs in the targeted allosteric pocket of DENVRdRp. Hence, these four drugs, repurposed as potent inhibitors of the allosteric site of DENVRdRp, are recommended for further validation using experimental assays.

Discovery of Small Molecules from Echinacea angustifolia Targeting RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase of Japanese Encephalitis Virus.

The Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus that causes viral encephalitis leading to neural damage, is a major threat in most Asian countries. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) present in the viral genome is the key component for genome replication, making it an attractive target for antiviral drug development. In this study, the natural products from Echinacea angustifolia were retrieved for structure-based virtual screening against JEV-RdRp. The top six compounds (Echinacoside, Echinacin, Rutin, Cynaroside, Quercetagetin 7-glucoside, and Kaempferol-3-glucoside) were obtained based on the highest negative docking score, ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity), and molecular interaction. The computational analysis of these selected compounds against the co-crystallized ligands, i.e., ATP and GTP, were performed. Further, 100 ns molecular dynamic simulation and post-free binding energy calculation of all the selected compounds complexed with JEV-RdRP were performed to check the stability of the complexes. The obtained results showed considerable stability and intermolecular interaction with native ligand-binding site residues of JEV-RdRp. Hence, selected natural compounds are admissible inhibitors of JEV-RdRp protein and can be considered for future antiviral drug development studies.

Virtual screening and molecular dynamics simulation analysis of Forsythoside A as a plant-derived inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a more severe strain of coronavirus (CoV) that was first emerged in China in 2019. Available antiviral drugs could be repurposed and natural compounds with antiviral activity could be safer and cheaper source of medicine for SARS-CoV-2. 78 natural antiviral compounds database was identified from literature and virtual screening technique was applied to identify potential 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro) inhibitors. Molecular docking studies were conducted to analyze the main protease (3CLpro) and inhibitors interactions with key residues of active site of target protein (PDB ID: 6LU7), active site constitute the part of active domain I and II of 3CLpro. 10 compounds with highest dock score were subjected to calculate ADMET parameters to figure out drug-likeness. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulation of the selected lead was performed by Amber simulation package to understand the conformational changes in docked complex. MD simulations analysis (RMSD, RMSF, Rg, BF, HBs, and SASA plots) of lead bounded with 3CLpro, hence revealed the important structural turns and twists during MD simulations from 0 to 100 ns. MM-PBSA/GBSA methods has also been applied for the estimation binding free energy (BFE) of the selected lead-complex. The present study has identified lead compound "Forsythoside A" an active extract of Forsythia suspense as SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibitor that can block the viral replication and translation. Structural analysis of target protein and lead compound performed in this study could contribute to the development of potential drug against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Active viral shedding in a vaccinated hospitalized patient infected with the delta variant (B.1.617.2) of SARS-CoV-2 and challenges of de-isolation.

In the era of SARS-CoV-2 variants and COVID-19 vaccination, the duration of infectious viral shedding and isolation in post vaccine breakthrough infections is challenging and depends on disease severity. The current study described a case of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant pneumonia requiring hospitalization. The patient received two doses of BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccines, and he had positive SARS-CoV-2 viral cultures 12 days post symptom onset. The time between the second dose of vaccine and the breakthrough infection was 6 months. While immunosuppression is a known risk factor for prolonged infectious viral shedding, age and time between vaccination and breakthrough infection are important risk factors that warrant further studies.

High genetic diversity of human rhinovirus among pilgrims with acute respiratory tract infections during the 2019 Hajj pilgrimage season.

OBJECTIVES: Acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs) due to human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are common in pilgrims during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of HRV among pilgrims with respiratory symptoms during Hajj 2019. METHODS: HRV infection was detected using multiplex real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Cycle sequencing was performed on positive samples and the sequences were subjected to phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 19 HRV-positive respiratory samples were sequenced. All three serotypes of HRV were identified: HRV-A (13; 68.42%) was more common than HRV-B (2; 10.53%) and HRV-C (4; 21.05%). HRV-A species were found to be of genotypes A101, A21, A30, A57, A23, A60, and A11. HRV-B species belonged to genotypes B4 and B84, and HRV-C species were of genotypes C15, C3, and C56. CONCLUSION: Sequencing studies of respiratory tract viruses in pilgrims are important. We provide preliminary evidence of high diversity of HRV genotypes circulating in pilgrims in a restricted area during Hajj. This requires further clinical and sequencing studies of viral pathogens in larger cohorts of overseas and local pilgrims.

Discovery of Bispecific Lead Compounds from Azadirachta indica against ZIKA NS2B-NS3 Protease and NS5 RNA Dependent RNA Polymerase Using Molecular Simulations.

