NRL Enteroviruses

 

Head of NRL Enteroviruses

Assist. professor
Irina Georgieva, PhD

tel. 02 / 831 00 42

1233 Sofia, Bulgaria; 44А General Stoletov blvd.

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Laboratory staff:

Asya Stoyanova, MS

biologist

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Virginia Petkova, MS

biologist

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Aneta Mihailova

laboratory worker

 

World Polio Day – 24 October

World Polio Day highlights the global efforts to end poliomyelitis (polio) worldwide. Polio is a life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus, which the World Health Assembly committed to eradicate in 1988. The WHO European Region was declared polio-free in 2002 and has sustained this status every year since then.

Every year on 24 October, we observe World Polio Day to raise awareness of the importance of polio vaccination to protect every child from this devastating disease, and to celebrate the many parents, professionals and volunteers whose contributions make polio eradication achievable.

 

Laboratory activities

The National Reference Laboratory for Enteroviruses is accredited as part of The European Regional Network of the World Health Organization for polio surveillance. The Laboratory is a member of the Global Polio Laboratory Network

The European region is an area without polio and timely and high-quality laboratory tests are essential to ensure that any case of importation of the virus can now be successfully established and controlled. NRL “Enteroviruses” is responsible for laboratory testing of cases of acute flaccid paralysis in children up to 15 years of age:

  • Virus isolation in cell cultures
  • Intratypic differentiation of polioviruses – rt-RT-PCR
  • Titer of antibodies against polioviruses – Virus neutralization assay

Participation in international laboratory control

As part of the World Laboratory Network of the World Health Organization for the control and surveillance of poliomyelitis, NRL "Enteroviruses" annually goes through an accreditation procedure conducted by the WHO, which controls the quality of diagnostic activity in the laboratory.

Testing

In NRL "Enteroviruses" the following are also carried out:

  • Enterovirus testing via:
    • Virus isolation of non-polio enteroviruses in cell cultures
    • Enterovirus typing via virus-neutralization
    • Molecular detection of enterovirus RNA in clinical samples
  • Molecular and antigen detection (antigen capture ELISA) of other enteric viruses – noro-, rota-, astro-, adenoviruses, etc.
  • Gentoyping of rotaviruses
  • Serology –Anti-EV IgM, Anti-EV IgG, Anti-Cox IgM

Diagnostic activities related to serological detection follow the accredited standard BDS ENISO/IEC17025.

Training

In the NRL "Enteroviruses" training is conducted for students from the master's programs of the Faculty of Biology of the SU "St. Kliment Ohridski" and to PhD students biologists and doctors, as well as to specialists in postgraduate training and qualification and as part of the training in the medical specialties Clinical Virology, Laboratory Virology, Microbiology, Immunology and Epidemiology.

Important publications:

