{"title":"Molecular Evidence of Raccoon Dog <i>(Nyctereutes procyonoides</i>) as a Natural Definitive Host for Several <i>Sarcocystis</i> Species.","authors":"Petras Prakas, Tamara Kalashnikova, Naglis Gudiškis, Donatas Šneideris, Evelina Juozaitytė-Ngugu, Dalius Butkauskas","doi":"10.3390/pathogens14030288","DOIUrl":"10.3390/pathogens14030288","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Sarcocystis</i> parasites infect a wide range of animals, including reptiles, birds, and mammals, and have complex two-host prey-predator life cycle. Sarcocysts are mainly found in the muscles of intermediate hosts, and oocysts sporulate in the intestines of the definitive host. The raccoon dog (<i>Nyctereutes procyonoides</i>), native to Asia and invasive in Europe, is a known disease carrier. However, studies on raccoon dogs in the transmission of <i>Sarcocystis</i> are scarce. Between 2019 and 2024, a total of 26 raccoon dog carcasses were collected in Lithuania. The results of a light microscopy examination indicated that 50% of the samples were positive for <i>Sarcocystis</i> spp. sporocysts and sporulated oocysts. Based on nested PCR and sequencing of <i>cox1</i>, 88.5% of the samples were positive for these parasites. Molecular analysis revealed the presence of 11 different <i>Sarcocystis</i> species. Eight species, including <i>S. alces</i>, <i>S. capracanis</i>, <i>S. hjorti</i>, <i>S. iberica</i>, <i>S. linearis</i>, <i>S. morae</i>, <i>S. tenella</i>, and <i>S. venatoria</i> were reported for the first time in raccoon dogs as definitive hosts. The identified <i>Sarcocystis</i> species were linked to intermediate hosts, such as cervids, wild boars, pigs, goats, and sheep. These findings suggest that raccoon dogs play a key role in the spread of <i>Sarcocystis</i>, particularly species infecting cervids.</p>","PeriodicalId":19758,"journal":{"name":"Pathogens","volume":"14 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11945253/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143731105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PathogensPub Date : 2025-03-15DOI: 10.3390/pathogens14030289
Yingying Cui, Wei Li, Binbin Li
{"title":"A Bibliometric Analysis of HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma from 2000 to 2023.","authors":"Yingying Cui, Wei Li, Binbin Li","doi":"10.3390/pathogens14030289","DOIUrl":"10.3390/pathogens14030289","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Human-papillomavirus-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV-positive OPSCC) is a distinct disease characterized by unique clinical and molecular features compared to HPV-negative OPSCC. A comprehensive bibliometric analysis of HPV-positive OPSCC research was conducted in this study to identify key trends, research hotspots, and emerging frontiers in the field. Data were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. The distributions of contributors, including countries, institutions, authors, journals, and cooperative networks related to HPV-positive OPSCC, were analyzed and visualized using VOSviewer 1.6.20, CiteSpace 6.3.R1, and the R package Bibliometrix 4.0.0. In addition, the most influential publications and high-frequency keywords were identified and analyzed to discern key topics in this field. A total of 3895 articles and reviews on HPV-positive OPSCC were identified, involving 106 countries, 620 journals, and 18949 authors. The main contributors include the USA (1908 publications), Johns Hopkins University (310 publications), the journal Head and Neck (320 publications), and Erich M. Sturgis (94 publications). The top three keywords are \"survival\", \"radiotherapy\", and \"p16\". There has been a steadily increasing research interest in HPV-positive OPSCC over the last 23 years. Current studies focus on diagnosis, treatment strategies, prognosis, recurrence, and disease surveillance. This bibliometric analysis highlights key contributors and emerging themes, offering insights for future research directions.