0000000000675548
AUTHOR
S. De Grazia
showing 20 related works from this author
Viral gastroenteritis in children hospitalised in Sicily, Italy
2006
The aim of the present study was to describe the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of acute viral gastroenteritis in hospitalised Italian children. A total of 215 stool specimens were collected from January to December 2003 from patients hospitalised in Palermo for acute diarrhoea. Samples were tested for group A rotavirus, astrovirus, adenovirus, norovirus, enteropathogenic bacteria, and parasites. Rotaviruses, mostly belonging to types G1-G4, were detected in 25.1% of samples, astrovirus in 7%, adenovirus in 6%, norovirus in 18.6%, and bacterial agents in 17.2%. No parasitic infections were diagnosed. Mixed infections represented 9.8% of all cases. The mean and median ages of chi…
A feline rotavirus G3P[9] carries traces of multiple reassortment events and resembles rare human G3P[9] rotaviruses.
2011
The full-length genome sequence of a feline G3P[9] rotavirus (RV) strain, BA222, identified from the intestinal content of an adult cat, was determined. Strain BA222 possessed a G3-P[9]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A3-N1-T3-E2-H3 genomic constellation, differing substantially from other feline RVs. Phylogenetic analyses of each genome segment revealed common origins with selected animal and zoonotic human RVs, notably with rare multi-reassortant human G3P[9] RVs (Ita/PAI58/96 and Ita/PAH136/96). Altogether, the findings suggest that feline RVs are genetically diverse and that human RVs may occasionally originate either directly or indirectly (via reassortment) from feline RVs.
Analysis of early strains of the norovirus pandemic variant GII.4 Sydney 2012 identifies mutations in adaptive sites of the capsid protein.
2014
AbstractGlobal surveillance for norovirus identified in 2012 the emergence of a novel pandemic GII.4 variant, termed Sydney 2012. In Italy, the novel pandemic variant was identified as early as November 2011 but became predominant only in the winter season 2012–2013. Upon sequencing and comparison with strains of global origin, the early Sydney 2012 strains were found to differ from those spreading in 2012–2013 in the capsid (ORF2) putative epitopes B, C and D, segregating into a distinct phylogenetic clade. At least three residues (333, 340 and 393, in epitopes B, C and D, respectively) of the VP1 varied among Sydney 2012 strains of different clades. These findings suggest that the spread …
Nationwide surveillance study of human astrovirus infections in an Italian paediatric population
2012
SUMMARYThe study investigated the genetic diversity of human astroviruses (HAstVs) detected in children hospitalized with gastroenteritis in Italy in 2008–2009. A total of 1321 faecal samples were collected in Parma (northern Italy), Bari (southern Italy), and Palermo (Sicily) and screened for the presence of HAstVs. RT–PCR amplification of a portion at the 5′-end of ORF2 allowed the detection of HAstVs in 3·95% of the patients. Four different genotypes (HAstV-1, HAstV-2, HAstV-4, HAstV-5) were found to be circulating during the study period, with HAstV-1 being the predominant type. Interestingly, a novel lineage, proposed as HAstV-2d, was found to have emerged in Parma in 2009. Investigati…
Waterborne Norovirus outbreak at a seaside resort likely originating from municipal water distribution system failure
2018
AbstractIn May 2016 a Norovirus (NoV) gastroenteritis outbreak involved a high school class visiting a seaside resort near Taormina (Mascali, Sicily). Twenty-four students and a teacher were affected and 17 of them showed symptoms on the second day of the journey, while the others got ill within the following 2 days. Symptoms included vomiting, diarrhoea and fever, and 12 students required hospitalisation. Stool samples tested positive for NoV genome by Real-Time polymerase chain reaction assay in all 25 symptomatic subjects. The GII.P2/GII.2 NoV genotype was linked to the outbreak by ORF1/ORF2 sequence analysis. The epidemiological features of the outbreak were consistent with food/waterbo…
Evidence for recombination between the pandemic GII.4 norovirus strains New Orleans 2009 and Sydney 2012
2013
ABSTRACT During 2012, a novel pandemic GII.4 norovirus variant, Sydney 2012, emerged worldwide. A signature of the variant was a GII.Pe ORF1, in association with GII.4 Apeldoorn 2008-like ORF2-ORF3 genes. We report the detection of recombinant GII.4 Sydney 2012 strains, possessing the ORF1 gene of the former pandemic variant New Orleans 2009.
