Background: India bears the second largest burden of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. A multitude of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) detection assays with disparate gene targets, including automated high-throughput platforms, are available. Varying concordance and interpretation of diagnostic results in this setting can result in significant reporting delays, leading to suboptimal disease management. This article reports the development of a novel ORF1a-based SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR assay - Viroselect - that shows high concordance with conventional assays and the ability to resolve inconclusive results generated during the peak of the epidemic in Mumbai, India.
Methods: A unique target region within SARS-CoV-2 ORF1a - the non-structural protein 3 (nsp3) region - was used to design and develop the assay. This hypervariable region (1923-3956) between SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-1 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus was utilized to design the primers and probes for the RT-PCR assay. The concordance of this assay with commonly used emergency use authorization (US Food and Drug Administration) manual kits and an automated high-throughput testing platform was evaluated. Further, a retrospective analysis was carried out using Viroselect on samples reported as 'inconclusive' between April and October 2020.
Results: In total, 701 samples were tested. Concordance analysis of 477 samples demonstrated high overall agreement of Viroselect with both manual (87.6%) and automated (84.7%) assays. Also, in the retrospective analysis of 224 additional samples reported as 'inconclusive', Viroselect was able to resolve 100% (19/19) and 93.7% (192/205) of samples which had inconclusive results on manual and automated high-throughput platforms, respectively.
Conclusion: Viroselect had high concordance with conventional assays, both manual and automated, and has potential to resolve inconclusive samples.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2021.04.006 | DOI Listing |
Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol
December 2024
Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Researchers have repurposed several existing anti-inflammatory drugs as potential antifungal agents in recent years. So, this study aimed to investigate the effects of anti-inflammatory drugs on the growth, biofilm formation, and expression of genes related to morphogenesis and pathogenesis in Candida albicans. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of anti-inflammatory drugs was assessed using the broth microdilution method.
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December 2024
Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Understanding the dynamics of antibody responses following vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection is important for informing effective vaccination strategies and other public health interventions. This study investigates SARS-CoV-2 antibody dynamics in a Puerto Rican cohort, analyzing how IgG levels vary by vaccination status and previous infection. We assess waning immunity and the distribution of hybrid immunity with the aim to inform public health strategies and vaccination programs in Puerto Rico and similar settings.
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December 2024
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong, China.
COVID-19 can increase the long-term risk of multiorgan dysfunction. Few studies investigated the long-term risk in Asian populations or investigated the association between viral load and long-term risk. We aimed to investigate the post-discharge rates of hospitalization and association with baseline viral load in all patients with COVID-19 in Hong Kong.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMult Scler Relat Disord
December 2024
Istanbul University, Aziz Sancar Institute for Experimental Medical Research, Department of Neuroscience, Istanbul, Turkiye.
Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) may present with predominant involvement of the spinal cord and optic nerve (MS/w-SCON) and mimic other autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disorders (AIDD) such as neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and relapsing inflammatory optic neuritis (RION). Thus, biomarkers are required for effective differential diagnosis of AIDD.
Methods: Patients with MS/w-SCON (n = 20), MS without involvement of SCON (MS/wo-SCON) (n = 22), NMOSD (n = 16), RION (n = 15) and healthy individuals (n = 21) were included.
Vet Sci
November 2024
Ruminant Nutrition and Anaerobe Laboratory, Department of Animal Science and Technology, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Republic of Korea.
This study aimed to evaluate rotavirus transmission to calves and analyze microbial communities in cow milk and neonatal calf feces within dairy and beef cattle. A total of 20 cattle, Hanwoo ( = 10), and Holstein ( = 10) were allotted for the study, with each breed comprising five cows and five calves. Colostrum samples were obtained from the dam, while feces were obtained from both the dam and calf.
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