Global prevalence and genotype distribution of Microsporidia spp. in various consumables: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Water and food sources play a major role in the distribution and transfer of microsporidia infection to animals and humans. So, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the status and genetic diversity of microsporidia infection in water, vegetables, fruits, milk, cheese, and meat. The standard protocol of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was followed. Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched from 1 January 2000 and 1 February 2023. The point estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model. Of the 1,308 retrieved studies, 35 articles were included in the final meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of microsporidia infection in mixed water, mixed fruits, mixed vegetables, and milk was 43.3% (95% CI, 33-54.2%; I2, 94.86%), 35.8% (95% CI, 5.3-84.8%; I2, 0), 12% (95% CI, 4.9-26.6%; I2, 96.43%), and 5.8% (95% CI, 2.7-12%; I2, 83.72%), respectively. Considering the genotypes, microsporidia with genotype D in water sources and genotype CD6 in vegetables/fruits were the highest reported genotypes. Given the relatively high prevalence of microsporidiosis (especially in water sources), designing strategies for control, and prevention of microsporidia infection in these sources should be recommended.

Case report: Varicella zoster virus encephalitis following COVID-19 vaccination in an immunocompetent individual.

The varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a latent viral infection and its reactivation has been reported following different conditions such as immunosuppression. This study presents a confirmed case of VZV encephalitis following the first dose administration of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. A 63-year-old immunocompetent woman who developed VZV encephalitis after first dose administration of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. A final diagnosis of VZV encephalitis was made based on positive CSF PCR results for VZV infection. Treatment was administered with acyclovir and she returned to normal life without any neurological sequelae. In this report, VZV reactivation and VZV encephalitis have been observed after COVID-19 vaccination; however, the results of this report should be considered with some caution, and continued post-vaccine surveillance of adverse events is recommended to explore whether any causal association with VZV reactivation is biologically plausible in this context, or if it is just a coincidence.

Hematological, inflammatory, and novel biomarkers assessment as an eminent strategy for clinical management of COVID-19.

Background: Different biomarkers have been suggested as novel biomarkers of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) theragnosis. With the aim of having a better clinical management of COVID-19, we decided to determine the relationship between hematological, inflammatory, and novel biomarkers with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunoglobulin (Ig)M and IgG antibodies. Methods: Blood samples from 127 confirmed COVID-19 patients aged 11-84 years old were collected and tested for SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies alongside with hematological, inflammatory, and novel biomarkers. The Spearman correlation test was utilized to analyze the correlation between these biomarkers with SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies. Results: The SARS-CoV-2 IgM antibody significantly correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (r = 0.329, p = 0.000), C-reactive protein (CRP) (r = 0.459, p = 0.000), interleukin (IL)-6 (r = 0.345, p = 0.000), IL-8 (r = 0.263, p = 0.003), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (r = 0.182, p = 0.040), derived NLR (dNLR) (r = 0.197, p = 0.026), neutrophil to monocyte ratio (NMR) (r = 0.184, p = 0.038), and CRP to lymphocyte ratio (CLR) (r = 0.495, p = 0.000). Also, we find significant correlation between SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody with hemoglobin (Hb) (r = -0.257, p = 0.004), hematocrit (Hct) (r = -0.227, p = 0.010), mean corpuscular Hb concentration (MCHC) (r = -0.212, p = 0.017), lymphocyte count (r = -0.211, p = 0.017), platelet count (r = 0.179, p = 0.044), ESR (r = 0.461, p = 0.000), CRP (r = 0.344, p = 0.000), IL-6 (r = 0.178, p = 0.046), IL-8 (r = 0.237, p = 0.007), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (r = 0.295, p = 0.001), and CLR (r = 0.376, p = 0.000). Conclusion: Hematological biomarkers (Hb, Hct, MCHC, lymphocyte count, and platelet count), inflammatory biomarkers (ESR, CRP, IL-6, and IL-8), and novel biomarkers (dNLR, NLR, NMR, PLR, and CLR) are valuable indicators for clinical management of COVID-19.