Saturday, May 4, 2019

Elderberry compounds could help minimize flu symptoms, study suggests

Compounds from elderberries can directly inhibit the virus's entry and replication in human cells, and can help strengthen a person's immune response to the virus.
Folk medicines and herbal products have been used for millennia to combat a whole range of ailments, at times to the chagrin of modern scientists who have struggled to explain their medicinal benefits.
However, a recent study by a group of Chemical and Biomlolecular Engineering researchers from the University of Sydney's Faculty of Engineering and IT has determined exactly how a popular ancient remedy, the elderberry fruit, can help the fight against influenza.
Although elderberry's flu-fighting properties have long been observed, the group performed a comprehensive examination of the mechanism by which phytochemicals from elderberries combat influenza infections.
"What our study has shown is that the common elderberry has a potent direct antiviral effect against the flu virus," said Dr Golnoosh Torabian.
"It inhibits the early stages of an infection by blocking key viral proteins responsible for both the viral attachment and entry into the host cells."
The researchers used commercially farmed elderberries which were turned into a juice serum and were applied to cells before, during and after they had been infected with the influenza virus.
The phytochemicals from the elderberry juice were shown to be effective at stopping the virus infecting the cells, however to the surprise of the researchers they were even more effective at inhibiting viral propagation at later stages of the influenza cycle when the cells had already been infected with the virus.
"This observation was quite surprising and rather significant because blocking the viral cycle at several stages has a higher chance of inhibiting the viral infection”.
In addition to that, we identified that the elderberry solution also stimulated the cells to release certain cytokines, which are chemical messengers that the immune system uses for communication between different cell types to coordinate a more efficient response against the invading pathogen.
Otherwise known as sambucus nigra, the black elderberry is a small, antioxidant rich fruit common to Europe and North America that is still commonly consumed as a jam or wine. For medicinal benefits, elderberry extract is available commercially in tablet or syrup form.
The influenza virus is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, affecting nearly 10 per-cent of the world population and contributing to one million deaths annually.
Source: University of Sydney

Virology and Microbiology Congress 2019 organizing committee invites the participants across the globe to attend its annual flagship conference, 2nd World Congress on Virology and Microbiology which is going to take place during September 09-10, 2019 at Bangkok, Thailand.
Organized around the theme "Recent Advances in Virology and Microbiology towards Healthier Life", Virology and Microbiology Congress 2019 is comprised of various sessions designed to offer comprehensive symposiums that address current Advances in the field of Virology and Microbiology and provides fantastic opportunity to network with your peers from Academia and Pharmaceutical industry.
Do not miss the best Keynote lectures, Plenary talks, Workshops, and Networking tour.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Dengue mosquito is Queensland's biggest threat for spreading Zika virus


Researchers at QUT and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute have found that the dengue fever mosquito common to north and central Queensland poses the greatest danger of spreading the Zika virus in Australia.

The researchers showed that not only was the dengue mosquito effective at transmitting Zika, but also that the virus was in the mosquitoes' reproductive organs. This finding suggests that Zika could persist in mosquito populations by females passing it to their offspring.
The researchers' study, Vector competence of Australian Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus for an epidemic strain of Zika virus, has been published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Key points:
  • People can contract Zika from the bite of a female mosquito carrying the virus
  • A woman infected with Zika can pass the virus to her unborn child causing neurological problems including microcephaly, when the brain does not develop properly and the baby has a smaller than normal head
  • While more than 50 cases of Zika have been reported in Australia, all were contracted overseas
The dengue mosquito is found in northern, central and southern parts of the state, while the Asian Tiger mosquito is currently only in the Torres Strait.
The researchers tested a strain of Zika from the Asian lineage that caused microcephaly during the 2016 epidemic in Brazil.
"At three, seven and 14 days after the mosquitoes were infected with Zika, we tested their saliva to see if they could pass on the virus through a bite," she said.
"We concluded that the dengue mosquito is the main danger for spreading Zika.
"We found 50-60 per cent of the dengue mosquitoes could effectively transmit the virus 14 days after becoming infected, compared to 10 per cent of the Asian Tiger mosquitoes."
Dr Frentiu said the discovery of Zika in the ovaries of the dengue mosquitoes indicated another potential route of infection transmission through mosquito populations.
"This has also been observed recently in field specimens collected in Brazil," she said. "Aedes aegypti eggs were collected and hatched and the larvae tested, and Zika was found in the larvae.
"It is possible that if infected larvae were able to reach maturity still infected with Zika, they could then pass the virus to humans. This is an area where further research is needed."
See More:
Source: Queensland University of Technology


To know more about latest research's come and join us at 2nd World Congress on Virology and Microbiology which is going to take place during September 09-10, 2019 at Bangkok, Thailand.

