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Applications of Metagenomics in Vector Surveillance for Effective Prediction and Control of Mosquito-Borne Viral Disease Outbreaks
Published in Hajiya Mairo Inuwa, Ifeoma Maureen Ezeonu, Charles Oluwaseun Adetunji, Emmanuel Olufemi Ekundayo, Abubakar Gidado, Abdulrazak B. Ibrahim, Benjamin Ewa Ubi, Medical Biotechnology, Biopharmaceutics, Forensic Science and Bioinformatics, 2022
Nwadiuto (Diuto) Esiobu, Bamidele Oderinde, Njidda Gadzama, Ihekerenma Okoli
There is no known routine surveillance in place in Nigeria as most of the results are from planned research studies that are based on available resources targeted for academic publications, research grants, collaborative studies, or part of requirements for the award of degrees which are not routine. An example of such a study is the sporadic serology research by Oderinde et al. (2020), where a total of 200 serum samples were collected from patients exhibiting febrile illness who visited the State Hospital in Maiduguri for medical attention between March and April 2018. Sera were tested for Flavivirus RNA by a pan-flaviviral primer set using hemi-nested real-time PCR; 26 of the samples were positive and after sequencing with the cFD2 and MAMD primers to characterize the infections. Out of 15 samples sequenced, 13 aligned with WNV Lineage 1 perfectly matching West Nile Virus (WNV) Italian isolate 358 (FJ472944.1) and Indian isolate Gwl-01 2015 (MG516600.1). Interestingly, one additional sequence matched Zika Virus (ZIKV) instead, aligned with strain MR766 (MK105975.1). These results, though scanty, emphasize the need for facilities for differential diagnosis and early detection of arboviruses in not only our health institutions but also in our health and veterinary research institutes.
Novel RNA Interference (RNAi)-Based Nanomedicines for Treating Viral Infections
Published in Dan Peer, Handbook of Harnessing Biomaterials in Nanomedicine, 2021
Nyree Maes, Skye Zeller, Priti Kumar
The genus Flavivirus comprises approximately 70 species of small, enveloped viruses with ~ 11 kilobase long positive-sense genomic RNA [49] encoding a single ORF of three structural and seven nonstructural (NS) proteins [81] bounded by a 5′ and 3′ untranslated region (UTR). At least 38 flaviviruses (55% of all flaviviruses) are medically important causing severe human disease with different clinical manifestations [52]. The extraordinary ability of flaviviruses to utilize new vectors for transmission and spread to new geographic regions highlights the need for a safe and efficient antiviral therapy for these emergent and recurrent infectious agents [84]. Flaviviruses, like other positive-sense RNA viruses, use their RNA genomes for both replication and translation in the host cell cytoplasm, making them an attractive target for the cytoplasmically located host RNAi machinery.
Environment-Related Infectious Diseases
Published in Barry L. Johnson, Maureen Y. Lichtveld, Environmental Policy and Public Health, 2017
Barry L. Johnson, Maureen Y. Lichtveld
Zika, like yellow fever and dengue, is caused by a flavivirus transmitted by Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. The continental distribution of Ae. aegypti is one of the primary reasons for the rapid spread of ZIKV in the Americas along with an immunologically-naïve population and high levels of travel [87]. In a majority of cases, ZIKV infection causes mild symptoms associated with other viral diseases. This includes fever, rash, headache, joint and muscle pain, and conjunctivitis. More severe symptoms including Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare immune disorder that affects the peripheral nervous system, have been linked to ZIKV infections [88,89]. The most concerning consequence of ZIKV infection is the association with adverse fetal outcomes, including fetal loss for maternal ZIKV infections between 6 and 32 weeks of gestation and microcephaly for maternal ZIKV infections between 7 and 13 weeks of gestation [89,90]. A study by CDC found that about 1 in 10 U.S. pregnant women with confirmed Zika infections gave birth in 2016 to a baby or had a fetus with Zika-related defects. About 1300 pregnant women in 44 states showed evidence of possible Zika infection. The problems included undersized heads and brain damage (microcephaly), but also seizures, difficulties with vision, hearing and movement, and developmental delays, such as trouble sitting up and eating [90a].
Environmental health effects attributed to toxic and infectious agents following hurricanes, cyclones, flash floods and major hydrometeorological events
Published in Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, 2019
Timothy B. Erickson, Julia Brooks, Eric J. Nilles, Phuong N. Pham, Patrick Vinck
Another related threat is Zika virus, a mosquito-borne virus in the genus Flavivirus of the Flaviviridae family that is transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes, with the potential for rapid spread (Kraemer et al. 2019). Zika is a single-stranded RNA virus that is closely related to dengue virus, yellow fever virus, and West Nile virus (Kraemer et al. 2019). Predisposing factors such as climate change, globalization, population rise, and increased urbanization have contributed to the spread of these viruses, posing pandemic threats (Boyer et al. 2018; Kraemer et al. 2019).
A mathematical model of Zika virus transmission with saturated incidence and optimal control: A case study of 2016 zika outbreak in Puerto Rico
Published in International Journal of Modelling and Simulation, 2023
Sudhanshu Kumar Biswas, Uttam Ghosh, Susmita Sarkar
The Zika virus, the pathogen of the Zika infection, is flavivirus carried by mosquitoes. It spread to host by the bites of infectious Aedes spices female mosquitoes (vector) in the day time. Along with the vector transmission a few cases reported that it can also spread from an infected male to susceptible female through sexual contact [10–12]. Thus in the transmission of Zika virus, vector route is a greater issue than sexual transmission route and some authors give priority on the above facts by including vector transmission route only in their Zika model [2,13–15].