Emerging and re-emerging virus infections in neonates and young pediatric patients (original) (raw)
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Novel infectious diseases in europe
Medical review
Introduction. The end of 20th and beginning of 21st century is marked by the discovery of new, supercontagious and fast spreading viral diseases. Since 1967, more than 40 new agents have been identified, including human immunodeficiency virus, Ebola, Marburg fever, severe acute respiratory syndrome, hepatitis C, hepatitis E viruses and Zika virus. Modern lifestyle, availability and speed of air traffic, migrations, as well as climate changes, enable faster spreading of infectious diseases from the regions that were hardly reachable. We selected a few diseases that raised the greatest attention among experts and public in general. Ebola. Ebola virus raises anxiety due to high mortality and fast spreading by using inter-human contact. Zika virus. Zika virus, that most often causes mild symptoms, is potentially responsible for microcephaly in neonates. Dengue. Dengue virus is an ?old story?, but in last decades incidence has multiplied by 30. West Nile virus. Although discovered in 193...
FEMS Microbiology Reviews, 2005
A number of new virus infections have emerged or re-emerged during the past 15 years. Some viruses are spreading to new areas along with climate and environmental changes. The majority of these infections are transmitted from animals to humans, and thus called zoonoses. Zoonotic viruses are, as compared to human-only viruses, much more difficult to eradicate. Infections by several of these viruses may lead to high mortality and also attract attention because they are potential bioweapons. This review will focus on zoonotic virus infections occurring in Europe.
Viruses That Cross Borders: Factors Responsible for Global Dissemination of Viral Infections
…, 2011
Objective: Pandemic viral infections as emerging infectious diseases are of a great global concern. However, for some viruses, particular strains are endemic to specific areas and can be genetically distinguished from strains in other regions. In contrast, for some other viruses, genetically similar strains can spread and circulate all over the world. This study addresses global dissemination of various viral infections. Methods: We classified 34 viruses as per their ability to cross borders by review. We also described factors responsible for and the dynamics of global dissemination. We examined biological characteristics of viruses, manners or routes of transmission, host responses and epidemiological factors. Results: Factors required for viruses to cross borders include 'non-blood infection', 'short incubation period', 'short infectious period', 'frequent re-infection', 'small basic reproductive number (R 0 )' and 'high annual incidence'. Conclusion: Knowing the factors responsible for global dissemination of pathogens is useful for controlling and/or containing both classic and emerging infectious diseases.
Epidemic Threats to the European Union: Expert Views on Six Virus Groups
Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, 2013
In recent years, several animal disease epidemics have occurred within the European Union (EU). At the 4th Annual Meeting of the EPIZONE network (7-10 June 2010, St. Malo, France), an interactive session was run to elicit the opinions of delegates on a pre-defined list of epidemic threats to the EU. Responses from over 190 delegates, to questions relating to impact and likelihood, were used to rank six virus groups with respect to their perceived threat now (2010) and in 2020. The combined opinions of all delegates suggested that, from the pre-selected list of virus groups, foot-and-mouth disease and influenza are currently of most concern. Delegates thought that influenza would be less of a threat and zoonotic arboviruses would be more of a threat in 2020. Although the virus group rankings should not be taken as definitive, the results could be used in conjunction with experimental and field data, by scientists, policy-makers and stakeholders when assessing and managing risks associated with these virus groups. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases ª 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH • Transboundary and Emerging Diseases.
