Iranian Journal of Virology
Volume:16 Issue: 1, 2022

Medicinal plants possess a variety of beneficial characteristics without causing substantial adverse effects. Antimicrobial activity is one of the qualities, among many others, that have been identified. Althaea officinalis is an annual plant belonging to the Malvaceae family with therapeutic qualities in both the leaves and the roots. Specifically, the effects of Althaea officinalis root extract on rotavirus, which is the most prevalent cause of diarrhea among children, were investigated in this study.

The neutral red assay was used to determine whether the extract had any cytotoxic effects on MA-104 cells. TCID50 (50% cell culture infectious dose) and real-time PCR assays were used to investigate the impact of the extract at non-toxic dilutions on human rotavirus.

The maximum non-toxic dilution observed was 6/10 for the extract. When compared to the viral control, the lowest dilution of the extract (1/10) exhibited the highest inhibitory effect, resulting in a 1.03 logarithmic reduction in infectious rotavirus titer (p-value <0.001). Conversely, viral titers were higher at non-toxic dilutions (6/10) than the virus control, with the highest non-toxic dilution (6/10) linked with the most significant logarithmic increase in virus titer (2.54 logarithmic increase). The real-time PCR assay revealed a slight rise in Ct value compared to the viral controls when a dilution of 1/10 was used, similar to the TCID50 assay results.

Althaea officinalis at lower concentrations has mild antiviral effects on rotavirus, which can be due to the high resistance of rotavirus particle structure. However, using higher concentrations of this plant extract has enhanced virus replication.

Hepatitis C Virus infects more than 170 million people globally despite highly effective direct acting antiviral drugs that greatly improved treatment. The Hepatitis C virus envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2 are the major target to induce immune responses. Since, the different aspects of E1 such as its function and structure are still discussed and require further study, in current study critical regions of E1 were evaluated.

Mutation diversity in these areas was determined using strains that were available in online databanks and authentic software. Furthermore, RT-PCR for E1 was done on HCV-1a positive samples and the sequences were analyzed.  The percentage of substitutions, desired and stable residues for mutation in each position were indicated.

The integrated results exhibited bNAb epitope (residues 313-328) which is the most conserved epitope in E1 glycoprotein sequence among all genotypes of HCV.

These kinds of studies may shed light on identification more binding sites of virus and broadly cross-neutralization of antibodies. Moreover, it may facilitate the modeling of peptides to new antiviral design or boosting the immune response in multi-epitope vaccine studies.

The main role of ncRNAs (non-coding RNAs) is to regulate various cellular activities. LncRNAs (long non-coding RNAs) are a group of ncRNAs that are over 200 base pairs in length. It has been shown that lncRNAs regulate and control various cellular functions. Disruption of the expression of lncRNAs can cause various disease and deficiency in the cell function. LncRNA-HULK is one of lncRNA, which is greatly increased in liver disorders, including hepatitis C. Recently, the use of HULK as a biomarker has been suggested as a prognostic factor for liver disease such as hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the level of lncRNA-Hulk in chronic HCV-infected patients.

The present study included 50 patients with chronic hepatitis C. After transferring the samples, total RNA was extracted and the quantity of HCV-RNA and lncRNA-HULK were determined using the real-time PCR assay. Finally, the relationship between HCV-RNA and lncRNA-HULK levels was evaluated.

Of the total patients, 13 were female and 37 were male. All patients were HIV Ag/Ab and HBs Ag negative. Results showed that HCV-RNA level was 4,500-2,300,000 copies per mL of plasma. In addition, threshold cycles of lncRNA-HULK were calculated 28-38. Statistical analyses showed that there was a significant relationship between HCV-RNA level and lncRNA-HULK in the plasma of chronic patients.

In the recent study, the relationship between HCV-RNA quantity and lncRNA-HULC level in chronic hepatitis C patients was investigated. It is suggested that lncRNA-HULC levels could be considered as a biomarker in such patients. Accordingly, lncRNA-HULC quantification could be utilized to predict the progression of liver disease and the outcome in chronic HCV-infected patients.

Inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) is one of the most critical diseases in many countries with intensive poultry industries. In Iran, the etiological agent of IBH (fowl adenovirus) has been confirmed. This study aimed to determine the molecular detection and identification of fowl adenovirus involving IBH in chicken flocks during the year of 2020 in Iran.

