Entero- and parechovirus distributions in surface water and probabilities of exposure to these viruses during water recreation

Numerous studies have reported quantitative data on viruses in surface waters generated using different methodologies. In the current study, the impact of the use of either cell culture-based or molecular-based methods in quantitative microbial risk assessment was assessed. Previously and newly generated data on the presence of infectious human enteroviruses (HEV) and enterovirus and parechovirus RNA were used to estimate distributions of virus concentrations in surface waters. Because techniques for the detection of infectious human parechoviruses (HPeV) in surface waters were not available, a 'Parallelogram Approach' was used to estimate their concentrations based on the ratio infectious HEV/HEV RNA. The obtained virus concentrations were then used to estimate the probability of exposure for children during recreation in such virus contaminated surface waters. Human enterovirus cell culture/PCR ratios ranged from 2.3 × 10(-3) to 0.28. This broad range of ratios indicates that care should be taken in assuming a fixed ratio for assessing the risk with PCR based virus concentrations. The probabilities of exposure to both enteroviruses and parechoviruses were calculated, using our Parallelogram Approach for the calculation of infectious parechoviruses. For both viruses it was observed that the detection method significantly influenced the probability of exposure. Based on the calculated culture data, PCR data, and the ingestion volume, it was estimated that the mean probabilities of exposure, of recreating children, to surface water containing viruses were 0.087 (infectious enteroviruses), 0.71 (enterovirus particles), 0.28 (parechovirus particles) and 0.025 (calculated infectious parechoviruses) per recreation event. The mean probabilities of exposure of children recreating in surface water from which drinking water is produced to infectious enteroviruses were estimated for nine locations and varied between 1.5 × 10(-4) - 0.09 per recreation event. In this study, the use of the rotavirus dose response relationship as a surrogate was avoided. Instead, the probabilities of exposure were derived as a function of the distributions of the calculated doses. Our 'Parallelogram Approach' was used to estimate the unavailable infectious parechovirus concentrations using Monte Carlo simulations, and the exposure assessment carried out showed that virus concentrations present in surface waters could pose a health risk for children and other vulnerable populations.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus in pigs from different farming systems in The Netherlands

Sporadic nontravel-related hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections have been reported in industrialized countries. These infections are caused by zoonotic HEV genotypes 3 and 4 that circulate in swine, wild boar, and deer. In The Netherlands, HEV RNA has been detected in >50% of the pig farms, and HEV-specific antibodies were detected in ∼70% of the slaughter pigs. In the current study, HEV seroprevalences were investigated in pigs raised on conventional, free-range, and organic farms in The Netherlands. Differences in seroprevalence may indicate different exposure routes or transmission dynamics within pig herds for HEV. In 2004, serum samples of 846 fattening pigs were obtained from farms that applied conventional (265 pigs at 24 farms), organic (417 pigs at 42 farms), and free-range (164 pigs at 12 farms) farming. HEV-specific antibodies were detected in samples from all conventional and free-range pig farms and in 41 of 42 organic pig farms, indicating that the probability of introducing HEV on a farm appeared to be equal for the different farming types. The estimated average within-herd seroprevalence was significantly higher for pigs raised on organic farms (89%) than for pigs raised on conventional farms (72%, P = 0.04) and nearly significant for pigs raised on free-range farms (76%, P = 0.06). Six of ten organic farms were estimated to have a withinherd seroprevalence of >95%, compared with 1 of 10 and 4 of 10 of the free-range and conventional pig farms, respectively. This suggests a higher force of infection with HEV for pigs reared on organic farms compared with pigs reared on conventional or free-range farms. This may be due to repetitive exposure to HEV caused by farming system-specific housing conditions, such as a greater contact frequency between pigs and more exposure to pig manure, increasing the transmission rate.

Reduction of bacteriophage MS2 by filtration and irradiation determined by culture and quantitative real-time RT-PCR

Molecular methods are increasingly applied for virus detection in environmental samples without rendering data on viral infectivity. Infectivity data are important for assessing public health risks from exposure to human pathogenic viruses in the environment. Here, treatment efficiencies of three (drinking) water treatment processes were estimated by quantification of the indicator virus bacteriophage MS2 with culture and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). We studied the virus reduction by slow sand filtration at a pilot plant. No decay of MS2 RNA was observed, whereas infectious MS2 particles were inactivated at a rate of 0.1 day(-1). Removal of MS2 RNA and infectious MS2 particles was 1.2 and 1.6 log10-units, respectively. Virus reduction by UV and gamma irradiation was determined in laboratory-scale experiments. The reduction of MS2 RNA based on qRT-PCR data was negligible. Reduction of infectious MS2 particles was estimated at 3.0-3.6 log10-units (UV dose up to 400 or 800 J/m(2)) and 4.7-7 log10-units (gamma dose up to 200 Gray). As shown in this study, estimations of viral reduction, both inactivation and removal, obtained by molecular methods should be interpreted carefully when considering treatment options to provide virus-safe drinking water. Combining culture-based methods with molecular methods may provide supplementary information on mechanisms of virus reduction.