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 2008
Enteroviruses (EVs) can induce nonspecific respiratory tract infections in children, but their epidemiological, virological, and clinical features remain to be assessed. In the present study, we analyzed 252 EV-related infection cases (median age of subjects, 5.1 years) diagnosed among 11,509 consecutive children visiting emergency departments within a 7-year period in the north of France. EV strains were isolated from nasopharyngeal samples by viral cell culture, identified by seroneutralization assay, and genetically compared by partial amplification and sequencing of the VP1 gene. The respiratory syndromes (79 [31%] of 252 EV infections) appeared as the second most common EV-induced pediatric pathology after meningitis (111 [44%] of 252 cases) (44 versus 31%, P < 10 ؊3 ), contributing to lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in 43 (54%) of 79 EV respiratory infection cases. Bronchiolitis was the most common EV-induced LRTI (34 [43%] of 79 cases, P < 10 ؊3 ) occurring more often in infants aged 1 to 12 months (P ؍ 0.0002), with spring-fall seasonality. Viruses ECHO 11, 6, and 13 were the more frequently identified respiratory strains (24, 13, and 11%, respectively). The VP1 gene phylogenetic analysis showed the concomitant or successive circulation of genetically distinct EV respiratory strains (species A or B) during the same month or annual epidemic period. Our findings indicated that respiratory tract infections accounted for the 30% of EV-induced pediatric pathologies, contributing to LRTIs in 54% of these cases. Moreover, the concomitant or successive circulation of genetically distinct EV strains indicated the possibility of pediatric repeated respiratory infections within the same epidemic season.
The European Virus Archive: A new resource for virology research
Antiviral Research, 2012
The European Virus Archive (EVA) was conceived as a direct response to the need for a coordinated and readily accessible collection of viruses that could be made available to academia, public health organisations and industry, initially within Europe, but ultimately throughout the world. Although scientists worldwide have accumulated virus collections since the early twentieth century, the quality of the collections and the viruses collected may vary according to the personal interests and agenda of the scientists. Moreover, when laboratories are re-organised or closed, collections are no longer maintained and gradually cease to exist. The tragedy of 9/11 and other disruptive activities have also meant that some previously available biological reagents are no longer openly exchanged between countries. In 2008, funding under the FP7-EU infrastructure programme enabled the initiation of the EVA. Within three years, it has developed from a consortium of nine European laboratories to encompass associated partners in Africa, Russia, China, Turkey, Germany and Italy. There is every reason to believe that EVA will continue to expand and ultimately exist as a globally networked, quality-controlled non-profit archive for the benefit of science. Organizations or individuals who would like to be considered as contributors are invited to contact the EVA coordinator, Jean-Louis Romette,
Insights in paediatric virology during the COVID‑19 era (Review)
Medicine International
the present article provides an overview of the key messages of the topics discussed at the '7th Workshop on Paediatric Virology', which was organised virtually on December 20, 2021 by the Institute of Paediatric Virology, located on the Island of Euboea in Greece. the workshop's plenary lectures were on: i) viral pandemics and epidemics in the ancient Mediterranean; ii) the impact of obesity on the outcome of viral infections in children and adolescents; and iii) COVID-19 and artificial intelligence. Despite the scarcity of evidence from fossils and remnants, viruses have been recognised as significant causes of several epidemics in the ancient Mediterranean. Paediatric obesity, a modifiable critical health risk factor, has been shown to impact on the development, progression and severity of viral infections. thus, the prevention of paediatric obesity should be included in formulating public health policies and decision-making strategies against emerging global viral threats. During the current CoVID-19 pandemic, artificial intelligence has been used to facilitate the identification, monitoring and prevention of SARS-CoV-2. In the future, it will play a fundamental role in the surveillance of epidemic-prone infectious diseases, in the repurposing of older therapies and in the design of novel therapeutic agents against viral infections. the collaboration between different medical specialties and other diverse scientific fields, including archaeology, history, epidemiology, nutritional technologies, mathematics, computer technology, engineering, medical law and ethics is essential for the successful management of paediatric viral infections. the current CoVID-19 pandemic has underscored this need, which should be further encouraged in
Emerging and Reemerging Viral Pathogens, 2020
The unpredictable emergence of new zoonotic diseases with viral etiology is currently a hot issue in the scientific and political circles. Viral emergence and reemergence, as a sanitary event, are only the visible part of the iceberg, while the hidden one corresponds to a multitude of complex and interrelated factors, including societal and environmental factors favoring the advent of the state of viral emergence and reemergence. According to the World Health Organization, 60% of the agents recognized as human pathogens come from the animal kingdom, and 75% of the pathogens responsible for emerging and reemerging animal diseases present a potential transgression of interface between interspecies establishing favorable conditions for genetic exchange leading to the emergence of new highly pathogenic variants and strains of which the animal is often the host reservoir. Therefore any public health prophylactic strategy requires a holistic approach to the health problem, taking into acc...