Mehdi Fazlali

• PhD
• Faculty Member at Pasteur Institute of Iran

Background Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a lethal acute viral zoonosis with a case fatality rate of 5–50%. Due to the potential of human-to human transmission of the disease, healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk of occupational exposure to CCHF virus. Little is known about CCHF virus route of transmission and risks in Iranian HCWs. Th...

Strengthening surveillance systems is a key aspect of outbreak response and was particularly important during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Respiratory pathogens spread rapidly, and laboratory capacity is key to monitoring the spread. Prior to the pandemic, Iran had established a rapid response team and laboratory network to provide identification, monito...

Pasteur Institute of Iran has identified 1677 confirmed cases of CCHF from 2000 to 2019. In recent years, there has been a concerning decrease in cases due to COVID-19, with only 138 confirmed cases in 2020-2022 compared to 358 from in 2017-2019.

Background: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a potentially fatal tick-borne viral disease. Hard ticks are both carriers and reservoirs of the CCHF virus. In this regard, the present study was done to investigate the CCHF viral infection in collected ticks from livestock in Gonabad City (Southwest of Razavi Khorasan Province) in Eastern Ira...

This review discusses the possible involvement of infections-associated cancers in humans, with virus infections contributing 15% to 20% of total cancer cases in humans. DNA virus encoded proteins interact with host cellular signaling pathways and control proliferation, cell death and genomic integrity viral oncoproteins are known to bind cellular...

Background & objectives: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a deadly viral infection reported from more than 30 countries. It is considered a zoonosis↱ and tick bites are the main route of transmission in nature. So far, the virus has been identified in 31 species of hard (Ixodidae) and soft (Argasidae) ticks. The aim of this study was to d...

Introduction: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a zoonotic viral infection transmitted mainly via CCHF virus-infected ticks between vertebrate hosts. The disease occurs in almost all provinces of Iran. This study investigated the CCHFV infection in hard ticks collected from livestock in the Sistan region of Sistan and Baluchestan Province,...

SARS-CoV-2, a newly emerging coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 epidemic, has been spreading quickly throughout the world. Despite immunization and some fairly effective therapeutic regimens, SARS-CoV-2 has been ravaging patients, health workers, and the economy. SARS-CoV-2 mutates and evolves to adapt to its host as a result of extreme selection...

Aim: To evaluate the frequency of West Nile virus (WNV) in blood donors of the blood transfusion center of Fars province, Iran. Materials & methods: A total of 337 participants referred for blood donation to Fars blood centers were included. The presence of anti-WNV antibodies was analyzed using the WNV IgG ELISA kit. Results: Out of all participan...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.hlpt.2021.100506.].

The objectives of the present study were to investigate prevalence and biodiversity components of hard ticks as potential vectors of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus in livestock of Iran–Afghanistan borderline in 2019. A total of 865 ticks were randomly collected from 10 counties of Iran–Afghanistan border line. Camels, cows, goats, and sheep...

Ticks are vectors for several important zoonoses including different species of Anaplasma. The present study aims to determine the presence of Anaplasma spp. in hard ticks collected from livestock of South-Khorasan province, Iran. A total of 684 livestock were sampled and 269 ticks were collected. Two genera and 6 species of ticks were identified i...

This study was conducted to specifically investigate the seroprevalence of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) in one-humped camels, and CCHFV ribonucleic acid (RNA) in ticks attached to one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) imported from Pakistan into Iran. Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever is a tick-borne viral zoonotic disease caused...

Hantaviruses are rodent-borne zoonosis pathogens that cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) in humans. Rodents spread the virus via their excretions. The outbreak of Hantaviruses pose a significant public health problem. The epidemiology and history of Hantaviruses in Iran is not clear and...

Background: Mosquito galactose-specific C-type lectins (mosGCTLs), such as mosGCTL-1, act as ligands to facilitate the invasion of flaviviruses like West Nile virus (WNV). WNV interacts with the mosGCTL-1 of Aedes aegypti (Culicidae) and facilitates the invasion of this virus. Nevertheless, there is no data about the role of mosGCTL-1 as a transmi...

Background & objectives: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne viral zoonosis with up to 50% mortality rate in humans. In addition to the role of animals in the transmission of the virus and spread of infected ticks through livestock trade, they can be employed as sentinel hosts for monitoring the infection. Iran is one of the end...

Background: Ticks are vectors of a wide variety of pathogens that can be transmitted to humans, and tick-borne diseases are a significant public health issue worldwide. The present study was carried out on the hard tick infestation of livestock transported to Rafsanjan slaughter house in the southeast of Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional survey w...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid‐19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome‐coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) which is responsible for a global pandemic that started in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. To prevent the worldwide spread of this highly pathogenic virus, development of an effective and safe vaccine is urgently needed. The SARS‐CoV‐2 and SARS‐...

Background: Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a neurotropic tick-borne virus circulating in vast geographical areas of the northern hemisphere. Although the presence of TBEV vector has been documented in north Iran, there is no information about the circulation of TBEV in the country. Objectives: This study was designed in order to determinat...