Performance analysis of two immunochromatographic assays for the diagnosis of rotavirus infection
2017
Group A rotaviruses (RVAs) are the primary cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in young children worldwide. Several commercial tests including latex agglutination, enzyme-linked assays (ELISA) and immunochromatographic tests (ICT) have been developed for the diagnosis of RVA infection. In the present study, the performance of two commercially available one-step chromatographic immunoassays, CerTest Rotavirus + Adenovirus (Biotec S.L, Zaragoza, Spain) and Vikia Rota-Adeno (bioMerieux SA, Lyon, France) were retrospectively evaluated using Real-time PCR as reference test. Re-testing by Real-time PCR of 2096 stool samples of children hospitalized with AGE previously screened by ICTs (1467 by C…
Genetic heterogeneity of porcine enteric caliciviruses identified from diarrhoeic piglets
2008
Enteric caliciviruses (noroviruses and sapoviruses) are responsible for the majority of non-bacterial gastroenteritis in humans of all age groups. Analysis of the polymerase and capsid genes has provided evidence for a huge genetic diversity, but the understanding of their ecology is limited. In this study, we investigated the presence of porcine enteric caliciviruses in the faeces of piglets with diarrhoea. A total of 209 samples from 118 herds were analysed and calicivirus RNA was detected by RT-PCR in 68 sample (32.5%) and in 46 herds (38.9%), alone or in mixed infection with group A and C rotaviruses. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the calicivirus-positive samples characterized t…
Genetic heterogeneity and recombination in human type 2 astroviruses
2012
ABSTRACT Novel lineages of human astrovirus (HAstV) types 2, 2c, and 2d have been identified. Upon sequencing of the 3′ end of the genome, the type 2c and 2d HAstVs were found to be open reading frame 1b (ORF1b)-ORF2 recombinant, with ORF1b being derived from type 3 and type 1 HAstVs, respectively. An ORF2 interlineage recombinant strain, 2c/2b, was also identified.
Genetic Variability among Serotype G4 Italian Human Rotaviruses
2005
ABSTRACT A total of 254 serotype GH rotavirus strains were detected in Palermo, Italy, from 1985 to 2003. Out of 38 serotype G4 strains selected for genetic analysis, 14 were recognized by genotyping as type G9. Strains confirmed to belong to the G4 type showed temporal patterns of genetic evolution in their VP7 and VP4 gene sequences, and the latest Italian G4 strains were distantly related to the reference vaccinal ST3 strain.
Molecular characterization of the genotype G9 human rotavirus strains recovered in Palermo, Italy, during the winter of 1999-2000
2004
Among the known human rotavirus serotypes, types G1–G4 are ubiquitous and account for >80% of global human rotavirus strains. Since 1994 an increase in reports of G9 serotype isolates has been observed in both developed and developing countries. In the winter season of 1999–2000 we detected the appearance of G9 rotavirus in Palermo, Italy, accounting for 19% of all rotaviruses circulating in our geographical area. Some of these Italian G9 isolates have been submitted to partial sequencing of their VP7 gene. All of them showed complete nucleotide identity suggesting a clonal origin. The Italian VP7 sequences were found to be very closely related to that of other G9 strains recently isolat…
Human cytomegalovirus glycoprotein B genotypes in immunocompetent, immunocompromised, and congenitally infected Italian populations
2003
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) strains, obtained from immunocompetent and immunocompromised Italian hosts, were typed with glycoprotein B (gB) gene restriction analysis. A predominant circulation of HCMV strains with gB type 2 and 3 was detected in both the immunocompetent host with a primary HCMV infection and the immunocompromised host with or without HCMV disease. No association between gB types and subjects with different risks of developing HCMV disease was found. All four gB genotypes were capable of causing congenital infection in Italian babies, with gB type 1 accounting for 50% of the strains examined in symptomatic infants and a remarkable incidence of gB type 4 viruses.
Introduction and prolonged circulation of G12 rotaviruses in Sicily
2016
SUMMARYGenotype G12 strains are now considered to be the sixth most prevalent human rotaviruses worldwide. In two Sicilian cities, Palermo and Messina, surveillance of rotavirus circulation performed since 1985 and 2009, respectively, did not detect G12 strains until 2012. From 2012 to 2014 rotavirus infection was detected in 29·7% of 1647 stool samples collected from children admitted for acute gastroenteritis to three Sicilian hospitals in Palermo, Messina and Ragusa. In 2012, G12P[8] was first detected in Palermo and then in Messina where it represented the second most frequent genotype (20% prevalence) after G1P[8]. Thereafter, G12 strains continued to circulate in Sicily, showing a mar…
Full-genome sequencing of a Hungarian canine G3P[3] Rotavirus A strain reveals high genetic relatedness with a historic Italian human strain
2015
A canine Rotavirus A strain was identified in the fecal specimen of a young dog during 2012 in Hungary. The strain RVA/Dog-wt/HUN/135/2012/G3P[3] shared complete genotype constellation (G3-P[3]-I3-R3-C3-M3-A15-N2-T3-E3-H6) and high genome sequence similarity (nt, 98.8 %) with a historic human strain, RVA/Human-tc/ITA/PA260-97/1997/G3P[3]. This study provides evidence for the canine origin of the unusual NSP1 genotype, A15, and reinforces the hypothesis of direct interspecies transmission of canine rotaviruses to humans.
