Human enteroviruses and the long road to acute flacid paralysis eradication.

Enteroviruses (EVs) are a highly diverse group of viruses multiplying primarily in the gastrointestinal tract and/or the upper respiratory tract, initially distributed in two separate genera: Enterovirus and Rhinovirus, respectively. According to the similarities in genome organization and particle structure, rhinovirus species were later reclassified as also belonging to genus Enterovirus. Human EV infections are usually asymptomatic or causing mild clinical manifestations.

Alternative Splicing of the Last Intron Yields Transcripts Differentially Expressed in Human Tissues That Code In Vitro for a Protein Devoid of Triokinase and FMN Cyclase Activity.

The 18-exon human gene codes for dual-activity triokinase and FMN cyclase (TKFC) in an ORF, spanning from exon 2 to exon 18. In addition to TKFC-coding transcripts (classified as type by their intron-17 splice), databases contain evidence for alternative transcripts, but none of them has been expressed, studied, and reported in the literature. A novel full-ORF transcript was cloned from brain cDNA and sequenced (accession no.

Comparison of Nanopore and Synthesis-Based Next-Generation Sequencing Platforms for SARS-CoV-2 Variant Monitoring in Wastewater.

Shortly after the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many countries implemented sewage sentinel systems to monitor the circulation of the virus in the population. A fundamental part of these surveillance programs is the variant tracking through sequencing approaches to monitor and identify new variants or mutations that may be of importance. Two of the main sequencing platforms are Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies.

Dynamic and Seasonal Distribution of Enteric Viruses in Surface and Well Water in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).

Enteric viruses are the major cause of gastroenteritis and enteric hepatitis worldwide, but in some areas like Saudi Arabia, little is known about their presence in water sources. The available information from clinical samples is not enough to figure out their actual prevalence. The aim of this study was to gather information for the first time in Saudi Arabia on the presence of the Norovirus (NoV) genogroup GI and GII, hepatitis A virus (HAV), and hepatitis E virus (HEV) in water.

Hepatitis A virus infection.

Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable infection caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). Over 150 million new infections of hepatitis A occur annually. HAV causes an acute inflammatory reaction in the liver that usually resolves spontaneously without chronic sequelae.

Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater for prevalence estimation and investigating clinical diagnostic test biases.

Here we analyze SARS-CoV-2 genome copies in Catalonia's wastewater during the Omicron peak and develop a mathematical model to estimate the number of infections and the temporal relationship between reported and unreported cases. 1-liter samples from 16 wastewater treatment plants were collected and used in a compartmental epidemiological model. The average correlation between genome copies and reported cases was 0.

Monitoring influenza and respiratory syncytial virus in wastewater. Beyond COVID-19.

Wastewater-based surveillance can be a valuable tool to monitor viral circulation and serve as an early warning system. For respiratory viruses that share similar clinical symptoms, namely SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), identification in wastewater may allow differentiation between seasonal outbreaks and COVID-19 peaks. In this study, to monitor these viruses as well as standard indicators of fecal contamination, a weekly sampling campaign was carried out for 15 months (from September 2021 to November 2022) in two wastewater treatment plants that serve the entire population of Barcelona (Spain).

Genomic Distribution of Pro-Virulent -like Genes in Eubacteria and Comparison of the Enzyme Specificity of CpdB-like Proteins from , and .

The gene is pro-virulent in avian pathogenic and in , where it encodes a periplasmic protein named CpdB. It is structurally related to cell wall-anchored proteins, CdnP and SntA, encoded by the also pro-virulent and genes of and , respectively. CdnP and SntA effects are due to extrabacterial hydrolysis of cyclic-di-AMP, and to complement action interference.

Specific Plasma MicroRNA Signatures Underlying the Clinical Outcomes of Hepatitis E Virus Infection.

The pathogenic mechanisms determining the diverse clinical outcomes of HEV infection (e.g., self-limiting versus chronic or symptomatic versus asymptomatic) are not yet understood.

Spanish wastewater reveals the current spread of Monkeypox virus.

Besides nasopharyngeal swabs, monkeypox virus (MPXV) DNA has been detected in a variety of samples such as saliva, semen, urine and fecal samples. Using the environmental surveillance network previously developed in Spain for the routine wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 (VATar COVID-19), we have analyzed the presence of MPXV DNA in wastewater from different areas of Spain. Samples (n = 312) from 24 different wastewater treatment plants were obtained between May 9 (week 19 of 2022) and August 4 (week 31 of 2022).

Image-Guided Percutaneous Needle Biopsy for Benign and Malignant Bone Tumors: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: To compare the diagnostic yield and accuracy of both image-guided core-needle biopsy (CNB) and fine-needle biopsy and evaluate the benefit of performing fine-needle biopsy in addition to CNB in patients with suspected benign and malignant bone tumors.

Materials And Methods: A systematic search was performed on March 10, 2021, to determine whether fine-needle aspiration (FNA) plays any role when performed alone or in combination with CNB. The included studies were aggregated for the pooled estimates of diagnostic yield and histologic accuracy of image-guided percutaneous needle biopsy of bone tumors.

Quasispecies Fitness Partition to Characterize the Molecular Status of a Viral Population. Negative Effect of Early Ribavirin Discontinuation in a Chronically Infected HEV Patient.

The changes occurring in viral quasispecies populations during infection have been monitored using diversity indices, nucleotide diversity, and several other indices to summarize the quasispecies structure in a single value. In this study, we present a method to partition quasispecies haplotypes into four fractions according to their fitness: the master haplotype, rare haplotypes at two levels (those present at <0.1%, and those at 0.

