Prediction of the Vaccine-derived Poliovirus Outbreak Incidence: A Hybrid Machine Learning Approach
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Authors: Hemedan, Ahmed A.; Abd Elaziz, Mohamed; Jiao, Pengcheng; Alavi, Amir H.; Bahgat, Mahmoud; Ostaszewski, Marek; Schneider, Reinhard; Ghazy, Haneen A.; Ewees, Ahmed A.; Lu, Songfeng
Abstract
Recently, significant attention has been devoted to vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) surveillance due to its severe consequences. Prediction of the outbreak incidence of VDPF requires an accurate analysis of the alarming data. The overarching aim to this study is to develop a novel hybrid machine learning approach to identify the key parameters that dominate the outbreak incidence of VDPV. The proposed method is based on the integration of random vector functional link (RVFL) networks with a robust optimization algorithm called whale optimization algorithm (WOA). WOA is applied to improve the accuracy of the RVFL network by finding the suitable parameter configurations for the algorithm. The classification performance of the WOA-RVFL method is successfully validated using a number of datasets from the UCI machine learning repository. Thereafter, the method is implemented to track the VDPV outbreak incidences recently occurred in several provinces in Lao People's Democratic Republic. The results demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the WOA-RVFL algorithm in detecting the VDPV outbreak incidences, as well as its superior performance to the traditional RVFL method.
Metagenomic analysis identifies human adenovirus 31 in children with acute flaccid paralysis in Tunisia
ARCHIVES OF VIROLOGY
Authors: Haddad-Boubaker, Sondes; Joffret, Marie-Line; Perot, Philippe; Bessaud, Mael; Meddeb, Zina; Touzi, Hinda; Delpeyroux, Francis; Triki, Henda; Eloit, Marc
Abstract
A variety of viruses can cause acute flaccid paralysis (AFP). However, the causative agent, sometimes, remains undetermined. Metagenomics helps in identifying viruses not diagnosed by conventional methods. Stool samples from AFP (n=104) and non-AFP (n=114) cases that tested enterovirus-negative by WHO standard methods were investigated. A metagenomics approach, first used on five pools of four samples each, revealed the presence of adenovirus sequences. Amplification in A549 cells and full-genome sequencing were used for complete virus identification and for designing a PCR assay to screen individual related samples. Metagenomic analysis showed that adenovirus sequences that were closely to the A31 and A61 genotypes were the most abundant. Two out of the corresponding 20 individual samples were found positive by PCR, and isolates were obtained in cell culture. Phylogenetic analysis based on complete genome sequences showed that the viruses belong to HAdV-A31 genotype (98-100% nucleotide sequence identity). PCR analysis of stool samples from all AFP and non-AFP cases revealed that a larger proportion of the positive samples were from AFP cases (17.3%) than from non-AFP cases (2.4%). These results open the way to studies aiming to test a possible role of HAdV-A31 in the pathogenesis of AFP.