</p>","PeriodicalId":19758,"journal":{"name":"Pathogens","volume":"14 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11945886/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143730991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Effect of <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Gene Combinations of <i>cagA</i>, <i>cagE</i>, <i>virB11</i>, <i>vacA</i>, and <i>babA</i> on the Outcome of Gastric Disease in a Southern Moroccan Population.","authors":"Mariama Barhoine, Fatima Moustaoui, Omayma Hammani, Mohamed Aghrouch, Zohra Lemkhente, Zineb Belhabib, Zineb Bajaddoub, Anass Touyar, Nourdin Aqoudad, Bouchra Rherissi, Nadia El Kadmiri, Youssef Idaghdour, Fatima Boubrik, Ahmed Belmouden","doi":"10.3390/pathogens14030279","DOIUrl":"10.3390/pathogens14030279","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Helicobacter pylori</i> (<i>H. pylori</i>) possess an arsenal of virulence genes that makes them the main etiological factor in gastric diseases. In this study, 120 southern Moroccan patients who were dyspeptic were profiled to investigate the potential association between disease severity and the combination of multiple virulence genes. Gastric biopsies were taken from patients, followed by histopathological evaluation and genotyping of <i>H. pylori</i> using PCR. <i>H. pylori</i> was detected in 58.3% of cases, and genotypes were distributed as follows: <i>oipA</i> (94.3%), <i>cagA</i> (62.9%), <i>virB11</i> (60%), <i>babA</i> (55.7%), <i>dupA</i> (54.3%), <i>cagE</i> (51.4%), <i>iceA1</i> (31.4%), <i>iceA2</i> (45.7%), <i>vacA s2m2</i> (47.1%), <i>vacA s1m1</i> (30%), and <i>vacA s1m2</i> (7.1%). Statistically significant associations with males were observed for the <i>cagA</i>, <i>cagE</i>, and <i>virB11</i> genes and multiple strain infections. Multivariate analysis revealed an association between <i>cagE</i> and heightened neutrophil activity, with an odds ratio (OR) of 4.99 (<i>p</i> = 0.03). The gene combination [<i>cagA</i> (+), <i>cagE</i> (+), <i>virB11</i> (+), <i>vacA s1m1</i>, and <i>babA</i> (+)] emerged as a predictive factor for gastric cancer (OR = 11.10, <i>p</i> = 0.046), while the combination [<i>cagA</i> (-), <i>cagE</i> (-), <i>virB11</i> (-), <i>vacA s2m2</i>, <i>babA</i> (+)] was associated with gastric atrophy (OR = 10.25, <i>p</i> = 0.016). Age (≤40 years) (OR = 5.87, <i>p</i> = 0.013) and moderate to severe bacterial density (OR = 15.38, <i>p</i> = 0.017) were identified as predictive factors for follicular gastritis. These findings underscore the significance of multigene profiling as a prognostic marker and emphasize the importance of age and sex in preventing adverse outcomes in severe gastric diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":19758,"journal":{"name":"Pathogens","volume":"14 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11944658/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143730780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PathogensPub Date : 2025-03-14DOI: 10.3390/pathogens14030284
Antonio Perčinić, Tara Vuletić, Nina Lizzul, Andrea Vukić Dugac, Ana Gverić Grginić, Irena Tabain, Dragan Jurić, Ana Budimir
{"title":"Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of Adult RSV Infections: A Retrospective Analysis at University Hospital Center Zagreb (2022-2024).","authors":"Antonio Perčinić, Tara Vuletić, Nina Lizzul, Andrea Vukić Dugac, Ana Gverić Grginić, Irena Tabain, Dragan Jurić, Ana Budimir","doi":"10.3390/pathogens14030284","DOIUrl":"10.3390/pathogens14030284","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant cause of respiratory infections in adults, particularly among older adults and individuals with chronic diseases. While traditionally linked to pediatric populations, RSV's impact on adults, especially the elderly, is increasingly recognized but remains understudied in many regions. This retrospective study, conducted at the University Hospital Center Zagreb from October 2022 to April 2024, is the first to analyze RSV-positive adults in Croatia. Using RT-PCR testing, we evaluated clinical and epidemiological characteristics in both hospitalized and outpatient populations, focusing on those aged > 65 years. Among 2631 tested individuals, the RSV prevalence was 5.25%, with older adults experiencing the most severe outcomes, including pneumonia, COPD exacerbation, and intensive care admissions. Seasonal analysis confirmed a winter peak in RSV cases, while chronic conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases were strongly associated with higher complication rates. These findings demonstrate that older adults with comorbidities bear the greatest burden of RSV infection, highlighting the need for the early identification of high-risk patients. By providing detailed insights into RSV-related outcomes in this population, this study supports the development of targeted prevention and management strategies to reduce the burden of RSV in vulnerable groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":19758,"journal":{"name":"Pathogens","volume":"14 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11946814/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143730659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PathogensPub Date : 2025-03-14DOI: 10.3390/pathogens14030282
