Publications by authors named "Enas S Alabsi"
Several studies have reported serological cross-reactivity of the immune responses between SARS-CoV-2 and DENV. Most of the available studies are based on the point-of-care rapid testing kits. However, some rapid test kits have low specificity and can generate false positives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEffect of Water-Pipe Smoking on the Normal Development of Zebrafish.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
November 2021
Background: Among all types of tobacco consumption, Water-Pipe Smoking (WPS) is the most widely used in the Middle East and second-most in several other countries. The effect of WPS on normal development is not yet fully understood, thus the aim of this study is to explore the acute toxicity effects of WPS extract on zebrafish larvae.
Methods: In this study, we compared the effects of WPS smoke condensates at concentrations varying from 50 to 200 µg/mL on developmental, cardiac, and behavioural (neurotoxicity) functions.
Article Synopsis
- Human parvovirus B19V is linked to various health issues and is notably present in children; however, there’s limited research on its prevalence in the MENA region, prompting this study in Qatar.
- Blood samples from over 5,000 donors were analyzed, revealing a low prevalence of B19V DNA (1.4%) and a higher seroprevalence of antibodies (60.3% IgG positive).
- The study concluded that B19V is relatively common in Qatar, suggesting the need for blood banks to screen for the virus, especially for high-risk patients like those with compromised immune systems.
The objective of this study is to characterize the seroprevalence of anti-dengue (DENV) and anti-chikungunya (CHIKV) antibodies among blood donors residing in Qatar who are Middle East and North Africa (MENA) nationals and non-nationals. Sera were collected from adult blood donors in Qatar from 2013 to 2016 and tested for anti-DENV and anti-CHIKV IgG using commercial microplate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Age-specific seroprevalence was summarized by region/nationality: Asia (India, Philippines), Middle East (Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, Yemen), North Africa (Egypt, Sudan), Qatar.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Although hepatitis E virus (HEV) is mainly transmitted via the faecal-oral route, the rate of HEV transmission via blood donation is on the rise. However, the seroprevalence of HEV among blood donors is not well established and is thought to be affected by the type of diagnostic assay used. We aimed to evaluate performance and correlation among widely used commercial diagnostic assays for the seroprevalence assessment of HEV-IgM/IgG among blood donors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The number of diagnostic assays for the detection of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) antibodies has increased over the years. However, their performance characteristics could vary among global populations.
Objective: To investigate performance of two commercial ELISA kits, HerpeSelect 1 ELISA and Euroimmun Anti-HSV-1 (gC1) ELISA (IgG); and two commercial immunoblot (IB)/Western blot (WB) assays, HerpeSelect 1 and 2 Immunoblot IgG, and Euroimmun Anti-HSV-1/HSV-2 gG2 Euroline-WB (IgG/IgM); in detecting HSV-1 antibodies in a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) population.
Background: There are limited data on herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) seroprevalence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). We examined country- and age-specific HSV-2 seroprevalence among select MENA populations residing in Qatar.
Methods: Sera were collected from male blood donors attending Hamad Medical Corporation between June 2013 and June 2016.
Background: Anelloviruses (TTV, TTMV, and TTMDV) have been associated with non A-G hepatitis. The goal of the current study was to estimate the prevalence of these anelloviruses in Qatar.
Methods: A total of 607 blood samples (500 healthy donors, and 53 HBV-and 54 HCV-positive patients) representing different nationalities were tested for the presence of TTV, TTMV, and TTMDV DNA by nested PCR.