Special Issue "Gastroenteritis Viruses 2021"

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Susana Guix
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departament Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Secció Microbiologia, Virologia i Biotecnologia, Facultat Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avda Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: norovirus; astrovirus; hepatitis A and E viruses; environmental and food virology; epidemiology; virus-host interactions
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Viral gastroenteritis has an immense impact on global public health, with rotaviruses, noroviruses, astroviruses, sapoviruses, enteroviruses and coronaviruses amongst the etiological agents. Tremendous advances in the last several decades, such as for instance the implementation of rotavirus vaccine, have contributed to undoubted improvements in the control of these pathogens, but new emerging viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, have been related to gastrointestinal symptoms in a large proportion of patients, posing new challenges to the field.  

In this Special Issue, we will cover the following topics of interest for the understanding of the interplay between gastroenteritis disease and viral infections: burden assessment and epidemiology, diagnostics, basic molecular and cell virology, pathogenesis, host response and host factors affecting infection outcome, extra-intestinal dissemination, control and prevention measures, emergence and evolution, the role of animal reservoirs, and the use of metagenomics for novel gastroenteritis virus discoveries. 

Dr. Susana Guix
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • epidemiology
  • diagnostic
  • basic Virology
  • virus-Host interactions
  • microbiome
  • extraintestinal dissemination
  • vaccines
  • control and prevention
  • emergence and evolution
  • animal reservoirs and zoonosis
  • viral discovery

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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Article
Human Astrovirus Outbreak in a Daycare Center and Propagation among Household Contacts
Viruses 2021, 13(6), 1100; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13061100 - 09 Jun 2021
Viewed by 840
Abstract
We investigated an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis due to human astrovirus in a daycare center, describing the transmission mechanism, the most affected age groups, conditioning factors and the extent of the outbreak among household contacts of the daycare center attenders. Data were collected [...] Read more.
We investigated an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis due to human astrovirus in a daycare center, describing the transmission mechanism, the most affected age groups, conditioning factors and the extent of the outbreak among household contacts of the daycare center attenders. Data were collected from persons exposed at the daycare center and their home contacts. Fecal samples from affected and non-affected daycare center attenders were analyzed for viruses causing acute gastroenteritis by RT-PCR. The percentage of households affected and the attack rates (AR) were calculated. The attack rates were compared using the rate ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals. Information was obtained from 245 people (76 attenders and 169 contacts) of whom 49 were clinical cases. Five HAstV-4, two HAstV-8 and three non-typable HAstV cases were identified (six from clinical cases and four from asymptomatic infected people). The global AR was 20% (41.2% in children aged < 2 years). Data were obtained from 67 households: 20 households of affected attenders and 47 of non-affected attendees. Household contacts of affected attenders had a higher AR (74.3%) than that of non-affected attendees (2.4%). We found asymptomatic infections amongst daycare attendees. The transmission of HAstV during the outbreak was not limited to the daycare center but extended to household contacts of both affected and non-affected attenders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gastroenteritis Viruses 2021)
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Article
Evidence of Circulation of Several HAV Genetic Variants and Emergence of Potential Antigenic Variants in an Endemo-Epidemic Country before Vaccine Introduction
Viruses 2021, 13(6), 1056; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13061056 - 03 Jun 2021
Viewed by 834
Abstract
Similar to several other countries in the world, the epidemiology of hepatitis A virus changed from high to intermediate endemicity level in Tunisia, which led to the occurrence of outbreaks. This study aimed to determine the genetic and antigenic variability of HAV strains [...] Read more.
Similar to several other countries in the world, the epidemiology of hepatitis A virus changed from high to intermediate endemicity level in Tunisia, which led to the occurrence of outbreaks. This study aimed to determine the genetic and antigenic variability of HAV strains circulating in Tunisia during the last few years. Genotyping using complete VP1 gene and VP1-2A junction confirmed the predominance of genotype IA, with co-circulation of several genetic and antigenic variants. Phylogenetic analysis including Tunisian and strains from other regions of the world showed the presence of at least two IA-variants within IA subgenotype. Amino-acid analysis showed several mutations in or close to epitope regions in the VP1-region. This study provides a baseline on the genetic and antigenic variability of HAV circulating strains before the introduction of vaccination into the national immunization schedule. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gastroenteritis Viruses 2021)
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Article
Human Astroviruses: A Tale of Two Strains
Viruses 2021, 13(3), 376; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13030376 - 27 Feb 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 619
Abstract
Since the 1970s, eight closely related serotypes of classical human astroviruses (HAstV) have been associated with gastrointestinal illness worldwide. In the late 2000s, three genetically unique human astrovirus clades, VA1-VA3, VA2-VA4, and MLB, were described. While the exact disease associated with these clades [...] Read more.
Since the 1970s, eight closely related serotypes of classical human astroviruses (HAstV) have been associated with gastrointestinal illness worldwide. In the late 2000s, three genetically unique human astrovirus clades, VA1-VA3, VA2-VA4, and MLB, were described. While the exact disease associated with these clades remains to be defined, VA1 has been associated with central nervous system infections. The discovery that VA1 could be grown in cell culture, supports exciting new studies aimed at understanding viral pathogenesis. Given the association of VA1 with often lethal CNS infections, we tested its susceptibility to the antimicrobial drug, nitazoxanide (NTZ), which we showed could inhibit classical HAstV infections. Our studies demonstrate that NTZ inhibited VA1 replication in Caco2 cells even when added at 12 h post-infection, which is later than in HAstV-1 infection. These data led us to further probe VA1 replication kinetics and cellular responses to infection in Caco-2 cells in comparison to the well-studied HAstV-1 strain. Overall, our studies highlight that VA1 replicates more slowly than HAstV-1 and elicits significantly different cellular responses, including the inability to disrupt cellular junctions and barrier permeability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gastroenteritis Viruses 2021)
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Review

