Genetic diversity and molecular analysis of human influenza virus among pilgrims during Hajj
The risk of transmission of respiratory tract infections is considerably enhanced at mass gathering (MG) religious events. Hajj is an annual Islamic MG event with approximately 3 million Muslim pilgrims from over 180 countries concentrated in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to investigate the...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023102350 |
| _version_ | 1827367317235826688 |
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| author | Sherif A. El-Kafrawy Salma M. Alsayed Arwa A. Faizo Leena H. Bajrai Norah A. Uthman Moneerah S. Alsaeed Ahmed M. Hassan Khalid M. Alquthami Thamir A. Alandijany Alimuddin Zumla Esam I. Azhar |
| author_facet | Sherif A. El-Kafrawy Salma M. Alsayed Arwa A. Faizo Leena H. Bajrai Norah A. Uthman Moneerah S. Alsaeed Ahmed M. Hassan Khalid M. Alquthami Thamir A. Alandijany Alimuddin Zumla Esam I. Azhar |
| author_sort | Sherif A. El-Kafrawy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The risk of transmission of respiratory tract infections is considerably enhanced at mass gathering (MG) religious events. Hajj is an annual Islamic MG event with approximately 3 million Muslim pilgrims from over 180 countries concentrated in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of influenza viruses circulating among pilgrims during the Hajj pilgrimage. We performed a cross-sectional analytical study where nasopharyngeal swabs (NPs) from pilgrims with respiratory tract illnesses presenting to healthcare facilities during the 2019 Hajj were screened for influenza viruses. Influenza A subtypes and influenza B lineages were determined by multiplex RT–PCR for positive influenza samples. The phylogenetic analysis was carried out for the hemagglutination (HA) gene. Out of 185 nasopharyngeal samples, 54 were positive for the human influenza virus. Of these, 27 were influenza A H1N1 and 19 H3N2, 4 were untypable influenza A, and 4 were influenza B. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the H1N1 and H3N2 strains differentiated into different and independent genetic groups and formed close clusters with selected strains of influenza viruses from various locations. To conclude, this study demonstrates a high genetic diversity of circulating influenza A subtypes among pilgrims during the Hajj Season. There is a need for further larger studies to investigate in-depth the genetic characteristics of influenza viruses and other respiratory viruses during Hajj seasons. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:04:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cf1794596b3747628ae6ae40f9102b49 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:04:50Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-cf1794596b3747628ae6ae40f9102b492024-02-01T06:30:36ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402024-01-01101e23027Genetic diversity and molecular analysis of human influenza virus among pilgrims during HajjSherif A. El-Kafrawy0Salma M. Alsayed1Arwa A. Faizo2Leena H. Bajrai3Norah A. Uthman4Moneerah S. Alsaeed5Ahmed M. Hassan6Khalid M. Alquthami7Thamir A. Alandijany8Alimuddin Zumla9Esam I. Azhar10Special Infectious Agents Unit BSL-3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi ArabiaSpecial Infectious Agents Unit BSL-3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi ArabiaSpecial Infectious Agents Unit BSL-3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi ArabiaSpecial Infectious Agents Unit BSL-3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi ArabiaSpecial Infectious Agents Unit BSL-3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi ArabiaSpecial Infectious Agents Unit BSL-3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi ArabiaSpecial Infectious Agents Unit BSL-3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi ArabiaAl-Noor Specialist Hospital, Ministry of Health, Makkah 24241, Saudi ArabiaSpecial Infectious Agents Unit BSL-3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi ArabiaDivision of Infection and Immunity, Centre for Clinical Microbiology, University College London Royal Free Campus, London WC1E 6DE, UK; NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, UCL Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London W1T 7DN, UKSpecial Infectious Agents Unit BSL-3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; Corresponding author. Special Infectious Agents Unit BSL-3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.The risk of transmission of respiratory tract infections is considerably enhanced at mass gathering (MG) religious events. Hajj is an annual Islamic MG event with approximately 3 million Muslim pilgrims from over 180 countries concentrated in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of influenza viruses circulating among pilgrims during the Hajj pilgrimage. We performed a cross-sectional analytical study where nasopharyngeal swabs (NPs) from pilgrims with respiratory tract illnesses presenting to healthcare facilities during the 2019 Hajj were screened for influenza viruses. Influenza A subtypes and influenza B lineages were determined by multiplex RT–PCR for positive influenza samples. The phylogenetic analysis was carried out for the hemagglutination (HA) gene. Out of 185 nasopharyngeal samples, 54 were positive for the human influenza virus. Of these, 27 were influenza A H1N1 and 19 H3N2, 4 were untypable influenza A, and 4 were influenza B. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the H1N1 and H3N2 strains differentiated into different and independent genetic groups and formed close clusters with selected strains of influenza viruses from various locations. To conclude, this study demonstrates a high genetic diversity of circulating influenza A subtypes among pilgrims during the Hajj Season. There is a need for further larger studies to investigate in-depth the genetic characteristics of influenza viruses and other respiratory viruses during Hajj seasons.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023102350InfluenzaH1N1H3N2Hajjmass gatheringGenetic diversity |
| spellingShingle | Sherif A. El-Kafrawy Salma M. Alsayed Arwa A. Faizo Leena H. Bajrai Norah A. Uthman Moneerah S. Alsaeed Ahmed M. Hassan Khalid M. Alquthami Thamir A. Alandijany Alimuddin Zumla Esam I. Azhar Genetic diversity and molecular analysis of human influenza virus among pilgrims during Hajj Heliyon Influenza H1N1 H3N2 Hajj mass gathering Genetic diversity |
| title | Genetic diversity and molecular analysis of human influenza virus among pilgrims during Hajj |
| title_full | Genetic diversity and molecular analysis of human influenza virus among pilgrims during Hajj |
| title_fullStr | Genetic diversity and molecular analysis of human influenza virus among pilgrims during Hajj |
| title_full_unstemmed | Genetic diversity and molecular analysis of human influenza virus among pilgrims during Hajj |
| title_short | Genetic diversity and molecular analysis of human influenza virus among pilgrims during Hajj |
| title_sort | genetic diversity and molecular analysis of human influenza virus among pilgrims during hajj |
| topic | Influenza H1N1 H3N2 Hajj mass gathering Genetic diversity |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023102350 |
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