Redondovirus DNA in human respiratory samples.

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Infectious Diseases
• Genomics

Background:

• Redondovirus (ReDoV) is a recently identified circular, Rep-encoding single-stranded DNA (CRESS-DNA) virus with unknown pathogenesis in humans.
• The clinical associations and prevalence of ReDoV remain largely uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence and prevalence of ReDoV DNA in biological specimens from a human population.
• To identify the primary sites of ReDoV infection within the human body.

Main Methods:

• Development and application of in-house PCR assays to detect ReDoV DNA.
• Analysis of biological specimens from 543 Italian subjects, including respiratory samples, stool, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid.
• Sequencing of a fragment of the ReDoV capsid gene to assess genomic diversity among isolates.

Main Results:

• ReDoV DNA was detected in approximately 4% (23/543) of the subjects studied.
• The virus was predominantly found in respiratory samples (11% of 209 samples), with one positive stool sample.
• ReDoV DNA was not detected in blood or cerebrospinal fluid samples from various patient groups.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that the respiratory tract is a primary site for ReDoV infection in humans.
• Further research is necessary to elucidate the potential clinical significance and pathogenic mechanisms of this emerging CRESS-DNA virus.