Clinical Profiles, Laboratory Biomarkers, and Mortality in Cancer Patients with Lower Respiratory Tract Infections: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) pose a substantial health burden worldwide, especially among immunocompromised groups like cancer patients. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to explore lower respiratory tract infections in cancer patients. We followed 107 cases with clinically or radiologically suspected lower respiratory tract infections until discharge or death, comprising 65 males and 42 females across diverse age groups. Clinical evaluations, including patient history, examination, and malignancy diagnosis, were conducted. Nasopharyngeal swabs (NPSs), sputum samples, and blood samples were collected within 24 h of symptom onset. Multiplex Real-Time PCR allowed for the simultaneous detection of viral, bacterial, and fungal infections, while conventional microbiological culture methods were used for bacterial and fungal analysis. SARS-CoV-2 infection was excluded in all of the enrolled patients using real-time RT-PCR. Hematological and biochemical analyses included hemoglobin, lymphocyte, neutrophil, and platelet counts, along with ALT, AST, creatinine, and CRP levels. Significant differences were noted in clinical presentations, management outcomes, and prognostic markers among patients with different hematological malignancies. Distinct clinical profiles were identified for leukemia, lymphoma, and solid tumors, with variations in age distribution and symptom prevalence. ICU admission rates varied significantly, with solid tumor patients exhibiting higher rates. The hematological and biochemical biomarkers differed across malignancies, with notable associations between lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, and mortality following respiratory episodes. This study highlights the critical role of rapid pathogen detection and infection control measures in safeguarding vulnerable cancer patients from nosocomial transmission.

Re-emerging human monkeypox: A major public-health debacle.

A multicountry outbreak of the monkeypox virus has gained global attention. As of May 25, 250 confirmed human monkeypox cases have been reported globally. Monkeypox is caused by the Monkeypox virus, which belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus and Poxviridae family. Monkeypox is often a self-limiting infection, with symptoms lasting 2-4 weeks with the case fatality ratio around 3%-6%. Monkeypox is transmitted to humans by direct contact with an infected person or animal or contact with virus-contaminated material. Human monkeypox infections may lead to various medical complications such as fever, rash, and lymphadenopathies. Pneumonitis, encephalitis, sight-threatening keratitis, and subsequent bacterial infections are all possible complications of monkeypox. An antiviral agent developed to treat smallpox has also been approved for use in the treatment of monkeypox in the United States. Vaccines used in the smallpox eradication program also provided immunity to monkeypox. Newer vaccines have been developed, one of which has been approved for monkeypox prevention. In this study, we provide information about the recent outbreaks of human monkeypox, epidemiology, transmission pattern, possible diagnosis techniques, therapeutics, and available preventive strategies.

Antiviral and anti-inflammatory activity of natural compounds against Japanese encephalitis virus via inhibition of NS5 protein and regulation of key immune and inflammatory signaling pathways.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the foremost cause of viral encephalitis in Southeast Asia and Australia leading to approximately 68 000 clinical cases and about 13 600-20 400 deaths annually. Vaccination is not completely sure and safe. Despite this, no specific antiviral has been available or approved for JEV infection yet and treatment is generally symptomatic. Therefore, this study aims to examine the antiviral activity of natural compounds against JEV proteins. The antiviral activity of natural compounds was investigated via molecular docking, cytopathic effect (CPE) inhibition assay, western blotting, and indirect immunofluorescence assay. Physiochemical, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity analysis were evaluated for the safety and efficacy of natural compounds. Network pharmacology-based approaches have been used to study the molecular mechanisms of drug-target interactions. Molecular docking results suggested that the NS5 protein of JEV is the major target for natural compounds. Network pharmacology-based analysis revealed that these drugs majorly target IL6, AKT1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and PTGS2 to regulate key immune and inflammatory pathways such as nuclear factor kappa B, PI3K-Akt, and TNF signaling, during JEV infection. Our in vitro results show that among the natural compounds, curcumin provides the highest protection against JEV infection via reducing the JEV-induced CPE (IC50 = 5.90 ± 0.44 µM/mL), and reduces the expression of NS5 protein, IL6, AKT1, TNF-α, and PTGS2. However, other natural compounds also provide protection to some extent but their efficacy is lower compared to curcumin. Therefore, this study shows that natural compounds, mainly curcumin, may offer novel therapeutic avenues for the treatment of JEV via inhibiting key viral proteins and regulating crucial host pathways involved in JEV replication.