  1. Georgieva I, Stoyanova A, Stoitsova S, Nikolaeva-Glomb L. Echovirus 30 in Bulgaria during the European Upsurge of the Virus, 2017–2018. Pathogens. 2024; 13(2):143. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13020143
    IF2023 = 3.7; Quartile: Q2; Infectious diseases; SJR 2022 = 0.81
  2. Georgieva, I.; Stoyanova, A.; Angelova, S.; Korsun, N.; Stoitsova, S.; Nikolaeva-Glomb, L. Rhinovirus Genotypes Circulating in Bulgaria, 2018–2021. Viruses 2023, 15, 1608. https://doi.org/10.3390/v15071608
    IF2023 = 4.7; Quartile: Q1 Infectious diseases; SJR 2022 = 1.29
  3. Dundarova, H.; Ivanova-Aleksandrova, N.; Bednarikova, S.; Georgieva, I.; Kirov, K.; Miteva, K.; Neov, B.; Ostoich, P.; Pikula, J.; Zukal, J.; Hristov, P. Phylogeographic Aspects of Bat Lyssaviruses in Europe: A Review. Pathogens 2023, 12, 1089. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12091089
    IF2023 = 3.7; Quartile: Q2 Molecular biology; SJR 2022 = 0.807
  4. Dimitrova V, Stoitsova S, Nenova G, Martinova M, Yakimova M, Rangelova V, Georgieva I, Georgiev I, Krumova S, Minkova A, et al. Bulgarian General Practitioners’ Communication Styles about Child Vaccinations, Mainly Focused on Parental Decision Making in the Context of a Mandatory Immunization Schedule. Healthcare. 2023; 11(18):2566.https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11182566
    IF2022 = 2.8; Quartile: Q3 Health Care Sciences and Services; SJR 2022 = 0.55
  5. Fontana, S., Buttinelli, G., Fiore, S., Amato, C., Pataracchia, M., Kota, M., Acimovic, J., Blaževic, M., Mulaomerovic, M., Nikolaeva-Glomb, L., Mentis, A., Voulgari-Kokota, A., Gashi, L., Kacaniku-Gunga, P., Barbara, C., Melillo, J., Protic, J., Filipovic-Vignjevic, S., O’Connor, P. M., D’Alberto, A., Orioli, R., Siddu, A., Saxentoff, E., Stefanelli, P. (2022): Retrospective analysis of six years of acute flaccid paralysis surveillance and polio vaccine coverage reported by Italy, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, Malta, and Greece. Vaccines, 10, 44, https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10010044.
    IF = 4,961 2021; Quartile: Q2 2021
  6. Ivanova-Aleksandrova, N., Dundarova, H., Neov, B. Emilova, R., Georgieva, I., Antova, R., Kirov, K., Pikula, J., Zukalova, K., Zukal, J. Ectoparasites of Cave-Dwelling Bat Species in Bulgaria. Proc Zool Soc (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12595-022-00451-4.
    IS 2021= 0,71; SJR2021 = 0,23; Quartile: Q32021
  7. Николаева-Гломб, Л. (2022): Предизвикателства по пътя към свят без полиомиелит. Практическа педиатрия, XXIII, 1-2, 20-27.
  8. Georgieva, I., Stoyanova, A., Angelova, S., Stoitsova, S., Voleva, S., Korsun, N., Nikolaeva-Glomb, L. (2021): Do we know rhinoviruses and their clinical impact? Problems of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, 49(1), 5-12.
    Quartile: Q4
  9. Benshop, K. S. M., Albert, J., Anton, A., Andres, C., Aranzamendi, M., Armannsdóttir, B., Bailly, J.-L., Baldanti, F., Baldvinsdottir, G. E., Beard, S., Berginc, N., Bőttcher, S., Blomqvist, S., Bubba, L., Calvo, C., Cabrerizo, M., Cavallero, A., Celma, C., Ceriotti, F., Costa, I., Cottrell, S., del Cuerpo, M., Dean, J., Dembinski, J. L., Diedrich, S., Diez-Domingo, J., Dorenberg, D., Duizer, E., Dyrdak, R., Fanti, D., Farkas, A., Feeny, S., Flipse, J., De Gascun, C., Galli, C., Georgieva, I., Gifford, L., Guimar, R., Hönemann, M., Ikonen, N., Jeannoël, M., Josset, L., Keeren, K., López-Labrador, F. X., maier, M., McKenna, J., Meijer, A., Mengual-Chuliá, B., Midgley, S. E., Mirand, A., Montes, M., Moore, C., Morley, U., Murk, J.-L., Nikolaeva-Glomb, L., Numanovic, S., Oggioni, M., Palminha, P., Pariani, E., Pellegrinelli, L., Piralla, A., Pietsch, C., Pineiro, L., Rabella, N., Rainetova, P., Uceda, R. S. C., Romero, M. P., Reynders, M., Roorda, L., Savolainen-Kopra, C., Schuffenecker, I., Stoyanova, A., Swanink, C. M.A., Ursic, T., Verveij, J. J., Vila, J., Vuorinen, T., Simmonds, P., Fischer, T., Harvala, H. (2021): Re-emergence of enterovirus D68 in Europe after easing the COVID-19 lockdown. Euro Surveill., 26(45). pii=2100998. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.45.2100998
    IF = 21,2862021; Quartile: Q12021
