| central nervous system involvement during infection by phlebovirus toscana of residents in natural foci in central italy (1977-1988). | central nervous system (cns) involvement was detected during infection caused by the sand fly-transmitted phlebovirus toscana. one hundred fifty-five cases of toscana virus-associated meningitis or meningoencephalitis were identified in a survey that lasted ten years, conducted in two regions of central italy. diagnosis was performed by different serologic tests. a combination of hemagglutination-inhibition and plaque-reduction neutralization or indirect immunofluorescence for igm, and enzyme-li ... | 1991 | 1951851 |
| toscana virus infection in united states citizen returning from italy. | | 1987 | 2880004 |
| transmission of toscana virus by sandflies in italy. | | 1987 | 2882214 |
| ecology of viruses isolated from sand flies in italy and characterized of a new phlebovirus (arabia virus). | a total of 84 virus strains was obtained from 16,374 male and female sand flies (phlebotomus perniciosus and p. perfiliewi) collected in two localities of tuscany region in italy between 1980 and 1985. thirty-seven (44%) were identified as toscana virus (family bunyaviridae, genus phlebovirus) and 47 (56%) as a new member of the phlebotomus fever serogroup, arbia virus. the characteristics of this new serotype are described. the overall virus isolation rate from sand flies was 0.5 per 100 insect ... | 1988 | 3128131 |
| [virus transmission to man from phlebotomus flies: role of the tuscany virus (bunyaviridae, phlebovirus) in the etiology of infections of the central nervous system]. | during field studies on the ecology of arboviruses in italy, strains of a new virus were isolated from sand flies, mostly females, of a pure colony of phlebotomus perniciosus collected in a central italian region (tuscany). the prototype was named toscana (tos) virus, assigned to the phlebotomus fever serogroup of arboviruses (family bunyaviridae, genus phlebovirus) and registered in 1980 in the international catalogue of arboviruses. neutralizing antibodies to tos virus were detected in human s ... | 1988 | 3152279 |
| [ecological and epidemiological studies of toscana virus, an arbovirus isolated from phlebotomus]. | | 1982 | 7187828 |
| [meningitis after travel in the mediterranean region, caused by the sandfly fever virus]. | sandfly fever virus is the causative agent of sandfly fever (pappataci fever). the virus is endemic in the mediterranean region and is transmitted by bites of phlebotomus species. the three sandfly fever virus serotypes, sicilian (sfs), naples (sfn) and toscana (tos), are of travel-related significance. in addition to a flu-like illness, the sandfly fever virus may result in a serious neurological disease with meningitis and encephalitis. due to the high number of travelers may occur in nonimmun ... | 1995 | 7501097 |
| travel-related toscana virus infection. | | 1993 | 8103888 |
| aseptic meningitis caused by sandfly fever virus, serotype toscana. | sandfly fever virus, serotype toscana (tos), is endemic in some mediterranean countries and causes sandfly fever (pappataci fever). in some patients, tos may cause meningitis and meningoencephalitis. we report on two german adults returning from italy with tos-related meningitis, complicated in one case by abducens nerve palsy. tos infection should be considered as a cause of acute central nervous system disorders in patients returning from areas of endemicity. | 1995 | 8527565 |
| sandfly fever viruses in italy. | two serologically distinct agents, the sandfly fever sicilian and the sandfly fever naples viruses, were isolated by sabin from blood samples taken during an italian epidemic of febrile illness. since then, several different viruses have been isolated from sandflies and/or humans in both the old and new world. toscana virus, a new virus closely antigenically related to sandfly fever naples virus, was isolated in 1971 from the sandfly phlebotomus perniciosus in italy. extensive studies on the imp ... | 1996 | 8800804 |
| rapid identification of toscana virus by nested pcr during an outbreak in the siena area of italy. | the sand fly-transmitted toscana virus is recognized as an etiologic agent of an aseptic meningitis with a long convalescence. this infection has been reported overall in many tourists or in a seronegative population circulating in endemic mediterranean areas (italy, portugal, egypt, and cyprus). we report a cluster of acute toscana virus infections in the local population during the summer of 1995. twenty-one clinical cases of meningitis were investigated for the presence of toscana virus by ne ... | 1996 | 8880508 |
