About the Authors

Valeria Cento

Affiliation Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Thi Huyen Tram Nguyen

Affiliation INSERM, Université Paris Diderot, IAME, UMR 1137, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France

Domenico Di Carlo

Affiliation Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Elisa Biliotti

Affiliation Tropical Diseases, Umberto I Hospital – “Sapienza” University, Rome, Italy

Laura Gianserra

Affiliation Infectious Diseases, Sant’Andrea Hospital – “Sapienza” University, Rome, Italy

Ilaria Lenci

Affiliation Hepatology Unit, Polyclinic of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Daniele Di Paolo

Affiliation Hepatology Unit, Polyclinic of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Vincenza Calvaruso

Affiliation Gastroenterology, “P. Giaccone” University Hospital, Palermo, Italy

Elisabetta Teti

Affiliation Infectious Diseases, Polyclinic of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Maddalena Cerrone

Affiliation Clinic of Infectious Disease, Department of Health Sciences, San Paolo University Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

Dante Romagnoli

Affiliation Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, NOCSAE Baggiovara, Baggiovara, Modena, Italy

Michela Melis

Affiliation Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy

Elena Danieli

Affiliation Infectious Diseases, AO Ospedale Niguarda Cà Granda, Milan, Italy

Barbara Menzaghi

Affiliation Infectious Diseases, Ospedale di circolo di Busto Arsizio, Busto Arsizio, Varese, Italy

Ennio Polilli

Affiliation Infectious Disease Unit, “Spirito Santo” General Hospital, Pescara, Italy

Massimo Siciliano

Affiliation Gastroenterology, Catholic University of Rome, Rome, Italy

Laura Ambra Nicolini

Affiliation University of Genoa (DISSAL) Infectious Diseases Unit/AOU IRCCS San Martino-IST, Genoa, Italy

Antonio Di Biagio

Affiliation University of Genoa (DISSAL) Infectious Diseases Unit/AOU IRCCS San Martino-IST, Genoa, Italy

Carlo Federico Magni

Affiliation 1st Division of Infectious Diseases, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy

Matteo Bolis

Affiliation 1st Division of Infectious Diseases, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy

Francesco Paolo Antonucci

Affiliation Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Velia Chiara Di Maio

Affiliation Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Roberta Alfieri

Affiliation Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare (INGM) "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, Italy

Loredana Sarmati

Affiliation Infectious Diseases, Polyclinic of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Paolo Casalino

Affiliation Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Sergio Bernardini

Affiliation Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Valeria Micheli

Affiliation Clinical Microbiology, Virology and Bioemergencies, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy

Giuliano Rizzardini

Affiliations 1st Division of Infectious Diseases, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Giustino Parruti

Affiliation Infectious Disease Unit, “Spirito Santo” General Hospital, Pescara, Italy

Tiziana Quirino

Affiliation Infectious Diseases, Ospedale di circolo di Busto Arsizio, Busto Arsizio, Varese, Italy

Massimo Puoti

Affiliation Infectious Diseases, AO Ospedale Niguarda Cà Granda, Milan, Italy

Sergio Babudieri

Affiliation Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy

Antonella D’Arminio Monforte

Affiliation Clinic of Infectious Disease, Department of Health Sciences, San Paolo University Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

Massimo Andreoni

Affiliation Infectious Diseases, Polyclinic of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Antonio Craxì

Affiliation Gastroenterology, “P. Giaccone” University Hospital, Palermo, Italy

Mario Angelico

Affiliation Hepatology Unit, Polyclinic of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Caterina Pasquazzi

Affiliation Infectious Diseases, Sant’Andrea Hospital – “Sapienza” University, Rome, Italy

Gloria Taliani

Affiliation Tropical Diseases, Umberto I Hospital – “Sapienza” University, Rome, Italy

Jeremie Guedj

Affiliation INSERM, Université Paris Diderot, IAME, UMR 1137, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France

Carlo Federico Perno

cf.perno@uniroma2.it

Affiliation Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Francesca Ceccherini-Silberstein

Affiliation Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Competing Interests

Valeria Cento has served as a speaker, a consultant and/or an advisory board member for Abbvie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Janssen-Cilag. Laura Ambra Nicolini has served as a speaker for Abbvie, Gilead Sciences. Dante Romagnoli has served as a board member for Abbvie. Massimo Andreoni has served as a speaker, a consultant and/or an advisory board member for Abbvie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, Merck Sharp & Dohme, ViiV Healthcare, and Janssen-Cilag. Jeremie Guedj has served as a speaker for Gilead Sciences. Carlo Federico Perno has served as a speaker, a consultant and/or an advisory board member for Gilead Sciences, Abbvie, Roche Diagnostics, Janssen-Cilag, Abbott Molecular, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp & Dohme, and ViiV Healthcare. Francesca Ceccherini-Silberstein has served as a speaker, a consultant and/or an advisory board member for Gilead Sciences, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Abbvie, Roche UNIVERSITA' DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA "TOR VERGATA" DIPARTIMENTO DI MEDICINA SPERIMENTALE E CHIRURGIA Cover Letter Diagnostics, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Janssen-Cilag, Abbott Molecular, and ViiV Healthcare. The other authors have no competing interests. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization: V. Chiara Di Maio THTN JG CFP. Data curation: V. Chiara Di Maio THTN. Formal analysis: V. Chiara Di Maio THTN DDC RA. Funding acquisition: CFP FCS. Investigation: V. Chiara Di Maio FPA VCDM. Methodology: V. Chiara Di Maio THTN JG. Project administration: V. Chiara Di Maio CFP JG. Resources: EB LG IL DDP V. Calvaruso ET MC DR MM ED BM EP MS LAN ADB CM MB LS PC SB VM GR GP MP SB ADM M. Andreoni AC M. Angelico CP GT TQ. Software: THTN RA JG. Supervision: JG CFP FCS. Validation: JG. Visualization: V. Chiara Di Maio THTN. Writing – original draft: V. Chiara Di Maio. Writing – review & editing: JG CFP FCS.