New complete genome sequences of human rhinoviruses shed light on their phylogeny and genomic features

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Human rhinoviruses (HRV), the most frequent cause of respiratory infections, include 99 different serotypes segregating into two species, A and B. Rhinoviruses share extensive genomic sequence similarity with enteroviruses and both are part of the picornavirus family. Nevertheless they differ significantly at the phenotypic level. The lack of HRV full-length genome sequences and the absence of analysis comparing picornaviruses at the whole genome level limit our knowledge of the genomic features supporting these differences.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we report complete genome sequences of 12 HRV-A and HRV-B serotypes, more than doubling the current number of available HRV sequences. The whole-genome maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analysis suggests that HRV-B and human enteroviruses (HEV) diverged from the last common ancestor after their separation from HRV-A. On the other hand, compared to HEV, HRV-B are more related to HRV-A in the capsid and 3B-C regions. We also identified the presence of a 2C <it>cis</it>-acting replication element (<it>cre</it>) in HRV-B that is not present in HRV-A, and that had been previously characterized only in HEV. In contrast to HEV viruses, HRV-A and HRV-B share also markedly lower GC content along the whole genome length.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our findings provide basis to speculate about both the biological similarities and the differences (e.g. tissue tropism, temperature adaptation or acid lability) of these three groups of viruses.</p

E119D Neuraminidase Mutation Conferring Pan-Resistance to Neuraminidase Inhibitors in an A(H1N1)pdm09 Isolate From a Stem-Cell Transplant Recipient

Background. An influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 infection was diagnosed in a hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipient during conditioning regimen. He was treated with oral oseltamivir, later combined with intravenous zanamivir. The H275Y neuraminidase (NA) mutation was first detected, and an E119D NA mutation was identified during zanamivir therapy. Methods. Recombinant wild-type (WT) E119D and E119D/H275Y A(H1N1)pdm09 NA variants were generated by reverse genetics. Susceptibility to NA inhibitors (NAIs) was evaluated with a fluorometric assay using the 2′-(4-methylumbelliferyl)-α-d-N-acetylneuraminic acid (MUNANA) substrate. Susceptibility to favipiravir (T-705) was assessed using plaque reduction assays. The NA affinity and velocity values were determined with NA enzymatic studies. Results. We identified an influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 E119D mutant that exhibited a marked increase in the 50% inhibitory concentrations against all tested NAIs (827-, 25-, 286-, and 702-fold for zanamivir, oseltamivir, peramivir, and laninamivir, respectively). The double E119D/H275Y mutation further increased oseltamivir and peramivir 50% inhibitory concentrations by 790- and >5000-fold, respectively, compared with the WT. The mutant viruses remained susceptible to favipiravir. The NA affinity and velocity values of the E119D variant decreased by 8.1-fold and 4.5-fold, respectively, compared with the WT. Conclusions. The actual emergence of a single NA mutation conferring pan-NAI resistance in the clinical setting reinforces the pressing need to develop new anti-influenza strategie

New Respiratory Enterovirus and Recombinant Rhinoviruses among Circulating Picornaviruses

Increased genomic diversity of these viruses is demonstrated

T Lymphocytes Promote the Antiviral and Inflammatory Responses of Airway Epithelial Cells

T cells modulate the antiviral and inflammatory responses of airway epithelial cells to human rhinoviruses (HRV)

Erratum for Williams et al., "Investigation of the Plasma Virome from Cases of Unexplained Febrile Illness in Tanzania from 2013 to 2014: a Comparative Analysis between Unbiased and VirCapSeq-VERT High-Throughput Sequencing Approaches"