Premarital screening of the viral hepatitis among Saudi nationals.

Blood borne sexually transmitted infections are among the most serious health problems worldwide. Many people possessing these infections do not have symptoms and may remain undiagnosed. The current study aimed to screen premaritally the incidence of blood borne viruses among Saudi nationals. A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted, using a total of 91,000 medical records, in the blood bank from a single center in the Western region of Saudi Arabia. All persons who underwent premarital examination during the period 2016-2021 for the presence of hepatitis B and C viruses as a part of the national screening program in Saudi Arabia were included in the study. Serological tests were used to screen the presence of HBc Ab and HBs Ag. Both anti-HCV antibodies and the presence of virus RNA using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were also performed. The study reported the presence of 378/91000 (0.42%) infections with hepatitis B virus (HBV) as indicated by the presence of HBc Ab and HBs Ag. Meanwhile, 208 (0.23%) cases were found to be exposed to HCV including 49/91000 (0.05%) active HCV cases, positive for the HCV RNA, while 159/91000 (0.17%) persons were found to possess positive HCV antibodies in the absence of detectable HCV RNA. It was concluded that there is a low prevalence of HBV and HBV among Saudi citizens who were subjected to premarital screening.

Changes in dietary and lifestyle behaviors and mental stress among medical students upon Ramadan diurnal intermittent fasting: a prospective cohort study from Taif/Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Intermittent fasting (IF) is a popular dietary plan for weight loss. In fact, fasting is a common practice in different religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. During the month of Ramadan, more than 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide fast from dawn to sunset. Ramadan diurnal intermittent fasting (RDIF) has health benefits, including a reduction in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and an improvement in mood. However, little is known about the effects of RDIF on lifestyle behaviors, such as regular exercise, consuming healthy diet, and avoiding harmful substances, as well as mental stress, and academic performance in high school and university students. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, two self-reported questionnaires were sent one week before and during the last week of Ramadan (April 2022; Ramadan 1443 in Hijri Islamic Calendar) to assess changes in lifestyle, perceived stress, and academic achievement of medical students at Taif University in Taif city, Saudi Arabia. Healthy lifestyle components data were collected to calculate healthy lifestyle scores, including body mass index, physical activity, adherence to a Mediterranean diet, smoking status, and sleep duration. RESULTS: RDIF was associated with a healthier lifestyle in both female and male participants (pre-RDIF mean score: 2.42 vs post-RDIF mean score: 2.74; statistical power = 0.99; P-value < 0.05). They were more active and adherent to the Mediterranean diet during RDIF. Additionally, the post-RDIF smoking rate declined by 53.4%. Male participants showed higher perceived stress scores during RDIF (pre-RDIF mean score: 19.52 vs post-RDIF mean score: 22.05; P-value < 0.01). No changes in academic performance were observed upon RDIF. CONCLUSION: Medical students show healthier dietary and lifestyle behaviors and their academic performance is not affected during RDIF. However, perceived stress is higher among male students.

Comparison of Different Antiviral Regimens in the Treatment of Patients with Severe COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes respiratory disorders, with disease severity ranging from asymptomatic to critical manifestations. The current retrospective study compared the efficacies of different antiviral regimens used in patients suffering from severe COVID-19 disease from 19 January 2020 to December 2021 in a single center in Saudi Arabia. In total, 188 patients were enrolled in the current study, including 158 patients treated with different antiviral regimens, and 30 who did not receive any antiviral treatment. Different antiviral regimens, including favipiravir, remdesivir, oseltamivir, favipiravir/remdesivir, and favipiravir/oseltamivir were adopted. The effects of using different antivirals and antibiotics on the survival rate were evaluated, as well as the presence of comorbidities. Among all severely affected patients, 39/188 (20.7%) survived. Both age and comorbidities, including diabetes and hypertension, were significantly correlated with high case fatality following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Remdesivir alone and the combination of favipiravir and remdesivir increased the survival rate. Surprisingly, both imipenem and linezolid helped in the deterioration of disease outcome in the patients. A negative correlation was detected between increased mortality and the use of favipiravir and the use of either imipenem or linezolid. Among the compared antiviral regimens used in the treatment of severe COVID-19, remdesivir was found to be an effective antiviral that reduces COVID-19 case fatality. Antibiotic treatment using imipenem and/or linezolid should be carefully re-evaluated.