For this purpose 150 liver tissue samples from 15 broilers flocks suspected in IBH infection were collected from Mazandaran province and were subjected to PCR analysis and histopathological examination. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequence analysis of the L1 hexon gene were utilized to detect and determine Fowl adenovirus (FAdV) genotypes in broiler farms. Histopathological sections were prepared and examined.

FAdV infection was confirmed by PCR in 14 out of 15 broiler flocks. Based on sequencing analysis of the hexon gene, they were genetically related to FAdV-11, a member of the fowl adenovirus D species. Homology among the isolates, Iranian isolates, and other counties was 94.44% - 97.11%. Histological examination revealed necrotizing hepatitis with basophilic and eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies in the hepatocytes.

The results confirm previous reports about high prevalence of FAdV infection in broiler flocks and show continuos circulation of genotype 11 in Iranian broiler flocks.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is considered to be the important viral agent associated with several human cancers, the most important of which is cervical cancer. Today, the role of this virus in gastrointestinal cancers, including gastric cancer (GC), has also been considered. This study performed to clarify the possible association of HPV and the occurrence of GC in Ardabil province, Northwest Iran, which is a high-risk area.

The study involved 140 paraffin-embedded specimens of gastric tissue that divided into two groups based on the pathological diagnosis: 70 patients with GC as the case group and 70 samples without a diagnosed tumor in gastric tissue as control. The nested polymerase chain reaction (Nested-PCR) method was carried out to detect the HPV genome in paraffin embedded gastric tissue samples. Finally, samples that were positive for the presence of the HPV genome were sequenced to determine the type of virus.

HPV genome was detected in 33 (47.14%) of 70 gastric cancer samples and 4.28% (3/70) of samples without gastric cancer. In case and control groups 97% and 67% of HPV positive samples were over 40 years old, respectively and the number of men was more than women. Ultimately, HPV-16 and HPV-18 were detected in PCR positive samples by sequence analysis.

Based on our founding, the infection rate of HPV in patients with gastric cancer was significantly higher than that in non-cancerous samples of gastric tissue. Moreover, high-risk types of HPV (16, 18) were detected in all positive samples. Therefore, the results of this investigation suggest that HPV can be one of the possible risk factors for the occurrence of gastric cancer in Ardabil province.

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), a member of the genus Gamma coronavirus under the Coronaviridae family, is one of the leading causes of persistent economic and financial burdens poultry industry of Iran. This family of viruses possesses a ~27 kb positive-sense RNA genome that produces a nested set of subgenomic mRNAs during replication.

This study investigated tissue tropism of virulent IBV variant 2, GI-23, by comparing viral gene expression differences between kidney and trachea tissue samples of 20 intranasal infected SPF chickens. At 2 and 6 days post-infection, extracted genomic RNA was subjected to RNAseq, and high-throughput analyses studied the obtained data.

Among the genomic UTRs of IBV, the highest expression was obtained for the 3'UTR (7.15E+05) in the renal samples. Nucleoprotein (N) had the 2nd highest gene expression in both tissues (4.52E+05 in the trachea and 4.13E+05 in the kidney). The lowest expression (2.34E+03 in the trachea and 2.69E+02 in the kidney) belonged to the polymerase genes. 5'UTR expression was not detected in any of the tissue samples.Furthermore, six non-structural genes (NSP4, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 15) had no detectable expression in the kidney samples. NSP11 was shared in both tissues in this case, while NSP16 had the highest expression at 1.62E+05 in tracheal samples and NSP13 at 2.88E+5 in renal samples.

We concluded that except for the 3’ UTR, a slightly higher expression was observed in tracheal samples.

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies and the most common cause of death in women worldwide. Recently, viral etiology theory has been proposed on the physiopathology of breast cancer.

This cross-sectional study evaluated the presence of the Human Herpes Virus-8 genome in 138 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) breast cancer tissues, using real-time PCR. All samples were collected from the department of pathology of Bahonar Hospital (Kerman, Iran) and sent to the virology laboratory of Kerman University of Medical sciences with appropriate conditions.

