MOSCOW, 27 Jul – . The mechanism of evolution of bocaviruses, which are deadly for children and pets, was studied by NCFU scientists as part of an international team. The results, according to them, in the future will make it possible to improve vaccines and drugs to combat the pathogen, as well as to develop special nutrition for patients. The results are published in the Journal of King Saud University — Science.
Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a DNA virus that is generally not dangerous in itself, but almost always causes other severe infections of the respiratory tract and stomach. Also, different subspecies of this virus can greatly complicate the course of a number of different diseases.
Most HBoV infections cause a self-limiting influenza-like illness that can be exacerbated by severe life-threatening conditions such as respiratory failure, pneumothorax, and myocarditis.
Bocaviruses are especially dangerous for patients with weakened immune systems and oncological diseases. Co-infection of bocavirus and respiratory syncytial virus leads to pneumonia and prolonged hospitalization.
HBoV occurs most frequently in children aged 6 months to 2 years, experts said. In addition, according to them, viruses of this family are very dangerous for pets and can be transmitted from them to humans.
Scientists from the North Caucasian Federal University (NCFU) took part in a large-scale international study of the molecular mechanisms of the evolution of the HBoV1 subspecies, which hits the respiratory tract. The work was carried out jointly with colleagues from India, Austria, Australia, Saudi Arabia and the UK. NCFU scientists were developing a methodological framework for work, systematizing the available literature to select the optimal conditions for working with pathogens. ://ria.ru/20230622/infektsii-1879738964.html» data->
«
“The main part of the study is the analysis of codons, that is, triplets of nucleotides that program protein synthesis by cells. Based on the set of codons, one can determine the principle of pathogen evolution: whether it develops due to random mutations that are fixed in the population, or due to the so-called selection pressure, that is, the unification of the genome of each individual organism,” said one of the co-authors of the publication, a researcher Faculty of Food Engineering and Biotechnology of NCFU Sergey Povetkin.
According to scientists, having examined the genetic material of more than 800 strains of bocavirus, they were able to describe the chemical composition and the ratio of different nucleotides in the structure of the pathogen. It turned out that the same codons are found in almost all studied samples of HBoV1. This suggests that the mechanism of selection pressure prevails over random mutagenesis.
«The findings allow us not only to understand the molecular mechanisms of the development of this pathogen, but also to create a special diet that facilitates the course of the disease. Our university is already work in this direction. In the future, these data will also help to more effectively «weaken» HBoV1. Also, at NCFU, under the leadership of the Dean of the Faculty of Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Natalia Obturova, research is being conducted to create a balanced diet and a special diet for those who are on the mend,» – explained Povetkin. ->
NCFU is a member of the Priority-2030 state support program for Russian universities.