Zika virus (ZIKV) has been characterized as one of many potential pathogens and placed under future epidemic outbreaks by the WHO. However, a lack of potential therapeutics can result in an uncontrolled pandemic as with other human pandemic viruses. Therefore, prioritized effective therapeutics development has been recommended against ZIKV. In this context, the present study adopted a strategy to explore the lead compounds from Azadirachta indica against ZIKV via concurrent inhibition of the NS2B-NS3 protease (ZIKVpro) and NS5 RNA dependent RNA polymerase (ZIKVRdRp) proteins using molecular simulations. Initially, structure-based virtual screening of 44 bioflavonoids reported in Azadirachta indica against the crystal structures of targeted ZIKV proteins resulted in the identification of the top four common bioflavonoids, viz. Rutin, Nicotiflorin, Isoquercitrin, and Hyperoside. These compounds showed substantial docking energy (-7.9 to -11.01 kcal/mol) and intermolecular interactions with essential residues of ZIKVpro (B:His51, B:Asp75, and B:Ser135) and ZIKVRdRp (Asp540, Ile799, and Asp665) by comparison to the reference compounds, O7N inhibitor (ZIKVpro) and Sofosbuvir inhibitor (ZIKVRdRp). Besides, long interval molecular dynamics simulation (500 ns) on the selected docked poses reveals stability of the respective docked poses contributed by intermolecular hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. The predicted complex stability was further supported by calculated end-point binding free energy using molecular mechanics generalized born surface area (MM/GBSA) method. Consequently, the identified common bioflavonoids are recommended as promising therapeutic inhibitors of ZIKVpro and ZIKVRdRp against ZIKV for further experimental assessment.

A global report on the dynamics of COVID-19 with quarantine and hospitalization: A fractional order model with non-local kernel.

In this paper, a compartmental mathematical model has been utilized to gain a better insight about the future dynamics of COVID-19. The total human population is divided into eight various compartments including susceptible, exposed, pre-asymptomatic, asymptomatic, symptomatic, quarantined, hospitalized and recovered or removed individuals. The problem was modeled in terms of highly nonlinear coupled system of classical order ordinary differential equations (ODEs) which was further generalized with the Atangana-Balaeanu (ABC) fractional derivative in Caputo sense with nonlocal kernel. Furthermore, some theoretical analyses have been done such as boundedness, positivity, existence and uniqueness of the considered. Disease-free and endemic equilibrium points were also assessed. The basic reproduction was calculated through next generation technique. Due to high risk of infection, in the present study, we have considered the reported cases from three continents namely Americas, Europe, and south-east Asia. The reported cases were considered between 1st May 2021 and 31st July 2021 and on the basis of this data, the spread of infection is predicted for the next 200 days. The graphical solution of the considered nonlinear fractional model was obtained via numerical scheme by implementing the MATLAB software. Based on the fitted values of parameters, the basic reproduction number ℜ0 for the case of America, Asia and Europe were calculated as ℜ0≈2.92819, ℜ0≈2.87970 and ℜ0≈2.23507 respectively. It is also observed that the spread of infection in America is comparatively high followed by Asia and Europe. Moreover, the effect of fractional parameter is shown on the dynamics of spread of infection among different classes. Additionally, the effect of quarantined and treatment of infected individuals is also shown graphically. From the present analysis it is observed that awareness of being quarantine and proper treatment can reduce the infection rate dramatically and a minimal variation in quarantine and treatment rates of infected individuals can lead us to decrease the rate of infection.

Development of Serological Assays and Seroprevalence Studies of the New Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19): Reports from Saudi Arabia.

Serological assays are valuable tools for tracking COVID-19 spread, estimation of herd immunity, and evaluation of vaccine effectiveness. Several reports from Saudi Arabia describe optimized in-house protocols that enable detection of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies and measurement of their neutralizing activity. Notably, there were variations in the approaches utilized to develop and validate these immunoassays in term of sample size, validation methodologies, and statistical analyses. The developed enzyme-linked immunoassays (ELISAs) were based on the viral full-length spike (S), S1 subunit, and nucleocapsid (NP), and enabled detection of IgM and/or IgG. ELISAs were evaluated and validated against a microneutralization assay utilizing a local SARS-CoV-2 clinical isolate, FDA-approved commercially available immunoassays, and/or real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Overall, the performance of the described assays was high, reaching up to 100% sensitivity and 98.9% specificity with no cross-reactivity with other coronaviruses. In-house immunoassays, along with commercially available kits, were subsequently applied in a number of sero-epidemiological studies aiming to estimate sero-positivity status among local populations including healthcare workers, COVID-19 patients, non-COVID-19 patients, and healthy blood donors. The reported seroprevalence rates differed widely among these studies, ranging from 0.00% to 32.2%. These variations are probably due to study period, targeted population, sample size, and performance of the immunoassays utilized. Indeed, lack of sero-positive cases were reported among healthy blood donors during the lockdown, while the highest rates were reported when the number of COVID-19 cases peaked in the country, particularly among healthcare workers working in referral hospitals and quarantine sites. In this review, we aim to (1) provide a critical discussion about the developed in-house immunoassays, and (2) summarize key findings of the sero-epidemiological studies and highlight strengths and weaknesses of each study.