Virtual Screening of Repurposed Drugs as Potential Spike Protein Inhibitors of Different SARS-CoV-2 Variants: Molecular Docking Study.

Like most of the RNA viruses, SARS-CoV-2 continuously mutates. Although many mutations have an insignificant impact on the virus properties, mutations in the surface protein, especially those in the receptor-binding domain, may lead to immune or vaccine escape variants, or altered binding activities to both the cell receptor and the drugs targeting such a protein. The current study intended to assess the ability of different variants of interest (VOIs) and variants of concern (VOCs) of SARS-CoV-2 for their affinities of binding to different repurposed drugs. Seven FDA approved drugs, namely, camostat, nafamostat mesylate, fenofibrate, umifenovir, nelfinavir, cefoperazone and ceftazidime, were selected based on their reported in vitro and clinical activities against SARA-CoV-2. The S1 protein subunit from eleven different variants, including the latest highly contiguous omicron variant, were used as targets for the docking study. The docking results revealed that all tested drugs possess moderate to high binding energies to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the S1 protein for all different variants. Cefoperazone was found to possess the highest binding energy to the RBD of the S1 protein of all the eleven variants. Ceftazidime was the second-best drug in terms of binding affinity towards the S1 RBD of the investigated variants. On the other hand, fenofibrate showed the least binding affinity towards the RBD of the S1 protein of all eleven variants. The binding affinities of anti-spike drugs varied among different variants. Most of the interacting amino acid residues of the receptor fall within the RBD (438-506).

Characterization of the novel SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of concern and its global perspective.

As the latest identified novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant of concern (VOC), the influence of Omicron on our globe grows promptly. Compared with the last VOC (Delta variant), more mutations were identified, which may address the characteristics of Omicron. Considering these crucial mutations and their implications including an increase in transmissibility, COVID-19 severity, and reduction of efficacy of currently available diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics, Omicron has been classified as one of the VOC. Notably, 15 of these mutations reside in the receptor-binding domain of spike glycoprotein, which may alter transmissibility, infectivity, neutralizing antibody escape, and vaccine breakthrough cases of COVID-19. Therefore, our present study characterizes the mutational hotspots of the Omicron variant in comparison with the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, detailed information was analyzed to characterize the global perspective of Omicron, including transmission dynamic, effect on testing, and immunity, which shall promote the progress of the clinical application and basic research. Collectively, our data suggest that due to continuous variation in the spike glycoprotein sequences, the use of coronavirus-specific attachment inhibitors may not be the current choice of therapy for emerging SARS-CoV-2 VOCs. Hence, we need to proceed with a sense of urgency in this matter.

Transmission dynamics and mutational prevalence of the novel Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 Omicron Variant of Concern.

The novel Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant, Omicron (PANGO lineage B.1.1.529) is being reported from all around the world. The WHO has categorized Omicron as a Variant of Concern (VOC) considering its higher transmissibility and infectivity, vaccine breakthrough cases. As of January 6, 2022, Omicron has been reported in at least 149 countries. Therefore, this study was planned to investigate the transmission dynamics and mutational prevalence of the novel SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. The transmission dynamics and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 divergence was studied using GISAID and Nextstrain which provides information about the genetic sequences, epidemiological, geographical, and species-specific data of human, avian, and animal viruses. Further, the mutation prevalence in spike glycoprotein of Omicron was studied, and the frequency of the crucial mutations was compared with the other prevalent VOCs. The transmission dynamics suggest that the Omicron was first identified in South Africa and then it was reported in the United Kingdom followed by the United States and Australia. Further, our phylogenetic analysis suggests that Omicron (BA.1) was clustered distinctly from the other VOCs. In the Spike glycoprotein, the Omicron (B.1.1.529) demonstrates critical 32 amino acid changes. This study may help us to understand mutational hotspots, transmission dynamics, phylogenetic divergence, effect on testing and immunity, which shall promote the progress of the clinical application and basic research.

