This study investigates the demographic, clinical characteristics, virological profiles, and immunological responses of patients with viral encephalitis (VE) compared with a control group. The VE group displayed a wide range of neurological symptoms. Virological analysis revealed the predominance of Herpesviridae family viruses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRapid and sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus genetic material is of paramount importance to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and lower the death toll. Herein, we report the design of a magnetofluorescent bioplatform for the direct and specific detection of the viral RNA of SARS-CoV-2 in the total RNA extracted from nasopharyngeal swabs of COVID-19-positive patients. A higher fluorescence response was achieved using two capture probes tethered to magnetic beads using a biotin/streptavidin linkage, targeting two specific sites in the ORF1a and S genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis report is an overview of enterovirus (EV) detection in Tunisian polio-suspected paralytic cases (acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases), healthy contacts and patients with primary immunodeficiencies (PID) during an 11-year period. A total of 2735 clinical samples were analyzed for EV isolation and type identification, according to the recommended protocols of the World Health Organization. Three poliovirus (PV) serotypes and 28 different nonpolio enteroviruses (NPEVs) were detected.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman Cosaviruses (HCoSVs) are relatively newly characterized picornaviruses; they have been described in non-polio acute flaccid paralysis, diarrheal patients, and healthy individuals. Previous studies showed HCoSV circulation in Tunisia and only six genotypes circulating in the country were reported. In the present study, we sequenced 27 complete VP1 genomic region from HCoSV isolates in human feces from healthy individuals and patients with acute flaccid paralysis in Tunisia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Human cosaviruses (HCoSVs) are newly discovered enteric viruses in the Picornaviridae family. They have been described in non-polio acute flaccid paralysis, diarrheal patients, and healthy individuals. They remain rarely documented in immunodeficient patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoxsackievirus type B1 (CVB1) has emerged globally as the predominant enterovirus serotype and is associated with epidemics of meningitis and chronic diseases. In this report, the phylogeny of CVB1 was studied based on the VP1 sequences of 11 North African isolates and 81 published sequences. All CVB1 isolates segregated into four distinct genogroups and 10 genotypes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA new picornavirus, named human Cosavirus (HCoSV) was isolated recently from stools of children with acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) and healthy children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Since then, it was also isolated from patients from other countries. Five species are presently identified forming a new genus in the Picornaviridae family.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman cosaviruses (HCoSVs) are newly discovered viruses in Picornaviridae family. Until now, most published studies reported HCoSV detection using molecular techniques and genetic characterization of the virus. Nevertheless, no laboratory has yet reported the replication of these viruses in cultured cell lines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of the present work was to assess the genetic and antigenic variability in the VP1 region of type 3 echviruses (E-3), an enterovirus serotype associated to meningitis, neuro-muscular diseases and type 1 diabetes in human. Forty-six VP1 sequences of E-3, among which 9 were isolated in tunisian infants, were included. Phylogenetic analyses and nucleotidic divergence rates were studied in the complete VP1 region and in a 290-nucleotides fragment in the 5' part of the P1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmong Coxsackie B viruses, Coxsckievirus B5 is one of the most predominant serotypes in human, it is frequently associated with cases of neurological diseases, epidemics of meningitis and is a common cause of cardiomyopathy and diabetes. In the present study 27 isolates of Coxsackievirus B5 from North Africa, obtained from cerebrospinal fluid and stool samples of healthy individuals, patients with acute flaccid paralysis or aseptic meningitis were investigated by partial sequencing in the 5' half of the VP1 region and compared to the up-to-date published Coxsackievirus B5 sequences in the same genomic region. Four distinct genomic groups and ten different clusters were individualized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEchovirus 6 (E6) and echovirus 11 (E11) are common causes of meningitis and other human diseases; they are among the most frequently isolated enteroviruses worldwide. In the present work we have studied genetic variability over the entire VP1 gene of selected isolates representing a wide geographical and temporal range. Fifty new sequences from North Africa were included, together with previously published sequences from different countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Echovirus 11 is one of the most frequently isolated enterovirus serotypes, causing a wide range of clinical diseases. We studied the genetic diversity in the 3' end of the VP1 gene of strains from different geographical origin in the world.
Methods: The sequences in the 3' end of the VP1 of 11 Tunisian isolates were determined and aligned with the published sequences to establish a phylogenetic profile.
Background: Molecular characterization of measles viruses (MV) helps to identify transmission pathways of the virus and to document persistence or interruption of endemic virus circulation. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, measles genotypes from only few countries have been documented.
Objectives: This study reports the genetic characteristics of virus strains from recent measles outbreaks in Tunisia, Libya, Syria and Iran in 2002-2003.
Coxsackie B viruses of serotype 5 are associated frequently with sporadic cases of neurological diseases, epidemics of meningitis, and chronic diseases such as cardiomyopathy and diabetes. In this article, 15 strains of Coxsackievirus B5 isolated from patients with neurological disorders and healthy people were investigated by partial sequencing in the 5' half of the VP1 region and compared to other published sequences of Coxsackievirus B5, in the same genomic region. All Coxsackievirus B5 sequences showed less than 25% nucleotide difference between each other and a minimum of 27.
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