Community prevalence of blood-borne viruses (hepatitis B and HIV) in Ireland.

Background: Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus and HIV causes significant morbidity and mortality. Effective antiviral treatment is available for both. Ireland has historically been considered a low prevalence country.

Torque Teno Virus Loads as a Marker of Immunosuppression in Pediatric Kidney Transplant Recipients.

Background: Long-term renal function and survival after kidney transplantation rely on appropriate immunosuppressive treatment to prevent the risk of rejection. New biomarkers are needed to accurately assess the degree of immunosuppression in renal transplant recipients in order to avoid organ rejection and the development of opportunistic infections. Highly prevalent in humans, torque teno virus (TTV), which belongs to the family Anelloviridae, is a small, nonenveloped, single-stranded DNA virus which has not been linked with any specific human illness, but which constitutes a major component of the human virome.

Multiple introductions of monkeypox virus to Ireland during the international mpox outbreak, May 2022 to October 2023.

BackgroundMpox, caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV), was considered a rare zoonotic disease before May 2022, when a global epidemic of cases in non-endemic countries led to the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Cases of mpox in Ireland, a country without previous mpox reports, could reflect extended local transmission or multiple epidemiological introductions.AimTo elucidate the origins and molecular characteristics of MPXV circulating in Ireland between May 2022 and October 2023.

Hepatitis C community prevalence is over-estimated: a prospective, birth cohort study.

Background: Hepatitis C virus infection is often asymptomatic, and many patients may be unaware they are infected. Community-based, birth cohort screening has been advocated to identify these patients. It has been estimated that 0.

Detection of hepatitis E RNA in pork products at point of retail in Ireland - Are consumers at risk?

Hepatitis E (HEV), a zoonotic virus, is the leading cause of acute viral hepatitis in Europe. The presence of HEV in domestic pigs can result in infections in humans through consumption of pork products which are undercooked or where processing methods are insufficient to inactivate the virus. In Ireland, pork accounts for 34 % of all meat consumption (CSO, 2022) and the prevalence of HEV in products at point of retail has not previously been characterised.

Whole-genome sequencing to investigate transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the acute healthcare setting: a systematic review.

Background: Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has been used widely to elucidate transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in acute healthcare settings, and to guide infection, prevention, and control (IPC) responses.

Aim: To systematically appraise available literature, published between January 1, 2020 and June 30, 2022, describing the implementation of WGS in acute healthcare settings to characterize nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Methods: Searches of the PubMed, Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, EBSCO MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library databases identified studies in English reporting the use of WGS to investigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission in acute healthcare environments.

New perspectives on respiratory syncytial virus surveillance at the national level: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://bit.ly/40TsO0G

Adeno-Associated Virus 2 and Human Adenovirus F41 in Wastewater during Outbreak of Severe Acute Hepatitis in Children, Ireland.

During April-July 2022, outbreaks of severe acute hepatitis of unknown etiology (SAHUE) were reported in 35 countries. Five percent of cases required liver transplantation, and 22 patients died. Viral metagenomic studies of clinical samples from SAHUE cases showed a correlation with human adenovirus F type 41 (HAdV-F41) and adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2).

D614G SARS-CoV-2 Pseudovirus Infectivity and Binding of Spike Protein to the ACE2 Receptor Inversely Correlates with Serum SARS-CoV-2-Specific IgG Levels.

Understanding the functional characteristics of antibodies produced against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) will assist in the determination of disease outcomes for this virus. In this study, the ability of antibodies to inhibit viral entry into the host cell through the interaction of the receptor binding domain of the viral spike protein and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor on the human cell surface was investigated. The SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels in 20 SARS-CoV-2 positive patients were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the samples were further analyzed using a functional binding assay.

A viral metagenomic protocol for nanopore sequencing of group A rotavirus.

Aim: Development of an unbiased methodology using Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) sequencing to obtain whole-genome sequences (WGS) of Rotavirus A (RVA) from clinical samples.

Methods: 157 RVA qRT-PCR positive faecal samples were enriched by virus-like particle (VLP) purification and host nuclease digestion to enhance the detection of viral nucleic acids and cDNA generated as per the NetoVIR protocol. ONT sequencing was then performed using the ONT Native Barcoding kit (SQK-LSK-109) on the GridION platform.

Mumps-specific IgG, IgG subclasses and neutralization titres to the vaccine and outbreak mumps strains differ in vaccinated healthy controls, breakthrough mumps infection cases and naturally infected individuals.

Background: Despite widespread use of the mumps vaccine resulting in significant reduction in the incidence of symptomatic mumps infection, large outbreaks continue to occur in highly vaccinated populations.

Objectives: We examined the mumps-specific IgG, IgG subclasses and neutralization titres to the outbreak Genotype G5 and Jeryl Lynn vaccine (Genotype A) mumps strains.