  10. Benschop, K., Broberg, E., Hodcroft, E., Schmitz, D., Albert, J., Baicus, A., Bailly, J.-L., Baldvinsdottir, G., Berginc, N., Blomqvist, S., Bottcher, S., Brytting, M., Bujaki, E., Cabrerizo, M., Celma, C., Cinek, O., Claas, E. c. J., Cremer, J., Dean, J., Dembrinski, J. L., Demchyshyna, I., Diedrich, S., Dudman, S., Dunning, J., Dyrdak, R., Emmanouil, M., Farkas, A., De Gascun, C., Fournier, G., Georgieva, I., Gonzalez-Sanz, R., Hooydonk-Elving, J., Jaaskelainen, A., Jancauskaite, R., Keeren, K., Fischer, T., Krokstad, S., Nikolaeva-Glomb, L., Novakova, L., Midgley, S. E., Mirand, A., Molenkapmp, R., Morley, U., Mossong, J., Muralyte, S., Murk, J.-L., Nguyen, t., Nordbo, S. A., Osterback, R., Pas, S., Pellegrinelli, L., Pogka, V., Prochazka, B., Rainetova, P., Van Ranst, M., Roorda, L., Schuffenencker, I., Schuurman, R., Stoyanova, A., Templeton, K., Verweij, J., Voulgari-Kokota, A., Vourinen, T., Wollants, E., Wolters, K. C., Zakikhany, K., Neher, R., Harvala, H., Simmonds, P. (2021): Molecular epidemiology and evolutionary trajectory of emerging echovirus 30, Europe. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 279(6), 1616-1626. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2706.203096
    IF = 16,16 2021; Quartile: Q12021
  11. Велев, В., Попов, М., Стоянова, А., Георгиева, И., Томов, Т., Павлова, М., Червенякова, Т., Николаева-Гломб, Л. (2021): Вирусни гастроентерити при деца – клинични и молекулярноепидемиологични особености. Обща медицина, XXIII(4), 32-37.
  12. Стоицова, С., Димитрова, В., Георгиева, И., Владимирова, Н., Крумова, Ст., Андонова, И., Николаева-Гломб, Л., Курчатова, А. (2021): Колебливост по отношение на имунизациите: основни елементи и позиция на България на световната карта. Медицински преглед, 57(4), 17-25.
  13. Georgieva, I., Ilieva, E., Stoyanova, A., Nikolaeva-Glomb, L. (2020): Poliovirus antibody seroprevalence among laboratory staff at the national Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseaaes, Sofia, Bulgaria. Clin. Lab., 66, 1993-1996. DOI: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2020.200129.
    IF = 0,990 2020; Quartile: Q32020
  14. Pekova, L., Nikolaeva-Glomb, L., Stoyanova, A., Yordanova, A., Mladenova, Z. (2020): Enteroviral infections of the central nervous system observed in Bulgaria during five consecutive seasons. The Annals of Clinical and Analytical Medicine, 11(3), 196-200. E-ISSN:2667-663X. DOI: 10.4328/ACAM.20040. (Списанието е наследник на Jornal of Clinical and Analytical Medicine с Q42018).
  15. Bubba, L., Broberg, E., Jasir, A., Simmonds, P., Harvala, H., Redberger-Fritz, Nikolaeva-Glomb, L., Havlickova, M., Rainetova, P., Fischer, T., Midgley, S., Epstein, J., Blomqvist, s., Bottcher, S., Keeren, K., Bujaki, E., Farkas, A., Baldvinsdottir, G., Morley, U., De Gascun, G., Pellegrinelli, L., Piralla, A., Martinuka, O., Zamjatina, N., Griskevicius, A., Nguyen, T., Dudman, S., Numanovic, S., Wieczorek, M., Guiomar, R., Costa, R., Tecu, C., Bopegamage, S., Pastuchova, K., Berginc, N., Cabrerizo, M., Gonzalez-Sanz, R., Zakikhany, K., Hauzenberger, E., Benschop, K., Duizer, E., Dunning, J., Celma, C., McKenna, J., Feeney, S., Templeton, K., Moore, C., Cottrell, S. (2020): Circulation of non-polio enteroviruses in 24 EU and EEA countries between 2015 and 2017: a restrospective surveillance study. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 20, 350-361. ISSN 1473-3099. published online: Dec 20th, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(19)30566-3.
    IF = 25,071; Quartile: Q12020
  16. Николаева-Гломб, Л., Георгиева, И., Стоянова, А. (2020): Полиомиелит: близо ли е ерадикацията? МЕДИНФО. XX(1), 192-197.
  17. Николаева-Гломб, Л., Данова, С. (2020): Пандемията COVID-19: Познаваме ли причинителя на COVID-19? Как имунната ни система посреща седмия коронавирус? Medical Megazine, юни 2020, 4-8.
  18. Данова, С., Николаева-Гомб, Л. (2020): Пробиотици срещу вируси? Може ли пробиотиците и техните активни метаболити да помогнат при COVID-19? Medical Megazine, юли 2020, 4-8.
  19. Николаева-Гломб, Л., Стоянова, А., Георгиева, И. (2019): Вируси в стомашно-чревния тракт. МЕДИНФО. XIX(10), 18-22.
  20. Пекова, Л., Николаева-Гломб, Л., Баймакова, М. (2018): Характеристика на съвременните ентеровирусни инфекции. МЕДИНФО. XVIII(8), 60-65.