Characterising the molecular epidemiology of human parechovirus in young infants in the UK and Canada

Seilesh Kadambari; Heli Harvala; Dung Nguyen; Manish Sadarangani; Natalie G Martin; Ghada N Al-Rawahi; Inna Sekirov; Sylviane Defres; Tom Solomon; Tanya Golubchik; Rory Bowden; Andrew J Pollard; Peter Simmonds

doi:10.1016/j.jcv.2024.105715

Characterising the molecular epidemiology of human parechovirus in young infants in the UK and Canada

J Clin Virol. 2024 Oct:174:105715. doi: 10.1016/j.jcv.2024.105715. Epub 2024 Jul 24.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford and the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK; Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK; University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Infection and Immunity, University College of London, London, UK.
³ Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
⁴ Vaccine Evaluation Center, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
⁵ Department of Paediatrics, University of Otago Christchurch, Christchurch, New Zealand.
⁶ Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, BC Children's Hospital and BC Women's Hospital & Health Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC Canada.
⁷ Public Health Laboratory, BC Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
⁸ The Pandemic Institute, Liverpool L7 3FA, UK.
⁹ The Pandemic Institute, Liverpool L7 3FA, UK; Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology, and Immunology (CIMI), Institute of Infection, Veterinary & Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7BE UK; National Institute for Health and Care Research Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7BE, UK; Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, L9 7LJ, UK.
¹⁰ Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Australia; Big data institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
¹¹ Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
¹² Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford and the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK.

PMID: 39074411
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2024.105715

Abstract

Objectives: We evaluated the extent of virus heterogeneity in PeV infected infants in the UK, Canada and Australia.

Methods: Samples were collected from PeV infected infants during 2013-16. Next generation sequencing was used to obtain sequencing data and construct phylogenetic trees based on analysis of the VP1 region. Comparison was made with sequencing data available from an outbreak in Australia.

Results: We amplified and sequenced 58 samples. All obtained PeV sequences were genotype 3 apart from one UK sample which was PeV-A5. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all strains clustered together on the same clade and showed no significant genetic variation. We saw no significant evidence of association between sequence and either clinical severity (defined by admission to paediatric intensive care), geographical origin (compared between Canada and U.K) or year of sample collection (samples sequenced during 2013 - 2018).

Conclusions: In this small cohort, sequencing data indicate that PeV circulating in the UK and Canada from 2013 to 18 are derived from a common ancestor. No association between disease severity and genetic sequence was seen in the UK or Canadian cohorts. Larger studies are required to support these findings.

Keywords: Human parechovirus; Infant; Next generation sequencing; Surveillance.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Australia / epidemiology
Canada / epidemiology
Disease Outbreaks
Female
Genetic Variation
Genotype*
High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Male
Molecular Epidemiology*
Parechovirus* / classification
Parechovirus* / genetics
Parechovirus* / isolation & purification
Phylogeny*
Picornaviridae Infections* / epidemiology
Picornaviridae Infections* / virology
RNA, Viral / genetics
Sequence Analysis, DNA
United Kingdom / epidemiology

Substances

RNA, Viral