| evidence of toscana virus infections without central nervous system involvement: a serological study. | in central italy, acute lymphocytic meningitis and meningoencephalitis due to a phlebotomus transmitted virus (phlebovirus toscana, tosv) occurring throughout the summer are frequently observed. several serum specimens of patients hospitalized with a clinical picture of viral meningitis/meningoencephalitis showed anti tos-igg reactivity suggestive of a previous infection occurring at an unknown time in the past. this observation led us to design a serological investigation of 83 household contac ... | 1997 | 9384264 |
| toscana virus infections of the central nervous system in children: a report of 14 cases. | to evaluate the pathogenicity of a recently discovered arthropod-transmitted bunyavirus (toscana virus) on the cns in children and to provide information on the epidemiologic and clinical aspects of toscana virus infection. | 1998 | 9470016 |
| evidence of toscana virus variants circulating in tuscany, italy, during the summers of 1995 to 1997. | the toscana virus can cause neurological infection in adults. this study of 112 cases of acute meningitis which occurred during the summers of 1995, 1996, and 1997 demonstrated the presence of viral rna in the cerebrospinal fluid of 56 patients. their sequence analysis shows four variants of the toscana virus. | 1998 | 9650974 |
| humoral response in toscana virus acute neurologic disease investigated by viral-protein-specific immunoassays. | the toscana virus (family bunyaviridae, genus phlebovirus) is the only sandfly-transmitted virus that demonstrates neurotropic activity. clinical cases ranging from aseptic meningitis to meningoencephalitis caused by toscana virus are yearly observed in central italy during the summer, and several cases have been reported among tourists returning from zones of endemicity (italy, portugal, spain, and cyprus). in toscana virus patients, immunoglobulin m (igm) antibodies, usually present at the ons ... | 1999 | 9874664 |
| epidemiological, clinical and laboratory aspects of sandfly fever. | sandfly fever viruses are still a significant health problem in many regions of the world, such as africa, the mediterranean basin, the middle east, and central asia. this review provides an update on the advances in knowledge about epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory aspects of infections caused by toscana, sicilian and naples viruses. | 2003 | 14501989 |
| acute meningitis owing to phlebotomus fever toscana virus imported to france. | acute lymphocytic meningitis, seen in france in summer, is often due to enteroviruses. arboviruses as west nile and tick-borne encephalitis do exist in europe, but other viruses are rarely considered in patients unless they have had recent tropical travel. toscana virus infection, which is endemic, especially in italy,1-3 has been documented in some european travelers returning from italy,4-6 but surprisingly was not documented in france until recently.7 we report a case of meningitis caused by ... | 2005 | 16256057 |
| seroprevalence study of tick-borne encephalitis, borrelia burgdorferi, dengue and toscana virus in turin province. | tick borne encephalitis virus (tbev) is present in some european countries and it is transmitted by a tick bite. ixodes ricinus is the main vector of the infection in italy, where fortunately clinical neurological manifestations, typical of the more serious phase of the disease, are very rarely observed. this behaviour is different from other endemic euroasiatic areas where numerous cases of encephalitis are described. however tbe transmission has not been widely investigated in italy and availa ... | 2007 | 16312014 |
| toscana virus central nervous system infections in southern italy. | toscana virus was detected by reverse transcription-nested pcr in 5.6% of cerebrospinal fluid (csf) samples from patients with meningitis and encephalitis during the summer in southern italy. the central nervous system infections were associated with young adults and with a substantially benign clinical course. presenting features and csf findings are also discussed in the present report. | 2005 | 16333126 |
| detection of toscana virus central nervous system infections in sardinia island, italy. | | 2007 | 17662649 |
| meningoencephalitis due to toscana virus in a french traveler returning from central italy. | toscana virus (tosv) is an arthropod-borne virus transmitted by sand flies of phlebotomus species that has been recognized as an agent associated with acute meningitis and encephalitis around the mediterranean. we report the first imported case of meningoencephalitis due to tosv in a traveler returning from central italy to france. | 2008 | 19006512 |
