Differential molecular detection of seasonal influenza A viruses in suspected patients of COVID-19

Roaa Abdulla Sabeeh, Firas Taha Mansour Al-Mubarak, Alaa Khattar Mousa

Abstract


ackground: Seasonal influenza greatly affects the health of the community, resulting in many hospitalizations and, in some cases, even deaths. In our geographic area, obtaining accurate statistics on seasonal influenza infection rates has been challenging, particularly during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study is to investigate seasonal influenza virus infections in the community of Basrah, southern Iraq.

Methods: A total of 820 nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from people with clear respiratory symptoms of different age groups, and of both sexes during the period from the 1st of October 2021 to the 1st of May 2022. This cross-sectional study included four important districts in the province of Basrah, which are the city center, Abulkhasib, Shatt Al Arab, and Al-Zubair. All samples were subjected to viral RNA extraction and detection by one-step RT-PCR using a pair of universal primers.

Results: According to the results obtained, the total infection rate in the study areas reached 19.5%. There were no differences in infection rates between the sexes. The age groups of the study showed that the youngest group (1-9 years) recorded the highest infection rate (30.6%), while the group with the lowest infection rate was within the 40-49 age group, which was 16%. In addition, October and April showed the lowest number of infections compared to other months, which extended from November to the end of April.

Conclusion: These results give a general picture of seasonal influenza infection rates in our geographical location, as there is an urgent need to update this information, especially during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Keywords: Seasonal influenza; RT-PCR; Iraq


Full Text:

PDF

References


Bouvier NM, Palese P. The biology of influenza viruses. Vaccine, (2008); 4(Suppl 4): D49-53.

Zhang M, Liu M, Bai S, Zhao C, Li Z, et al. Influenza A Virus-Host Specificity: An Ongoing Cross-Talk Between Viral and Host Factors. Frontiers in Microbiology, (2021);12: 777885

Feldblyum TV, Segal DM. Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza Surveillance and Disease Severity. Global Virology I - Identifying and Investigating Viral Diseases, (2015); 12: 761–89.

Morris DE, Cleary DW, Clarke SC. Secondary Bacterial Infections Associated with Influenza Pandemics. Frontiers in Microbiology, (2017); 8: 1041.

Kosik I, Yewdell JW. Influenza Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase: Yin⁻Yang Proteins Coevolving to Thwart Immunity. Viruses, (2019); 11(4): 346.

Allen JD, Ross TM. H3N2 influenza viruses in humans: Viral mechanisms, evolution, and evaluation. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutic, (2018); 14(8): 1840-1847.

Dotis J, Roilides E. H1N1 influenza A infection. Hippokratia, (2009); 13(3): 135-138.

Peiris JS, de Jong MD, Guan Y. Avian influenza virus (H5N1): a threat to human health. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, (2007); 20(2): 243-267.

Nuwarda RF, Alharbi AA, Kayser V. An Overview of Influenza Viruses and Vaccines. Vaccines, (2021); 9(9): 1032.

Hoffmann E, Stech J, Guan Y, Webster RG, Perez DR. Universal primer set for the full-length amplification of all influenza A viruses. Archives of Virology, (2001); 146(12):2 275-289.

Metzger DW, Sun K. Immune dysfunction and bacterial coinfections following influenza. The Journal of Immunology, (2013); 191(5): 2047-2052.

Kesson AM. Respiratory virus infections. Pediatric Respiratory Review, (2007); 8(3): 240-248.

Khadadah M, Essa S, Higazi Z, Behbehani N, Al-Nakib W. Respiratory syncytial virus and human rhinoviruses are the major causes of severe lower respiratory tract infections in Kuwait. Journal of Medical Virology, (2010); 82(8): 1462-1467.

Ljubin-Sternak S, Meštrović T, Lukšić I, Mijač M, Vraneš J. Seasonal Coronaviruses and Other Neglected Respiratory Viruses: A Global Perspective and a Local Snapshot. Frontiers in Public Health, (2021); 9: 691163.

Parry MF, Shah AK, Sestovic M, Salter S. Precipitous Fall in Common Respiratory Viral Infections During COVID-19. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, (2020); 7(11): 511.

Van Seventer JM, Hochberg NS. Principles of Infectious Diseases: Transmission, Diagnosis, Prevention, and Control. International Encyclopedia of Public Health, (2016): 22–39.

Wang C, Liu M, Wang Z, Li S, Deng Y, et.al. Point-of-care diagnostics for infectious diseases: From methods to devices. Nano Today, (2021); 37: 101092.

Otto CC, Kaplan SE, Stiles J, Mikhlina A, Lee C, et al. Rapid Molecular Detection and Differentiation of Influenza Viruses A and B. Journal of Visualized Experiment, (2017); (119): 54312.

Yarbrough ML, Burnham CD, Anderson NW, Banerjee R, Ginocchio CC, et al. Influence of Molecular Testing on Influenza Diagnosis. Clinical Chemistry, (2018); 64(11): 1560-1566.

Khan S, Nakajima R, Jain A, de Assis RR, Jasinskas A, et al. Analysis of Serologic Cross-Reactivity Between Common Human Coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2 Using Coronavirus Antigen Microarray. bioRxiv [Preprint], (2020): 006544.

Chen YQ, Wohlbold TJ, Zheng NY, Huang M, Huang Y, Neu KE, et al. Influenza Infection in Humans Induces Broadly Cross-Reactive and Protective Neuraminidase-Reactive Antibodies. Cell, (2018); 173(2): 417-429.

Kline K, Hadler JL, Yousey-Hindes K, Niccolai L, Kirley PD, et al. Impact of pregnancy on observed sex disparities among adults hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza, FluSurv-NET, 2010-2012. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, (2017); 11(5): 404-411.

Aufi IM, Khudhair AM, Ghaeb Al-Saadi L, Almoneem Ahmed MA, Mahdi Shukur FM. Epidemiology and Molecular Characterization of Seasonal Influenza Viruses in Iraq. Archives of Razi Institute, (2021); 76(4): 871-877.

Langer J, Welch VL, Moran MM, Cane A, Lopez SMC, et al. High Clinical Burden of Influenza Disease in Adults Aged ≥ 65 Years: Can We Do Better? A Systematic Literature Review. Advances in Therapy, (2023); 40(4): 1601-1627.

Ruf BR, Knuf M. The burden of seasonal and pandemic influenza in infants and children. European Journal of Pediatrics, (2014); 173(3): 265-276.

Caini S, El-Guerche Séblain C, Ciblak MA, Paget J. Epidemiology of seasonal influenza in the Middle East and North Africa regions, 2010-2016: Circulating influenza A and B viruses and spatial timing of epidemics. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, (2018); 12(3): 344-352.

Radhi AH, Ibrahim ZH, Alhilifi R. The epidemiological pattern of seasonal influenza in four sentinel sites in Iraq. Influenza Other Respiratory Viruses, (2023); 17(4): e13134.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.62940/als.v12i2.2166

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.