• Investigating the effect of L. edodes on viral immunity caused by influenza pneumonia caused by it
  • Saeed feyzbabaei cheshmeh sefid,1 فاطمه وحید دوست ,2 ali mohammad Bahrami,3,*
    1. Bachelor of vet Laboratory Science, Faculty of Para Veterinary Medicine, Ilam University - Iran - Iran
    2. Iran,ilam,ilam university,veterinary medicin,senior student of histology.
    3. Ilam university, college of para veterinary science


  • Introduction: This is a virus from the Orthomyxoviridae family that causes many symptoms of the common cold. The RNA influenza virus is a severe respiratory infection that mostly affects people during the winter season, and many of the deaths we witness annually are caused by its growth and transmission, resulting in pneumonia and death. Symptoms of this disease range from high fever and headache to nasal congestion, sore throat, chest pain, severe malaise, and pneumonia. The incidence of the disease can occur from contact with aerosols from infected individuals in the case of swine and avian flu, or from exposure to contaminated animals. Shiitake mushroom is an edible fungus that its active ingredient, AHCC, grows in China and Japan and is now available worldwide as a viral and bacterial disease inhibitor and immune system booster in the form of tablets. The aim of this study is to confirm the antiviral and antibacterial process of this type of mushroom in acute influenza in Syrian rats. In this research, after infecting a rat with the flu and confirming it, the rats were divided into two groups: control and treated with shiitake mushroom extract. The results clearly showed that the recovery rate in the group treated with shiitake mushroom extract was significantly higher than the control group, which received distilled water.
  • Methods: We collected 800g of raw shiitake mushroom and dried it using indirect heat in a sterile autoclave. We extracted the essence using a Soxhlet extractor and concentrated it to a volume of 200ml using a rotary evaporator. The concentrated extract was kept in the dark at 20°C. We separated 40 male Syrian mice weighing 300g each and injected them intraperitoneally with a standard strain of influenza type C and Streptococcus pneumoniae. They were randomly divided into two groups of 20 and marked accordingly, then kept in cages. After verifying the presence of influenza and pneumonia symptoms with an electronic thermometer, we began treatment with the shiitake mushroom extract. The rats were given the extract three times a day in doses of 2.5ml, 3ml, and 5ml using a syringe. The control group received the same dose of distilled water. After 21 days, we examined the important results and recorded them in a table.
  • Results: Based on the results obtained from this study, it can be stated that this type of edible mushroom can be one of the most helpful medications for controlling and even treating severe influenza, and can potentially cure it. Given the indiscriminate use of antibiotics and self-medication, it would be better for doctors to prescribe mushroom extract powder and even edible mushrooms as one of the strongest antiviral and antibacterial substances, instead of prescribing antibiotics and antihistamine drugs.
  • Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be inferred that this type of plant can be a useful therapeutic aid for severe cases of influenza. Additionally, Dr. Anderson demonstrated its antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties through research conducted in 2020 (16). Professor Koda confirmed the antiviral activity of this fungus in a separate study, and in 2023, Ahmad also confirmed its antiviral effects (17). Furthermore, Dr. Young examined and confirmed the anti-inflammatory effects of this substance in 2022.
  • Keywords: Shiitake, pneumonia, mushroom , viral infection , traditional medicine