1. Clinical and molecular characterization of a parechovirus type 1 outbreak in neonates in Croatia.
- Author
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Ljubin-Sternak S, Juretić E, Šantak M, Pleša M, Forčić D, Vilibić-Čavlek T, Aleraj B, and Mlinarić-Galinović G
- Subjects
- Cluster Analysis, Croatia epidemiology, Cross Infection epidemiology, Cross Infection pathology, Cross Infection virology, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Molecular Epidemiology, Molecular Sequence Data, Parechovirus isolation & purification, Phylogeny, Picornaviridae Infections virology, RNA, Viral genetics, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Sequence Homology, Viral Proteins genetics, Disease Outbreaks, Parechovirus classification, Parechovirus genetics, Picornaviridae Infections epidemiology, Picornaviridae Infections pathology
- Abstract
During July 2009 an outbreak in neonates represented with gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms was observed at the Neonatal Postintensive Care Unit, Clinical Hospital Center, Zagreb. Human parechovirus type 1 (HPeV1) was isolated from seven patients, one of whom was asymptomatic. All but one were premature neonates with serious underlying conditions, and all recovered fully after several days. In order to characterize the HPeV1s, sequencing of the VP1/2A region was conducted on six isolates from the outbreak and four isolates detected in Croatia in 2008 and 2007. The analysis of sequence similarity showed that the nucleotide identity between the prototype strain (Harris) and HPeV1 isolated in Croatia was 76.5-77.5%. Croatian strains from 2007 and 2009 clustered together with strains from the Netherlands and Germany detected in 2003 and 2006, respectively, while strains from 2008 clustered with the strain from Finland detected in 2000. Change of the dominant strains each year may suggest antigenic variation as a result of viral response to specific immunity of the target population., (© 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)
- Published
- 2011
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