Organized around the theme "Recent Advances in Virology and Microbiology towards Healthier Life", Virology and Microbiology Congress 2019 is comprised of various sessions designed to offer comprehensive symposiums that address current Advances in the field of Virology and Microbiology and provides fantastic opportunity to network with your peers from Academia and Pharmaceutical industry.
Do not miss the best Keynote lectures, Plenary talks, Workshops, and Networking tour.
We cordially invite you all to take part in Virology and Microbiology 2019!

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Dangerous bee virus might be innocent bystander


Beekeepers urged to rethink fears around deadly virus

Researchers at the University of Sydney have found that the relationship between the tissue-sucking Varroa mite and virulence of a virus of honey bees, has most likely been misunderstood.
The study challenges the long-held belief that the parasitic Varroa mite -- a mite that sucks the tissue of honey bees -- transmits the Deformed Wing Virus of honeybees and in doing so changes the virus to make it more virulent and deadly.
Research published today in Proceedings of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences concludes that this belief is incorrect.
"The prevailing wisdom is that the mite selects for very virulent strains of the virus," said Professor Madeleine Beekman from the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Sydney.
"For that reason, the virus is now known as a very dangerous virus and the Australian beekeepers are adamant this virus should not get into the country. In fact, there is legislation that prevents the import of any bee products that could contain the virus. But our work shows that the virus is more likely to be an innocent bystander."
Australia is the only country in the world to remain free of the Varroa mite. This makes Australian honey and wax valuable because it is free of chemical residues used to eliminate the parasite.
"Australia is the last country on the planet to produce completely pure honey," says Professor Beekman. "But the mite is highly likely to arrive in Australia on shipping containers so we need to understand how the mite and the virus interact."
Professor Beekman and her team in the Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Lab injected honey bee pupae with high levels of Deformed Wing Virus which is carried by the mite to test if the virus was highly virulent due to changes in the transmission route that occurred via the Varroa mite.
The team found the transmission route used by the Varroa mite selects against viruses that are much more virulent than the Deformed Wing Virus, such as Sacbrood virus and Black queen cell virus. These viruses normally suppress Deformed Wing Virus. The elimination of Sacbrood and Black Queencell virus leaves just Deformed Wing Virus, which does not kill the bees.
"Our work therefore changes our understanding of the effect Varroa has on Deformed Wing Virus and the health of honey bee colonies
"It means we don't have to be scared of the virus. Instead we need to focus on eliminating the mite and reducing its numbers."
The results will also have an impact on the ways the Australian beekeepers can prepare themselves for the arrival of Varroa.
"But the importation of the sperm is currently forbidden because of the threat of Deformed Wing Virus, which can be present in bee sperm. Perhaps beekeepers can now convince the authorities that bee sperm is safe."
"If we want to protect the bees, it now no longer seems to make sense to try to combat the virus”.
 "Instead, there needs to be a renewed focus on ensuring the number of mites in honey bee colonies remain low."
To discuss and to share various research’s on Virus interactionsInsect vector and virus epidemiology
Bacteriology  We cordially invite you all to take part in Virology and Microbiology 2019


See More:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190129195223.htm
Source: University of Sydney

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Genome structure of malaria parasites linked to virulence

An international research has found that malaria parasite genomes are shaped by parasite-specific gene families, and that this genome organization strongly correlates with the parasite's virulence. The findings highlight the importance of spatial genome organization in gene regulation and the control of virulence in malaria parasites.
The findings highlight the importance of spatial genome organization in gene regulation and the control of virulence in malaria parasites.
 "Novel intervention strategies targeting the genome structure could thus mark a breakthrough for both vaccine and drug development against malaria."Study results appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Institute Leadership assistant professor of computational biology at La Jolla Institute for Immunology and an assistant adjunct professor at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, and colleagues investigated the 3-D genome organization in five malaria parasites and two related parasites to identify possible connections between genome architecture and pathogenicity. They found that in all five malaria parasites
The most virulent species of malaria parasites use an "antigenic variation" mechanism to alter their surface proteins and avoid the host immune response. The ability of the parasite to switch its antigenic profile correlates with the parasite's high virulence. 

The researchers found that the two most pathogenic human malaria parasites -- Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium knowlesi -- share unique features in the organization of gene families involved in antigenic variation. P. falciparum and P. knowlesi, they report, have evolved unique gene families -- var and SICvar, respectively -- that enable these parasites to undergo antigenic variation.
"The organization of other Plasmodium genomes is also driven by their virulence genes -- but it is not as strongly seen in them as we see in P. falciparum and P. knowlesi," 
Le Roch was supported in the research by grants from the National Institutes of Health and UC Riverside.

Source: University of California