An individual virion was long believed to act as an independent infectious unit in virology, until the recent discovery of vesicle-cloaked virus clusters which has greatly challenged this central paradigm. Vesicle-cloaked virus clusters (also known as viral vesicles) are phospholipid-bilayer encapsulated fluid sacs that contain multiple virions or multiple copies of viral genomes. Norovirus is a global leading causative agent of gastroenteritis, and the reported prevalence of vesicle-cloaked norovirus clusters in stool has raised concerns whether the current disinfection, sanitation, and hygiene practices can effectively control environmental pollution by these pathogenic units. In this study, we demonstrate that vesicle-cloaked norovirus clusters are more infectious, persistent and resistant under exposure to environmental stresses, such as freeze-thaw and ultraviolet disinfection than their free virus counterparts. We show that the increased multiplicity of infection provided by vesicles is in part responsible for these attributes. Our study, for the first time, sheds light on the environmental behavior of vesicle-cloaked virus clusters as unique emerging pathogenic units that blur the distinction between non-enveloped and enveloped viruses but behave like neither of them. Our study highlights the need to revisit current paradigms of disinfection, sanitation, and hygiene practices for protecting public health.

Emerging pathogenic unit of vesicle-cloaked norovirus clusters are resistant to environmental stresses and UV<sub>254</sub> disinfectio

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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Emerging pathogenic unit of vesicle-cloaked norovirus clusters are resistant to environmental stresses and UV254 disinfectio

Emerging pathogenic unit of vesicle-cloaked norovirus clusters are resistant to environmental stresses and UV₂₅₄ disinfectio