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Enteric Viruses (SAVCA)

Enteric Viruses (SAVCA)
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The main objective of the ENTERIC VIRUSES GROUP is the study of all enteric viruses, which are those viruses of fecal-oral transmission that replicate in the gastrointestinal tract causing mainly gastroenteritis and acute hepatitis, as well as neurological diseases. They include viruses belonging to multiple and diverse families, such as hepatitis A and hepatitis E viruses, pathogens responsible for gastroenteritis (astroviruses, noroviruses, sapoviruses, rotaviruses, adenoviruses, etc.), and viruses associated with neurological infections (enteroviruses, astroviruses).

The Enterosis Virus Group belongs to the Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics (Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology) and has been recognized as a Consolidated Research Group since 1998 (2021 SGR 01089), and as a pre-TECNIO group by the UB. The group is co-led by Dr. Albert Bosch and Dr. Rosa M Pintó and currently consists of an associate professor, a lecturer, 2 medical technicians responsible for the quality system, 4 doctoral students and a technician. The laboratory has its main facilities at the Faculty of Biology (Campus Diagonal), but centralizes a large part of its activities of transfer and advice to the private sector and administrations in the SAVCA Laboratory (Virus Analysis Service of the Food Chain and Water Cycle), located at the Food Campus of Torribera.

Rosa M Pintó
Investigador principal
Rosa M Pintó

Rosa Maria Pintó, Professor of Microbiology and coordinator of the SGR group of Enteric Viruses, has more than 35 years of experience in Virology. She finished her doctoral thesis in 1990 on a viral disease of the llobarro virus and obtained the Extraordinary Doctorate Award. Subsequently, she did a post-doctoral stay at the Oxford Institute of Virology where she worked with recombinant baculoviruses. Back in Barcelona he started to work with human enteroviruses, especially with hepatitis A virus and astroviruses. Her career is characterized by studying the molecular biology of these viruses and transferring her knowledge to applied aspects such as environmental epidemiology and food safety. In this last aspect it is worth mentioning that the Enteric Virus group has established a service laboratory for the analysis of viruses in the food chain and water cycle (SAVCA). During all these years he has published more than 140 articles in scientific journals catalogued in WOS, 27 book chapters and has two PCT patents in exploitation by the French company BioMérieux. With more than 5,550 citations (WOS) from other scientists, she has an h-index (WOS) of 45. In addition, she is ranked 1,754th in the 2023 ranking of Spanish and Spanish researchers abroad (123,400), placing her in the top 2% of the most cited Spanish researchers (Google Scholar Citations public profiles 2023). She is also ranked 302nd in the ranking of women researchers in Spain and Spanish researchers abroad (11,394).

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1382-6648
Equip
Línies de recerca
  • Molecular Biology of hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV)
    • Development and characterization of new vaccine candidates for hepatitis A.
    • Development of human organoids for HEV virus-host interaction studies.
  • Molecular Biology of Astroviruses
    • Understanding the molecular basis of extraintestinal dissemination and neurotropism using human organoids.
  • Molecular epidemiology of viruses based on mass sequencing and phylogeny.
    • Characterization of outbreaks of hepatitis A and gastroenteritis
    • Molecular typing and variant characterization
    • Viral genome quantification
  • Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE)
    • Surveillance of emerging and known viruses: SARS-CoV2, Enterovirus, influenza, RSV, etc.
  • Food and Water Viral Safety (SAVCA Laboratory)

    Norovirus and hepatitis A detection service according to ISO 15216-2:2019 protocol.

    Development of molecular methods to estimate infectious titers of non-culturable viruses.

  • Virological Studies for the Pharmaceutical Sector
    • Transfer of vaccines
    • Virus safety in drug products
    • Production of materials of biotechnological interest as process control viruses
    • Validation services for virological diagnostic kits

Garcia-Pedemonte D, Carcereny A, Gregori J, Quer J, Garcia-Cehic D, Guerrero L, Ceretó-Massagué A, Abid I, Bosch A, Costafreda MI, Pintó RM, Guix S.

