Structural and genomic evolutionary dynamics of Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in Madhya Pradesh, India.

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.

Identification of 2,4-Diaminoquinazoline Derivative as a Potential Small-Molecule Inhibitor against Chikungunya and Ross River Viruses.

Alphaviruses are serious zoonotic threats responsible for significant morbidity, causing arthritis or encephalitis. So far, no licensed drugs or vaccines are available to combat alphaviral infections. About 300,000 chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infections have been reported in 2023, with more than 300 deaths, including reports of a few cases in the USA as well.

Isolation and characterization of emerging Mpox virus from India.

Mpox (previously known as Monkeypox) has recently re-emerged, primarily through human-to-human transmission in non-endemic countries including India. Virus isolation is still considered as the gold standard for diagnosis of viral infections. Here, the qPCR positive skin lesion sample from a patient was inoculated in Vero E6 cell monolayer.

Dry- down probe free qPCR for detection of KFD in resource limited settings.

Kyasanur Forest Disease is a tick-borne flavivirus is endemic in the Southern India. The recent expansion and resurgence of sporadic outbreaks in southern parts of country is the most important concern. Although only formalin inactivated vaccine is available for treatment with limited efficacy the early detection and timely identification is a only way to prevent spread of cases.

Simple and field amenable loop-mediated isothermal amplification-lateral flow dipstick assay for detection of west Nile virus in human clinical samples.

Aim: West Nile encephalitis caused by infection with the West Nile virus (WNV) is endemic in many regions of the world and is a global public health threat. The aim of this report was to develop a method using colorimetry-based reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (cRT-LAMP) and RT-LAMP combined with lateral-flow dipstick (LFD) for rapidly detecting WNV in low-infrastructure settings.

Methods And Results: The primers for the cRT-LAMP and RT-LAMP-LFD assays were designed based on env gene of the WNV.

Development and application of a recombinant Envelope Domain III protein based indirect human IgM ELISA for Kyasanur forest disease virus.

Kyasanur forest virus disease (KFD) is a major public health concern in India. Its etiology KFD virus causes haemorrhagic fever with severe sequelae in humans. Due to continuous spatiotemporal expansion of KFD in last decade, the incidences of positive cases have been increasing in both humans and primates.

One-step single-tube accelerated quantitative nucleoprotein gene-specific reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal gene amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for rapid, real-time & reliable clinical detection of Ebola virus.

Background & Objectives: Due to the absence of specific drugs or vaccines for Ebola virus disease, rapid, sensitive and reliable diagnostic methods are required to control the transmission chain of the disease and for better patient management. Isothermal amplification of nucleic acids has emerged as a promising alternative in which rapid and efficient amplification is achieved at a constant temperature without the thermal cycling required in PCR.

Methods: A one-step single-tube accelerated quantitative reverse trascription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay was developed by targeting the NP gene of 2014 Zaire Ebola virus (ZEBOV).

Development of a Reverse Transcription Loop - Mediated Isothermal Amplification [RT-LAMP] as a early rapid detection assay for Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus.

Presently diagnosis of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus (CCHFV) infection relies on real-time and end-point RT-PCR, and serodiagnostic assay. These assays are time consuming and cannot be used as a routine screening test. The objective of this study was to develop a rapid diagnostic test that could be completed in < 60 minutes.

Development and evaluation of indirect antibody ELISA assay for early diagnosis and surveillance of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever infection in humans.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an important tick borne zoonotic viral disease of humans. CCHF virus causes sporadic cases of severe illness across a huge geographic area across Africa to Europe to Asia including India. CCHF has emerged as a major public health concern in western Indian states including Gujarat and Rajasthan, where regular human cases were reported since the year 2011.

Emergence and expansion of highly infectious spike protein D614G mutant SARS-CoV-2 in central India.

COVID-19 has emerged as global pandemic with largest damage to the public health, economy and human psyche.The genome sequence data obtained during the ongoing pandemic are valuable to understand the virus evolutionary patterns and spread across the globe. Increased availability of genome information of circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains in India will enable the scientific community to understand the emergence of new variants and their impact on human health.

Development of double antibody sandwich ELISA as potential diagnostic tool for rapid detection of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus, a highly pathogenic viral agent is responsible for severe fatal hemorrhagic infections in many parts of the world. The early diagnosis of CCHF infection is important for successful clinical management and epidemiological control. The nucleoprotein (NP) of CCHFV being highly conserved and immunogenic is used as early diagnostic marker.