Presence of enteric viruses in source waters for drinking water production in The Netherlands

The quality of drinking water in The Netherlands has to comply with the Dutch Drinking Water Directive: less than one infection in 10,000 persons per year may occur due to consumption of unboiled drinking water. Since virus concentrations in drinking waters may be below the detection limit but entail a public health risk, the infection risk from drinking water consumption requires the assessment of the virus concentrations in source waters and of the removal efficiency of treatment processes. In this study, samples of source waters were taken during 4 years of regular sampling (1999 to 2002), and enteroviruses, reoviruses, somatic phages, and F-specific phages were detected in 75% (range, 0.0033 to 5.2 PFU/liter), 83% (0.0030 to 5.9 PFU/liter), 100% (1.1 to 114,156 PFU/liter), and 97% (0.12 to 14,403 PFU/liter), respectively, of 75 tested source water samples originating from 10 locations for drinking water production. By endpoint dilution reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), 45% of the tested source water samples were positive for norovirus RNA (0.22 to 177 PCR-detectable units [PDU]/liter), and 48% were positive for rotavirus RNA (0.65 to 2,249 PDU/liter). Multiple viruses were regularly detected in the source water samples. A significant correlation between the concentrations of the two phages and those of the enteroviruses could be demonstrated. The virus concentrations varied greatly between 10 tested locations, and a seasonal effect was observed. Peak concentrations of pathogenic viruses occur in source waters used for drinking water production. If seasonal and short-term fluctuations coincide with less efficient or failing treatment, an unacceptable public health risk from exposure to this drinking water may occur.

Detection of infectious rotavirus in naturally contaminated source waters for drinking water production

AIMS

To assess public health risks of rotavirus via drinking water consumption, a cell culture-PCR assay was developed and optimized for the detection of infectious environmental rotavirus strains in naturally contaminated source waters for drinking water production.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Infectious rotavirus concentrations were estimated by an optimized cell culture-PCR assay as most probable numbers by using the presence or absence of replicated virus in different sample volumes. Infectious rotavirus was detected in 11 of 12 source water samples in concentrations varying from 0.19 (0.01-0.87) to 8.3 (1.8-34.0) infectious PCR detectable units per litre (IPDU/l), which was not significantly different from the concentrations of infectious enterovirus in these samples.

CONCLUSIONS

In 55% of the samples, rotavirus genomes were 1000 to 10 000 times (3 log(10)-4 log(10)) more abundantly present than infectious rotavirus particles, whereas in the remaining 45% of the samples, rotavirus genomes were less than 1000 times (<3 log(10)) more abundantly present.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The broad variation observed in the ratios of rotavirus RNA and infectious particles demonstrates the importance of detecting infectious viruses instead of viral RNA for the purposes involving estimations of public health risks.

Multiple exposures during a norovirus outbreak on a river-cruise sailing through Europe, 2006

In the summer of 2006, several cruise-related viral gastroenteritis outbreaks were reported in Europe. One report came from a river-cruise, belonging to a ship-owner who had two other ships with outbreaks. This situation warranted onsite investigation in order to identify a potential common source of infection. A retrospective cohort study was performed among 137 people on board. Epidemiological questionnaire data were analysed using logistic regression. Stool, food, water and surface samples were collected for norovirus detection. Norovirus GGII.4-2006b was responsible for 48 gastroenteritis cases on this ship as confirmed in six patients. Identical norovirus sequences were detected in stool samples, on surfaces and in tap water. Epidemiological and microbiological data indicated multiple exposures contributing to the outbreak. Microbiological results demonstrated person-to-person transmission to be clearly present. Epidemiological results indicated that consuming tap water was a risk factor; however, this could not be concluded definitively on the basis of the available data. A common source for all cruise-related outbreaks was unlikely. The ongoing outbreaks on this ship demonstrated that evidence based guidelines on effective disinfection strategies are needed.

