Tracing the possible origins of the clade 2.3.4.4b highly pathogenic avian influenza H5Nx viruses from India.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) clade 2.3.4.

Seroprevalence of Enterovirus 71 Among Children in Western India.

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) caused by Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is highly infectious and can lead to serious neurological complications. This study proposed to evaluate the seroprevalence of EV71 in children of two states of western India by estimating neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) to EV71 genotypes D, G, and C isolated in India, using micro-neutralization assay. Among the serum samples of 612 children tested, 213 (34.

Correction: Validation of a redesigned pan-poliovirus assay and real-time PCR platforms for the global poliovirus laboratory network.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Structural and functional characterization of avian influenza H9N2 virus neuraminidase with a combination of five novel mutations.

The influenza virus neuraminidase (NA) protein is responsible for actively cleaving the sialic acid (SA) bound to the viral hemagglutinin. In the present study, we identified a combination of five novel amino acid substitutions in the NA, conferring increased substrate binding and altered surface characteristics to a low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H9N2 virus strain. The H9N2 strain reported from India, A/Environmental/India/1726265/2017 (H9N2-1726265) showed the combination of amino acid substitutions T149I, R249W, G346A, W403R and G435R, which were in the vicinity of the enzyme active site cavity.

The Immunogenicity of Monovalent Oral Poliovirus Vaccine Type 1 (mOPV1) and Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV) in the EPI Schedule of India.

Background: In 2016, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) recommended the cessation of using type 2 oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) and OPV, with countries having to switch from the trivalent to bivalent OPV (bOPV) with the addition of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) in their routine immunization schedule. The current GPEI strategy 2022-2026 includes a bOPV cessation plan and a switch to IPV alone or a combination of vaccine schedules in the future. The focus of our study was to evaluate the immunogenicity of monovalent OPV type 1 (mOPV1) with IPV and IPV-only schedules.

Phylogeography and gene pool analysis of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses reported in India from 2006 to 2021.

India has reported highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus outbreaks since 2006, with the first human case reported in 2021. These included viruses belonging to the clades 2.2, 2.

Utility of glutaraldehyde-fixed turkey red blood cells for influenza virus detection after 18 months of storage.

Turkey red blood cells (tRBCs) are an essential reagent used in the laboratory diagnosis of influenza viruses. Fresh tRBCs when stored at 4 °C have a shelf life of less than a week. Previous studies have shown the utility of glutaraldehyde-fixed tRBCs, with an increased shelf life, for use in hemagglutination (HA) assays.

Spatio-temporal distribution & seasonality of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 & H5N8 outbreaks in India, 2006-2021.

Background & Objectives: The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 and H5N8 viruses have been one of the leading causes of avian diseases worldwide, resulting in severe economic losses and posing potential zoonotic risk. There are no reports on the correlation of the seasonality of H5N1 and H5N8 viruses with the migratory bird season in India, along with the species affected. The present report describes the distribution and seasonality of HPAI outbreaks in India from 2006 to 2021.

The evolution, characterization and phylogeography of avian influenza H9N2 viruses from India.

The low pathogenic avian influenza H9N2 virus is a significant zoonotic agent and contributes genes to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses. H9N2 viruses are prevalent in India with a reported human case. We elucidate the spatio-temporal origins of the H9N2 viruses from India.

Replication of SARS-CoV-2 in cell lines used in public health surveillance programmes with special emphasis on biosafety.

Background & Objectives: Polio, measles, rubella, influenza and rotavirus surveillance programmes are of great public health importance globally. Virus isolation using cell culture is an integral part of such programmes. Possibility of unintended isolation of SARS-CoV-2 from clinical specimens processed in biosafety level-2 (BSL-2) laboratories during the above-mentioned surveillance programmes, cannot be ruled out.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among frontline police personnel in Mumbai, India.

Introduction: A serosurvey was designed to ascertain the extent of infection among police personnel in Mumbai, India, during the last week of January 2021, at the end of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and just before the introduction of vaccination.

Methods: The survey was carried out to screen for SARS-CoV-2 among 3232 police personnel. Of the 3176 participants willing for blood sample collection, 3077 personnel were found to be eligible for testing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus using the Roche Diagnostics' Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay.

A novel reassortant avian influenza H4N6 virus isolated from an environmental sample during a surveillance in Maharashtra, India.

Background & Objectives: Low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses cause mild clinical illness in domestic birds. Migratory birds are a known reservoir for all subtypes of avian influenza (AI) viruses. The objective of the study was to characterize AI H4N6 virus isolated from an environmental sample during surveillance in Maharashtra, India.

Immunogenicity of Fractional Dose Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine in India.

