Metagenomic profiling of nasopharyngeal samples from adults with acute respiratory infection.

Diagnosis of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) is challenging due to the broad diversity of potential microbial causes. We used metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) to analyze the nasopharyngeal virome of ARI patients, who had undergone testing with a clinical multiplex PCR panel (Amplisens ARVI-screen-FRT). We collected nasopharyngeal swabs from 49 outpatient adults, 32 of whom had ARI symptoms and were PCR-positive, and 4 asymptomatic controls in Kazakhstan during Spring 2021.

Public Health Response Measures for COVID-19 in Kazakhstan.

The article describes measures developed to counter the spread of coronavirus infection in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The first cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Kazakhstan were detected on March 13, 2020, among people who arrived from Germany. After declaring the state of emergency in the country, the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan began to formulate and implement a comprehensive package of measures aimed at slowing down and stopping the transmission of infection, preventing outbreaks, ensuring optimal care for all patients, especially the seriously ill, minimizing the negative impact of the pandemic on health systems, social services, and economic activities.

Application of microRNAs in the diagnosis and monitoring of pediatric germ cell tumors: Kazakh experience.

GCT is characterized by specific biochemical markers expression, such as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), which are the main tools in the diagnosis and monitoring of GCT treatment. They are expressed in 15-20% of cases of seminoma and in 60-80% of cases of non-seminoma. MicroRNA profiling allows to identify a number of microRNAs that are superior to classical serum tumor markers in the diagnosis of primary tumors, as well as in subsequent monitoring and prediction of recurrence.

Full genome sequence of a human rhinovirus A1B, obtained in Kazakhstan.

Here, we report the full nucleotide sequence of the RvA1B/KZ/2021/87 rhinovirus, identified through metagenomic sequencing of nasopharyngeal swabs collected from patients exhibiting respiratory symptoms in Kazakhstan during 2021.

Evaluation of a novel real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for identifying H3 equine influenza virus in Kazakhstan.

Background And Aim: Equine influenza (EI) is a highly contagious disease that causes fever and upper respiratory tract inflammation. It is caused by influenza virus A, belonging to the family, with subtypes H3N8 and H7N7. This study presents data on the development of a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay using TaqMan probes to detect the H3 subtype of EI virus (EIV).

The effectiveness of non-invasive prenatal test technology and the prenatal screening algorithm based on various methods for determining foetal aneuploidy.

Objective: The purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of a non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) using mass parallel sequencing (MPS) to detect trisomy 13, 18, 21 and fetal sex chromosome abnormalities in maternal blood samples by isolating freely circulating foetal extracellular DNA (eDNA), and to develop an algorithm for prenatal screening.

Material And Methods: The research methods used included blood sampling from patients, isolation of eDNA, determination of DNA concentration and quality, library preparation for sequencing, MPS using an Illumina HiSeq2000, positive and negative control samples, monitoring, and analysis of results using the distributed algorithms platform based on calculations of z-value and the average absolute deviation. Pregnant women were divided into two groups based on gestational age at sampling, group 1; 9-14 weeks and group 2; 15-27 weeks.

Prevalence and genotypes distribution of virus hepatitis B and hepatitis delta virus in chronic liver diseases in Kazakhstan.

Background: The geographical distribution of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) genotypes is uneven and has its own clinical and organizational implications for health systems. Despite the introduction of vaccination and successful antiviral therapy the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (with or without delta agent) increased over the past 5 years. This study aimed for the first time to investigate the molecular epidemiology of HBV and HDV in Kazakhstan.

Characterization of viral pathogens associated with symptomatic upper respiratory tract infection in adults during a low COVID-19 transmission period.

Background: The epidemiology of respiratory tract infections (RTI) has dramatically changed over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. A major effort in the clinical management of RTI has been directed toward diagnosing COVID-19, while the causes of other, common community RTI often remain enigmatic. To shed light on the etiological causes of RTI during a low COVID-19 transmission period in 2021, we did a pilot study using molecular testing for virologic causes of upper RTI among adults with respiratory symptoms from Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Next Generation Sequencing Approaches to Characterize the Respiratory Tract Virome.

The COVID-19 pandemic and heightened perception of the risk of emerging viral infections have boosted the efforts to better understand the virome or complete repertoire of viruses in health and disease, with a focus on infectious respiratory diseases. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is widely used to study microorganisms, allowing the elucidation of bacteria and viruses inhabiting different body systems and identifying new pathogens. However, NGS studies suffer from a lack of standardization, in particular, due to various methodological approaches and no single format for processing the results.