Jeong Su Han, Hyeong Ho Kim, Jae-Sik Jeon, Yoo Na Chung, Jae Kyung Kim
{"title":"Retrospective Epidemiological Analysis of Influenza A Infections in a Single Hospital in Korea (2007-2024): Age, Sex, and Seasonal Patterns.","authors":"Jeong Su Han, Hyeong Ho Kim, Jae-Sik Jeon, Yoo Na Chung, Jae Kyung Kim","doi":"10.3390/pathogens14030282","DOIUrl":"10.3390/pathogens14030282","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Influenza A is a respiratory virus that causes high infection rates and mortality worldwide, particularly affecting high-risk groups such as children, older adults, and individuals with chronic conditions. This retrospective study was conducted at a single tertiary hospital in Korea to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of influenza A infections from 2007 to 2024, focusing on age, sex, and seasonal variations. Using multiplex real-time PCR data from 23,284 individuals, we found that the overall positivity rate for influenza A was 5.6%, with seasonal fluctuations showing the highest rate in winter (14.0%) and the lowest in summer (0.5%). Age-based analysis revealed significantly higher positivity rates in older adults (7.9%) and adults (7.6%) than in children (5.0%) and infants (3.1%). No significant differences were observed in positivity rates between sexes (male: 5.43%, female: 5.76%, <i>p</i> = 0.428). These findings provide essential insights into the regional and seasonal patterns of influenza A, emphasizing the importance of targeted vaccination strategies, adaptive public health interventions, and continuous surveillance for effective prevention and outbreak control management.</p>","PeriodicalId":19758,"journal":{"name":"Pathogens","volume":"14 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11946566/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143730663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PathogensPub Date : 2025-03-14DOI: 10.3390/pathogens14030283
Lauro Velazquez-Salinas
{"title":"Emergence and Control of African Swine Fever.","authors":"Lauro Velazquez-Salinas","doi":"10.3390/pathogens14030283","DOIUrl":"10.3390/pathogens14030283","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>African swine fever (ASF) is a highly lethal and contagious viral disease found in domestic pigs, wild boars, and wild suids, and it has significant economic consequences [...].</p>","PeriodicalId":19758,"journal":{"name":"Pathogens","volume":"14 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11946651/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143731098","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Impact of Human Body Temperature on Stress Tolerance and Transcriptome of <i>Cronobacter sakazakii</i>.","authors":"Siqi Li, Yuanyuan Wang, Yahao Yang, Xinlu Yu, Jiajia Liu, Meiling Jiang, Jing Zhang, Ge Yun, Yufei Han, Heng Wang, Qiong Xie, Gukui Chen","doi":"10.3390/pathogens14030281","DOIUrl":"10.3390/pathogens14030281","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Cronobacter sakazakii</i> is a food-borne pathogen that can thrive in various environments, including the human body. The human body's physiological temperature exceeds that of the environment (22-30 °C), necessitating adaptations to heat stress during this transition. Managing heat stress is crucial when transitioning from the environment to the human body. In this study, we explored the effect of human body temperature on the growth of planktonic <i>C. sakazakii</i>, as well as its acid resistance, osmotic stress resistance, autoaggregation, and cell surface hydrophobicity. Our study demonstrated that human body temperature facilitated the growth, acid resistance, and osmotic resistance of <i>C. sakazakii</i>, compared