Enterovirus outbreak dynamics

Molecular epidemiology and characterization of enteroviruses detected in cerebrospinal fluid and respiratory samples in Slovenia, 2014-2023

Enterovirus (EV) infections have various symptoms and severe complications, including death. To determine EV prevalence and EV types in Slovenia, data on over 25 000 EV RNA tests for diagnostics and surveillance from 2014 to 2023 were analyzed. Altogether, 3733 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and 21 297 respiratory (sentinel and clinical) samples were tested for EV RNA. EV typing was performed on all residual EV-positive CSF samples and on subset of respiratory specimens. Altogether, 1238 samples tested positive for EV RNA: 238 (6.4%) CSF and 1000 (4.7%) respiratory samples. EV-positive patients were predominantly male (p < 0.001). Many EV-positive CSF samples were from infants under 3 months (33.1%), whereas most EV-positive respiratory samples were from children 1 to 2 years old (49.2%). Echovirus 30 (E-30) was most frequent in CSF (33.0%), followed by CV-B5 (13.8%) and E-6 (13.8%). CV-A6 was most frequent in respiratory samples (16.0%), followed by EV-D68 (7.6%) and CV-A5 (7.4%). EV types in CSF and respiratory samples show diverse dynamics, with some outbreaks indicated. A significant difference was found in the EV detection rate between CSF and respiratory samples by age. Various EV types were characterized, showing that some EV types are more neurotropic or cause more severe infections.

Multifunctionality of structural proteins in the enterovirus life cycle

Members of the genus Enterovirus have a significant effect on human health, especially in infants and children. Since the viral genome has limited coding capacity, Enteroviruses subvert a range of cellular processes for viral infection via the interaction of viral proteins and numerous cellular factors. Intriguingly, the capsid-receptor interaction plays a crucial role in viral entry and has significant implications in viral pathogenesis. Moreover, interactions between structural proteins and host factors occur directly or indirectly in multiple steps of viral replication. In this review, we focus on the current understanding of the multifunctionality of structural proteins in the viral life cycle, which may constitute valuable targets for antiviral and therapeutic interventions.