Multiple exposures during a norovirus outbreak on a river-cruise sailing through Europe, 2006

In the summer of 2006, several cruise-related viral gastroenteritis outbreaks were reported in Europe. One report came from a river-cruise, belonging to a ship-owner who had two other ships with outbreaks. This situation warranted onsite investigation in order to identify a potential common source of infection. A retrospective cohort study was performed among 137 people on board. Epidemiological questionnaire data were analysed using logistic regression. Stool, food, water and surface samples were collected for norovirus detection. Norovirus GGII.4-2006b was responsible for 48 gastroenteritis cases on this ship as confirmed in six patients. Identical norovirus sequences were detected in stool samples, on surfaces and in tap water. Epidemiological and microbiological data indicated multiple exposures contributing to the outbreak. Microbiological results demonstrated person-to-person transmission to be clearly present. Epidemiological results indicated that consuming tap water was a risk factor; however, this could not be concluded definitively on the basis of the available data. A common source for all cruise-related outbreaks was unlikely. The ongoing outbreaks on this ship demonstrated that evidence based guidelines on effective disinfection strategies are needed.

Vibrio alginolyticus infections in the Netherlands after swimming in the North Sea

During the summer of 2006, wound infections in bathers caused by Vibrio species were reported from several European countries. In Germany, three people were reported to have developed Vibrio vulnificus infections

Identification of a novel cis-acting RNA element involved in nuclear export of hY RNAs

Ro RNPs are small cytoplasmic RNA-protein complexes of unknown function that have been found in all metazoan cells studied so far. In human cells, Ro RNPs consist of one of four small RNA molecules, termed hY RNAs and at least two well-characterized proteins, Ro60 and La. In previous Xenopus laevis oocyte microinjection studies, we showed that an intact Ro60 binding site (Stem-loop 1) is a prerequisite for efficient nuclear export of hY1 RNA, whereas an intact La-binding site promotes nuclear retention (Simons et al. RNA, 1996, 2:264-273). Here we present evidence that the distal half (Stem 2) of the conserved base-paired stem structure found in all hY RNAs also plays a critical role in the export process. A minimal RNA molecule containing this region, L1S2 RNA, competes effectively for the export of full-length hY1 RNAs and is itself exported very rapidly in a Ro60-independent and RanGTP-dependent manner. Mutational analyses of this RNA shows that a 5'/3' terminal double-stranded stem structure (>10 bp) of no specific nucleotide sequence constitutes a novel nuclear export element (NEE). Cross-competition studies indicate that this type of NEE may also be involved in export of other classes of RNAs. Like full-length hY1 RNA, L1S2 RNA also competes for export of ET-202 RNA, an RNA that was selected for its efficient nuclear export in the presence of the nuclear transport inhibitor, VSV Matrix protein (Grimm et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 1997, 94:10122-10127). However, export of L1S2 RNA is strongly inhibited by VSV-M protein, showing that these RNAs use partially overlapping, but not identical export pathways. We propose that export of Y RNAs is mediated by two contiguous cis-acting elements in the 5'/3' double-stranded stem region that is conserved between different Y RNAs.

Analysis of the molecular composition of Ro ribonucleoprotein complexes. Identification of novel Y RNA-binding proteins

Human Ro ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) are composed of one of the four small Y RNAs and at least two proteins, Ro60 and La; association of additional proteins including the Ro52 protein and calreticulin has been suggested, but clear-cut evidence is still lacking. Partial purification of Ro RNPs from HeLa S100 extracts allowed characterization of several subpopulations of Ro RNPs with estimated molecular masses of between 150 and 550 kDa. The majority of these complexes contained Ro60 and La, whereas only a small proportion of Ro52 appeared to be associated with Ro RNPs. To identify novel Y RNA-associated proteins in vitro, binding of cytoplasmic proteins to biotinylated Y RNAs was investigated. In these reconstitution experiments, several proteins with estimated molecular masses of 80, 68, 65, 62, 60 and 53 kDa, the latter two being immunologically distinct from Ro60 and Ro52, respectively, appeared to bind specifically to Y RNAs. Furthermore, autoantibodies to these proteins were found in sera from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The proteins bound preferentially to Y1 and Y3 RNA but, with the exception of the 53-kDa protein, only weakly to Y4 RNA and not at all to Y5 RNA. Coprecipitation of the 80, 68, 65, and 53-kDa proteins by antibodies to Ro60 and La was observed, suggesting that at least a proportion of the novel proteins may reside on the same particles as La and/or Ro60. Finally, the binding sites for these proteins on Y1 RNA were clearly distinct from the Ro60-binding site involving a portion of the large central loop 2, which was found to be indispensable for binding of the 80, 68, 65 and 53-kDa proteins, as well as the stem 3-loop 3 and stem 2-loop 1 regions. Interestingly, truncation of the La-binding site resulted in decreased binding of the novel proteins (but not of Ro60), indicating La to be required for efficient association. Taken together, these results suggest the existence of further subpopulations of Ro RNPs or Y RNPs, consistent with the heterogeneous characteristics observed for these particles in the biochemical fractionation experiments.