High-throughput sequencing can provide insights into epidemiology and medicine through comprehensive surveys of viral genetic sequences in environmental and clinical samples. Here, we characterize the plasma virome of Tanzanian patients with unexplained febrile illness by using two high-throughput sequencing methods: unbiased sequencing and VirCapSeq-VERT (a positive selection system). Sequences from dengue virus 2, West Nile virus, human immunodeficiency virus type 1, human pegivirus, and Epstein-Barr virus were identified in plasma. Both sequencing strategies recovered nearly complete genomes in samples containing multiple viruses. Whereas VirCapSeq-VERT had better sensitivity, unbiased sequencing provided better coverage of genome termini. Together, these data demonstrate the utility of high-throughput sequencing strategies in outbreak investigations. &lt;b&gt;IMPORTANCE&lt;/b&gt; Characterization of the viruses found in the blood of febrile patients provides information pertinent to public health and diagnostic medicine. PCR and culture have historically played an important role in clinical microbiology; however, these methods require a targeted approach and may lack the capacity to identify novel or mixed viral infections. High-throughput sequencing can overcome these constraints. As the cost of running multiple samples continues to decrease, the implementation of high-throughput sequencing for diagnostic purposes is becoming more feasible. Here we present a comparative analysis of findings from an investigation of unexplained febrile illness using two strategies: unbiased high-throughput sequencing and VirCapSeq-VERT, a positive selection high-throughput sequencing system

How much should we sequence? An analysis of the Swiss SARS-CoV-2 surveillance effort

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many countries directed substantial resources toward genomic surveillance to detect and track viral variants. There is a debate over how much sequencing effort is necessary in national surveillance programs for SARS-CoV-2 and future pandemic threats. We aimed to investigate the effect of reduced sequencing on surveillance outcomes in a large genomic data set from Switzerland, comprising more than 143k sequences. We employed a uniform downsampling strategy using 100 iterations each to investigate the effects of fewer available sequences on the surveillance outcomes: (i) first detection of variants of concern (VOCs), (ii) speed of introduction of VOCs, (iii) diversity of lineages, (iv) first cluster detection of VOCs, (v) density of active clusters, and (vi) geographic spread of clusters. The impact of downsampling on VOC detection is disparate for the three VOC lineages, but many outcomes including introduction and cluster detection could be recapitulated even with only 35% of the original sequencing effort. The effect on the observed speed of introduction and first detection of clusters was more sensitive to reduced sequencing effort for some VOCs, in particular Omicron and Delta, respectively. A genomic surveillance program needs a balance between societal benefits and costs. While the overall national dynamics of the pandemic could be recapitulated by a reduced sequencing effort, the effect is strongly lineage-dependent-something that is unknown at the time of sequencing-and comes at the cost of accuracy, in particular for tracking the emergence of potential VOCs.IMPORTANCESwitzerland had one of the most comprehensive genomic surveillance systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Such programs need to strike a balance between societal benefits and program costs. Our study aims to answer the question: How would surveillance outcomes have changed had we sequenced less? We find that some outcomes but also certain viral lineages are more affected than others by sequencing less. However, sequencing to around a third of the original effort still captured many important outcomes for the variants of concern such as their first detection but affected more strongly other measures like the detection of first transmission clusters for some lineages. Our work highlights the importance of setting predefined targets for a national genomic surveillance program based on which sequencing effort should be determined. Additionally, the use of a centralized surveillance platform facilitates aggregating data on a national level for rapid public health responses as well as post-analyses

Rhinovirus Genome Variation during Chronic Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract Infections

