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Tramuto F, Maida CM, Mazzucco W, Costantino C, Amodio E, Sferlazza G, Previti A, Immordino P, Vitale F. Molecular Epidemiology and Genetic Diversity of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Sicily during Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Surveillance Seasons. Pathogens 2023; 12:1099. [PMID: 37764907 PMCID: PMC10534943 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12091099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) is an important pathogen of acute respiratory tract infection of global significance. In this study, we investigated the molecular epidemiology and the genetic variability of hRSV over seven surveillance seasons between 2015 and 2023 in Sicily, Italy. hRSV subgroups co-circulated through every season, although hRSV-B mostly prevailed. After the considerable reduction in the circulation of hRSV due to the widespread implementation of non-pharmaceutical preventive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, hRSV rapidly re-emerged at a high intensity in 2022-2023. The G gene was sequenced for genotyping and analysis of deduced amino acids. A total of 128 hRSV-A and 179 hRSV-B G gene sequences were obtained. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the GA2.3.5a (ON1) and GB5.0.5a (BA9) genotypes were responsible for the hRSV epidemics in Sicily.; only one strain belonged to the genotype GB5.0.4a. No differences were observed in the circulating genotypes during pre- and post-pandemic years. Amino acid sequence alignment revealed the continuous evolution of the G gene, with a combination of amino acid changes specifically appearing in 2022-2023. The predicted N-glycosylation sites were relatively conserved in ON1 and BA9 genotype strains. Our findings augment the understanding and prediction of the seasonal evolution of hRSV at the local level and its implication in the monitoring of novel variants worth considering in better design of candidate vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Tramuto
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro”—Hygiene Section, University of Palermo, 90134 Palermo, Italy; (C.M.M.); (W.M.); (C.C.); (E.A.); (P.I.); (F.V.)
- Regional Reference Laboratory for Molecular Surveillance of Influenza, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, University Hospital “Paolo Giaccone”, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (G.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Carmelo Massimo Maida
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro”—Hygiene Section, University of Palermo, 90134 Palermo, Italy; (C.M.M.); (W.M.); (C.C.); (E.A.); (P.I.); (F.V.)
- Regional Reference Laboratory for Molecular Surveillance of Influenza, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, University Hospital “Paolo Giaccone”, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (G.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Walter Mazzucco
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro”—Hygiene Section, University of Palermo, 90134 Palermo, Italy; (C.M.M.); (W.M.); (C.C.); (E.A.); (P.I.); (F.V.)
- Regional Reference Laboratory for Molecular Surveillance of Influenza, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, University Hospital “Paolo Giaccone”, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (G.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Claudio Costantino
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro”—Hygiene Section, University of Palermo, 90134 Palermo, Italy; (C.M.M.); (W.M.); (C.C.); (E.A.); (P.I.); (F.V.)
- Regional Reference Laboratory for Molecular Surveillance of Influenza, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, University Hospital “Paolo Giaccone”, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (G.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Emanuele Amodio
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro”—Hygiene Section, University of Palermo, 90134 Palermo, Italy; (C.M.M.); (W.M.); (C.C.); (E.A.); (P.I.); (F.V.)
| | - Giuseppe Sferlazza
- Regional Reference Laboratory for Molecular Surveillance of Influenza, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, University Hospital “Paolo Giaccone”, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (G.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Adriana Previti
- Regional Reference Laboratory for Molecular Surveillance of Influenza, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, University Hospital “Paolo Giaccone”, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (G.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Palmira Immordino
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro”—Hygiene Section, University of Palermo, 90134 Palermo, Italy; (C.M.M.); (W.M.); (C.C.); (E.A.); (P.I.); (F.V.)
| | - Francesco Vitale
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro”—Hygiene Section, University of Palermo, 90134 Palermo, Italy; (C.M.M.); (W.M.); (C.C.); (E.A.); (P.I.); (F.V.)