Tracing the origin of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2): A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

The aim of the study was to trace and understand the origin of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) through various available literatures and accessible databases. Although the world enters the third year of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, health and socioeconomic impacts continue to mount, the origin and mechanisms of spill-over of the SARS-CoV-2 into humans remain elusive. Therefore, a systematic review of the literature was performed that showcased the integrated information obtained through manual searches, digital databases (PubMed, CINAHL, and MEDLINE) searches, and searches from legitimate publications (1966-2022), followed by meta-analysis. Our systematic analysis data proposed three postulated hypotheses concerning the origin of the SARS-CoV-2, which include zoonotic origin (Z), laboratory origin (L), and obscure origin (O). Despite the fact that the zoonotic origin for SARS-CoV-2 has not been conclusively identified to date, our data suggest a zoonotic origin, in contrast to some alternative concepts, including the probability of a laboratory incident or leak. Our data exhibit that zoonotic origin (Z) has higher evidence-based support as compared to laboratory origin (L). Importantly, based on all the studies included, we generated the forest plot with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the risk ratio estimates. Our meta-analysis further supports the zoonotic origin of SARS/SARS-CoV-2 in the included studies.

Clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection in neonates and the probability of maternal transmission.

AIM: This study aimed to measure the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in neonates from infected mothers and to screen disease severity in neonates. METHODS: We conducted a population-based cohort study of neonates from SARS-CoV-2-positive mothers, enrolling mothers who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and their neonates. Eleven infants <25 days old presenting with SARS-CoV-2 infection were also included in the study. We recorded clinical symptoms of SARS-CoV-2-positive mothers and their neonates. RESULTS: One of 126 babies born to SARS-CoV-2-infected mothers was found to be positive (0.79%). The referred positive neonates were either asymptomatic or suffered from symptoms ranging from mild respiratory distress to pneumonia. Most SARS-CoV-2-positive neonates showed neutropenia and lymphocytosis. Most of the SARS-CoV-2-infected mothers (n = 126) were either asymptomatic (46, 36.5%) or showed mild respiratory distress (66, 52.4%). However, pneumonia and severe respiratory distress were reported in 14 (11.1%) of the SARS-CoV-2-infected mothers. There were no deaths of either SARS-CoV-2-infected mothers or neonates. CONCLUSION: We conclude that mothers transmitted infection to their neonates at a very low rate. Disease in neonates is usually mild, although some babies have severe disease. SARS-CoV-2 infection in late pregnancy usually leads to mild maternal disease, but severe disease is reported in approximately one-tenth of the infected women.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in post-COVID-19 long haulers.

BACKGROUND: Long haulers have been recently reported after contracting coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In the present study, we aimed to screen for the neuropsychiatric signs detected <1 to >6 months after infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and to determine whether vaccination has an effect on them. METHODS: An online survey was conducted among participants who had been diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The clinical signs and durations of neuropsychiatric complaints and their correlations to sex, age, severity of COVID-19 signs, and vaccination status were screened. RESULTS: A total of 2218 individuals, including 1358 females and 860 males, with an age range of 12-70 years, submitted their responses. The respondents experienced cognitive dysfunction, mood alteration, depression, tinnitus, sleep disorders, and loss of taste and smell, with prevalence rates ranging from 18.9% (tinnitus) to 63.9% (loss of taste and smell). Of the respondents, 2.2-7.7% confirmed the persistence of symptoms for >6 months. Tinnitus was the least common complaint, and only 2.2% of the study participants had tinnitus for >6 months. Meanwhile, mood alteration persisted for >6 months in 7.6% of the study participants. More respondents who received two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine showed persistent symptoms than those in the other groups. Disease severity and female sex were identified as potential determinants of the development and persistency of such symptoms. CONCLUSION: Post-COVID neuropsychiatric symptoms were present in considerable percentages of the study participants with SARS-CoV-2 infection, persisting for >6 months in up to 7.6% of the participants.

Epidemiological surveillance of Newcastle disease virus in Egypt - a 6-year cohort study.