Comparison of Nanopore and Synthesis-Based Next-Generation Sequencing Platforms for SARS-CoV-2 Variant Monitoring in Wastewater

Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Dec 6;24(24):17184. ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242417184

Costafreda MI, Sauleda S, Riveiro-Barciela M, Rico A, Llorens-Revull M, Guix S, Pintó RM, Bosch A, Rodríguez-Frías F, Rando A, Piron M, Bes M.

Specific Plasma MicroRNA Signatures Underlying the Clinical Outcomes of Hepatitis E Virus Infection

Microbiol Spectr. 2023 Feb 14;11(1):e0466422. ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.04664-22

Guerrero-Latorre L, Collado N, Abasolo N, Anzaldi G, Bofill-Mas S, Bosch A, Bosch L, Busquets S, Caimari A, Canela N, Carcereny A, Chacón C, Ciruela P, Corbella I, Domingo X, Escoté X, Espiñeira Y, Forés E, Gandullo-Sarró I, Garcia-Pedemonte D, Girones R, Guix S, Hundesa A, Itarte M, Mariné-Casadó R, Martínez A, Martínez-Puchol S, Mas-Capdevila A, Mejías-Molina C, Rafa MMI, Munné A, Pintó RM, Pueyo-Ros J, Robusté-Cartró J, Rusiñol M, Sanfeliu R, Teichenné J, Torrell H, Corominas L, Borrego CM.

The Catalan Surveillance Network of SARS-CoV-2 in Sewage: design, implementation, and performance

Sci Rep. 2022 Oct 6;12(1):16704. ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20957-3

Carcereny A, Martínez-Velázquez A, Bosch A, Allende A, Truchado P, Cascales J, Romalde JL, Lois M, Polo D, Sánchez G, Pérez-Cataluña A, Díaz-Reolid A, Antón A, Gregori J, Garcia-Cehic D, Quer J, Palau M, Ruano CG, Pintó RM, Guix S.

Monitoring Emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Variant through the Spanish National SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Surveillance System (VATar COVID-19)

Environ Sci Technol. 2021 Sep 7;55(17):11756-11766.; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c03589

Pintó RM, Pérez-Rodríguez FJ, Costafreda MI, Chavarria-Miró G, Guix S, Ribes E, Bosch A.

Pathogenicity and virulence of hepatitis A virus

Virulence. 2021 Dec;12(1):1174-1185.; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21505594.2021.1910442

Fuentes C, Pérez-Rodríguez FJ, Sabrià A, Beguiristain N, Pintó RM, Guix S, Bosch A.

Inactivation of Hepatitis A Virus and Human Norovirus in Clams Subjected to Heat Treatment

Front Microbiol. 2021 Jan 12;11:578328.; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.578328

Anfruns-Estrada E, Sabrià A, Fuentes C, Sabaté S, Razquin E, Cornejo T, Bartolomé R, Torner N, Izquierdo C, Soldevila N, Coronas L, Dominguez A, Pintó RM, Bosch A, Guix S

Detection of Norovirus in Saliva Samples from Acute Gastroenteritis Cases and Asymptomatic Subjects: Association with Age and Higher Shedding in Stool

Viruses. 2020 Nov 30;12(12):1369. ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/v12121369

Guix S, Fuentes C, Pintó RM, Blanco A, Sabrià A, Anfruns-Estrada E, Garrido VR, Alonso M, Bartolomé R, Cornejo T, Pumarola T, Bosch A.

Infectivity of Norovirus GI and GII from Bottled Mineral Water during a Waterborne Outbreak, Spain

Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 Jan;26(1):134-137. ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2601.190778

Vu DL, Bosch A, Pintó RM, Ribes E, Guix S.

Human Astrovirus MLB Replication In Vitro: Persistence in Extraintestinal Cell Lines.

J Virol. 2019 Jun 14;93(13):e00557-19.; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00557-19

Guix S, Pintó RM, Bosch A.

