| 1. |
- Rembeck, Karolina, et al.
(författare)
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Clinical Spectrum and Epidemiology of Human Parechovirus Infections in Infants: A Retrospective Study in the Western Part of Sweden
- 2024
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Ingår i: OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES. - 2328-8957. ; 11:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Human parechovirus (HPeV) infections can cause sepsis and meningoencephalitis in infants. To improve our knowledge of the consequences of HPeV infections in young children, the incidence, clinical spectrum, and short-term outcome among infants infected with HPeV were investigated retrospectively. Methods The presence of HPeV RNA was investigated by polymerase chain reaction in cerebrospinal fluid from 327 children aged 0 to 12 months sampled between 2014 and 2017. Eighty-one were infected with HPeV and included in the study. These infants were divided into 3 groups based on clinical assessment: HPeV was the presumed cause of disease (n = 35); HPeV could have contributed to or been considered the cause of disease (n = 24); and HPeV was not considered the cause of disease (n = 22). Results Infection with HPeV type 3 was common in all groups (n = 54), and most children were younger than 3 months (n = 63). The children in the first group (HPeV as presumed cause) had meningoencephalitis (n = 20), viral sepsis (n = 9), or non-severe viral infection (n = 6). The youngest were more prone to develop meningoencephalitis, while the slightly older children had symptoms of viral sepsis or nonsevere viral infection (P < .05). Eleven had symptom onset within 2 days after birth. Two infants diagnosed with sudden infant death syndrome were HPeV infected when tested postmortem. Conclusions HPeV infections were identified in 25% of children with suspected central nervous system infection. The clinical presentation of those infected with HPeV varied with age. HPeV infections may be associated with sudden infant death syndrome, although this is not well studied. The results suggest that HPeV infections may be underdiagnosed in young infants.
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| 2. |
- Saguti, Fredy, et al.
(författare)
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Surveillance of wastewater revealed peaks of SARS-CoV-2 preceding those of hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
- 2021
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Ingår i: Water research. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-2448 .- 0043-1354. ; 189
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- SARS-CoV-2 was discovered among humans in Wuhan, China in late 2019, and then spread rapidly, causing a global pandemic. The virus was found to be transmitted mainly by respiratory droplets from infected persons or by direct contact. It was also shown to be excreted in feces, why we investigated whether the virus could be detected in wastewater and if so, to which extent its levels reflects its spread in society. Samples of wastewater from the city of Gothenburg, and surrounding municipalities in Sweden were collected daily from mid-February until June 2020 at the Rya wastewater treatment plant. Flow proportional samples of wastewater were collected to ensure that comparable amounts were obtained for analysis. Daily samples were pooled into weekly samples. Virus was concentrated on a filter and analyzed by RT-qPCR. The amount of SARS-CoV-2 varied with peaks approximately every four week, preceding variations in number of newly hospitalized patients by 19-21 days. At that time virus testing for COVID-19 was limited to patients with severe symptoms. Local differences in viral spread was shown by analyzing weekly composite samples of wastewater from five sampling sites for four weeks. The highest amount of virus was found from the central, eastern, and northern parts of the city. SARS-CoV-2 was also found in the treated effluent wastewater from the WWTP discharged into the recipient, the Göta River, although with a reduction of 4-log10. The viral peaks with regular temporal intervals indicated that SARS-CoV-2 may have a cluster spread, probably reflecting that the majority of infected persons only spread the disease during a few days. Our results are important for both the planning of hospital care and to rapidly identify and intervene against local spread of the virus.
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| 3. |
- Saguti, Fredy, et al.
(författare)
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Surveillance of wastewater revealed peaks of SARS-CoV-2 preceding those of hospitalized patients with COVID-19
- 2021
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Ingår i: Water Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0043-1354 .- 1879-2448. ; 189
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- SARS-CoV-2 was discovered among humans in Wuhan, China in late 2019, and then spread rapidly, causing a global pandemic. The virus was found to be transmitted mainly by respiratory droplets from infected persons or by direct contact. It was also shown to be excreted in feces, why we investigated whether the virus could be detected in wastewater and if so, to which extent its levels reflects its spread in society. Samples of wastewater from the city of Gothenburg, and surrounding municipalities in Sweden were collected daily from mid-February until June 2020 at the Rya wastewater treatment plant. Flow proportional samples of wastewater were collected to ensure that comparable amounts were obtained for analysis. Daily samples were pooled into weekly samples. Virus was concentrated on a filter and analyzed by RT-qPCR. The amount of SARS-CoV-2 varied with peaks approximately every four week, preceding variations in number of newly hospitalized patients by 19-21 days. At that time virus testing for COVID-19 was limited to patients with severe symptoms. Local differences in viral spread was shown by analyzing weekly composite samples of wastewater from five sampling sites for four weeks. The highest amount of virus was found from the central, eastern, and northern parts of the city. SARS-CoV-2 was also found in the treated effluent wastewater from the WWTP discharged into the recipient, the Göta River, although with a reduction of 4-log10. The viral peaks with regular temporal intervals indicated that SARS-CoV-2 may have a cluster spread, probably reflecting that the majority of infected persons only spread the disease during a few days. Our results are important for both the planning of hospital care and to rapidly identify and intervene against local spread of the virus.
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| 4. |
- Saguti, Fredy, et al.