Mechanistic insights into the Japanese encephalitis virus RNA dependent RNA polymerase protein inhibition by bioflavonoids from Azadirachta indica.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus is a flavivirus causing encephalitis causing neurological damage. RNA-dependent-RNA-polymerase (RdRp) is responsible for genome replication making it excellent anti-viral target. In this study, the crystal structure of JE RdRp (jRdRp) and bioflavonoids reported in Azadirachta indica were retrieved from specific databases. Structure-based virtual screening was employed using MTiOpenScreen server and top four compounds selected with the most negative docking scores. Conformations were redocked using AutoDock Vina; these complexes showed mechanistic interactions with Arg474, Gly605, Asp668, and Trp800 residues in the active site of jRdRp, i.e., guanosine-5'-triphosphate. Furthermore, 100 ns classical molecular dynamics simulation and binding free energy calculation showed stability of docked bioflavonoids in the active jRdRp pocket and significant contribution of van-der-Waals interactions for docked complex stability during simulation. Therefore, this study predicted the anti-viral activity of Gedunin, Nimbolide, Ohchinin acetate, and Kulactone against jRdRp and can be considered for further antiviral drug development.

A Reliable Indirect ELISA Protocol for Detection of Human Antibodies Directed to SARS-CoV-2 NP Protein.

A few months ago, the availability of a reliable and cost-effective testing capacity for COVID-19 was a concern for many countries. With the emergence and circulation of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, another layer of challenge can be added for COVID-19 testing at both molecular and serological levels. This is particularly important for the available tests principally designed to target the S gene/protein where multiple mutations have been reported. Herein, the SARS-CoV-2 NP recombinant protein was utilized to develop a simple and reliable COVID-19 NP human IgG ELISA. The optimized protocol was validated against a micro-neutralization (MN) assay, in-house S-based ELISA, and commercial chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA). The developed assay provides 100% sensitivity, 98.9% specificity, 98.9% agreement, and high overall accuracy with an area under curve equal to 0.9998 ± 0.0002 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.99 to 1.00. The optical density values of positive samples significantly correlated with their corresponding MN titers. The assay specifically detects IgG antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 NP protein and does not cross-detect IgG to the viral S protein. Moreover, it does not cross-react with antibodies related to other coronaviruses (e.g., the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus or human coronavirus HKU1). The availability of this reliable COVID-19 NP IgG ELISA protocol is highly valuable for its diagnostic and epidemiological applications.

Pattern of Respiratory Viruses among Pilgrims during 2019 Hajj Season Who Sought Healthcare Due to Severe Respiratory Symptoms.

