Recombinant Echovirus E6 VP2 Protein [His]

Background: Enterovirus (EV) outbreaks often coincide with seasonal peaks in the community. However, they may also sporadically occur in neonatal units. Identification of EV infection in neonates can be challenging, as they tend to present with mild or nonspecific symptoms. This study reports an EV outbreak in the Neonatal Unit at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore. Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective cohort study of neonates who had positive results for EV during the outbreak. Demographic characteristics, clinical presentations and outcomes were analyzed. Control measures used to limit the spread of infection are reported. Results: A total of 7 cases of EV infection were identified. Their median birth weight and gestational age were 1240 g (750-2890 g) and 28 weeks (26-35 weeks), respectively. Symptoms occurred at a median age of 48 days (9-103 days). All cases presented initially with recurrent apnea and 4 needed assisted ventilator support with CPAP (2) and mechanical ventilation (2). Serious complications occurred in 3 infants (2 with necrotizing enterocolitis and 1 with meningitis) and none died. EV was detected from rectal swabs (n = 6), CSF (n = 2) and nasopharyngeal swabs (n = 2). Viral subtyping uniformly revealed echovirus 25. Surveillance of all exposed infants by nasopharyngeal swabs was implemented, along with strict contact precautions and cohorting measures. Conclusions: Premature infants with EV are more prone to serious complications, which can lead to significant morbidity. Thus, early recognition of symptoms, rapid diagnosis and prompt implementation of infection control measures are key to prevent further spread of infection. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences.

Echovirus is an important cause of viral pneumonia and encephalitis in infants, neonates, and young children worldwide. However, the exact mechanism of its pathogenesis is still not well understood. Here, we established an echovirus type 9 infection mice model, and performed two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS)-based comparative proteomics analysis to investigate the differentially expressed host proteins in mice brain. A total of 21 differentially expressed proteins were identified by MS/MS. The annotation of the differentially expressed proteins by function using the UniProt and GO databases identified one viral protein (5%), seven cytoskeletal proteins (33%), six macromolecular biosynthesis and metabolism proteins (28%), two stress response and chaperone binding proteins (9%), and five other cellular proteins (25%). The subcellular locations of these proteins were mainly found in the cytoskeleton, cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondria, and Golgi apparatus. The protein expression profiles and the results of quantitative RT-PCR in the detection of gene transcripts were found to complement each other. The differential protein interaction network was predicted using the STRING database. Of the identified proteins, heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), showing consistent results in the proteomics and transcriptomic analyses, was analyzed through Western blotting to verify the reliability of differential protein expression data in this study. Further, evaluation of the function of Hsp70 using siRNA and quercetin, an inhibitor of Hsp70, showed that Hsp70 was necessary for the infection of echovirus type 9. This study revealed that echovirus infection could cause the differential expression of a series of host proteins, which is helpful to reveal the pathogenesis of viral infection and identify therapeutic drug targets. Additionally, our results suggest that Hsp70 could be a useful therapeutic host protein target for echovirus infection.