Dengue fever/Dengue haemorrhagic fever (DF/DHF) has been a public health problem in Malaysia with an endemic level of about 7 per 100,000 population per year. In 1990, Malaysia experienced its most severe outbreak of DF/DHF with a record total of 5,590 cases referred to the Division of Virology, Institute for Medical Research (IMR). Of these, 1,880 were confirmed serologically to be DF/DHF. The...

BACKGROUND Although seasonal influenza vaccine is effective in the elderly, immune responses to vaccination are lower in the elderly than in younger adults. Strategies to optimise responses to vaccination in the elderly include using an adjuvanted vaccine or using an intradermal vaccination route. The immunogenicity of an intradermal seasonal influenza vaccine was compared with that of an adjuv...

Heterotheca inuloides Cass. (Asteraceae) is used in the traditional medicine of Mexico. The aqueous extract obtained from the flowers of H. inuloides was assessed for anti-inflammatory activity by carrageenan-induced edema test. At 100 mg/kg, i.p, it produced 29% inhibition of inflammation. Ethyl ether (HI-1), butanol (HI-2) and aqueous fraction (HI-3) were obtained from the aqueous extract. Th...

INTRODUCTION Recent studies have demonstrated that inactivated seasonal influenza vaccines (IIV) may elicit production of heterosubtypic antibodies, which can neutralize avian H5N1 virus in a small proportion of subjects. We hypothesized that prime boost regimens of live and inactivated trivalent seasonal influenza vaccines (LAIV and IIV) would enhance production of heterosubtypic immunity and ...

Patterns of serum and C.S.F. IgG, IgA and IgM, and haemagglutination inhibiting (HI) antibodies and complement fixing (CF) antibodies against rubella and cytomegaloviruses respectively and total CSF protein were investigated in 30 depressives, 20 each in neurological and surgical patients. Significant changes in total CSF protein and immunoglobulins in depressives and neurological patients in c...

the evaluation of immune status to measles among school children in south of tehran, blood samples were collected from 375 randomly selected school children of elementary schools, junior high schools and high schools. the measurement of measles antibody titer was made by haemagglutination inhibition test, with antibody titer > 1/4 considered as positive. among 375 school children, 6% of them we...

BACKGROUND We examined the anti-influenza virus activity of tricin, 4',5,7-trihydroxy-3',5'-dimethoxyflavone, against five viruses: A/Solomon islands/3/2006 (H1N1), A/Hiroshima/52/2005 (H3N2), A/California/07/2009 (H1N1pdm), A/Narita/1/2009 (H1N1pdm) and B/Malaysia/2506/2004 strains in vitro and against A/PR/8/34 virus in vivo. METHODS The effect of tricin was studied by an infectious virus y...

Encephalomyocarditis and influenza viruses attach to human erythrocytes causing haemagglutination. The receptor for both viruses on these cells is the major membrane sialoglycoprotein, glycophorin, solubilized preparations of which inhibit haemagglutination by either virus. We show here that glycophorin preparations inhibited haemagglutination of both viruses, even after the preparations were d...