Identification of coxsackievirus A-24 GIV C5 strain as the cause of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis outbreak in Hyderabad, India in 2022.

Viral infection is frequently the cause for acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) epidemics. AHC can result from adenoviruses, with enterovirus 70 and coxsackievirus A24 being the primary agents. AHC was initially identified in Ghana in 1969, caused by enterovirus 70 and leading to a global pandemic. Since 2000, outbreaks of AHC linked to coxsackievirus A24 variant have been documented in Spain, Pakistan, Singapore, India, Korea, and China. A sudden surge of conjunctivitis cases reported in October 2022 in and out of the Hyderabad region. This infection presented with usual symptoms of redness of the eyes, discharge, pain in the eyes and crusting. Occular swab samples from 110 patients were collected in order to identify and characterize the virus that was causing the epidemic. We examined adenovirus, enterovirus, COVID-19 and Herpes Simplex Virus by using commercially kits available at the hospital. Conserved regions in the enteroviral 5'-UTR and VP2 gene were analyzed further for characterization of serotype at the National apex laboratory. None of them was found positive except Enterovirus in 16.36 % (18/110) of the patients. From enterovirus-positive samples, the coxsackievirus A24 was observed in all 18 positive samples. These clinical isolates constitute a new lineage cluster associated with genotype IV-C5, according to additional sequencing of the full-length VP2 genes and subsequent phylogenetic analysis. In conclusion, the current outbreak of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis in Hyderabad, India was traced to the coxsackievirus A24 strain GIV C5.

Detection and Molecular Characterization of Animal Adenovirus and Astrovirus from Western Maharashtra, India.

Astroviruses (AstV) and adenoviruses (AdV) are associated with diarrhoea in young animals. However, the epidemiology and genetic diversity of AstVs and AdVs in animals is not well studied. Hence, the present study was conducted to detect and characterize AstVs and AdVs in calves, piglets and puppies from Western Maharashtra, India. Out of the processed porcine (48), canine (80), and bovine (65) faecal samples, the porcine AstV (PAstV), bovine AstV (BAstV), canine AstV (CAstV), and porcine AdV (PAdV) were detected in 12.5%, 7.69%, 3.75% and 4.1% of samples, respectively. In the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase region-based phylogenetic analysis, the detected BAstV strains grouped with MAstV-28, MAstV-33, and MAstV-35, CAstV strains belonged to MAstV-5; PAstV strains belonged to MAstV-24, MAstV-26, and MAstV-31. However, in hexon gene-based phylogeny, both the detected PAdV were of genotype 3, exhibiting 91.9-92.5% nucleotide identity with Ivoirian and Chinese strains. The study reports first-time BAstVs from calves and PAdV-3 from piglets in India. The study revealed diversity in the circulation of AstVs in tested animals and AdVs in pigs, and suggested that they alone might be associated with other diarrhoea or in combination with other enteric pathogens, thus highlighting the necessity of extensive epidemiological investigations to develop diagnostic tools and control measures.

TNFA and IL10 Polymorphisms and IL-6 and IL-10 Levels Influence Disease Severity in Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 Virus Infected Patients.

Cytokines are key modulators of immune response, and dysregulated production of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines contributes to the pathogenesis of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection. Cytokine production is impacted by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes coding for them. In the present study, SNPs in the IL6, TNFA, IFNG, IL17A, IL10, and TGFB were investigated for their association with disease severity and fatality in influenza A(H1N1)pdm09-affected patients with mild disease (n = 293) and severe disease (n = 86). Among those with severe disease, 41 patients had fatal outcomes. In a subset of the patients, levels of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF, IFN-γ, and IL-17 were assayed in the plasma for their association with severe disease. The frequency of TNFA rs1800629 G/A allele was significantly higher in severe cases and survived severe cases group compared to that of those with mild infection (OR with 95% for mild vs. severe cases 2.95 (1.52-5.73); mild vs. survived severe cases 4.02 (1.84-8.82)). IL10 rs1800896-rs1800872 G-C haplotype was significantly lower (OR with 95% 0.34 (0.12-0.95)), while IL10 rs1800896-rs1800872 G-A haplotype was significantly higher (OR with 95% 12.11 (2.23-76.96)) in fatal cases group compared to that of the mild group. IL-6 and IL-10 levels were significantly higher in fatal cases compared to that of survived severe cases. IL-6 levels had greater discriminatory power than IL-10 to predict progression to fatal outcome in influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus-infected patients. To conclude, the present study reports the association of TNFA and IL10 SNPs with severe disease in Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus-infected subjects. Furthermore, IL-6 levels can be a potential biomarker for predicting fatal outcomes in Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infected subjects.

Citric acid crosslinked carboxymethylcellulose-poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel films for delivery of poorly soluble drugs.

In present work, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) - polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel films were prepared using citric acid as a non-toxic crosslinking agent, for the controlled delivery of model hydrophobic drug (ketoconazole). The carboxyl content of the hydrogel films were determined by acid-base titration. The films were characterized by solid state 13C NMR, ATR-FTIR, TGA and DSC, and evaluated for swelling behavior, drug loading, drug release, hemocompatibility, in vitro cytotoxicity and implantation test. An increase in the amount of PEG caused increase in the carboxyl content and swellability of the hydrogel films. The solid state 13C NMR, ATR-FTIR and thermal analysis confirmed the formation of ester crosslinks in between CMC and PEG in the hydrogel films. The release of KTZ was found to be retarded due to presence of grafted PEG in the hydrogel films. The hydrogel films exhibited excellent hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility. Implantation test revealed that the hydrogel films caused minimum inflammation. From the overall results, citric acid crosslinked CMC-PEG hydrogel films were found to be suitable for enhanced loading and controlled release of the poorly soluble drugs.