Introduction: Following the withdrawal of Sabin type 2 from trivalent oral poliovirus vaccine (tOPV) in 2016, the introduction of ≥1 dose of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) in routine immunization was recommended, either as 1 full dose (0.5mL, intramuscular) or 2 fractional doses of IPV (fIPV-0.1mL, intradermal).

Selection and application of biological safety cabinets in diagnostic and research laboratories with special emphasis on COVID-19.

The ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a global public health emergency. Adherence to biosafety practices is mandatory to protect the user as well as the environment, while handling infectious agents. A biological safety cabinet (BSC) is the most important equipment used in diagnostic and research laboratories in order to safeguard the product, the person, and the environment.

Validation of a redesigned pan-poliovirus assay and real-time PCR platforms for the global poliovirus laboratory network.

Surveillance and detection of polioviruses (PV) remain crucial to monitoring eradication progress. Intratypic differentiation (ITD) using the real-time RT-PCR kit is key to the surveillance workflow, where viruses are screened after cell culture isolation before a subset are verified by sequencing. The ITD kit is a series of real-time RT-PCR assays that screens cytopathic effect (CPE)-positive cell cultures using the standard WHO method for virus isolation.

Application of frozen and stored glutaraldehyde-fixed turkey red blood cells for hemagglutination and hemagglutination inhibition assays for the detection and identification of influenza viruses.

Introduction: Hemagglutination (HA) and hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays are conventionally used for the detection and identification of influenza viruses, using red blood cells (RBCs) from mammalian and avian sources. However, there could be limitations for availability of fresh RBCs due to situations such as pandemics, public health emergencies, outbreaks in avian species, lack of animal facilities, animal ethics concerns; or resource-constrained laboratories, and laboratories which do not carry out HA and HI assays routinely. Turkey RBCs (tRBCs) are widely used for HA and HI assays of influenza viruses.

A real-time polymerase chain reaction-based approach for qualitative estimation of viral RNA in organ tissues of coxsackievirus A-16-infected neonatal mice.

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a paediatric disease associated with enteroviruses (EVs). Among EVs, coxsackievirus A-16 (CVA-16) strain is currently in circulation and causing outbreaks in India. Neonatal mice (Institute of Cancer Research) strains were infected with CVA-16 strain isolated from HFMD patients to conduct pathological and molecular studies.

Steps, implementation and importance of quality management in diagnostic laboratories with special emphasis on coronavirus disease-2019.

A well-established and functional quality management system is an integral part of any diagnostic laboratory. It assures the reliability and standards of the laboratory function. A pandemic situation such as that caused by the influenza H1N1 2009 virus or the recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) increases the demands on the public health system, and the need to build, upgrade and expand the number of diagnostic laboratories.

Analysis of influenza virus-induced perturbation in autophagic flux and its modulation during Vitamin D3 mediated anti-apoptotic signaling.

Vitamin D3/Calcitriol supplementation in humans is associated with reduced incidence and severity during influenza A virus (IAV) infection. Apoptosis in response to IAV infection is a major contributor to host cell death and tissue damage; however, its modulation by Vitamin D3 remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrate the efficacy of Vitamin D3 in preventing apoptosis induction by pandemic influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus in human alveolar cells (A549).

Isolation and molecular characterization of coxsackievirus A6 and coxsackievirus A16 from a case of recurrent Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, 2018.

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) is caused by multiple Enterovirus (EV) serotypes mainly coxsackievirus A6 (CV-A6), coxsackievirus A16 (CV-A16) and Enterovirus 71 (EV-A71). Recurrent HFMD infections are rarely reported. An unusual rise in HFMD cases was reported in Mumbai during May-June 2018.

A virus precipitation method for concentration & detection of avian influenza viruses from environmental water resources & its possible application in outbreak investigations.

Background & Objectives: Avian influenza (AI) viruses have been a major cause of public health concern. Wild migratory birds and contaminated environmental sources such as waterbodies soiled with bird droppings play a significant role in the transmission of AI viruses. The objective of the present study was to develop a sensitive and user-friendly method for the concentration and detection of AI viruses from environmental water sources.

Assessing the susceptibility of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses to oseltamivir using embryonated chicken eggs.

Background & Objectives: The susceptibility of influenza viruses to neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) is studied using enzyme-based assays, sequence analysis and in vitro and in vivo studies. Oseltamivir carboxylate (OC) is the active prodrug of the NAI oseltamivir. There is lack of information on the use of embryonated chicken eggs for studying susceptibility of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses to antiviral drugs.

Clinical and Molecular Investigations of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak in Navi Mumbai, India.

An outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) was reported in Navi Mumbai in July-October 2018. Of 15 HFMD cases, two had recurrences within a month while three had lesions extending to trunk. Coxsackie virus A6 and A16 were detected from 13 cases (CV-A6 from 10 cases and CV-A16 from 3 cases) indicating co-circulation of these viruses.