to 28 °C. The relationship between human body temperature and phenotypes was studied by comparing gene expression at human and environmental temperatures (37 to 28 °C) using high-throughput sequencing. The results revealed up-regulation in the expression of 626 genes, including genes involved in arginine and proline metabolism, carbon fixation pathways, and nitrogen metabolism. Further analysis showed that human body temperature is essential for the environmental stress resistance of <i>C. sakazakii</i>. It boosts denitrification, betaine transport, and universal stress proteins, supporting membrane integrity and osmoprotectant transport. This study enhances our understanding of the strategies employed by <i>C. sakazakii</i> during its adaptation to the human body.</p>","PeriodicalId":19758,"journal":{"name":"Pathogens","volume":"14 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11946066/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143731072","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PathogensPub Date : 2025-03-14DOI: 10.3390/pathogens14030286
Liam M Ashander, Grace E Lidgerwood, Amanda L Lumsden, João M Furtado, Alice Pébay, Justine R Smith
{"title":"Human Retinal Organoid Model of Ocular Toxoplasmosis.","authors":"Liam M Ashander, Grace E Lidgerwood, Amanda L Lumsden, João M Furtado, Alice Pébay, Justine R Smith","doi":"10.3390/pathogens14030286","DOIUrl":"10.3390/pathogens14030286","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The health burden of ocular toxoplasmosis is substantial, and there is an unmet need for safe and curative anti-microbial drugs. One major barrier to research on new therapeutics is the lack of in vitro human-based models beyond two-dimensional cultured cells and tissue explants. We aimed to address this research gap by establishing a human retinal organoid model of ocular toxoplasmosis. Retinal organoids, generated from human induced pluripotent stem cells and grown to two stages of organization, were incubated with a suspension of live or heat-killed GT-1 strain <i>T. gondii</i> tachyzoites, or medium without tachyzoites. Both developing (1 month post-isolation) and matured (6 months post-isolation) organoids were susceptible to infection. Spread of live parasites from the margin to the entire organoid over 1 week was indicated by immunolabelling for <i>T. gondii</i> surface antigen 1. This progression was accompanied by changes in the levels of selected tachyzoite transcripts-<i>SAG1</i>, <i>GRA6</i>, and <i>ROP16</i>-and human cytokine transcripts-<i>CCL2</i>, <i>CXCL8</i>, <i>CXCL10</i>, and <i>IL6</i>-in infected versus control conditions. Our human retinal organoid model of ocular toxoplasmosis offers the opportunity for many future lines of study, including tachyzoite interactions with retinal cell populations and leukocyte subsets, parasite stage progression, and disease processes of different <i>T. gondii</i> strains, as well as drug testing.</p>","PeriodicalId":19758,"journal":{"name":"Pathogens","volume":"14 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11945118/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143731100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PathogensPub Date : 2025-03-14DOI: 10.3390/pathogens14030285
Riccardo Moretti, Jue Tao Lim, Alvaro Gil Araujo Ferreira, Luigi Ponti, Marta Giovanetti, Chow Jo Yi, Pranav Tewari, Maria Cholvi, Jacob Crawford, Andrew Paul Gutierrez, Stephen L Dobson, Perran A Ross
{"title":"Exploiting <i>Wolbachia</i> as a Tool for Mosquito-Borne Disease Control: Pursuing Efficacy, Safety, and Sustainability.","authors":"Riccardo Moretti, Jue Tao Lim, Alvaro Gil Araujo Ferreira, Luigi Ponti, Marta Giovanetti, Chow Jo Yi, Pranav Tewari, Maria Cholvi, Jacob Crawford, Andrew Paul Gutierrez, Stephen L Dobson, Perran A Ross","doi":"10.3390/pathogens14030285","DOIUrl":"10.3390/pathogens14030285","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite the application of control measures, mosquito-borne diseases continue to pose a serious threat to human health. In this context, exploiting <i>Wolbachia</i>, a common symbiotic bacterium in insects, may offer effective solutions to suppress vectors or reduce their competence in transmitting several arboviruses. Many <i>Wolbachia</i> strains can induce conditional egg sterility, known