•Temporal analysis of the daily viral load and cytokine levels in hospitalized dengue patients identified the pattern of cytokine dynamics.•Elevated IL-8, IL-10, IL-6, GM-CSF, MCP-1, IL-13, and IL-4 ...and decreased IL-12, MIP-1β on the third day after symptom onset is predictive of severe dengue.•The imbalanced cytokine signature may inform clinical decision-making in treating severe dengue infections.
The immunopathogenesis of dengue severity is convoluted. The primary objective of the research was to examine the dynamics of cytokine storm and its correlation with disease development in individuals affected by DENV infection. Additionally, the study aimed to discover potential biomarkers that could indicate severe dengue infection and determine the most suitable timeframe for predicting the severity of these biomarkers during the acute stage of dengue infections. We conducted a temporal analysis of the daily viral load and cytokine levels in 60 hospitalized dengue patients until discharge. Our findings reveal a distinct cytokine profile (elevated IL-8, IL-10, IL-6, GM-CSF, MCP-1, IL-13, and IL-4 and decreased IL-12, MIP-1β) on the third day after symptom onset is predictive of severe dengue in secondary dengue infection. The imbalanced cytokine signature may inform clinical decision-making in treating severe dengue infections.
Chikungunya fever (CHIKF) is an arbovirus disease caused by chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an alphavirus of Togaviridae family. Transmission follows a human-mosquito-human cycle starting with a mosquito ...bite. Subsequently, symptoms develop after 2–6 days of incubation, including high fever and severe arthralgia. The disease is self-limiting and usually resolve within 2 weeks. However, chronic disease can last up to several years with persistent polyarthralgia. Overlapping symptoms and common vector with dengue and malaria present many challenges for diagnosis and treatment of this disease. CHIKF was reported in India in 1963 for the first time. After a period of quiescence lasting up to 32 years, CHIKV re-emerged in India in 2005. Currently, every part of the country has become endemic for the disease with outbreaks resulting in huge economic and productivity losses. Several mutations have been identified in circulating strains of the virus resulting in better adaptations or increased fitness in the vector(s), effective transmission, and disease severity. CHIKV evolution has been a significant driver of epidemics in India, hence, the need to focus on proper surveillance, and implementation of prevention and control measure in the country. Presently, there are no licensed vaccines or antivirals available; however, India has initiated several efforts in this direction including traditional medicines. In this review, we present the current status of CHIKF in India.
Purpose: The major cause of chronic hepatitis is infections with hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus (HCV) globally. However, there exists sparse epidemiological data regarding the prevalence of ...HCV infection from India. Methodology: We carried out a cross-sectional study to estimate the prevalence of anti-HCV antibody among acute febrile illness cases aged between 1 and 65 years in Idar Taluk, Sabarkantha district, Gujarat state located in West India. A total of 702 serum samples collected from the study area during the year 2017, were screened for anti-hepatitis C IgG by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The serum samples screened positive were then subjected to molecular testing for confirmation. Results: Among the 702 study participants screened, 16 cases were reported to be anti-HCV IgG positive with an estimated seroprevalence rate of 2.3% (95% confidence interval: 1.4%–3.7%). Out of the 16 cases, two samples were confirmed positive by molecular testing indicating active infection. When analysed phylogenetically, one strain was genotyped as HCV1b genotype, and the other one was clustered along with HCV3a genotype. Both the patients with hepatitis C infection were observed to be having a probable 1-year survival rate of 100% and a 2-year survival rate of 85% when the Child-Turcotte-Pugh classification was applied. Conclusion: The estimated seroprevalence of hepatitis C in Idar Taluk, Sabarkantha district, west India was 2.3%. HCV genotypes 1b and 3a were observed to be circulating in the study area.
The COVID-19 pandemic and public health response to the pandemic has caused huge setbacks in the management of other infectious diseases. In the present study, we aimed to (i) assess the trends in ...numbers of samples from patients with influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory syndrome tested for influenza and the number and proportion of cases detected from 2015−2021 and (ii) examine if there were changes during the COVID-19 period (2020−2021) compared to the pre-COVID-19 period (2015−2019) in three states of India. The median (IQR) number of samples tested per month during the pre-COVID-19 period was 653 (395−1245), compared to 27 (11−98) during the COVID-19 period (p value < 0.001). The median (IQR) number of influenza cases detected per month during the pre-COVID-19 period was 190 (113−372), compared to 29 (27−30) during the COVID-19 period (p value < 0.001). Interrupted time series analysis (adjusting for seasonality and testing charges) confirmed a significant reduction in the total number of samples tested and influenza cases detected during the COVID-19 period. However, there was no change in the influenza positivity rate between pre-COVID-19 (29%) and COVID-19 (30%) period. These findings suggest that COVID-19-related disruptions, poor health-seeking behavior, and overburdened health systems might have led to a reduction in reported influenza cases rather than a true reduction in disease transmission.
