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Background and Aims: Accurate and rapid diagnosis is necessary for effective control and prevention of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). In present study, was evaluated real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assay along with diagnostic routine methods for the detection of all seven serotypes of FMD virus (FMDV), namely O, C, A, SAT1, 2, 3 and Asia 1 in biological samples at the reference laboratory for FMD, Iran. Materials and Methods: Two different RT-PCR assays targeting two different regions 5´ untranslated region (5´-UTR) and RNA polymerase (3D) of the FMDV genome were used to confirm the presence of FMDV in epithelial suspensions. Results: In the two methods the viral RNA in all tested archival serotypes of FMDV were detected. Specificity of this reaction was confirmed by the use of swine vesicular disease virus and blue-tongue. The amount of cycle threshold (C T) value of all seven serotypes was different and the lowest and highest of C T value achieved for SAT3, A, O types and SAT2, C types, respectively. Conclusion: The results showed that RT-PCR was more sensitive and effective than routine diagnostic methods. Furthermore, RT-PCR as a strong and valuable tool concomitant with diagnostic routine methods facilitate monitoring the fields FMDV strains and suggested that the use of the multiple diagnostic targets could enhance the sensitivity of the molecular methods for the detection of FMDV.

Background and Aims: Co-infection of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected patients can develop and cause an increase in liver disease and hepatic complications in the world. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of HEV infection in patients suffering from chronic HCV infection. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study testing anti-HEV antibodies in serum samples belonged to 53 chronic HCV infected patients were evaluated. Demographic and clinical data such as liver function tests and enzymes level were prospectively collected on each patient with chronic HCV infection. Results: There were 5 HEV infected patients IgG positive among the 53 chronic HCV infected patients. These patients had an alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level twice the upper level about of the 48 HEV negative patients (p<0.0001). Conclusions: Prevalence of HEV sero-positivity patients with HCV co-infection patients was 9.4%. Our results suggest that HEV screening should be implemented in HCV-infected patients with cancer.

Introduction: Underlying kidney diseases and their progression cease the function of kidney and raise the need for regular maintenance dialysis. Furthermore, nutritional requirements and blood born viral infections affect their quality of life. Objectives: This study aims to investigate viral incidence, underlying kidney diseases, nutritional status; and hepatitis B virus (HBV) immunity status in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Patients and Methods: A total of 330 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients were assessed for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), HBV, hepatitis C virus (HCV) viruses using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay. The underlying kidney diseases were confirmed by a physician. Eighty-two subjects with diabetic nephropathy are referred to dietitian for nutritional assessments and body mass index (BMI) measurement. Hepatitis B surface antibody (Anti-HBs) tests were done at two different times of year for 94 qualified subjects. Results: Out of 330 patients 82 (24.8%) had diabetic mellitus (DM), 5 (1.5%) myocardial infarction (MI), 3 (0.9%) systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 55 (16.7%) hypertensive nephrosclerosis (HN), 3 (0.9%) obstructive nephropathy, 5 (1.5%) autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), and 4 (1.2%) glomerulonephritis. 45 cases (13.6%) had DM and HTN simultaneously. Eleven percent of diabetic nephropathy (DN) patients had severe malnutrition. Only five men (1.51%) were positive for HBV. No incidence of HCV and HIV was seen. Findings showed a dramatic change for anti-HBs after 6 months. Conclusion: Despite the advances in medicine, malnutrition and viral diseases still threaten dialysis patients. DM was the most common underlying disease. The safety of dialysis patients for HBV is compromised after regular dialysis, underscoring the importance of strict adherence to vaccination program.

Background: Replication of influenza virus to high titer is a prerequisite for successful cell-based vaccine production. Entry of virus into the cell depends on the cleavage of the hemagglutinin precursor (HA0) protein mediated by trypsin. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to apply a technique to establish MDCK/FX manipulated cell, which may provide a new platform for developing influenza vaccine based on the cell culture approaches. Methods: Chicken embryo FX expressed into the pCDNA3.1 vector was transfected into the MDCK cell line. The longevity of the generated cell and the viable cell density were evaluated for 17 passages prior to virus inoculation. Then, the ability of MDCK/FX cell for efficient replication of H9N2 influenza virus was evaluated by viral titration and quantitative RT-PCR. Results: RT-PCR data revealed that FX was stably expressed in the cell after the subsequent passages without any change in the rate of culture's confluency. Growth kinetic of H9N2 virus analysis demonstrated that MDCK/FX cell supported high-titer growth of the virus in which the viral titer is comparable to the virus grown in MDCK cells supplemented with TPCK-trypsin. Quantification of influenza infectious particles in the cell culture revealed the equivalents viral RNA copies and viral titers. Conclusions: The results indicated a potential application for the MDCK/FX in influenza virus replication procedure and related studies.