Human Arboviral Infections in Italy: Past, Current, and Future Challenges

Rossi, Benedetta; Barreca, Filippo; Benvenuto, Domenico; Braccialarghe, Neva; Campogiani, Laura; Lodi, Alessandra; Aguglia, Camilla; Cavasio, Rosario Alessandro; Giacalone, Maria Laura; Kontogiannis, Dimitra; Moccione, Martina; Malagnino, Vincenzo; Andreoni, Massimo; Sarmati, Loredana; Iannetta, Marco

doi:10.3390/v15020368

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Among arboviruses belonging to the Phlebovirus genus, sandfly-borne phleboviruses may cause a transient febrile illness (sandfly fever) or more severe neuroinvasive disease [2][3][4][5]. In many European countries, phleboviruses have caused epidemic human outbreaks, and new species, previously confined to tropical and sub-tropical regions, have become endemic [6][7][8][9]. Toscana virus infection has spread in the Mediterranean basin, including Italy, producing asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic infections but, due to its neuroinvasive tropism, rarely is the infection characterized by severe neurological complications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Melittin-Related Peptides Interfere with Sandfly Fever Naples Virus Infection by Interacting with Heparan Sulphate

Chianese,

Zannella,

Palma

et al. 2023

Microorganisms

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Emerging viruses pose an important global public health challenge, and early action is needed to control their spread. The Bunyaviridae family contains a great number of arboviruses which are potentially pathogenic for humans. For example, phleboviruses affect a large range of hosts, including humans and animals. Some infections usually have an asymptomatic course, but others lead to severe complications, such as Toscana virus, which is able to cause meningitis and encephalitis. Unfortunately, to date, no vaccines or antiviral treatments have been found. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of melittin-related peptides, namely the frog-derived RV-23 and AR-23, on sandfly fever Naples virus infection in vitro. Both peptides exhibited a strong antiviral activity by targeting the viral particles and blocking the virus–cell interaction. Their action was directed to an early phase of SFNV infection, in particular at viral adsorption on host cells, by interfering with the binding of common glycosaminoglycan receptors. Given the better antimicrobial behavior of AR-23 and RV-23 compared to melittin in terms of selectivity, our studies expand our understanding of the potential of these peptides as antimicrobials and stimulate further investigations in the direction of novel antiviral strategies against phlebovirus infection.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Melittin-Related Peptides Interfere with Sandfly Fever Naples Virus Infection by Interacting with Heparan Sulphate

Chianese,

Zannella,

Palma

et al. 2023

Microorganisms

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“…Among the zoonotic diseases that ravaged the global people in recent decades there are: Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Ebola virus (EBOV), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), avian influenza and the recently discovered COVID-19 [2]. This scenario includes zoonosis caused by arboviruses, which are transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes, frequently causing non-specific fever, and in many cases encephalitis and hemorrhages [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Continuous Adaptive Challenge Played by Arboviruses: An <em>In Silico </em>Approach to Define Relevant Molecular Interactions with the Host

Chetta¹,

Cammarota²,

Marco³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Climate change and globalization have raised the risk of vector-borne disease (VBD) introduction and spread in various European nations in recent years. In Italy, viruses carried by tropical vectors have been shown to cause viral encephalitis, one of the symptoms of arbovirosis, a spectrum of viral disorders spread by arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks. Arbovirosis are currently causing alarm and attention, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has released recommendations to adopt essential measures, particularly during the hot season, to restrict the spreading of the infectious agents among breeding stocks. In this scenario, rapid analysis systems are required, because they can quickly provide information on potential virus-host interactions, the evolution of the infection, and the onset of disabling clinical symptoms, or serious illnesses. Such systems include bioinformatics approaches integrated with molecular evaluation. Viruses have co-evolved different strategies to transcribe their own genetic material, by changing the host's transcriptional machinery, even in short periods of time. The introduction of genetic alterations, particularly in RNA viruses, results in a continuous adaptive fight against the host's immune system. We suggest an in silico pipeline method to unravel viral sequences that may interact with host RNA binding proteins (RBPs), which play important roles in RNA metabolism and its several related biological processes. Indeed, viral RNA sequences, able to bind host RBPs may compete with cellular RNAs, altering important metabolic processes. Our findings suggest that the proposed in silico approach, could be a useful and promising tool to investigate the complex and multiform clinical manifestations of viral encephalitis, and possibly identify altered metabolic pathways as targets of pharmacological treatments and innovative therapeutic protocols.

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“…Among the zoonotic diseases that have ravaged people globally in recent decades there are: Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Ebola virus (EBOV), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), avian influenza, and the recently discovered COVID-19 [ 2 ]. This scenario includes zoonosis caused by arboviruses, which are transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes, frequently causing non-specific fever, and in many cases encephalitis and hemorrhages [ 3 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Continuous Adaptive Challenge Played by Arboviruses: An In Silico Approach to Identify a Possible Interplay between Conserved Viral RNA Sequences and Host RNA Binding Proteins (RBPs)

Chetta¹,

Cammarota

Marco

et al. 2023

IJMS

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Climate change and globalization have raised the risk of vector-borne disease (VBD) introduction and spread in various European nations in recent years. In Italy, viruses carried by tropical vectors have been shown to cause viral encephalitis, one of the symptoms of arboviruses, a spectrum of viral disorders spread by arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks. Arboviruses are currently causing alarm and attention, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has released recommendations to adopt essential measures, particularly during the hot season, to restrict the spreading of the infectious agents among breeding stocks. In this scenario, rapid analysis systems are required, because they can quickly provide information on potential virus–host interactions, the evolution of the infection, and the onset of disabling clinical symptoms, or serious illnesses. Such systems include bioinformatics approaches integrated with molecular evaluation. Viruses have co-evolved different strategies to transcribe their own genetic material, by changing the host’s transcriptional machinery, even in short periods of time. The introduction of genetic alterations, particularly in RNA viruses, results in a continuous adaptive fight against the host’s immune system. We propose an in silico pipeline method for performing a comprehensive motif analysis (including motif discovery) on entire genome sequences to uncover viral sequences that may interact with host RNA binding proteins (RBPs) by interrogating the database of known RNA binding proteins, which play important roles in RNA metabolism and biological processes. Indeed, viral RNA sequences, able to bind host RBPs, may compete with cellular RNAs, altering important metabolic processes. Our findings suggest that the proposed in silico approach could be a useful and promising tool to investigate the complex and multiform clinical manifestations of viral encephalitis, and possibly identify altered metabolic pathways as targets of pharmacological treatments and innovative therapeutic protocols.

show abstract

Human Arboviral Infections in Italy: Past, Current, and Future Challenges

Cited by 9 publications

References 76 publications

Melittin-Related Peptides Interfere with Sandfly Fever Naples Virus Infection by Interacting with Heparan Sulphate

Melittin-Related Peptides Interfere with Sandfly Fever Naples Virus Infection by Interacting with Heparan Sulphate

The Continuous Adaptive Challenge Played by Arboviruses: An <em>In Silico </em>Approach to Define Relevant Molecular Interactions with the Host

The Continuous Adaptive Challenge Played by Arboviruses: An In Silico Approach to Identify a Possible Interplay between Conserved Viral RNA Sequences and Host RNA Binding Proteins (RBPs)

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