The La (SS-B) autoantigen, a key protein in RNA biogenesis, is dephosphorylated and cleaved early during apoptosis

In the past few years, a role for apoptotic processes in the development of autoimmune diseases has been suggested. An increasing number of cellular proteins, which are modified during apoptosis, has been described, and many of these proteins have been identified as autoantigens. We have studied the effects of apoptosis on the La protein in more detail and for the first time demonstrate that this autoantigen is rapidly dephosphorylated after the induction of apoptosis. Dephosphorylation of the La protein was observed after induction of apoptosis by several initiators and in various cell types. Furthermore, we demonstrate that at least a subset of the La protein is proteolytically cleaved in vivo, generating a 45 kDa fragment. Dephosphorylation as well as cleavage of La is inhibited by ZnSO4 as well as by several tetrapeptide caspase inhibitors, indicating that these processes require the activation of caspases. Dephosphorylation of La is inhibited by low concentrations of okadaic acid, suggesting that a PP2A-like phosphatase is involved. Generation of the 45 kDa fragment is consistent with proteolytic cleavage at amino acids 371 and/or 374. The possible significance of the apoptotic changes in the La protein for autoantibody production is discussed.

Rapid nucleolytic degradation of the small cytoplasmic Y RNAs during apoptosis

We have investigated the fate of the RNA components of small ribonucleoprotein particles in apoptotic cells. We show that the cytoplasmic Ro ribonucleoprotein-associated Y RNAs are specifically and rapidly degraded during apoptosis via a caspase-dependent mechanism. This is the first study describing the selective degradation of a specific class of small structural RNA molecules in apoptotic cells. Cleavage and subsequent truncation of Y RNAs was observed upon exposure of cells to a variety of apoptotic stimuli and were found to be inhibited by Bcl-2, zinc, and several caspase inhibitors. These results indicate that apoptotic degradation of Y RNAs is dependent on caspase activation, which suggests that the nucleolytic activity responsible for hY RNA degradation is activated downstream of the caspase cascade. The Y RNA degradation products remain bound by the Ro60 protein and in part also by the La protein, the only two proteins known to be stably associated with intact Ro ribonucleoprotein particles. The size of the Y RNA degradation products is consistent with the protection from degradation of the most highly conserved region of the Y RNAs by the bound Ro60 and La proteins. Our results indicate that the rapid abrogation of the yet unknown function of Y RNAs might be an early step in the systemic deactivation of the dying cell.

RNA-protein interactions in the human RNase MRP ribonucleoprotein complex

The eukaryotic nucleolus contains a large number of small RNA molecules that, in the form of small nucleolar ribonucleoprotein complexes (snoRNPs), are involved in the processing and modification of pre-rRNA. One of the snoRNPs that has been shown to possess enzymatic activity is the RNase MRP. RNase MRP is an endoribonuclease involved in the formation of the 5' end of 5.8S rRNA. In this study the association of the hPop1 protein with the RNase MRP complex was investigated. The hPop1 protein seems not to be directly bound to the RNA component, but requires nt 1-86 and 116-176 of the MRP RNA to associate with the RNase MRP complex via protein-protein interactions. UV crosslinking followed by ribonuclease treatment and immunoprecipitation with anti-Th/To antibodies revealed three human proteins of about 20, 25, and 40 kDa that can associate with the RNase MRP complex. The 20- and 25-kDa proteins appear to bind to stem-loop I of the MRP RNA whereas the 40-kDa protein requires the central part of the MRP RNA (nt 86-176) for association with the RNase MRP complex. In addition, we show that the human RNase P proteins Rpp30 and Rpp38 are also associated with the RNase MRP complex. Expression of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus- (VSV) tagged versions of these proteins in HeLa cells followed by anti-VSV immunoprecipitation resulted in coprecipitation of both RNase P and RNase MRP complexes. Furthermore, UV crosslinking followed by anti-Th/To and anti-Rpp38 immunoprecipitation revealed that the 40-kDa protein we detected in UV crosslinking is probably identical to Rpp38.

