Viral encephalitis and its management through advanced molecular diagnostic methods: a review

Effect of larval diets on the life table parameters of dengue mosquito, Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) using age-stage two sex life table theory

The current study regarding the effects of larval diets on the life table parameters of dengue mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti was conducted under laboratory conditions at 27 ± 2 °C and 60 ± 5% relative humidity at NIFA (Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture) Peshawar, Pakistan. The data on life table parameters of Ae. aegypti reared on Diet 1 (replacement diet), Diet 2 (Khan's diet for Anopheles), Diet 3 (Khan's modified diet) and Diet 4 (IAEA diet) were analyzed using the age-stage, two-sex life table software. Diet 4 (IAEA) was used as a control for comparison. The results indicated that significantly maximum percentage of egg hatching of Ae. aegypti was observed when reared on Diet 4 (73.86%) and Diet 3 (72.90%), while less % of egg hatching was recorded in Diet 1 (40.67%) and Diet 2 (55.53%). The data further showed that the Diet 3 had a highest intrinsic rate of increase (r) (0.097 ± 5.68 day^-1), finite rate of increase (λ) (1.10 ± 6.26 day^-1) and net reproductive rate (R₀) (11.99 ± 1.52 eggs/female) followed by Diet 2 and Diet 4. The mean generation time (T) of Ae. aegypti reared on Diet 3 (23.67 ± 0.86 days) and Diet 1 (24.05 ± 0.61 days) was significantly shorter than Diet 2 (26.15 ± 0.71 days) and Diet 4 (26.41 ± 0.38 days). The overall results revealed that Diet 3 showed good results at different life table parameters of Ae. aegypti and can be used as the preferred diet in the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) where the mass culture of mosquitoes is required.

Sensitivity of Next-Generation Sequencing Metagenomic Analysis for Detection of RNA and DNA Viruses in Cerebrospinal Fluid: The Confounding Effect of Background Contamination

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) followed by metagenomic enables the detection and identification of known as well as novel pathogens. It could be potentially useful in the diagnosis of encephalitis, caused by a variety of microorganisms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the sensitivity of isothermal RNA amplification (Ribo-SPIA) followed by NGS metagenomic analysis in the detection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Moreover, we analyzed the contamination background. We detected 102 HIV copies and 103 HSV copies. The analysis of control samples (two water samples and one CSF sample from an uninfected patient) revealed the presence of human DNA in the CSF sample (91 % of all reads), while the dominating sequences in water were qualified as 'other', related to plants, plant viruses, and synthetic constructs, and constituted 31 % and 60 % of all reads. Bacterial sequences represented 5.9 % and 21.4 % of all reads in water samples and 2.3 % in the control CSF sample. The bacterial sequences corresponded mainly to Psychrobacter, Acinetobacter, and Corynebacterium genera. In conclusion, Ribo-SPIA amplification followed by NGS metagenomic analysis is sensitive for detection of RNA and DNA viruses. Contamination seems common and thus the results should be confirmed by other independent methods such as RT-PCR and PCR. Despite these reservations, NGS seems to be a promising method for the diagnosis of viral infections.