| imported aseptic meningitis due to toscana virus acquired on the island of elba, italy, august 2008. | we describe a case of aseptic meningitis due to toscana virus imported to switzerland and discuss the epidemiological situation. to our knowledge this is the first description of this infection acquired on the island of elba. | 2009 | 19161712 |
| toscana virus infection imported from elba into switzerland. | | 2010 | 20507770 |
| personality changes after toscana virus (tosv) encephalitis in a 49-year-old man: a case report. | toscana virus (tosv) infection may often cause symptomatic meningitides and encephalitides. these usually subside in few days and their sequelae do not last for more than few weeks. we here report the case of a 49-year-old man who developed encephalitis after being bitten by phlebotomi in a region near southern tuscany, where tosv is endemic, and who developed postencephalitic seizures and subsequently, persistent personality alterations, characterized by sexually dissolute behavior and aggressi ... | 2010 | 21126108 |
| [sandfly virus meningitis in a danish traveller returning from tuscany]. | we report the first case of sandfly virus meningitis in a danish traveller returning from tuscany. a 52 year-old man was admitted with headache, fever and photophobia. spinal fluid showed evidence of aseptic meningitis. indirect immuno-fluorescence assays showed presence of immunoglobulin (ig)m and igg antibodies reactive against toscana virus, and phlebovirus rna was detected in blood by real-time polymerase chain reaction. the patient recovered spontaneously. since sandfly virus is a very comm ... | 2011 | 21975188 |
| Prevalence of toscana and sicilian phlebovirus antibodies in classic Kaposi sarcoma case patients and control subjects in sicily. | To assess whether arthropod bites promote Kaposi sarcoma (KS), we determined the seroprevalence of Sicilian (SFSV) and Toscana (TOSV) phlebovirus antibodies in 30 patients with classic KS and 100 controls in Sicily. Nine (6.9%) subjects, all controls, were positive for SFSV, whereas 41 (31.5%) were positive for TOSV. Seroprevalence with immunoglobulin (Ig) M or IgG against either virus was significantly higher in controls (43% vs 13.3% in case patients; P < .01). Adjusted for age, IgG seropreval ... | 2011 | 21900487 |
| Seroprevalence of and risk factors for Toscana and Sicilian virus infection in a sample population of Sicily (Italy). | OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to assess seroprevalence of and risk factors for Toscana (TOSV) and Sicilian (SFSV) virus infections in a sample of Sicilian subjects. METHODS: A cross-sectional seroepidemiological study was conducted on 271 individuals. Each participant completed a self-administrated questionnaire and provided a serum sample which was analyzed for the presence of IgG specific anti-TOSV and anti-SFSV viruses. RESULTS: Overall, 90 subjects (33.2%) were positive for TOSV IgG, 25 ... | 2011 | 22120113 |
| toscana virus encephalitis in a traveler returning to the united states. | in italy, toscana virus is the most common cause of meningitis from may to october. though only a few cases have been reported in u.s. travelers returning from europe, most cases are likely unrecognized due to lack of familiarity with the disease. here, we describe the case of an 82-year-old man presenting with fever, profound weakness, and hearing loss after returning to the united states following a 2-week summertime vacation in southern italy who was ultimately diagnosed with toscana virus en ... | 2015 | 25673791 |
| viral isolates of a novel putative phlebovirus in the marche region of italy. | thirty pools from 900 (540 females and 360 males) phlebotomus perfiliewi sandflies collected during the summer of 2012 in the fermo area (marche region, central italy) were tested for the presence of phleboviruses. a nested polymerase chain reaction was performed using degenerated primers amplifying a fragment of the polymerase gene (large segment) and a fragment of the nucleoprotein gene (small segment) of the genus phlebovirus. one pool was positive for toscana virus, as expected from results ... | 2014 | 24534812 |
| a model of laboratory surveillance for neuro-arbovirosis applied during 2012 in the emilia-romagna region, italy. | arboviruses with neuroinvasive potential are gaining more attention due to the increased number of cases of autochthonous and imported infections in the human host. diagnosis of infection caused by these viruses in patients with central nervous system (cns) diseases is still underestimated and these infections represent an emerging threat to public health. we describe a model suitable for the laboratory surveillance of neuro-arbovirosis that was applied in the emilia-romagna region, north-easter ... | 2014 | 24329773 |
