Influenza virus infections are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Influenza activity varies worldwide, and regional detection is influenced by geographic conditions, demographic and patient-risk factors. We assessed influenza activity and patterns of seasonality during three consecutive years (2001-2003) in three risk groups in São Paulo city. Four-hundred-twelve outpatients with acu...

Abstract : Avian influenza virus (AIV) infection is a major cause of influenza mortality in birds and can cause human mortality and morbidity. Although the risk of infection with avian influenza virus (AIV) is generally low for most people, the pathogenic virus can cross the species barrier and acquires the ability to infect and be transmitted among the human population; therefore the ra...

Influenza viruses A and B are world-wide major causative agents of human acute respiratory infections. Three subtypes of HA (H1 to H3) and two subtypes of NA (N1 and N2) are found among influenza A viruses that have caused epidemics and pandemics among humans. For the rapid isolation and identification of influenza viruses in clinical samples variety of methods are available but the use of nucl...

Influenza epidemics are responsible for an average of approximately 20,000 deaths per year in the United States. The main method for preventing influenza and its severe complications is influenza vaccination. Influenza-specific antiviral drugs are an important adjunct to vaccine but are not a substitute for vaccine. In the United States, four antiviral agents are approved for preventing or trea...

The urgent need of neuraminidase inhibitors (NI) has provided an impetus for understanding the structure requisite at molecular level. Our search for selective inhibitors of neuraminidase has led to the identification of pharmacophoric requirements at various positions around acyl thiourea pharmacophore. The main objective of present study is to develop selective NI, with least toxicity and dru...

eMJA RAPID ONLINE PUBLICATION UPDATED 13 AUGUST 2009 inc inf an S e the initial reports of H1N1 influenza (human swine luenza; caused by influenza A/2009/H1N1/swl) in Mexico d the United States in mid April 2009, many thousands of cases have been reported worldwide. At the time of writing, community transmission is becoming established in many areas in Australia, but the number of reported case...

L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is one of the well-known anti-viral agents, especially to influenza virus. Since the in vivo anti-viral effect is still controversial, we investigated whether vitamin C could regulate influenza virus infection in vivo by using Gulo (-/-) mice, which cannot synthesize vitamin C like humans. First, we found that vitamin C-insufficient Gulo (-/-) mice expired within 1 w...