Parvaneh Mehrbod
academic member of Pasteur Institute of Iran
Title: Influenza A virus treatment as an infectious disease
Biography:
Parvaneh Mehrbod, academic member of Pasteur Institute of Iran, started her postgraduate study in 2006 at University of Tehran in the field of Cellular and Molecular Biology and pursued her PhD study in Molecular Biotechnology at Universiti Putra Malaysia. She was successful to obtain postdoctoral fellowship awards from Universiti Putra Malaysia (2014), Pasteur Institute of Iran (2016) and University of Pretoria (2016-2018). These years’ experiences of research provided her with the opportunity and enthusiasm for successful international collaborations. She has several publications of her research findings in peer reviewed journals and conference proceedings, and has many more in collaborations.
Abstract:
Samples of body fluids can sometimes reveal evidence of the particular microbe that's causing illness. Blood tests, urine tests, throat swabs, stool sample, spinal tap, imaging scans and biopsies are the type of samplings. Antibiotics, antifungals and anti-parasitics are used against bacteria, fungi and parasites, respectively. In regards to antivirals, they can treat some, but not all, viruses. Examples include some important viruses that cause: HIV/AIDS, Herpes, Hepatitis B & C and Influenza. Regarding influenza A virus (IAV), it is a respiratory tract pathogen which causes a great number of deaths and hospitalizations including approximately 49,000 deaths and up to 35,600,000 morbidity cases annually in the USA alone.
For this kind of infection, lifestyle and home remedies are important. Drinking plenty of fluids, taking vitamin C and zinc and also getting lots of rest are the primary steps. However, the clinical manifestations of this infection are related to immune dysregulation, which cause serious risk factor for morbidity and mortality.
Previously, the treatment focus was on direct effect on the virus. Amantdine and oseltamivir are conventional drugs with side effects which have not been successful in controlling this infection in most of the pandemics and epidemics. Recently, scientists have focused on medications which are able to control this infection indirectly by affecting the virus-host interaction pathways and reduction of the outcomes of this infection.
The use of medications with immunomudulatory properties against influenza infection has been increased recently.
In our research we have tested different drugs and compounds with emphasis on virus-host interaction system; like:
Over-the-counter drugs such as statins, Herbal-marine compound named HESA-A, Complementary and alternative medicine such as Edible Bird Nest (EBN) and also different local plants extracts.