- Regional Reference Laboratory for Molecular Surveillance of Influenza, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, University Hospital “Paolo Giaccone”, 90127 Palermo, Italy; (G.S.); (A.P.)
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ON-1 and BA-IX Are the Dominant Sub-Genotypes of Human Orthopneumovirus A&B in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13122288. [PMID: 36553555 PMCID: PMC9778264 DOI: 10.3390/genes13122288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Human orthopneumovirus (HOPV) is the major viral pathogen responsible for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in infants and young children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Yet, predominant HOPV subtypes circulating in this region and their molecular and epidemiological characteristics are not fully ascertained. A total of 300 clinical samples involving nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs), throat swabs, and sputum were collected during winter seasons of 2019/2020 and 2021/2022 for HOPV subtyping and genotyping. Of the 300 samples, HOPV was identified in 55 samples (18.3%) with a distinct predominance of type A viruses (81.8%) compared to type B viruses (18.2%). Importantly, the ON1 strain of HOPV-A and BA-IX strain of HOPV-B groups were found to be responsible for all the infections. Sequence analysis revealed a duplication region within 2nd HVR of G protein gene of ON1 and BA-IX strains. This nucleotide duplication exerted a profound effect on protein length and affinity towards cell receptors. Further, these modifications may aid the HOPV in immune evasion and recurrent infections. Data from this study showed that ON-1 genotype of HOPV-A and BA-IX genotype of HOPV-B were dominant in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Further, a duplication of sequence within 2nd HVR of G protein gene was found.
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Ahmed A, Alsenaidy AM, Mobaireek KF, AlSaadi MM. Viral etiology of acute respiratory infections during 2014–16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Future Virol 2022. [DOI: 10.2217/fvl-2020-0071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Aim: Viral etiology of respiratory infections is not well understood in Saudi Arabia. This study was conceptualized to understand viral etiology in children with acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI) from Riyadh. Patients and methods: Respiratory viruses were detected by real-time PCR in nasopharyngeal aspirates or swab from 580 children aged ≤5 years. Results: Respiratory viruses were detected in 64% of the samples with 6% mixed viral infections. Respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, influenza, parainfluenza and human metapneumovirus infections accounted for 42, 20, 16, 12 and 10%, respectively. Maximum prevalence (37%) was among the lowest age group followed by 30% among the 7- to 12-month age group. Conclusion: The prevalence and determinants of viral etiology are in line with the previous report from the region. No major shift in the viral etiologies was observed in the 2-year study period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anwar Ahmed
- Centre of Excellence in Biotechnology Research, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulrahman M Alsenaidy
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalid Fahad Mobaireek
- Pediatric Emergency Department, Children’s Hospital, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, 12231, Saudi Arabia
| | - Muslim Mohammed AlSaadi
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11533, Saudi Arabia
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Molecular epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus among children and adults in India 2016 to 2018. Virus Genes 2021; 57:489-501. [PMID: 34524602 PMCID: PMC8440155 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-021-01859-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of respiratory tract infections among children less than 5 years of age and the elderly. This study intended to determine the circulating genotypes of RSV among severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) cases during the period 2016–2018 in India, among hospitalized acute febrile illness cases of age ranging from 1 to 65 years. Throat/nasopharyngeal swab samples were subjected for testing RSV and subgroups by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), further sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were performed for the second hypervariable region of the G gene. RSV-A and B subtypes co-circulated during the years 2016, 2017, and 2018, with RSV-A as the dominant subtype in 2016, and RSV-B as the dominant subgroup in 2017 and 2018. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the circulating genotypes of RSV were GA2 (16/16), of RSV-A, and GB5 (23/23) of RSV-B in the South, North, and Northeast region of India during the period between 2016 and 2018. Here we report the first study comprising the distribution of RSV-A and B genotypes in the different geographic regions of India among children and adults during the year 2016 to 2018. We also report GA2.3.7 lineage of GA2 genotype for the first time in India to the best of our knowledge.
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