| seroprevalence study of toscana virus and viruses belonging to the sandfly fever naples antigenic complex in central and southern italy. | sandfly fever viruses are transmitted by the bite of phlebotomine sandflies; serotypes sandfly fever naples virus, sandfly fever sicilian virus and sandfly fever cyprus virus cause febrile illness, whereas toscana virus (tosv) may cause neuroinvasive infections. although tosv is an important cause of aseptic meningitis in central and southern italy, in many cases the infection is asymptomatic, leading to underestimation of the actual spread of the virus. this serosurvey aimed to assess the serop ... | 2017 | 28237695 |
| seroprevalence of antibodies to sandfly fever sicilian virus in a sample population in tuscany, italy. | toscana virus is the main phlebovirus circulating in tuscany during the warm season, thus, a seroprevalence study was performed in the same area to estimate the antibody prevalence rates for sandfly fever sicilian virus (sfsv) that is endemic in the mediterranean countries. the low seroprevalence observed in this study shows that this virus does not play an important role in the etiology of febrile illness in central italy. | 2013 | 23289397 |
| immunoglobulin m seropositivity for toscana virus in a random population sample in sicily. | high toscana virus (tosv) antibody seropositivity rates have been documented in the last decade, especially in the mediterranean area. it is unclear if these rates are associated with a recent or past exposure to the virus. this is of importance, as primary infection can cause neurologic complications, especially in adults. the aim of the present study was to assess the current active tosv circulation in western sicily. | 2012 | 22726418 |
| toscana virus genome stability: data from a meningoencephalitis case in mantua, italy. | in july of 2013, samples from a patient with a neurological syndrome were collected from mantua hospital and sent to the national reference laboratory for arboviruses (national institute of health, rome). on the basis of the symptoms, serological and molecular assays were performed to diagnose either west nile virus (wnv) or toscana virus (tosv) infection. molecular and serological tests confirmed tosv infection. virus isolation was obtained from cerebrospinal fluid. a full genome sequence was d ... | 0 | 25514123 |
| toscana virus infection in american traveler returning from sicily, 2009. | | 2010 | 20735948 |
| age-dependent seroprevalence of toscana virus in central italy and correlation with the clinical profile. | in order to estimate the antibody prevalence rates for toscana virus (tosv) among children and adults, we evaluated the seroprevalence of tosv in a population (n = 2,737) living in tuscany during the period of 1999 to 2006. the seroprevalence rate was 19.8% in adults and 5.8% in children, showing an age-dependent increase in tosv-specific immunity. meningitis due to tosv infection was more frequent in adults than in children. | 2009 | 19553552 |
| occupational risk associated with toscana virus infection in tuscany, italy. | sandfly fever virus serotype toscana is endemic in mediterranean countries and is a widespread public health problem as it may be associated with acute neurological diseases such as aseptic meningitis. | 2008 | 18832346 |
| [meningitis caused by toscana virus during a summer stay in italy]. | a 44-year-old woman suffered fever, headache and meningism during a summer stay in a region of central italy where sand-fly fever is endemic. a few days after returning to the netherlands, she appeared mentally and physically slow but had no fever. because of the possibility of viral meningitis an examination of the cerebrospinal fluid (csf) was carried out. this revealed a cell count of 1074/3 cells. toscana virus antibodies of the igg and igm subclass were detected in two respective serum samp ... | 2004 | 15004957 |
| evidence of toscana virus circulation in umbria: first report. | to evaluate, for the first time, circulation and clinical expression of toscana virus (tosv) in umbria region we studied: (1) 93 cases of aseptic meningitis and meningoencephalitis admitted to our department from 1989 to 2001 with negative results for common neurotropic virus; (2) 50 healthy subjects. specific antibodies (igm and igg) anti-tosv were found in 36.6% of aseptic meningitis, in 6.06% of meningoencephalitis and (igg) in 16% of healthy subjects. | 2003 | 12889693 |