(författare)
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The UV Dose Used for Disinfection of Drinking Water in Sweden Inadequately Inactivates Enteric Virus with Double-Stranded Genomes
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI AG. - 1660-4601 .- 1661-7827. ; 19:14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Irradiation with ultraviolet light (UV) at 254 nm is effective in inactivating a wide range of human pathogens. In Sweden, a UV dose of 400 J/m(2) is often used for the treatment of drinking water. To investigate its effect on virus inactivation, enteric viruses with different genomic organizations were irradiated with three UV doses (400, 600, and 1000 J/m(2)), after which their viability on cell cultures was examined. Adenovirus type 2 (double-stranded DNA), simian rotavirus 11 (double-stranded RNA), and echovirus 30 (single-stranded RNA) were suspended in tap water and pumped into a laboratory-scale Aquada 1 UV reactor. Echovirus 30 was reduced by 3.6-log(10) by a UV dose of 400 J/m(2). Simian rotavirus 11 and adenovirus type 2 were more UV resistant with only 1-log(10) reduction at 400 J/m(2) and needed 600 J/m(2) for 2.9-log(10) and 3.1-log(10) reductions, respectively. There was no significant increase in the reduction of viral viability at higher UV doses, which may indicate the presence of UV-resistant viruses. These results show that higher UV doses than those usually used in Swedish drinking water treatment plants should be considered in combination with other barriers to disinfect the water when there is a risk of fecal contamination of the water.
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| 5. |
- Saguti, Fredy, et al.
(författare)
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The Virucidal Effect of the Chlorination of Water at the Initial Phase of Disinfection May Be Underestimated If Contact Time Calculations Are Used
- 2023
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Ingår i: Pathogens. - 2076-0817. ; 12:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For the microbiological safety of drinking water, disinfection methods are used to remove or inactivate microorganisms. Chlorine and chlorine dioxide are often used as disinfectants in drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs). We investigated the effectiveness of these chemicals in inactivate echovirus 30 (E30), simian 11 rotavirus (RV SA11), and human adenovirus type 2 (HAdV2) in purified water from a DWTP. Within two minutes of contact, chlorine dioxide inactivated E30 by 4-log10, RV SA11 by 3-log10, and HAdV2 could not be detected, while chlorine reduced E30 by 3-log10, RV SA11 by 2-3log10, and HAdV2 by 3-4log10. However, viral genomes could be detected for up to 2 h using qPCR. The CT method, based on a combination of disinfectant concentration and contact time, during such a short initial phase, is problematic. The high concentrations of disinfectant needed to neutralize organic matter may have a strong immediate effect on virus viability. This may lead to the underestimation of disinfection and overdosing of disinfectants in water with organic contamination. These results are useful for the selection of disinfection systems for reuse of treated wastewater and in the risk assessment of water treatment processes using chlorine and chlorine dioxide.
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| 6. |
- Twagirumugabe, T., et al.
(författare)
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Hepatitis A and E virus infections have different epidemiological patterns in Rwanda
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Infectious Diseases. - : Elsevier BV. - 1201-9712. ; 86, s. 12-14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of anti-HAV and HEV markers in order to better understand spread of these two viruses among adults in Rwanda. Methods: Samples from 1045 and 1133 blood donors, healthy adults and liver disease patients were analysed for anti-HAV IgG and HEV markers respectively. Results: Anti-HAV was present in 96.9% (1013/1045), with proportions of immune persons increasing with age. HEV infection markers were detected in 11.9% (135/1133) without differences between the three categories. Seven persons had low levels of HEV RNA including four blood donors but none of the HEV strains could be sequenced. The highest prevalence of HEV markers was in farmers and persons from the Southern (17.3%) and Western regions (18.6%), which have the national highest density of pigs. This may indicate that pigs constitute an important source of HEV infection for humans in Rwanda. Conclusion: HAV remains highly endemic in Rwanda, but there may now be a decline of exposure during childhood. HEV is also endemic in Rwanda, but has a moderate spread and may be transmitted by blood transfusion. Based on the geographical and occupational differences in HEV prevalence, a possible zoonotic transmission from pigs should be further explored. © 2019 The Authors
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| 7. |
- Wang, Hao, et al.
(författare)
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Genetically similar hepatitis E virus strains infect both humans and wild boars in the Barcelona area, Spain, and Sweden.
- 2019
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Ingår i: Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. - : Hindawi Limited. - 1865-1674 .- 1865-1682. ; 66:2, s. 978-985
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a hepatotropic virus, endemic in Europe where it infects humans and animals, with domestic pigs and wild boars as main reservoirs. The number of HEV-infected cases with unknown source of infection increases in Europe. There are human HEV strains genetically similar to viruses from domestic pigs, and zoonotic transmission via consumption of uncooked pork meat has been shown. Due to continuous growth of the wild boar populations in Europe, another route may be through direct or indirect contacts with wild boars. In the Collserola Natural Park near Barcelona, Spain, the wild boars have spread into Barcelona city. In Sweden, they are entering into farmlands and villages. To investigate the prevalence of HEV and the risk for zoonotic transmissions, the presence of antibodies against HEV and HEV RNA were analysed in serum and faecal samples from 398 wild boars, 264 from Spain and 134 from Sweden and in sera from 48 Swedish patients with HEV infection without known source of infection. Anti-HEV was more commonly found in Spanish wild boars (59% vs. 8%; p<0.0001) while HEV RNA had similar prevalence (20% in Spanish vs. 15% in Swedish wild boars). Seven Swedish and three Spanish wild boars were infected with subtype 3f, and nine Spanish with subtype 3c/i. There were three clades in the phylogenetic tree formed by strains from wild boars and domestic pigs; another four clades were formed by strains from humans and wild boars. One strain from a Spanish wild boar was similar to strains from chronically infected humans. The high prevalence of HEV infections among wild boars and the similarity between wild boar HEV strains and those from humans and domestic pigs indicate that zoonotic transmission from wild boar may be more common than previously anticipated, which may develop into public health concern.
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