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Background Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) is a major public health concern in India, and the Japanese Encephalitis (JE) virus is the most common cause of viral encephalitis in Asia affecting children under the age of 15 years. In India, despite the introduction of the JE vaccine (SA-14-14-2) in the immunization programme, JE continues to account for 15–20% of AES cases to date. This study evaluates the immunogenicity of live attenuated SA-14-14-2 JE vaccine in terms of persistence of the humoral response after two doses. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 266 children belonging to one of the JE endemic regions of Uttar Pradesh, India. Blood samples were taken from children (2–10 years) and grouped according to the duration (in years) after two doses of the vaccine (5 groups with a class interval of 2 years). Informed written consent was obtained from the parents/guardians. All the samples collected were tested for the presence of anti-JEV-specific IgG antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and further confirmed by micro neutralization test (MNT) and immunofluorescence assays. Results Of the 266 samples tested by ELISA for anti-JEV-specific IgG antibodies, 260 (97.74%) were negative and 6 (2.26%) were equivocal. The geometric mean immune status ratio across the five groups, 0–2 years (n  = 59), 2–4 years (n  = 73), 4–6 years (n  = 65), 6–8 years (n  = 48) and 8–10 years (n  = 21) post-two doses of SA-14-14-2 JE vaccine was 1.143, 1.059, 1.138, 1.075 and 1.130, respectively, and the geometric mean titre obtained from MNT across the five groups was 10.77, 8.400, 8.453, 9.517 and 9.674, respectively. Conclusion The study showed a decreasing trend of anti-JEV specific IgG antibody titres across the five groups based on the duration following two doses of SA-14-14-2 vaccine. The results emphasize the significance of booster doses of vaccine for children living in endemic areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In July 2021, an outbreak of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was reported in a rural region of Maharashtra state, India. Methods Serum samples of symptomatic cases (n=33) were screened for dengue virus (DENV), CHIKV and Zika virus (ZIKV) by molecular and serological assays. Results The first case of ZIKV infection from Maharashtra was detected and confirmed by molecular and serological assays. Complete genome sequencing revealed that the ZIKV sequence belongs to the Asian genotype and had a closer homology with pre-epidemic strains present before 2007. Conclusions ZIKV surveillance needs to be strengthened in the regions experiencing dengue and chikungunya outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutralization of Beta and Delta variant with sera of COVID-19 recovered cases and vaccinees of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine BBV152/Covaxin. Inactivated COVID-19 vaccine BBV152/COVAXIN effectively neutralizes recently emerged B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2. Keywords: Sputnik vaccine; antibody response; SARS-CoV-2; emerging variants; neutralization EN Sputnik vaccine antibody response SARS-CoV-2 emerging variants neutralization 1 4 4 06/08/22 20220401 NES 220401 SARS CoV-2 pandemic challenged the world with emerging multiple variants having high transmissibility and increased infectivity. [Extracted from the article]

The pandemic of COVID‐19 has caused enormous fatalities worldwide. Serological assays are important for detection of asymptomatic or mild cases of COVID‐19, and sero‐prevalence and vaccine efficacy studies. Here, we evaluated and compared the performance of seven commercially available enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)s for detection of anti‐severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) immunoglobulin G (IgG). The ELISAs were evaluated with a characterized panel of 100 serum samples from qRT‐PCR confirmed COVID‐19 patients, collected 14 days post onset disease, 100 SARS‐CoV‐2 negative samples and compared the results with that of neutralization assay. Results were analysed by creating the receiver operating characteristic curve of all the assays in reference to the neutralization assay. All kits, were found to be suitable for detection of IgG against SARS‐CoV‐2 with high accuracy. The DiaPro COVID‐19 IgG ELISA showed the highest sensitivity (98%) among the kits. The assays demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in detecting the IgG antibodies against SARS‐CoV‐2. However, the presence of IgG antibodies does not always correspond to neutralizing antibodies. Due to their good accuracy indices, these assays can also aid in tracing mild infections, in cohort studies and in pre‐vaccine evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interpretation for Zika virus serology results is challenging due to high antibody cross reactivity with other flaviviruses. This limits availability of reliable and accurate methods for serosurveillance studies to understand the disease burden. Therefore, we conducted study to harmonize anti-Zika IgG antibody detection assays with 1st WHO International Standard (16/352) and working standard (16/320) for anti-Zika virus antibody.Additionally, evaluated NuGenTMZIKA-IgG and NovaLisa®ZIKA virus IgG-Capture ELISA using a panel of 278 seraFurther, 106 samples positive for other-flavi viruses were taken for assessing cross-reactivity of the assay, all serums were further tested by Zika-PRNT. The results of this study indicates satisfactory performance of both the assays. Serological and neutralization assays were calibrated according to the international standards. This will help in understanding antibody dynamics in serosurveillance and vaccine studies. However the performance of the kits with possibilities of cross-reactivity will have to be verified by coupling ZIKV and DENV specific ELISA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(C) NAbs titers among the booster dose vaccine recipients against B.1, Delta, Beta and Omicron variants. Keywords: Covaxin; booster dose; neutralizing antibody; variants of concern EN Covaxin booster dose neutralizing antibody variants of concern 1 3 3 06/08/22 20220401 NES 220401 In randomized, double-blind, multicentre phase 2 trial, the humoral and a cell-mediated responses and safety of a whole-virion inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (BBV152) in volunteers as per the Clinical Trials number: NCT04471519 showed that two doses of BBV152 (Covaxin) elicited robust neutralizing antibody responses with T cell and B cells. [Extracted from the article]