Final Consumer Options to Control and Prevent Foodborne Norovirus Infections

Viruses. 2019 Apr 9;11(4):333. ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/v11040333

Sabrià A, Gregori J, Garcia-Cehic D, Guix S, Pumarola T, Manzanares-Laya S, Caylà JA, Bosch A, Quer J, Pintó RM.

Evidence for positive selection of hepatitis A virus antigenic variants in vaccinated men-having-sex-with men patients: Implications for immunization policies

EBioMedicine. 2019 Jan;39:348-357. ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.11.023

Understanding Dissemination of Emerging Enteric Viruses beyond the Intestinal Tract Using human Organoids (DissEntVIRUS) - PID2021-124023OB-I00

Susana Guix/Rosa M Pintó

2022-2025

The intestine is the largest mucosal surface of the body and a physical barrier that protects the host from many pathogens. Infection of the host by fecal-oral enteric viruses begins with viral replication in susceptible cells of the intestinal epithelium, but can subsequently spread to other organs. The main objective of this project is to better understand how viruses are released from infected intestinal cells and the main viral and host determinants involved in the spread from the intestine to other organs.

 

Improving methods for the assessment of infectious human enteric virus survival in produce (MASSIVE) - CPS2024

Susana Guix

2024-2025

Vegetable foods can occasionally be contaminated by human viruses and cause sporadic cases of illness and outbreaks in the community. The viruses most frequently associated with foodborne illnesses are human noroviruses and hepatitis A virus, which can cause gastroenteritis and acute hepatitis, respectively. The detection of viruses in foods such as green leafy vegetables and red fruits is a challenge because contamination usually occurs in low quantities and the available methods provide information about contamination by viral genomes, which do not always indicate a real risk of infection. This project aims to optimize current methods for the concentration and detection of norovirus and hepatitis A in plant products to increase efficiency, reduce response time and provide estimates of viral infectivity and risk of infection. Optimized methods will also be implemented to provide information on the persistence of infectious viruses in green leafy vegetables and red fruits during the post-harvest packing and disinfection stages.

 

Nova vacuna per l'hepatitis A basada en una soca vírica de replicació ràpida i en un nou sistema de presentació antigènica - 2021PROD00178

Rosa M Pintó

2022-2024

Surveillance of Emerging Pathogens and Antibiotic Resistances in Aquatic Ecosystems (SARA) - PCI2021-121928

Anicet Blanch

2021-2024

Vacuna per a l'hepatitis A de segona generació: ús d'una soca de replicació ràpida en cèl·lules Vero encapsulada en vesícules immunopotenciadores - F2I-PdC_2023-009

Maria I Costafreda

2024

Standardized method and kit for the quantification of Hepatitis A virus

PCT/EP2007/055402

2007

Control for assays based on reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction

PCT/EP2007/055407

2007

Sortida del virus de l’hepatitis A dels hepatòcits: implicacions en la selecció d’antivirals

Director/es: Rosa M Pintó i Albert Bosch

 

2018

Epidemiologia molecular dels brots de gastroenteritis per norovirus i d’hepatitis A: de la seqüència consens a la quasiespècie

Director/es: Rosa M Pintó i Susana Guix

2018

Foodborne viruses: a new food safety challenge

Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro

Director/es: Vitto Martella i Susana Guix

2019

Characterization of emerging novel human astrovirus: from bedside to bench

Director/es: Susana Guix i Albert Bosch

2020

Detección y caracterización de virus emergentes en su ciclo ambiental

Director/es: Albert Bosch i Rosa M Pintó

2021

Millores en la detecció molecular de virus en aigües i aliments

Director/es: Albert Bosch i Susana Guix

2022

Impacte i control dels brots de gastroenteritis per norovirus a Catalunya (2017-2019), i estudi de la presència del virus a la saliva

Director/es: Susana Guix i Albert Bosch

2022

Del cicle biològic a noves estratègies vacunals pel virus de l’hepatitis A 

Director/es: Rosa M Pintó i Maria I Costabreda

2023