The aim of our study was to define the spectrum of viral infections in pilgrims with acute respiratory tract illnesses presenting to healthcare facilities around the holy places in Makkah, Saudi Arabia during the 2019 Hajj pilgrimage. During the five days of Hajj, a total of 185 pilgrims were enrolled in the study. Nasopharyngeal swabs (NPSs) of 126/185 patients (68.11%) tested positive for one or more respiratory viruses by PCR. Among the 126 pilgrims whose NPS were PCR positive: (a) there were 93/126 (74%) with a single virus infection, (b) 33/126 (26%) with coinfection with more than one virus (up to four viruses): of these, 25/33 cases had coinfection with two viruses; 6/33 were infected with three viruses, while the remaining 2/33 patients had infection with four viruses. Human rhinovirus (HRV) was the most common detected viruses with 53 cases (42.06%), followed by 27 (21.43%) cases of influenza A (H1N1), and 23 (18.25%) cases of influenza A other than H1N1. Twenty-five cases of CoV-229E (19.84%) were detected more than other coronavirus members (5 CoV-OC43 (3.97%), 4 CoV-HKU1 (3.17%), and 1 CoV-NL63 (0.79%)). PIV-3 was detected in 8 cases (6.35%). A single case (0.79%) of PIV-1 and PIV-4 were found. HMPV represented 5 (3.97%), RSV and influenza B 4 (3.17%) for each, and Parechovirus 1 (0.79%). Enterovirus, Bocavirus, and M. pneumoniae were not detected. Whether identification of viral nucleic acid represents nasopharyngeal carriage or specific causal etiology of RTI remains to be defined. Large controlled cohort studies (pre-Hajj, during Hajj, and post-Hajj) are required to define the carriage rates and the specific etiology and causal roles of specific individual viruses or combination of viruses in the pathogenesis of respiratory tract infections in pilgrims participating in the annual Hajj. Studies of the specific microbial etiology of respiratory track infections (RTIs) at mass gathering religious events remain a priority, especially in light of the novel SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Seroprevalence of neutralizing antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among healthcare workers in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: The new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a major health problem worldwide. The surveillance of seropositive individuals serves as an indicator to the extent of infection spread and provides an estimation of herd immunity status among population. Reports from different countries investigated this issue among healthcare workers (HCWs) who are "at risk" and "sources of risk" for COVID-19. This study aims to investigate the seroprevalence of COVID-19 among HCWs in one of the COVID-19 referral centers in Makkah, Saudi Arabia using three different serological methods. METHODS: In-house developed enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), commercially available electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA), and microneutralization (MN) assay were utilized to determine the seroprevalence rate among the study population. 204 HCWs participated in the study. Both physicians and nurses working in the COVID-19 and non COVID-19 areas were included. Twelve out of 204 were confirmed cases of COVID-19 with variable disease severity. Samples from recovered HCWs were collected four weeks post diagnosis. RESULTS: The overall seroprevalence rate was 6.3% (13 out of 204) using the in-house ELISA and MN assay and it was 5.8% (12 out of 204) using the commercial ECLIA. Among HCWs undiagnosed with COVID-19, the seroprevalence was 2% (4 out 192). Notably, neutralizing antibodies were not detected in 3 (25%) out 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Our study, similar to the recent national multi-center study, showed a low seroprevalence of SARS-Cov-2 antibodies among HCWs. Concordance of results between the commercial electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA), in-house ELISA and MN assay was observed. The in-house ELISA is a promising tool for the serological diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, seroprevalence studies may underestimate the extent of COVID-19 infection as some cases with mild disease did not have detectable antibody responses.

Lack of Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 among Blood Donors during COVID-19 Lockdown: A Study from Saudi Arabia.

In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Saudi Arabia have imposed timely restrictions to minimize the infection spread, lower the risk for vulnerable groups, and reduce the pressure on healthcare services. The effectiveness of these measures has not been assessed comprehensively and, thereby, remains uncertain. Besides monitoring the number of COVID-19 cases diagnosed by molecular assays, the seroprevalence can serve as an indicator for the incidence rate among the general population. This study aimed to evaluate seroprevalence status of all healthy blood donors who attended one of the main largest hospital located in the western region of Saudi Arabia from 1 January to 31 May 2020. The study period covered two months prior to reporting the first COVID-19 case in the country on 2 March 2020. Importantly, it covered the period when "lock-down type" measures have been enforced. Samples were subjected to in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA), and microneutralization (MN). The sero statuses of all samples were confirmed negative, demonstrating the lack of antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among blood donors during COVID-19 lockdown period. This study supports the hypothesis that COVID-19 restrictions have potential for limiting the extent of the infection.

Development and Optimization of In-house ELISA for Detection of Human IgG Antibody to SARS-CoV-2 Full Length Spike Protein.

The ongoing coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), poses a threat to human health. Despite this, many affected countries are now in the process of gradual lifting of COVID-19 restrictions that were initially implemented in response to the pandemic. The success of the so-called "exit strategy" requires continued surveillance of virus circulation in the community and evaluation of the prevalence of protective immunity among population. Serology tests are valuable tools for these purposes. Herein, SARS-CoV-2 full-length spike (S) recombinant protein was utilized to develop and optimize an indirect enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) that enables a reliable detection of virus-specific IgG antibody in human sera. Importantly, the performance of this assay was evaluated utilizing micro-neutralization (MN) assay as a reference test. Our developed ELISA offers 100% sensitivity, 98.4% specificity, 98.8% agreement, and high overall accuracy. Moreover, the optical density (OD) values of positive samples significantly correlated with their MN titers. The assay specifically detects human IgG antibodies directed against SARS-CoV-2, but not those to Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) or human coronavirus HKU1 (HCoV-HKU1). The availability of this in-house ELISA protocol would be valuable for various diagnostic and epidemiological applications.

Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: Current status and management practices.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is currently a global threat to human population. The numbers of cases and deaths due to COVID-19 are escalating daily, putting health care systems worldwide under tremendous pressure. Policymakers in the affected countries have adopted varying strategies to deal with this crisis. As a result, the current COVID-19 status in terms of number of cases and deaths hugely varies between countries. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have managed to limit the massive spread of the infection among their populations by implementing proactive plans and timely decisions in response to COVID-19 outbreak; measures taken included suspension of flights, closure of educational institutes, curfew and lockdown of major cities, and provision of free-of-charge healthcare to patients. This review summarizes the COVID-19 status as of 18 May 2020 and highlights prevention and control measures applied in the GCC countries.