Emergence of divergent enterovirus (EV) D68 sub-clade D1 strains, northern Italy, September to October 2018

• Published in: Euro surveillance : bulletin européen sur les maladies transmissibles Vol. 24; no. 7
• Main Authors: Pellegrinelli, Laura, Giardina, Federica, Lunghi, Giovanna, Uceda Renteria, Sara Colonia, Greco, Letizia, Fratini, Alice, Galli, Cristina, Piralla, Antonio, Binda, Sandro, Pariani, Elena, Baldanti, Fausto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sweden Centre Europeen pour la Surveillance Epidemiologique du SIDA (European Centre for the Epidemiological Monitoring of AIDS) 14.02.2019; European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
• Subjects: Epidemics; Genetics; Health surveillance; Hospitalization; Rapid Communication; Respiratory diseases; Viruses; Italy; EV-D68; enterovirus D68, respiratory infection, phylogenetic analysis, molecular surveillance
• ISSN: 1560-7917; 1025-496X; 1560-7917
• DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2018.24.7.1900090

Between September and October 2018, an enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) outbreak occurred in patients hospitalised with severe acute respiratory infection in northern Italy; 21 laboratory-confirmed cases were reported. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 16/20 of the EV-D68 sequences belonged to a divergent group within the sub-clade D1. Since its upsurge, EV-D68 has undergone rapid evolution with the emergence of new viral variants, emphasising the need for molecular surveillance that include outpatients with respiratory illness.