Abstract Background Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a widespread mosquito-borne virus representing a serious challenge to public health. The largest outbreak in the Middle-East was recorded in 2016–2017 in Pakistan. Sistan and Baluchistan Province of Iran shares a wide border with Pakistan; accordingly, introduction of CHIKV from Pakistan to Iran seem...

After reading this chapter, it is expected to learn the public health importance of Aedes borne diseases, describe the control methods and factors affecting their distribution in the world. The book is in Persian.

Background & objectives: West Nile virus (WNV) is a neurotropic Flavivirus transmitted to humans through mosquito bites. As there is no specific antiviral treatment or approved vaccine against WNV, control and prevention of the infection is the best strategy to reduce the burden of WNV-related diseases. The circulation of WNV has been indicated in...

Background: Hantaviruses are a group of emerging pathogens causing hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome in human. This study was conducted to investigate Hantavirus infection among Iranian viral hemorrhagic fever suspected patients. Methods: From April 2014 to June 2016, 113 cases from 25 different provin...

Background West Nile Virus (WNV), a member of the genus Flavivirus, is one of the most widely distributed arboviruses in the world. Despite some evidence for circulation of WNV in countries summarized by the World Health Organization as the Eastern Mediterrian Regional Office (EMRO), comprehensive knowledge about its epidemiology remains largely un...

PRISMA 2009 checklist. (DOC)

Introduction: Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a fatal tick-borne viral zoonosis with a case fatality rate of 5% to 30%. CCHF has been documented as the most frequent tick-borne viral infection in Iran with more than 50 cases annually. Kerman Province in the south of Iran is one of the CCHF-endemic areas of the country, but no data on infe...

Introduction: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a fatal tick-borne viral zoonosis. CCHF virus (CCHFV) has 7 distinct genotypes with a determined geographical distribution pattern. However, similar genotypes have been reported from distant geographical areas. Case Presentation: On 4 June 2016, a CCHF suspected case from Sanandaj city, Kurdis...

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral zoonotic disease which is endemic in Iran. The etiological agent of CCHF is an RNA virus belonging to the genus Nairovirus of the family Bunyaviridae. CCHF virus (CCHFV) can be transmitted to humans through bites from infected ticks and direct contact with infected blood or tissues. Although the dis...

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is the most wide-spread, tick-borne viral disease affecting humans. The disease is endemic in many regions such as Africa, Asia, Eastern and Southern Europe, and Central Asia. Recently, the incidence of CCHF has increased rapidly in the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the World Health Organiza...

Introduction: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an acute viral zoonotic disease, which is endemic in vast geographic areas including the Middle East. The causative agent, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), is a Nairovirus, which is mainly transmitted to human from infected hard ticks and viremic livestock. Case Presentation: In...

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. Roles of the Epstein-Barr, Merkel cell polyoma and mouse mammary tumor viruses in breast carcinogenesis are still controversial although any relationship would clearly be important for breast cancer etiology, early detection and prevention. In the present study associations between EBV,...

Gradual development of a useful vaccine can be the main point in the control and eradication of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Hepatitis C Virus envelope glycoproteins are considered as the main HCV vaccine candidate. In this study, the Pichia pastoris expression system was used to express a recombinant HCV CoreE1E2 protein, which consists of C...

Polymorphisms in the region of the interleukin IL-28 gene on chromosome 19 have been related with clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV), a major human pathogen responsible for chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. About 3% of the world's population is infected with HCV. The long-term response to therapy is influenced by many hos...

Since the first report of RNA interference (RNAi) less than a decade ago, this type of molecular intervention has been introduced to repress gene expression in vitro and also for in vivo studies in mammals. Understanding the mechanisms of action of synthetic small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) underlies use as therapeutic agents in the areas of cancer...

Every year, seasonal epidemics of influenza viruses are causing considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. Also infrequent novel and rearranged strains of influenza viruses have caused quick, acute universal pandemics resulting in millions of mortalities. The usage of efficient and accurate detection is superior for infection control, effectiv...

The human papilloma virus (HPV) causes skin and mucous membrane infections. It crosses from one person to another by skin-to-skin contact, such as sexual contact. There are more than 100 types of HPV that can influence different parts of the body. Some types of HPV can cause cancer (such as cervical or anal cancer) and others can cause warts (such...

Human Bocavirus (HBoV) infection is of worldwide distribution. There is increasing evidencethat HBoV is pathogenic for the human gastroenteric tract. However, less data are available on the role of HBoVin gastroenteritis. The present study was aimed to determine the prevalence of HBoV in children with gastroenteritis. Real-time PCR TaqMan was used...

In more than half of infertile men, the cause of their infertility is unknown. Several studies revealed the role of viral infections in male infertility. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 in semen from asymptomatic infertile male patients, and its association with altered semen...

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes acute and chronic human hepatitis infection and as such is an important global health problem. The virus was discovered in the USA in 1989 and it is now known that three to four million people are infected every year, WHO estimating that 3 percent of the 7 billion people worldwide being chronically infect...

Introduction: Rubella is a disease caused by the rubella virus and it is usually mild and self-limiting. Infection of a developing fetus is serious and important because the child may be born with congenital rubella syndrome. Its symptoms include mental retardation, heart defects, cataract, etc. In 2003, mass vaccination against measles and rubella...