人诺如病毒体外培养体系研究进展

目的 系统全面的阐述人诺如病毒(human noroviruses, HuNoVs)体外培养研究的历史、发展及现有体系各自的优缺点和发展方向。方法 以“human noroviruses”、“in vitro"、“culture”、“cofactor”作为PubMed和Web of science数据库的检索词，提取实验性体外培养研究论文中的结果和数据，共参考文献33篇。结果 人诺如病毒可在具有B细胞特征的淋巴瘤细胞系和单层人肠上皮细胞系中实现有限的增殖。结论 需进一步改进现有培养体系，突破因不能体外培养导致的诺如病毒基础研究瓶颈。同时，探索诺如病毒复制所需的辅助因子，并研究两者的共作用机制或许是诺如病毒体外培养新的发展方向。     

Genotype distribution of norovirus around the emergence of Sydney_2012 and the antigenic drift of contemporary GII.4 epidemic strains

BackgroundThe pattern of epochal evolution of NoV is ongoing, while novel GII.4 variants emerge and cause new pandemics. Since, the emergence in March 2012, Sydney_2012 had replaced GII.4-2009 as the primary NoV strain in most countries in the northern hemisphere by November 2012.ObjectivesTo determine the genotype distribution around the emergence of Sydney_2012 and to investigate the underlying evolution mechanisms of the contemporary GII.4 strains.Study designFrom January 2012 to December 2013, molecular epidemiology of norovirus in 846 adults (≥16 years) in Shanghai were conducted. The VP1 proteins of the contemporary GII.4 strains (Den_Haag_2006b, New_Orleans_2009 and Sydney_2012) were expressed in vitro and purified. Receptor binding patterns of these three epidemic strains were determined through histo-blood group antigen (HBGA) binding assays. Convalescent serum from patients infected with GII.4 epidemic strains were employed to investigate the role of antigenic drift in the persistence of GII.4 epidemic strains through receptor-binding blockade assays.ResultsEpidemiological studies revealed that Sydeny_2012 has completely replaced Den_Haag_2006b and New_Orleans_2009 and has been the dominant circulating strain in Shanghai since its emergence in October 2012. Interestingly, Den_Haag_2006b and New_Orleans_2009 have been co-circulating in Shanghai before the emergence of Sydeny_2012. The contemporary GII.4 epidemic norovirus strains displayed commonly high tropism to the histo-blood group antigen receptors, whereas Sydeny_2012 was antigenically different from Den_Haag_2006b and New_Orleans_2009.ConclusionsAntigenic drift, rather than receptor switch, played a key role in the emergence and spreading of Sydney_2012. The contemporary GII.4 strains were evolving via epochal evolution without altered ligand binding profiles.     

Molecular epidemiology and host genetics of norovirus and rotavirus infections in Portuguese elderly living in aged care homes

Norovirus (NoV) and rotavirus group A (RVA) are major agents of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. This study aimed to investigate their epidemiological profile in Portuguese elderly living in long-term care facilities and to assess the host genetic factors mediating infection susceptibility. From November 2013 to June 2015, 636 faecal specimens from 169 elderly, mainly asymptomatic, living in nursing homes in Greater Lisbon and Faro district, Portugal, were collected. NoV and RVA were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction and NoV genotyped by phylogenetic analysis. NoV detection rate was 7.1% (12 of 169). Three GI.3 and one GII.6 strains were genotyped. RVA detection rate was 3.6% (6 of 169), exclusively in asymptomatic individuals. Host genetic factors associated with infection susceptibility were described on 250 samples by saliva-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The Lewis-negative phenotype was 8.8% (22 of 250) and the rate of nonsecretors was 16.8% (42 of 250). Association to NoV and RVA infection was performed in the subgroup of individuals (n = 147) who delivered both faecal and saliva samples. The majority of NoV- and RVA-positive individuals (90.9% and 83.3%, respectively) were secretor-positive, with Lewis B phenotype. In a subset of individuals, FUT2 and FUT3 genes were genotyped to assess mutations and validate the secretor and Lewis phenotypes. All sequenced nonsecretors were homozygous for FUT2 nonsense mutation G428A. In this study, low detection rates of NoV and RVA infections were found during two winter seasons. However, even in the absence of any outbreak, the importance of finding these infections in a nonepidemic situation in long-term care facilities may have important implications for infection control.     