The GMT ratio of B.1 to Delta was 4.2, indicating a significant reduction in neutralization titers for Delta as compared with B.1 (Figure 1B). Keywords: first wave; second wave; neutralizing antibody; SARS CoV-2; variants of concerns; Delta variant; India EN first wave second wave neutralizing antibody SARS CoV-2 variants of concerns Delta variant India 1 3 3 06/08/22 20220401 NES 220401 The emergence of multiple variants of concerns like Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1), Delta (B.1.617.2) and other variants, such as Epsilon (B.1.427/B.1.1429), Zeta (P.2), Eta (B.1.525), Theta (P3), Iota (B.1.526) and Kappa (B.1.617.1) has contributed to the worldwide development of multiple waves of the formidable COVID-19 pandemic.[1] Mid-September 2020 was associated with a maximal spike in the daily cases in India, with its lowest case load in January 2021 during the first wave with the G Clade (with D614G mutation-B.1) being causal. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) who also report transactional sex (male sex workers or MSWs) are known to be at higher risk for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The study aimed to profile socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors associated with high HIV prevalence among MSWs. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2008–9 among 483 high-risk MSM who attended STI clinics at Mumbai and Hyderabad, two large cities in India. Results: About 70% of the MSM reported transactional sex. As compared to other MSM, MSWs had more male partners (8.9 versus 2.5, p < 0.001) and higher rates of receptive anal sex (96% versus 72%, p < 0.001). HIV prevalence among MSWs and other MSM was 43.6% and 18.1% respectively. HIV prevalence among MSWs was associated with the place of residence (MSWs from Hyderabad were 7.3 times more likely to be infected), positive syphilis serology (3.8 times) and duration of sex work (increased by 8% for every additional year). Conclusion: The study showed that MSWs are at high risk for HIV acquisition/transmission, which highlights the need for intensified interventions for personalized risk-reduction counselling and STI screening. Newer biomedical interventions such as pre-exposure prophylaxis and treatment as prevention could also be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & objectives: A new indigenously developed technology, coronavirus disease (COVID) Kavach, an IgG immunoglobulin-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, was developed in 2020 by the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV), Pune, India. The primary objective of this study was to determine the total cost of development of COVID Kavach IgG ELISA and estimate the unit cost (UC) as well. Methods: The total development cost (TDC) of COVID Kavach and its UC during the early phase of pandemic mitigation were estimated through a micro-costing approach from provider's perspective. An activity-based bottom-up costing approach was used to facilitate data collection from all resources, and analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel version 2016. The micro-costing data were utilized to interpret the breakdown of cost across all inputs and different levels of activity. Results: The TDC of COVID Kavach was estimated to be 2,884,032 (US$ 38,265). The UC of providing test results for exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was estimated to be 300 (US$ 4) during July 2020. The capital and recurrent cost were incurred around 5-10 per cent and 90-95 per cent, respectively, in both the development and UC of COVID Kavach. The major portion of funds (70-80%) was utilized for procurement of laboratory consumables, followed by human resources (8-12%) in the development as well as for UC of COVID Kavach. Interpretation & conclusions: The estimates from this study can be useful for conducting economic evaluations, which will help in deciding upon the subsidy in government health facilities. The data may be useful to set up laboratory facilities analogous to the National Reference Laboratory located at the ICMR-NIV, Pune and for allotting sufficient budget to develop such assays in government-funded laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & objectives: Since the beginning of the year 2020, the pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) impacted humankind adversely in almost all spheres of life. The virus belongs to the genus Betacoronavirus of the family Coronaviridae. SARS-CoV-2 causes the disease known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with mild-to-severe respiratory illness. The currently available diagnostic tools for the diagnosis of COVID-19 are mainly based on molecular assays. Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction is the only diagnostic method currently recommended by the World Health Organization for COVID-19. With the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2, it is necessary to utilize other tests, which would determine the burden of the disease as well as the spread of the outbreak. Considering the need for the development of such a screening test, an attempt was made to develop and evaluate an IgG-based ELISA for COVID-19. Methods: A total of 513 blood samples (131 positive, 382 negative for SARS-CoV-2) were collected and tested by microneutralization test (MNT). Antigen stock of SARS-CoV-2 was prepared by propagating the virus in Vero CCL-81 cells. An IgG capture ELISA was developed for serological detection of anti- SARS-CoV-2 IgG in serum samples. The end point cut-off values were determined by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Inter-assay variability was determined. Results: The developed ELISA was found to be 92.37 per cent sensitive, 97.9 per cent specific, robust and reproducible. The positive and negative predictive values were 94.44 and 98.14 per cent, respectively. Interpretation & conclusions: This indigenously developed IgG ELISA was found to be sensitive and specific for the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG in human serum samples. This assay may be used for determining seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in a population exposed to the virus [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]