Rare AU-1-like G3P[9] human rotaviruses with a Kun-like NSP4 gene in children with diarrhea in Italy
2007
ABSTRACT Three G3P[9] rotaviruses, detected in children hospitalized with gastroenteritis in Palermo, Italy, were found to be genetically related to strains of either human or feline origin in the VP7, VP4, and VP6 genes. In contrast, in the NSP4 gene the viruses resembled G2P[4] human strains, suggesting a reassortment between AU-1-like and Kun-like strains.
P228 Cytomegalovirus Infection: is it a cause of flare-up in inflammatory bowel diseases?
2020
Abstract Background The presence of CMV in blood is quite common in patients with severe flares of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) and seems to predict an adverse outcome. The impact of antiviral treatment on CMV in this setting (indications and drug options) is an unresolved issue. Our aim was to reassess the CMV role in patients with IBD hospitalised for severe exacerbations, analysing the relationship between CMV positivity, clinical characteristics, antiviral therapy and disease outcomes. Methods We evaluated a homogeneous cohort of 97 consecutive patients with IBD hospitalised from 2012 to 2018. Data regarding age, gender, smoke, familial predisposition, type of IBD, e…
Diversity of human rotaviruses detected in Sicily, Italy, over a 5-years period (2001-2005).
2007
It is well known that the death of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) is the pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common and disabling condition in the expanding elderly population. Nevertheless, the intracellular cascade of events leading to dopamine cell death is still unknown and, consequently, treatment is largely symptomatic rather than preventive. Moreover, the mechanisms whereby nigral dopaminergic neurons may degenerate still remain controversial. Hitherto, several data have shown that the earlier cellular disturbances occurring in dopaminergic neurons include oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, inflammation, mitochondrial dy…
Performance evaluation of gastrointestinal viral ELIte panel multiplex RT-PCR assay for the diagnosis of rotavirus, adenovirus and astrovirus infecti…
2019
Rotavirus, adenovirus, norovirus and astrovirus are considered to be among the major causes of sporadic cases and outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis globally. Rapid and accurate identification of enteric viruses is still a challenge for the clinical laboratory. Recently, several molecular platforms for the detection of viral enteric pathogens have become available. In this study, the diagnostic accuracy of InGenius Gastrointestinal Viral (GV) Elite Panel, a newly developed one-step multiplex real-time RT-PCR assay simultaneously detecting rotavirus, adenovirus and astrovirus, was evaluated retrospectively analyzing an archival collection of 128 stool samples of children hospitalized with ac…
Surveillance of human astrovirus circulation in Italy 2002-2005: emergence of lineage 2c strains.
2010
AbstractBy screening faecal samples collected over four consecutive years (2002-2005) from hospitalized children with diarrhoea in Palermo, Italy, astroviruses (HAstVs) were detected in 3.95% of the patients. The predominant type circulating was HAstV-1 but, in 2002, only HAstV-2 and -4 were identified. Interestingly, the HAstVs-2 detected appeared to be consistently different in 5′ end of their open reading frame 2 from the previously described subtypes. These novel type 2 strains were included in a new 2c lineage based on the phylogenetic analysis and the presence of nine peculiar substitutions.
Surveillance of enteric virus infections in a neonatal intensive care unit.
2005
Objective. To investigate the epidemiology of neonatal viral gastroenteritis compared to the circulation of enteric viruses in children, 109 newborns in the NICU of Mother and Child Department and 214 children with enteritis admitted to the “G. Di Cristina” Children’s Hospital in Palermo were monitored for Rotavirus, Adenovirus, Astrovirus and Norovirus infections. Methods. Stool samples were examined by EIA to detect viral antigens. Rotavirus strains were subjected to P- and G-typing. Results. A Norovirus strain was detected in one neonatal stool specimen whereas an astrovirus strain was dectected in two neonatal specimens. No Rotavirus or Adenovirus infection was identified among the newb…