Development and evaluation of reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification for rapid and real-time detection of Kyasanur forest disease virus.

Significance: Kyasanur forest disease (KFD), a re-emerging tick-borne viral disease, causes severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates. KFD virus (KFDV) is a member of the genus Flavivirus. KFD is now increasingly reported outside its endemic zone in India.

Development of magnetic bead based sample extraction coupled polymerase spiral reaction for rapid on-site detection of Chikungunya virus.

The molecular detection system has evolved over last two decades and is rapidly replacing the conventional confirmatory techniques in diagnostic virology. However the major limitation in implementation of available molecular detection assays is the non availability of field deployable nucleic acid isolation platform coupled with gene amplification technique. The rapid and early molecular detection is crucial for employing effective measure against many viral infections.

Identification of functional epitopes of structural proteins and in-silico designing of dual acting multiepitope anti-tick vaccine against emerging Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus.

Recurrent outbreaks of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus infection in different parts of world are a major global health concern. The CCHF viral infection is associated with severe hemorrhagic fevers and mortality up to 40%. More than 30 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa are affected with CCHF infection.

Development of Multispecies Recombinant Nucleoprotein-Based Indirect ELISA for High-Throughput Screening of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus-Specific Antibodies.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a re-emerging zoonotic viral disease prevalent in many parts of Asia, Europe, and Africa. The causative agent, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever orthonairovirus (CCHFV), is transmitted through hard ticks. Tick vectors especially belonging to the species serve as the reservoir and amplifying host.

Emergence of human West Nile Virus infection among pediatric population in Madhya Pradesh, India.

Human infections caused by West Nile virus (WNV) mostly remain subclinical and self-limited. However, nearly 20% infected people suffer from febrile illness and very few of them (<1%) may get neuroinvasive illness. Mortality has been reported among children.

Development of nsP2 protease based cell free high throughput screening assay for evaluation of inhibitors against emerging Chikungunya virus.

Chikungunya virus has emerged as one of the most important global arboviral threats over the last decade. Inspite of large scale morbidity, with long lasting polyarthralgia, so far no licensed vaccine or antiviral is available. CHIKV nsP2 protease is crucial for processing of viral nonstructural polypeptide precursor to release enzymes required for viral replication, thus making it a promising drug target.

Inhibition of West Nile virus Replication by Bifunctional siRNA Targeting the NS2A and NS5 Conserved Region.

Background: The West Nile Virus (WNV) has emerged as one of the most significant arboviral infection in many parts of the world and is associated with the encephalitis affecting mainly human and horses. In spite of the fact that the WNV is threat for the public health, there is no vaccine or therapeutic available for the treatment of WNV.

Methods: In this study, we tested a novel RNA interference based technique to inhibit WNV replication in Vero cells.

Oseltamivir-resistant influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus associated with high case fatality, India 2015.

Influenza A viruses has been associated with severe global pandemics of high morbidity and mortality with devastating impact on human health and global economy. India witnessed a major outbreak of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in 2015. This study comprises detailed investigation of cases died of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection during explosive outbreak of 2015, in central part of India.

Impact of transmission cycles and vector competence on global expansion and emergence of arboviruses.

Arboviruses are transmitted between arthropod vectors and vertebrate host. Arboviral infection in mosquitoes is initiated when a mosquito feeds on a viremic host. Following ingestion of a viremic blood meal by mosquitoes, virus enters midgut along with the blood, infects and replicates in midgut epithelial cells, and then escapes to the hemocoel, from where it disseminates to various secondary organs including salivary glands.

Evaluation of antiviral activity of piperazine against Chikungunya virus targeting hydrophobic pocket of alphavirus capsid protein.

Small heterocyclic molecules such as piperazine are potential pharmacotherapeutic agents and binding of these molecules to the hydrophobic pocket of capsid protein (CP) offers a new perspective for therapeutic intervention. Here, we report the crystal structure of CP from Aura virus (AVCP) in complex with piperazine at 2.2 Å resolution.

Inhibition of chikungunya virus by picolinate that targets viral capsid protein.

The protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of the transmembrane glycoprotein E2 with the hydrophobic pocket on the surface of capsid protein (CP) plays a critical role in alphavirus life cycle. Dioxane based derivatives targeting PPIs have been reported to possess antiviral activity against Sindbis Virus (SINV), the prototype alphavirus. In this study, the binding of picolinic acid (PCA) to the conserved hydrophobic pocket of capsid protein was analyzed by molecular docking, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and fluorescence spectroscopy.