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Microorganisms
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Discovery and Characterization of Novel/Emerging Viruses
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Discovery and Characterization of Novel/Emerging Viruses

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Public Health Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2023) | Viewed by 21155

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Nariman Shahhosseini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Quebec, QC, Canada
Interests: Arbvoviruses; Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers; Zoonosis; Emerging Viruses; Metagenomics; Phylogenetics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The past two decades have witnessed a dramatic emergence of novel viruses including vector-borne viruses, viral hemorrhagic fevers, and viral zoonoses. The discovery of novel viruses will have practical implications for the improvement of public health policy by better understanding novel and emerging viruses.

Ongoing global eco-climatic changes create favorable conditions for the emergence of novel viruses in previously naïve areas. Emerging viruses can be deadly and economically devastating threats to human populations around the globe. A recent example is the emergence of a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, in China in late 2019. Soon after, SARS-CoV-2 caused a pandemic with serious consequences on public health globally. Thus, virus discovery will provide a framework for detecting potentially imminent viral outbreaks at the earliest opportunity.

In this Special Issue of Microorganisms, we wish to publish reviews and research articles documenting the current knowledge about novel and emerging viruses. We are encouraging manuscripts addressing aspects of novel virus discovery using Next Generation Sequencing, as well as genomics, ecology and evolution of emerging arboviruses and associated vectors, viral hemorrhagic fevers, and viral zoonoses. This special issue with novel virus discovery will address one of the most pressing global public health concerns.


Dr. Nariman Shahhosseini
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 submissions that pass pre-check are 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. Microorganisms 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 2700 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

  • Arboviruses
  • Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
  • Vector-Borne Viruses
  • Zoonosis
  • Metagenomics
  • Virus Evolution
  • Phylogeography

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 4465 KiB  
Communication
First Detection and Molecular Characterization of Usutu Virus in Culex pipiens Mosquitoes Collected in Romania
by Florian Liviu Prioteasa, Sorin Dinu, Georgiana Victorița Tiron, Ioana Georgeta Stancu, Elena Fălcuță, Cornelia Svetlana Ceianu and Ani Ioana Cotar
Microorganisms 2023, 11(3), 684; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11030684 - 07 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1460
Abstract
Usutu virus (USUV) is an emergent arbovirus in Europe causing mortality in bird populations. Similar to West Nile virus (WNV), USUV is maintained in sylvatic cycles between mosquito vectors and bird reservoirs. Spillover events may result in human neurological infection cases. Apart from [...] Read more.
Usutu virus (USUV) is an emergent arbovirus in Europe causing mortality in bird populations. Similar to West Nile virus (WNV), USUV is maintained in sylvatic cycles between mosquito vectors and bird reservoirs. Spillover events may result in human neurological infection cases. Apart from indirect evidence provided by a recent serological study in wild birds, the circulation of USUV in Romania was not assessed. We aimed to detect and molecular characterize USUV circulating in mosquito vectors collected in South-Eastern Romania—a well-known WNV endemic region—during four transmission seasons. Mosquitoes were collected from Bucharest metropolitan area and Danube Delta, pooled, and screened by real-time RT-PCR for USUV. Partial genomic sequences were obtained and used for phylogeny. USUV was detected in Culex pipiens s.l. female mosquitoes collected in Bucharest, in 2019. The virus belonged to Europe 2 lineage, sub-lineage EU2-A. Phylogenetic analysis revealed high similarity with isolates infecting mosquito vectors, birds, and humans in Europe starting with 2009, all sharing common origin in Northern Italy. To our knowledge, this is the first study characterizing a strain of USUV circulating in Romania. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Discovery and Characterization of Novel/Emerging Viruses)
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19 pages, 4250 KiB  
Article
Detection and Molecular Characterization of Rotavirus Infections in Children and Adults with Gastroenteritis from Vojvodina, Serbia
by Aleksandra Patić, Vladimir Vuković, Gordana Kovačević, Vladimir Petrović, Mioljub Ristić, Milan Djilas, Petar Knežević, Tatjana Pustahija, Mirjana Štrbac, Jelena Djekić Malbaša, Smiljana Rajčević and Ivana Hrnjaković Cvjetković
Microorganisms 2022, 10(10), 2050; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10102050 - 17 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1712
Abstract
Rotaviruses (RV) are the leading cause of gastroenteritis in infants, young children, and adults, responsible for serious disease burden. In the period 2012–2018, a cross-sectional study was conducted using stool samples collected from patients with acute gastroenteritis from Vojvodina, Serbia. We described age [...] Read more.
Rotaviruses (RV) are the leading cause of gastroenteritis in infants, young children, and adults, responsible for serious disease burden. In the period 2012–2018, a cross-sectional study was conducted using stool samples collected from patients with acute gastroenteritis from Vojvodina, Serbia. We described age and gender distribution, as well as seasonal patterns of RV prevalence. Out of 1853 included stool samples, RV was detected in 29%. Hospitalized children between 1–2 years old were especially affected by RV infection (45%). The highest prevalence of infection was observed during the colder, winter/spring months. We compared sequenced representative G and P genotypes circulating in Serbia with vaccine strains and determined their genetic similarity. Genotype combination G2P[4] was the most prevalent (34.6%), followed by G2P[8] (24.1%) and G1P[8] (21.1%). Given that several epitopes were conserved, neutralization motifs among circulating strains can be characterized as sufficiently matching vaccine strains Rotarix™ and RotaTeq™, but existing antigenic disparities should not be overlooked. The present results contribute to a better insight into the prevalence of rotavirus infection in our region and point out the need for epidemiological surveillance of rotaviruses before the introduction of vaccines. These data can help formulate future vaccine strategies in Serbia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Discovery and Characterization of Novel/Emerging Viruses)
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15 pages, 3521 KiB  
Article
Mutation Signatures and In Silico Docking of Novel SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern
by Nariman Shahhosseini, George (Giorgi) Babuadze, Gary Wong and Gary P. Kobinger
Microorganisms 2021, 9(5), 926; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9050926 - 26 Apr 2021
Cited by 45 | Viewed by 6519
Abstract
One year since the first severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was reported in China, several variants of concern (VOC) have appeared around the world, with some variants seeming to pose a greater thread to public health due to enhanced transmissibility or [...] Read more.
One year since the first severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was reported in China, several variants of concern (VOC) have appeared around the world, with some variants seeming to pose a greater thread to public health due to enhanced transmissibility or infectivity. This study provides a framework for molecular characterization of novel VOC and investigates the effect of mutations on the binding affinity of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) to human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) using in silico approach. Notable nonsynonymous mutations in RBD of VOC include the E484K and K417N/T that can be seen in South African and Brazilian variants, and N501Y and D614G that can be seen in all VOC. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that although the UK-VOC and the BR-VOC fell in the clade GR, they have different mutation signatures, implying an independent evolutionary pathway. The same is true about SA-VOC and COH-VOC felling in clade GH, but different mutation signatures. Combining molecular interaction modeling and the free energy of binding (FEB) calculations for VOC, it can be assumed that the mutation N501Y has the highest binding affinity in RBD for all VOC, followed by E484K (only for BR-VOC), which favors the formation of a stable complex. However, mutations at the residue K417N/T are shown to reduce the binding affinity. Once vaccination has started, there will be selective pressure that would be in favor of the emergence of novel variants capable of escaping the immune system. Therefore, genomic surveillance should be enhanced to find and monitor new emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants before they become a public health concern. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Discovery and Characterization of Novel/Emerging Viruses)
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Review

