Detection and Analysis of Ebola Virus in Sierra Leone-China Friendship Biosafety Laboratory from March 11 to April 20, 2015

Ebola virus disease reemerged in Western Africa in 2014.Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention dispatched the first Ebola virus（EBOV）detection team to run newly established Sierra Leone-China Friendship Biological Safety Laboratory.The aims of study were to understand epidemiology,clinical manifestations and survival time of EBOV in patient＇s blood.A total of 913specimens were tested between March 11 and April20, 2015. EBOV positivity occurred in 7.37% of the blood and 0.53% in throat swabs.

Genetic analysis of wild-type hepatitis A virus strains

Objective To clarify the distribution of hepatitis A virus (HAV) genotype in geographical regions of China Methods Seventeen representative HAV strains were isolated from the stool or serum of hepatitis A patients in different geographical regions Viral RNA was recovered from stool or serum by proteinase K digestion and phenol chloroform extraction, followed by ethanol precipitation prior to reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) amplification The nucleotide sequences of VP1/2A junction region were tested by using a direct sequencing technique Results A pairwise comparison of sequences within 168 bases at the VP1/2A junction revealed that all the sequences clustered within genotype Ⅰ About 53% of strains clustered in genotype ⅠB, with less than 6% variability; while the others clustered in genotype ⅠA, with less than 5 3% variability Sequence homology between genotype ⅠA and ⅠB varied from 88 7% to 92 3% Conclusion Epidemic or sporadic HAV strains in China may belong to HAV genotype ⅠA or ⅠB Epidemiologically related strains may be identical or closely related in sequence

Microarray analysis of extracellular matrix genes expression in myocardium of mouse with Coxsackie virus B_3 myocarditis

Background Extracellular matrix (ECM) orchestrates cell behaviour including growth, death, apoptosis, adhesion, migration, and invasion by activating several signalling pathways Certain components of ECM, such as integrins, may act as receptors or co-receptors of enterovirus ECM-activated gene expressions in myocardium of viral heart disease including myocarditis and partial cardiomyopathy remain elusive This study was to investigate the expression of ECM-activated genes in myocardium of mouse with viral myocarditis Methods BALB/c mice were infected with Coxsackie virus B 3 (CVB 3) to establish an animal model of myocarditis Uninfected mice were also prepared and served as controls Specific mRNA expression pattern in myocarditic mouse heart was analysed by an in-house cDNA microarray containing 8192 genes Overexpressed ECM genes were selected and subsequently confirmed by Northern blot analysis Results Nine ECM genes were isolated, from the array of 8192 genes, as overexpressed genes in hearts of myocarditic mice in comparison with controls Subsequent Northern blot analysis confirmed that four of the nine genes were highly expressed Expression of these four genes, Fin15, ILk, Lamr1 and ADAMTS-1, has not been reported previously to be induced by Coxsackie virus Conclusion CVB 3-induced myocarditis is associated with gene expression profiles of certain ECM components

Phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial DNA sequences of wild rats, and the relationship with Seoul virus infection in Hubei, China

Seoul virus(SEOV), which is predominantly carried by Rattus norvegicus, is one of the major causes of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(HFRS) in China. Hubei province, located in the central south of China, has experienced some of the most severe epidemics of HFRS. To investigate the mitochondrial DNA(mt DNA)-based phylogenetics of wild rats in Hubei, and the relationship with SEOV infection, 664 wild rats were captured from five trapping sites in Hubei from2000–2009 and 2014–2015. Using reverse-transcription(RT)-PCR, 41(6.17%) rats were found to be positive for SEOV infection. The SEOV-positive percentage in Yichang was significantly lower than that in other areas. The mt DNA D-loop and cytochrome b(cyt-b) genes of 103 rats were sequenced.Among these animals, 37 were SEOV-positive. The reconstruction of the phylogenetic relationship(based on the complete D-loop and cyt-b sequences) allowed the rats to be categorized into two lineages, R. norvegicus and Rattus nitidus, with the former including the majority of the rats. For both the D-loop and cyt-b genes, 18 haplotypes were identified. The geographic distributions of the different haplotypes were significantly different. There were no significant differences in the SEOVpositive percentages between different haplotypes. There were three sub-lineages for the D-loop,and two for cyt-b. The SEOV-positive percentages for each of the sub-lineages did not significantly differ. This indicates that the SEOV-positive percentage is not related to the mt DNA D-loop or cyt-b haplotype or the sub-lineage of rats from Hubei.

Phylogenetic analysis of avian infectious bronchitis virus isolates from Morocco:a retrospective study(1983 to 2014)

Dear Editor,Infectious bronchitis(IB),one of the most common and difficult poultry diseases,is caused by a gammacoronavirus named infectious bronchitis virus(IBV).IBV frequently causes respiratory and/or renal diseases in chickens and egg production losses in hens.IB has

Differential gene expression in porcine SK6 cells infected with wild-type and SAP domain-mutant foot-and-mouth disease virus

Foot-and-mouth disease virus(FMDV) is the causative agent of a highly contagious disease in livestock. The viral proteinaseL^(rop) of FMDV is involved in pathogenicity, and mutation of theL^(rop) SAP domain reduces FMDV pathogenicity in pigs. To determine the gene expression profiles associated with decreased pathogenicity in porcine cells, we performed transcriptome analysis using next-generation sequencing technology and compared differentially expressed genes in SK6 cells infected with FMDV containingL^(rop) with either a wild-type or mutated version of the SAP domain. This analysis yielded 1,853 genes that exhibited a ≥ 2-fold change in expression and was validated by real-time quantitative PCR detection of several differentially expressed genes. Many of the differentially expressed genes correlated with antiviral responses corresponded to genes associated with transcription factors, immune regulation, cytokine production, inflammatory response, and apoptosis. Alterations in gene expression profiles may be responsible for the variations in pathogenicity observed between the two FMDV variants. Our results provided genes of interest for the further study of antiviral pathways and pathogenic mechanisms related to FMDV L^(rop).

Cloning and Characterization of UL34 Gene of Pseudorabies Virus HB Isolate

In this study, China isolate HB of pseudorabies virus（PRV） was confirmed and genotypically characterized by amplifying and sequencing of partial UL34, a conservative gene involved in the egress of nucleocapsids from the nucleus, for phylogenetic analysis. The open reading frame（orf） of UL34 of PRV HB isolate is composed of 786 nucleotides, which encoded 262 amino acids. In addition, a potential transmembrane domain（241-260 aa） and 11 potential phosphorylation sites were also found in the UL34 of PRV HB isolate. Multiple amino acids alignment indicated that UL34 proteins of PRV strains derived from different geographic origins were highly conservative, but some mutations were also found. Phylogenetic analysis based on UL34 protein indicated that PRV HB strain was evolutionarily distinct from other recent China strains sequenced so far, forming a single clade within the phylogeny. Moreover, PRV HB isolate had close evolutionary relationship with Bo HV-1 and Bo HV-5 within the Alphaherpesvirinae. Taken together, these results indicated that PRV strains were in the progress of evolution. This study has expanded the knowledge of genetic profiles of PRV strains.