Molecular Analysis of Coxsackievirus B2 Associated With Severe Symptoms of the Central Nervous System.

Coxsackievirus B2 (CVB2) is a member of the enterovirus group known to induce a spectrum of illnesses, from mild to severe. In the summer of 2022, an unusual outbreak of enteroviral central nervous system (CNS) infections occurred that was attributed to CVB2. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples collected from patients in 2015-2022 were tested for enterovirus via RT-PCR, followed by Sanger sequencing for positive cases.

Environmental surveillance of a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 outbreak in Israel between 2022 and 2023: a genomic epidemiology study.

Background: Similarly to wild poliovirus, vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) strains can cause acute flaccid paralysis, posing a considerable challenge to public health and the eradication of poliovirus. VDPV outbreaks, particularly VDPV type 2 (VDPV2), are increasing worldwide, including in high-income countries with high vaccine coverage. We aimed to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the molecular epidemiology of a widespread VDPV2 outbreak in Israel in 2022-23 using conventional polio identification techniques and whole-genome sequencing.

Hospital surveillance of respiratory viruses during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: contribution to the WHO mosaic framework, Israel, 2020 to 2023.

BackgroundA new respiratory virus surveillance platform, based on nationwide hospital laboratory data, was established in Israel during the COVID-19 pandemic.AimWe aimed to evaluate the performance of this platform with respect to the detection of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) from week 36 in 2020 to week 15 in 2023, and how it fits with the World Health Organization (WHO) mosaic surveillance framework.MethodsData of respiratory samples from hospitalised patients sent for laboratory confirmation of influenza virus or RSV from 25 general hospital laboratories nationwide were collected.

Don't rash it! The clinical significance of positive Varicella zoster virus PCR in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with neurological symptoms.

Background: Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is among the leading pathogens causing meningitis and encephalitis. While VZV-PCR-positive CSF is considered a gold-standard for diagnosis, it is not-uncommon to detect VZV-DNA in CSF of patients with other acute or chronic illness. Our goal was to determine the clinical relevance of VZV-PCR-positive CSF when investigating patients with neurological symptoms.

Separating the wheat from the chaff - Optimizing the diagnosis of enterovirus-associated meningitis.

Background: Enteroviruses (EV) comprise the single most common cause of aseptic meningitis with variable geographical and temporal epidemiology. While EV-PCR in CSF is considered a gold standard for diagnosis, it is not-uncommon to use stool EV as a surrogate. Our aim was to assess the clinical significance of EV-PCR-positive CSF and stool in the investigation of patients with neurological symptoms.

Increased detection of Echovirus 6-associated meningitis in patients hospitalized during the COVID-19 pandemic, Israel 2021-2022.

Background: Outbreaks of enteroviral meningitis occur periodically and may lead to hospitalization and severe disease.

Objective: To analyze and describe the meningitis outbreak in patients hospitalized in Israel in 2021-2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: In December 2021, before the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant, an off-season increase in enterovirus (EV) infections was observed among patients hospitalized with meningitis.

An Outbreak of Coxsackievirus B Type 2 Acute Meningoencephalitis in Children, Israel, July-September 2022.

During July-September 2022, 14 children suffering from meningoencephalitis tested positive for Coxsackievirus B2 (8 cerebrospinal fluid, 9 stool samples). Mean age 22 months (range 0-60 months); 8 were males. Seven of the children presented with ataxia and 2 had imaging features of rhombencephalitis, not previously described in association with Coxsackievirus B2.

Environmental surveillance detected type 3 vaccine-derived polioviruses in increasing frequency at multiple sites prior to detection of a poliomyelitis case.

Israel conducts routine environmental (15 sites) and acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance for poliovirus. During September 2021, increasing numbers of wastewater samples collected from more than one site in the Jerusalem region proved positive for ambiguous type 3 vaccine-derived poliovirus (aVDPV3), while environmental samples from remaining sampling sites were negative. In late February 2022, a VDPV3, genetically related to the Jerusalem environmental surveillance samples, was isolated from a stool sample collected from a non-immunodeficient, non-immunized child from Jerusalem who developed AFP, indicating that the aVDPV3s were circulating (cVDPV3s) rather than immunodeficiency-related VDPV3s (iVDPVs).

Cocirculation of A(H3N2) and B/Victoria increased morbidity in hospitalized patients in the 2019-2020 A(H1N1)pdm09 predominant influenza season in Israel.

Community surveillance found the 2019-2020 A(H1N1)pdm09 predominant influenza season in Israel to be a high-intensity season with an early and steep morbidity peak. To further characterize disease severity in the 2019-2020 season, we analyzed a cohort of hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza from this season (n = 636). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed on clinical samples to detect the presence of influenza.

The activity of BcsZ of Typhimurium and its role in -plants interactions.

is one of the most common human pathogens associated with fresh produce outbreaks. The present study suggests that expression of BcsZ, one of the proteins in the complex, enhances the survival of Typhimurium on parsley. BcsZ demonstrated glucanase activity with the substrates carboxymethylcellulose and crystalline cellulose, and was responsible for a major part of the .

Outbreak of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses in Hospitalized Patients Alongside the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.

Influenza A and other respiratory viruses, circulate each winter and cause respiratory illness that can lead to severe complications in hospitalized patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, only a few cases of respiratory viruses were detected in Israel. Our study applied RT-PCR to examine 13,674 samples collected from patients hospitalized with respiratory symptoms in 2019, 2020, and 2021 and the first half of the 2022 winter.

Human metapneumovirus prevalence during 2019-2021 in Israel is influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: To compare infection rates and circulating subtypes of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) before (2019-2020) and after the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (2021) in Israel.

Methods: In total, 12,718 respiratory samples were collected from hospitalized patients of all ages during the years 2019 to 2021 at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel and subjected to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. In addition, whole-genome sequencing was performed to characterize the subtypes of hMPV circulating in Israel between 2019 and 2021.

Evaluation of a benchtop HIV ultradeep pyrosequencing drug resistance assay in the clinical laboratory.

Detection of low-abundance drug resistance mutations (DRMs) of HIV-1 is an evolving approach in clinical practice. Ultradeep pyrosequencing has shown to be effective in detecting such mutations. The lack of a standardized commercially based assay limits the wide use of this method in clinical settings.