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20 pages, 717 KiB  
Review
Viral Hyperparasitism in Bat Ectoparasites: Implications for Pathogen Maintenance and Transmission
by Alexander Tendu, Alice Catherine Hughes, Nicolas Berthet and Gary Wong
Microorganisms 2022, 10(6), 1230; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10061230 - 16 Jun 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2842
Abstract
Humans continue to encroach on the habitats of wild animals, potentially bringing different species into contact that would not typically encounter each other under natural circumstances, and forcing them into stressful, suboptimal conditions. Stressors from unsustainable human land use changes are suspected to [...] Read more.
Humans continue to encroach on the habitats of wild animals, potentially bringing different species into contact that would not typically encounter each other under natural circumstances, and forcing them into stressful, suboptimal conditions. Stressors from unsustainable human land use changes are suspected to dramatically exacerbate the probability of zoonotic spillover of pathogens from their natural reservoir hosts to humans, both by increasing viral load (and shedding) and the interface between wildlife with livestock, pets and humans. Given their known role as reservoir hosts, bats continue to be investigated for their possible role as the origins of many viral outbreaks. However, the participation of bat-associated ectoparasites in the spread of potential pathogens requires further work to establish. Here, we conducted a comprehensive review of viruses, viral genes and other viral sequences obtained from bat ectoparasites from studies over the last four decades. This review summarizes research findings of the seven virus families in which these studies have been performed, including Paramyxoviridae, Reoviridae, Flaviviridae, Peribunyaviridae, Nairoviridae, Rhabdoviridae and Filoviridae. We highlight that bat ectoparasites, including dipterans and ticks, are often found to have medically important viruses and may have a role in the maintenance of these pathogens within bat populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Discovery and Characterization of Novel/Emerging Viruses)
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25 pages, 1331 KiB  
Review
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Asia, Africa and Europe
by Nariman Shahhosseini, Gary Wong, George Babuadze, Jeremy V. Camp, Onder Ergonul, Gary P. Kobinger, Sadegh Chinikar and Norbert Nowotny
Microorganisms 2021, 9(9), 1907; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9091907 - 09 Sep 2021
Cited by 46 | Viewed by 7581
Abstract
The global spread of ticks and various tick-borne viruses (TBVs) suggests the possibility of new tick-borne diseases emerging. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is an emerging TBV of the Nairoviridae family that causes serious disease that can be fatal in humans. CCHFV endemic [...] Read more.
The global spread of ticks and various tick-borne viruses (TBVs) suggests the possibility of new tick-borne diseases emerging. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is an emerging TBV of the Nairoviridae family that causes serious disease that can be fatal in humans. CCHFV endemic foci can be found in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and South-Eastern Europe, and has spread to previously unaffected regions and nations, such as Spain, over the last two decades. In this review, we discuss the current situation of CCHFV in Asia, Africa and Europe based on existing knowledge, and we discuss driving factors in the distribution and transmission of the virus, such as the spread of tick vector species and host reservoirs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Discovery and Characterization of Novel/Emerging Viruses)
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