| serological survey of toscana virus infections in a high-risk population in italy. | toscana virus is the most important agent responsible for meningitis in central italy. we report a serosurveillance study, using an immunoenzymatic assay, of 360 serum samples harvested from a high-risk population occupationally exposed to toscana virus in two regions of italy, tuscany and piedmont. the results indicates a seroprevalence of toscana virus of 77.2% in the forestry workers, particularly in the tuscany region. this fact is strictly correlated with the ecological niches specific for ... | 2003 | 12738655 |
| symptomatic infections by toscana virus in the modena province in the triennium 1999-2001. | we report nine cases of clinical manifestations by toscana virus (tosv) diagnosed at the centre for the diagnosis of viral diseases of the university of modena and reggio emilia, in the inhabitants of modena province (emilia romagna region), in the triennium 1999-2001. tosv was involved in six cases of meningitis, two of meningoencephalitis and one case of febrile erythema without meningeal manifestations. six tosv-infected patients had stayed for a few days in a different area of the tuscany re ... | 2002 | 12437229 |
| detection of neurotropic viruses circulating in tuscany: the incisive role of toscana virus. | acute meningitis is perhaps the most frequent among central nervous system infections. we report a study considering 277 cases of meningitis hospitalized in the southern tuscany area (italy) during the period from 1995 to 1998 investigated by tissue culture and polymerase chain reaction (pcr) methods. the cytochemical analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid samples suggested the diagnosis of aseptic meningitis, recognized as viral meningitis in 104 cases by detection of viral dna or rna. the results ... | 2000 | 10568768 |
| phlebotomus-transmitted toscana virus infections of the central nervous system: a seven-year experience in tuscany. | toscana virus (tosv) is a recently discovered phlebotomus-transmitted human pathogen involved in acute infections of the central nervous system (cns) occurring during the summer in natural foci in italy. the purpose of this prospective study was to investigate the role of this virus in 170 patients with meningitis-meningoencephalitis of suspected viral origin, admitted to the departments of infectious diseases at the siena hospital from 1990 to 1996. infections caused by tick-borne encephalitis ... | 1998 | 10066054 |
| toscana virus infections in northern italy: laboratory and clinical evaluation. | toscana virus (tosv) is a neurotropic arthropod-borne virus that causes meningitis in the mediterranean basin during the summer months. a total of 120 patients suffering from acute aseptic meningitis between july 1 and october 31, 2010 in northern italy were evaluated. eighteen of them (15%) were in the acute stage of tosv disease. | 2012 | 22448679 |
| human and entomological surveillance of toscana virus in the emilia-romagna region, italy, 2010 to 2012. | toscana virus (tosv), transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies, is recognised as one of the most important causes of viral meningitis in summer in mediterranean countries. a surveillance plan based on both human and entomological surveys was started in 2010 in the emilia-romagna region, italy. clinical samples from patients with neurological manifestations were collected during 2010 to 2012. the surveillance protocol was improved during these years, allowing the detection of 65 human infections. mo ... | 2014 | 25496572 |
| genetic variability of the s segment of toscana virus. | toscana virus (tosv) was originally isolated in 1971 from a pool of phlebotomus perniciosus sandflies collected in grosseto province (central italy). since its first isolation, several studies have been conducted in italy and other mediterranean countries in order to identify its possible animal reservoirs, spread of infection and genetic variability. phylogenetic analysis conducted on tosv genome demonstrated the co-circulation of two major lineages in the mediterranean areas, tosv a and tosv b ... | 2015 | 25616048 |
| a rapid and specific real time rt-pcr assay for diagnosis of toscana virus infection. | to scan a virus (tosv) belongs to the phlebovirus genus within the bunyaviridae family. tosv is an arbovirus transmitted by sandflies. in mediterranean countries, tosv is one of the major viral pathogens involved in aseptic meningitis and meningoencephalitis. | 2015 | 25866349 |
| toscana virus encephalitis following a holiday in sicily. | we report a case of toscana virus encephalitis. this emerging pathogen is among the three most common causes of meningoencephalitis in europe during the warm season, yet remains under-recognised. doctors should consider toscana virus infection in patients presenting with neurological symptoms who have a relevant exposure history during the summer months. | 2016 | 26647398 |