Study of human parvovirus B19, bocavirus and parvovirus 4 involvement in inflammatory neurological diseases using an interdisciplinary approach

Project financially supported by:

• Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia,
• Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania,
• Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of China (Taiwan) joint fund for Scientific Cooperation. 

Project partners

• Dr. M. Murovska (Rīga Stradiņš University, Latvia)
• Dr. R. Petraitytė Burneikienė (Vilniaus universitetas, Lithuania)
• Hsin-Fu Liu (Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taiwan)

Activities of the project

• Database creation on the epidemiology of B19 and HBoV in adults with meningitis and encephalitis/meningoencephalitis with unknown etiology and unspecified encephalopathy, and biobank creation for further molecular biological, serological and genetic studies;
• Detection viral DNA of B19, HBoV and hPARV4 in study cohort using various polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques;
• Development of highly specific and sensitive monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) by virus like particles (VLPs); 
• Development of highly positive predictive value (PPV) serological examination tools;
• Detection of IgM and IgG  types of  antibodies and antigen immunoexpression by using  serological examination tools and mAbs;
• The complete analysis of viral gene characteristic and evolution phylodynamics;
• Organization of workshops, seminars, reporting at local/international congresses and conferences, preparation of scientific publications;
• Preparing master and doctoral works within the frame of project.

Project output

2017.gads

Workshop in Vilnius, 27th-28th of September, 2017

Research team members from all three countries participating in the project realisation have met in Vilnius (Lithuania) on September 27–28, 2017, where presentations of preliminary results and reports on the progress of development of methods according to the tasks for the first project year were done. The main tasks for the next project year for each group and the most efficient collaboration strategies were also discussed.

Meeting agenda

Project results presented in international conferences (one – oral presentation and 3 as poster presentations)

• 9th International Virology Congress and Expo, March 13-14, 2017, London, UK 

Presence of human parvovirus B19 genomic sequence in tissue DNA of post-mortem individuals with unspecified encephalopathy
A.Vilmane, A.Terentjeva, I.Sedleniece, S.Rasa, N.Sūna, M.Murovska, Z.Nora-Krūkle; 

• 10th International Conference on HHV-6 & 7, July 24-26, 2017, Berlin, Germany

Cellular localization of HHV-7 and B19 in the frontal and temporal lobes of the elderly, 
S.Skuja, A.Vilmane, Š.Svirskis, V.Groma, M.Murovska 

• 9th Baltic Morphology Conference, September 27–29, 2017, Tartu, Estonia

 Morphological evaluation of frontal and temporal lobes of the elderly in the case of B19 infection
 S.Skuja, I.Beinaroviča, S.Roga, V.Groma, M.Murovska;

• Conference Modern Concepts & Methods in Microbiology, Virology & Immunology, November 2-3, 2017, Minsk, Belarus. 

 Presence of Parvovirus B19 Genomic Sequences and Expression of B19 Antigens in Tissue from Post-mortem Individuals with Unspecified Encephalopathy
 A.Vilmane, S.Skuja, S.Roga, S.Rasa, Z.Nora-Krūkle, M.Murovska

2018.gads

Workshop in Riga, 28th of June, 2018

Research team members from all three countries participating in the project realisation met in workshop in Rīga Stradiņš University, Riga (Latvia) on June 28th, 2018, where presentations of currently obtained results and reports on the progress of implementation of methods according to the tasks for the second project year were reflected. The main tasks for the further project period for each group and the most efficient collaboration strategies were also discussed. Moreover manuscript preparation and publication strategy was developed.

Meeting agenda

Project results presented in international conferences 

• International conference Viruses 2018 – Breakthroughs in Viral Replication, Barcelona, Spain, February 7 – 9, 2018. 

Immunohistochemical Evidence of Human Parvovirus B19 Infection in the Post-Mortem Brain Tissue of the Elderly (poster presentation) 
S.Skuja, I.Beinaroviča, V.Groma, Modra Murovska  

• Rīga Stradiņš University Scientific conference 2018, Riga, Latvia, March 22-23, 2018.

Cilvēka parvovīrusa B19 genoma sekvences sastopamības biežums DNS paraugos no post-mortem indivīdiem ar neprecizētu encefalopātiju
A.Vilmane, Z.Nora-Krūkle, S.Rasa, S.Čapenko, S.Roga, M.Murovska 

• Conference “The 21st ESCV Annual Meeting”, Athens, Greece, September 23 – 26, 2018

Presence of human parvovirus B19, human bocaviruses and human parvovirus 4 genomic sequences in DNA of patients with meningitis/meningoencephalitis 
A.Vilmane, A.Terentjeva, I.Sedleniece, S.Rasa, N.Sūna, M.Murovska, Z.Nora-Krukle

Presence of human bocaviruses and parvovirus 4 genomic sequences in post mortem individuals with unspecified encephalopathy
Z.Nora-Krukle, A.Vilmane, I.Sedleniece, S.Rasa, S.Roga and M.Murovska

Publication

Evidence of Human Parvovirus B19 Infection in the Post-Mortem Brain Tissue of the Elderly. Skuja S, Vilmane A, Svirskis S, Groma V, Murovska M. 
Viruses. 2018 Oct 25;10(11). pii: E582. doi: 10.3390/v10110582.
 

2019.gads

Workshop in Taipei (Taiwan), 15th of October, 2019

Workshop in Taipei (Taiwan) was held in Mackay Memorial Hospital on 15th of October, 2019. Research team members from all three countries participating in the project realisation met in the workshop, where presentations of obtained results and reports on the progress of implementation of methods according to the tasks for the third project year were reflected. Participants agreed on the results to be reflected in the manuscripts, both country-specific and common.

Training course in Lithuania, 2nd-4th of December, 2019

In Lithuania, Vilnius, on December 2-4, 2019, Anda Vilmane, Researcher from RSU Institute of Microbiology and Virology, have participated in 3-day long individual training course Principles of immunohistochemistry for studying the presence of parvovirus B19 specific antigens in brain tissue supervised by Lithuanian team members.

Training course agenda

Project results presented in international conferences 

• Rīga Stradiņš University International Student Conference Health and Social Sciences,  Riga, Latvia, April 4-5, 2019

Implication of human parvoviruses in aetiology of meningitis and meningoencephalitis
Anna Terentjeva, Modra Murovska, Anda Vilmane, Santa Rasa, Zaiga Nora-Krūkle,  Normunds Sūna

• 77th International Scientific Conference of the University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia, February 22, 2019

Presence of human parvoviruses among blood donors in Latvia
Anna Terentjeva, Anda Vilmane, Santa Rasa, Zaiga Nora-Krukle, Modra Murovska

• The 22nd ESCV Annual Meeting, Copenhagen, Denmark, September 11-14, 2019

Presence of Parvoviruses Infection Markers Among Patients with Encephalopathy
Anda Vilmane, Paulius L. Tamošiūnas, Rasa Petraitytė-Burneikienė, Anna Terentjeva, Normunds Suna, Santa Rasa-Dzelzkaleja, Modra Murovska, Zaiga Nora-Krukle
 

Parvovirus 4 and human bocaviruses involvement in inflammatory neurological diseases
Justas Lazutka, Rasa Petraitytė-Burneikienė, Paulius L. Tamošiūnas, Zaiga Nora-Krukle, Anda Vilmane, Modra Murovska