多重荧光定量PCR检测婴幼儿腹泻病毒感染及其临床应用

目的:建立一种能同时检测婴幼儿腹泻粪便中常见病毒的多重荧光定量 PCR技术。方法:根据GenBank上几种病毒基因组保守序列设计引物序列,建立多重荧光定量PCR方法,对所建立的多重荧光定量PCR方法的特异性、灵敏性及重复性进行验证;并以所建立的方法对150例婴幼儿病毒性腹泻患者粪便标本进行检测。结果:所建立的多重荧光定量PCR检测方法具有很好的特异性,灵敏性检测可达102拷贝/mL,检测不同病毒核酸浓度各自的检测 Ct 值标准差均较小,变异系数均低于1.0%,具有较好的重复性;检测150 份粪便标本,多重荧光定量 PCR 的检出率为36%,胶体金方法检出率为38.67%,两者比较差别无统计学意义（χ2= 6.91,P > 0.05）。多重荧光定量 PCR方法中轮状病毒、腺病毒、诺如病毒、星状病毒的检出率分别为12.67%、6.00%、13.33%和4.00%,测序结果与已知病毒株基因都具有高度同源性。结论:所建立的多重荧光定量PCR方法快速、特异、灵敏,可以作为临床病原诊断的一个重要工具且适用于流行病学调查研究。     

Occurrence of Norovirus GII.4 Sydney Variant-related Outbreaks in Korea

Human noroviruses are major causative agents of food and waterborne outbreaks of nonbacterial acute gastroenteritis. In this study, we report the epidemiological features of three outbreak cases of norovirus in Korea, and we describe the clinical symptoms and distribution of the causative genotypes. The incidence rates of the three outbreaks were 16.24% (326/2,007), 4.1% (27/656), and 16.8% (36/214), respectively. The patients in these three outbreaks were affected by acute gastroenteritis. These schools were provided unheated food from the same manufacturing company. Two genotypes (GII.3 and GII.4) of the norovirus were detected in these cases. Among them, major causative strains of GII.4 (Hu-jeju-47-2007KR-like) were identified in patients, food handlers, and groundwater from the manufacturing company of the unheated food. In the GII.4 (Hu-jeju-47-2007KR-like) strain of the norovirus, the nucleotide sequences were identical and identified as the GII.4 Sydney variant. Our data suggests that the combined epidemiological and laboratory results were closely related, and the causative pathogen was the GII.4 Sydney variant strain from contaminated groundwater.     

Characteristics of Patients Infected with Norovirus GII.4 Sydney 2012, Hong Kong,China

Norovirus GII.4 Sydney 2012 has spread globally since late 2012. We report hospitalization of patients infected with this strain skewed toward infants and young children among 174 cases during August 2012–July 2013 in Hong Kong, China. This group had higher fecal viral load (≈10-fold) than did older children and adults.     

Detection of Norovirus in Saliva Samples from Acute Gastroenteritis Cases and Asymptomatic Subjects: Association with Age and Higher Shedding in Stool

Norovirus infections are a leading cause of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide and across all age groups, with two main genogroups (GI and GII) infecting humans. The aim of our study was to investigate the occurrence of norovirus in saliva samples from individuals involved in outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis in closed and semiclosed institutions, and its relationship with the virus strain, virus shedding in stool, the occurrence of symptoms, age, and the secretor status of the individual. Epidemiological and clinical information was gathered from norovirus outbreaks occurring in Catalonia, Spain during 2017–2018, and stool and saliva samples were collected from affected and exposed resident individuals and workers. A total of 347 saliva specimens from 25 outbreaks were analyzed. Further, 84% of individuals also provided a paired stool sample. For GII infections, norovirus was detected in 17.9% of saliva samples from symptomatic cases and 5.2% of asymptomatic individuals. Positivity in saliva occurred in both secretors and nonsecretors. None of the individuals infected by norovirus GI was positive for the virus in saliva. Saliva positivity did not correlate with any of the studied symptoms but did correlate with age ≥ 65 years old. Individuals who were positive in saliva showed higher levels of virus shedding in stool. Mean viral load in positive saliva was 3.16 ± 1.08 log₁₀ genome copies/mL, and the predominance of encapsidated genomes was confirmed by propidium monoazide (PMA)xx-viability RTqPCR assay. The detection of norovirus in saliva raises the possibility of oral-to-oral norovirus transmission during the symptomatic phase and, although to a lesser extent, even in cases of asymptomatic infections.     

Vaccines against gastroenteritis,current progress and challenges

ABSTRACT

Enteric viral and bacterial infections continue to be a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in young children in low-income and middle-income countries, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals. Vaccines are considered an effective and practical preventive approach against the predominantly fecal-to-oral transmitted gastroenteritis particularly in the resource-limited countries or regions where implementation of sanitation systems and supply of safe drinking water are not quickly achievable. While vaccines are available for a few enteric pathogens including rotavirus and cholera, there are no vaccines licensed for many other enteric viral and bacterial pathogens. Challenges in enteric vaccine development include immunological heterogeneity among pathogen strains or isolates, a lack of animal challenge models to evaluate vaccine candidacy, undefined host immune correlates to protection, and a low protective efficacy among young children in endemic regions. In this article, we briefly updated the progress and challenges in vaccines and vaccine development for the leading enteric viral and bacterial pathogens including rotavirus, human calicivirus, Shigella, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), cholera, nontyphoidal Salmonella, and Campylobacter, and introduced a novel epitope- and structure-based vaccinology platform known as MEFA (multiepitope fusion antigen) and the application of MEFA for developing broadly protective multivalent vaccines against heterogenous pathogens.