The Catalan Surveillance Network of SARS-CoV-2 in Sewage: design, implementation, and performance.

Wastewater-based epidemiology has shown to be an efficient tool to track the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in communities assisted by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The challenge comes when this approach is employed to help Health authorities in their decision-making. Here, we describe the roadmap for the design and deployment of SARSAIGUA, the Catalan Surveillance Network of SARS-CoV-2 in Sewage.

Enzyme Characterization of Pro-virulent SntA, a Cell Wall-Anchored Protein of , With Phosphodiesterase Activity on cyclic-di-AMP at a Level Suited to Limit the Innate Immune System.

and evade the innate immune system of the infected host by mechanisms mediated by cell wall-anchored proteins: SntA and CdnP, respectively. The former has been reported to interfere with complement responses, and the latter dampens STING-dependent type-I interferon (IFN) response by hydrolysis of bacterial cyclic-di-AMP (c-di-AMP). Both proteins are homologous but, while CdnP has been studied as a phosphohydrolase, the enzyme activities of SntA have not been investigated.

Genetic, environmental and life-style factors associated with longevity. Protocol and response of the LONGECYL Study.

Objective: To describe the objectives, the methodological approach, the response rate of the Genetic, Environmental and Life-style Factors Study in Castilla y León (Spain).

Method: The Health Sentinel Network studied a sample of long-lived individuals aged 95 or more (LLI). The study included biological samples processed with the Global Screening Array v3.

Epidemiological and Genetic Characterization of Norovirus Outbreaks That Occurred in Catalonia, Spain, 2017-2019.

Molecular characterization of human norovirus (HuNoV) genotypes enhances the understanding of viral features and illustrates distinctive evolutionary patterns. The aim of our study was to describe the prevalence of the genetic diversity and the epidemiology of the genotypes involved in HuNoV outbreaks in Catalonia (Spain) between 2017 and 2019. A total of 100 HuNoV outbreaks were notified with the predominance of GII (70%), followed by GI (27%) and mixed GI/GII (3%).

Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant spread: The wastewater surveillance approach.

Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) offers an overview of the SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating among the population thereby serving as a proper surveillance method. The variant of concern (VOC) Alpha was first identified in September 2020 in the United Kingdom, and rapidly became dominant across Europe. Our objective was to elucidate the Alpha VOC outcompetition rate and identify mutations in the spike glycoprotein (S) gene, indicative of the circulation of the Alpha VOC and/or other variants in the population through wastewater analysis.

Elimination of SARS-CoV-2 along wastewater and sludge treatment processes.

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is shed in the feces of infected people. As a consequence, genomic RNA of the virus can be detected in wastewater. Although the presence of viral RNA does not inform on the infectivity of the virus, this presence of genetic material raised the question of the effectiveness of treatment processes in reducing the virus in wastewater and sludge.

The Codon Usage Code for Cotranslational Folding of Viral Capsids.

Codon bias is common to all organisms and is the result of mutation, drift, and selection. Selection for the efficiency and accuracy of translation is well recognized as a factor shaping the codon usage. In contrast, fewer studies report the control of the rate of translation as an additional selective pressure influencing the codon usage of an organism.

Pathogenicity and virulence of hepatitis A virus.

Hepatitis A is an acute infection of the liver, which is mostly asymptomatic in children and increases the severity with age. Although in most patients the infection resolves completely, in a few of them it may follow a prolonged or relapsed course or even a fulminant form. The reason for these different outcomes is unknown, but it is generally accepted that host factors such as the immunological status, age and the occurrence of underlaying hepatic diseases are the main determinants of the severity.

Advances for the Hepatitis A Virus Antigen Production Using a Virus Strain With Codon Frequency Optimization Adjustments in Specific Locations.

The available cell-adapted hepatitis A virus (HAV) strains show a very slow replication phenotype hampering the affordable production of antigen. A fast-growing strain characterized by the occurrence of mutations in the internal ribosome entry site (IRES), combined with changes in the codon composition has been selected in our laboratory. A characterization of the IRES activity of this fast-growing strain (HM175-HP; HP) vs.

Molecular Dissection of CpdB: Roles of the N Domain in Catalysis and Phosphate Inhibition, and of the C Domain in Substrate Specificity and Adenosine Inhibition.

CpdB is a 3'-nucleotidase/2'3'-cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, active also with reasonable efficiency on cyclic dinucleotides like c-di-AMP (3',5'-cyclic diadenosine monophosphate) and c-di-GMP (3',5'-cyclic diadenosine monophosphate). These are regulators of bacterial physiology, but are also pathogen-associated molecular patterns recognized by STING to induce IFN-β response in infected hosts. The gene of Gram-negative and its homologs of gram-positive bacteria are virulence factors.

Inactivation of Hepatitis A Virus and Human Norovirus in Clams Subjected to Heat Treatment.

Bivalve mollusk contamination by enteric viruses, especially human noroviruses (HuNoV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV), is a problem with health and economic implications. The aim of the study was the evaluation of the effect of heat treatment in clams () experimentally contaminated with HuNoV using a PMA-viability RTqPCR assay to minimize measurement of non-infectious viruses, and used HAV as a model to estimate infectivity loss. Spiked clams were immersed in water at 90°C to ensure that internal meat temperature was maintained above 90°C for at least 5 min.