Involvement of the Xenopus laevis Ro60 autoantigen in the alternative interaction of La and CNBP proteins with the 5'UTR of L4 ribosomal protein mRNA

In vertebrates the synthesis of ribosomal proteins is co-ordinately regulated at the translational level. The 5'-untranslated region (5'UTR) of this class of mRNAs contains conserved regions that are necessary and sufficient for translational regulation. Recently, we found that two proteins, the Xenopus laevis La autoantigen and the cellular nucleic acid binding protein (CNBP), are able to bind in vitro a pyrimidine tract at the 5' end and a downstream region, respectively. These regions are considered the common cis-acting elements of translational regulation. It was previously observed that the binding of both these putative trans-acting factors to their RNA sequences is assisted by a protease-sensitive factor(s) that dissociates from the complex after its formation. Here we provide evidence that the requirement for an ancillary factor assisting La binding to the pyrimidine tract of ribosomal protein mRNAs is typical of this RNA, and secondly that it may involve an RNA recognition motif of the La protein not clearly characterized previously. We also show that the Ro60 autoantigen is involved in the common factor activity necessary for the binding of La and CNBP proteins to their respective sequences. In addition, our findings suggest that an RNA also participates in this process. We show that CNBP can multimerise and that it binds to the 5'UTR as a dimer. Both La and CNBP compete for the interaction with the factor, and their binding to the 5'UTR is mutually exclusive. Our results from the binding analysis of mutations in the 5'UTR, which are known to disrupt the translational control in vivo, suggest a model in which the protein interactions and the 5'UTR RNA structure may co-operate in regulating the translational fate of ribosomal protein mRNAs.

Anti-Ro52 antibodies frequently co-occur with anti-Jo-1 antibodies in sera from patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy

We analysed 112 idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) sera for the presence of anti-Ro, anti-La and anti-histidyl-tRNA synthetase (Jo-1) autoantibodies, and subsequently mapped B cell epitopes on the Ro52 protein recognized by anti-Ro52+ IIM sera. Sera were characterized by immunoblotting, ELISA and RNA precipitation. Both anti-Ro60 and anti-La activity was found in 4% of IIM sera. Anti-Ro52 antibodies were present in 20% of IIM sera. However, in anti-Jo-1+ IIM sera (21%), the frequency of the anti-Ro52 antibodies was found to be much higher (58%). No cross-reactivity between anti-Ro52 and anti-Jo-1 antibodies could be detected in these sera. To learn more about the nature of anti-Ro52 antibodies occurring in IIM sera, we analysed the major epitopes of the Ro52 protein targeted by anti-Ro52+ IIM sera by immunoprecipitation of in vitro translated Ro52 deletion mutants. The major epitope was mapped in the region bordered by amino acids 126 and 252. This part of the protein includes a long alpha-helical region which contains two potential coiled-coil domains as well as a leucine zipper motif. Although no difference in Ro52 epitope recognition between anti-Jo-1+ and anti-Jo-1- IIM sera could be observed, our results suggest that the autoimmune response against Ro52 and Jo-1 in IIM patients is coupled.

The interactions with Ro60 and La differentially affect nuclear export of hY1 RNA

Ro RNPs are evolutionarily conserved ribonucleoprotein particles that consist of a small RNA, known as Y RNA, associated with several proteins, such as La, Ro60, and Ro52. The Y RNAs (Y1-Y5), which are transcribed by RNA polymerase III, have been shown to reside almost exclusively in the cytoplasm as Ro RNPs. To obtain more insight into the nuclear export pathway of Y RNAs, hY1 RNA export was studied in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Injection of various hY1 RNA mutants showed that an intact Ro60 binding site is a prerequisite for nuclear export, whereas the presence of an intact La binding site resulted in strong nuclear retention of hY1 RNA. Competition studies with various classes of RNAs indicated that, in addition to Ro60, another titratable factor was necessary for nuclear export of hY1 RNA. This factor appears also to be involved in nuclear export of tRNA. Because export of hY1 RNA could not be blocked by a synthetic peptide containing the recently identified nuclear export signal of the HIV-1 Rev protein, nuclear export of hY1 RNA does not seem to be dependent on a Rev-like nuclear export signal.