Background The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has had a major impact on world health over the last 2 years. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants, particularly concerning variants, may affect the virus's pathogenicity, transmissibility, and vaccines potency. Both delta and the omicron variants have been designated by WHO as variants of concern. Methods and resultsIn this study, molecular techniques such as qPCR, conventional PCR, and sequencing were used to identify the first SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant that circulated in Iraq in January 2022. Bioinformatics and computational tools like phylogenetic analysis, predicted physical and chemical properties, stability, and molecular docking of the spike protein were used to compare the omicron with the delta variants. We found the receptor binding domain (RBD) and spike protein in omicron contain a greater number of hydrophobic amino acids compared to delta variant. We discovered a disorder-order conversion in RBD regions of the omicron variant, and this change may be important in terms of the effect of disordered residues/regions on spike protein stability and interaction with human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Docking studies show that the omicron variant requires less energy to engage with ACE2, contributing to its higher binding affinity with human ACE2, consistent with more contagious transmission. Conclusion This is the first molecular study of the circulated omicron and delta variants in Iraq, showing that the omicron variant in Iraq had a higher affinity for ACE2 than the delta variant, which may lead to higher transmissibility.

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A highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), H5N1, was detected for the first time in peafowls in Kirkuk province, Iraq in 2015. Genetic analysis of the Kirkuk H5N1 indicated molecular markers for avian-type receptors. The Kirkuk H5N1 hemagglutinin gene had an infrequent amino acid cleavage site (SPQREKRRKRGLF), and neuraminidase genes showed sensitive molecular markers for antiviral drugs. Additionally, the phylogenetic analysis found that the Kirkuk H5N1 belonged to subclade 2.3.2.1c. Our results showed that the 2015 H5N1 from the Iraqi city of Kirkuk exhibited new genetic characterization and was different from the 2006 H5N1 isolate from Iraq.

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. Molecular typing of canine parvovirus from Sulaimani, Iraq and phylogenetic analysis using partial VP2 gene. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 20, No 3,[225][226][227][228][229][230][231][232][233][234][235] Canine parvovirus (CPV) remains the most significant viral cause of haemorrhagic enteritis and bloody diarrhoea in puppies over the age of 12 weeks. The objective of the present study was to detect and genotype CPV-2 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and to perform phylogenetic analysis using partial VP2 gene sequences. We analysed eight faecal samples of unvaccinated dogs with signs of vomiting and bloody diarrhoea during the period from December 2013 to May 2014 in different locations in Sulaimani, Kurdistan, Iraq. After PCR detection, we found that all viral sequences in our study were CPV-2b variants, which differed genetically by 0.8% to 3.6% from five commercially available vaccines. Alignment between eight nucleotides of field virus sequences showed 95% to 99.5% similarity. The phylogenetic analysis for the 8 field sequences formed two distinct clusters with two sequences belonging to strains from China and Thailand and the other six -with a strain from Egypt. Molecular characterisation and CPV typing are crucial in epidemiological studies for future prevention and control of the disease.