Newcastle disease (ND) is one of the most important poultry diseases worldwide and can lead to annual losses of up to 80% of backyard chickens in Africa. A retrospective cohort of 6 years was planned to screen the NDV in intensive chicken and turkey flocks. The existence of velogenic NDV strain was screened in different poultry flocks showing suspected signs of NDV using real-time RT-PCR targeting the F gene of the velogenic strain. A total of 843 poultry flocks were screened during the cohort. Samples were classified based on the month and year as well as the poultry type. All flocks should be negative for avian influenza virus as an inclusion criterion of the study. The F gene of a randomly selected positive sample from each year as well as an archival sample from 2005 was sequenced. An overall of 52.4% (443/842) of the tested farms showed positive results for the velogenic NDV. The cumulative percentage of positive flocks to the total positive flocks per month ranged from 5.9 to 11.8%. The results revealed that NDV is circulating across all months annually without evidence of seasonal tendency of the disease. Most of the strains belong to genotype VII.1.1, with only two strains related to XXI.1.1 and XXI.2. All VII.1.1 strains possess arginine at 27 position while XXI.1.1 and XXI.2 strains showed cysteine at 27 and amino acid substitutions in the signal peptide, cleavage site, and neutralizing epitopes. In conclusion, the current molecular epidemiological surveillance confirms the enzootic nature of NDV. It circulates all year round with no evidence of seasonal incidence. Genotype VII is the most predominant NDV genotype in Egypt.

The prevalence of MERS-CoV among military personnel and their families: A single-center study.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a Betacoronavirus that results in a severe fatal respiratory disease; however, it is also associated with mild inapparent infections. The western part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) contains the holy places where millions of Muslims gathered from all over the world, all year round, with a high probability of mass disease transmission. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of MERS-CoV among military personnel and their families during the period 2014-2019, in the western part of the KSA. A total of 35,203 sputum samples collected from patients with respiratory distress were screened for the presence of MERS-CoV using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in the examined patients. MERS-CoV infections were detected at a very low percentage in the examined patients. Only 42 of the examined subjects (0.12%) were found positive for MERS-CoV. Most infected cases (32/42) cases were detected in 2014, and the rest of the cases were reported in 2015-2019. The cases with fatal consequences (n = 20) were only detected in 2014. It was concluded that there is a very low prevalence of MERS-CoV infections among the military personnel and their families.

The emergence, evolution and spread of infectious bronchitis virus genotype GI-23.

Avian infectious bronchitis is a contagious viral disease, caused by avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), that leads to severe losses in the poultry industry all over the world. Since the 1950s, IBV has circulated in the Middle East and North Africa, and no tangible evidence has shown any effects of measures taken to control its spread or evolution. Furthermore, new IBV variants are continually discovered. Although several genetic studies on IBV have been conducted, many IBV strains from this region have either been misclassified or remain unclassified. The genotype 23 (GI-23) variant emerged and has prevailed in the Middle East by continuously evolving through inter- and/or intra-genotypic recombination. The GI-23 genotype is currently enzootic throughout Europe and Asia. Although many studies of protection against the circulating strains have been conducted, they have not been standardized according to regulatory requirements. In this review, we provide an overview of the evolution and genetic diversity of IBV genotypes and a genetic classification of IBV strains, with a focus on the GI-23 genotype. The high prevalence of IBV GI-23 strains necessitates the adoption of vaccination schemes using GI-23-based vaccines.

Genotyping of Type A Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Based on Direct F Gene Sequencing.

Background and objectives: The human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) is among the important respiratory pathogens affecting children. Genotype-specific attachment (G) gene sequencing is usually used to determine the virus genotype. The reliability of the fusion (F) gene vs. G gene genotype-specific sequencing was screened. Materials and Methods: Archival RNA from Saudi children who tested positive for hRSV-A were used. Samples were subjected to a conventional one-step RT-PCR for both F and G genes and direct gene sequencing of the amplicons using the same primer sets. Phylogeny and mutational analysis of the obtained sequences were conducted. Results: The generic primer set succeeded to amplify target gene sequences. The phylogenetic tree based on partial F gene sequencing resulted in an efficient genotyping of hRSV-A strains equivalent to the partial G gene genotyping method. NA1, ON1, and GA5 genotypes were detected in the clinical samples. The latter was detected for the first time in Saudi Arabia. Different mutations in both conserved and escape-mutant domains were detected in both F and G. Conclusion: It was concluded that a partial F gene sequence can be used efficiently for hRSV-A genotyping.