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Review
Organoids to Dissect Gastrointestinal Virus–Host Interactions: What Have We Learned?
Viruses 2021, 13(6), 999; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13060999 - 27 May 2021
Viewed by 965
Abstract
Historically, knowledge of human host–enteric pathogen interactions has been elucidated from studies using cancer cells, animal models, clinical data, and occasionally, controlled human infection models. Although much has been learned from these studies, an understanding of the complex interactions between human viruses and [...] Read more.
Historically, knowledge of human host–enteric pathogen interactions has been elucidated from studies using cancer cells, animal models, clinical data, and occasionally, controlled human infection models. Although much has been learned from these studies, an understanding of the complex interactions between human viruses and the human intestinal epithelium was initially limited by the lack of nontransformed culture systems, which recapitulate the relevant heterogenous cell types that comprise the intestinal villus epithelium. New investigations using multicellular, physiologically active, organotypic cultures produced from intestinal stem cells isolated from biopsies or surgical specimens provide an exciting new avenue for understanding human specific pathogens and revealing previously unknown host–microbe interactions that affect replication and outcomes of human infections. Here, we summarize recent biologic discoveries using human intestinal organoids and human enteric viral pathogens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gastroenteritis Viruses 2021)
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Review
Bile Goes Viral
Viruses 2021, 13(6), 998; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13060998 - 27 May 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 898
Abstract
Laboratory cultivation of viruses is critical for determining requirements for viral replication, developing detection methods, identifying drug targets, and developing antivirals. Several viruses have a history of recalcitrance towards robust replication in laboratory cell lines, including human noroviruses and hepatitis B and C [...] Read more.
Laboratory cultivation of viruses is critical for determining requirements for viral replication, developing detection methods, identifying drug targets, and developing antivirals. Several viruses have a history of recalcitrance towards robust replication in laboratory cell lines, including human noroviruses and hepatitis B and C viruses. These viruses have tropism for tissue components of the enterohepatic circulation system: the intestine and liver, respectively. The purpose of this review is to discuss how key enterohepatic signaling molecules, bile acids (BAs), and BA receptors are involved in the replication of these viruses and how manipulation of these factors was useful in the development and/or optimization of culture systems for these viruses. BAs have replication-promoting activities through several key mechanisms: (1) affecting cellular uptake, membrane lipid composition, and endocytic acidification; (2) directly interacting with viral capsids to influence binding to cells; and (3) modulating the innate immune response. Additionally, expression of the Na+-taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide BA receptor in continuous liver cell lines is critical for hepatitis B virus entry and robust replication in laboratory culture. Viruses are capable of hijacking normal cellular functions, and understanding the role of BAs and BA receptors, components of the enterohepatic system, is valuable for expanding our knowledge on the mechanisms of norovirus and hepatitis B and C virus replication. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gastroenteritis Viruses 2021)
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