Out of the 138 FFPE breast cancer tissues, 17(12.31%) were positive for HHV8. Among the HHV-8 positive samples, 58.8% were in the 41-60 years old age group. Among HHV-8 positive cases, 47.05% were an intermediate grade and 82.05% have involvement of 7-9 lymph nodes. Also, there was a significant relationship between age and breast cancer.

The results of this study showed that the prevalence of HHV-8 infection in patients with breast cancer is high and may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) in genetically susceptible individuals with various causes. Infections such as viral infections are suggested as potential underlying factors in the development of MS. Many studies have indicated the possible role of Herpes simplex virus (HSV) in the pathogenesis of MS. The current study aimed to evaluate anti-HSV type 1 and type 2 IgG Immunoglobulin of patients with MS.

In this assessment, serological samples of 38 patients with MS who were referred to the Neurology Department of Ghaem Hospital of Mashhad were compared with the control group; 41 patients from other Departments of Ghaem Hospital who did not have any signs of MS disease. Samples were evaluated for presence of antibody to HSV type 1 and type 2 by the Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

29 patients with MS (76.3%) were positive, and 9 patients (23.7%) were negative for anti-HSV IgG antibody. In the control group, 36 samples (87.8%) were positive and 5 (12.2%) were negative for anti-HSV IgG antibody. Therefore, we found no correlation between HSV infection and MS. Although job distribution and MS did show an association in our study (P=0.034).

Despite all the studies confirming the connection between HSV and MS disease, in this assessment, no relation between infection with Herpes Simplex Virus and Multiple sclerosis was observed.

We detected a novel strain of picornavirus from dead backyard ducks from Gilan province, In Iran. This new isolated was demonstrated a genome like picornavirus design, specifically Aalivirus (Avihepatovirus/Avisivirus-like virus). Usually, Aalivirus were observed in domestic ducks, turkey and chickens. Ten pooled feces samples were collected from samples. We implemented partial genome sequencing of VP1 gene. We nominated the new strain as duck Aalivirus isolate UT-Ebrahimi. Based on our investigation with phylogenetic tree, we considered this strain is a member of the Aalivirus genus of picornavirus. In this study, we demonstrated that the UT-Ebrahimi is 96.23 % similar to Pacific_black_duck_megrivirus_(MK204391.1).

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) should significantly improve the recovery of the immune system in Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients. In some patients under ART, it was not possible to increase CD4+ cells reasonably in spite of effective virological control, which is known as discordant immune response (DIR). The aim of this study is the evaluation of the expression of C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4), C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5), interleukin 12B (IL12B), cluster of differentiation 3(CD3), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), protein tyrosine kinase 2 beta (PTK2B), and t-cell receptor beta TCR β genes in patients with DIR.

In this case-control study, peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) specimens from patients of the two groups were isolated, RNA was extracted: patients of the control group who were immunologic responders and patients of the case group, which were non-immunologic responders. Real-time relative quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed in duplicate using One Step PrimeScript™ RT-PCR Kit and data analyzed by using GraphPad prism software version 8.0.2.

The expression levels in the patients of the case group in comparison with the patients of the control group were measured for CXCR4, CCR5, IL12B, TNF-α, CD3, PTK2B and TCR-β. The Fold change ratio for CCR5, TCR-β, and CD3 were (0.225), (0.12), (0.09), respectively, and in all three of them, a significant decrease was observed with confidence values. p <0.05, p <0.02 and p <0.01, respectively. None of the CXCR4, IL12B, TNF-α, and PTK2B was statistically significantly different and their fold change ratio was (1.01), (0.6), (1.04), and (0.718) respectively.

we showed significant decrease in the expression of CCR5, TCR-β, and CD3 genes in the patients of the case group in comparison with the patients of the control group, but we could not verify this low expression of these genes are the reason of the low CD4+ T-cell count. Further investigation is necessary, if the suppression of these genes can influence the proliferation or development of CD4 T cells, in-vitro.

Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV), which is prevalent in cattle, is the causative agent of one of the most economically important animal diseases. This infection poses a significant challenge to the cattle industry. Several studies have indicated the high prevalence of BVD virus in Iran. As there is no specific treatment for this infection, the best way to overcome the disease is the use of control and prevention strategies such as vaccination. Due to the high prevalence of BVDV in Iran, there is always the question of how to implement a program to address this challenge in order to reduce economic losses. This study aimed to present the analysis of BVDV epidemiological studies in Iran.