Development of TaqMan RT-qPCR for the detection of type A human respiratory syncytial virus.

The human respiratory syncytial virus is a common respiratory pathogen in children. Improved diagnosis of the virus is dependent on the development of tools for the rapid detection and estimation of the viral loads. In the current study, RT-qPCR using TaqMan hydrolysis probe based on the F gene detection was developed to identify and quantify hRSV in clinical samples. The assay was validated by comparing the results with a commercially available RT-qPCR kit. The newly developed assay was sensitive in detecting hRSV positive samples (59/126) which were equivalent to those detected by the commercial kit (57/126) with a detection limit of 1 × 102 copies/mL. A high correlation was found between the results of the newly developed assay and the commercial one. It was concluded that the newly developed RT-qPCR assay can be used as a sensitive detection tool for hRSV-A.

Sequence analysis of haemagglutinin and neuraminidase of H1N1 strain from a patient coinfected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The 2009 H1N1 pandemic (H1N1pdm09) was associated with a considerable influenza-related morbidity and mortality. Among the complications, Mycobacterial tuberculosis was recorded as a coinfection with influenza in rare cases. The full-length sequences of the viral haemagglutinin and neuraminidase of H1N1pdm09 influenza A virus were analyzed from a recently infected patient. The patient was chronically infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Molecular modelling and in-silico docking of the virus, and other selected strains with the drug oseltamivir were conducted and compared. Sequence analysis of the viral haemagglutinin revealed it to be closely related to the 6B.1 clade, with high identity to the circulating H1N1pdm09 strains, and confirmed that the virus still harbouring high affinity to the α-2,6-sialic acid human receptor. The viral neuraminidase showed high identity to the neuraminidase of the recently circulating strains of the virus with no evidence of the development of oseltamivir-resistant mutants. Regular monitoring of the circulating strains is recommended to screen for a possible emergence of drug-resistant strains.

Screening of human bocavirus in surgically excised cancer specimens.

Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a prevalent virus worldwide and is mainly associated with respiratory disorders. Recently, it was detected in several disease conditions, including cancers. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third main cause of cancers worldwide. Risk factors that initiate cell transformation include nutritional, hereditary and infectious causes. The aim of the current study was to screen for the presence of HBoV in solid tumors of colorectal cancer and to determine the genotypes of the detected strains. Surgically excised and paraffin-embedded colorectal cancer tissue specimens from 101 male and female patients with and without metastasis were collected over the last four years. Pathological analysis and tumor stages were determined. The presence of HBoV was screened by polymerase chain reaction, and the genotype of the detected HBoV was determined by direct gene sequencing. Most of the examined specimens were adenocarcinoma with mucinous activity in many of them. Twenty-four out of 101 (23.8 %) CRC tissue specimens were found to contain HBoV-1. Low sequence diversity was recorded in the detected strains. The virus was detected in both male and female patients with an age range of 30-75 years. It is proposed that HBoV-1 could play a potential role in the induction of CRC.

Widespread of H5N1 infections in apparently healthy backyard poultry.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza subtype H5N1 represents a threat to the poultry industry and human health worldwide. Inapparently infected birds are suspected to play an essential role in the spread of avian influenza virus. In the current study, a total of 25,646 samples (16,185 chicken, 4696 ducks, 1633 geese and 3132 turkeys) from apparently healthy birds were screened for the presence of positive samples for H5N1 during 2009-2014. The samples were examined by reverse transcriptase real-time polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) for M, H5 and N1 genes of avian influenza viruses. The results revealed that the HPAI H5N1 existed in an inapparent manner in ducks (4.68 %), geese (4.10 %), chickens (2.48 %) and turkeys (2.29 %). The current finding highlights the serious impact of such type on birds in the epidemiology of H5N1 in birds, animals and humans. It also highlights the existence of another reason other than vaccination that contributes to the widespread of inapparent infection of H5N1 in Egypt.