Like the world over, Nepal was also hard hit by the second wave of COVID-19. We audited the clinical care provided to COVID-19 patients admitted from April to June 2021 in a tertiary care hospital of ...Nepal. This was a cohort study using routinely collected hospital data. There were 620 patients, and most (458, 74%) had severe illness. The majority (600, 97%) of the patients were eligible for admission as per national guidelines. Laboratory tests helping to predict the outcome of COVID-19, such as D-dimer and C-reactive protein, were missing in about 25% of patients. Nearly all (>95%) patients with severe disease received corticosteroids, anticoagulants and oxygen. The use of remdesivir was low (22%). About 70% of the patients received antibiotics. Hospital exit outcomes of most (>95%) patients with mild and moderate illness were favorable (alive and discharged). Among patients with severe illness, about 25% died and 4% were critically ill, needing further referral. This is the first study from Nepal to audit and document COVID-19 clinical care provision in a tertiary care hospital, thus filling the evidence gap in this area from resource-limited settings. Adherence to admission guidelines was excellent. Laboratory testing, access to essential drugs and data management needs to be improved.
Influenza viruses can mutate genetically and cause a range of respiratory ailments. The H275Y mutation in the neuraminidase (NA) gene reduces the effectiveness of oseltamivir, a widely used drug for ...the treatment of Influenza A and B virus infection. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends single‐nucleotide polymorphism assays to detect this mutation. The present study aims to estimate the prevalence of H275Y mutation conferring oseltamivir resistance in Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus among hospitalized patients from June 2014 to December 2021. Following the WHO protocol, allelic discrimination real‐time RT‐PCR was performed for 752 samples. Out of the 752 samples, 1 tested positive for Y275 gene mutation by allelic discrimination real‐time RT‐PCR. In samples of years 2020 and 2021, neither the H275 nor Y275 genotype was detected. Sequencing of the NA gene of all negative samples showed a mismatch between the NA sequence and the probes used in the allelic discrimination assay. Also, Y275 mutation was detected in only 1 sample from 2020. The prevalence of oseltamivir resistance was estimated as 0.27% among the Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 patients during 2014−2021. The study highlights that the WHO‐recommended probes for detecting H275Y mutation may not be useful to detect 2020 and 2021 circulating strains of Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, emphasizing the need for continuous monitoring of mutations in the influenza virus.
Abstract Background Dengue virus (DENV) infection is an important public health problem and causes significant morbidity and mortality. DENV typically causes a febrile illness that ranges from mild ...asymptomatic infection to fatal dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and/or dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Early prediction of severe dengue disease is of utmost importance for providing prompt monitoring and treatment. The search for an ideal biomarker (host or viral factors) for early prediction of severe dengue remains elusive. Aim To standardize a real time qRT-PCR for quantifying dengue viremia in serum samples and evaluate the kinetics of dengue viremia and its significance in disease severity. Results In this ambispective study of 126 laboratory confirmed dengue patients, 72 were primary infections and 54 were secondary infections. The most common serotype was serotype 1 (n = 37) followed by serotype 2 (n = 34). According to WHO 1997 dengue case classification, 111 patients were cases of dengue fever (DF), 13 from DHF and 02 from DSS. Day 3 viremia levels were significantly elevated in severe dengue patients (DHF/DSS) as compared to that of DF ( p < 0.05). However, no such association was found between viremia levels and serotype or immune status. Conclusion Dengue viremia has a significant association with disease severity and day 3 viremia levels may be used as a predictor for dengue disease severity.
Nipah Virus (NiV) is a highly fatal emerging zoonotic virus and a potential threat to global health security. Here we describe the characteristics of the NiV outbreak that occurred in Kerala, India, ...during May-June 2018.
We used real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis of throat swab, blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid specimens to detect NiV. Further, the viral genome was sequenced and subjected to phylogenetic analysis. We conducted an epidemiologic investigation to describe the outbreak and elucidate the dynamics of NiV transmission.
During 2-29 May 2018, 23 cases were identified, including the index case; 18 were laboratory confirmed. The lineage of the NiV responsible for this outbreak was closer to the Bangladesh lineage. The median age of cases was 45 years; the sex of 15 (65%) was male. The median incubation period was 9.5 days (range, 6-14 days). Of the 23 cases, 20 (87%) had respiratory symptoms. The case-fatality rate was 91%; 2 cases survived. Risk factors for infection included close proximity (ie, touching, feeding, or nursing a NiV-infected person), enabling exposure to droplet infection. The public health response included isolation of cases, contact tracing, and enforcement of hospital infection control practices.
This is the first recorded NiV outbreak in South India. Early laboratory confirmation and an immediate public health response contained the outbreak.
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