as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), when infected males mate with females that do not harbor the same <i>Wolbachia</i> infection. Infected males can be mass-reared and then released to compete with wild males, reducing the likelihood of wild females encountering a fertile mate. Furthermore, certain <i>Wolbachia</i> strains can reduce the competence of mosquitoes to transmit several RNA viruses. Through CI, <i>Wolbachia</i>-infected individuals can spread within the population, leading to an increased frequency of mosquitoes with a reduced ability to transmit pathogens. Using artificial methods, <i>Wolbachia</i> can be horizontally transferred between species, allowing the establishment of various laboratory lines of mosquito vector species that, without any additional treatment, can produce sterilizing males or females with reduced vector competence, which can be used subsequently to replace wild populations. This manuscript reviews the current knowledge in this field, describing the different approaches and evaluating their efficacy, safety, and sustainability. Successes, challenges, and future perspectives are discussed in the context of the current spread of several arboviral diseases, the rise of insecticide resistance in mosquito populations, and the impact of climate change. In this context, we explore the necessity of coordinating efforts among all stakeholders to maximize disease control. We discuss how the involvement of diverse expertise-ranging from new biotechnologies to mechanistic modeling of eco-epidemiological interactions between hosts, vectors, <i>Wolbachia</i>, and pathogens-becomes increasingly crucial. This coordination is especially important in light of the added complexity introduced by <i>Wolbachia</i> and the ongoing challenges posed by global change.</p>","PeriodicalId":19758,"journal":{"name":"Pathogens","volume":"14 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11944716/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143730854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PathogensPub Date : 2025-03-14DOI: 10.3390/pathogens14030280
Ivana Valenčak, Lorna Stemberger Marić, Maja Vrdoljak Pažur, Snježana Židovec Lepej, Nenad Šuvak, Goran Tešović
{"title":"Clinical Characteristics, Neuroimaging Findings and Long-Term Sequelae in Children with Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection: A Single Centre Study.","authors":"Ivana Valenčak, Lorna Stemberger Marić, Maja Vrdoljak Pažur, Snježana Židovec Lepej, Nenad Šuvak, Goran Tešović","doi":"10.3390/pathogens14030280","DOIUrl":"10.3390/pathogens14030280","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Congenital cytomegalovirus infection is the most common congenital infection worldwide and an important cause of neurodevelopmental delay and sensorineural hearing loss. Neuroimaging represents the best prognostic marker in cCMV infection. The aim of this study was to establish the role of cranial ultrasound and brain magnetic resonance imaging in the development of long-term sequelae in symptomatic and asymptomatic children with cCMV infection. Of the 47 children enrolled in the study, 25 (53.1%) were classified as symptomatic at birth. In 27/47 patients, SNHL was diagnosed with a similar proportion among the symptomatic and asymptomatic at birth (51.8% and 48.1%, respectively; <i>p</i> = 1.0). Thirty case patients had available data on follow-up. Neurological sequelae were more frequently seen in patients with symptomatic cCMV, but only cerebral abnormalities seen on initial MRI results had a consequential link with the later development of motor (OR 17.5; 95% Cl: 2667, 114,846; <i>p</i> = 0.002) and speech disorders (OR 15; 95% Cl: 2477, 90,843; <i>p</i> = 0.02). Although not statistically significant, hearing deterioration was more frequent in children with abnormal MRI results (OR 5; 95% Cl: 0.846, 29,567; <i>p</i> = 0.121). Neuroimaging abnormalities, as identified through both cranial ultrasound (CrUS) and MRI, are critical prognostic indicators for long-term sequelae, applicable to both symptomatic and asymptomatic children.</p>","PeriodicalId":19758,"journal":{"name":"Pathogens","volume":"14 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11945233/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143731064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}