Routine screening of lung transplant recipients and hospital patients for respiratory virus infections allowed to identify human rhinovirus (HRV) in the upper and lower respiratory tracts, including immunocompromised hosts chronically infected with the same strain over weeks or months. Phylogenetic analysis of 144 HRV-positive samples showed no apparent correlation between a given viral genotype or species and their ability to invade the lower respiratory tract or lead to protracted infection. By contrast, protracted infections were found almost exclusively in immunocompromised patients, thus suggesting that host factors rather than the virus genotype modulate disease outcome, in particular the immune response. Complete genome sequencing of five chronic cases to study rhinovirus genome adaptation showed that the calculated mutation frequency was in the range observed during acute human infections. Analysis of mutation hot spot regions between specimens collected at different times or in different body sites revealed that non-synonymous changes were mostly concentrated in the viral capsid genes VP1, VP2 and VP3, independent of the HRV type. In an immunosuppressed lung transplant recipient infected with the same HRV strain for more than two years, both classical and ultra-deep sequencing of samples collected at different time points in the upper and lower respiratory tracts showed that these virus populations were phylogenetically indistinguishable over the course of infection, except for the last month. Specific signatures were found in the last two lower respiratory tract populations, including changes in the 5′UTR polypyrimidine tract and the VP2 immunogenic site 2. These results highlight for the first time the ability of a given rhinovirus to evolve in the course of a natural infection in immunocompromised patients and complement data obtained from previous experimental inoculation studies in immunocompetent volunteers

Swiss public health measures associated with reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission using genome data

Genome sequences from evolving infectious pathogens allow quantification of case introductions and local transmission dynamics. We sequenced 11,357 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genomes from Switzerland in 2020 - the sixth largest effort globally. Using a representative subset of these data, we estimated viral introductions to Switzerland and their persistence over the course of 2020. We contrasted these estimates with simple null models representing the absence of certain public health measures. We show that Switzerland's border closures de-coupled case introductions from incidence in neighboring countries. Under a simple model, we estimate an 86-98% reduction in introductions during Switzerland's strictest border closures. Furthermore, the Swiss 2020 partial lockdown roughly halved the time for sampled introductions to die out. Last, we quantified local transmission dynamics once introductions into Switzerland occurred, using a phylodynamic model. We found that transmission slowed 35-63% upon outbreak detection in summer 2020, but not in fall. This finding may indicate successful contact tracing over summer before overburdening in fall. The study highlights the added value of genome sequencing data for understanding transmission dynamics

Sequencing and analysis of globally obtained human parainfluenza viruses 1 and 3 genomes

Human Parainfluenza viruses (HPIV) type 1 and 3 are important causes of respiratory tract infections in young children globally. HPIV infections do not confer complete protective immunity so reinfections occur throughout life. Since no effective vaccine is available for the two virus subtypes, comprehensive understanding of HPIV-1 and HPIV-3 genetic and epidemic features is important for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of HPIV-1 and HPIV-3 infections. Relatively few whole genome sequences are available for both HPIV-1 and HPIV-3 viruses, so our study sought to provide whole genome sequences from multiple countries to further the understanding of the global diversity of HPIV at a whole-genome level. We collected HPIV-1 and HPIV-3 samples and isolates from Argentina, Australia, France, Mexico, South Africa, Switzerland, and USA from the years 2003–2011 and sequenced the genomes of 40 HPIV-1 and 75 HPIV-3 viruses with Sanger and next-generation sequencing with the Ion Torrent, Illumina, and 454 platforms. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the HPIV-1 genome is evolving at an estimated rate of 4.97 × 10−4 mutations/ site/year (95% highest posterior density 4.55 × 10−4 to 5.38 × 10−4) and the HPIV-3 genome is evolving at a similar rate (3.59 × 10−4 mutations/site/year, 95% highest posterior density 3.26 × 10−4 to 3.94 × 10−4). There were multiple genetically distinct lineages of both HPIV-1 and 3 circulating on a global scale. Further surveillance and whole-genome sequencing are greatly needed to better understand the spatial dynamics of these important respiratory viruses in humans.S1 Text. HPIV-1 Sanger sequencing primers.S2 Text. HPIV-3 Sanger sequencing primers.S1 Table. The sequence information of the 40 HPIV-1 genomes.S2 Table. The sequence information of the 75 HPIV-3 genomes.S3 Table. MEME episodic selection results for HPIV-1 and HPIV-3.The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services under contract number HHSN272200900007C and grant numbers U19AI110819, with the sub-project directed by HAL, and grants U01AI070428 and U01AI077988 awarded to KJH.http://www.plosone.orgam2019Medical Virolog