Study Design: Sera from 207 individuals were classified into five distinct cohorts: healthy controls and mumps cases of 5-17 years and 18-25 years, and naturally infected individuals of 50+ years.

Another Step Toward Hepatitis C Elimination: An Economic Evaluation of an Irish National Birth Cohort Testing Program.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of offering once-off birth cohort testing for hepatitis C virus (HCV) to people in Ireland born between 1965 and 1985, the cohort with the highest reported prevalence of undiagnosed chronic HCV infection.

Methods: Systematic and opportunistic HCV birth cohort testing programs, implemented over a 4-year timeframe, were compared with the current practice of population risk-based testing only in a closed-cohort decision tree and Markov model hybrid over a lifetime time horizon. Outcomes were expressed in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs).

Acute Pulmonary Exacerbation Phenotypes in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis.

The etiology of cystic fibrosis (CF) pulmonary exacerbations (PEx) is likely multifactorial with viral, bacterial, and non-infectious pathways contributing. To determine whether viral infection status and CRP (C-reactive protein) can classify subphenotypes of PEx that differ in outcomes and biomarker profiles. Patients were recruited at time of admission for a PEx.

SARS-CoV-2 variant trends in Ireland: Wastewater-based epidemiology and clinical surveillance.

SARS-CoV-2 RNA quantification in wastewater is an important tool for monitoring the prevalence of COVID-19 disease on a community scale which complements case-based surveillance systems. As novel variants of concern (VOCs) emerge there is also a need to identify the primary circulating variants in a community, accomplished to date by sequencing clinical samples. Quantifying variants in wastewater offers a cost-effective means to augment these sequencing efforts.

Repeated transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in an overcrowded Irish emergency department elucidated by whole-genome sequencing.

Aim: To provide a detailed genomic-epidemiological description of a complex multi-ward SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, which originated in the crowded emergency department (ED) in our hospital during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was elucidated promptly by local whole-genome sequencing (WGS).

Methods: SARS-CoV-2 was detected by reverse transcriptase real-time polymerase chain reaction on viral RNA extracted from nasopharyngeal swabs. WGS was performed using an Oxford MinION Mk1C instrument following the ARTIC v3 sequencing protocol.

Comparative genomic analysis demonstrates that true reinfection following SARS-CoV-2 infection is possible.

Background: In recent months, multiple cases of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 reinfection have been reported. However, accurate epidemiological and virological data, including genomic analysis where possible, are required to differentiate cases of prolonged viral RNA shedding (i.e.

Fetal Deaths in Ireland Due to SARS-CoV-2 Placentitis Caused by SARS-CoV-2 Alpha.

Context.—: A severe third wave of COVID-19 disease affected Ireland in the first 3 months of 2021. In this wave, 1 second-trimester miscarriage and 6 stillbirths were observed in the Irish population because of placental insufficiency as a result of SARS-CoV-2 placentitis.

Laboratory-based testing for hepatitis C infection using dried blood spot samples: A systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy.

The use of dried blood spot (DBS) samples can facilitate the implementation of reflex testing by circumventing the need for centrifugation and freezing of venous blood samples. This systematic review assessed the accuracy of using DBS samples to diagnose chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. A comprehensive search was undertaken to identify articles published up to July 2020 evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of anti-HCV, HCV-RNA and HCV core antigen tests using DBS.

The Study to Investigate COVID-19 Infection in People Living in Ireland (SCOPI): A seroprevalence study, June to July 2020.

BackgroundRobust data on SARS-CoV-2 population seroprevalence supplement surveillance data in providing evidence for public health action.AimTo conduct a SARS-CoV-2 population-based seroprevalence survey in Ireland.MethodsUsing a cross-sectional study design, we selected population samples from individuals aged 12-69 years in counties Dublin and Sligo using the Health Service Executive Primary Care Reimbursement Service database as a sampling frame.

Re-emergence of enterovirus D68 in Europe after easing the COVID-19 lockdown, September 2021.

We report a rapid increase in enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) infections, with 139 cases reported from eight European countries between 31 July and 14 October 2021. This upsurge is in line with the seasonality of EV-D68 and was presumably stimulated by the widespread reopening after COVID-19 lockdown. Most cases were identified in September, but more are to be expected in the coming months.

Routine screening for hepatitis C in pregnancy is cost-effective in a large urban population in Ireland: a retrospective study.

Objective: To investigate whether risk factor-based screening in pregnancy is failing to identify women with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and to assess the cost-effectiveness of universal screening.

Design: Retrospective study and model-based economic evaluation.

Setting: Two urban tertiary referral maternity units, currently using risk factor-based screening for HCV infection.