Biology subjects

Terregino, C.

Publications and source records attributed to Terregino, C..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Inactivation of Influenza A Viruses (H1N1, H5N1) During Grana-Type Raw Milk Cheesemaking: Implications for Foodborne Transmission Risk

BackgroundThe detection of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) in lactating dairy cattle in the United States, with high viral titers in raw milk, has raised concerns about potential zoonotic transmission through the consumption of unpasteurized milk and raw-milk dairy products. While inactivation studies exist for pasteurized milk, data on virus persistence during the manufacture of raw-milk cheeses remain scarce. AimTo evaluate the survival and inactivation of avian influenza viruses (AIV), including both low pathogenic (LPAIV, H1N1) and highly pathogenic (HPAIV, H5N1) strains, during the production and ripening of Grana-type hard cheeses made from raw cows milk. MethodsExperimental cheesemaking was conducted using raw milk artificially contaminated with A/duck/Italy/281904-2/06 (H1N1; 107.75 EID50/mL) or A/duck/Italy/326224-2/22 (H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b; 106.75 EID50/mL). Cheeses were produced in accordance with Parmigiano Reggiano production standards and ripened for 30 days at 5-6 {degrees}C. Viral presence was assessed in finished cheeses by inoculation on SPF embryonated chicken eggs (ECE), hemagglutination (HA) assay, and monoclonal antibody-based ELISA. ResultsNo infectious virus was detected in any cheese sample produced from contaminated milk following two blind passages in SPF-ECE. Both HA and ELISA tests yielded negative results, indicating complete inactivation of the virus. ConclusionThis study demonstrates that the traditional Grana-type cheese production process-- including curd cooking, acidification, and ripening--effectively inactivates both LPAIV and HPAIV, even at high contamination levels. These findings support the microbiological safety of hard cheeses made from raw milk with regard to AIV, contributing to risk assessment and food safety policies during avian influenza outbreaks.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2022

Isolation and genome characterization of Lloviu virus from Italian Schreibers bent-winged bats

Lloviu cuevavirus (LLOV) was the first identified member of Filoviridae family outside the Ebola and Marburgvirus genera. A massive die-off of Schreibers bent-winged bats (Miniopterus schreibersii) in the Iberian Peninsula in 2002 led to its discovery. Studies with recombinant and wild-type LLOV isolates confirmed the susceptibility of human-derived cell lines and primary human macrophages to LLOV infection in vitro. Based on these data, LLOV is now considered as a potential zoonotic virus with unknown pathogenicity to humans and bats. We examined bat samples from Italy for the presence of LLOV in an area outside of the currently known distribution range of the virus. We detected one positive sample from 2020, sequenced the complete coding sequence of the viral genome and established an infectious isolate of the virus. In addition, we performed the first comprehensive evolutionary analysis of the virus, using the Spanish, Hungarian and the Italian sequences. The most important achievement of this article is the establishment of an additional infectious LLOV isolate from a bat sample using the SuBK12-08 cells, demonstrating that this cell line is highly susceptible to LLOV infection. These results further confirms the role of these bats as the host of this virus, possibly throughout their entire geographic range. This is an important result to further understand the role of bats as the natural hosts for zoonotic filoviruses.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2022

In-depth characterization of the Syrian hamster as translational model for COVID-19 in humans

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has highlighted the importance of having proper tools and models to study the pathophysiology of emerging infectious diseases to test therapeutic protocols, assess changes in viral phenotype and evaluate the effect of viral evolution. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) as an animal model for SARS-CoV-2 infection, using different approaches (description of clinical signs, viral load, receptor profiling and host immune response) and targeting four different organs (lungs, intestine, brain and PBMCs). Our data showed that both male and female hamsters are susceptible to the infection and develop a disease similar to the one observed in patients with COVID-19, including moderate to severe pulmonary lesions, inflammation and recruitment of the immune system in lungs and at systemic level. However, all animals recovered within 14 days without developing the severe pathology seen in humans, and none of them died. We found faint evidence for intestinal and neurological tropism associated with the absence of lesions and a minimal host response in intestines and brains, highlighting another crucial difference with the multi-organ impairment of severe COVID-19. When comparing male and female hamsters, it was observed that males sustained higher viral RNA shedding and replication in the lungs, suffered from more severe symptoms and histopathological lesions and triggered higher pulmonary inflammation. Overall, these data confirm the Syrian hamster as a suitable model for mildmoderate COVID-19 and reflect sex-related differences in the response against the virus observed in humans.

immunology↗