Background: Patients on hemodialysis are at a high-risk for acquiring blood-borne infections, such as hepatitis G, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B viruses. The aim of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of HGV infection among patients on hemodialysis and its co-infection with hepatitis C and B viruses in Ahvaz. Methods: Blood samples were collected from patients on hemodialysis during January to July, 2016. RNAs were extracted from sera and cDNA was prepared using the kit. The nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of positive samples were carried out to determine hepatitis G virus genotypes. In addition, to evaluate the co-infection of HGV with hepatitis C and hepatitis B virus infections, the sera of all the individuals were tested for hepatitis C virus antibody and HBs-Ag by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay. Results: The HGV RNA was found in 10% of the patients with dominant genotype 2a. About 2% of the patients on hemodialysis were co-infected with hepatitis C virus while 1% of them was co-infected with hepatitis B virus. The statistical analysis revealed that there was a significant correlation (P < 0.01) between duration of the hemodialysis process and hepatitis G virus infectivity. Conclusions: The present study showed that patients, who used the hemodialysis devices in this city, were infected with Hepatitis G, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C viruses. The data indicates that duration of dialysis is significantly related to infection of Hepatitis G virus. Therefore, it is critical to control the sterility of these equipment for intercepting cross-infectivity.

Background: Diarrhea is one of the most significant diseases in children, causing morbidity and mortality worldwide. Diarrhea is caused by viruses, bacteria, and parasites. There are several viruses that can cause diarrhea, including some groups of enteroviruses that have a significant role in acute diarrhea in children. Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the presence of enteroviruses in the stool of children with diarrhea. Methods: We collected 85 stool samples including 50 (58.82%) from males and 35 (41.17%) from females with acute diarrhea. All the stool samples proved negative for bacterial and parasitic pathogens. The RNA was extracted from the stool samples and cDNA was prepared. The semi-nested PCR was carried out for the detection of the 5'-UTR region of enteroviruses. To determine the enterovirus serotypes, the sequences of semi-nested PCR product was performed using conserved primers for the 5'-UTR region. Results: Overall, 21/85 (24.7%) patients including 12/50 (24%) males and 9/35 (25.71%) females showed positive results for enteroviruses (P = 0.3). Based on the results of sequencing, one of the isolated serotypes was identified as coxsackievirus A6 and the other isolated serotype was echovirus 9. Conclusions: Overall, 21/85 (24.7%) children with acute diarrhea were infected with enteroviruses. The distribution of enteroviruses was not significantly different between male and female patients. The results of sequencing indicated that one of the isolated serotypes was coxsackievirus A6 and the other isolated serotype was echovirus 9. The remaining 64/85(75.29%) isolates were negative for enteroviruses. The role of other viral gastroenteritis agents including rotaviruses, noroviruses, calicivirus, astrovirus, and adenoviruses was not explored that needs further investigation.